Linger In Shadows: Demoscene Makes it to the PlayStation 3

I first saw Linger in Shadows on the Playstation Store Dashboard – the poster image was intriguing, and the game itself is only $2.99. Curious, I clicked through for more information… Holy crap. It’s Interactive Art. On my Playstation. The developers are Plastic, a Demoscene group from Poland. Gamespot UK reported on it earlier this […]

8-bit and Retro Holiday Cheer: Advent Calendar Albums, Casio and Coneheads

Kasio Kristmas from Jim McKenzie on Vimeo. Feeling a warm, holiday glow – or is that just nostalgia for simpler times, times when less digital information was needed to capture sound? Bits were real bits; sampling rates were low enough you could count to the top of them. Kids walked uphill through the snow both […]

Free Reaktor-Based Motion Recorder, Works with Spark (and Other Stuff)

Native Instruments Spark plus Blackbox from Create Digital Media on Vimeo. Hands-on control is a wonderful thing, as NI founder and Reaktor “mastermind” Stephan Schmitt noted in our story yesterday on his creation Spark. And LFOs are often not terribly interesting. But even using your feet for modulation, you may eventually run out of limbs. […]

Quick Tip: Batch Share Videos with Youtube's Multi-Video Upload

I’ve been uploading loads of videos to Youtube recently, a job which has been made considerably easier by the ‘tube’s Multi-Video Upload feature, which I thought I’d share in case any other CDMsters are still laboring away in Single-Video Upload land. It requires Google Gears, which in turn requires Firefox, but neither of those should […]

AutoTune: The Song, a $99 Version (Hide!), and Some History

AutoTune, easily the most famous software plug-in in history – one even the general public has heard of – continues to reach mainstream, viral audiences. But the surprise is, originally its number crunching powers were applied to geology, oil, and pipelines, not bad vocalists. (Sadly, the latter are a more renewable resource.) This week, the […]

Inside the Mind of Stephan Schmitt: A New Synth, and Thoughts on Playability

A synth interface, on the surface, is just more knobs. So we look to creator Stephan Schmitt to find out what makes his synth invention tick – and his thoughts on synth-building philosophy. Click for larger version of the UI, which you can access to create your own sounds if you have a copy of […]

Teaser: CDM.winter is Nearly Here, with Holiday Guide, Tutorials, More

I’m busy working on putting the finishing touches on the CDM Winter 08 publication. You’ll be able to get this as a readable e-publication online or even print-on-demand via lulu. What’s special to me about is is that it’s evolving into a different kind of entity. It’s a print layout, but it’s really an extension […]

3D Animation, Made Real-Time: Open-Source Animata for Mac, Windows

Reverse Shadow Theatre from gabor papp on Vimeo. There’s no shortage of stunning motion graphics in the world. But something’s missing: human beings. Sure, you can render endless, polished animations, but can you perform with animation like you can a musical instrument? Just as studio recording gloss and sameness has made people crave live music […]

JavaFX 1.0 API Arrives, but Vastly Incomplete

We really do need a new rich Internet platform. We need more seamless platforms that work across operating systems and mobile devices. And, in an issue extremely relevant to this site, we need development tools that make it easier for artists of all kinds to create media software and digital artwork and performance tools. The […]

STEIM is Saved; New JunXion; Huge Jamboree Next Week in Amsterdam

STEIM in its idyllic surroundings – sixth building from the right. Photo courtesy Florian Grote. Earlier this week, I got some welcome news: the STEIM performance research and development center in Amsterdam is safe for now. STEIM has been a real hub for people doing work in sound around the world, not just in Amsterdam, […]