In the news this week: read a new issue of Legowelt’s cyberzine, learn how brands are trying to use EDM to sell products, and find out what comes after SoundCloud…
First iOS Apps With Link Available Now. Ableton‘s new Link technology not only syncs multiple instances of Live over a wireless network, but also works with Link-enabled iOS apps. The first batch of apps featuring Link are available now in the App Store, and Link will be included in an upcoming Ableton Live update. Using routing app Audiobus, you can switch Link on in all relevant apps with one tap. Watch Link and Audiobus in action above, and find out more here.
British Listeners Favour Low Quality Sound. New research from global intelligence firm Strategy Analytics has found that sound quality is not a priority for the majority of British listeners, who tend to listen to music via built-in computer speakers, favouring portability, simplicity and basic functionality over sound quality. Click here for more info.
Brands Using EDM To Sell. Brands and advertisers have been jumping on the bandwagon of EDM’s colossal international success, employing the scene’s stars in their marketing efforts, but are their target demographics fooled? A Guardian piece points to growing awareness of corporate encroachment, suggesting people aren’t so easily manipulated, here.
Discogs Turns Record Collecting Into Big Business. Initially started by founder and chief executive Kevin Lewandowski to keep track of his techno records, Discogs has grown into a database of 6.5 million album releases, with an online marketplace through which nearly $100 million in records has been sold this year – The New York Times reports.
ROLI’s 3D Touch App NOISE. Building on both the 3D touch technology of the iPhone 6s and ROLI’s years of research in touch-sensitive music interfaces, NOISE transforms the surface of your iPhone into a powerful, multidimensional synth, meaning it can also be used as a sound module with any MPE-compatible controller. Available free via the App Store. Check it out above, and find out more here.
RA Exchange: François Kevorkian. A house pioneer and legendary DJ-producer who, since he arrived in New York in the mid 70s, has become one of the most influential producers, engineers, mixers and DJs of all time – François Kevorkian joins RA in New York for their latest latest Exchange podcast, an extended conversation about four decades of music technology. Listen above.
Why Electronic Music Should Stay Radical. Kevorkian also encourages artists to keep pushing boundaries, recounting electronic music’s radical roots, from Italian futurist Luigi Russolo‘s controversial performances of ‘Art of Noises’, to avant-garde composer Pierre Schaeffer‘s first broadcast of musique concrète, and Karlheinz Stockhausen‘s otherworldly visions. Read his thoughts here.
SoundCloud and PRS Reach Licensing Agreement. SoundCloud has announced n licensing agreement with music rights holder PRS for Music, which launched legal action against the streaming site in August. The international deal will end legal proceedings, and covers use of the PRS repertoire, supporting SoundCloud’s plans to introduce subscription and advertising in 2016. Find out more here.
What Comes Next After SoundCloud? Meanwhile, Electronic Beats considers the post-SoundCloud digital music landscape, with tech experts Peter Kirn and Mat Dryhurst weighing in on web decentralisation and the past – and future – of music streaming. Read in full here.
Novation’s Circuit Receives Updates. Novation have released a firmware update, a software synth patch editor (via Isotonik Studios) and a list of MIDI CC specifications for their standalone groovebox unit, Circuit. The new firmware adds the ability to record external MIDI, improvements in automation and a function that enables users to change synth presets via MIDI. Download the firmware here, the patch editor here, and find the MIDI messages here.
A New Issue Of Legowelt’s Cyberzine. Issue three of Legowelt‘s text art cyberzine Order Of The Shadow Wolf features instructions on how to conduct your own ganzfeld experiment, a piece on colour psychology, Nightwind Records news, how to build your own analogue spring reverb for $5 or less, a case for the CDR format, and much more. Check it out here.
Prophet 12 OS 1.3 Released With Linear FM. Composer and inventor of FM synthesis, John Chowning, met with his longtime friend Dave Smith of Dave Smith Instruments, to check out the new linear FM capabilities of the Prophet 12. You can add this feature and more to your Prophet with the 1.3 OS update, available now. Check out their conversation above.