Boss have just revealed a multi-effects pedal and amp modelling that fits in your pocket

Jacca-RouteNotein
Equipment

No, like, seriously… Boss have a pocket sized effect module that your guitar plugs straight into with over 100 amps and effects coming out.

The Pocket GT is a soon to launch effects package from Boss that basically puts it’s middle finger up to pedal boards everywhere. With a direct input and both amp modelling and effect units built in you can plug straight in and output your powerful variety of guitar sounds to sound cards, speakers, and earphones.

It uses their sound engine packed inside their GT-1 multi-effects pedal however the size negates the pedals. In fact, the size obviously limits control quite a lot and it’s unlikely you’ll be switching sounds in the middle of playing with this but that brings us to its primary function: a guitar learning module.

Using its companion app and integrated YouTube learning tool users will use it to learn from a variety of videos with hundreds of sounds at their disposal. Setting video markers in the guitar tutorial videos does actually allow you to change guitar tones without touching it – though it doesn’t seem like you’ll be able to do that outside of their YouTube tool.

Whilst it’s primary function is as a learning tool it seems to me like a sick little package for recording. You can plug it up and use it as an audio interface to record into your DAW, phone, and other devices. With so much potential from its sound bank there’s plenty to play with.

Here’s what it promises:

  • Ultra-compact guitar amp/effects processor with powerful integrated learning features
  • Companion BOSS Tone Studio app (iOS/Android/Mac/Windows) with built-in YouTube browser and deep tone editing tools
  • Create video song lists and set A/B markers to repeat sections
  • Assign user memories to markers and change sounds automatically during video playback
  • Authentic GT sound engine with over 100 amps and effects, ready to play with zero latency
  • 99 user memories (amp and effects settings compatible with the floor-based GT-1 guitar processor)
  • Wirelessly stream music over Bluetooth or connect via the Aux In jack
  • Control song/video playback with dedicated hardware buttons
  • Center Cancel function reduces the volume of guitar solos and vocals in videos and music tracks
  • Built-in rechargeable battery with up to four hours of runtime
  • Onboard tuner with dedicated button for fast access
  • USB audio interface for recording in desktop music software
  • Download additional patches at BOSS Tone Central

Boss’s Pocket GT is set to launch late this month or early October and will cost $249.99. You can find out more on their website.

Native Instruments new all in one beat-making machine is here

Jacca-RouteNotein
Instruments & Hardware

Native Instruments are taking their iconic Maschine away from the computer and into your lap with their completely standalone production controller.

Maschine+ brings the power of Native Instrument’s renowned production controller into it’s own. After years of work and teasing the standalone production controller is now here, giving the full range of beat-making components to producers without requiring to plug it into any other software or hardware.

With on-board instruments, effects, and loads of samples creators can jam straight onto the device and start putting together their beats. It has been designed to offer all of the control a creator needs to fully create, play and produce their music together.

Of course once you’ve started putting tracks together and editing their effects and samples you can transfer it over to a DAW to expand upon it. But the idea behind the Maschine+ is that it is an all-in-one production machine with the power and capability to create fully fledged tracks within itself.

9 Instruments – There are nine synths and sampled instruments that feature inside the Maschine+ for a range of potential sounds that can be played using on-board sequencing or played using its performance pads.

35 Effects – Loads of effects mean true customisation of every sample and recording you lay down. Using the array of touch sensitive knobs and the powerful variety of push pad controls you can create unique soundscapes with pinpoint detail.

1000s of Sounds – There are thousands of samples to make use of to lay down your track and expand it with a diverse sound palette.

Sample Everything – The on-board sampler makes chopping and editing clips a pleasure to do. With Maschine+’s array of inputs you can record your own instruments, record from a turntable, lay down some vocals and then produce them with power.

Create With Clips – Clips let you arrange your recordings, sounds and samples on a timeline to give you true production power. This is where the necessity of a DAW is removed as you can put together your tracks completely on the Maschine+ with their simple yet powerful Clips function.

Expand Your Potential – With the ability to outboard your gear you can control other devices with your Maschine+. With a computer it works as a production controller like the original Maschine. With Wi-Fi enabled too, you can expand on your sounds and tools instantly.

Native Instruments long-awaited Maschine+ is available for £1099. Find out more and get your own here.

Get a free mastering plugin that tames your peaks

Jacca-RouteNotein
Software

IK Multimedia are offering a free download of their Classic Clipper which makes fighting against those big, bad peaks simple.

The Classic Clipper is a mastering plugin that makes it simple to control your outputs and nip those peaks in the bud. IK Multimedia are offering the plugin for free, claiming that it gives you more dynamic control over your mix than the usual peak limiting options.

The plugin is part of their T-RackS series of plugins and is used to “tame unruly peaks”. You can get it for free by signing up to IK Multimedia’s newsletter which will keep you in the loop with their new releases, announcements, events, and keep you informed when they offer another great free piece of software to their newsletter subscribers.

Find out more and sign up here to get your T-RackS Classic Clipper before September 22nd.

Remove track noise and fix your audio with ease using iZotope RX 8

Jacca-RouteNotein
Software

Getting rid of annoying noises or inescapable buzzes can be the bane of many musicians. Thankfully iZoptope’s RX8 software has the solutions to mixing out everything you don’t want.

Legends of music software, iZotope have returned with more amazing tools that make being a recording musician as easy as it should be. The latest version of their RX program gives musicians and producers even more powerful ways to get their audio tracks sounding the best they can.

New to RX 8 is an improvement to their De-hum module. It identifies a base frequency within your audio track to help remove certain invasive frequencies without affecting the recorded audio. Their enhancements make it better and removing hums and buzzing whilst also intelligently working out with to use a De-noise or a De-hum.

Speaking of De-noise is a brand new guitar De-noise function that makes your guitar recordings shine like they were always meant to. It’s powerfully built with guitar in mind so that it can work out the accidental or overwhelming peaks and noises that can be caused by compression, electrical interference, fretting and string sounds, and harsh picking.

Use sliders to adjust exactly how much the De-noiser is doing you can perfectly refine the polishing of your guitar tracks. A new Loudness Control module lets you take a deep dive into the levels of your music and control it to the exact levels and peaks you want for your tracks.

Elsewhere in the updated program is Music Rebalance which is designed to help you find the perfect balance between all your tracks. It has been created to identify vocals, bass, percussion, guitars, and other instruments in your mix to bring them all into their own space and have them sounding the smoothest they can all together.

Discover all of the great features in iZotope RX and the fantastic additions that have been introduced in RX 8 here. You can get a 30 day free trial before deciding whether you want to purchase the complete program.

This “chaotic monosynth” packed with incredible possibilities is yours for free

Jacca-RouteNotein
Software

Free plugins are everywhere but truly spectacular virtual instruments full of amazing sound, range and capability are a dime a dozen – and here’s the latest gem.

Pendulate is a new chaotic oscillator synth packed full of possible sounds from Newfangled Audio. Eventide are offering the synth to anyone for free to discover possibility of sound synthesis within and use it anyway you like.

The chaotic oscillator powering the sounds within Pendulate is based on a double pendulum, hence the name. Using the patterns that a pendulum creates, the sounds within this virtual synth are powered on feedback loops and fractals to create a range of unique and often gorgeous sounds.

Features

  • Novel chaotic oscillator based on the double pendulum makes sounds you’ve never heard before, but will want to hear again
  • Wavefolder based on the one in the Buchla 259 Complex Waveform Generator, adding MIX and CUTOFF
  • Low Pass Gate based on the Buchla 292 adds controls for POLES and RESONANCE
  • Innovative modulation UI allows modulation over every control from the main page, allowing up to 169 simultaneous modulation routings
  • MPE support allows amazing control from innovative new controllers
  • Envelope and LFO each have multiple outputs generated at once, like a modular synth should
  • Modulation! Every mod output to every control means up to 221 modulation points in an intuitive single pane
  • Animations! The Double Pendulum, Wavefolder, and Low Pass Gate modules each have animations to show how each module responds to your input, and to modulation
  • Three unique color schemes to customize your look
  • 136 Presets including artist presets from Matt Lange and Matthew Wang

Get your free copy of Pendulate here.

Royalty-free techno sample pack – free download

Tom Newmanin
Software

Diode Eins release free-to-use peak time/driving/hard techno samples and loops from their Hymenoptera EP through Insectum Records.

The Hymenoptera sample pack is free for commercial or non-commercials projects. The pack includes the following:

Drums

Drums build the foundation of every great Techno tune, so we made sure to include a variety of one shots. Additionally you’ll get access to top, hat, percussion or rumble loops you can drag right into your project files to get new ideas going quickly.

Melodic Elements

Next up we rendered a bunch of melodic elements, so you’ll get a fine selection of arps, chords, pads, bass loops and other synths. Some tonal elements have further been bounced as one shots. To ensure a quick and easy workflow we labeled all files by BPM and key.

FX Elements

The last folder of our free Techno sample pack is filled with effect sounds, including atmospheres, risers or sweeps. In total the pack comes with 181 samples and takes up almost 500 MB on your hard drive.​

Contents

58 Drum Hits
43 Drum Loops
34 Melodic Elements
46 FX Elements

In Total

181 Files
470 MB

Details

100% Royalty-Free
Genres: Techno & Dark Techno
Formats: .wav

Download for free here.

Allen & Heath may be about to buy Traktor from Native Instruments

Tom Newmanin
Instruments & Hardware

Audio mixing hardware company Allen & Heath are thought to be in discussion with Native Instruments to acquire their DJ software and controllers Traktor.

If reports from DJ TechTools are to be believed, Allen & Heath may be looking into buying Traktor from Native Instruments.

Traktor software and Native Instruments’ controllers were revolutionary when released, but recently NI have struggled to keep afloat, with slowed updates to hardware and software, amid staff layoffs, allegations of company racism, as well as company founders Daniel Haver and Mate Galic stepping down.

This could be Allen & Heath taking a bigger leap into DJ controllers and its first steps into software. Rekordbox from Pioneer is a fully integrated DJ software package, that seamlessly merges software, hardware and cloud services. With a software solution under their belt, Allen & Heath would be in a good position to compete. This competition is great for consumers and could spur some fresh innovation into Traktor.

Nothing has been confirmed by either Native Instruments or Allen & Heath. Native Instruments may only sell a portion of Traktor, for example only the software side. They may sell to another company. We may see a partnership with another company rather than full acquisition.

Roland’s official TR-808 plugin is now free until September

Jacca-RouteNotein
Software

The drum machine that rocked the world, defined an era, and inspired generations is now available as a free plugin for your DAW.

The TR-808 from Roland is without a doubt the most iconic drum machine ever created. It’s instantly distinguishable kicks and claps shook hip-hop and have been the source for some of the biggest and most defining records of the last half a century.

If you’re an Apple Music user they have a whole documentary on the significance of Roland’s synthesised rhythm machine. Roland have been transferring their huge legacy in musics to the new digital realm of production through their Cloud Collection which includes the 808 as of 2018.

Until August 31st you can get the Roland TR-808 plugin for free and play with the legendary machine.

With a free Roland account you can download the TR-808 in its digital form and play with it until the end of the month.

If you end up loving it and want to use it for the long-term, you can gain access to the 808 and all of Roland’s other digitised versions of their iconic instruments over the years on Roland Cloud.

It costs $20 a month or $149 for a lifetime license and gives unlimited access to a boutique range of their impressive products over the years in digital form. Head here to see what they’ve got.

MPC Beats is Akai’s free beat making DAW for Mac or PC

Tom Newmanin
Software

MPC Beats is a cut down DAW based on Akai’s pro level MPC Software 2.0 with similar features, but without the $200 price tag.

Akai MPC Beats will have beginners and experts quickly producing great sounding beats with their new free DAW.

  • 16 pads for triggering drum samples and loops
  • Piano roll to record midi notes
  • Sample editor to chop & Edit
  • Browser to search & Select sounds
  • Information section to select and navigate between tracks
MPC Beats Laptop

MPC Beats is loaded with demo tracks and templates to help you get started remixing or producing music. Along with 2GB of including samples, loops and vitual instrument plugins, as well as 80 FX plugins from the Air Effects collection.

MPC Beats Plugins

Two stereo audio tracks for live recorded elements on top of eight MIDI/instrument tracks. MPC Beats Expansions start from $9.99 to widen your creativity. VST/AU compatibility allows for endless possibilities with third-party virtual instruments and processing plugins. Compatible with MIDI controllers from Akai and third-parties. Keys will auto-map or can be manually configured. MPC Beats can also be used as a plugin with your existing DAW.

MPC Beats Producer

The MPC Beats Adademy page is full of informative videos from helping you getting started to producing tracks.

Download for free from Akai here.

FL Studio 20.7.2 is now available

Jacca-RouteNotein
Software

FL Studio’s latest update is live bringing new features to all users through their Lifetime Free Updates guarantee.

It’s the second update for FL Studio 20.7 that is improving workflow and bringing more power to creators. Here are all the new features that Fl Studio users get free with their versions of the beloved DAW.

Key Features

  • FL Studio Control hints – Most FL Studio controls now show their value when the mouse is hovered over them.
  • Channel Rack Groups – Users can now lock Channel Groups by deselecting the ‘Auto switch channel group‘ option.
  • MIDI file drag-and-drop import – Hold (Shift) to suppress the import dialog showing OR hold (Alt) to force show it when dropping MIDI files onto the Channel Rack.
  • Preserve Clip Trim Edits – Hold Shift when using the ‘Clip Menu > Select source channel‘ option to preserve Clip’s start and end positions.
  • Improved MIDI controller support – There is now a MIDI Scripting forum with new controllers being supported every day.
  • FLEX – Patch display and selector now available on the Wrapper. Loaded patches now scroll to a visible location when reopening projects.
  • ZGE Visualizer – Drag and drop Sliced Audio to the Video Cue-point window to add Cue Points (click Cue Points to preview).  ‘Remove unused‘ button added to Image tab.

TIP: If you are updating from FL Studio 11 or 12, check the video tutorial here.  To review all the updates since the release of FL Studio 20, see the manual here – New Features in FL Studio 20