A Spooky Plug-in! – HorrorBox – Free Halloween Themed VST by Beatmaker
A Spooky Plug-in! – HorrorBox – Free Halloween Themed VST by Beatmaker This week we get a free plug-in from BeatmakerXYZ that produces some extra spooky sounds in celebration of Halloween. The plug-in comes in AU or VST form, with the following features for Windows & Mac: LP/HP Filter. 32/64 bit. 9 Presets. 4 Layers (voices). LFO rate and depth controls. LFO waveform, LFO source and LFO destination. Attack & Release. Reverb Watch the video below to hear it in action, and get the plug-in here for free su_youtube_advanced url=”https://youtu.be/gImQmpIi8-E” showinfo=”no” rel=”no” modestbranding=”yes” https=”yes” /su_youtube_advanced
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Pioneer DJ Blurs Line Between DJ and Producer with New DJS-1000 Sampler & Sequencer
Pioneer DJ announced last week their new Sampler & Sequencer the DJS-1000. This new tech is poised to compete with other samplers/sequencers on the market that are used in Live DJing gigs - but we think it is more likely to bring DJ's new to live production in, rather than convert DJ's already using other gear for that purpose. Compared to the current range of samplers/sequencers on the market, the DJS-1000 doesn't make much sense for lugging around, and there are more affordable options (Elektron, Roland, etc.) to use in studio production. The draw definitely comes in the ease of use, but we aren't completely sure if it will appeal to DJs who are happy with just decks and a mixer. That being said, and seeing how prevalent CDJs already are in club DJ'ing, it isn't too far of a leap to imagine venues shelling out the extra money for the new gear. The added benefit of using the DJS-1000, after all, is the ability to simply tote around a USB stick full of samples rather than your laptop. Watch the video below to hear a little bit more about the features.
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Human After All? – 3 Ways to Humanize Your Music
The beauty of electronic music is that anybody with a laptop can be a one-person band, but far too often we are stuck in the grid and our music loses its human element. The beat is not quite locking in a rhythm so you quantize but now it's too stiff and robotic so you readjust, then requantize, then throw your computer on the ground and call it a day. If you've ever found yourself following a similar routine then we have a few tips on what to do in order to add the humanity back into your music.
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Touch of Vintage – Melt Factor Free Ableton Effect Rack
Touch of Vintage – Melt Factor Free Ableton Effect Rack AfroDJMac has released a free effect rack for Ableton that can add warmth and vintage vibes to any track you add it to. It is part of a larger Pack that includes 40 instrument racks filled with nostalgic charm. Check out the video below for an in-depth look at the Pack with the creator himself. su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZncwv3-JD4″ showinfo=”no” rel=”no” modestbranding=”yes” https=”yes” /su_youtube_advanced I added the rack to a Wurli track I have in one of my songs and it instantly brought the instrument to life. You can download the Melt Factor rack here for free.
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Ozone Image Widener – iZotope Releases Free Stereo Widener Plugin
iZotope released a free plugin this week called 'Ozone Imager' normally only available in its mixing/mastering software Ozone. The plugin functions as a stereo monitoring tool and widener and is a powerful plugin in its own right. We threw it on a track to test it out and tell you a bit about its settings.
The first thing we noticed was the three options for visual feedback: Polar Sample, Polar Level, and Lissajous. Polar sample displays dots to represent each sample being heard, dots that fall outside of the 45-degree lines on either side are out of phase. Polar level displays samples as 'rays' and we think makes it is easier to see where your sounds are sitting in the stereo field. Lissajous switches the display into a diamond, your dots will be narrow if your sound is narrow and will expand the wider you make it; also, the dots will lean to either side of the diamond depending on the panning of your sound. On the far right of the plugin you will see a phase meter which represents the average phase, anything equal to or greater than zero is in phase and anything below zero...
Being True to LA
LA seems to be breathing with electric excitement nowadays, forming it's own unique culture, without a second thought or single regret. How could it not? LA houses close to 10 million people, hosting an incredibly broad range of cultures and backgrounds which makes the prospect of artistic crossover and experimentation inevitable.
A couple summers ago I met a pair of Irish people who were drunkenly ranting, in bitter tone, about the bubble that LA is, how it is cutoff from real life, the real world, real people... and I had trouble disagreeing, (nothing to do with the number of beers and tequila I had drank,) but because they were right! LA has always had some sort of mythical presence; the land of fame and entertainment, the final destination of aspiring artists, the pinnacle of creative devotion, how could it be connected to the "real world", and more importantly, why would it want to be?
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