Apple users may not know the name – FL Studio, formerly Fruity Loops, is a favorite on Windows – but FL is a favorite music making tool of the bedroom computer producer everyman. (Everywoman?) So, its imminent appearance on the iPad tablet is eagerly anticipated, even in the aftermath of GarageBand. Developers Image-Line, an independent software house from Belgium, delivered the first hands-on video today.

It’s worth pointing to the work of stretta, to compare the sorts of things people imagined the iPad would do before it did anything. Formerly of MOTU, and best known as the creator of wonderful patches for the monome grid, he imagined the product demo below before the iPad had even shipped:

The software is a functional prototype running in MaxMSP which I recorded with a screen capture program. I composited this onto a foam core cutout of a picture of an iPad with After Effects. The finger touches are a complex choreographed dance that I had to memorize and perform in one take.

See his blog post today. The video is striking. Of course, I still wonder – what’s the next big idea?

Update – since I seem to be potentially misinterpreted here – yes. These are all ideas seen elsewhere, seen regularly on the Lemur. I’m not making any claim on the novelty of stretta’s original mockup – actually, I’m more amused by how hard it was to try to fake an iPad without one in hand! If there is a lesson here, I’d say it’s ship your ideas, and consider what sorts of ideas other people won’t ship.

From an Australian curator comes a diverse compilation of “experimental electronica” spanning artists from down under, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. Selected by artist / Enig-matik founder SUN IN AQUARIUS, it’s some finely-produced, “glitch-tinged” music covering a gamut of personalities, a nice sampling of some of the kind of quality work getting made. The compilation is streamable free or can be purchased for AUD$15.

Honestly, I think the biggest challenge with all this music isn’t listening to it or finding it, but deciding what to call it. Electronica? Leftfield? Ambient — no, not really. Glitch? Please. Even the “experimental” moniker seems not entirely descriptive to me. Thoughts?

Of course, acquiring it is very easy – it’s another Bandcamp release:

http://enigmatiksounds.bandcamp.com/: V.A-Painting Pictures on Silence V1

Mitchell Nordine (Mind Tree), who sent this news, contributes two of my favorite tracks, cut one, “The Caravan,” and as half of the collaboration MindBuffer, “Ghost in the Shell.”

Mitchell shares some of the making of “The Caravan”:

All of the percussive samples were recorded with my little Zoom H2 on a camping trip our group went on when I was 18 (last year) Easter time It makes the track feel particularly close to home for me, and I’m just wrapped in general at the quality of how the end product turned out using custom samples from the little recorder.

Mitchell also passes along some additional notes on his act, some of the geekier details of their creation process behind the scenes (generative melodies, audiovisual granular synthesis), and more:

MINDBUFFER BIO

MindBuffer is the collaborative bi-product between Joshua Batty and Mitchell Nordine after years of submergence deep within the oceans of C++ coding and Max/MSP/Jitter patches… This combined with a fetish for sensory overload, years of collective experience within popular DAW’s such as Logic and Live, and a history of professional performance in jazz trumpet and violin.

MindBuffer thrives on intricacy and innovation, integrating self-generative and prerecorded audio, 3D reactive visuals and crowd interactivity; all grown from the ground up on self developed software. Their custom software is capable of realtime audiovisual granular synthesis by allowing the access and manipulation of single frames of video at 60fps as well being capable of melodic and rhythmical generative compositional processes. <(Ghost in the shell 2.20-3.48, Bell melody is entirely generative)

REVIEW BY INTERVAL

"Deep, thoughtful, and experimental, ‘Ghost in The Shell’ from Mindbuffer explodes an IDM vibe like non-other. A heart wrenchingly soulful expedition, it grooves deep into a carefully created chaos, with hiccups of noise and distortion thrown across the listener, much like a fresh splattering of multicoloured paint over a canvas. Confronting expectation mindbuffer still delivers a poignant narrative that is sure to send goosebumps crawling up your spine."
Review by Interval.

ENIG’MATIK RECORDS

Enig'matik Records sole goal is to blur genre lines, push the envelope and generally bring together like minded artists who are in it for the music, for the emotion it can convey and the unification it can achieve. This release was only possible by the extraordinary efforts of label owner Sun in Aquarius. Our personal favorites include Circuit Bent, Vaetxh and Sun in Aquarius.

Additional links:
soundcloud.com/mindbuffer

soundcloud.com/mindtree

And lots of other good artists there, as well. Let us know what you think.

Enig-matik Records @ Facebook

The wonderful, sometimes-inspiring, sometimes-daunting capability of the computer is to make any sound you like. Give someone an open toolbox, and they really limited only by skill and imagination. Graphical modular environment Reaktor by Native Instruments has a reputation for crunchy granular sounds and elaborate, multi-layered glitches, and those are to some of us certainly a good thing. But here’s some music made in Reaktor that tends in another direction. The creatoors give us some nice tools, to be sure, but they also give us some actual music and sounds to explore.

At top, our friend Peter Dines has been continuing to iterate with his granular tools, Loupe. Here, OpenSoundControl control signals from an iPad running (recently-updated) TouchOSC translate to new sounds. Multi-touch control seems to me perfect for this sort of continuous parameter control. The download updates his $15 patch set, and there’s an extensive tutorial on using OSC and Reaktor on his Noisepages blog:

Loupe 1.5 for Reaktor – now with bidirectional OSC mappings for TouchOS [Modulations @ Noisepages]

Even if for some bizarre reason you’re not interested in this patch, the article above is a must-read for any Reaktor user hoping to experiment with OSC.

Via the ever-prodigious Synthtopia comes three other free Reaktor ensembles. For free ensembles, they’re really polished – there’s a 4-oscillator atmospheric pad synth, a 3-oscillator bass synth, and 2-oscillator “pluck” synth. If you don’t own Reaktor, there’s even a free 3-oscillator bass synth instrument for Windows VST. The results produce dreamy, dense layers of sound:

The trio, entitled “The Colorspace,” is the work of Italian-based musician Dario. He makes music under a number of identities, but I’m partial to his ambient projects Kiis and “need a name.” A Kiis release is available as a name-your-price EP on Bandcamp:

There’s also some seriously chilled-own, pleasantly-ambient (even when beats make appearances) music as “Need a Name.”

Whether this music is specifically your cup of tea or not, it’s great to actually hear some music from the person making the tool. You can take it as further inspiration, a chance to be closer to the person who makes the Reaktor patches you use, or even a challenge to make your own work with the same sonic arsenal distinctly your own.

The Reaktor patches, for their part, are available free:
http://www.thecolorspace.net/software.html

Bonus – back in glitchland… As I write this, I see that there’s an updated TouchOSC control layout for Richard Devine’s GrainCube, a free Reaktor patch built by DevSnd, Rachmiel, TwistedTools, and Antonio Blanca. See previous coverage here on CDM from last year; a different video below, and a picture of the new layout (which looks nice). Of course, no reason you can’t use this same tool to make something that sounds very different…

More downloads: http://devinesound.net/

Update info / TouchOSC update [devsnd Blog]

Here's a pretty slick little documentary charting this year's festival in Bucharest.

Google's new service will follow in the wake of existing sources like Spotify, Sonos and Amazon's music locker, reported Billboard yesterday.

Da Cruz, das Duo der Bern-Brasilianerin Mariana Da Cruz und des Berner Musikjournalisten und Produzenten Ane Hebeisen, pendeln auf ihrem Album „Sistema Subversiva“ zwischen Club-Musik und Hör-CD.

Bern mausert sich zu einer kleinen Hochburg der Weltmusik 2.0 – oder der Tribal Electronica: Der Berner Produzent Wildlife! arbeitet derzeit am neuen Album der Jamaikanerin Terry Lynn; der Club Bonsoir veranstaltet laufend aufkommende Stars aus Afrika oder Lateinamerika; und Filewile experimentieren mit Rappern und Pop-Künstlern aus Südafrika. Da Cruz, das Duo der Bern-Brasilianerin Mariana Da Cruz und des Berner Musikjournalisten und Produzenten Ane Hebeisen, haben ihre dritte CD „Sistema Subversiva“ jetzt auf dem bekannten US-Label Six Degrees Records herausgegeben. Da Cruz setzt zum Auftakt auf den aggressiven Sprechgesang des angolanischen Kuduro, flirtet bald mit bekannteren brasilianischen Klangfärbungen und formt mit „Papo De“ einen poppigen Ohrwurm. Hebeisen setzt auf kantige Beats und auf Klänge aus Jazz, Pop, Rock und Metal. Der Mix zwischen Club-Musik und Hör-CD gelingt in einigen Stücken sehr gut, in anderen stehen Musik und Gesang noch zu sehr nebeneinander. Eine Band mit Potenzial für musikalische Höhenflüge.

Im Interview erzählen Mariana Da Cruz und Ane Hebeisen, wie sie als Duo Da Cruz immer näher zusammenfinden. Eigentlich sei «Sistema Subversiva» aber vor allem ein unvernünftiges Album.

Podcast A

Mariana Da Cruz erzählt von ihren musikalischen Vorbildern aus Brasilien. Und Ane Hebeisen blickt zurück in die 1990er Jahre, auf seine erste Brasilien-Tour mit der Berner Electro-Industrial-Band Swamp Terrorists.

Podcast B

Click here to view the embedded video.

«Sistema Subversiva» liegt irgendwo zwischen der Ästhetik der Weltmusik 2.0 – zum Beispiel Kuduro – und neuen Trends in der brasilianischen Musik.

Podcast C

«Tudo Bem Aqui», so heisst Ane Hebeisens Lieblingsstück auf der CD. Das Album sieht er als künstlerischen Zwischenbericht.

Podcast D

Da Cruz Live

13.05.2011, Turnhalle, PROGR, Bern
14.05.2011, Rote Fabrik, Zürich
02.07.2011, Jazzfest Vienna, Wien
03.07.2011, Caliente, Zürich
07.07.2011, Kulturfestival St. Gallen, St. Gallen
09.07.2011, Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux
17.07.2011, Gurtenfestival, Bern
12.08.2011, Jazztage Lichtensteig, Lichtensteig

Click here to view the embedded video.

Dieses Gespräch fand im Rahmen des Norient Projektes «Sonic Traces: From Switzerland» statt.

Click here to view the embedded video.

As part of the Local Community Radio Act which, among other things, repealed restrictions against protecting full-power FM stations from third-adjacent channel interference from LPFM stations, Congress required that the FCC conduct a study of the economic impact that such stations will have on full-power FM stations.  The FCC began the process of conducting that study, asking for public comment on a series of questions designed to look at that impact.  Comments are due on June 24, 2011, with reply comments to be filed by July 25.  The Commission asks for comments in two general areas, asking what impact LPFM will have on full-power stations' revenues and on their audience share, but tentatively decided that it would not look at any economic impact that interference from LPFM would have on full-power stations.

What led the FCC to this tentative conclusion?  The FCC said that the Act did not specifically require any study of the economic impact of interference and, since the principal purpose of the Act was to set out how the FCC should deal with interference remediation, Congress had already addressed all that needed to be considered about any potential interference.  This view was bolstered by the inclusion in previous legislation of a specific directive to study interference, which led to the report from the MITRE  Corporation.  That report concluded that there would be no substantial interference from LPFM to full-power stations, which opened the door to the passage of the Act.  Thus, the Commission reached the tentative conclusion that no additional study of the economic impact of LPFM was necessary, but they seek comment on that tentative conclusion.  We expect that there will be such comments.

Why would we expect comment on this issue?  Many broadcasters have disputed the findings of the MITRE report, contending that it underestimated or downplayed potential interference. Even though the legislation was adopted, it was widely reported that this legislation was the result of a compromise between broadcasters and LPFM advocates (see our summary here).  So one would think that, as a compromise, the parties would not have resolved all controversial issues - but instead agreed to disagree on those matters where consensus was not possible.  Usually, when legislation contains a clause ordering a government study, it's because of one of those 'agree to disagree" moments.  And, certainly, many broadcasters that I have talked to think that interference from a significant number of new LPFM stations, even if it is all cumulative and not the result of any one new LPFM station, will result.  Perhaps we will see these points made in comments on the interference question.

On the issues that the FCC believes need to be considered - audience and advertising competition - the FCC asks a series of questions.  On the question of audience competition, the FCC asks for comments on the following:

• Will LPFM stations have an impact on the audience ratings of full-power stations?
• Have existing LPFM stations had an impact on the ratings of full-power stations?
• Will Arbitron show any impact of LPFM on full-power stations?
• Is Arbitron the only way to measure any impact of LPFM stations on full-power station's ratings?
• How can such measurements be made in non-Arbitron markets?
• Even if the impact of LPFM on full-power station ratings can be assessed, is there any way to measure the economic effect of any such impact?

On the issue of the impact of LPFM on full-power station's revenues, the Commission asks:

• Does LPFM underwriting impact the advertising market for full-power radio?
• How much LPFM funding comes from underwriting?
• Is there any way to assess the impact of LPFM on the revenues of full-power radio stations?
• Is BIA/Kelsey the bet source of revenue data for radio stations, or should other sources be used?

Finally, the FCC asks if the economic impact should be assessed where the FM station has a coverage area that encompasses an LPFM, or when an LPFM is simply in the same Arbitron market.

The Commission is looking for specific data to make these assessments - something that is probably going to be very difficult to come by.  It may well be that the biggest impact is the one that the FCC has preliminarily decided not to talk about.  So broadcasters should be ready to comment on all these issues - including the impact of interference - all by June 24. 

The individual day lineups of who's playing on each day has now been determined, showing a basic day-by-day breakdown of what acts are playing on what day. It's possible to see in order of headliners on down to smaller acts. The schedule is yet to come.

Bjork has launched a new Biophilia incarnation of her web site, dedicated to the upcoming release of the Biohphilia album tour and app. There's also an audio message from Bjork herself, describing how the Biophilia web site works. Listen to Bjork's message after the click.

There's a new best of Morrisey compilation out, if you can find it. Mr. old and cranky has written a tirade against all things modern and current, lamenting the fact that The Very Best of Morrissey has been officially released for a number of days now, and isn't in record stores yet. There's also new Morrissey tour dates out to promote the new release.

News and rumors of a Google Music service launch on May 23rd surface again, with a possible tie-in by Lady Gaga when you download the Google Music app.

Hauschka does a video interview with Music Ohm to talk about the new album Salon Des Amateurs.

News and rumors of a Google Music service launch on May 23rd surface again, with a possible tie-in by Lady Gaga when you download the Google Music app.

There's a fresh set of shows lined up this Summer for Bon Iver, which sees Justin Vernon travelling mostly along the east coast with an eight-piece band, ending with a final show at Brooklyn's Prospect Park Bandshell.

The new Battles video for the song "Ice Cream" with Matias Aguayo - from the album Gloss Drop.