Reason 5 and Record 1.5 now available

Propellerhead Software has announced the immediate availability of its latest versions of Reason and Record.

Reason 5 and Record 1.5 introduce a whole range of new instruments, effects, sequencing, sounds, patches, and much more, making it even more versatile and useful for music composition, beat-making, loop-mangling, vocal treatment, songwriting, remixing and music production.

The new Kong Drum Designer and Dr Octo Rex loop player extend Reason’s instrument arsenal to help musicians get phenomenal sounding rhythms, drums tracks and beats.

Reason 5 and Record 1.5 add a whole new take on sequencing: Blocks—build songs parts like patterns and string them together for lightning fast arranging with the ability to freely go back and forth between pattern and linear modes.

Neptune, a pitch correction tool and amazing voice synthesiser, turns less than perfect performances into great ones in no time.

Simply play new harmonies on a MIDI keyboard for instant backing vocals.

Live sampling into all sample capable devices means any musician can use samples in a new and playful manner, discovering the lost art of creative sampling.

The Expanded Factory Sound Bank, doubling in size, plus added signature sound designers’ patches, inspire new arrangements and compositions.

Multi core optimisation, an on-screen keyboard and tempo scaling of clips top the list of additional improvements.

The upgrades further solidify the Record Reason Duo as the mainstay tool for musical creation.
?”I don’t put too many demands on (studio) engineers… except for them to have Reason on their system,” says Printz Board, Musical Director of the Black Eyed Peas. “That is one of the only demands.”

Check out these video demonstrations for much more about the new software:

Reason 5 Record 1.5 – Dr. Octo Rex Loop Player

Reason 5 – Kong Drum Designer

Neptune Pitch Adjuster for Record 1.5

Reason 5 & Record 1.5 – Blocks

Reason 5 Signature Patches

Reason 5 & Record 1.5 – Live Sampling

Pricing and availability

All full versions and upgrades are available worldwide through authorised Propellerhead dealers and Propellerhead’s online store: www.propellerheads.se/shop

Record for Reason Owners Sidegrade (includes Reason 5 upgrade): EUR €149 / USD $169
Reason 5 Upgrade from any version: EUR € 99 / USD $129
Record 1.5 Upgrade from any version: free download
Record Reason Duo bundle: EUR €405 / USD $449
Reason: EUR €305 / USD $349
Record: EUR €279 / USD $299

Anyone who purchased a qualifying Reason product after May 24, 2010 can receive the upgrade for free. Details are here: www.propellerheads.se/freeupgrade

Signature patch artists and producers

Bomb Squad, Hank and Keith Shocklee
http://www.shocklee.com/

Printz Board, Musical Director of the Black Eyed Peas
http://www.beetsandproduce.com/

Jason McGerr
http://www.propellerheads.se/products/refills/mcgerr/

Adam Beyer
http://www.drumcode.se/adambeyer.html

Sharooz
http://www.myspace.com/sharooz

Cari Lekebusch
http://www.lekebuschmusik.se/

Keith LeBlanc
http://www.keithleblanc.com/

The Salazar Brothers
http://thesalazarbrothers.blogspot.com/
http://www.propellerheads.se/products/refills/reggaeton/

Propellerhead Software

Popularity: 1% [?]

unrealBook: Music manuscript display app for iPad

After I finished yesterday’s 22 iPad Music Creation Apps feature, I stumbled across Aron Nelson’s blog and found his unrealBook for iPad app.

It’s the sort of app I’ve been thinking of for quite some time, but until now the only way to execute such a thing was to use a laptop / notebook — a bit unwieldy, even on the lighter models — or put up with the smaller screen of a PDA or iPhone.

With the iPad comes a much larger screen in a thinner body. Assuming you find something satisfactory to prop it up with, it becomes a great storage and display device for printed music manuscript and chord / lyric sheets.

It works with PDF files, so if you can get your music collection scanned in / saved in that format, you’re away. Fully alphabetised and indexed, it’s ready to go wherever you need to get hold of your music.

Version 1.2 includes text annotation, drawing with multiple pens, wireless methods (email, dropbox, URL download), hiding of toolbars, go menu enhancements, more responsive page turning, better zoom and more.

It’s worth noting other music display apps are available for the iPad.

unrealBook

You might also consider Sheet Music Mobile, forScore and Music Reader for iPad.

Popularity: 1% [?]

22 iPad Music Creation Apps

The iPad is a beautiful device for all kinds of music-making and synthesiser goodness. Here’s our selection of iPad-ready music creation and learning apps that we think you’ll like:

Click on the title to go to the iTunes Store for more information.

ThumbJam – $6.99

Over 30 high-quality multi-sampled real instruments and hundreds of musical scales allow you to play a range of styles.

It’s endorsed by Jordan Rudess, and comes with two of his signature sounds.

TouchOSC – $4.99

For sending Open Sound Control (OSC) messages to other devices via Wi-Fi. Includes touch controls for faders, rotary controls, toggle buttons, XY pads, multi-faders, multi-toggles, LEDs and labels, with full multi-touch of up to five controls at once.

miniSynth PRO – $9.99

Grab hold of analog synthesis on your iPad with this completely revamped version of the original iPhone synth.

Fully-featured, professional grade virtual analog synth incorporating an improved version of the zero-latency “push-pull” Yonac keyboard algorithm.

A huge range of specs include dual subtractive / FM virtual-analogue polyphonic / monophonic synthesis, fully configurable FM filter or modulation based tone shaping, 16-bit quality stereo output, dual syncable oscillators, six optimised custom waveforms per oscillator, adjustable dual keyboards, BPM-based arpeggiator module, and so much more.

Korg iElectribe – $19.99

A faithful virtual recreation of Korg’s ELECTRIBE-R sound engine, featuring analog synth modelling, PCM samples, virtual valve force tube modelling, patterns and effects.

Pianist Pro – $9.99

The original iPhone piano now arrives in a pro version for the iPad, featuring full recording and overdub, standard MIDI output, MIDI to OSC, multiple instruments, pitch bend, modulation and swell pedal, arpeggiator and a drum machine.

Pocket Organ C3B3 – $2.99

Optimised for the larger iPad screen, play a simulation of the Hammond Organ using a virtual tonewheel system controlled by nine drawbars as per the real thing. Features include scrollable keyboard, transposition, rotary speaker effect, harmonic percussion effect, reverb, overdrive, vibrato, chorus, and glissando via the accelerometer.

SunVox – $4.99

Another iPad app endorsed by Jordan Rudess, SunVox is a small and fast multi-platform pattern-based (tracker) sequencer with modular synths. This means you can use it across different operating systems.

Features include a modular interface, optimised synth algorithms, Wi-Fi import and export, including WAV samples, various generators and a sampler, DC blocking filter, effects including delay, distortion and echo, a three-band equaliser, low-, high-, band-pass and notch filters, flanger, LFO, loop, reverb, a vocal filter and vibrato.

bleep!BOX – $9.99

A combination drum machine and synthesiser box with sounds generated in real time (not from samples).

Features include real-time processing, audio copying, classic x0x drum emulation, analog style 2-Osc synths, 10 parts, 50+ parameters, ringmod, FM, PhaseMod, Sync, Distortion, global delay FX, eight waveforms, tempo, swing, pattern length, saving of patches and patterns, step sequencing and recording, automation, song mode, and recording songs and patterns to WAV files.

Ellatron HD – $5.99

Experience a virtual Mellotron synth on your iPad, featuring 27 voices, 16 banks of programmable chord buttons, ‘fat keys’ for better playability, save and restore of voice settings, and ready to take on the road. Jordan Rudess say’s “it’s pretty cool”.

Looptastic HD – $14.99

Create remixes and electronic compositions simply by dragging and dropping loops, using the built-in DJ mixer and adding effects with the touch pad.

Features include over 900 samples plus the ability to record your own, a dozen real time effects with X-Y touch pad, including Bit Crusher, Multimode Fingering, flanger, delay and glitchy repeater, time stretching, triple-zone mixer, scratch strip for triggering samples part-way through, importing of a range of audio sample file types, export in 16-bit AIFF, and sharing via SoundCloud.

GrooveMaker Hip-Hop for iPad – $9.99

The application for creating non-stop electronic, dance and hip-hop tracks in real-time.

Features include instantaneous control of eight stereo loop tracks, play, mix and randomise loops on the fly, combine studio-quality loops, manipulate loops in real time, arrange grooves with drag and drop, save and recall tracks and upload WAV files via Wi-Fi.

Nota HD – $5.99

Designed for pianists of all levels, Not a HD features piano chord and scale browser, piano and staff note locator, note quiz and reference library with over 100 symbols.

Raindrops for iPad – $1.99

Play music simply by touching the screen, either solo or over the Internet.

Synth – $0.99

Simply titled “Synth”, this cheaper app offers over 40 instruments, mod and pitch bend wheels, adjustable delay and distortion plus a built in sampler.

Bebot – Robot Synth – $1.99

Feature packed polyphonic musical synth with a unique multitouch control method — an onscreen animated robot character who moves and sings while you play.

Four synth modes, analog-sounding filters, versatile delay/loops, overdrive distortion, programmable scales, and full touchscreen control.

Music Studio – $14.99

A complete music production environment featuring dynamically configurable 85-key keyboard, 74 studio-recorded instruments, low-latency, high polyphony, real time effects, 128-track sequencer, note editing, quantising, transposition, repeat, move, velocity and so on, Wi-Fi transfer, MIDI import/export.

iSequence for iPad – $14.99

Music creation studio featuring eight-track sequencer, flexible mixer with DSP, real-time recording and control, 160 instruments, pattern editing, sampler, and wi-fi file sharing.

Electrify – $14.99

A virtual sample groovebox for iPad, designed to combine the best features of existing hardware grooveboxes and the ease of use of software applications.

Features include an eight-track sequencer with individual track lengths, two chainable effect buses with 8 effects, direct access to track parameters, step sequencer, pattern matrix, seven parameters editable per step, professional sample library, import of samples, sample editing, copy and paste to other iPad apps.

Mellotronics M3000 for iPad – $11.99

The only moxMatrix – $4.99

Turns iPad into a canvas for rhythm and melody, featuring a multicoloured, multitouch pulsating groovebox.

Features include tone matrix interface, loop creation, sampler, alternative scales, pattern storage and jam mode.

olsynth – $6.99

Classic monophonic synth with a clean and simple interface. Settings include dual oscillator with four waveforms, fine tune, modulation, filter, envelope volume and filter, and arpeggio.

TuneLab Piano Tuner

– $299.99

A highly specialised app designed for professional piano tuners. It can be calibrated to an accuracy of 0.02 cents, stores hundreds of tuning files for individual pianos, plus historical temperaments for period music, automatic note switching, plus a range of displays to aid in tuning.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Mellotron comes to iPad with launch of Mellotronics M3000 HD

I know we are going to see some incredible soft synths, emulators and simulators coming to the iPad over time, given its screen real estate and immense portability, and one of the first is Streetly Electronics’ and Omenie’s software implementation of the great Mellotron.

Mellotronics M3000 HD features 13 voices sampled directly from Streetly Electronics’ production tapes — those very same as used in classic tracks such as Strawberry Fields Forever, Nights in White Satin and Watcher of the Skies.

All 35 notes of each set have been sampled, and all keys are visible on screen and fully playable. There’s even a dozen programmable chord pads. See the demo video below for how these are used to good effect.

Martin Smith of Streetly Electronics, says “I was amazed to hear our classic sounds coming out of the iPad. This is the truest, most playable digital mellotron for iPhone OS, and it has to be heard to be believed.”

Apparently a version for the iPod Touch and iPhone is also in development, though I think it would be rather a struggle to play efficiently on such a small screen. You’d either need to select which keys to display on screen or perhaps use a stylus. Fat fingers beware.

The iPad version will be available from Monday 14 June priced $11.99. I’ll update with a link when it goes live in the App Store.

(Via)

Popularity: 1% [?]

Sony updates Acid Music Studio to version 8: consumer music making and mixing improves

Sony has announced that its consumer-oriented Acid Music Studio has just been upgraded to version 8, offering a range of new features aimed at the amateur and prosumer music enthusiast.

Equally of use to those wanting to control MIDI devices as well as those sampling and mixing audio sources, key features of the new version include:

• Audio and MIDI Mixing Console: The new Mixing Console provides an integrated view of all tracks and busses in your project with the appearance of a traditional hardware-based mixer. The look can be customized to provide you with the best view of even the most complex session. The new audio and MIDI Mixing Console has additional routing options, allowing for a more flexible and efficient studio recording environment.
• Zplane élastique Audio Timestretching and Pitch Shifting: Zplane élastique Pro technology allows users to perform dramatic time stretches and pitch-shifts of Beatmapped tracks while retaining maximum sound quality.
• Enhanced remixing tools: For remixing your favourite songs, only ACID Music Studio software has the Beatmapper tool. This feature automatically finds the tempo of a complete song, making it easy to remix songs with different beat structures. New markers in ACID Music Studio 8 allow you to Beatmap songs with varying tempos and time signatures.
• Cross-Track Event Drag and Drop: This new feature allows users to easily create mixes by simply cutting, copying, or pasting events across multiple tracks for faster editing.

As well as these features, there are some 3,000 high quality music loops plus the Studio Devil British Valve Custom guitar amp and TruePianos Amber Lite piano plug-in.

There’s also a social element going on, with the ability to upload creations directly to ACIDplanet.com from within the software.

PC only, not surprisingly, running on Windows XP, Vista or 7, and retailing from $64.95.

Product page

Popularity: 1% [?]

Groovy Music City: music creation software for kids, from Avid

Getting kids interested in music from an early age is a very worthwhile thing to do, for its own sake and also because music has been shown to improve overall learning and skills development in children.

Those who seem to have an aptitude for composition, but for whom a full-blown music creation package would be far too complex, might like to give Groovy Music City a try.

Avid’s software allows kids to create songs by arranging a series of shapes and machines against the backdrop of an animated and futuristic city, simply by dragging and dropping.

They can select from 128 virtual instruments or even connect a keyboard via MIDI.

There’s also a strong social networking element. Completed songs can be uploaded, shared, and commented upon at GroovyMusic.com.

The software is available for both Windows PC and Mac, priced $39.99 from Avid’s web site.

Download link

Popularity: 2% [?]

Basic noise.io for iPhone video published

Following news of noise.io for the iPhone, here’s a basic demo video of the software in action:

Popularity: 1% [?]

noise.io iPhone synthesiser software coming to App Store

The iPhone is one very cool phone, and thanks to the recent addition of third-party applications, there’s some pretty nifty software coming out for it.

I must admit, though, that I’d not considered the iPhone being used for any serious synth work / music creation. Yes, there are applications that let you play a virtual keyboard or guitar, or build up basic four-part tracks from preset loops, but noise.io sounds like one of the first dedicated bits of synth software for Apple’s handset.

Technabob reports that Amidio will release the software on the 25th August. This full-featured sound synthesiser uses Enhanced Subspace Frequency Modulation (ESFM), and features a unique multi-touch interface (as you might expect from any self-respecting iPhone app) which lets the user manipulate every aspect of the created sound.

The software should include a sequencer, audio effects, plus 81 sound presets and a preset editor. As it will only cost $6.99 (about £4) when released, I’m tempted to give it a go. It’s probably going to be best suited to dance-style music, but there’s nothing wrong with that.

Now, what other music and synth apps will be developed for the iPhone? How about a soft Tenori-On?

(Via Technabob)

Popularity: 1% [?]

Sonic State video reviews Novation Nocturn Control

I haven’t heard much about Novation recently, but here’s a video from Sonic State’s Rob Jones, who does a 6+ minute practical review of the Nocturn Control, a nifty little device making it easy to control plug-in parameters and other effects.

[Read more]

Popularity: 4% [?]

JamStudio launches new, improved online music creation engine

JamStudio has announced the re-launch of its popular online music creation engine. The new look, version 2.0 site features a music arranger/mixer, providing a virtual band for music creation and songwriting, with new music libraries allowing a wide range of song styles to be created.

JamStudio.com allows musicians and songwriters to hear songs played by a full band and try out styles, tempos, and chord progressions. Songwriters are able to compose backing tracks or demos for producers to hear how the artist envisions the end product. In addition, the site allows students to practice music theory, chord progressions and music production.

[Read more]

Popularity: 1% [?]

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