ZR has been added to build.last.fm. We're proud to be a part of the growing last.fm developer community.

If you're new to Zen Radar, take a moment to read about what this thing is and find out how to use it. If you have questions, check the FAQ, or feel free to contact us. If you're ready to get a closer look, create an account and dive right in.

In February, some colleagues and I built an interactive installation for the Designbox gallery entitled "Some of the Parts". User-submitted content (audio, images, video, text) was stored and organized in a custom content management system I built for the project, then visitors to the installation selected bits of content to display using a reacTIVision based table interface built by Jon from shovemedia. A custom publish and subscribe system created by Lee from Project Mastermind routed the content choices to a number of Flash-based visualizations that were projected throughout the gallery. Lee also built an FFT analyzer and data server that published real-time audio analysis data that allowed the visualizations to react to the music being played in the space. This was an incredibly complex system, but it worked beautifully once all of the kinks were worked out. Video is forthcoming, in the meantime, I've decoupled the visualization I wrote for the installation from the system to run stand-alone, analyzing mp3s that are loaded directly, and choosing content from the system at random, rather than relying on user input.

Here are two examples:
Grid
Wave

If you mouse over the right side of the display, you can open a control panel that allows you to customize the visualization in a number of ways, creating completely different effects. The two examples above simply represent two sets of default settings. you can click anywhere in the visualization to toggle full-screen mode.

Check out tanyacash21's Music Roamer. You can explore last.fm related artists through a groovy Flash interface. Discover new music, find out how many degrees of separation there are between your favorite artists. I could click around in there for hours.

Jeff & I have been working on a service built around the last.fm & audioscrobbler album correlation science I've been talking about. It's now ready for semi-public use.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present Zen Radar.

The project is still in active development, but is fairly stable. We'll be adding new feeds and features over time.

Percussa is now shipping their AudioCubes. New images and video can he found here. The price is somewhat lower than what I expected! I may have to pick up a set.

After setting up a recent tracks widget for my homepage with Zend_Service_Audioscrobbler, I came to the disappointing realization many people have lamented. There is no album information in the recent tracks feed, and no easy way to get it through other means. I don't really understand why the album info is not provided in the feed - the album listening stats are available, so it's being stored in the scrobbler database somewhere. I'm sure there's a good reason for this omission, since there have been a number of requests for this feature on the last.fm forums.

Since album detail feeds are available (with track listings!), it's possible to correlate the artist and track names in the recent tracks feed to the albums. It's not an easy task, and it's not 100% accurate, but with a little effort, you can put together a system that can match album info to your recent tracks list, complete with cover art, URLs to the album pages on last.fm, the whole enchilada.

Here's the lowdown

Have you ever wanted to display your last.fm recent tracks (or any other info last.fm info for that matter) on your own site? If you're using the Zend Framework, it's amazingly easy. The Zend_Service_Audioscrobbler class in the incubator provides an easy way of using the Audioscrobbler web services.

I put together a brief tutorial on how to make it happen.

SonicState got a peek at the new offerings from Waldorf. There are some new details here - sub $500 price for the Blofeld, and the rep mentions physical modeling and dynamic insertion of plugins in the signal path for the Stromberg!

moose over at midizoo made my month today.

MPC + a bad-ass analog drum synth? I'll take three please!

Take a look at Waldorf's site. Here's a driect link to their NAMM '07 Flyer

Rumors are leaking about the resurrected Waldorf company's upcoming product announcements at NAMM '07. The Stromberg looks like something I may have to have, and the Zarenbourg is going to give Clavia a run for their money in the virtual electro market.

The official Waldorf site has no mention of these products yet. Is it too good to be true?

Welcome back, Waldorf!

Percussa is developing a tangible music UI based on custom hardware. The technical details on their site are sketchy, but they have some good demo videos up.

Word on the street: Availability starting at Winter NAMM

Pirate Cat Radio in California is using some of G-Dub's recent legislation to legally operate a low-power community station in the commercial FM band.

They seem to have a pretty diverse program schedule, running the gamut from Indie rock to radio dramas to an occult talk show.

Take back the airwaves!

Thank you James.

Beat juggling (literally) with reacTIVision:



I could amuse myself with this for days.

Here's an article about the setup

This week I started experimenting with reacTIVision, part of the reacTable* project. ReacTIVision is the object tracking engine, the synthesis and visual feedback portions of reacTable are not open source. The new version of reacTIVision, 1.3, contains a MIDI server with a very flexible configuration scheme. This allows easy mapping of controllers in applications like Ableton Live that don't support OSC, the protocol that reacTIVision has traditionally served.

Here's a quick demo video of reacTIVision controlling Live 6. It's not much of a performance, but you can see the potentential.

I've made some changes to the MIDI server to allow smooth CC interpolation, variable CC quantization, and some statefulness to stop redundant CC messages. This has made the MIDI functionality a bit more music-friendly and reduced the MIDI traffic significantly. Martin's reacTIVision code is very elegant - I'm a novice C++ programmer, but was able to dive right in and start working.

I'm hoping to develop an configurable visual feedback engine along the lines of reacTable that is geared toward controlling applications like Live, Traktor, Reaktor, etc.

"If you develop an ear for sounds that are musical it is like developing an ego. You begin to refuse sounds that are not musical and that way cut yourself off from a good deal of experience."

- John Cage

Bob Moog passed away this weekend. His innovations had a profound impact on the landscape of modern music. He will be missed.

After many trials and tribulations this summer (weddings, funerals, births, home improvements, SCUBA certifications, etc), I've finally started building my x0xb0x!

I'll be posting samples once it's complete.

So I got to messing around with my Vermona DRM1-MKII tonight and threw together a quick track with it. It's a minimal techno kind of thing. I love this box! I may record some other DRM1-only tracks this week - it's just so much fun to pull weird-ass sounds out of the thing.

The Virus TI rumors are true. Gearjunkies has the info back up - supposedly press release day is 11/8. Word on the street has product availability in December!

Access Music is excited to announce the new VIRUS Total Integration (TI) Line of synthesizers, leading the world in a completely new direction with musical instrument and pro-audio convergence. TOTAL INTEGRATION uses innovative technology to greatly expand the VIRUS Synthesizer, resulting in an advanced stage/standalone instrument, while simultaneously extending the product capabilities with a suite of compelling studio integration features.

New synth features include greatly increased polyphony, 2 new oscillator types, a per-patch programmable arpeggiator, 16◊2 delay/reverb fx, embedded singles in multi mode, and much more. The new TI products link to your computer with VIRUSControl^™, a companion software product which ports the hardware synth into a host sequencer for use as a sample-accurate VST/AU instrument, simultaneously offering 2-way audio and MIDI connectivity, control surface functionality, editor and librarian functions, and more.

THE FIRST TOTALLY INTEGRATED SYNTHESIZER


A scalable USB link connects the VIRUS to a Mac or PC for total integration of synth and studio. The VIRUSControl^™ plug-in automatically detects and connects the synth, ensuring a hassle-free configuration every time.

From inside a host application, the plug-in enables the new VIRUS hardware to appear as a multi-channel VST/AU soft-synth with up to 4 sub-mixes (or 2 ◊ stereo). Accessí proprietary driver technology makes VIRUS TI the worldís first hardware synthesizer with sample-accuracy timing and a delay-compensated audio/MIDI connection.

Seamless interconnectivity also provides a real benefit in the software sequencer environment. All multi-timbral sounds and settings used for a project are stored within it with the plug-in, for snapshot ããtotal recallõõ plus editor and librarian functions with no SysEx or 3rd party software hassles.

The new VIRUS hardware is also well-equipped to capitalize on the power of Total Integration. With 24-bit 192KHz balanced analog, S/PDIF I/O and MIDI in and out ports, the new VIRUS is well-suited for use as the main audio and MIDI I/O center for your entire rig. These functions are especially practical for the laptop studio, offering an unmatched range of features and capabilities from one product.

Additionally, a new ããRemote Modeõõ allows the VIRUS hardware to become a control surface for any MIDI-capable device or software, mapping each of the 33 knobs to a specific MIDI message. TI ships with a great selection of templates and includes 32-user memories for custom controller maps. Itís a powerful addition that greatly increases the value of the synthís studio footprint.

THE LEGENDARY SOUND OF ACCESS: EVOLVED


Of course, TI is still a VIRUS, with all the soul of its legendary predecessors, but for Total Integration, the power and performance of the synth engine have been taken to new extremes, thanks to a newly optimized core which delivers unprecedented performance. For starters, polyphony is more than doubled, to 80 voices under average conditions.

And the sound? Phenomenal! Alongside the award-winning VIRUS oscillator models, two completely new types have been added. First is the real Wavetable oscillator model. This unique algorithm can blend waves to create evolving motion or switch between them to create gritty lo-fi textures.

Also new is HyperSaw^™. It taps up to 9 parallel sawtooth oscillators (plus 9 optional subs!) for colossal classic layers. The number of voices can be changed smoothly in realtime. Surprisingly, HyperSaw doesnít require additional power or reduce your polyphony! With 9 main plus subs per voice, the VIRUS TI can play over 1800 oscillators in realtime! Now imagine Accessí award winning filters, including MiniMoog cascade emulation, on raw, pulsating WaveTables or insanely fat HyperSaws. With these new features, the Virus has never sounded better!

The Mod Matrix has also been expanded to 6 sources with three destinations each (18 routings total) for greater real-time control and patch programming freedom. The new ããKnob Quantize Modeõõ syncs the effect of real-time or sequenced parameter changes to a pre-selected clock interval. Changes are updated on the selected pulse and held until the next, resulting in staggered parameter movements like those produced by a step sequencer.

New and existing Virus owners will love the addition of a programmable arpeggiator! Users can create and store their own rhythmic pattern in every patch.

Enhanced with new power and resources, Multi Mode now embeds 16 patches for self-contained sounds you can tweak and transform without overwriting your singles or affecting other Multi programs. Use it to build impressive layers, splits, or poly-arps for performance or recording. A mode for use with sequencers is also provided, emulating the classic Multi which loads sounds from within the single banks.

In either case, the complete sound engine is always available to each Multi part, including dedicated delay and separate reverb fx for all 16 sounds. In effect, the full VIRUS TI single modes is replicated 16 times!

OPTIMIZATION FROM THE GROUND UP


Besides adding great convergence and synth engine features, Total Integration is built around a major hardware platform upgrade, sporting a complete redesign inside and out.

A large white graphic display shows multiple parameters at the same time which can be edited using three Soft Knobs. Keyboard models feature an illuminated logo on the I/O panel (it looks great, and even pulses in sync with the tempo for other musicians or the audience to enjoy).

Also new in the hardware, a Tap Tempo button helps live VIRUS musicians stay in sync with drummers and turntablists using a sophisticated algorithm based on Accessí SyncXtreme technology.

HOW IS IT ALL POSSIBLE?


Inside, a new Dual-DSP core delivers stellar performance with super-low latency. TI also employs studio-grade converters with 192 Khz/24-bit D/A. These are paired with +4 dB balanced inputs and outputs and a switchable ããsoft limitingõõ algorithm, and accompanied by S/PDIF digital stereo output and input as well. The onboard USB port is compatible with USB 2 specifications and works with USB and Hi-Speed USB devices and peripherals. For easy access to all these new jacks, the entire I/O panel of the TI desktop model can be rotated 90 degrees so the interface is on the rear panel. The 4U Rack mounting kit is also included with the desktop model.

Last but certainly not least, the onboard memory has been drastically expanded: 512 RAM patches and 2048 (rewritable) ROM patches plus space for 16 ããself-containedõõ Multi Mode programs described above. All these new numbers add up to one hell of a synthesizer. Well three actually!

Technical specifications


DSP
The VIRUS TI DSPs are not only faster, they come in pairs now. A highly effective local buss in between the processors boosts performance even further.

Bigger Display
In fact, a much bigger Liquid Crystal Display, which can show graphics (128x32 pixels). The display shows up to 4 rows of text and graphics. In most cases three parameters are being displayed at the same time. As a result, there are only 1/3 of the menu pages in comparison to the previous VIRUS series.

Extended Memory
512 RAM patches and 2048 ROM sounds + 16 Multi Mode slots which embed all patches used.

Studio Grade D/A Converters
192 Khz studio grade D/A converters (+4dB balanced output), with optional soft limiting algorithm. 24 bit A/D converters.

Quicker Editing
3 edit knobs underneath the display which can edit three parameters at the same time. The 3 soft knobs can also act as programmable and nameable knobs for every individual patch.

Tap Tempo
There is a dedicated Tap tempo button. The taptempo algorithm used is based on SyncXtreme,Accessí acclaimed tempo sync algorithm introducedlast year for the VIRUS C series.

Digital I/O and USB
The VIRUS TI comes with SP/DIF (44.1khz/48khz) digital I/O as standard. The USB port iscompatible with the USB 2.0 Specification andworks with USB and Hi-Speed USB systems,peripherals and cables. Read more about theUSB Audio/MIDI integration on the next page.

Better Overview
New front panel layout with redesigned sectionsand SHIFT button for easy access to evenmore parameters through the front panel.

Simplified User Interface
EXIT button for easier navigation (EXIT gets outof a menu back on the play page)

Quicker Mod Matrix Navigation
Dedicated buttons to scroll through the Modmatrix slots and destinations

Painless rack mounting
The entire I/O board can be rotated by 90degrees which makes rack-mounting theVIRUS much more fun. Instead of having tofind special jack plugs or waste loads of rackspace, simply turn the whole I/O section andvoil·! - all the sockets are at the back of therack mounted VIRUS TI Desktop. (VIRUS TIDesktop only)

Illuminated Logo
Illuminated Access Logo on the rear of theVIRUS TI Keyboard and VIRUS TI PÿLAR(=VIRUS Indigo successor). The logo pulsatesin standby mode, and can be statically onduring normal operation or pulsate to thetempo (like the tempo LED) which is especiallynice for those drummers used to playing to avisual tempo source.

Rack-mounting kit included
Rack mount kit included (user can replacewooden side panels with rack ears). (VIRUSDesktop only)I/O CONFIGURATIONAll connections to the outer world have beendrastically improved

• 6 Symmetrical outs with +4dB studio level
• Optional Soft Limiting for every output
• 192 Khz/24bit D/A converters
• 2 Inputs with 24-bit A/D converters
• 4 different input sensitivities
• USB for audio, midi and data connection
• S/PDIF In/Out for Digital I/O.
• Dedicated headphone out.

Looks like Gear Junkies jumped the gun and announced the new Virus early. They seem to be scrambling to get the pages down, so I archived the info here. Could be a hoax. Please don't sue me.

Johnny Ramone
1948-2004

Check out the the first vienna vegetable orchestra. I may have to make a trip to the produce department this weekend.

I recently picked up a Vermona DRM1 MKII. This thing has a huge sound. I'm completely in love. The kicks are amazing! There's a lot of range here, it's really a drum synthesizer. Every function has a knob, so it's great for live tweakage. Here are two tracks I've recorded with it so far:
Dub Blizzard
Post Apocalyptic Highway Gremlins

I've been really busy lately, but I'm going to try to record a thorough demo of the DRM1 soon.

I also picked up a Kawai K1-m not too long ago. Cool little synth - great for dark breathy and crunchy sounds. And dirt cheap! Mine came with some issues - I had to open it up and resolder the power jack to the PCB to get it to power up. I also had to buy a Radio Shack power supply for it, since the guy I bought it from neglected to send one to me. Eh, what can you expect for $50?

I just dug up and posted six mix sets that I recorded between 1997 and 2000. There are a bunch of classic tracks in there, and listening really takes me back. These recordings chart both my personal progress as a DJ, and the evolution of trance music in general. Listening to these sets reminds me of why I fell in love with electronic music. If you're into trance, have a listen!

Set Archive

I'm finally finished with my FR-777 mods! The thing sounds awesome. I added the following:

• VCA ENV attack time control
• VCA ENV release time control
• Filter ENV attack time control (my favorite)
• Extended envelope range for filter cutoff
• Extended filter accent amount
• Filter mod sensitivity control
• Zero glide time switch
• Infinite VCA switch

I've missed using this box so much - it's been in pieces for a while...



I threw together a page with some details of the modifications. It's a work in progress, so if you're interested, keep checking back.

I've also finally posted a tutorial on the scaling procedure for the 777 that I wrote about a year ago. If you own a 777 and haven't checked the OSC scaling - give it a go. You'll be surprised what a difference it can make!

"The conventional wisdom is that a singer sings because they're feeling something strongly and the song is the way to express that, I think it's the other way around. The song is the lever or the tool that allows the emotion to be extracted."