tay0's Comments

Synthtopia : Is Ableton Live The Best DAW In The World?

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:08:03 +0000

So, the other night I was doing a gig with a drummer, lap steel player, and a horn guy. I was sending MIDI clock to the steel guy's effects, sending the drummer a separate headphone mix with a click, and treating the horns using effects plugins. Oh - and I was playing Absynth 4 synth parts and running loops programmed in Reason, all on a 4-year-old Macbook Pro running Ableton Live 8. Live makes doing all of those things, on the fly, really really simple. Live has its weird tics and flaws, and after using Pro Tools for years it's hard to get used to the behaviors of the Arrange view, but damn if don't make actually making music easier than any other software ever has.

Synthtopia : Ableton Live Development Halted By Live 8 Bugs

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:05:27 +0000

Been using 8 with an APC since August with no worries (knocking furiously on wood). Just did the update and I'll watching it closely. I have a show in a couple of weeks so we'll see. But so far I can honestly say that the only glitches I've had using 8 onstage or in the studio have been of the PEBCAS variety.

Synthtopia : Free Mac Drum Synthesizer

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 22:57:12 +0000

Dropped this into a new track in the works and having fun with it - built a quick boom kick and some little high perc sounds. Love the filters.

Synthtopia : My Favorite Things - Sound of Music

Mon, 7 Dec 2009 16:07:20 +0000

These guys have been Top 5 at my house for a while now. If you want to lose and couple of hours and then decide to quit music forever, check out their YouTube chanel.

Synthtopia : AKAI MPC2500SE Coming In January

Tue, 1 Dec 2009 20:46:43 +0000

This is what it would look like if Tonka and Hummer's industrial design teams started collaborating on music kit. Good Lord...

Synthtopia : 9 Dirt Cheap Vintage Synths That Don't Suck

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:14:54 +0000

Thanks - now every one of these boards will be $500+ on eBay.

Synthtopia : Why People Still Hate John Cage

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:11:15 +0000

I was listening to some of Cage's prepared piano works this weekend. I get why some people don't understand or like it, but he speaks directly to me. I discovered him while in high school, and it rewired my brain. He's the grandaddy of ambient, found sound, noise, minimalist, all of it. There were others before him, but he distilled and focused things in a way that IMHO leads directly to electronic experimentation circa right now.

Synthtopia : Korg microSampler Sampling Keyboard Official Specs

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 03:00:08 +0000

I wonder if, in all that knobbery, there's one marked "UGLY" that has an OFF position...

Synthtopia : Native Instruments Absynth 5 Software Synthesizer

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 14:08:53 +0000

I use Absynth on almost every track...now. When I first popped the hood I was pretty baffled, but I've gotten to where I understand about .05% of what it can do. It's become essential. Plus also, I got it for free with my interface!

Synthtopia : Free Live Pack For Ableton Live 8

Tue, 1 Sep 2009 00:01:05 +0000

Here you go: http://soundcloud.com/tay0/jodrell-bank

Synthtopia : Free Live Pack For Ableton Live 8

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:53:27 +0000

Used it on a beat today - thanks!

Synthtopia : Record from Propellerhead Software

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:14:46 +0000

I've used Reason since version 2, and I love it for what it is. I *tried* to be a Record beta tester, but every time I tried to launch it, my machine barfed (Macbook Pro w/ 2.16 Ghz Intel, 2GB ram). I run Pro Tools and Live all day on this pooter with no issues. From I've seen in videos, and what little I got to see in my own studio, I don't see how this competes with Live - and the workspace is CLUTTERED, like the audio equivalent of a Microsoft Office app.

Synthtopia : The Korg DW-8000 Synthesizer

Sun, 2 Aug 2009 20:36:01 +0000

I had a DW-8000 for a couple of years in the late 80s and there were some things it was very very good at. I used it primarily as a sampling instrument, but you could get super freaky with your samples.

Synthtopia : Hands On With NI Maschine

Sat, 1 Aug 2009 00:43:21 +0000

Guess I'm glad I went the Live 8 / APC40 route instead. I've been using it for a month now with no issues, including a DJ set out at a club. I'll be using it live next weekend also, and I have no worries about the rig. Now, me on the other hand...

Synthtopia : Hotness! Akai Intros LPD8 Laptop Pad Controller, LPK25 Laptop Keyboard Controller

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 01:20:43 +0000

Show me the LPK25 with a ribbon controller for pitch / mod and it's on!

Synthtopia : Thomas Dolby Announces Collector's Editions Of His Classic Albums

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 23:18:18 +0000

The Flat Earth is still one of those records that will just grab me at weird moments - Screen Kiss or Mulu will just pop into my head. Amazing fretless bass work, incredibly organic textures, quirky lyrics. This record immediately takes me back to where and who I was in 1984 every time I hear it.

Synthtopia : Brian Eno On Genius, And "Scenius"

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:15:37 +0000

Mr. Eno can always get right at the meat of a thing. Scenes and cultures can cultivate mediocrity and me-too-ism, but they also provide incubation for those that can take all the pieces and parts and really make it happen, separating the clever from the stupid, or just making the stupid clever.

Synthtopia : How To DJ With A Laptop

Thu, 9 Jul 2009 14:15:04 +0000

I did it last night - Macbook Pro running Live, NI Audio Kontrol 1, and an APC40. Simple and sweet.