Here’s a unique chance to step onstage with electronic duo Justice – well, through photos, at least – on tour in Brazil. Behind a stack of Marshall Amps and other gear that looks ready to push back an invading horde of Barbarians with a battering ram, these two have some very lovely goodies for live laptop performance. No plain-vanilla DJ sets here.

Our friend Fabio “FZero” writes:

I came across some pictures of the gear Justice used to play in Rio. They were taken by a guy which works on Circo Voador (the place were they played) and uploaded to orkut. I’ve downloaded and zipped them to make things easier.

The name of the photographer is Henrique Kurtz and his orkut profile is at http://www.orkut.com.br/Main#Profile.aspx?uid=3218703684024828269

3 x Jazzmutant Lemur (THREE LEMURS. It’s good to be rich, I guess.)
2 x MacBook Pro (one is probably backup)
1 x Korg MicroKorg
1 x Korg ZERO8 Live Control
1 x Pioneer DJM800
Software: Ableton Live

Get up close and personal with the laptop rig itself. Okay, you may not be able to afford three Lemurs, but this wouldn’t be hard to scale to other setups. And there’s plenty here to make a “live PA” performance really a performance.

All photos © Copyright Henrique Kurtz. Used for createdigitalmusic.com by permission of the photographer. (Thanks, Henrique – beautiful shots!)

Frontier Alpha Track:
The Sound of One Fader Sliding

And yes, it will make this t-shirt into a lie.

When you hear the repeated stories about how traditional recording studios are dead, I suspect your first thought is not, “Finally! The dream of in-flight recording has its day!” or “Ah-hah! Now all the bands will move into inflatable plastic bubbles as a marketing stunt!” Yet, such things have come to pass. One involves a band you may care about and actually yields some practical tips. The other involves a band I’m almost sure you don’t care about and is a silly stunt.

Respectively:

Jamiroquai played a gig at 35,000 feet on its way to Greece for a select group of fans. I know this, because Focusrite sent out a press release. We get these kind of press releases all the time: someone used something or other (usually something expensive) somewhere in a way that’s not all that interesting. This case was different. Sure, recording a live gig in flight is a gimmick. But as a recording challenge, that means they:

1. Ran entirely on battery power.
2. Set up the whole recording rig in a standard airline row. (Coach, no less!)
3. Weathered some turbulence.
4. Had to fight a sudden outbreak of poisonous snakes. (Okay, made that one up.)

… and somehow managed to muster a full multichannel mix, with a MacBook Pro providing power over FireWire to a Focusrite Saffire PRO 26i/o, using internal Mac power alone. I’m not sure this comes as good news to touring artists, whose packed schedules may already make them feel as though they’re playing on airplanes. But for passengers, it sure beats having to watch Rumor Has It starring Jennifer Aniston.

Squarely in the meaningless gimmick category, some band called Cartel has decided to lock itself into a plastic bubble for a month to record their album. On first glance, it sounds like David Blane meets Spinal Tap. The band describes it as a “groundbreaking interactive multimedia event that will offer fans an unprecedented real-time look into the ups and downs of the creative process as Cartel shapes the highly anticipated follow-up to their breakthrough debut, CHROMA.” Groundbreaking? I think John Lennon and Yoko Ono still win that. Interactive? Maybe if you throw things at the bubble. Multimedia? Only if bubbles count as a medium.

But, wait — this isn’t just an overinflated (ahem) attempt to promote some random band. It’s also a chance to sell Dr. Pepper, clearly communicating that Dr. Pepper is a beverage … that … contains bubbles. Happily, those bubbles are not filled with musical acts, though I find the beverage delicious, and use it to fuel my recording sessions. I can say that with a clear conscience and complete confidence that Dr. Pepper will never pay me to say as much, nor lock me in a giant rubber fishbowl on Pier 54.

Band in a Bubble Promotional Site (Via Futuremusic.com)

It’s comforting to know that, what little I have in common with Cartel, they also like Chick Fil-A. Music: boring. Product placement: now I know what I want for breakfast tomorrow.

Burning Man 2006: Hope & Fear the Future

When we were asked to play on the playa, I immediately thought of all of the stories of â€Å“That dust gets everywhereâ€Â? and did I really want all of my precious gear getting destroyed? Would you? No! So I went to work on a plan that would help keep most of the dust and elements off of the gear. â€Å“Bio-Hazardâ€Â? containment boxes a â€Å“Clean Roomâ€Â? of sorts. If something could keep particles from reaching the air, then I could keep particles from reaching the gear. As you can see the burners were impressed by our research on brining digital gear to the festival.

The boxes are made of 1/4� acrylic and the holes are made from 5 1/4� PVC with Large black rubber clean up gloves. Obviously, the boxes are in the 1.0 stage and if we go back to BM in 2007 2.0 should be even better. All because we love to create digital music!

Brilliant work, Chris! Now all we need is a carry-on blast chamber for the occasional bad battery on a plane.

1. OS X is 64-bit, top to bottom: Here’s a real demonstration of the difference between Apple and Microsoft. Windows XP x64 has been a mess; virtually no one has adopted it (despite some advocacy on the part of music developer Cakewalk), and a lot of software isn’t compatible (like, notably, any music software that relies on PACE, as well as many drivers). Now Apple will make OS X 10.5 entirely 64-bit, with seamless compatibility for 32-bit apps. Hopefully that includes Core Audio; we’ll be asking more about the details on this.
2. Automatic backup: Time Machine provides automated backup of everything you do, answering a real need as Apple has found only 26% of users polled are backing up. (I’m guessing 75% of them were lying, too.) Restore everything or some things, locally on a hard drive or on a server. It even works with applications like iPhoto. It’ll be interesting to learn more details on this; this is a feature I’ve wanted Apple to add for years.
3. Time Lord: [Demonstrating the new Time Machine UI] “Time is a dimension that recedes into your desktop,” says Lee, a la Expose. A timeline on the right side flips through earlier iterations of a folder in Finder. This is a key point, because one of the oft-overlooked needs for backup is undoing human/user error, not just recovering from a drive failure. Everything works right within the Finder. “Best backup UI ever,” says Lee.
4. New Software Bundle: Leopard will now come right out of the box with Boot Camp (for Intel Macs booting Windows), Front Row (the multimedia app), and the fun photo app Photo Booth, plus, a new app –




5. Spaces: Apple has finally taken on virtual desktops; Lee says it’s a “nice, clean implementation, even if we’ve seen this kind of thing before.” All due respect to Linux, I’m sure Apple can implement this more elegantly than GNOME and KDE.
6. Spotlight Finally the Way We Wanted It: Search machines and servers on your network as well as locally, use advanced search booleans (finally, Apple Spotlight catches up with 1970s search tech!), and use a dedicated app launcher, recent items
7. Core Animation: A new animation layer for developers that integrates text, images, and OpenGL 3D, but with start, goal, and key frames, for adding animated interfaces easily to the OS. Sounds a lot like Microsoft’s new presentation facilities, but Apple-style (and based on OpenGL rather than DirectX); it’ll be interesting to hear how this relates to Quartz Composer (which lacks keyframes). More on this, most likely over at Create Digital Motion. Right now, we’re stuck trying to figure out what the heck this slide means (via Engadget).
8. Text-to-Speech dramatically improved: Get ready to sample it into your next mix. ;)
9. System-wide to-do item service: We’ll assume you’ll see a zillion GTD hacks for these in the coming months, even though I’ve gone online with all my info, thanks.
10. Dashboard: “Over 2500 widgets,” says Apple. “About ten of them useful,” says Lee. “Dashcode, with templates, graphical tool for HTML/CSS, and a parts library,” says Apple. “Okay, we’ll finally make a CDM widget,” says Peter. And in the Dashboard-actually-becomes-cool category: JavaScript source editor/debugger, and the Web clip feature lets you make any part of a web page a widget. Nice. (Now I can stay up to date with Penny Arcade.) Easy, on-the-fly widget creation sounds like the real goal.
11. iChat: Boring: Tab chats, multiple logins, invisibility, etc. — it’s ironic to get these features in iChat, as Lee is telling me about them via Adium, which already does it. Cool/silly: Photobooth effects, video recording, animated buddy icons, “iChat theater”, backdrops. Hopefully this means we’ll have some remote video interviews via iChat on CDM soon. Very useful: share photo slideshows and Keynote presentations.

Leopard Sneak Peak [Apple.com]

Reverse-engineering Autechre

I’m not really trying to be Autechre, so I’m happy just to poke around in these patches and screenshots and get some inspiration for my own patching efforts. Good stuff. Let us know what you think, and if you have any especially manic patches of your own in Max, Reaktor, or any other environment.

Uh, okay, here’s why I’m skeptical about this. mLAN is a perfectly reasonable, FireWire-based technology for interconnecting audio devices, and it does work on a handful of Yamaha pieces. But Yamaha has long claimed that mLAN would become a new industry standard format, embraced by other manufacturers. Sounds great — except, years into the mLAN format, that hasn’t happened. There’s a semi-impressive list of partner companies supposedly working on mLAN on Yamaha’s partners page. Semi-impressive because some of them (eMagic) don’t even exist any more. But good luck trying to dig up actual products on this already-modest list. While I was researching my book, I tried calling Yamaha, Korg, and Tascam, just to get them to name one product they make that uses mLAN. Korg and Tascam said, “Isn’t that a Yamaha format? You’d have to talk to them.” At best, it sounded like maybe you could get an optional expansion board. For something. Yamaha wasn’t much help, either, beyond their own gear. There are a handful of pieces of hardware out there, but it’s a tiny fraction of the overall sound market. But, of course, 2006 is going to be the year, so maybe at NAMM next week in Austin the floodgates will open and mLAN will be the hot — okay, I’m not kidding anyone here.

That said, you can now download drivers for your Yamaha-branded mLAN gear with Universal Binary support for Intel Macs, and — wait a minute. What’s this? The list of even Yamaha mLAN gear is getting shorter, because Yamaha has declared a number of its own mLAN products “legacy.” They’ll be happy to help you upgrade via a page entitled mLAN Loyalty.

I enjoy the picture, though. I think this person is driving through the Valley of Forgotten Technologies.

I’ve been proven many times wrong before, so if someone can explain to me what makes mLAN useful beyond a couple of pieces of Yamaha hardware that haven’t been redubbed “legacy,” I’d love to hear it. Knowing how these things go, I’ll probably shoot out my mouth only to have one of the mLAN engineers show up in comments. In the meantime, this one goes in the X-Files, for “did we ever really believe that was going to catch on”?

Early 2006 brought us the blockbuster Intel Mac ports — Logic, Live, Reason, and (most recently) Pro Tools LE — but now, finally, plug-ins are flooding in with Universal Intel versions. Just in over the last week:

BIAS Peak 5.2 brings Intel-native support to the old standby Mac audio editor. With Soundtrack Pro now available only as an upgrade for existing customers or as part of the Final Cut Studio bundle, Peak is likely to be many Mac users’ stereo waveform editor of choice. See my review for Macworld. Cost: Free.

Celemony’s Melodyne Software suite is up to 3.1, bringing not only Intel Mac-native support but some significant bugfixes and ReWire enhancements, as well. I got to speak to these folks at NAMM in January, and the new Melodyne is an incredible piece of software: it truly delivers on being able to stretch and re-pitch audio in a musical way. Cost: Free.

Last year, we got used to the idea of superstar Windows developer Cakewalk being “Mac guys,” just as we were getting used to the idea of Macs shipping with Intel processors. Now you get both in a single app: Cakewalk just announced they’ve updated their superb Rapture soft synth for Intel Macs. Rapture is a lot of fun, with an extensive but accessible modulation section and great-sounding anti-aliasing. It’s amusing to see Cakewalk beat a lot of long-time Mac developers to the punch. Cost: Free.

In addition to the full versions of these software, the “Lite” bundled versions of all the software included in the Pro Tools Ignition Pack are now all also Intel-ready. Cost: Free.

The message to developers here is clear: give people Intel-native versions free so they don’t have to pay for your software all over again.

So, how are Apple’s MacBooks and MacBook Pros doing for musicians? The interesting thing I’m hearing is that almost every PC user I know plans to make their next laptop a Mac. I don’t blame them; while I love the new desktop PC I built, Macs are still by far the most hassle-free mobile machines. A lot of us are waiting for the inevitable first revision to these machines, but in the meantime, people who have sprung for new Macs seem pretty happy. DJ Miles Maeda was playing on a set with me last night at Monkeytown in Brooklyn, and I got to check out his machine. He opted for the glossy 17″ display, and it looked fantastic. The extra screen real estate made it easy to monitor Ableton Live sessions on the go. He was pleased, as I have been, with how fast the Core Duo machines are. Notably, too, his computer doesn’t exhibit the high-pitched whine some of the early production-build MacBook Pros had.

Let us know your experiences if you pick one up. Software is rapidly approaching critical mass for many people to make the switch.

Now, I’ve gotten in trouble before when I’ve said Finale was blatantly copying its music notation rival Sibelius. But I don’t think anyone can argue with me this time. The major features in Sibelius 4: parts linked to full score, and integrated video support and film scoring features. The major features in Finale 2007, based on a marketing email I just got from Finale:

1. Parts linked to full score
2. Integrated video support and film scoring features
3. Intel Mac native support

Sounds familiar, huh? Now, honestly, these were really features that both packages would inevitably add, so I’m glad to see Finale continuing to level the playing field. And don’t get me wrong: there are plenty of other features that are unique to Finale; Finale users will want to read through the extensive feature list Finale just posted. Specifically, they continue to improve integration with Native Instruments Kontakt Player and Human Playback features. Unlike Sibelius, Finale can host a wide range of VST/AU plug-ins (all based on Kontakt); the feature works really well in Finale 2006 and is improved in 2007. But most importantly, I think copying is good, not bad. Many of the Sibelius and Finale users are fiercely loyal to their product; they have to be — composing is hard enough work as it is, and switching from one platform to another would be a big adjustment.

Bottom line: when rivals compete, users win. MakeMusic once didn’t even want to acknowledge that it was competing with Finale; as far as I know, they still don’t like to refer to “the competition” by name. They’re clearly aware of it. And their product has gotten a lot better as Sibelius matured. (Sibelius has improved a lot, too; I’ve been a Sibelius user since version 1.xx, and looking back, frankly, that version was pretty awful. 4.1 is a joy.)

I wholeheartedly endorse upgrading each product, with one caveat: back up your system and keep your old version handy. Your scores are too important to risk on any upgrade from any company. Case in point: a bug in the Finale 2006 installer for Mac (later fixed) could wipe out preferences. But, once you’ve backed up, sometimes the latest-and-greatest really can be the greatest.

The only real bad news? A few lines in my book are now out of date.

Update 2006-01-13: We have learned that a BCD2000 user, Evinyatar has released an OSX compatible driver (Universal Binary, MIDI functions only), and has plans for more customizations. -JL

Behringer’s North American PR rep Derrick Davis tells us the BCD2000 isn’t shipping in quantity yet; Jaymis got his hands on a limited-release shipment. The Mac is currently unsupported; that much we can confirm, as we’ve received a couple of reports in which Mac users tell us they’ve been unable to get it working. (The device itself is not class-compliant and requires drivers for the control surface to communicate with the computer.) Behringer expects to ship in quantity soon, though Davis didn’t know whether Mac drivers would be included. It would be surprising if they were not, given the BCD’s fader and rotary controller siblings (The BCF- and BCR2000, respectively) are Mac-compatible. But, really, we won’t know until it ships. Stay tuned.