Native Instruments releases new video Deru: Everyday Inspiration

Berlin, April 4, 2017 – Native Instruments today released a new short film, following a day in the life of Emmy-winning composer and producer Deru, a.k.a. Benjamin Wynn. The three-minute video explores Wynn’s strategies for overcoming creative difficulties, and provides an insight into some of his favorite production techniques.

“Creativity is exploring something deep down inside of you – it’s really trying to go deep and figure out what’s in there,” says Wynn. “There are times when you’re down in the studio and you don’t want to work at all, the ideas aren’t coming, and you’re frustrated. You just have to work through all that, because that’s going to be there.”

Part of the video focuses on Deru’s use of FORM, the transformative, sample-tracking synthesizer from Native Instruments. To celebrate the synth’s recent 1.1 update, Deru has teamed up with NI to host a track challenge. Users can download samples created by Deru, then use FORM (a free demo is available) to transform them into a track. Winners, chosen by Deru and NI, will receive prizes including KOMPLETE 11 ULTIMATE, an S-Series keyboard, and  special Deru giveaways. Visit the competition’s page https://www.native-instruments.com/deruxform for more information.

Deru recently contributed a work-in-progress to season one of Komplete Sketches – a series of 24 works-in-progress created by 24 contemporary electronic producers using only the instruments and effects of KOMPLETE 11. For the track, Deru used FORM to twist acoustic sounds from his personal library into an evolving drone, layered with meandering melodies and a weighty bassline. The track, along with the other artists’ contributions is available here. To see Deru perform the track live, and explain how it was created, see this video from Native Sessions: Creative Interfaces.

Wallace Detroit Guitars Announces Limited Edition 'Firehouse Series', Handcrafted with Reclaimed Wood from Iconic Detroit Firehouse

Aged Maple and Pine Salvaged from Floor of Old Detroit Landmark Inspires Twelve One of a Kind, Timeless Instruments

 
Detroit, April 5, 2017 — Wallace Detroit Guitars, a Detroit-based guitar company that builds unique and timeless instruments using reclaimed wood from local landmarks, announced a limited edition 'Firehouse Series', available now. The instruments are lovingly crafted with original wood from the former Detroit Fire Department Headquarters, located at 250 West Larned Street in Detroit. Salvaged pine and maple from the building’s floorboards will allow Wallace Detroit Guitars to build ten of its flagship single-cutaway guitars and two guitars with a brand new offset body shape. Like all Wallace Detroit Guitars, these instruments will feature expert craftsmanship and premium components for a playing experience and sound that matches their one-of-a kind historical significance.

The new guitars are available now to coincide with the launch of Wallace Detroit Guitars’ new website, located at wallacedetroitguitars.com, and which features detailed photographs and specifications of each guitar. It also provides a deep dive into the remarkable origins and craftsmanship of these unique instruments, as well as availability and ordering information.
“Our goal with these guitars is to preserve the history of the city we love while honoring its tradition of superior craftsmanship,” says Wallace Detroit Guitars owner Mark Wallace. “Detroit is a community of people who know how to make stuff, and our company is cut from that same cloth. The firehouse at 250 West Larned Street served our city with honor for many years, and we are pleased to be able to preserve its history in this truly unique limited edition of instruments.”
For Wallace, these instruments mirror the revitalization of his beloved city, which is welcoming new ideas and creativity while continuing to draw from its rich past. “I’m trying to take something that was once great but has been and cast aside and transforming it into something new and vital,” he says. “It’s an exciting time for the city of Detroit because there are a lot of other businesses and organizations working from that same ideology. There’s really an energy building up.”

Dadamachines automat toolkit kickstarter is live

Dadamachines is enabling live acoustic triggers through MIDI with their automat toolkit that is now live!

see it here

Native Instruments releases MASCHINE Expansion ELASTIC THUMP

Berlin, March 29, 2016 – Native Instruments today released ELASTIC THUMP, a modern, melodic take on future funk that brews the smoothness of R&B with the feel-good vibes of dance music and the bounce of futuristic, beathead culture.

Featuring sounds lovingly recorded from the Roland Juno 106, Moog Minitaur, and Teenage Engineering Pocket Operators, ELASTIC THUMP oozes with analog butteriness, while the Fender Precision bass guitar, Fender Rhodes 73 keyboard, and a variety of vintage drums add a sheen of dust to the sound. And with 120 MASCHINE Drum Synths crafted by LA-based sound designers MSXII, users can shape and design their own signature beats.

Perfect for producers who want to create tracks that satisfy beat-loving head nodders and shuffling club kids in equal measure, ELASTIC THUMP was inspired by artists artists like Kaytranada, Anderson .PAAK, Mr. Carmack, Lakim, Dâm-Funk, and GoldLink.

ELASTIC THUMP runs in the latest version of MASCHINE software on the entire MASCHINE hardware family, and is available exclusively at the NI Online Shop.

A compact version of ELASTIC THUMP is also available as an iMASCHINE Expansion, for sketches on the go. Tracks can be exported to MASCHINE STUDIO, MASCHINE JAM, MASCHINE, and MASCHINE MIKRO for completion.

ELASTIC THUMP is available now at the NI Online Shop for $49 / 49 € / £44 / ¥ 6,280 / AU$ 79 and runs in the MASCHINE 2 software.

The iMASCHINE expansion is available at the iMASCHINE in-app store for $0.99 / 0,99 € / £0.79 / ¥ 120 / AU$ 1.29

Additional information on ELASTIC THUMP is available at:
www.native-instruments.com/elasticthump

IK Multimedia introduces Fulltone® guitar & bass effects collection for AmpliTube

A collaboration with the legendary Californian boutique sound manufacturer unveiled

March 16, 2017 - IK Multimedia is proud to present the new Fulltone® Collection for AmpliTube for Mac/PC, which offers guitarists and all musicians an essential palette of sounds that span from classic to contemporary tones.

Boutique sound for the discerning musician
Guitarist and composer Michael Fuller founded Fulltone back in 1991, with the aim of building stompboxes that sounded as good as vintage pedals, but that were more rugged and reliable than the old, often fragile classics. Today, Fulltone is recognized as being one of the most committed and scrupulous manufacturers worldwide.

IK Multimedia's Fulltone® Collection includes 3 powerful processors that are equally at home in music production as well as in creative sound design. Guitarists, keyboard players, composers, producers, sound designers and mixing engineers can now take advantage of all the mojo and feel of the original Fulltone hardware but with all the practicality of AmpliTube's well-known ease of use.

TERC - That 80's Rack Chorus!®
Recreated by Fulltone and based on the original, nearly impossible-to-find Dyno My Piano unit (sold during the 80's as Songbird or Dytronics), the TERC gives you that lush, expansive, huge and elegant chorus sound that made it so famous during the 80's and was regularly used by some of the world's top session guitarists such as Michael Landau, Steve Lukather, Dann Huff and many others. Despite its typically retro character not only is the TERC still very modern, but its timeless sonic signature works wonders on all kinds of material.

SSTE® - Solid State Tape Echo
The Solid State Tape Echo captures the full essence, warmth and vibe of the original Echoplex EP-3, but without its unavoidable drawbacks - the original unit was very noisy, featuring low-quality tape heads and would produce lots of hum. Fulltone's SSTE fixes these issues, greatly enhancing the machine's response and capabilities. IK Multimedia have recreated the SSTE in virtual rack format with added bpm sync function, offering ultimate DAW integration and sonic versatility.

OCD® - Overdrive Pedal
The OCD overdrive pedal is already a classic. It gives the sound more grit, punch and the same kind of touch sensitivity, warmth and complex harmonics that characterize a quality tube amp. The OCD is the "icing on the cake" that makes the Fulltone Collection perfect for all genres and styles of music.

Pricing and availability
The Fulltone Collection is available from the IK Online store and from within AmpliTube Custom Shop at $/€59.99*.
The TERC and SSTE  can be purchased as single processors for just $/€34.99 each.
The OCD is available as a single pedal at $/€24.99.
* All prices excluding taxes

For more information, please visit:
www.amplitube.com/fulltone

Native Instruments releases FORM 1.1 Update

March 22, 2017, Berlin – Native Instruments today released FORM 1.1, a significant update to this distinctive sample-scanning synthesizer. Free for existing users, FORM 1.1 adds a number of new performance and editing features and expands the content library significantly.

FORM is a powerful synthesizer that uses samples to create entirely new synthetic textures. It combines easy-to-use functionality and highly usable presets with creative performance features.

FORM 1.1 includes over 200 new presets and corresponding samples – taking the total to over 400. The new presets all include multiple Performance slot variations, and the NI Sound Design team has also added variations for most of the existing preset library. Many of the new presets and variations take advantage of the new features in the update. Updated, the library reinforces FORM’s versatility for all contemporary electronic styles, covering Leads, Bass, Keys, Pads, Hybrid Instruments, SFX, Soundscapes, and Sequences.

FORM 1.1 introduces a number of new features, such as ‘Center’ and ‘Width’ controls to modulate scan range, allowing even easier control of sample playback and more consistent results. A new page of motion curve presets helps create distinctive choppy-style sample edits. Manual scan control allows complete hands on control of sample-playback. Volume faders for sound variations in ‘Perform’ section avoid jarring volume jumps when swapping Performance snapshots. The ability to copy / paste parameters from one Performance slot to another makes creating new variations far easier. Compact View places key performance controls in one simple interface, ideal for live play. All parameters can now be automated, making it simple to catch inspired live tweaks. Finally, there are new controller pages for KOMPLETE KONTROL S-Series keyboards and all versions of MASCHINE, allowing even deeper integration with Native Instruments hardware.

FORM runs in REAKTOR 6 and the free REAKTOR 6 PLAYER and is available for purchase now at the NI Online Shop for $99 / 99 € / ¥ 12,800 / £89 / AU$159.

Existing FORM, KOMPLETE 11, and KOMPLETE 11 ULTIMATE owners can download and install the free update using Native Access.

Additional information about FORM 1.1 is available at:
https://www.native-instruments.com/products/komplete/synths/form/

18th Annual Motion Notion Festival Unveils Dynamic, Full-Length 2016 After Movie

Motion Notion Festival - August 24th - 28th, 2017 - For one weekend each year, the spellbinding forest surrounding the historic Beaverfoot Lodge near Golden BC, Canada transforms in celebration of Motion Notion Festival, an intimate music, camping, and arts experience set in the pristine wilderness of North America. Entering its 18th year, Motion Notion Festival is globally-renowned for its vibrant festival history: consistently booking a refreshing mix of seasoned talent and the elite of the underground in electronic music, constructing prismatic stage design and offering a wealth of activities and riverside camping against the majestic Rocky Mountains.

In anticipation of this year’s event, the creators of Motion Notion are thrilled to release the incredible Motion Notion 2016 Full-Length Aftermovie. Created by Rebel Cause Films, the awe-inspiring 10-minute video reveals the power of freedom attendees unharness when entering the grounds, igniting them to live life through motion. The video highlights unforgettable performances from 2016 musical acts including Au5, Bear Grillz, Far Too Loud, Govinda, Inf1n1te, Phutureprimitive, Sander Kleinenberg, and Legendary UK drum and bass DJ TC.