| New
Driver Software Released for Digital Audio Systems
E-MU® Systems has announced the release of Digital Audio System
Driver software version 2.1 for all PCI and CardBus digital audio interfaces.
All E-MU Digital Audio System products (0404 PCI, 1212M, 1820, 1820M,
1616, 1616M) should be updated with this software,
All E-MU Digital Audio System products share a unified PatchMix DSP
application and driver architecture, PatchMix 2.1, which is also available
to all users for free download at www.emu.com.
X3
Upgrade News:
As we finish up the last remaining QA issues for the release of Emulator
X3, we are pleased to announce that Emulator X customers will be able
to upgrade to Emulator X3 from our website at substantial savings over
the standard retail price. This limited-time upgrade offer will apply
to all existing versions of Proteus X, Proteus X2, Emulator X, and Emulator
X2. (Proteus X LE and Proteus VX not included.) Specific details will
be forthcoming in our next newsletter and our website.
E-MU
Tracker Pre – Overwhelming Success!
Due to the overwhelming success and demand for the new E-MU Tracker
Pre, we are currently back-ordered in fulfilling pre sales orders for
Europe. Having Tracker Pre available for sale in the USA is not expected
until late this Spring.
Xboard
- Proteus X2 Special Offer Still in Effect
Buy Xboard 49 or Xboard 61 and get a free Proteus X2 with three premium
sound banks
That’s
right, this great deal is still available! When you buy an Xboard 49
or Xboard 61 you’ll also get E-MU’s celebrated Proteus X2
software sound module (Proteus X2 is PC only).
E-MU Xboard USB/MIDI Controllers are ideal for studio and stage use
with 49 or 61 full-size and great-feeling, velocity-sensitive keys with
aftertouch and 16 programmable real-time controller knobs. Xboards are
both Mac and PC compatible. The Xboard 61 also has 16 patch select/program
change buttons. Also included is the Xboard Control editing software,
a full version of E-MU's Proteus X2 Software Sound Module with 3GB of
sounds, plus the Mo'Phatt X (hip-hop/dance), Planet Earth X (world)
and Protean Drums X (drums and percussion) expansion libraries for an
additional 1,500 sounds.
The Xboard
25 has 25 great-feeling full-size, velocity-sensitive keys with aftertouch
and 16 programmable real-time controllers. It comes with Proteus X LE
instead of Proteus X2, but includes the three premium sound banks.
The Xboard Control software comes with all models of Xboard and provides
an intuitive desktop interface that lets you create custom templates
for all your favorite hardware and software instruments. The Xboard
also allows you to set discrete MIDI channels for each controller and
offers unrivaled real-time control and performance features, including
Snap Shot, that lets you send multiple program changes and controller
values by pressing a single button, and Xboard Latch Mode that enables
you to define a section of the keyboard as on/off triggers—perfect
for drum loops. Ultra-portable. Runs on USB, battery, or AC power.
TIP
#1 - Xboard Volume Control
The Xboard “Volume Control” can be a bit confusing. The
data slider is labeled, “Data Entry/Master Volume”, so “Why
doesn’t it turn my volume down?”
Answer:
When not being used as a data slider, the control sends something called
a “Universal Real Time System Exclusive” message. Unfortunately,
this message isn’t exactly universal, so unless your instrument
recognizes the message, the volume won’t change.
If you want a volume control on the Xboard, you can have it. There are
two ways to implement this using the easy to program controller knobs.
- The
Easy Way: Press the “16 Channel Control Mode” button.
Now the 16 knobs control the volume of the like-numbered MIDI channel
(by default). Ta-da!
- If
you ALWAYS want a volume control to grab: Simply reprogram one of
the controller knobs to transmit CC-7 (channel volume). In case you
forgot how to do this, here’s how it’s done:
-
Press the Edit button.
-
Move the controller knob you wish to program (or the Pedal, or
the Mod Wheel). The display shows you the currently programmed
CC number.
-
Select CC number 7 using the data slider.
-
Press Enter to confirm.
Now you
have a permanent volume control for the current MIDI channel. Make
sure to Store the Patch if you want to keep this setting. (Press
Store, then select the patch number using the data slider, and press
Enter.)
TIP
#2 – Use your Xboard as a Voltage-to-MIDI Converter
If you have an analog synthesizer, analog sequencer, a Moogerfooger®,
or other analog gear in your collection with a Control Voltage (CV)
output, you can use your Xboard as an analog-to-MIDI interface. This
will allow you to:
- Control
a software or MIDI synth with the LFO on your analog synth
- Send
an envelope from your analog synth to control the output of a software
sampler such as Emulator X / Proteus X
- Control
a MIDI instrument with the output of the envelope follower on your
Moogerfooger®
- Control
a MIDI software instrument or MIDI instrument with the output of an
analog sequencer
- Control
a MIDI software instrument or MIDI synth with the mod wheel of your
analog synth
How can
this work? Well, the Footswitch/Pedal input of the E-MU Xboard is actually
connected to an A/D (analog-to-digital) converter, which is translated
into MIDI continuous controller messages by the Xboard. It doesn’t
know or care if the voltage input is a pedal or some other varying voltage.
With the Footswitch/Pedal input configured to read a pedal input signal,
(see the checklist below) the input DC voltage can be anything between
0-5 VDC. Try to scale your input voltage to this range, otherwise you’ll
hear the top or bottom of your controller clipping as is exceeds these
limits. Although the pedal input of the Xboard is protected by diodes,
it’s probably not a good idea to push the voltage too far beyond
the 0-5 Volt range. (Note: You cannot input an audio signal into the
pedal input, only a slowly varying DC voltage.)
Set the CC number for the pedal input to something other than 64 (default
for Sustain pedal). The important point to remember is that your software
synthesizer must be set to receive the MIDI CC number sent by the Xboard.
Checklist:
- Set
the Xboard Footswitch/Pedal input to Pedal.
a. Press the Edit button.
b. Select X1 from the keyboard keys.
c. Select PEd using the data slider.
d. Press Enter.
e. Use the data slider to select ctL.
f. Press Enter.
- Change
the CC number of the Pedal input to a number other than 64. (35?)
- Set
your software synthesizer to receive the CC number sent by the Xboard
pedal.
- Scale
your analog voltage to the 0-5 Volt range. (Assuming that your synthesizer
has scaling capability)
- Plug
it in and go!
Open
Labs Announces Timbaland Special Edition NeKo Keyboard Production Station
Austin,
TX - Open Labs, the leading designer and developer of computer-based
music production solutions, introduced a companion to the popular Timbaland
Special Edition MiKo today. The new Timbaland Special Edition NeKo,
an all-in-one production studio powered by Windows™ XP, is capable
of running virtually any Windows XP compatible software including a
variety of DAW software, virtual instruments (VSTi), virtual effects
(VST) and other music applications.
Dressed
in the same Arctic White Chassis color scheme, the Timbaland Special
Edition NeKo is the perfect solution for the studio to road experience.
“Timbaland
wanted the ability to work on his music from home on a larger unit and
still be able to travel easily with his MiKo. This was a fantastic way
for Timbaland to achieve this by utilizing gear with matching specs
and software,” said Victor Wong, Founder and Chairman of Open
Labs. “By introducing this model we are able to provide the features
that most people are looking for, while reducing the price over $1,000
from the NeKo LX model.”
The Gen4
models are now equipped with Intel Core2Quad™ processors providing
the most processing power in any production station available today.
“Open
Labs is rapidly becoming the de facto standard in computer music performance
and production," said Hank Coleman, CEO of Open Labs. "We
are extremely pleased to have so many talented developers produce products
for our platform. It really goes to show just how powerful and flexible
our products are and how they have continued to evolve.”
The Timbaland
Special Edition NeKo features E-MU™’s new Proteus™
X2 Streaming Sound Module V2.5 with over 10,148 instruments, including
the new Ensoniq™ Urban Legends™ Sound Library that contains
the sounds from Ensoniq’s ASR™/EPS™/MR™/ASR-X™/ZR™
instruments. These sounds were specifically requested by Timbaland,
and are only available in the Timbaland Special Edition units, an Open
Labs exclusive.
- E-MU™
Proteus™ 2000
- E-MU™ Mo’Phatt™
- E-MU™ Modular System™
- Ensoniq™ EPS™ /EPS 16+™
- Ensoniq ASR 10™
- Ensoniq ASR-X™
- Ensoniq ZR76™
- Ensoniq MR61™
- ARP™ 2600™
- ARP™ Axxe™
- Roland™ JD800™
- Roland™ Jupiter 8™
- Roland™ JX-8P™
- Roland™ TB-303 Bass Line™
- Roland™ Juno 60™
- Moog™ Memorymoog™
- Mini™ Moog™
- Moog™ Taurus Pedals™
- Sequential Circuits™ Prophet 10™
- Sequential Circuits™ Prophet 600™
- Elka™ Rhapsody™
- Mellotron™ Mark II™
- Korg™ MS20™
- Solina™
- Oberheim™ OB™ & X™
- Hammond™ B3™
- Rhodes™ Electric Piano™
- Hohner™ Clavinet™
- Yamaha™ CP-70™
- Wurlitzer™ Electric Piano™
“Having
it all right there is great. It’s like your disc cases, your turntables,
it’s everything that you would need. All right there at your fingertips.”
said Timbaland, Artist and Producer. “I use the Neko and Miko
all the time. I just use it – and it comes out a masterpiece!”
Running
within the new Proteus X 2.5 environment, (Proteus X v2.5 is available
only to Open Labs) these keyboards are reborn inside the Timbaland Special
Edition NeKo providing world-class audio quality, choice of instruments,
ease of use and represents a value of over $60,000 if the actual keyboards
were purchased individually.
When combined
with the new Open Labs sound library V4, the Timbaland Edition NeKo
contains over 35-gigabytes of premium sounds, constituting 28,074 presets.
The street price for the bundled software and sound libraries is $3,564,
which includes $487 worth of Open Labs Special Edition plug-ins, optimized
by the software developers for use with the NeKo.
E-MU Systems
is honored that Timbaland asked us to help create his ultimate instrument.
We are excited to put together the exclusive Ensoniq Urban Legends Sound
Library for Open Labs that contains many of Timbaland’s favorite
sounds that he’s used in his work over the years.
The Timbaland
Special Edition NeKo will be shipping in the second quarter of 2008.
The estimated street price is: $4,799.
Digital
Sound Factory Launches New Web Site
E-MU Systems
veteran sound designer, Timothy Swartz and his company Digital Sound
Factory, have launched a new web site offering original E-MU SP1200,
Emax, ESi-32, Emulator IV, and Proteus sound libraries for download
24/7. Under exclusive license with E-MU, Digital Sound Factory has converted
these legendary sound libraries to the popular SoundFont format.
E-MU invented
the SoundFont format for the Creative SoundBlaster sound card and has
become an industry standard that works with practically all-modern day
computers. The site provides detailed loading and usage instructions
for all major DAWs and applications including Cubase*, Sonar*, GarageBand*,
Kontakt*, Reason* and more.
In addition
to providing digital access to the sounds of these rare and highly prized
vintage hardware products, Digital Sound Factory is also gearing up
to produce a range of new high quality audio content for the computer
music enthusiast, including brand new orchestral, world/ethnic, and
electronic collections.
DSF libraries
provide the opportunity to experience and use these world-renown sounds
regardless of your current computer platform.
E-MU Proteus,
Emulator IV, ESi-32, SP1200, Emax, Sound Effects, and more are now available
for download 24/7 at www.DigitalSoundFactory.com.
Special
Deal for all E-MU Customers!
For the entire month of June, enter coupon code “E-MU” at
the Digital Sound Factory web store checkout and receive 20% discount
on your order!!!
Digital
Sound Factory
www.DigitalSoundFactory.com
*E-MU,
Creative, Cubase, Sonar, GarageBand, Kontakt, and Reason are registered
trademarks of their respective companies.
 |
He
calls himself Subject, but he likes to be called Subz.
Subz
is a UK Hip-Hop and Reggae producer who has achieved fame by providing
leading software-distributors with patches and samples, as well
as producing his own music for Ski Rize Studios, which he owns.
Subz is a hardcore E-MU Emulator X2 power user. |
Subz,
Could you please tell us about yourself?
Well,
I'm 32 in April and come from London originally. I have always loved
music, but am crap at playing instruments. I have always been into reggae
music, but acid hardcore got my attention back in the late 80's, as
well as the early hip-hop/house music. (Not to be confused with modern
house music!!) I followed the Hardcore scene through to Jungle to Drum
& Bass. In this period I used to be a Drum & Bass MC & DJ
(MC subject, DJ subject). My current style is mostly UK Hip Hop &
Reggae.
When I was 21 years old I moved to Reading (45 miles west of London)
and met some people who made music on their computers and samplers.
This started me messing around with music production on my girl’s
PC, which I broke. She was not very pleased, and after it was fixed
I was banned from that PC. So I had to buy my own! Of course, I broke
my new computer within weeks as well, and so I was forced to learn a
lot about Windows, as I had no intention of paying loads of money for
something I could do myself! Within a year I was being paid to fix computers
and started making good money (compared to my earlier job that consisted
of pulling pints to moody office staff on their lunch break and being
treated like crap). Now I was fixing their work desktop PC's and being
offered cups of tea by some of the same customers.
Most of the money I made went back into my studio and soon I was getting
to grips with how to make and record music. There were/are lots of artists
in Reading, so I started working with some of them to help me evolve.
We started something called “The Coalition.” http://www.lexiconmag.co.uk/issue006/thecoalition.php
The groups that formed the coalition are still doing their thing now,
but don't work as much together as the coalition does not exist any
more. The coalition did a live session on BBC Radio1 with the late,
great John Peel, toured all over the UK, as well as doing some shows
in the USA.
What is your musical background?
As a music
listener my first love was Reggae, (from the age of 3) then I added
Hip-Hop to the list in the early 80's. Later in the 80's, Acid music
started forming into Hardcore, which also got added to the list. I stuck
with Hardcore up through Jungle, to Drum & Bass until the late 90's.
I still like it now, but I used to LOVE it back then. I was one of the
original Junglist's.
I started mixing on turntables in the early to mid 90's (Drum &
Bass) and started getting in to Production in the late 90's.
How did you come to play electronic keyboards and synthesizers - what
instruments were among the first?
Not including the Casio I had as a child, it was an Akai S2000 Sampler
& a Korg X50 (I think it was an X50). In the late 90's I met some
guys from a Drum & Bass production team called Street Beats, who
used Cakewalk 6 & the Akai S2000 sampler, so that is what I learned
to produce on.
How and when did you start working with computer-based instruments
and software in general?
During the late 90's, through Street Beats, I used an old analogue mixing
desk, Akai S2000 sampler, (until they got an old E-MU EIII sampler)
Sound Forge with some Direct X plug-ins, and Cakewalk 6.
What is your history and what were your first experiences with
E-MU products?
My first experience with E-MU was the old E-MU EIII sampler that was
perfect for making some @#&%-up Drum & Bass lines and some sweet
filter sweeps on the drums (unlike the Akai S2000 which sounded like
crap IMO). Later on working with 2 Baad studios, we used the E-MU EIV
sampler with Logic Pro. That’s where I discovered how to use the
E-MU sampler properly to do some messed-up things myself. To this day,
I have not heard a sampler as sweet sounding as that EIV sampler!
What is it that attracts you to the E-MU products that you're
using and what are some of the things they let you do that are unique?
The Sound!! Do I need to say anything more than Z-plane?
I love my E-MU 1820m, but it doesn’t have Z-plane filters, so
maybe I do need to say more than that. The 1820M has loads of inputs
and outputs, DSP FX and PatchMix! It is my audio interface from my PC
to the outside world AND my digital mixing desk all rolled in to one.
I honestly do love it.
Also, no soft sampler sounds as good as Emulator X2, and no soft sampler
sounds as good as Emulator X2 when you drastically adjust the pitch
of a sample!!
How are you using Emulator X2 in your productions and what do
find most compelling about it?
Most compelling? Well, that would have to be the Z-plane filters and
the excellent interpolation (Is it the interpolation that makes it sound
so good when pitched-up 48 semitones?)
I use Emulator X2 for drums, as well as many sounds from the included
factory banks, and of course whenever I need to use samples. I'm not
a big loop fan so I don't make much use of TwistaLoop, except in the
demo track that I did for E-MU. But I have played with it and it’s
very impressive!
What have been some of your main live and studio projects over
the past two years, and what are you looking forward to in 2008?
The main
live project was with John Peel (RIP) on BBC1 where we recorded 4 tracks
to be played on his show (peak time radio one air play – NICE!).
As the producer I didn't do much except mix down on their massive 48-track
desk. We also did a show in Devon (UK) where girls were literally throwing
their underwear on stage & screaming. That was great fun. Any time
we all get together in the studio it’s a buzz. There is no one
time I can say was the best.
What I’m looking forward to in 2008? Watching my son learn to
walk. Music is irrelevant in comparison, but Deadly Hunta (one of my
artists) has an album and mix tape coming out this year, so that should
be good.
What gear and software are you currently using in your studio?
E-MU 1820m, Core2Duo PC, Behringer BCR2000 midi controller, Roland midi
keyboard, (sorry no E-MU Xboard yet, but they do look and feel real
nice, much better than my PC-300 keyboard)
Tracktion 3, energyXT, Uhe Zebra2 VSTi, Rob Papen BLUE VSTi, E-MU Emulator
X2 are some of the main ones, but there are hundreds more plug-ins &
free apps.
What excites you in the music industry these days?
Technology
& technological breakthroughs. I'm a GEEK way before I'm a Musician…
You can
find Subs and Ski Rise Studios on My Space at: www.myspace.com/skirizestudios
/http://skirize.bounceme.net/
|
