Share projects via Splice, Pioneer to sell DJ business, Wired’s iPod requiem, and a potentially important legal precedent in Jay Z’s copyright lawsuit.
Share projects via Splice. Splice have engineered a platform that connects musicians and their tools to the cloud, modernising the way music is shared. Their DNA Player visualises a song’s arrangement, plugins and samples along with notes from the creator. Test it out above and check out the public beta here.
RIP iPod. Wired‘s requiem for the iPod, charting the life and death of Apple’s revolutionary gadget, which confirmed the MP3’s reign over music formats and liberated them from the confines of your computer. “You can fit your whole music library in your pocket. Never before possible.” Read here.
Pioneer to sell DJ business. A private equity firm is buying Pioneer‘s DJ business. RTT News reports that the US firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (which appears to be owned by SFX Entertainment) is paying 59 billion yen, or around $551 million, for the division, which is responsible for both the industry-standard CDJ and forthcoming PLX-1000 turntable. Find out more here.
Unrivaled 808 Samples Free. Sample Magic has put together a free pack of over 120+ TR-808 drum hits passed through a Neve 8801 channel strip. Each drum hit has been sampled at every possible tone and pitch setting for total flexibility. Sign up and download the pack for free here.
Jay Z fights lawsuit over his use of the word ‘oh’ in Run This Town. In a case that could have major significance for sampling, the rapper’s lawyers argue that the single syllable – taken from Eddie Bo’s 1969 funk single ‘Hook and Sling’ – is insufficient cause for a copyright claim. Read The Guardian‘s feature here.
Steve Poindexter: That raw basement sound. “They’re asking me for the old sound. I have to go back in, get the drum machines, hook them back up like we used to and get that old, dirty sound…. acid tracks, old beat tracks and stuff like that.” RA tells the story of a Chicago house original whose influence is still being felt today here.
Martha Wash: The Most Famous Unknown Singer of the ’90s Speaks Out. Rolling Stone explain how the voice behind “It’s Raining Men,” “Gonna Make You Sweat” and “Strike It Up” went from being a bullied victim to an industry pioneer here.
Is Sitting Down Bad For My Health? Bad news for producers who spend hours sitting in the studio. The more time you spend sitting, the greater the chances of dying from heart disease or cancer, having a stroke or becoming diabetic. Even GPs now advocate standing during consultations. Read more here.
Conundrums – 50 Diverse Drum Kits from Uppercussion. Conundrums is a collection of 50 drum kits, each uniquely crafted for versatility and fine-tuned so that all components play together in harmony. Designed to complement a wide range of genres and pack a mighty punch in the mix. Hear it in action above and download a demo here.
Eventide’s new UltraReverb. UltraReverb offers nine high-endd reverb algorithms in a single native plugin including halls, chambers, rooms, plates, and ambience derived from Eventide‘s flagship hardware processor, the H8000 UltraHarmonizer. Watch the features overview video above, and find out more here.
New Digital Reverb for UAD. AMS Neve and Universal Audio present an authentic AMS RMX16 plugin for UAD-2 hardware and Apollo interfaces. The unique and lush reverb programs of the RMX16 are instantly recognisable. Check it out here.
UDG Launch New Entry Level Urbanite Series. The DJ-friendly luggage brand has released their new Urbanite Series, which is an entry-level series of sleeves and bags for controllers and DJ gear. Check out the series here.
24 Hours of Vinyl. A day-long non-profit homage to the music format that simply does not want to die, where DJs relay each other playing only vinyl. The event, created in 2011 by Music Is My Sanctuary, moves from city to city and is also broadcast online. Watch the promo above, find out more here.
‘Meow the Jewels’. Run the Jewels will re-record their upcoming album RTJ2 using only cat sounds if their Kickstarter campaign is successful. Killer Mike and El-P detailed a bunch of ludicrous pre-order packages, with $40,000 getting you Meow the Jewels and all money going to charity. Find out more here.