Mobile Phones for Music, Built in Java/Processing

No one uses Java any more, eh, Steve Jobs? Why, we use Java for … you know … useful stuff. Work stuff. (Shown: Snake on a Plane, built in Mobile Processing.) All rational arguments for development on mobile phones aside, some phone owners are driven by the irrational, purely personal need to tap into their […]

Apple Tells Developers “We Invented Internet”, Forgets Multimedia and Multi-Touch

Apple made a controversial announcement at the World Wide Developers’ Conference, which went something like this: “We’ve got a new, innovative way of giving you developer access to our phone: we’re not.” (I’m paraphrasing; see the full quote below.) In less than 24 hours, this has devolved into an online debate between defensive “traditional” developers […]

Ask CDMo Readers: Video Camera Suggestions for Visualists

Hello Internets! I’ve returned from gallivanting around the country and have a couple of weeks while we refuel and plan the next leg of the tour. One of the first tasks I’ve set myself is to get a better video camera, and was all set to pick up a Canon XH-A1 when I found out […]

CDM Giveaway is Closed; Winners and Favorite Sites soon

UPDATED: That’s it, folks; this giveaway is done. We’ll have winners, some overall stats on who our readers are, and some of our favorite websites from around the world soon! For starters: Here are the winners If you’ve been waiting to enter the CDM Giveaway, this is your last chance: entries are closed as of […]

WWDC Preview: Apple to Improve USB, FireWire Audio Support in 10.5

In a little while, Steve Jobs will be keynoting Apple’s developer conference. I doubt that anyone will be thinking about audio drivers. So in the remaining moments to do that, let’s go — because 10.5 looks like it’s yet another release from Apple that takes music production seriously. Most of us didn’t expect any major […]

Ubuntu Studio Available Now, Full OS + Free Music and Visual Apps; Best Linux Distro?

Ardour running on Ubuntu Linux naysayers get mighty grumpy about all the Ubuntu hype. I can certainly imagine some Ubuntu fatigue, but Ubuntu is actually gaining some real traction in a way that previous attempts to be a “Linux for the rest of us” have not. For that reason, it’s significant that there’s an Ubuntu […]

Modular MAWZER Controller, a Reality in July?

We first heard about the Mawzer modular control surface over two years ago. In CDM time, that’s like the Bronze Age. The idea was appealing enough: assemble controller layouts by plugging in different modules in whatever combination you like, Lego-style. (See below for someone using actual Legos; that’s another story.) Building specialized music hardware from […]

New Serato Scratch Live 1.8 Will Scratch Video

Can the future of visualists really be a combination of programmers, VJs, DJs, filmmakers, animators, musicians, turntablists? Why not? In the meantime, given that menu of people and a tough market to crack, many manufacturers are betting on the DJs. Josh Randall points us to this demo video of the next version of Rane’s Serato […]

Any Visualists Using Motion 3 Yet?

Not your father’s Motion: Have you been working out? Apple’s Motion has been bulking up with powerful new vector paint, match move, and 3D capabilities. In a world crowded with powerful visual-making tools, it’s starting to at last differentiate a unique, Motion-y way of working — one that should be easily combined with other tools […]

Easy Audio Transcriptions with QuickTime Player (Mac/Windows, Non-Pro)

I spend a lot of time transcribing audio, for various reasons. When doing interviews, I usually carry around a portable recorder. That had long been a tape recorder, but lately I’ve been going digital — it tends to cause less problems. Roland’s Edirol R-1 serves perfectly, and I’ve had terrific battery life, no hassles, and […]