Check out my new track, “Crossed Wires”. It was created in Ableton Live using mostly Predator synths and the Korg Kaossilator. The drums were painstakingly sampled into a drum rack from the Shiny Drums iPhone app, using the Linn drum set.

Also, I’ve created a quick ringtone for my phone. I wasn’t happy with the ones my phone had, so I created one using Ableton and my Kaossilator.

As I’m creating my new site, I’ll add back my music section, but for now I’ve put a soundcloud track viewer on my sidebar. Enjoy!

I picked up this little devil last week at Guitar Center. It’s a simple battery powered amp that plugs directly into the guitar. I bought the AC30 version, which simulates the much larger classic Vox AC30 amp.

As you can see from the pictures, this thing is tiny. Powered by two AAA batteries, the Vox AmPlug allows the player to use just headphones to rockout. No clumsy guitar cables or power cables strewn about. Just plug and play. Couple this with Korg’s Pitchjack and some earbuds headphones, and you’ve got yourself a pocket rig. Just grab your guitar and go.

The AmPlug has a Gain, Tone, and Volume knob – although I can’t see too much difference between the Gain and Volume. Theoretically, you should be able to squelch the gain with the volume up. The AmPlug’s gain however, seems to just raise the volume without any dynamics. Maybe I’m wrong about that, but to me that seems to be the case.

The AmPlug also allows for a line in plug. Just hook in a MP3 player or your laptop and jam along. With the same male mini-to-mini plug, I can also plug the AmPlug directly into my MacBook Pro, and record a fairly decent dry amp – or add effects from my DAW.

I do wish that it offered at least a reverb option. While the sound is fantastic, what the AmPlug doesn’t offer is effects, although technically, you can plug it into the end of your pedal effects chain – but what’s the point in that?

Vox also has other flavors of AmPlugs – including Lead, Classic, and Metal. I could buy these in order to change my sound, but I’m only using the AC30 version for the portability aspect. If I need different sounds, I’ll just plug into my DR-880 or my M-Audio Blackbox. All in all, not bad for $40.

Here is sample of a track that I’m currently working on, “Sweat”.

Sweat (WIP 1) by Travis Estrella

Most of the tracks besides the pads and drums are from the Korg Kaossilator. I’m restringing my guitar to throw down a crunchy riff for the last half of the song. I also plan to use either my NI Maschine or my DR-880 for better drums.

Last week I purchased the Korg Kaossilator because I was fed up with trying to find a cheaper solution to achieve the same effect. The Kaossilator is a phrase based synthesizer – it offers a ton preset sounds to manipulate through a large X/Y pad. Most of the presets use the X/Y pad for note (x) and filter (y) but some offer other combinations. There are 100 sound presets that cannot be altered from factory. 20 Leads, 10 Acoustic, 20 Bass, 10 Chordal, 20 Effects, 10 Drum, 10 Drum Pattern Preset (although both drum categories feature different sounds and rhythms within each preset). On top of that, you can apply one out of 50 a gated arp patterns to any preset sound, sometimes changing the dynamic of how the sound is played entirely. The Kaossilator (pronounced Chaos-sil-lator, like oscillator) has 31 scale types, including blues, pentatonic, fifths, octaves, and a whole bunch of eastern scale types. These can be set to any key between 2 octaves.

The best (and worst) feature of the Kaossilator is it’s loop recording mode. It will record up to a 2 bar loop. You can set the BPM (beats per minute) and the gate/arp and drum patterns will follow (although cannot adjust the BPM of what you’ve recorded). You can stack an infinite number of sounds. The bad news is that the notes and patterns that you lay down are not quantized to the BPM unless you stop the recording and hold down the pattern/note as you start record again. This will stay in sync until you lift your finger.

Here are two loops I made:
Kaossilator Test 2 by Travis Estrella

Kaossilator Test 1 by Travis Estrella

This brings me to the point that the Kaossilator is a pain in the ass to record. Standalone, the device is fun to play, but every time I’ve come up with something cool, there is no way to save the loop, much less gather the individual layers. Turning it off erases everything. There is no MIDI in/out so syncing to a DAW is tough. I’ve managed to set up Ableton Live to emulate the loop recording of the Kaossilator in order to not only go beyond the 2 bar loop limit, but also record each layer separately. The downside is I have to be very exact on the first beat in order to get a good loop going.

There are easter eggs in the Kaossilator, such a 16 beat/4 bar mode [hold down the record and tempo buttons when turning on] but this prevents re-syncing as once the recorder is launched and you can only add sounds to the on-going loop. The extra memory is being taken from the fix function, which saves an extra loop recording to memory. Another easter egg is the Battery checker [hold down gate/arp, record, and tempo when turning on], but at the first batch batteries I wore out, this failed to register as low.

The Kaossilator strength is definitely in live performance. If you give some forethought, you can perform an entire electronic song with breaks, different parts, beat rolls, etc. The trick is to use the record mode efficiently. Record the drum and bass lines and fix them to memory. Then as you build up the song, you can selectively erase parts that aren’t fixed to memory allowing some complex buildups and breakdowns. You can also adjust the bar length during playback to do creative beat repeats and rolls. While the loop is playing, you can use the current preset to solo a long complex melody over everything. You can selectively erase or record slivers of presets to give the song a very glitchy feel. The pad itself, while seemly single touch, will average two fingers down – putting one finger down on the left will produce the lower octave root note, then put down the second finger on the far right, the note will roll to the middle octave (center), then release the left finger will roll the note to the far right to the higher octave root note. Selecting a specific note can be frustrating, sometimes the Kaossilator will trill between two notes. By putting the gate/arp on a long pattern usually will remedy this.

All in all, not bad for a device that can be thrown into a bag and taken anywhere. I just hope the next generation Kaossilator will have a slot for a memory card to save out loops (if only just to be able to recall them from the device). Separate loop tracks with mute and solo – eight would be a good number. 16 beats per loop up to 4 or 8 bars, optionally quantized. And some sort of MIDI syncing.

Here is a brief rundown on music apps that are on my iPod Touch:

Karajan

This one is pretty boring visually, but it is a pretty useful ear-trainer. Not worth the $14.99, though. (iTunes Link)

MiniPiano

It has a pretty good sound, for being on the iPhone and free. And you can’t beat free. This is useful for tapping out melodies that spring into your head. (iTunes Link)

iNoteTrainer

A very simple yet effective way to learn how to sight read music. Very few note quizzers relate staff music to actual keyboard keys, instead just the note letter. Useful for $3.99 for the novice. (iTunes Link)

Pocket Guitar

Chord the strings and strum, just like a real guitar. Very cool concept, except I find it next to impossible to chord the strings properly. This is more for showing off the iPhone’s multi-touch. Only $0.99. (iTunes Link)

Pianist

The samples aren’t that great and I usually find myself using the miniPiano more. I leave it on here just as an possibly option for me. Not enough for $3.99 in my humble opinion. (iTunes Link)

FreeDrumPad

Like MiniPiano, this is great for just tapping out beats as ideas. Comes with an acoustic set and an electronic set. Very simple. Very free. (iTunes Link)

FourTrack

When this was announced, I thought, “Oh boy, this takes care of me getting a portable digital recorder”. Well, the sad news is – not really. It has four tracks for recording, but I haven’t found a good mic/interface to record the sounds. I bought a Griffin iphone mic, but it sounds not as great. Plus, when I bought it, they were having problems with it getting it to work with the iPhone OS 2.x. I had to wait MONTHS for them to fix it – which they couldn’t do until iPhone OS 3.0 was released. Bleh for $9.99 (iTunes Link)

iTalk

Like FourTrack, this is kinda useless to me until I find a good mic interface. Apple’s new Voice Memo, however, makes this obsolete for voice memo taking. Free with the optional upgrade to “Premium”. (iTunes Link)

BeatMaker

This is the largest and most expensive app I have on my iPhone. This is the center of my portable iPhone music production. It’s essentially a drum pad machine with a really awesome sequencer hidden in the background. Beatmaker can load up samples you send it, whether it’s from a mic, computer or other select apps. All the Amidio (Amidio.com) apps below (Star Melody, Star Guitar, JR Hexatone, and Noise.io Pro can all export their sounds to it. All samples can be visually trimmed. While the pads have no velocity range, you can go into the sequencer and edit the velocity individual hits. It has several nice effects (2 channels) that you can select what sounds goes to what channel. Totally worth $19.99 (iTunes Link)

The Pad window

The Sequencer window

The Effects window showing a Pass Cutoff Filter and Beat Delay (Channels 1 and 2).

Melodica

This is just a very simple 16 step sequencer with only one type of sound. But it’s so much fun to knock out a simple melody. I use the lower notes as a bass line and then randomly tap in higher notes. Very fun and addicting. While it doesn’t offer exporting, I can hook up my iPod to Ableton Live and sample the loops. Awesome. $0.99 (iTunes Link)

DopplerPad

I really wish I spent more time with DopplerPad. I’ve been using the other apps more. This is dual channel sequencing app. Each channel has drums, bass, leads, pads, and effects that can be gated or arpeggiated in a step loop. The two channels can then be cross faded between each other. I bought this to do similar things that the Korg Kaossilator can do (scale based sequencing/looping). It’s very pretty, but I haven’t managed to pull anything worthy of recording off it. I might need more time with it. One of those things you wish you could demo before buying it for $9.99 (iTunes Link)

The Pattern Manager and cross fader.

The Sequencer window.

Star Melody

This is a more complex version of what Melodica does. It has several sounds and scales and can be recorded (then exported to Beatmaker or Ableton Live). While I dig the very Zen sounds that it produces, I wish it had more control over the way it records the loops and better way to quantize to the beat. Still, not a bad instrument for $2.99 (iTunes Link)

Noise.io Pro

Keyboard mode

Pad mode

This is a full on FM synthesizer with lots of wonderful soundscaping options. This is probably the closest thing I’ve come across that is similar to the Kaossilator, but this is oh so much more. This is one of the newest additions to my iPod, so I’ve not delved into the vast programming options it has, but I know between this and the JR Hexatone (below) I will have no lack of ammo for creating all the sounds I need on the iPod. At $14.99, it’s a steal. (iTunes Link)

JR Hexatone

JR Hexatone is for beatmaking and sample triggering as Noise.io was for synths. At first I found the randomness of it maddening. The first thing I tried to do was a simple kick/snare/hi-hat pattern. Then I figured out that it’s power lies in it’s randomness. This is more of a lavish percussion soundscape sequencer than a simple beat machine (although I did figure out how to do simple beats). Like all of Amidio’s apps, you can export the loops to Beatmaker or as a wav file for Ableton Live (or any DAW). I do wish the hex grid could zoom up, my fingers are much too large for the precise tapping involved. For $9.99, you’d be crazy not to pass this one up. (iTunes Link)

Star Guitar Pro

A fun guitar strummer, this (like my insanely useful “Jam Sessions” for my Nintendo DS) allows me to knock out guitar chord progressions. While the recording is similar to Star Melody, it makes up in definable strumming patterns and an easy to define chord matrix. I do wish that the mute strings sounded like a muted strum, but for less than a good lunch this is the best, cheapest and probably the most comfortable option for putting a guitar in your pocket for $4.99 (iTunes Link)

I finally got everything plugged in and set-up at work. Once I get a house, I’ll dedicate a room to all this – with better speakers.

And more LEDs. I friggin’ LOVE LEDs…

I’ve had my SL MkII keyboard for over a week now and I have to say, it is the best controller keyboard I’ve owned or played. It has brought back the joy of programming my soft synth patches.

The software brain of the controller, Automap Pro (at writing, version 3.2) is phenomenal at using Reason and handling Ableton Live. It’s also a joy to work with some of my VSTi’s such as Rob Papen’s Predator, although I reassigned some of its parameters to my liking. The included Bass Station VST is a nice bonus. The fact that I can configure any parameter on any MIDI compatible device and save it as template washes away any hassle of complicated configuration that I’ve experienced with other controllers.

The touch sensitive controllers took a short while to get use to. Any metal encoder or fader will “focus” the 144-character display to that parameter at the slightest touch of your fingers. Also, you have the ability to have Automap automatically popup in your computer’s display as a semi-transparent window as you adjust to get an instant overview of assigned parameters. The Speed Dial knob will automatically map to any knob you have in focus in the DAW.

Other things I enjoy about this controller include the x/y touchpad (works wonders with cutoff/frequency filters!) and the aftertouch, which is quite firm. I like the option of hooking up an expression pedal, although I haven’t tried it yet. The second MIDI out port which will come in handy when I buy that rack synth I have my eye on. And even with all the LEDs and display, Novation has kept the controller bus powered. Amazing.

The feel of the semi-weighted keys is quite spectacular. Even without the gazillion other features the SL has, I would almost pay the same amount of money for just the keys. They feel solid and seem to made out of a tougher plastic than other controllers I’ve played on. The keys feel like they can take quite a bit of abuse. The construction of the entire controller itself feels solid and substantial.

The small gripes I have are inconsequential. The endless encoders feel strange, like it takes more or less rotation than necessary to change values. The LED rings around the encoders are a bit useless (although really cool looking). They don’t convey the actual value in sort of meaningful way. Plus, from a seated position, the top LEDs in the ring are hidden behind the knob – so you do have to lean over the keyboard to see them. It doesn’t matter anyway, since the actual value is in the display above it. The display itself is rather small for my liking. The way it truncates the parameter names takes getting used to – I find myself using the Automap heads up display instead.

All in all, this is a wonderful controller. I’m glad I bought it.

This is a little waveform synthesis tutorial.

Most synthesizers on the market today have many similarities. I wanted to bore down to the basics, because a lot of the tutorials out there seem to make things overly complex in the way of explanation. This is a way for me to research and learn about waveform synthesis. I’ll preface this with the fact that I’m not an expert on this subject, and this tutorial is more for me than for everybody else. If you spot an error, please comment and correct me.

A sound wave is nothing more than a burst of pressure in the air over a given time. It core part is a wave that starts at nothing, then rises, falls, then returns to nothing. This cycle is called a Hertz. The loudness of this cycle is called Amplitude. This cycle repeats hundreds of times per second in order to produce sound.

There are many types of waves (which will be detailed later) but the four basic shapes are: Sine, Triangle, Saw (or Sawtooth), and Square.

Pitch

The more cycles in a second of sound will produce a higher pitch, less cycles will produce a lower pitch.

Hitting an “A” note in the middle of the piano (A4) will produce a series of wave cycles 440 times in one second. This frequency is expressed as 440Hz (Hertz). All the notes in the western scale of music can be expressed by frequency using some simple math. Dividing 440Hz in half will produce a lower pitched “A” (or A3) an octave lower at 220Hz. Multiplying 440Hz by two will produce a higher pitched “A” (or A5) octave higher at 880Hz. So, to jump to the next octave in any note, simply either multiply or divide it’s frequency. To jump half steps through the notes, just multiply the base frequency by 2^n/12.

Here is a Frequency/Note chart to get you started:

*Note: Piano rolls on DAWs will express A4 as A3 (Middle C, or C4, is usually denoted on piano rolls as C3). I have no idea why this is.

Frequency Analysis

Another way of looking at sound is with a frequency spectrum graph. A saw wave in C (523.25 Hz), will produce the following image:

Now bear with me on this, because I’m not entirely sure I have this right. The note played is the highest most prominent peak, called the Fundamental Frequency. The smaller peaks are the harmonics, in-harmonics, and overtones called partials. There is some math that goes into this that I won’t get into here, but the main thing is how to read this.

Oscillators

Most synths have one or more oscillators. This is where you set the initial waveform and pitch. This is usually the start of the path for a synth. The pitch (or tuning) comes in handy when using two or more oscillators, which will be discussed later. Most synths will have knobs for Octave, Semi, and Tune. Octave will jump through Octaves, naturally. Semi will adjust the half steps through 12. And Tune (or Fine, Detune, or Cent) will adjust the half-steps through cents.

Some synths feature a Pulse Width Modulation knob, PWM for short. This is another type of waveform, usually associated with the square waveform. PWM allows for squeezing the trough and crest of a wave cycle, this can be usually be modulated by other waveforms or have it’s own modulation control, creating a pulsing sound.

Other controls in the Oscillator include a FM control, which allows you to modulate the frequency with another carrier wave. Keyboard Tracking culls the amount of pitch up to one note. This is useful for making a sound that needs only one pitch, such as a drum hit – or to disable a waveform from the keyboard to be used as a modulator for other oscillators.

Filters

The next stop for the sound path is a filter (or filters). The filter shapes the waveform by cutting out specified frequencies. Filters generally come in these flavors:

• Low Pass – where the higher frequencies are cut, letting the lower frequencies through.
• High Pass – where the lower frequencies are cut, letting the higher frequencies through.
• Band – where both the lower and higher are cut.
• Notch – where the middle frequencies are cut, or “scooped”.

These flavors are usually denoted with “12dB” or “24dB”, which means how severe the slope in which the cut takes place. A LP 24db is sharper slope than an LP 12db, so the effect of the filter is more severe.

The Cutoff knob (also labeled Frequency) is where the cut off takes place among the frequency spectrum. The Resonance (or Q) knob is how the frequency acts jump before the cut.

Amp

This is usually the last stop before the sound leaves the synth. It’s presence is often just a volume knob. Sometimes it will also house a Pan (left and right, if the synth handles stereo) control and possibly some keyboard velocity (how hard you strike a key with affect the loudness of the sound).

End of Part One

In the next part, we will go over Envelopes, Modulation, LFO, Routing, and Effects.

I finally got around to re-working “World Spinner”. It was the first full song I made in Ableton Live back in 2006. Back then I didn’t really understand the power of the program. I’m still learning it, but I think I have a really good grasp on what Live can do.

I also think I need to redesign my website. I haven’t been drawing as much lately, and my bi-yearly webcomic updates seem to bum me out since most of my posts lately have been either about my music or Lost.

Anyway, I joined SoundCloud.com to make my music more available to people to listen to, as my Myspace page seems to have zero listeners. Are my songs really that bad? I’m not sure, since I’ve been getting almost nil feedback. More songs are on their way, maybe I can ratchet up the exposure to more places on teh interwebs…

So I got my Novation SL61 mkII yesterday. It surpassed my expectations in every way. I’ll forgo the specs and just say, the feel of the keys rocks. They’re semi-weighted, solid, and have a bit of a bounce to them. The first thing I did was load up my Predator soft-synth and loaded a patch that utilizes aftertouch. I thought that the aftertouch mechanism would lend itself to a “squooshy” feel, but it’s quite firm.

The AutoMap software is a bit of a different story. It “AutoMapped” my Predator synth in a weird way, making parameters that otherwise would be knobs mapped to toggle buttons. I’ll need a few days to tweak all that out. In fact, I need quite a few days of nothing but me and my sounds – it feels like there is never enough time in the day to learn all this stuff…

My new track “Tumbleweed” is now available on my Myspace artist page and on my Last.fm page. Since releasing it last Friday, I have only had one (!) person listen to it. I’m going to need a better way of getting the word out other than Twitter, Facebook and Myspace. This track was created in Ableton Live 8 using mostly the Predator soft-synth. I’m quite happy with the result. It sounds pretty good in my car, which means the mastering job is somewhat passable. I might also have to change the name, “Tumbleweed” was not as original as I thought (some 300 songs with that name on Last.fm).

Also, I bought Native Instruments Maschine a few weeks ago. It’s not quite usable as a VST plugin just yet. Hopefully the next update will allow MIDI triggering of scenes within Ableton (and Logic). It is quite cool on it’s own. It’s sort of like the Akai MPC machines, but as a weird software/hardware-controller hybrid. If I only did hip-hop, I’m sure this is all I would need. It just needs better integration with the rest of the world. It also acts as a Ableton Live controller, but not nearly as good as the Akai APC40 – which I’m probably going to purchase eventually.

My next purchase, however, is the Novation SL mkII 61 key controller. This thing is beautiful. It’s Automap software will be a blessing to cure my thousand knob stare. I still have to sell off all my older equipment.