Califaudio

Street Musicians: Vasyl Fomytskyi + Dusty Rhodes

2009-11-04T11:01:00.000-08:00

I enjoy the music and stories of street musicians.

Vasyl Fomytskyi is a street musician who plays the double-bass for a living in Central Park in New York City. The acoustics produced by the arcade make it an ideal location for many musicians who perform in the park.

Jazz saxophonist Dusty Rhodes plays music for a living in Washington Square Park in NYC.

Videos by Eric Alfredo on YouTube and CNN.

Beatles USB Apple

2009-11-04T00:07:00.000-08:00

Apple Corps Ltd. and EMI Music have announced the worldwide release of a limited edition Beatles Stereo USB on December 8th in the UK and December 9th in the US.

The apple-shaped USB drive is loaded with the re-mastered audio for The Bealtes' 14 stereo titles, as well as all of the re-mastered CDs' visual elements, including 13 mini-documentary films about the studio albums, replicated original UK art, rare photos and expanded liner notes. A specially designed Flash interface has been installed, and the 16GB USB's audio and visual contents will be provided in FLAC 44.1 Khz 24 bit and MP3 320 Kbps formats, fully compatible with PC and Mac.

Limited Edition USB Stick - Contains Entire Digitally Remastered Catalog (BEA48315)

Albums:

Please Please Me
With The Beatles
A Hard Day's Night
Beatles For Sale
Help!
Rubber Soul
Revolver
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Magical Mystery Tour
Yellow Submarine
The White Album
Abbey Road
Let It Be
Past Masters

I preordered mine at the beatles.com store for $279.

Neumann TLM 102

2009-10-21T10:34:00.000-07:00

The Neumann TLM 102 is the newest microphone in Neumann TLM line and is 13% smaller than the TLM 103.

The affordable TLM 102 is a transformerless large-diaphragm cardioid condenser that can handle high SPLs [144 dB] and gives a slight presence boost above 6 kHz. Made in Germany. Street price: $699.

I Like Music by Stuart McMillen

2009-10-21T09:57:00.000-07:00

Here are some clips from the "I Like Music" comic strip by Stuart McMillen on the Recombinant Records website.

Be sure to check out the whole cartoon. I like it.

Thanks, Mark, for the link.

Symphony of Science: We Are All Connected

2009-10-19T23:12:00.000-07:00

Symphony of Science [aka John Boswell] created "We Are All Connected" by sampling Carl Sagan's Cosmos, the History Channel's Universe series, Richard Feynman's 1983 interviews, Neil deGrasse Tyson's cosmic sermon and Bill Nye's Eyes of Nye Series, plus added visuals from The Elegant Universe (NOVA), Stephen Hawking's Universe, Cosmos, the Powers of 10 and more. It is a tribute to great minds of science, intended to spread scientific knowledge and philosophy through the medium of music.

Lyrics:

[deGrasse Tyson]
We are all connected;
To each other, biologically
To the earth, chemically
To the rest of the universe atomically

[Feynman]
I think nature's imagination
Is so much greater than man's
She's never going to let us relax

[Sagan]
We live in an in-between universe
Where things change all right
But according to patterns, rules,
Or as we call them, laws of nature

[Nye]
I'm this guy standing on a planet
Really I'm just a speck
Compared with a star, the planet is just another speck
To think about all of this
To think about the vast emptiness of space
There's billions and billions of stars
Billions and billions of specks

[Sagan]
The beauty of a living thing is not the atoms that go into it
But the way those atoms are put together
The cosmos is also within us
We're made of star stuff
We are a way for the cosmos to know itself

Across the sea of space
The stars are other suns
We have traveled this way before
And there is much to be learned

I find it elevating and exhilarating
To discover that we live in a universe
Which permits the evolution of molecular machines
As intricate and subtle as we

[deGrasse Tyson]
I know that the molecules in my body are traceable
To phenomena in the cosmos
That makes me want to grab people in the street
And say, have you heard this??

(Richard Feynman on hand drums and chanting)

[Feynman]
There's this tremendous mess
Of waves all over in space
Which is the light bouncing around the room
And going from one thing to the other

And it's all really there
But you gotta stop and think about it
About the complexity to really get the pleasure
And it's all really there
The inconceivable nature of nature

Check out another Symphony of Science project: A Glorious Dawn

youtube via melodysheep

4 Ways Sound Affects Us

2009-10-18T21:49:00.000-07:00

Julian Treasure TED Talk on how sound affects us in four significant ways:

Physiological
Psychological
Cognitive
Behavioral

Check out Julian Treasure's Sound Business book - blog + The Sound Agency if you are interested in using sound to grow your business.

Thom Yorke Echoplex Orpheum

2009-10-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

Thom Yorke put on some really great shows in LA earlier this month. First, a surprise rehearsal set at the Echoplex on 10/2/09, followed by back-to-back shows at the Orpheum Theatre.

Above is a video I took of "The Hollow Earth" at the Echoplex. The show started with an Eraser set with the whole band of Yorke, Flea, Nigel Godrich, Joey Waronker and Mauro Refosco. Then Yorke did a few new songs on his own and then the band came back for a few more. It was a jam-packed, sweaty show. The vibe was super cool. I never would have guessed I'd see Flea play with Thom Yorke. Great band. Zack de la Rocha, Daft Punk and Rick Rubin were in the joint.

Thom Yorke Echoplex Set List 10/2/09:

the eraser
analyse
the clock
black swan
skip divided
atoms for peace
and it rained all night
harrowdown hill
cymbal rush

open the floodgates
lotus flower
skirting on the surface
judge, jury, executioner

paperbag writer
the hollow earth
feeling pulled apart by horses

The Orpheum show was also great with the larger stage and light show. Thom Yorke said he's planning to get the band back together next year for another run of shows...

Dewanatron Dual Primate Console

2009-10-14T18:44:00.000-07:00

The Dewanatron concert at Spaceland in Silver Lake last night [10/13/09] was nuts. The 2 cousins, Brian Dewan and Leon Dewan, invited audience members to bring instruments and join them onstage. It was part cool, part unlistenable. At one point, a guy wrapped in a bed sheet was conducting the orchestra of weirdo synths, drums, guitars, circuit bent toys, trumpet, violin, melodicas and various percussion [including ping pong paddles on empty water jugs, wooden spoons on cookie trays] along with an MIA-wannabe female rapper.

I grabbed the first open instrument I found on the stage: a balloon. In a situation like that, it's definitely more fun to play than to watch.

Most interesting was Dewanatron's crazy synth, the Dual Primate Console. Two people can play it on opposite ends at the same time. It's a got a bunch of oscillators and funky synth circuitry going on. Rhythms are dialed in by actually dialing numbers on the old school rotary phone dial. Wow!

Check out more details on the Dual Primate Console and Dewanatron's other instruments and music at dewanatron.com.

NIN TDS Webster Teaser + Wiltern Pics

2009-10-14T15:19:00.000-07:00

Nine Inch Nails fans are compiling audio and video footage of the now legendary performance of The Downward Spiral live at Webster Hall in New York on 8/23/09.

The teaser youtube clip [via trentsinmypants] above of "The Becoming" is the video trailer for the upcoming fan release on thisoneisonus.org. It looks pretty good for a fan video.

Speaking of fan-produced content, check out this flickr set of some great pics of the Wave Goodbye final concert at the Wiltern in LA shot by johnkraw323:

Update: http://theninhotline.net/features/TDSlive/

Sequenox: One Man and Two Oscillators

2009-10-14T11:21:00.000-07:00

Sequenox performed a great live set at Partikel 3 on 9/19/09. The piece, entitled "One Man and Two Oscillators," was composed on a new Synthesis Technology MOTM modular analog synthesizer with a Doepfer sequencer + Korg Kaoss Pads.

Modular:
(1) MOTM-650 Midi-CV Converter
(2) MOTM-310 Micro VCO
(2) MOTM-390 Micro LFO
(1) MOTM-440 Discrete OTA VCF
(1) MOTM-490 Micro VCF
(2) MOTM-320 VC LFO
(1) MOTM-101 Noise/Sample and Hold
(4) MOTM-800 Envelope Generator
(1) MOTM-190 Micro VCA
(1) MOTM-830 Dual Mode Mixer
(2) MOTM-910 Cascade Multiple
(1) MOTM-940 Patch Panel
(1) MOTM-900 Power Supply
(1) MOTM-950 Power Supply

Sequencer:
(1) Doepfer MAQ 16/3 Midi/Analog Sequencer

Effects:
(1) Korg Kaoss Pad KP3
(1) Korg Kaoss Pad KP2

The modular sounded incredible and the performance was very interesting. I really enjoyed it and couldn't believe it when I found out that Sequenox had only been using his modular for a few weeks!

Sequenox: "I have only been working with the modular for about a month. It has been very inspiring. I plan to keep exploring the modular and performing whenever possible.

Every time I use the analog modular I'm surprised with new sonic discoveries. I had rehearsed for this set about five times. Each rehearsal was totally different and the performance at Partikel 3 was different from the rehearsals in many ways. I had five sequences ready, but ended up using only two, improvising with micro tonal scales, random triggering, and tempo variance."

Looking forward to the next Sequenox live performance.

Noise for Airports + Orchestrion

2009-10-14T10:39:00.000-07:00

Noise for Airports is a cool new blog that features interesting audio-related experiments + ideas. It's written by Nick Seaver, a graduate student in Comparative Media Studies at MIT who wrote his undergrad thesis at Yale on the relationship between social conceptions of noise + recording technologies: “Noise in the Age of its Mechanical Reproducibility” [pdf].

Plus, I'm a fan of noise, and Noise for Airports is a great name for a sound blog that plays on the concepts of Brian Eno.

Here's a youtube video I found on Noise for Airports of an Orchestrion similar to the one I checked out recently at the Mansion:

This Seeburg Model H Orchestrion was restored by Reblitz Restorations in Colorado Springs for Johnny and Tish Duckworth.

ohGr Collidoskope

2009-10-11T12:56:00.000-07:00

ohGr has released a new single in time for Halloween.

Play the demented typewriter sampler and find the link to a free mp3 of "Welcome to Collidoskope" at wdihtf.com.

Playboy Mansion Game Room Photo Tour: Seeburg Orchestrion Player Piano

2009-10-07T16:44:00.000-07:00

The Seeburg Orchestrion player piano in the game room of Playboy Mansion.

Swedish American Justus P. Seeburg manufactured coin-operated Orchestrions from 1910 through the 1920s, until the arrival of sound films.

Foosball + player piano.

Pool table.

Old school 1980s arcade video games: Centipede - Pac-Man - Frogger - Donkey Kong + Defender.

The Girls Next Door arcade game.

Hugh Hefner's Playboy pinball machine.

The Red Room.

The Blue Room.

The Round Room. The floor squishes and bounces like a trampoline, and the whole room is covered in mirrors.

What else would you add to your fantasy game room?

Talking Piano

2009-10-07T14:20:00.000-07:00

Peter Ablinger has used the frequency spectrum analysis of a boy's voice to mechanically play a piano so it sounds as if the piano is talking. Das Sprechende Klavier.

Brilliant!

via matrixsynth

Wheel of Stars

2009-10-05T05:10:00.000-07:00

Wheel of Stars is a musical clock made of stars by Jim Bumgardner.

He programmed Hipparcos data collected from over 100,000 stars and plotted the stars to revolve around the North Star one complete cycle every 24 hours. Each time a star crosses the horizontal axis, it is highlighted and triggers a sound based the star's properties.

Bumgardner will build an installation of the Wheel of Stars in your home, gallery or museum. I hope someone takes him up on his offer. His other creations are ace as well.

Previously on Califaudio: Whitney Music Box + Mandala.

Catching Up with Califaudio

2009-10-04T23:13:00.000-07:00

It's been a bit quieter than usual here on Califaudio over the past few weeks, but I haven't turned down the volume of my adventures in music - sound + noise. Here's some of what I've been up to, and I'll update with more details when I can.

The best concerts of September 2009 had to be the Nine Inch Nails farewell shows in LA. Lots of surprise guests and marathon set lists. It was a great way to Wave Goodbye to an amazing live band.

Opening band HEALTH was awesome too.

The following week I saw Sequenox play a cool hardware set with a MOTM modular at Partikel 3 at the Goethe Institut.

Then we switched gears and headed over to the Viper Room to see Kings of Spade bring their bluesy funk rock from Honolulu.

Last week I visited the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad. The Legacy of Moog exhibition is great!

The next night I saw Telefon Tel Aviv at Spaceland. The show was pretty spacey and really good. The empty center instrument console was a touching nod to fallen band member Charlie Cooper.

A couple days later, the Revolting Cocks concert at the House of Blues on Sunset Blvd was disappointing. Apparently the group is touring without Al Jourgensen or any of the original RevCo members. I get that it's one of those bands with a revolving lineup, but without Al, it's just not right. It feels like you're watching a cover band.

Al Jourgensen did come out for the encore, which saved the show. He was super trashed and could barely play the guitar. It looks like he's only making it to a couple shows on this tour. Jim Rose opened up, and it was good to see him live again.

The next day, last Monday, I met up with Joe Satriani and Red Hot Chili Pepper drummer Chad Smith at a photo shoot in Hollywood. I picked up a prototype of the new Zoom Q3 and took it to the Playboy Mansion to film a video interview with Hugh Hefner and his Playmate girlfriends. (The Mansion really is one of greatest places on Earth.) Then back to Hollywood, where I got to chat with Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones about his new band, Them Crooked Vultures, before they left for Austin to start their US tour. Can't wait to see him live with Dave Grohl and Josh Homme and Alain Johannes from Queens of the Stone Age.

On Wednesday, Peter Grenader invited me over to listen to "The Secret Life of Semiconductors," an epic sonic journey off of his upcoming Secret Life album.

What else... oh yeah, Friday night I went to Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke's surprise show at the Echoplex. I never thought I'd see Flea and Thom Yorke share the same stage, especially at a small venue like the Echoplex. Great show. I'll upload some video soon.

Combo Graffiti Wall Animation

2009-09-30T23:53:00.000-07:00

COMBO a collaborative animation by Blu and David Ellis (2 times loop) from blu.

a collaborative animation by Blu and David Ellis
produced by Studio Cromie
music by Roberto Lange
made at Fame festival 2009

NIN Wiltern Free Ticket Giveaway

2009-09-10T05:59:00.000-07:00

I have 1 extra ticket to the Nine Inch Nails Wave Goodbye farewell concert tonight [9/10/09] at the Wiltern in LA.

A couple years ago, two awesome NIN fans offered me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take part in an incredible NIN experience. I thank them again, and I would like to help another fan the way they helped me...

Just let me know in the comments what this NIN show means to you, and I'll pick a winner this afternoon.

3 rules: 1. You must not already have a Wiltern ticket. 2. You must meet me at the Wiltern by 3pm today. 3. Include a way for me to contact you in your comment. That's it.

Good luck, and see you at the show!

NIN Hollywood Palladium 9/2/09

2009-09-04T00:38:00.000-07:00

Nine Inch Nails played The Downward Spiral in its entirety for the second time ever last night [9/2/09] at the Hollywood Palladium. Killer show. The set list was similar to the recent 8/23/09 Webster Hall concert in New York, but last night's Hollywood show had a special guest: Gary Numan.

Like the London O2 concert on 7/15/09, NIN played Metal and Cars with Gary Numan, this time without the Polymoog.

Trent mentioned he was sick and started sounding like he was struggling near the end. Soon after the show, NIN announced that tonight's concert at the Henry Fonda Theater was canceled.

nine inch nails hollywood palladium 9/2/09 setlist:

mr self destruct
piggy
heresy
march of the pigs
closer
ruiner
the becoming
i do not want this
big man with a gun
a warm place
eraser
reptile
the downward spiral
hurt
1,000,000
terrible lie
lights in the sky
burn
gave up
suck
metal [with gary numan]
cars [with gary numan]
the hand that feeds
head like a hole

NIN + Peter Murphy Terminal 5 NYC 8/25/09

2009-08-25T22:54:00.000-07:00

Nine Inch Nails played a great show at Terminal 5 in NYC last night [8/25/09].

Trent Reznor introduced Peter Murphy as a special guest for three songs: Reptile, Kick in the Eye and Dead Souls.

nine inch nails terminal 5 nyc setlist 8/25/09:

home
terrible lie
the beginning of the end
discipline
march of the pigs
the line begins to blur
i'm afraid of americans
ruiner
the big come down
burn
gave up
la mer
the fragile
non-entity
eraser
the way out is through
1,000,000
letting you
survivalism
reptile [with peter murphy]
kick in the eye [with peter murphy]
the hand that feeds
head like a hole

the frail
the wretched
the day the world went away
dead souls [with peter murphy]
wish
hurt

videos by maestro416

NIN Webster Hall Downward Spiral Concert NYC 8/23/09

2009-08-24T21:49:00.000-07:00

Nine Inch Nails performed the most amazing concert last night [8/23/09] at Webster Hall in New York City.

NIN played The Downward Spiral album live in its entirety, from start to finish, for the first and only time ever!

On our way to Webster Hall, we read the NIN twitter:

Heading to the venue for show #2. Cool set list tonight.

The words "cool set list" reminded me of a similar comment NIN visual artist Rob Sheridan made before 1 of the 2 times they previously played the first part of The Downward Spiral live in 2007. I told my brother I thought they might start the Webster Hall show with at least 7 out of 8 of the first songs from The Downward Spiral. It was even better... They played the whole thing! All 14 songs front to back!

NIN stayed true to the album versions of the songs. Mr Self Destruct started with the record's THX 1138-style buildup intro and ended with the Adrian Belew guitar loops, which they usually don't play live.

After Piggy and Heresy, March of the Pigs ended without the "All the Pigs, All Lined Up" ending section that the band almost always plays in concert. Closer started up, and people took notice, hoping the band would continue down the spiral.

Ruiner was a welcome surprise as I think it's the first time drummer Ilan Rubin had played it onstage.

The Becoming was great, too, and so was I Do Not Want This, with Trent Reznor on a Dave Smith Poly Evolver Keyboard.

Eight songs in at this point last night, they had already played one more song than they had ever played in a row off The Downward Spiral. They hadn't played Big Man with a Gun in 15 years. Would they keep going? Yes, they did. It was awesome! That song rocks so hard live. It was insane! I remember thinking I was going to die the first time I saw Big Man with a Gun performed live in 1994 at the Riviera in Chicago. Last night was no different. The pit might not have been as brutal, but Webster Hall was so damn hot that I thought I might pass out near the front of the packed pit. Super intense. It was so great.

Now that the band had gone this far down the spiral, it seemed likely they might actually finish it. Next up was A Warm Place, a song that NIN has NEVER played live. Ever. Trent Reznor walked offstage. Ilan Rubin got up from behind the drums and walked over to the keyboard to play the main melody of the beautiful instrumental. Justin Meldal-Johnsen dropped his bass and went to a Moog Little Phatty synth, and Robin Finck stepped over to the slide guitar. A Warm Place is a sacred song to me that I feel such a strong connection to that it was almost overwhelming to experience it live. Simply amazing.

Trent returned to the stage holding the neck of a saxophone, and he played that breathing mouthpiece/reed sound that is the intro to Eraser. Back in the day, former NIN bass player Danny Lohner told me that's how it was done on the album, but last night was the first time Trent played it live like that. So good.

At the end of the Eraser, the entire audience at Webster Hall screamed with the band repeatedly, "KILL ME!"

Then the stage turned green for Reptile. "She spreads herself wide open to let the insects in..." It was amazing to hear these songs together in the same running order as the album. It put the lyrics in a different context and gave the show new meaning compared to other concerts.

I felt like we were experiencing something truly special. It was as if we were IN The Downward Spiral and on our way to its darkest moment, the title track's suicide fantasy. I wish I still had a more vivid memory of it right now. It seems like a blur only a few hours later. I was so exhausted I could hardly stand from the heat and crush of the front of the pit. After the quiet section, the band erupted and everything went red. The guitars were so loud. So heavy. And then everything went quiet again.

"I... hurt myself today, to see if I still feel." I've seen NIN perform Hurt live many, many times, and somehow it seemed completely different this time. With the perspective of having just listened to Trent Reznor scream the words of the songs from The Downward Spiral that came before it, Hurt's feelings of remorse and regret were all too clear. The best part was the hint of hope in the ending:

If I could start again
a million miles away
I would keep myself
I would find a way...

Utterly incredible.

But the show didn't end there. After the guitar feedback from Hurt, they went right into 1,000,000 off The Slip. Then Terrible Lie, then Gary Numan's Metal. Then they played Lights in the Sky, the rarely played ballad from The Slip. Justin was on upright bass. The crowd quieted down to match the tone of the song. "The lights in the sky, are waving goodbye, and I am staying right beside you."

I thought this might have been the end of the concert, but there was more. A lot more. Burn was next, followed by Gave Up. It was nuts! Those two songs are usually played together way earlier in the set. I think NIN was determined to suck every last bit of energy out of everyone at Webster Hall. It was intense!

The last four songs were Suck, Physical, The Hand That Feeds and Head Like a Hole.

No encore. None needed. Killer show.

The Webster Hall Downward Spiral concert was the second of the last 11 Wave Goodbye shows for Nine Inch Nails. This is it. Our last chance to see this band for a very long time, if ever. There are only 9 NIN shows left: 2 more in NYC at Terminal 5, 1 festival show near Toronto, 2 in Chicago and 4 in LA. Catch 'em if you can. This is Trent Reznor's Wave Goodbye.

nine inch nails webster hall new york 8/23/09 setlist:

mr self destruct
piggy
heresy
march of the pigs
closer
ruiner
the becoming
i do not want this
big man with a gun
a warm place
eraser
reptile
the downward spiral
hurt
1,000,000
terrible lie
metal
lights in the sky
burn
gave up
suck
physical
the hand that feeds
head like a hole

Here's some extra NIN trivia: On 2/15/07 at La Riviera in Madrid, NIN played the first 7 songs off TDS in a row after Pinion. They played 10 Downward Sprial songs that night, and Robin Finck [current and former NIN guitarist] was in the audience watching 2005-2007 NIN guitarist Aaron North onstage. About 3 weeks later, on 3/10/07 at Brixton Academy in London, they played 6 of the first 7 songs off TDS [skipping Ruiner] after Pinion, and a total of 9 TDS songs.

Photos + videos above by: tj milian - mark milian - kh863 - burndown - maestro416 - tania76 - Katherine Joplin - renton66

Please post more links to good quality audio, video and pics in the comments, and I'll update below:

Keep an eye on this youtube for videos of the entire show:
NIN Webster Hall Wave Goodbye Video Playlist by plaguedog32

stingray_of_doom flickr

brooklyn vegan pics

unlistenable youtube video of robin finck crowdsurfing in the pit during march of the pigs

Serge M-Class

2009-08-20T23:10:00.000-07:00

Serge M-Class youtube via hexenduction

Serge M-Class 4 panel modular system:
Quadslope, Creature, SQP and Gator modules.
Delay provided by 2 Malekko 600 Bright pedals.
Shot on Kodak Zi6 in macro.
Sound recorded direct to Logic via Apogee Duet.
Cheers!

Them Crooked Vultures Amsterdam

2009-08-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

Them Crooked Vultures "Dead End Friends" at Melkweg in Amsterdam 8/19/09 youtube via szaller

Them Crooked Vultures played a gig at Melkweg in Amsterdam last night with Josh Homme [Queens of the Stone Age] on guitar/vocals - John Paul Jones [Led Zeppelin] on bass/keys - Alain Johannes [Eleven/QOTSA] on guitar + Dave Grohl [Foo Fighters/Nirvana] on drums.

Nobody Loves Me And Neither Do I (Studio) youtube via themcrookedvultures

Extended teaser for Nobody Loves Me And Neither Do I

I met John Paul Jones on Saturday in Hollywood. Look out for big things from Them Crooked Vultures. They just played their live debut show earlier this month after Lollapalooza at the Metro in Chicago. They're rumored to play a surprise set tonight on the Marquee stage at Pukkelpop. Their first UK gig is scheduled for August 24 at Islington Academy in London. Yes, Them Crooked Vultures will be playing shows in the US...

Beck Loser Literal Video

2009-08-19T19:26:00.000-07:00

Loser: Literal Video Version

Here's the latest Literal Video from Dustfilms: Loser [Literal Video Version].

Previous Literal Videos:

a-ha: Take On Me [Literal Video Version]

Tears for Fears: Head Over Heels [Literal Video Version]

Red Hot Chili Peppers: Under the Bridge [Literal Video Version]

Billy Idol: White Wedding [Literal Video Version]

Logic 9 Flex Time Stretch Tricks

2009-08-19T12:58:00.000-07:00

Logic 9 Flex Time Stretch tips from Richard Devine on Twitter:

1. Drag in a full song/track into Logic 9. Turn on Flex Mode, set Track to "Polyphone"

2. Then Check the box "complex" in the Track Inspector

3. Now Option + Drag the end of the region so that its 10-40 longer then the original holy freaking time stretch spectral heaven!!

Wow!

Here's another tip from Apple: Use Groups for phase-locked drum audio quantizing.