Ant's Computer Music

Cytomic presents "The Drop" resonance filter plug in

2011-06-06T09:58:00.000-07:00

Cytomic have announced another VST called: "The Drop", an analog-modelled resonant filter plug-in. It's still in development with release expected before the end of the year. Several audio demos are available.
This should be handy for use in live. I'm looking for a better filter to hook up to the Uc-33e for live use.

The Features:

Dual filter section with a Lowpass followed by a Highpass.
Circuits include State Variable (e.g. SEM-1A), Sallen Key (e.g. MS-20), and more to be announced.
Loads of drive and character and analog style noise.
Full frequency range and perfect resonance tracking without oversampling so there is no delay for live use.
Huge amounts of resonance if you want and also a resonance limit button for DJ use to make sure you blast people's ears off at a gig.
Envelope follower, diode modelled, from input or sidechain.
FM from input or sidechain.
Two LFOs: one complex, and one basic.
Stereo and Mono processing.

You can grab yourself a demo from here...

Cytomic - The drop

Theres some demo sounds on the link too, its looking promising.
Whats your guys favorite filter VST?

Previous post

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Aphex Twin live at Forbidden Fruit (Dublin 2011)

2011-06-06T08:21:00.000-07:00

A master at work.

Previous Post
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Life festival and dancing like no-ones watching

2011-06-06T07:57:00.000-07:00

So here's my mate Tom turning up on youtube and grooving his face off in the process.

Life festival... Dance like no-ones watching.

A true believer in the ethos! How do you guys feel about your dancing nowadays?
I'm more used to being the other side of the stage these days.
I miss not giving a fuck and going for it!

Here are some other epic festival dancers.

That ones great because he's ginger.

That ones at the sasquatch fest. Looks pretty awesome.

And to finish up. Heres Buckethead kicking up a robot chicken groove WITH nunchucks.

Newer post

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Creator Noir L.P [Mech001]

2011-06-03T09:24:00.000-07:00

Well ive been writing about music production and how to do it for ages, So I suppose I should post

some of my own stuff.

Here's my Noir album.

Its breakcore, jungle, jazz, classical & techno bass.

Inspired by french noir movies and detective films as well as film soundtracks with a twisty Phillip Glass influence.

Enjoy and share! Opinions always appreciated too.

Creator Noir L.P [Mech001]

http://isohunt.com/torrent_details/310598169/?tab=summary

and heres a direct link.

Direct linkage. http://vvhhs.pp.fi/tsb/Creator_Noir%20L.P%20%5bMech001%5d.rar

I, IV, V Progression & Song Writing

2011-05-31T09:38:00.000-07:00

Songwriting is an important part of music production...obviously but before you learn how to form certain chords you must first learn about scales.

A scale is a series of notes that go in an ascending and descending manner. For every scale that is minor or major there are 7 notes, for example in the key of C the notes are C - D - E - F - G - A - B. and the 8th note (in this example will be C) goes back to the root note but an octave higher. (the 12th fret on a guitar).

Each note of a scale has a corresponding number from 1 to 7. So for the key of C it will be as follows:

C = 1
D = 2
E = 3
F = 4
G = 5
A = 6
B = 7

In order to make a major triad you will play the 1st + 3rd + 5th notes of a major scale.

In our example it is C - E - G, that's the C major chord.

Let's have another example this time using the C minor scale:

C = 1
D = 2
Eb = 3
F = 4
G = 5
Ab = 6
Bb = 7

In order to make a minor triad you will play the 1st + 3rd + 5th notes of a minor scale.
In our example it is C - Eb - G, that's the C minor chord.

Roman Numerals

Sometimes instead of numbers Roman Numerals are used. We go back to our example and use a Roman Numeral for each note in the key of C:

C = I
D = ii
E = iii
F = IV
G = V
A = vi

Roman numeral I refers to the chord built on the first note of the C major scale. Roman numeral II refers to the chord built on the second note of the C major scale, and so on. If you notice, some of the Roman numerals are capitalized while others are not. Uppercase Roman numerals pertain to a major chord, while lowercase Roman numerals pertain to a minor chord. Uppercase Roman numerals with a (+) symbol refer to an augmented chord. Lowercase Roman numerals with a (o) symbol refer to a diminished chord.

The I, IV and V Chord Pattern

For each key there are 3 chords that are played more than others known as "primary chords." The I - IV - V chords are built from the 1st, 4th and 5th note of a scale.

Let's take the key of C again as an example, looking at the illustration above, you will notice that note I on the key of C is C, note IV is F and note V is G.

Therefor the I - IV - V chord pattern for the key of C is:
C (note I) = C - E- G (1st + 3rd + 5th note of the C scale)
F (note IV) = F - A - C (1st + 3rd + 5th note of the F scale)
G (note V) = G - B - D (1st + 3rd + 5th note of the G scale)

There are many songs that have been written using the I - IV - V chord pattern, just about every Beatles song, Elvis tune, greenday & most blues tunes.

Practice playing the I - IV - V chord pattern for every major key and listen to how it sounds as this might inspire you to come up with a great melody for your song.

Here's a handy table to guide you. Now get writing. I haven't heard anything awesome in about an hour.

I - IV - V Chord Pattern

Major Key - Chord Pattern
Key of C	C - F - G
Key of D	D - G - A
Key of E	E - A - B
Key of F	F - Bb - C
Key of G	G - C - D
Key of A	A - D - E
Key of B	B - E - F#
Key of Db	Db - Gb - Ab
Key of Eb	Eb - Ab - Bb
Key of Gb	Gb - Cb - Db
Key of Ab	Ab - Db - Eb
Key of Bb	Bb - Eb - F	....

Music mash ups and craziness

2011-05-30T03:38:00.000-07:00

I have recently got in to the habit of listening to semi commercial mash ups of popular "artists".

Though some of them are complete shit and just hacked at certain spots there are a few decent ones out there.

Some of the Depeche Mode ones are alright, but why does David Guetta have to get in on EVERY mashup?

The producer is awful. His music is the lowest common denominator.

Do your home work folks. Or you may just end up like him.

I wouldn't mid his cash though to be honest.

Though you would have to work with Fergie and the god awful Black eyed peas.

I hear she is quite prone to pissing herself on stage too.

Keep a wide birth folks.

Anyways, here is a great website with over 3000 mashups to listen to and download if you wish.

If you find any decent ones stick em in the comments box!

Good Blimey

Enjoy!

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Festival Surival Kit: Recommended Equipment for the wreck head

2011-05-30T03:21:00.000-07:00

Festival season is now starting up.
Is it your first festival this year? Maybe it will be your last.
Heres some info for the first time festival go-er.
If you want to party your face off and not end up with shit in your pants and a lost wallet.
Heres some items to bring.

A tent (easy dome tent advisable, not an expensive one).
Some kind of flag or bright paint to fuck up the side of it so you can find your tent when fucked.
A torch or headlamp (well handy)
Sleeping bag or a big blanket
TOILET PAPER (important)
Spare ciggeretes or rolling tobacco. It can be a pain in the arse when you run out day 2.
Your own "funky stuff" of choice (best bought at home and well stashed).
Spare cash.
Swiss army knife (handy for everything)
A pillow if you have a girl with you or you are a girl.
Wellies (especially if you are going to Glastonbury).
Black bag (acts as a rain jacket and you can throw your crap in it).
Spare lighter (important).
Loads of socks
Any form of stupid hat (your head can get baked.. even in Ireland & England)
Vodka & lots of it.
Speakers to jack into your mp3 player.
Spare batteries or them cool wind up chargers (you can find em in Vodafone shops for a tenner).
Your sanity.
Box of condoms (In case you decide to explore your "other" sexuality.

Oh and tickets or a ladder / shovel.

Enjoy your weekend!

Forbidden Fruit Festival. 4th & 5th June 2011. Dublin

2011-05-30T02:53:00.000-07:00

Possibly the best priced festival I have seen in a very longtime. The line up is perfect and the price matches the pocket of a recession.

I'll be there dropping acid up the front.

See you at Aphex!

Day Tickets: E49.50 / Weekend Tickets: EU90

Heres the line up:

DAY 1
SAT 4TH JUNE

The Flaming Lips
Yo La Tengo
Wild Beasts
Bombay Bicycle Club

The Phoenix Foundation
Erol Alkan
Beardyman
The Subs
Rory Phillips

Kid Karate
Bipolar Empire
Land lovers
Spies

DAY 2
SUN 5TH JUNE

Aphex Twin
Battles
Caribou

Jamie XX
Carte Blanche

Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip

Spank Rock
Logo

Kormac's Big Band

Solar Bears
Favourite Sons

Trinity Orchestra

Cast Of Cheers
Not Squares
Bats
Enemies
Squarehead
Tera Melos

Native Instruments Razor Synth Review

2011-05-30T02:45:00.000-07:00

Native Instruments have done it again with the creation of a kick ass simple to use FM synth.
This beast can really wail and its very simple to construct your own synths. I find it even more simple than NI's Massive and it has started taking over as my main choice of synth.
As some NI synths can be it can be a bit RAM heavy, so make sure you are well juiced up if you want to run more than 1 at a time in your chosen DAW.
For $80 its not a bad price either. Unless you use "other" avenues for it.
A free Reaktor player is needed to run the synth, so you will have to be running that also.
Here's a video review.

Native Instruments Razor Bass Tutorial

2011-05-30T02:38:00.001-07:00

Found this online looks pretty decent.
If you try sticking the Ohmforce Predatohm over the top of it with a low shelf compression & EQ you can get some real nasty bass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkxvZoLkpyE

Gateway Festival launch party Dublin

2011-05-29T07:19:00.000-07:00

25 acts. 4 venues.
Sweeney's Bar, Shebeen Chic, The Globe, RíRá.
More festival fun than you can shake a big festival stick at!

Admission Free!

/// The Globe

Wyvern Lingo
The 9 Bars Blues Band
History of Harry
Daithi

/// Ri Ra

DJ OB
Lunar Disco
Sindig DJs
Plug Artists

/// Shebeen Chic

Bob Glynn + Brain
Jack in the Band
Mute Fish
The Whiparound

/// Shebeen Chic Basement

Noise Machine
Hassle Merchants
100 Flower Campaign
More Tiny Giants
Mescalito

/// Sweeneys Bar Upstairs

Preston Reed
The Lonely Schizophrenic
Creamy Goodness
Odd Socks Revival
Sleep Thives
Attention Bébé

/// Sweeneys Basement

Surge DJs
Lunar Disco DJs

/// Sweeny's Ground Floor

DJ OB
DJ Chanty Lace
Gramophone Disco

Gamepak presents: Herv

2011-03-13T04:01:00.000-07:00

The electronic break & blipmeister known as Herv comes for his debut Gamepak gig to launch his new E.P Portable Music Vol. 1.

Gamepak brings you music from & inspired by video games in a friendly and interactive atmosphere.
Dust of your plunger & comb your moustache!

Entry also gives you Hervs E.P on cassete for your walkman. :)

All for only €8!

1/4/11 @ 9:30pm

O'Byrne's Beverage Bar, Capel Street, Dublin.

Heres some info on Herv who you should check out:

Portable Music Vol. 1: a record that was composed on buses, train  
platforms, and in friends' houses; concocted while commuting and on the  
go; a record that beats the clock and dodges your workplace's CCTV. This  
is Portable Music, released on April 1st by Boy Scout Audio, on limited  
edition CASSETTE tape for your personal stereo walkman.
 
 
With 'Portable Music Vol. 1', Herv returns to the world of hand-held  
gaming devices and to a new generation of gear uniquely suited to the  
adept knob-twiddling he has demonstrated on previous releases, and sees  
him train his hyper-active musical mind to focus on minute subtleties  
within square-shaped vignettes. With the user restricted to a mere 16  
notes per pattern and 16 patterns per track, he squeezes the last drops of  
musical juice from a Nintendo DS, battering the synthesised daylights out  
of the bare-bones Korg DS-10 software that is the sole sound source of the  
record.
 
Herv had another reason for switching to portable methods: giving away  
music for free is all well and good, but a man's gotta eat. Returning to  
full-time day-job hours away from his studio, he soon realised that  
increased restrictions on his time would mean drastic changes were needed  
if his musical output was to endure. Adapting his methodologies to this  
end, he traded studio gear for portable devices.
 
Stalwart Dublin-based producer Herv has always had a thing about free  
music. His anarchist aesthetic becomes clear when you notice the number of  
free releases available on respected net-labels such as Acroplane,  
Net-Lab, Cock Rock Disco and The Centrifuge. By no means simple promos,  
these records are a match for his swarm of physical format releases on  
Irish and international independents, including labels Risc and Go Away  
Recordings, while remaining true to the net-label scene's DIY and chiptune  
roots. Herv is one of Ireland's premier and pioneering exponents of the  
chiptune genre, with tracks such as 'Party Gaff' (from the album  
'Customer', Go Away/Reconfiguration Records, 2006) standing out as one of  
the scene's most loved floor-filling choons.
 
Also in high demand as an old-skool-rave referencing DJ (with a  
free-download mix on Brighton label Wrong Lab), his production advances  
stylistically prog-influenced wildly modulating chord progressions, which  
jostle and balance jauntily against razor-sharp beat programming to  
melodically eccentric effect. Herv's music grabs hold of your  
channel-hopping attention span, bashing it against the speakers to the  
battle-beat of its perversely contrarian itinerary.
 
We've watched his music evolve from the experimental folktronics and  
concrète of his 2002 debut 'Snap Hands' into the full-frontal punk assault  
of breakcore excess. With later releases such as 'Gang Molded' (The  
Centrifuge, 2010) re-integrating his rave roots, his noise urges are now  
simultaneously and comprehensively satiated, not only in the layered  
subtleties of his Herv production aesthetic, but in the company of his  
alter-ego Muttermal and as part of duo Gland & Conduit.
 
 
And so, on April 1st, Gamepak Dublin and Boy Scout Audio are proud to  
celebrate the release [BSA003] 'Portable Music Vol. 1' by Herv. The  
release is available on strictly limited edition Cassette for your  
Personal Stereo Walkman, and on digital from April 14th through  
boyscoutaudio.com.
 
Support on the night comes from Bluefood (Ghettoquietly, !Kaboogie),  
Glotchbot (Gamepak), PR! and SU7A7S of Siam Collective, with WuffaH laying  
down some deep and dubby 8-bit tinged vibes in the Bar area.

Oxegen line up released

2011-03-11T09:25:00.000-08:00

Irelands biggest festival line up has been announced.
Sounds pretty cool.

Decent acts on the list so far worth watching:

Paulo Nutini
Sven Vath
Foo Fighters
Primal Scream

Full line up:

Foo Fighters, Coldplay, the Strokes Arctic Monkeys, Blink 182, Paolo Nutini, Swedish House Mafia, Two Door Cinema Club, Black Eyed Peas, Tinnie Tempah, The Script, The Vaccines, Beady Eye, Plan B, The Minutes, deadmau5, the National, Beady Eye, My Chemical Romance, Weezer, Pendulum, Primal Scream, Bright Eyes, Imelda May, Eels, Bruno Mars, Jessie J, Calvin Harris, Jimmy Eat World, Friendly Fires, Crystal Castles, House of Pain, Chase and Status, All Time Low, Noah and the Whale, Fight Like Apes, Sven Vath, Hurts, Bloody Beetroots, Jenny and Johnny, Steve Aoki, Crookers, Mona, The Naked and Famous, Ryan Sheridan, Bipolar Empire, Madisun.

Bit expensive though eh?
I might just stick to private fests and the un-commercial.
Considering you will easily spend 400 quid over the weekend too.

http://www.oxegen.ie/

And you can grab tickets from here http://www.oxegen.ie/tickets after selling a kidney or 2.

Dolby Anol presents Red Leather / Yellow Leather

2011-01-27T00:57:00.000-08:00

Tigerbass presents: Red Leather / Yellow Leather EP, Dolby Anol’s first
release of 2011. After their last three EP’s became a staple of many
big name DJ’s sets in 2010, the duo show no signs of slowing down.
Following the hard-edged techno of Sandy Bitches, the smacked-up
disco of Cameroon and Far East rave-inspired Visa / Mastercard, this
EP is a dark lesson in strutting contemporary acid, as suited to the
bedroom as it is to the dancefloor. Red Leather’s percolating acid
synths keep rising and building, while reverb-heavy breakdowns and
what sounds like a deranged woman’s pleas for a better world keep
the track grounded.
Mirroring the title track is the more accessible and direct club
version Yellow Leather, touching on tech-funk influences and minimal
house. Yellow Leather is Red Leather’s older more voluptuous sister
you just can’t keep your hands off of.
First on remix duties for Red Leather, Kid606 & the Acid Trap bring
you a funky dueling 303 meltdown, recorded live and then edited into
dancefloor oblivion. Finland’s Obi Blanche (New Judas, What what!)
comes next after a string of charting remixes for Boy 8-Bit, Les
Gilettes and Zombie Nation. He chops and meads the original into
something unpredictable and exciting.
Last but not least is San Francisco’s C.L.A.W.S., pulling the track
back to the champagne room to make a percussion-heavy space
disco trip – a great warm-up or come down (we’ll try both and let
you know).

Another notch in Dolby Anol’s increasing number of mini-genre
exercises, Red Leather / Yellow Leather will have their increasing
fanbase thirsty for what they have in store next – a ten track mini-album
release with the intriguing title Whet Whet Whet!

Grab yourself the claws mix here!

http://kickkicksnare.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Red-Leather-C.L.A.W.S.-Remix.mp3

Bruce Stallion presents: Donuts E.P

2010-09-14T07:39:00.000-07:00

Killer new heavy bass and off-kilter funky grime bizness from the man Bruce Stallion!

spread the word and let us know what you think!

meow164 Bruce Stallion-Donuts EP by Tigerbeat6

Gateway Festival - Ireland

2010-09-14T07:21:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of giving this gorgeous Summer 2010 the loud and proud send-off that it deserves,

We wish to invite you to a very special, private, two day festival

The brand new Gateway Festival will be taking place on the 24th & 25th September in the heart of the Wicklow mountains, just 40 minutes from Dublin.

What’s Happening?

You can look forward to

Over 40 Live Bands & DJs
Art installations
Dance Performances
Chill Out Area
Healing Area
Hot Tub Forest Retreat
Great Food Stalls
Bright colours
Bring Your Own Beer
Off Licence
& much much more

________________________________________

To attend you must register your details online
http://www.eventelephant.com/buy-tickets-gatewaysfestival

After successful registration you will receive an confirmation email & attachment

>>> NOTE... No Ticket No Entry <<<
You will need to print out the PDF attachment in the email to be presented at the gate

To help cover some of our costs, we are asking for a €30 donation with free camping & parking.

This can be paid Online or at the Gate.

Any Questions you may have please email

GatewaysMovement@gmail.com

N.B you will be receiving further information / photos about venue location, gate times, transport, ect...

Line up...

Kíla
God is an Astronaut
Fusion Family
The Hot Sprockets
Scarecrow Disco
Skuzzi Port
Mute Fish
Laren Gillery
Wyvern Lingo
Howl
Ali and the Dt's
The Envelope
KaTet
The Whipround
Lights Over Phoenix
Patrick Kelleher
The Lovecats Burlesque Show
Mutant Liberation
Eutechnik
Vertical 67
Automatic Tasty
Miles Iwes
Elektrodouche
Solex
D3X
Psy Am
Flex and Ananu
Nataraj
Auto Psy
Psybaba
Anunitu
Qpop
Mixile
Bandia
Zyme
Marke
Creator
Burrman
C60 Force
James M
Dj Discrete
Handsome Paddy
Kelly-Anne Byrne
Russ Parker
Dazboy
Michael Black
Eoin Callanan
Fraher
Keith Dalton
Keep Schtum
Martin Roche
Daz Dalton
Kormac
TR1
Craig Smith
Jason Williams

Hope you can make it to the only private festival this summer!

....

Native Instruments updates Maschine

2010-05-09T08:59:00.000-07:00

Native Instruments has announced the release of version 1.5 of Maschine, a major free update that significantly increases the functionality and creative potential of the computer-based music production system. With more classic drum machine features, improved host integration, new sampling functions, an extended sound library, and even more efficient workflow, the 1.5 software expands on the concept of Maschine as an integrated and intuitive groove production studio for producers, live musicians and DJs. NI has also updated the Kontakt 4 Factory Library to v1.0.2.

To bring even more of the legacy of classic drum machines into the modern music production environment, Maschine 1.5 introduces two new "vintage sampler" modes that authentically emulate the gritty sonic signatures of the popular MPC-60 and SP-1200 models through component modeling. The 1.5 version also loads the programs of nearly all MPC models ever built, opening up a vast resource of existing sound and sample material within Maschine.
Maschine 1.5 also enables a new and efficient level of DAW integration, with convenient host automation through new macro controls, MIDI pattern Drag&Drop export, direct DAW recording of Maschine events, MIDI pitch bend and CC support, and more. The powerful real-time sampling features of Maschine benefit from extended slicing and mapping options that make it even easier to work with sampled grooves and other rhythmic loops. The 1.5 version also introduces a full arsenal of destructive audio editing functions for in-depth sample manipulation.
The Maschine 1.5 update includes a versatile assortment of additional instrument and drum sounds, based on a gigabyte of sample material. The library has been expanded with special versions of Abbey Road 60s & 70s Drums, authentic electric pianos and bass guitars from Scarbee, contemporary acoustic strings taken from the upcoming Session Strings instrument, sampled vintage analog synths, and carefully resampled MPC-60 hip hop kits from sample expert Goldbaby.
Further enhancements in Maschine 1.5 include a new "Grain Stretch" effect algorithm, a "16 Velocity Levels" pad mode, MIDI file export, extended polyphony options, improved event editing and navigation on the controller, project default templates, sample consolidation for improved song portability, and a wide range of minor optimizations.
Summary of new and improved features in Maschine v1.5:

Performance page with eight assignable "Macro Controls" per Group.
Host Automation support.
Support for MIDI Continuous Controller and Pitchbend.
MPC program import (500/1000/2000(XL)/2500/3000/4000 models).
"Save Project with samples" function for easily portable songs.
Enhanced slicing with editable markers and new "split" mode.
Destructive audio editing with trim, normalize, copy/paste, fade etc.
New "Project default" preferences including project template.
New "vintage sound" MPC 60 and SP1200 emulation modes.
16 Velocity Levels mode for controller.
New effect algorithm: Grain Stretch.
New "Add to Sample Map" function in browser.
New "Copy Sound without Note Events" option.
Adjustable polyphony limit per Sound.
"Direct Monitor" option in sampling mode.
MIDI export for patterns, including Drag and Drop to host.
Improved event editing via controller.
Improved waveform navigation via controller.
Various other enhancements.
Plus various fixes and stability improvements.

Ohm force presents: Ohm Studio

2010-04-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

Creators of the legendary FX Vsts Ohmboyz, ohmicide & mellotohm have come up with a unique aproach to
music making in the form of an online collaborative DAW... All in real time!

I have personally used Ohm software for the last 5 years, the Ohmboys delay fx are still a huge main stay
in my musical set up.

Its funny that this was possible with the impulse tracker back in the day, I wonder how long it will be until
the bigger DAW companies jump on to this great idea.

Live real time internet collaborations in Logic? Awsome.

Here's a vid of what Ohmstudio promises to do, Including info on the Ohm server which enables you to take snap shots of recorded mixes in case your found online collaborators mess things up.

Ableton Live - The bridge | Ant's Computer Music

2010-04-26T10:06:00.001-07:00

http://www.abletonsupport.com/?p=19399

Drum miking for the home studio

2010-04-26T06:41:00.000-07:00

Getting great drum sounds with a low budget and less than perfect room acoustics can be challenging, but a little bit of practicality and common sense can go a long way. I’ll outline some basic considerations for tracking drums in a home studio and share my favorite mics and miking techniques with you.

Location…The bedroom, the living room, or the hallway?

Try to find the roomiest and most “live” portion of your house – unless of course you want a super tight, Indie drum sound. Hardwood floors trump carpet when it comes to acoustics. Realistically, most of us don’t have much choice which room we get to track drums in, but try to find the best practical location. Avoid tight enclosed areas. An open room with access to a hallway or another room is ideal for placing room mics and hall mics. If you’re drum set is near a stairway, sometimes a mic placed at the other end of the stairs can make a great long hall mic.

Things to remember:

Turn off your air-conditioning & fans in your drum room
Don’t let someone use the bathroom while tracking drums (the noise form the pipes is always audible in the walls)
Don’t run the dishwasher.
Keep your speakers at a low level (or monitor with headphones) to avoid bleed into the drum room.
A great drummer is better than a bad drummer on a well-miked kit.

Kick

Try a beta52 halfway inside the hole in the front drum head, angled slightly upward. If it sounds bad, it’s the kick drum or the drummer, not the mic.
One of my “secrets” is my homemade sub-kick microphone. You can easily make one yourself with a large speaker (mine is a 14” car stereo speaker I found at a used electronics store) and a few drum hardware parts for creating a stand and mounting the speaker. Take an ordinary XLR cable and solder the + and – wires to the speaker (match the + and – polarities respectively). Usually the signal is strong enough that you also need to add a 30db or 40db pad on the XLR before entering your pre-amp.
I generally place my sub-kick about 2 inches away from the kick drumhead.
Make sure the transients from both drum mics (and any samples you use) are in phase and line up when editing/mixing.

Snare

Favored mic: SM57
Place the mic ~3 inches over the rim of the snare drum pointed directly at the center of the drumhead. Aiming the mic away from the high-hat helps reduce high-hat bleed.
Use any condenser mic for the bottom snare mic and place it 6 – 10 inches from the bottom head pointed directly at the snare and angled away from the kick drum if possible. There’s nothing worse than a lot of kick drum bleed in the bottom snare mic.

Toms

Position the mic 3 to 4 inches over the rim of the tom, angled at the center of the drumhead, similar to the snare miking technique.

Overheads

Favored mics: SM81’s (standard, cheap, sound great)
I use a spaced pair about 2 or 3 feet above my cymbals, 4 to 5 feet apart. One trick to keeping your mics in phase with the snare drum (and making sure your snare stays in the center of your stereo image) is to use a string to measure the distance from the snare drum to each of your overheads. It’s great to have both overheads the exact same distance, but this is also a rule that can be broken.

High-Hat

Favored mic: Neumann KM84 (I know, not the average home studio mic…), any small diaphragm condenser mic works great (SM81)
Position the mic 5 to 8” above the top hat, aimed down and angled away from the snare drum to reduce bleed from the snare and rest of the kit.

Room Mics

I usually use large diaphragm condensers for room mics (AT4033a). However, the second method I’ll mention involves SM57’s.
I’ve been a fan of the spaced pair low to the ground facing the kit (about 6 – 8 feet apart), as far in the room from the kit as possible, ideally more than 10 feet.
One trick I recently learned is to place two SM57s directly in front of the kit (spaced apart 4 feet, at about chest level) and aim them directly away from the kit. Surprisingly, they pick up mostly room noise instead of the direct sound from the kit – mostly due to the cardiod pattern.
Another method I’m fond of only involves one room mic in the center/back of the room. This paired with a great hall mic can add a lot of depth to your snare – mixed directly up the center. Using one mic is also practical if you’re running out of inputs on your interface.

Hall Mics

One hall mic is usually sufficient – again, I usually use a large diaphragm condenser. Try placing this mic in the next room over (leave the door in between open) or literally down the hall outside your drum room. You’re aiming to get a good natural reverb and ambience to mix in with the “fake” reverb. A great hall mic can add a lot of depth and liveliness to your kit, especially the snare and toms.
I'm removing my comments about sampling for the purposes of guiding the discussion back to miking techniques. You shouldn't sample if you don't have to - In my opinion, real drums always sound better. Drum samples can become necessary tools when mixing, but should not replace real drum sounds.
Another great point that needs to be addressed:
Drum tuning is one of the most significant factors when it comes to getting great drum sounds. I won't address it in this article, but you can find tons of other great articles and books out there about drum tuning techniques - just do a little digging :)

Written by Jake Hartsfield

Thankyou to tunecore.

Native Instruments - Paranormal Spectrums

2010-04-26T06:33:00.000-07:00

Native Instruments have once again come up with another classic library for your KORE player.

This is the first instrument powered by KORE with a strict focus on darkening up your music, for the instant creation of horror style fx & instruments for film and video games. It provides the modern composer with an unmatched arsenal of sounds and soundscapes ranging from the eerie to the truly terrifying.
After using the fixed noise OTTO this is a very simular affair, But this brings in synths and sounds created in Absynth & Massive (2 amazing vsts).

If you want to darken up your tunes or maybe work within the games industry, I'm sure you will find something in here, Especially if you are a fan of dead space or nazi zombies.

And here's a nice video to get your spooky on!

Ableton Live - The bridge

2010-04-26T06:11:00.000-07:00

Good times are coming with the exellent addition of Serato Scratch support to be featured within Ableton Live.
Serator has already managed to change the face of vinyl DJing meaning you no longer have to lug around a whole crate of records for a one hour set but just two "timecode" records.

Ableton Live also changed the way people look to performing live giving people the power to mix, chop, cut & paste and even write music while on the go.

The bridge looks set to give you the option of recording your Serato scratch set directly within Ableton but also giving you the DAW power over your mixes.

I'm going to have to invest in 2 technics!

This was first announced in 2008 and I think the wait has been patient enough.

Come on Ableton, Sort it out!

New Sibegg release and remixes on Tigerbeat6 preview

2010-04-20T07:03:00.000-07:00

The totally awesome Sibegg returns with the Tigerbeat6 massive on remix duty from his seminal album
from 2001 titled Buckfunk 3000.

Get this bass into you!

meow158 Si Begg aka Buckfunk 3000 - The Tigerbeat6 Arrangements by Tigerbeat6

Tracklist:
1. High Volume-Kanji Kinetic remix
2. High Volume-Si Begg VIP remix
3. Jump-EBOLA Remix
4. High Volume/Jump-Kid606's 'Fistful of Döners' megamix
5. Disrupt - The Squire of Gothos remix
6. High Volume/Jump-HecQ's 'High Volume Jumpin' remix
7. High Volume-Luke's Anger's 'Theremin from Hell' remix
8. Jump - Bruce Stallion's 'Suspiciously milky' remix
9. High Volume-Wascal's 'Neighbor Botherer' remix
10. High Volume-Kanji Kinetic VIP remix

Artist: Si Begg aka Buckfunk 3000
Album title: Arrangements For The Modern Listener - The Tigerbeat6 Arrangements
Catalogue Number: meow158
Label: Tigerbeat6
Release date: April 30th 2010
Territories: worldwide

Alicia Keys Piano VST

2010-03-24T09:14:00.000-07:00

Alicia Keys has been working with Native Instruments to recreate her own piano sound via soft synth.
It has been individually recorded from the tones and key presses from Alicia on her piano.
Apparently now she is just using the NI software instead of her old piano, linked up to a midi keyboard instead.

I suppose it beats carrying a piano in taxis.

Ableton Live Beer

2010-03-24T08:50:00.000-07:00

Not only have Ableton made my favorite piece of sofware ever, They have just released Ableton "lively" to accompany the new Live 8 software...

With beer being just as important as your midi controller at gigs its great they have got into this.
Can I have some samples for a tester?

Ant's Computer Music

Cytomic presents "The Drop" resonance filter plug in

Aphex Twin live at Forbidden Fruit (Dublin 2011)

Life festival and dancing like no-ones watching

Creator Noir L.P [Mech001]

I, IV, V Progression & Song Writing

Roman Numerals

The I, IV and V Chord Pattern

I - IV - V Chord Pattern

Music mash ups and craziness

Festival Surival Kit: Recommended Equipment for the wreck head

Forbidden Fruit Festival. 4th & 5th June 2011. Dublin

DAY 1 SAT 4TH JUNE

DAY 2 SUN 5TH JUNE

Native Instruments Razor Synth Review

Native Instruments Razor Bass Tutorial

Gateway Festival launch party Dublin

Gamepak presents: Herv

Oxegen line up released

Dolby Anol presents Red Leather / Yellow Leather

Bruce Stallion presents: Donuts E.P

Gateway Festival - Ireland

Native Instruments updates Maschine

Ohm force presents: Ohm Studio

Ableton Live - The bridge | Ant's Computer Music

Drum miking for the home studio

Written by Jake Hartsfield

Thankyou to tunecore.

Native Instruments - Paranormal Spectrums

Ableton Live - The bridge

New Sibegg release and remixes on Tigerbeat6 preview

Alicia Keys Piano VST

Ableton Live Beer

DAY 1
SAT 4TH JUNE

DAY 2
SUN 5TH JUNE