Key Of Grey

July 14th, 2010 - Was your mom suitably impressed enough by Kid Beyond to send you a Youtube video? Ever wish you could get your family in on the fun you have with looping? MIT has released MmmTsss Playful Looper, for free download. With a super simple and fun interface, everyone will be able to immediately get into looping antics. You definitely won't be at Beyond's level, but you'll still have fun nonetheless. Check out the embedded video below to get a feel ... Read More

Photo courtesy of Roger Linn Design June 12th, 2010 - Roger Linn Design has released the AdrenaLinn Sync, a software plugin that emulates the AdrenaLinn guitar pedal. You may remember Roger Linn from a little device he created: the freaking MPC. The AdrenaLinn uses time-based effects, and includes some beat accompaniment. I can't say that I really enjoy the added beats, but the time-based effects and more traditional effects (filters, tremolo, phase, etc) sound fantastic. In the video below, I'm not sure if he's ... Read More

June 10th, 2010 - Aviary, developer of online audio editor Myna and a host of graphic design applications, has released Roc, an online music creation tool. Unlike Myna (which I assume will be integrated into Roc later down the road according to their feature list), Roc is a grid based sequencer. While Myna allows you to drag in waveforms and loop them, Roc is similar to piano rolls and matrix sequencers. The beta below allows you to sequence single note instruments (eg. a ... Read More

June 2nd, 2010 - In case you're one of the three people left out there that hasn't heard the news, Propellerhead has posted teaser videos for the forthcoming Reason 5. I didn't post about it last week because they were releasing a feature each day and I figured it'd be best to just post about it when all the info was out. Reason 5 adds many features that users have been asking for. The Dr. Rex player has been upgraded to the Dr. ... Read More

Photo courtesy of Togu Audio Line April 21st, 2010 - Who doesn't love free high-quality audio plugins? Togu Audio Line, the brainchild of Patrick Kunz, is a large set of free audio plugins that are available for both Windows and Mac platforms. The plugins run the gamut from plate reverbs to vocoders. Patrick has thoroughly designed the plugins, down to the very professional looking graphic interfaces. Try out some of the plugins, and if you like what you hear, donate to support future development. ... Read More

April 12th, 2010 - These days, almost everyone uses at least some sample kits for their productions. While some may use samples because it's easier, I think most people would agree that cost is the biggest argument for using samples over recording the real thing. Hiring a great acoustic space, with great microphones, preamps, and outboard gear, is very expensive compared to buying a DVD full of samples recorded under those same conditions. Of course, there is a trade off when using affordable ... Read More

April 8th, 2010 - Please note that this review is a supplement to the embedded video. Some of you may have heard that Algoriddim has released an app for the iPhone and iPod Touch called Remote. The $5 app uses wifi to connect to your Mac and control djay. You must already own djay for your computer to use Remote as the app is not a standalone DJ solution; it's a wireless way to control the software. Using Remote on an iPhone's tiny screen ... Read More

March 25th, 2010 - I've written about Hobnox's AudioTool before, a browser-based app that allows you to play around with emulations of drum machines, synths, and the ToneMatrix (a Monome-esque grid sequencer). At the time, it was fun toy to play around with, but I found it hard to create anything meaningful. The new Firestarter has changed up the formula a fair bit. Now, along with a much improved interface and snappier performance, Audiotool Firestarter has added multiple tracks which is a big ... Read More

March 8th, 2010 - These days if you aren't promoting yourself on sites like Facebook or Twitter, you're losing out on a huge amount of potential fans that could stumble on you and promote your music to their friends. Facebook in particular seems quite powerful at connecting your music with new listeners. The problem is that the fan pages on Facebook leave much to be desired. Root Music is a site that connects to your Facebook fan page, and it allows you to ... Read More

February 24th, 2010 - A couple months ago, I reviewed the Vestax Spin which is paired with Algoriddim's djay softare. As I got used to using the Spin and djay, I got a little more bold and started diving into the more advanced techniques I could get out of both. Because the Spin has a limited amount of buttons, I mapped an additional Korg NanoPad. This allows me to use all of the common features of djay that previously needed to be ... Read More