Echo are the maker of quite affordable, nice audio interfaces; they’re perhaps best known for their ultra-compact PC Card (CardBus) interfaces and, before that, PCI-based interfaces. They’ve gotten into FireWire, but initially in the 10×10 and 12×12 configurations, where there’s plenty of competition. There are far fewer FireWire interfaces that are smaller and less expensive, […]

I am currently in the midst of an awesome toys storm! This week has seen the arrival of a Macbook, Crumpler Backpack and I just picked up my M3 DS Simply from the post office. With a Numark AVM02 arriving tomorrow, I’m worried that I’ll become paralysed by the sheer weight of cool techy stuff. […]

“I would rather have a robot singing our songs than myself.” So explains the lead singer vocoder user for the electro-rock band Shout Out Out Out Out on a new feature on CBC Radio 3. The new program takes on gadget love among musicians. “Our resident gear-freak Tariq Hussain gets the skinny on some of […]

There are two basic ways to approach computer music making: work with a system that’s already built for you (think traditional sequencers), or build your own, modular, unique way of working. Both approaches can be valid, but for a small but dedicated band of hard-core computer musicians, only the latter will do. The Buzz project […]

Music tech gear rarely surfaces in the mainstream. I never saw a Roland Juno and Cubase on Seinfeld. The Hercules DJ Controller did make it onto a recent episode of “24”, however, says CDM reader DJ Klachik: I was just watching the 5th season of “24” on DVD, and in chapter 21, I saw this […]

DIY Audio Projects has a selection of build-it-yourself tube amps, tube preamps, speakers and subwoofers, all using really cheap parts. If you’ve ever fancied constructing audio gear, this could be a good place to start. Via MAKE:blog and CDM’s designer onetonnemusic. We’ve covered DIY stuff before, but if you have your own resource for schematics […]

Lack the budget and space to collect vintage analog synths? Michel Le Stum is selling custom kits for creating your own, entirely out of paper: SDIYCUT: Synthesizer Do it Yourself, via synth fetish blog Matrixsynth (sorry, Matrix; I’m a couple of weeks behind but was getting ready for an exam that week!) 15 EUR each, […]

The 2007 way of promoting your VJing: giving away clips. So while we’re on the subject of legal, free clips to use in your next visual set (classic movies were the subject last week), this week: 68 Vintage Fairlight VJ Loops by VJzoo (2007) [Archive.org, from VJzoo.com Get ready for some grungy, glitchy 80s electro-style […]

Patching, programming visually by connecting virtual patch cords between onscreen objects, has generally been the domain of the few. Max/MSP/Jitter and Pd lovers and modular soft synth fans all patch regularly. But the mainstream audience? Now, Yahoo is letting you “remix” and “mash-up” RSS feeds from the Web, and guess what interface they’re using? Yahoo […]

The creators of Fruity Loops aka FL Studio (Image Line software) have just announced a new DJ application called DeckaDance, and this thing looks like the answers to our prayers. We here at CDM love applications that don’t tie you into a specific controller/hardware/control vinyl solution. DeckaDance seems to have everything we’ve ever wanted in […]