Sequence: Hip Hop Beat Creator

September 14, 2017 Dynamica Music Leave a comment

Product Highlight:

Sequence: Hip Hop Beat Creator

Kontakt Player 5
Kontakt 5
Plug-in
$ 99.95

Big Fish Audio presents: Sequence Beat Production Plug-in

The Soft ware Soft sampler Soft sequencer is Hard to beat at this price.

Big Fish Audio, the top dogs in sample libraries have been known to drop soft-sampler instrument products from time to time. Their newest heavyweight is an NI Kontakt player-powered sequencer called….Sequencer.

“Sequence is another ‘secret weapon’ that adds a sonic palette to your arsenal and brings any producer’s sound into a contemporary context.”

Getting up to speed consists of two download packages. The Installer (~1.1 GB zip) and the Library (~766 MB zip). We updated to the most recent version of Kontakt.

and then registered the library. New to me was Native Access, the preferred method of managing your Native Instrument products. I was very comfortable with their Service Center and interestingly enough, you’ll still need to keep the S.C. handy for legacy products.

https://www.native-instruments.com/en/specials/native-access/

Native Access

Since the time of the super-producer passed, more has been required of the beatsmith. No longer is the signature sound of a producer the ultimate determining factor of a rapper’s trajectory. Versatility is now key as the digital musician needs more sounds and styles at his fingertips. You are tasked with creating, cloning, crafting and commanding a kaleidoscope of compositions. Let’s face it. Sequence is another ‘secret weapon’ that adds a sonic palette to your arsenal and brings any producer’s sound into a contemporary context. In an average set of hands, you will have all the tools available to nail the most popular styles in today’s commercial spectrum. In the hands of a creative talent, Big Fish Audio’s Sequence is poised to usher in a new tool to facilitate the translation of your imagination into a…

Enough with the flowery talk.

Big-Fish-Audio-Sequence-mixer

The pros are the interface and stability provided by the Native instruments Kontakt host and the sound design and sculpting potential of Sequence’s sonic engine. The con is the closed system that makes sample/sound import impossible. The promise is more and extended life from future expansion libraries. The plus is the price ($99.00 USD) and ease of use. The negative is ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’. The sonic imprint has taken a few turns in recent years and any producer who hopes to remain relevant needs tools like these. You can’t always remix your ear, but you can add new tools to your studio for additional sonic variety. This is one of those purchases. Enjoy.

Wished for in updates…

1) Session files and modern song starters

2) live recording and

http://www.bigfishaudio.com/Sequence.html

-Griffin Avid

Arturia DrumBrute: Analog Drum Machine & Sequencer

October 7, 2016 Dynamica Music Leave a comment

DrumBrute is a powerful beat-making instrument

drumbrute-image

DrumBrute is an all-in-one analog drum machine designed with performance and in-depth sound editing at its heart.

Providing 17 distinct, fully analog drum and percussion instruments with an intuitive sequencer, massive connectivity, a two-mode Steiner-Parker filter, and dynamic performance controls, DrumBrute will take your beat production to the next level.

Create energetic and exciting drum beats with a single, user-friendly device. With its vast sonic potential and smooth workflow, DrumBrute meets and exceeds the expectations of demanding musicians. Bridging the gap between inspiration and technology, DrumBrute offers punchy analog drum sounds, advanced 64 step / 64 pattern sequencing possibilities and ultra-effective performance controls.

Find out more: https://www.arturia.com/products/drumbrute/overview

Arturia DrumBrute Key features:

Analog powerhouse: DrumBrute contains 17 fully analog drum & percussion instruments, including two kicks, snare, clap, open & closed hats, high & low toms and conga, maracas, rimshot, clave, tambourine, zap, cymbal, and even a reverse cymbal.
Exciting synth features: the main output contains a highly regarded two-mode Steiner-Parker filter, allowing you to add dynamic frequency sweeps and satisfying bass drops. Not only that, but every drum sound has multiple parameters that can be tweaked to achieve your perfect kit.
Easy to use, quick to learn: each one of DrumBrute’s 64 sequences can contain up to 64 steps, and can be chained together in a song mode. Despite this massive performance power, punching in your perfect beat is simple and fast. Fans of vintage drum machines will feel right at home with the familiar layout.
No menus: every feature has its own dedicated button, knob, or pad, so you’ll spend less time navigating endless sub-menus and more time making music.
In-depth editing: get in the groove with the natural Swing feature, inspire yourself by dialling in some Randomness, mix up your rhythm with Step Repeat, Roller and Looper functions, accent particular drum hits to add some punch to your beat… DrumBrute has a wealth of advanced features that will satisfy even the most discerning musicians and producers.
Plays well with others: DrumBrute has extensive connectivity and sync options, including MIDI, Clock, 1PPS, 2PPQ, DIN24, and DIN48. This means that DrumBrute will work seamlessly with all of your other modular, synth, and sequencing gear.
Amazing in the studio: DrumBrute boasts dedicated audio outputs for each instrument channel giving almost limitless options for external processing and multitrack recording; 3.5mm and ¼” headphone outputs so you’ll never have to hunt out an adapter again; and it can act as a fully-fledged MIDI interface to control your DAW. DrumBrute is an essential tool for the modern producer.
Reliable on stage: with rugged housing, chunky pads, and wiggle-free knobs, DrumBrute can be relied upon to perform show after show. Always striving to improve with every new release, Arturia have created a strong, enduring instrument that’s ready for life on the road.
Punches above its weight: DrumBrute stands toe-to-toe with the leading drum synths on the market, but at a fraction of the price. No other all-analog drum machine features such inspiring and dynamic features while retaining a sense of intuitive, tactile fun.
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DrumBrute is priced at 449€ / $499.

DrumBrute will shortly be shipping, and will be arriving at your local music store in November. DrumBrute is available to order now from the official Arturia web store, and from retailers worldwide.

For more information on features, specifications and dimensions, visit: www.arturia.com/products/drumbrute

Categories: Gear Lust 101, Griffin Avid, Hardware and Hardwire, Producer's Edge Tags: Analog drum machine, Arturia, beat machine, Drew Spence, Drum Brute, drum machine, Drumbrute, Griffin Avid, hardware, Producers Edge

Samplephonics: 808s hidden production secrets.

September 30, 2016 Dynamica Music Leave a comment

Samplephonics has the hook up …

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8 things you didn’t know you could do with an 808

Whether you are using the real thing, one-shot drum samples or the Samplephonics 808 virtual instrument, there is more to the classic drum machine than meets the eye. In this post, we unearth some of the 808’s hidden production secrets.

1. USE THE BASS DRUM AS A SUB BASS

Probably the least secret of all the TR-808’s ‘hidden’ features is the ease with which its Bass Drum sound can be pressed into service as sub bass instrument – it’s just a sine wave with a pitch envelope, after all. Set the hardness of the attack with the Tone control, the length of the note with the Decay, and pitch it up and down to ‘program’ a bassline using your DAW’s automation system.

2. AMBIENT COWBELL FX

Arguably the most instantly recognisable of all its voices, the crazy TR-808 Cowbell played a major part in defining the beats of countless old-skool RnB and hip-hop cuts. Although it carries too many stylistic connotations to be used ‘as is’ in most modern productions, drenching it in cavernous reverb and/or delay can turn it into a beautiful, frequency rich sound effect.

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3. TUNED PERCUSSION

The 808’s Toms and Congas come in High, Mid and Low versions, giving you three distinct notes to play with. For more complex melodic parts, however, simply automate their Tuning (pitch) controls in your sampler. Try to restrict each of the three samples to as short a range of pitches as possible to maintain their sonic integrity, though.

4. DUB-STYLE CYMBAL FX

The longest sound in the 808’s arsenal (almost five seconds at maximum Decay) and bursting with scintillating high frequencies, the Cymbal makes great fodder for dubbed-out filter feedback delay effects. Shove it through a suitably equipped delay plugin (Audio Damage Dubstation or Soundtoys EchoBoy, for example), crank the feedback up to ‘freeze’ the cymbal, then play with the filters in real time to manipulate the resulting ‘wash’ of sound. Insert a limiter first, though, as the volume will quickly get out of hand!

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5. TRIGGER OUT PERCUSSION

Each of the TR-808’s three trigger outputs delivers a series of 20ms pulses following the Cowbell, Handclap or Accent patters, that can be used to fire off other drum machines, synths and sequencers via their CV/Gate inputs. Obviously, such functionality isn’t necessary with your software 808 emulation, but the sound of the trigger out signal itself works as a great glitchy percussion hit, as used most famously (and frequently!) by Egyptian Lover. To work it into your tracks, hunt down a sample of it and add it to your 808 sampler patch.

6. THE LOW TOM KICK DRUM

The 808 Bass Drum is one of the greatest sounds in electronic music, but you don’t have to limit yourself to it when programming authentic 808 kick parts. Pitched down, the Low Tom serves as a fine alternative, offering a subtly different tone that can work well on its own, or as a second, distinct voice for ghost notes or simple note-to-note variation.

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7. SNARE RIENFORCEMENT

Although the 808 Snare Drum is a fantastic, characterful option when you don’t need a great deal of power in your backbeat, its lack of weight could reasonably be considered a downside in most other settings. Bolster that notoriously thin sound by layering a Tom or Conga under it, carefully tuned and with a short Decay – instant body and depth!

8. IT’S NOT JUST FOR DRUM KIT PARTS

Like any drum machine, the 808 is primarily thought of and employed as a source of kick/snare/hi-hat patterns, but even if you’ve already got your main drum kit together via other means, keep it in mind as a generator of complimentary ‘Latin’ percussion parts. The Conga, Cowbell, Claves and Maracas sounds sit together beautifully and are ideal for adding a bright, funky top end layer to any drum track.

Roland TR-8 Rhythm Performer,TB-3, VT3 Sam Ash

March 24, 2014 Dynamica Music 1 comment

Roland TR-8 overview with TB-3 and VT-3 VIDEO

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The Roland TR-8 Rhythm Performer

Sam Ash Huntington hosts Roland’s Demo Day as Dave Dickerson stops by to run through the features of the new AIRA line. TR-8 Rhythm Performer, TB-3 Touch Bassline and VT-3 Voice Transformer.