Key Of Grey

November 28th, 2009 - I'm sure that post headline is more exciting if you don't know what an SX-150 is since it's the easiest synth to build in the history of synths. As many of you know, I was in Japan a month ago. While I was there, I went on a hunt for the mythical unicorn: the analog synthesizer that is attached to a keyboard magazine. I read about it all over the internet and on the second to last day ... Read More

From the SammichSID MidiBox Wiki November 27th, 2009 - These days even mainstream artists are using "8-bit" sounds in their production. Sure, the samples are great, but chiptune artists have been working with the real devices since the beginning. Gameboys, Nintendos and Commodore64s are the tools of the trade but, for me at least, programming music doesn't provide the same satisfaction as playing it. That's why developments like the Arduinoboy are so exciting. Obviously feeling the same way as I do, although with much ... Read More

Photo courtesy of ThinkGeek November 26th, 2009 - Ok, so I'm a bit late to the punch on this one. I've been busy practicing with the Vestax Spin. ThinkGeek has taken the matrix sequencer, the de rigeur method of live sequencing, and put it into a super affordable package. Can't part with $500 for the Monome, $400 for Livid Instruments' Block, or even $200 for Novation's Launchpad? How about $50? The Bliptronic 5000 costs just that much, and comes in an aluminum enclosure, ... Read More

November 25th, 2009 - First off, sorry about the delay in getting this post up. I actually had the videos ready to go Monday night, but the company I host my websites on, suffered a massive crash. Alright, now that's out of the way...let's get to the review! Ok, let's dive right into this review (if you missed the unboxing, you can read it here). See that picture up above? That's the Vestax Spin, and it's sitting in a custom steel case that ... Read More

November 24th, 2009 - I know that I said I'd have the full Vestax Spin review ready today, but unfortunately the provider that hosts my site, Dreamhost, was down last night until just now. Programming will resume tomorrow with the review. Sorry for the inconvenience! Read More

Photo courtesy of Highly Liquid November 23rd, 2009 - These days, it's all the rage to build your own MIDI controllers. After all, when you build it, you get exactly what you want. Highly Liquid throws its hat in the ring with the MIDI CPU. The MIDI CPU is a 24 input pre-built MIDI controller card. It accepts "input from switches, switch matrices, potentiometers, rotary encoders, or digital & analog signals"; all you have to do is wire them all up. It can ... Read More

Photo courtesy of Gibson November 22nd, 2009 - Whether you are a fan of Buckethead or not, it's hard to deny his technique; that dude can shred. Gibson, appreciating his fringe appeal, has released a signature guitar that very much represents Buckethead's personality. To match his kabuki presence, the Buckethead Signature Les Paul is painted Alpine White with two red arcade button "kill switches" for the ceramic pickups. Additionally, the neck omits all markings, and the body is chambered. I'm not sure how ... Read More

November 21st, 2009 - After contacting my local Apple stores last week and none of the staff knowing anything about the Vestax Spin, a product exclusive to them, I bought it off of the Apple Canada website. Today was the estimated arrival date and it came right on time (despite what the UPS site said). Since it'll take me a couple days to get a full hardware/software review up (hopefully I'll have it done by Monday or Tuesday), I figured I'd create a ... Read More

Photo courtesy of blatantgizmo November 20th, 2009 - I'm going to be honest with you: I like both Justin Timberlake and Timbaland. They're great artists, and they've written a lot of songs that I like. However, when they get together to write songs, I always had a voice in the back of my mind that whined "This song sounds a lot like the last song". Well earlier this year, when I heard Rihanna's "Rehab", it was something that I couldn't get out of my ... Read More

Photo courtesy of mayhem November 19th, 2009 - A while ago, the blogs were aflutter over Bluebeat's weak copyright defense. Bluebeat had been selling Beatles tracks for a quarter each, without the consent of the copyright holders. Bluebeat argued that the digital files weren't a copy, but a computer-analyzed reconstruction of the track. Of course, that argument didn't hold up in court, but now Techdirt's new editorial examines the RIAA's (the major labels' sue-happy bulldogs) double standard. There are two major types of ... Read More