New gear!

BobTheDog · Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 3:40 pm Post subject:

Live is fantastic, you would not be disappointed.

GovernorSilver · Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 7:28 am Post subject:

I got a reply from Ableton stating that Live Launchpad Edition qualifies for the "upgrade to Live Suite 8 in April, get Max For Live free" promotion. The Launchpad looks like a good starter controller for Live and there are reportedly a bunch of Max For Live devices that utilize it, as well as a Monome emulator.

I still plan to continue learning how to use my Korg M3 as my main sequencing/composing workstation, but it would be nice to have a "small rig" alternative in a laptop.

jksuperstar · Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 8:51 am Post subject:

I dig the launchpad. The monome emulator makes use of the 8 extra buttons on the right side, so you can emulate having 8 monomes. Awesome for making one setting for parameter control, one for step sequencing, etc. Plus, it has 3 other modes (always accessible) for direct control over ableton!

GovernorSilver · Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 9:27 am Post subject:

ark · Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 9:36 am Post subject:

As a benchmark, NovaMusik is advertising Launchpad + Live 8 Suite upgrade for $769.

jksuperstar · Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 9:43 am Post subject:

The only two things that would make it better would be pressure sensing on each pad, and faster communication (occasionally updates take a full second for the interface when switching modes). Not much to complain about.

GovernorSilver · Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 12:29 pm Post subject:

dewdrop_world · Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 11:27 pm Post subject:

cbm · Joined: Oct 25, 2005 Posts: 381 Location: San Francisco

Max is great for getting something going quickly. Yes it's programming, but so are a lot of things that span the whole spectrum of user-friendlieness. I do a lot of prototyping in Max, and then end up writing final code in C. Miller Puckette once described Max as a graphic shell to host C code.

I think that different people gravitate to different ways of expressing programatic ideas, and Max works well for a lot of people.

BobTheDog · Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 1:40 am Post subject:

I agree with both of you here.

I must admit using Max for me usually leads to me knocking up externals which is pretty easy with the sdk. I find it easier to get my head around things without using the little boxes.

Other people though are quite happy with making very complex things with Max and would never go near a text based programming language.

Having the ability to use JavaScript in the js object is also pretty neat for many people.

GovernorSilver · Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 2:44 pm Post subject:

Good points, guys. However, I don't see myself needing to program my own alternatives to the goodies that appear to come with Ableton Live Suite 8 and Max For Live - particularly the new granulator, the LFO features, etc.

Airlock · Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 11:06 pm Post subject:

RME Fireface UFX

cheers

See you all next year...

dewdrop_world · Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 3:30 am Post subject:

GovernorSilver · Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 2:58 pm Post subject:

I'm much more interested in Ableton Live than Max (the standalone, not-for-Live version), per se. But I do like being able to get Max For Live for free.

My mentor in university was not the biggest fan of Max, but encouraged me to play with it when he saw I was interested in it and was going to get it anyway. This was back in the days of Max v.3. He was into interactive computer music software himself, utilizing a pitch-MIDI device and MIDI, but he preferred to roll his own software in Forth. These days he uses Ableton Live.

Between my Nord Modular G2, soon to be acquired Max For Live, and my barely-used Reaktor 5, I have all the softsynth patching toolkits I could possibly want. My needs aren't esoteric enough to get into Supercollider, let alone programming my own stuff in C or what have you. I think part if it is because today's software tools have gotten much more sophicisticated.

jksuperstar · Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 4:21 pm Post subject:

Don't forget MAX for Live isn't as crippled compared to Max, as Live is very much extended by M4L. It gives you access to "inner workings" of Live, including audio and MIDI data while live is running. It also gives you a powerful interface for any MIDI or OSC controller, expanding its capabilities, or giving it new features w/r to Live. Plus all the other mojo MAX does.

GovernorSilver · Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2011 12:04 pm Post subject:

I found a broken EHX Deluxe Memory Man on ebay and bought it after getting an email reply from Howard Davis (lead engineer on the original Deluxe Memory Man project) saying he'd fix it and install mods if I want.

I also ordered mods for my Line 6 DL4 pedal.

Ironic, I know, after all my talk about expanding my effects/looping rig for guitar and electric violin to the software realm.

nobody · Joined: Mar 09, 2008 Posts: 1687 Location: Not here

GovernorSilver · Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2011 6:08 pm Post subject:

BobTheDog · Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2011 11:35 pm Post subject:

blue hell · Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 5:23 am Post subject:

BobTheDog · Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 5:32 am Post subject:

When I was a placement student many years ago I worked for Norsk Data who made a range of mini computers.

One of the very expensive speed upgrades that could be done to the machines required a screwdriver and 2 minutes of time to change the value of a pot.

Same idea.

nobody · Joined: Mar 09, 2008 Posts: 1687 Location: Not here

That does stink. I think I'm going to look for a way to hack that. Like you said, I already paid for it!

nobody · Joined: Mar 09, 2008 Posts: 1687 Location: Not here

I just bought this 1971 Japanese Gretsch Country Gentleman copy from Patrick Kigongo of Ra Ra Rasputin. He had posted his desire to sell it on Facebook and I met him this past Saturday night at American University, where RRR performed with Painted Faces and Laughing Man. Patrick really shreds! He's a very pleasant, sociable guy who really knows guitars. All three bands put on a good show in a small, intimate environment. The audience was encouraged to stand right up in front of the bands.

I've wanted a Gretsch ever since I first saw one and didn't even yet know that those guitars were Gretsch's. Since a real Gretsch, new, costs $3k, and since the Japanese, as far as I could discern, are known to make good guitars, I decided to go for it.

This is a semi-acoustic; however, there are no F-holes (what you see is part of the body's paint job). It does play acoustically, but as you'd expect, the sound is a bit soft.

Plugged in, it has a warm, somewhat soft sound.

It's very nice and I'm happy with it. Cool

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1971 Japanese Gretsch copy

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BobTheDog · Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 9:43 am Post subject:

Looks nice!

Is the neck pretty thin or is it just an illusion?

nobody · Joined: Mar 09, 2008 Posts: 1687 Location: Not here