Sound designer, technologist, and remix artist Francis Preve sends us some gifts of techno and technology to celebrate his first solo release. For your brain, we’ve compiled the tutorials he’s been working on for Beatportal, which together provide a really great look at some basic music production skills. For your ears, we have his new Ableton-produced single “Caboose” which, coupled with a Josh Gabriel remix – and a free iPhone ringtone exclusively provided to CDM by Josh’s label Different Pieces.

Being a technologist often makes actually finding time to make music a big challenge. But I’ve always been impressed at Fran’s ability to do both. Whether this is your type of music or not, it means that when he talks about techniques, he’s talking about stuff he actually applies in his work – and he has eight Billboard Top 10s to prove his remixing skills, including one for Justice. Here’s what he had to say to CDM about making Ableton Live into a way of reimagining just two samples into a whole track:

The interesting thing about the production of Caboose is that – with the exception of the drums – it was made entirely from two very short vocal samples, entirely in Live 7. There were no third-party plug-ins or softsynths. Every sound was either looped and effected, or placed in Simpler and sequenced, or ‘Sliced to MIDI’ and manipulated. Even the bass is that same vocal sample, tuned down two octaves, distorted, then filtered and compressed. The process itself was so much fun that I’ve since incorporated aspects of it into the follow- up tracks I’m working on now.

In the meantime, Francis has compiled for us a complete index to the tutorials he’s been developing for Beatportal, including synthesis, sampling, effects, Reason’s new Thor synth, and other skills:

Francis’ Tutorial Series for beatportal.com

Fran has worked as a sound designer on Ableton products and the Korg Legacy Collection and OASYS. Here, though, he starts at the beginning. Beatportal has indexed those stories before. But having made a giant map of the Kore tutorials we did recently – and planning to do similar “indexing” – I asked Fran to make a custom, compact list for us so you can easily get at what you need.

Subtractive and analog synthesis

• Introduction to Synthesizer Programming, Part 1
• Introduction to Synthesizer Programming, Part 2
• Some call it analog: How subtractive synthesizers work
• Oscillators: Essential Waveforms
• Oscillators: Mixing and Blending
• Filters: The Wow Factor
• Filters: Going Deeper
• Understanding Envelopes, Part 1
• Understanding Envelopes, Part 2
• Essential LFO facts
• Grasping MIDI Controllers

Introduction to sampling

• Sampling Essentials – Part 1
• Sampling Essentials – Part 2

Tutorials on Reason’s Thor synthesizer

• Stealing Thor’s Thunder – Part 1: Oscillators
• Stealing Thor’s Thunder – Part 2: Filters
• Stealing Thor’s Thunder – Part 3: Modulation

Introduction to effects (series in progress)

• Tutorial: How to use compression
• Tutorial: How to use a delay
• Tutorial: How to use a noise gate
• Tutorial: How to use reverb

Production Master Classes (tips/tricks roundtables with established producers, series in progress)

• Production Master Class: Intros and Outros
• Production Master Class: Kick and bass
• Production Master Class: Hi-hats and top-loops

See also Francis’ book, which I know at least some CDM readers have previously said they really enjoyed. (I have a copy here, it’s pretty excellent!)

Exclusive CDM Ringtone

You know you need some techno when someone calls your iPhone, so here’s an iTunes-format ringtone:

Caboose_The_Ringtone.m4r [Free download from CDM]

Enjoy!

Simon writes:

Hope you enjoy the show and pardon the seriousness of the intro, on reflection I could have been a bit more celebratory in tone. It was sad when Bob Moog passed away but the show celebrates his life.

And before we get too serious, let’s admit it: we’re glad we get to live in an age where Nancy Sinatra’s Daytripper was covered on Moog synths.

Totally Radio: A Bob Moog Celebration

For shorter musical moments, Simon (”Corky”) has an extensive collection of Moog ringtones, so you can keep those Moog sounds ringing everywhere you go. Simon has also produced the fantastic Welcome to Mars podcast, filled with wall-to-wall Moog Voyager sounds.

You can download CDM’s own Moog Voyager ring tone, created by Corky, here:

Create Digital Tone

Preview CDM Tone

And, of course, Moog Music yesterday remembered their namesake with their 20-second Moment of Moog:

Moment of Moog

Composer Ken Soper reflects, “These sounds remind me that Bob, like the Minimoog Voyager, is alive.â€Â?

In case you haven’t seen it yet, The New York Times reports today that New York-area schoolkids have resorted to an unusual solution to cellphone bans. Apparently unaware of phones’ vibrate mode, the students have opted for an incredibly annoying ringtone pitched at 17,000 Hz. Theoretically, “adults” shouldn’t be able to hear that. (The real issue is middle-aged adults, an ironic choice in New York schools where many of the faculty are younger.) I also think that’s a liberal estimate of hearing loss; while most people lose some of their high-end hearing as they age, the numbers from the private security firm quoted in the article seem a little odd — 12,000 Hz for a 50-year-old? I hope not! (Better cover your ears on the subways, huh?)

A Ring Tone Meant to Fall on Deaf Ears [NYTimes.com; registration required and free story may expire]

The upshot of all of this is that there’s a free, if primitive, hearing test in the article (and presumably, all over the Web where these students are getting it). Hearing loss is a major problem; according to Aetna and the Harvard Medical School, 24% and 40% of adults over age 65 have difficulty hearing, and thirty percent of people over age 85 are deaf in at least one ear. For a better hearing test, here’s a free online example (I’m sure there are others online, and of course this does NOT substitute for a medical exam . . . nor can it measure just how annoying a kid with a cell phone can be):

Free Hearing Test

Anyone out there know what typical hearing loss figures are around middle age? (Lately, every time I write something some real experts show up out of nowhere, which is a pleasant experience!)

How do you update something as seemingly simple as CD burning in the year 2005? Pyro and Toast are adding lots of extras, like a quick cell phone ring creator (Pyro) and video features (Toast).

First, a look at Windows: Pyro 5 is a feature-packed tool from our friends at Cakewalk, with new ringtone creation and delivery (easier ripping and export right from the disc), disc burning and ripping enhancements, improved audio editing right in the program, enhanced support for portable players, and more. Best of all, it’s only US$39.95. Steve Thomas from Cakewalk suggests it as a stocking stuffer. (Obviously, that comment was geared at the print publications, planning their December issues, but I’m all for hanging stockings in August if it means I get prezzies!)

Pyro 5 for Windows

Roxio’s Toast 7 Titanium is all about HD: make HD slideshow DVDs from your iPhoto library, convert DivX to DVD, and more. Audio mastering seems to have been forgotten here, though it does have an intriguing iTunes feature: “50 hours of music on a DVD, and enjoy on-screen menus for navigation to your favorite song, automatic “SmartLists,” Shuffle play, and Hollywood-style Dolby sound—with integrated, fast, and easy access to your iTunes library.” US$99.95.

Roxio [site not updated at press time]

Should you upgrade? Pyro 5 has some great features for music, with an elegant interface and lots of audio-centric features; I can’t wait to try it. And the price is right. Toast looks more useful for video than audio, but I’ve used it for all kinds of quick video tasks. Stay tuned . . .

Indie ringtones? `Bout time. (What do you mean, this Jessica Simpson ringtone ain’t cool?)

Jivjiv let’s anyone with art or music create their own cellphone wallpaper and ringtone store. A la cafepress, you even set your own prices. The stores are free; you just wait and collect your cut. You’ll need an Internet-enabled phone to get the ringtones. This all leads to indie coolness like featured bands Porches on the Autobahn (nice name), and, erm, something involving puppets. (No idea.) Thanks, Atariboy!

Of course, CDM’s own ringtone, built on a Moog Voyager, is free.

Exclusive: Corky Berger of the UK-based ONE 40 FIVE Store has been busy cooking up MP3 Moog ringtones
(for use as ringtones, startup sounds, whatever you like) via the
fabulous Moog Voyager.  Unsolicited, they've been kind enough to
make a special ring tone just for us!

Corky Burger's Minimoog Voyager MP3 ringtones invade the createdigitalmusic
website with an exclusive free download. Inspired by the bringing together
of analogue and digital, this ringtone features the aforementioned Minimoog
Voyager, the Elektron MonoMachine and the RFS Minisynth combined to create
one killer ringtone proving that analogue and digital can live in harmony.

Create Digital Tone Download

Preview CDM Tone

Download and enjoy! Turn it up loud! Annoy your coworkers! Alienate your friends!

Thanks for the cool sound design, Corky!

Our friends at Samplepoolz today have the scoop on a new version of the mobile music studio Syntrax
for Symbian series 60 phones like the Nokia 66xx series and Qd phones.
That adds to a number of existing mobile platforms. It's incredible
what you can do with this thing: Syntrax is a fully-graphical real-time
sequencer with 8 channels of audio, built in synths, sampling, looping,
and effects. (And nice to see another site that uses Mambo!)

How might you use this? Aside from having a full studio in your pocket
for sketching on the go, you could easily sync it up with other
instruments in live performance — tap tempo into your computer.

Compatibility: PocketPC, Symbian Series 60, Symbian UIQ (P800, etc.)
Cost: US$12-20

If you dig this sort of thing, Tom Whitwell of Musicthing had a great roundup of pocket music studios on Engadget a couple of weeks ago.