The American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill (a.k.a. the economic porn-sounding “stimulus package”) hasn’t had that much press for its musician funding. Wait, that’s because there isn’t any, really. So there’s never been a better time for free, which is just how much this clinic tour will cost audio engineers interested in learning about Cakewalk’s SONAR V-Studio 100, and in some locations SONAR V-Studio 700. Taking place at retailers such as Best Buy and Guitar Center, Cakewalk’s events are happening through September (click here for schedule) and promote these digital-music-production systems:
The highly compact, portable SONAR V-Studio 100 offers eight in + mix/six out including two XLR phantom-powered mic preamps, two 1/4-inch TRS inputs and a Hi-Z 1/4-inch guitar input. The mixer/MIDI interface supports 24-bit/96-kHz quality, several reverbs and compressors, and an SD WAV recorder. It also tethers to a MAC/PC by USB 2.0 for use of the motorized, touch-sensitive faders, rotary encoders, and additional transport controls with any DAW through Mackie Control, while offering advanced control of the SONAR VS DAW and effects/instruments Production Pack.
The SONAR V-Studio 700, meanwhile, includes the VS-700R I/O, the Roland Fantom VS synth, and the instruments Rapture and Dimension Pro. This control surface offers a per-channel LCD display, EQ/Send/ACT section, rotary encoders/switches, and motorized touch-sensitive faders plus lighted buttons, full transport control, jog/shuttle, etc., audio monitor controls, dual headphone output, and DV-7/V-Link compatibility, among other features. The I/O is 21/30 (19/24 simultaneous), eight phantom-powered TRS/XLR inputs, eight mic preamps, 24-bit/192-kHz A/D converters, per channel DSP, 14 analog outputs, ADAT I/O, digital I/O (AES/EBU, coaxial), a USB 2.0 connection, MIDI In/Out with Wordclock Sync, and the ability to double capacity. The Fantom VS has 1400 patches, low latency, and low-CPU performance, a VSTi plug-in and synth editor for routing within SONAR, plus expansion boards.
A rad little piece of cheeky fun from Man Recordings label boss Daniel Haaksman. Great electro drums and handclaps fuse together with a ridiculous Spanish guitar and some whistling. High-energy stuff from the original Gostoso EP that recently received superb remixes from Sharkslayer on the remix EP.
Chrissy Murderbot has been hot on our radar as of late and this dubbed-out remix of a Caspa remix from drum and bass producer TC (a.k.a. Tom Casswell) has got a little bump, grind, and then some.
After years spent remixing the likes of Cut Copy and Van She, Australia’s electro funkster Gloves recently gave the world his first original production, “P.Y.X.,” via the Modular-affiliated Bang Gang label. On his remix, Boys Noize cohort P.Y.X. (Strip Steve Paradise Dub)
Every day this month we’re rolling out a new feature on XLR8R‘s Labels We Love of 2009. Whether it’s the eye-catching aesthetics of Type or the model-for-the-future approach of Interdependent Media, these cut-making selections of the best in underground electronic, indie, hip-hop, and experimental imprints punch way above their weight. Feast your eyes on the features and then download many of the labels’ related podcasts here.
Cross-pollinating sound and vision with Xela’s U.K.-based experimental outpost.
Since 2003, John Twells’ and Stefan Lewandowski’s Surrey, U.K.-based Type label has been challenging the boundaries of experimental and pop music, ushering the cross-pollination of the two into all kinds of sonic beauty. But just as important as the gorgeous sounds that they have released—from the likes of Khonnor’s critically acclaimed Handwriting to Twells’ own records as Xela—is the label’s visual aesthetic, which combines exquisite illustration and rich photography. Here, Twells tells us about five of his favorite Type album covers.
Deaf Center’s Pale Ravine Pale Ravine is one of the more iconic early Type covers, I think—it was designed by Erik Skodvin, who’s also in the band. It was the first record Erik designed for us, and I think it really set the scene for the darker, more ominous style he would pioneer. The idea was to create something that summed up both the title and the monochrome, Lynchian sound of the album, and I think these smoky grayscale images did that perfectly. Erik went on to work on a number of other covers for us, not least his own ultra-gloomy Svarte Greiner sleeves.
Grouper’s Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill This is a cover we get asked about all the time, usually, “Who’s the creepy girl?” Well, it’s actually Liz Harris (a.k.a. Grouper) herself, and when she sent it over, I literally got shivers down my spine. I think it not only accompanies the music and the deeply nostalgic resonance perfectly, but also works as an incredibly strong image in its own right. Liz told me she was standing outside in the cold for ages waiting for her dad (who enjoyed photography) to get the shot “just right”—she learned early the sacrifices you have to make for art.
City Center’s City Center When talking to Fred Thomas about the City Center album, the thing that came up again and again was that he didn’t want it to look like an “ambient album.” By that he meant he didn’t want it to look like a usual Type sleeve. We had a “no landscapes, no buildings” agreement, and set about looking for photographs that might fit. Eventually Fred found Mary Manning, who had a great photo blog, and we asked her to come up with some pictures based on a few ideas and a pre-master of the record. The result was better than we could have imagined—playful and aesthetically gorgeous without looking quite like anything else on the label.
Xela’s In Bocca Al Lupo Matthew Woodson has done a huge amount of sleeves for Type. I think his illustrations have become one of our trademarks in many ways, and we work very closely together. Since this was my album and I know Matthew so well, we decided to take the art as far as possible and bounced some ideas back and forth. We ended up with Jesus being eaten by wolves—wolves being a link to the title (translated: “Into the Mouth of the Wolf”) and Jesus being a link to the religious themes of the music itself. Since Matthew had encouraged me to do the music in the first place (it was for an art installation in Chicago), it felt very collaborative from the start.
Mokira’s Persona For Andreas Tilliander’s latest album, the artwork came directly from the title. When he mentioned it was called Persona, I instantly thought of the Ingmar Bergman film of the same name, and that formed the basis of the sleeve art. I had worked with the photographer Linus Lohoff before (he did Goldmund’s Malady of Elegance) and relayed these thoughts to him—Persona, having strong themes and visuals—and he went away and created a set of images. We decided to run with monochrome as it seemed to go with the whole Bergman homage the sleeve ended up being.
Download Xela’s exclusive Type Records podcast here.
The buzzing, ticking terrain plotted by the Austrian experimental duo of Florian Kmet and Stefan Németh has assumed a more fleshed-out shape with Transition, their second LP following 2005’s 7 Million. In the four-year interim, they’ve made their warm, minimal aesthetic feel slightly more threatening. Subtle rhythmic touches—shaker, snare, bells—blow an ominous gust behind tracks alternately desolate (“Bruit”) and oddly unsettling (what sounds like a creaky wood galleon on “Roads”). “Volver” stands out as a Stars of the Lid-like highlight; a Fender Rhodes piano gently ties together a classical guitar arpeggio, gauzy accordion, and light drum taps, bringing about a dusty, somber moment of beauty. Transition should not be overlooked—Lokai should easily sate any drone enthusiast’s palate.
Domino’s Ben Jacobs will be bringing his Max Tundra persona to America this week to smear some of that electro-pop nectar across dancefloors in Chicago and on both coasts. Catch him while you can starting tonight in San Francisco.
08/18 San Francisco, CA Cafe Du Nord 08/19 Los Angeles, CA Spaceland / Club NME 08/20 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle 08/23 Brooklyn, NY East River State Park w/ Girl Talk
It’s been four years since the amplified tribe of Lightning Bolt has launched an offensive from the jagged peaks of Hypermagic Mountain, but noiseniks of all strains should be on the lookout because a crushing wave of attacks is heading your way just in time for the Halloween season. Earthly Delights (Load) finally arrives in October following the disposal of two full-lengths of material from the Providence two-piece, so listeners should be in for the usual treat of scuzz warfare and probable shellshock from the deafening raid of fairies, gnomes, and goblins. The two Brians also have a handful of scattered dates on their itinerary for the coming month, including a much-anticipated appearance at the FYF Festival in downtown L.A. on September 5.
Tour Dates
08/15 Providence, RI AS220 08/16 Amherst, MA U Mass Amherst 08/30 Brooklyn, NY 979 Broadway Backyard 08/31 Philadelphia, PA First Unitarian Church 09/05 Los Angeles, CA FYF Fest Presents Save Our State Parks!
Earthly Delights track list:
01 Sound Guardians 02 Nation of Boar 03 Colossus 04 The Sublime Freak 05 Flooded Chamber 06 Funny Farm 07 Rain on Lake I’m Swimming In 08 S.O.S. 09 Transmissionary
Hot on the heels of their Pussy EP with the U.K’s 12″-loving Dubsided label, Nadastrom, separately known as Dave Nada and Matt Nordstrom, have come to rescue our dancefloors once again with their forthcoming release, The Saved EP. The Washington, DC duo’s latest productions are rife with cheeky horn loops, thick dollops of synth melodies, and plenty of breakbeats collectively working toward the liberation of your hindquarters. The Saved EP will be released August 24.
We interrupt our usual broadcasting to bring you a special preview of the unreleased Max for Live!
Ableton gave Christopher Willits the green light to show off some of the features from the not-yet-released Max for Live. If you’re a digital-signal-processing dork like us, you know this represents an exciting leap forward.
Tune in once a month as Christopher shows us some of the ways he produces his own music, as well as the many cool things you can do with recording software. According to Christopher, “I simply want to excite people’s imaginations and creative processes so they can more easily create the sounds and music and art they love.”
