Bitwig studio … promising!

I heard about them, being myself inside technology but especially in all related to art & technology (as you knew…)

Bitwig studio website is : http://www.bitwig.com

Here is their first video

I read a lot of comments.
People complains, as usual, about the fact it “looks like” Ableton Live, etc.
Probably they forgot about the fact Ableton didn’t creates the “tracks” concept, clips concept etc.

Some people in Bitwig are former Ableton developers.
Some people knows that and they compare.

Of course we WILL compare tools, efficiency etc, but today there is only a teaser.
And it is very short and not very demonstrative (consciously, for sure)

As a music producer/composer/performer, I’d say: I ‘m very interested by new tools.
Indeed, some other  producer/composer/performer (I mean not the one who does that 1 hour very fast after his real day job, I mean people swimming in music everyday, like me) knows each tool can be used in particular cases … including the worst one.
At some point, you don’t even  think this one is the best,  this other one is the worst… you are more in the way where all tools can be used.

Thus, yes, I’m interested.

I just finished 2 live performances revamping, creation, merging, adding work.
I’ll play them on next weekend (basically tomorrow & saturday night @ http://maxuk.wordpress.com)
I really understood in some hard work sessions that while you are creating, some tracks, formerly used only for rhythms, became pads, or even voices tracks. All seemed to melt/fusion in a globality you feel and live as a whole piece of music.
In this kind of sessions, I’m exploring, sampling, resampling virtual machines, testing, merging, deleting, saturating, dithering (only for sound modifications purposes) etc
This is the precise moment where I like to open a tool, to use it in a total different way each time ;  this is exactly the moment where I could use a new tool like bitwig… not making a whole live using it at the first time, but maybe a sequence, a clip, piece of midi automation I could grab and put elsewhere…

I’m particularly interested by some features described on their website:
- multi monitor support
- per note automation
- modular system (does it includes an SDK to push the limits very far?)
- mixer clip launcher vs arranger clip launcher
- jamming over internet & LANs (does it involve servers ?)

The Modular native framework

The Point.
Don’t judge, don’t compare when you only have a piece of video with a duration smaller than 40 seconds.
Don’t think white or black.
Even if you are in love with Ableton Live and only it (it sounds crazy for me to behave like that but I respect totally that), then you may be very interested in using other tools !

And don’t forget to subscribe to the newsletter to be a beta tester… I just did it

Preparing last stuff…

My 2 live performances are almost finished.
Almost because this kind of things are never finished ; but you have to decide, at some point, to say “ok, mates, it is finished”

It is more an internal struggle than a certainty but with practice, I can succeed to do that

Tools used are very interesting today because they offer ways to create copy, branch (in the case you are on a project and you want to explore a way knowing it won’t reach the final point but you want to explore) etc.

Tomorrow, flying to UK/London then train to UK/Leicester.
Cold places, afaik.

Trying to post from there

Hardware & I

Because I’m often more than one in my head, I like softwares but I like hardwares too.
We are all dual, but in my case, being also Design the Media & Protofuse, I’d like to merge all inside one (astral) body named Julien.

Mates, it is hard sometimes, but  finally, if I was one and only one, it wouldn’t be fun would it be ?

This is why, today, after an hard work around the MatriX, I want to make a “unifying (astral) hardware”

It would be software inside hardware, music inside software, engineering but artistic project.

I had some hardware experiences like the protodeck (huge) controller
I designed some other little machines like a monome clone.
But purpose was more to make controllers, I mean: machines I could use to control something (software or other machines)

Here are some unrevealed before photographies from the making of the Protodeck !!

Now & because Protofuse became a huge part of my life (huge projects coming, 2 gigs in that only week in UK, remix & mastering for friends too), I WANT to make a sound machine for me but for you too.

It would pop out ambient & zen sounds, in a relaxation purpose
You could use it everywhere and even load my own sounds produced each month.

Firstly, I’d like to know if you’d like to grab one in the case I’d bring them to life.
Please comment your opinions & feelings about that

I just created a closed facebook group in which I’ll invite only very close collaborators & some friends too in order to share & discuss about my designs.
Check the group and eventually ask me if you think I forgot to  join your profile to it : https://www.facebook.com/groups/215860821831464/ 

Take care.

Let’s make music only now

The MatriX is waiting for you
I just released my latest sequencer for Ableton Live.
The official post is here

I liked to design it and I’ll be happy to improve it too.
I already had some nice feedbacks and I’m very curious of what you’ll design with it
It is a tool for me, but especially for all of us too!

Let me know if you want me to publish one of your nice sequence!

Now, let’s prepare the 2 shows
I’m now totally finishing to prepare my 2 live performances in UK on next friday & saturday.
I’m happy to fly there to meet Cycling 74 CEO & developers. Those gurus are cool & fun & .. GURUS.
I don’t regret too much to have declined the invitation to speak. My keynote wasn’t finished and I didn’t want to rush things & make a bad lecture.

I can announce here I’ll probably try to make it in french (!) in Marseille and after that, I’ll publish my Keynote slideshows.
The subject is : Max6 & Max for Live as the framework alternative to pure C++ programming

The MatriX even plays ambient music

Using a very low global  rate as explained in the video, you can even generate soundscapes & ambient sequences.
Here, I’m triggering only one machine: the powerful ABSYNTH uncanny synthesizer by Native Instruments.

Do you like it ?

Tell me by commenting.

The MatriX sequencer as a composition tool

The new MatriX sequencer for Ableton Live I almost finished is a huge tool to design MIDI Clips too.
I’m already using it like that

Check this video:

Do you like it ?
Do you imagine how you would be able to use it ?

Native Instruments & Me

Native Instruments & I are in touch. I like to directly speak on a makers to makers channels

Some friends wrote me “WHAT ? an ableton certified trainer speaking to ennemy ?”
Naughty mates :p
I answered: “Creators & Makers are Creators & Makers. As a Creator, I speak to Creators from Ableton, Native Instruments, Cylcling74 but a lot of others to, everytime”

I guess I’m just a standard guy by writing that.

No ?

2 lives performance scheduled in UK

I’ll play 2 music live performances very soon in UK in Leicester.
Thanks to Sean and the team to have invited me.
I’m sure we’ll have fun

Check the event global schedule here

Here is a VERY smal extract of the live I’ll perform on next saturday (the 14th)

Here are all the informations required:

Friday 13th january
Between 7:30pm – 11:00pm @ Fabrika, Humberstone Gate, Leicester
One sound performance exploring ambient soundscapes & haunting noisy drones.
This will be very close from what I’m currently composing for my Lovecraft’s project.

Saturday 14th january
8:30pm @ Phoenix Square, Midland Street, Leicester, LE1 1TG
One sound performance exploring syncopated rythmed & noisy glitches IDM.

I hope to meet you there!

I can also link my artistic website here: protofuse.net

What am I making these days ?

These days, I worked on my new sequencer after the success of the Uncanny Sequencer.

I’ll soon write a “Sequencing Manifesto”
You’ll like it.
I think the sequence (I didn’t write repetitive sequence) is a key in the electronic music.
It can be a repetitive one, a totally random one, or evolving one according to different factors which can themselves evolve…
I like this kind of biological concept, mimetizing … life.

Here is the teaser. The official post is there.