Serato intros DJ Intro software

Based on its “Itch and Scratch” DJing software, Serato has announced the more entry-level DJ Intro software aimed at budding hobbyist DJs who still need decent control over their music mixes.

The two-deck software is free to download but needs pairing with a compatible controller such as Numark’s MixDeck/MixTrack or Vestax’s Typhoon/VCI-100 Mk II.

Features include sync, five cue points and a sample player which can load up to four short samples. A bank of basic chain-able effects (three for each deck) include reverb, filter and delay.

Specifications

• Two tracks can be mixed simultaneously using traditional DJ controls – scratch, nudge, pitch bend, EQ.
• Serato Sync locks tracks together for seamless grooves.
• Serato Crates make audio file management easy and advanced iTunes integration gives you instant access of personal library and playlist information.
• Cue points allow you to quickly access specific parts of songs.
• Loops repeat selected sections and can create new intros, outros and extended mixes.
• DJ-FX will enhance any DJ set, allowing you to color songs and create unique sounding transitions.
• The Sample Player can play up to four short samples, audio loops, sound effects or full length tracks in addition to the two tracks you’re mixing.
• Plug-and-Play connectivity makes it simple and fast to setup your supported Serato DJ Intro controller, computer and software and start DJing.

Product page

Metronome Plus for Mac released

I must admit to not being a huge metronome fan. I love the look and sound of a traditional clockwork one, and indeed I have mine sitting on top of my digital piano right now. It gets dusted, and occasionally used.

Many musicians, particularly those working with sequencers and other software, are used to click tracks and digital metronomes in order to ensure their performances are close to the correct timing (or, at least, reduce the amount of work the ‘quantise’ function has to do). It’s hard to find a piece of equipment that doesn’t have some sort of metronome or beat generator on it these days.

However, should you want something simple that provides you the static rhythm you need, take a look at Metronome Plus for the Mac. It offers a variety of sounds and the ability to set different accent beats. Pretty simple stuff.

What would be cool, for those playing more esoteric or mixed time signatures, would be the ability to set several different accent beats rather than just one. For example, if you’re playing in 7/4 time with accents on the 1st and 4th beats you could set it up that way.

Actually, you can do that with any combination of beats up to eight, but beyond that it doesn’t look possible.

Metronome Plus is available in the Mac App Store.

Sound Made Simple app for Mac launched

IF you’re looking for some software that will teach you about the basics of audio, acoustics and sound system equipment, Sound Made Simple could be for you.

It’s not the cheapest app on the block but it does promise a professional set of lessons and interactive examples, with topics including:

Sound & Hearing
Explains the physics of sound & how the brain and ears work.

Signal Path & Gain Structure
Describes how signal travels through an audio system.

Mixing Consoles
Explains control knobs, busses, faders, inputs & outputs.

Equalization
Explains filters, equalizers and how to EQ a system.

Acoustics
Unveils the mystery of echoes, reflections and noise control.

Microphones
Explains how microphones work, differ and placement technique.

Signal Processors
Defines the different types of processors and their functions.

Power Amplifiers
Clarifies amplifier settings, features and configurations.

Loudspeakers
Explains the core components, coverage and types of loudspeakers in an audio system.

Cables, Connectors & Impedance
Defines the various types of cables, connectors and interfaces found in an audio system.

Several of the units include interactive objects that allow the user to have hands on experience without requiring a full size audio system. The interactive mixing console accurately simulates the look, feel, and function of a real console and incorporates full functionality of the channel and master faders, pan controls, and mute buttons while allowing the user to mix real instrument tracks in real time.

There are over 350 comprehensive academic-based modules in a well designed application ideal for both individual and group training sessions.

Check out the page on the iTunes App Store.

djay: David Guetta Edition launched in App Store

There are plenty of mobile DJ applications coming to the market particularly for Apple’s popular iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices.

Now DJ David Guetta has put his unique sound on an app. djay – David Guetta Edition is packed with his own beats and sounds.

This special edition of djay features an all-new, stunning Live Sampler, and contains exclusive David Guetta bonus material including twelve signature synth samples and drum beats, and five of Guetta’s electro tracks from the deluxe editions of his new album NOTHING BUT THE BEAT:

• Lunar
• Little Bad Girl Instrumental
• Sunshine
• Glasgow
• Paris

A hyper-realistic touchscreen interface and ultra-low latency converge to offer you a true professional mixing experience, right in the palm of your hand. You can perform, record mixes on-the-go, and remix live using the Sampler to trigger original David Guetta sounds in-sync with the music, hours of fun! Or simply enable Automix mode and let djay mix your favourite iPod playlist at your next party – auto-magically.

With unprecedented ease-of-use, innovative multi-touch mixing features, and a wide range of David Guetta bonus material, djay – David Guetta Edition gives you all the tools you need, offering a unique experience for beginners and professionals alike—all in your pocket.

Features

• Direct access to iPod library
• Integrated David Guetta section with 5 bonus tracks
• Live Sampler with 12 exclusive David Guetta signature sounds (6 synths + 6 drum beats)
• Hyper-realistic low-latency turntable interface
• Exclusive portrait (single deck) and landscape modes
• Automix mode with automatic transition control (Fade, Backspin, Reverse, Brake, and Random)
• Automatic beat and tempo matching (BPM sync)
• Looping (Auto, Manual, and Bounce)
• Cue Point Trigger
• Live Recording
• Seamless AirPlay integration (wirelessly transmit your mix to Apple TV or AirPort Express base station)
• Pre-Cueing (with optional headphone adapter)
• Full visual waveform
• High-quality scratching
• Mixer, tempo, and EQ controls
• Pitch-Bend
• Beat-synchronized scrubbing
• Support for all major audio formats including MP3, AAC, WAV, AIFF (no support for DRM protected songs)
• Fully optimized for iOS multitasking and background operation

Supported Hardware (optional):

• Griffin DJ Cable (adaptor for Pre-Cueing with headphones)
• Numark iDJ Live (MIDI controller for a tactile turntable-like experience)

Get more information at the official web site or download from the iTunes Store.

Beyer Elementary Piano Lessons come to Apple mobile devices

The classic Beyer piano instruction books make their way to Apple’s mobile devices courtesy of the My Piano Lite app.

Now it’s possible to watch and learn from the Beyer 1 book for free:

“My Piano” remembers the lesson you were practicing last time and automatically jumps up to this lesson when you start the application.

You may also want to train on a specific part of the lesson. You can set starting/end points and use the repeat functionality in order to practice this part over and over.

Lessons are faithful to the Beyer score with no variations.

The sound is recorded live by dedicated teachers.

For each lesson you can select the demonstration which is the lesson played normally, you may also select to hear it played slowly, or to hear only the left or right hand.

Features:

1. Plays automatically

My Piano remembers the lesson you were practicing last time and automatically starts playing it when you open the application.

2. Select the lesson mode

4 lesson modes are available:

• Demo : the model, the lesson played normally.
• Slowly : tempo of about 60% of the model track (both hands)
• Right hand : tempo of about 80% of the model track (right hand only)
• Left hand : tempo of about 80% of the model track (left hand only)

Note: For some lessons only 3 modes are available.

3. Lock a lesson to practice it over and over

Use the “lock” button in order to lock a lesson and prevent the application from going to the next lesson. When you re-open the application, the locked lesson will start playing automatically.
Use the repeat button in order to repeat this lesson over and over.

4. Select a part of the lesson to practice repeatedly

Sometimes you may want to practice only a part of the lesson, simply specify the start point (A) and end point (B) while listening to the music.

Use the repeat button in order to repeat this part over and over.

Note: This setting is lost when the iPhone/iPad is turned off.

5. Animated piano keyboard

While the music is being played, enjoy the animated piano keys. The animation does not reproduce the music being played.

6. Select your own background picture

You can hide the interface (lesson list, animated piano keyboard..) and enjoy the background picture. You may use one of the three provided pictures, or you may upload your favourite pictures using the file sharing feature in iTunes. You may switch between pictures using the provided buttons or using the flick gesture.

7. Additional Features

We tried to make the interface as simple as possible so that you may concentrate on your piano practice.

• You can start over from the beginning by taping on the lesson mode button.
• In order to ease your practice, we have added a metronome sound. For the model track there is no metronome sound, except for the first Beyer lessons.
• All our lessons have been recorded by an experienced piano teacher.

8. Difference between the free version and paid version

The interface and functionalities are exactly same.

The free version contains only 3 lessons: Beyer No.17, No.49, No.89 (track 3)

iTunes Store Link

ONE DJ software video promo

Sparse on details, but take a look at this video promo for a new piece of DJ software which should be available soon.

What do we know about ONE? Nothing much except that it’s “Not Just Another DJ Software”. Presumably we’ll hear more about it in due course:

The One Teaser from The One on Vimeo.

Via Gear Junkies)

DJSamplr app released for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch

DJs looking for some ready-to-use samples for adding spice to their mixes might want to take a look at the new DJSamplr app from PowerFX.

The app contains over 300 samples which are accessed via a simple ‘drum pad’ interface. All you need do is to plug in your Apple device to your sound system / mixing desk and trigger sounds to your heart’s content.

This isn’t a full editing suite (though you could edit these sounds elsewhere by exporting the audio and then reimporting via iTunes) but there are some basic controls such as changing the fade in and out, cutting, normalising and changing the playback speed. It’s also possible to change the way sounds play, including pitch bend and panning, by moving the finger during playback.

For just £2.99 this could be a fun addition to a DJ setup. It requires an Apple portable device running iOS 4.1 or better.

Features

Sounds

• Sound Selections: 329 preloaded sounds, wav files, 16 bit 44.1
• Chords & Pads: 16
• Dub Hits: 16
• Electro FX: 16
• Hall Kicks: 14 (reverberated kick drums)
• Hip Hop Kit: 14 (808 style kit)
• Instrument Hits: 16 (includes jazz, country, rock riffs)
• Looped Effects 1 & 2: 32 (sound name includes bpm)
• Noize Pads: 15
• Old School Rap: 16 short phrases
• Sound Effects: 16
• Scratch & Tape: 16
• Sex & Guns: 16
• Spoken Word: 16
• Tech Hits: 15
• Vocal FX: 15
• Vocals: 16
• World Vocals: 16
• Wubs: 16
• Zap & Whooshes: 16
• User Sounds: unlimited

Recording

• Sample Editing features
• Cut
• Crop
• Normalize
• Fade In
• Fade Out
• Loop on/off
• Adjustable pitch on/off
• Adjustable pan on/off
• Assign User Sounds

Playability

• Finger press manipulate for Pitch Bend and Panning
• Sample Hold and manipulate

iTunes store link | Product page

Alchemy Mobile comes to iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

The award-winning Alchemy software comes to an Apple device near you, as Camel Audio announces an iOS version is now available to download from the App Store.

Here’s a run down of the main features:

Touch Remote for Alchemy on Mac/PC

With the Pro Upgrade ($19.99/€15.99/£13.99), you can remotely control Alchemy or the free Alchemy Player on your desktop computer. This is the first iPhone App to offer a dedicated touch remote feature for a desktop synth! Easy one touch access to the remix pad and preset selection means you’ll spend more time getting inspired and less time reaching for your mouse.

Create Your Own Sounds with the Remix Pad

Discover an almost limitless palette of sounds using the unique remix pad to morph between sound variations. 16 controls including cutoff, resonance, ADSR and effects parameters are specially selected for each preset to make tweaking sounds to fit your music easier than ever.

External MIDI or Built In Keyboard

The Alchemy Mobile interface was designed with ease of use in mind. You can play the mini keyboard built into the app, which features scalable key size and one touch major and minor keys so even the clumsiest fingers can play along with friends. You can also plug in an external Core MIDI keyboard.

Copy/Paste and Loop Player

Using Alchemy with other apps like NanoStudio and Garageband is easy, thanks to the included loop player. Simply paste a loop from your sequencer into Alchemy Player, hit record, and play in your killer bass part, and then paste the resulting loop back into the sequencer. Alchemy Player is the first iPhone app to feature exposé, which makes switching between pages a breeze.

Most Powerful Synthesis Engine on iOS

Want to know why Alchemy Mobile has such amazing sounds which can change so drastically with a tap of the remix pad? The performance controls and remix pad are linked to the most powerful synthesis engine on iOS, which allows you to morph and change the sound in radical ways not possible with any other synth. Alchemy’s VA synth, sampler and granular and additive resynthesis, combined with almost unlimited modulation sources, effects and a flexible arpeggiator are used to power this expressive way of creating new sounds for your music.

Expandable with Sound Libraries

The free version of Alchemy Mobile includes 25 sounds, with a further 25 available when you register for free with Camel Audio. You can expand Alchemy Mobile with a wide range of sound libraries such as BigTone, Cinematic and Arp Dimensions from world class sound designers. The libraries each contain 50 sounds (400 variations) and are available as in-app purchases for $4.99/€3.99/£2.99.

Free Features

• Remix pad to morph between sound variations and create your own sound
• 16 performance controls so you can easily tweak sounds to fit your music
• Most powerful iOS synthesis engine with VA, sampler, granular and additive resynthesis
• External MIDI keyboard support
• Loop player with 25 drum loops included
• Copy and paste support for easy integration with sequencers
• iPad native version included
• Built in keyboard with scalable keys
• One touch major and minor chords
• 25 sounds with 25 more free when you register
• Add on sound libraries available as in-app purchases

Pro Features

• Remote control of Alchemy or free Alchemy Player on your desktop computer
• Free download of Mobile version (if available) of desktop sound libraries you own
• 125 sounds
• 50 loops

Here’s the iTunes link.

Roland intros R-MIX audio processing software

Roland has introduced its new R-MIX audio processing software featuring newly developed V-Remastering technology and VariPhrase which “lets you see the components of a stereo mix as color-coded clouds of energy and harmonic matter as the song plays”.

A range of features makes it easy to create a number of different audio mixes, such as adding effects to single elements of a mix, adjusting panning positions and levels, independently adjusting pitch and speed, isolating instruments within a mix, creating karaoke-style tracks, and cleaning up old recordings.

Features at a glance:

• View the elements of a stereo mix as color-coded clouds of energy and frequency matter onscreen
• Freely select and manipulate any element within a stereo mix
  High-quality sound
• Create “minus-one” type karaoke files from existing songs by lowering the level of the pre-recorded vocal or any other instrument you select
• Create your own remixes and mash-ups by using two pairs of stereo tracks within R-MIX t Isolate any desired instrument within a mix, and then solo and slow down that element for study
• Clean up old recordings and master your stereo mixes by adjusting individual instrument levels within a mix and applying noise reduction and effects
• Compatible with Mac and Windows
• Simplified version available for Apple iPad

High-Quality Sound

R-MIX makes magic happen, but magic is meaningless if the quality is poor. With R-MIX, you get high-quality, natural-sounding results without undesirable artifacts, glitches, or over-modulated sounds. And once you’ve finished your project, you can export it as an audio file and play it on any standard music-playback device, or import the file into your favorite music-software program.

Effects and Noise Cancel

Add effects only to any specific part of a mix, such as vocals, and clean up your mixes with the built-in Noise Cancel, which eliminates undesirable hiss and hum noises. Delay and reverb effects are also onboard, letting you add depth and expression to each element (or all) of your mix.

Create Your Own Mixes

You can easily make “minus-one” type karaoke files from existing songs by lowering the level of the pre-recorded vocal or any other instrument you select. Using the same technique in reverse, you can solo an individual part and analyze it for study; slow down a fast guitar solo, for example, and learn how to play it. Create mash-ups and remixes with stereo files as if they were multitracks. The sky’s the limit!

Fast Workflow

With R-MIX, there’s only one friendly screen to navigate. No need to switch screens or hunt through a maze of embedded menus. R-MIX’s controls are designed according to natural workflow so you can work effortlessly. A built-in Help window is provided for each task so you can operate R-MIX without the need for a printed manual.

iPad Version Available!

A simplified version of R-MIX called “R-MIX Tab” will be available for the Apple iPad. Use V-Remastering technology to extract audio elements from songs and easily create “minus-one” type play-along tracks from an audio file on your iPad!

Over 700 RealTracks are Available in RealTracks Sets 1-136

PG Music, creators of Band-in-a-Box, has announced over 700 RealTracks to add some “REAL” accompaniment to your musical arrangements.

With Rock, Pop, Jazz, Blues, Bluegrass, Country, Reggae, and more you’re sure to find the RealTracks for you. Listen to all the RealTracks Demos here: Windows | Macintosh.

Get all of the RealTracks with a purchase of the UltraPlusPAK, EverythingPAK, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box… Just looking for a few? We also offer RealPAKs in Rock-Pop, Country, and Jazz.

Check out our Band-in-a-Box Packages for Windows and Macintosh to see which package is right for you.

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