Go Forward, Move Ahead
Jan 1, 2008 12:00 PM
HITCH A RIDE: THE THUMMER
One of the most original ideas in a long time is the Thummer, a unique handheld multi-input musical device. Not meant to be just another controller, the Thummer is part of what Thumtronics (www.thummer.com) designer Jim Plamondon calls “a focused effort to grow the market by increasing the success rate of music education.” Essentially, it tries to help those new to music stay on the path longer by offering an instrument that is less daunting to master. The Thummer offers extensive expressiveness while being intrinsically intuitive and easy to learn. Each of its palm-size halves is operated by Touch-, Aftertouch- and Velocity-sensitive buttons that are organized into a repetitive geometric layout that makes melodic transposition simple and harmony easier to understand (see videos on the Thummer site). Small thumb-operated controllers on each wing offer muting/muffling, expression, portamento, modulation and pitch control on the fly without removing your fingers from the keys.
The eMotion Thummer adds an internal motion sensor for another layer of control — extreme expressive potential. Even on a good keyboard, you need one hand to play keys and another to turn knobs; on the Thummer, you can control notes and effects with a single hand, meaning you can easily play two separate sounds — each with deep, expressive control — simultaneously. And DJ/VJ/performance potential is endless for assigning the buttons to MIDI controls. Once manufacturing begins, expect retail prices around $375 and $575 (eMotion). Here's hoping Thumtronics finds a suitable investor soon, before we see Chinese-made knockoffs.
— Asher Fulero
PREDICTION: MAJOR LABELS' PLAN B
Major labels will offer a lot of product for not so much money. The iTunes model won't die, but expect the majors to experiment with either licensed P2P and/or the bucket of tracks for one flat price model, ŕ la eMusic. With CD sales tanking, major labels will be forced to try new ways of selling music.
— Bob Lefsetz
ARTIST-RUN STUDIOS: NE-YO
Creating state-of-the art studios has become the norm not only for producers but for artists, as well. How do these artist-run studios stack up against commercial labs? Singer/songwriter Ne-Yo, who opened his Carrington House Studio in Atlanta earlier this year, says he designed the studio to suit his personal needs. “I was very selfish when I was thinking about what I wanted the studio to be,” he says. “It wasn't even a thought of renting the space out every now and then. I knew I was going to be spending a lot of time here, and I wanted it to be as comfortable as possible.” Ne-Yo says he wanted a one-stop shop. “I needed a studio that is completely self-contained, where mixing, mastering, recording, everything could be done right there in that spot.”
Carrington House has three floors that house the studio and business offices. The A Room is for recording, the B Room is for making beats and the Live Room is for rehearsing. The facility also has a kitchen — complete with a 24-hour chef — and a lounge. “You honestly wouldn't even know that it was a studio until you went upstairs and saw the equipment,” says Ne-Yo. Speaking of equipment, Ne-Yo says he had only one preference when it came to the tools of his trade: “It's just gotta work,” he says. “When I push the button, it needs to work.” And engineer Jaymz Hardy-Martin III is there to make sure it does. From preamps to MIDI gear, Hardy-Martin has taken special care to outfit Carrington House with top-of-the-line recording equipment, including a Pro Tools|HD3 system; Avalon, Universal Audio and Focusrite preamps; Neumann U 87 mics; and a Tascam DM-4800 console.
Ne-Yo says he hopes to expand the facility someday. “There's a studio in Miami called Circle House that I record at when I'm down there, and I love the whole setup of that place,” he says. “It's kind of like a huge compound. We might wind up doing something like that in the next couple of years, but as of right now, Carrington House is fully functional, and it suits us just fine.”
— Rhonda Baraka
DEAFENING BUZZ: GUNS 'N' BOMBS
Given this country's fickle appreciation for dance sounds, it's fitting that America's best bet for dancefloor supremacy comes from a foreign-born duo (via Italy and Denmark) that has adopted L.A. as a home base. But Johnny Love, who teams up with Filip Turbotito to make rugged beats as Guns 'n' Bombs, thinks the timing is right for a breakthrough.
“America is getting a little better,” Love says. “Maybe people are getting more open to dance music, and if they do, it'll be great.”
Remix work for Chromeo, The Gossip and Klaxons, along with a lone release on France's Kitsuné, have labels of all sizes calling about G'n'B's grinding club beats. But the duo is blocking out the buzz to focus on recording.
Working in a relatively simple digital studio based around Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase and Propellerhead Reason, Love and Turbotito are aiming to take things beyond their buzz-saw beats to explore more melodic sounds. As for vocal co-conspirators, Love proudly asserts, “All the people we wanted to work with are already dead.” But Turbotito freely rattles off an impressive list of possible collaborators, including Peaches, DJ Funk, his former group Junior Senior and legendary L.A. band Sparks.
With plans to complete a full-length album by spring, G'n'B hopes to then hit the road with an analog-based live show, including “some crazy guitar pedals and effects,” Turbotito says. Recorded or live, G'n'B will be bringing the combustible beats.
— Noah Levine
FAIR TRADE: SSL PRO-CONVERT V5
In late 2007, Solid State Logic (SSL; www.solid-state-logic.com) acquired the Universal DAW Project Translator technology that Cui Bono Soft had been working on for seven years. Now released by SSL as Pro-Convert V5, this leveler of playing fields helps computer-based audio projects from disparate DAWs become easily sharable. No more bouncing files separately and rebuilding automation on a new DAW when you change studios midstream; simply use Pro-Convert to translate the session into a destination format, and off you go. Pro-Convert is compatible with Pro Tools, Soundscape, Cubase, Nuendo, Vegas, Sonic Studio, SADiE, Final Cut Pro, Adobe Audition, OMF, AES31, Sequoia, Open TL and Tascam BU. Although some very popular platforms are absent (Logic, Digital Performer, Ableton, Traktion, Sonar), the idea of opening a PC Cubase session with Pro Tools on a Mac — complete with files, automation, fades and everything else — is almost too good to be true. Pro-Convert V5 represents a major upgrade from Cui Bono Soft's previous version, including up-to-date compatibility with the newest versions of each format.
— Asher Fulero
| Want to use this article? Click here for options! |  |
