I usually don’t pick up presets and sound libraries on CDM, but this one deserves an exception. Musicrow has built a preset pack for Arturia’s Moog Modular V. That’s the software emulation of the truly modular Moogs — the ones with patch cords — so this gives you what you don’t get out of the real thing, a set of sound presets you can call upon immediately. Looks like a good blend of “traditional” presets and more unusual ones, and Arturia’s emulation, like the original Moog modular, has a rich set of sonic capabilities.

20 of the 200 presets are available for immediate, free use; if you like them, the whole set is US$39 (EUR29).

Musicrow Modular Dreams

I have to say, as much as I loved the tactile feel of patching on a real Moog modular, and as much as the software sound falls slightly short of the real thing, you can’t beat the fact that you can transport a laptop and save presets! Photo by Erikadotnet.

Native Instruments has released their free KORE player software and the first packs of sounds for the KORE platform today. It’s part of their play to get soundware addicts onto KORE, their all-encompassing instruments and effects package. First, here’s a review of what KORE actually is, as it’s expanded from even what it was when first announced at the beginning of 2007. KORE is…

• KORE software, a tool that can act either as a plug-in or a host for plug-ins, which provides sound browsing, internal effects, and performance controls for combining sounds and effects in semi-modular fashion - ships as KORE 2
• A hardware controller, integrated with the software for high, resolution hands-on control and the ability to audition and switch sounds and performance presets without looking at your computer - also ships with KORE 2
• A sound platform, in which NI presets for existing instruments and effects are categorized and controlled in standardized ways — which doesn’t require KORE 2
• A set of functionalities built into NI’s instrument and effects line that make it easier to browse presets (theirs or your own) in a standard way — again, doesn’t require KORE 2 (though integrates with the hardware if you’ve got it)

So, what’s it all mean? Well, in short, you can get a handful of sounds for free, some good sounds for cheap — but, as often happens, the exciting stuff is at the deep end of the pool when you pay up for the full KORE and get a semi-modular performance environment for instruments and effects, integrated with control hardware. And since we like diving in the deep end around here, you know upfront where our bias is. That said, here’s a quick look at some of the bargain buys to be had, which could complement another tool nicely.

Craig Anderton is easily the most prolific music technology writer on the planet. We got an exclusive interview with him at Cakewalk at the NAMM show to talk about the technologist who has had the biggest impact on him: Bob Moog.

Craig talked to us about two projects, each a tribute to Moog’s legacy. First, there’s The Minimoog Tribute, an inexpensive expansion pack for Cakewalk’s Rapture and Rapture LE synths. Why another set of Moog samples, given there’s a fake Minimoog patch or thirty in just about every synth? Craig tells us he wanted to do something different: really create patches that “cover” the classics rather than duplicate them, taking advantage of samples of his personal Minimoog but blending them with Rapture’s digital capabilities.

Craig also talks about why he chose Rapture, because “it basically says twist my knobs, man, have a good time.” (I won’t touch that one.) In all seriousness, he describes the relationship with the synth as being a personal one.

And this isn’t just a preset pack. It’s got gear porn in it, too — cue the Moog porn bassline.

Craig Anderton’s MiniMoog Tribute Expansion Pack [Cakewalk]

Liz interviewed Craig for CDM at the Cakewalk booth:

NAMM08: Craig Anderton @ Cakewalk - Moog Tribute for Rapture [cdm@blip.tv]

But the real reason Craig wanted to have this interview wasn’t just to talk about his product — it was to make an impassioned plea for The Moog Foundation, which is working to save the vast archival materials Bob Moog collected through his life. They’re not just the history of Bob, or the history of Moog synthesizers: they’re a chronicle of the history of electronic music. And they now have met a formidable foe: humid southern weather. But you can help:

NAMM08: Craig Anderton @ Cakewalk - Moog Foundation [cdm@blip.tv]

A portion of the proceeds from the Minimoog expansion pack for Rapture will be donated by both Craig and Cakewalk to the fund, but even if you’ve only got $10 or $15, consider giving something directly to the foundation — or volunteer or contribute in other ways.

Moog Foundation Call to Action

Donation form

Have Moog synths influenced the way you use non-Moog synths and software? We’d love to hear how — aside from the obvious ways, of course. I know my approach to sound was deeply affected by using both the Buchla and Moog modular systems, even applying thinking about sound and synthesis to very different digital systems. Let us know in comments.

Way back in January of last year, when Native Instruments introduced its Kore sound product, they promised the software/hardware tool would become a new “sound platform.” The idea makes sense: part of the point of Kore is the ability to easily catalog presets for NI and third-party instruments and effects, which would be a logical pairing with big sample libraries and plug-ins that otherwise have lots of presets. (And this is potentially useful if you’re managing settings you’ve created yourself.) About a year after the launch of KORE, though, third-party support hasn’t really materialized. I had speculated sample makers might embrace the format, but that never happened — and one of my likely candidates, East West, abandoned NI’s own Kontakt sample engine for their new “PLAY” engine.

One significant developer is announcing support for KORE, however: Camel Audio. The makers of the terrific CamelPhat distortion/EQ/fatten– erm, “phattening” effect and the deep Cameleon 5000 morphing/resynthesis additive synthesizer have built a number of new KORE-savvy products.

Preset libraries are rarely designed with the avid sound designer in mind. Usually what you get is overdesigned patches that don’t really work for your music. Andrew Souter sends an interesting collection today, however: a $15 library for Native Instruments’ Absynth synth with 1,000 wavetables (single-cycle waveforms, the building blocks of lots of classic digital and analog sounds). That sounds more my speed, and it should be just the thing to pair with Native’s incredibly-powerful synth. The categories sound useful, too: “Additive, AM, Classic, FM, Formants, LoFi, Serial, and UHF.” This library is a translation of an impressive MetaSynth library; with support for Mac and Windows Absynth 2 and 3, this release should reach a bigger audience. (And much as I love MetaSynth, it’ll be even better to have something you can play live.) I’m going to try this thing out and start brushing off my Absynth chops — expect a report later this summer.

Galbanum Architecture Waveforms for NI Absynth

Being an electronic musician is doubly challenging — on top of learning musical skills, the technology is basically an instrument to be learned. Regular CDM tipster Michael Weeks has put together what has to be the most condensed guide to synthesizer programming I’ve ever seen. Beginners, if you aren’t quite ready to dive into a book and want a lunchtime refresher, this is perfect. More advanced users, now you have a quick link to give those beginners — and I suggest skipping down to item 6, “Chaos as structure”, for some CDM-friendly tips. The site also features a new tutorial on miking electric guitar. That’s MusicPlayer(S).com, not MusicPlayer.com. Great work, Michael.

To me, you really can’t have enough good resources for learning. As I’m in the process of learning OpenGL coding in Jitter and interactive animation in Flash (oh yeah, it’s tricky), I’m relying on a) the Web, b) books, and c) real human beings. None of those three are easily replaced. So I say, bring it on, both free online resources and print and in-person learning.

The Covert Operators now have their own Website, and they’re filling it up with tons of sound content for Ableton Live. You may recall the excellent free Covert Operators preset library (most of them for Ableton’s Operator synth); it’s back and newly-updated, for a total of 700 nicely-organized presets. On top of that is the new Sound Wrecks library, with 3000 LiveClips, hundreds of FX chains, and 66 drum kits.

Propellerhead Reason has long had great add-on content (see CDM’s recent update on that), but finally Ableton Live is coming into its own. Add this to the vastly-expanded presets Ableton includes in version 5, plus great soundware from Trackteam Audio, and Live 5 has a really robust set of sounds, on the cheap, no less. Now go mangle them and make them your own.

Previously:

Covert Operators: Free Sounds for Live
More Free Operator Sounds: Covert Operators 3
LiveFills “Point-Five”: Updated Content for Ableton Live 5

Ableton has finally packed some great presets into Live 5, but it’s a far cry from the amount of instrumental/sample and effects content built into something like Reason. That’s why we’re such great fans of Track Team Audio and their libraries of additional content for Live. Live 5 totally changes how presets work (that’s a good thing), so the Track Team stuff is now being updated.

The first of the updated LiveFills, the Tacklebox, is now available. The others are coming soon. These upgrades bring lots of new content, new features, and other improvements taking advantage of Live 5’s new features. US$12 for existing users (but well worth it with the amount of new stuff that’s included). Check out the updates here:

Track Team’s Point Five

Seems I slept through this, but the good folks on the Ableton forum have come up with still more great patches for Ableton’s Operator synth. The good news: it sounds like these patches will work with Live 5. The better news: Live 5’s device chaining capabilities will bring cooler, wetter effects, silencing critics of Operator griping about no built-in effects or lackluster presets.

Check out Covert Operators volume 3. And this will work with the Live demo; current version is save-disabled but allows unlimited use.