Game On! – PAPU, Free Nintendo Gameboy Plugin
This week we took a look at a FREE plugin by Socalabs called 'PAPU' which emulates the Game Boy Sound System (or GBS) found in the OG Nintendo Gameboy.
The synth has 2 square-wave oscillators that each can be modulated by Attack and Release, Tune and Finetune, and Pulse Width knobs. The first oscillator offers a pitchshift knob which you modulate by negative or positive milliseconds. A Noise Oscillator is available with A/R knobs, and includes a Shift, Steps button (7 or 15 steps) and Ratio knob to adjust the timbre of the oscillator. All three oscillators have stereo outputs that can be individually switched on and off which allows for some interesting sound design, you could use any combination of. The sounds are absolutely reminiscent of old Nintendo so we thought it would be fun to show you how to achieve a chiptune sound to really spark those memories.
5 Arpeggiator Techniques + Free Cheat Sheet
5 Arpeggiator Techniques + Free Cheat Sheet  We continue with our Ableton Effects cheat sheet series. Check out the previous cheat sheets and techniques by CLICKING HERE. The entire collection is available to Beat Lab students and alumni. Up until now we shared many techniques and cheat sheets cover the audio effects in Ableton Live. The Arpeggiator is the first MIDI effect we tackle. Because it’s a MIDI effect, it must come before an instrument. It does not make a sound on its own but only change the incoming MIDI signals. It can be a very powerful tool to create melodic sequences, basslines, arp textures and percussion phrases and fills. In the most simple form, it can even act as a note repeater. Let’s check out a few ideas of what to do with it. divider style=”clear” Instant Fills  Arpeggiator in Random Style can help you create some awesome …
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A Virtual String Instrument for the Modern Music Producer
A Virtual String Instrument for the Modern Music Producer Output always impresses and brings a modern touch with their software instruments. Their latest, Analog Strings, is a virtual string instrument for the modern era of music making. The instrument is based around blending two sound sources – users can choose from a variety of Orchestral Sounds, Vintage Synths, or Creative Sources – and an engine built to combine, modify, and mess up string sounds in really interesting ways. The Output team spared no expense in recording all of their samples – recording both a 22-piece and 60-piece string orchestra at the beautiful BMC Concert Hall in Budapest. All of those harmonics and rich textures are ready for manipulation. Users are also able to choose between close and far mic placement, allowing for a more intimate or more cinematic sound. Within the Orchestral Sound Sources there are also interesting soloist patches that combine …
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Korg Volca FM Synthesizer – Fresh Off the Line
Korg Volca FM Synthesizer Korg has just released a new product in their growing arsenal of Volca instruments, the Korg Volca FM Synthesizer. The little piece of machinery is a three voice digital synthesizer, packed into an intuitive interface surface a 16-step sequencer, (typical in all Korg Volca’s,) and is equipped with a warp active step and a pattern chain that allows you to dig deep with the rhythmic patterns. The Volca series revolves around simplicity, so sound synthesis is made easy, with a set of modulator and carrier knobs, which are mapped to multiple parameters, making it easy for anyone to hop into synthesis. You are also equipped with a chorus effect to add an extra layer of depth to all your sounds. Two new key features of the Volca Synth is the warp feature and the arpeggiator. The warp feature allows you to warp certain patterns and can make for …
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KordBod – Not Your Ordinary Chord Generator
KordBod – Not Your Ordinary Chord Generator ISLA Instruments launched a kick starter for a powerful little toy called KordBod. A sleek, multi dimensional chord generator. Equipped with a two octave key board, LED display, chord modifier, a ribbon slider, a memory bank and some rotary knobs. The KordBot can be used as a step sequencer, an apreggiator and as a powerful learning device. KordBot is designed to give you easy access to a variety of chords allowing you to create a comprehensive progression on the fly. On the left side of the device you have access to the type of chord structure you’d like to play, be it a diminished 7th or a minor 9th. On the right side, you have a keyboard layout which allows you to choose the root note of your chord. On the top of the KordBot there are six chord memory pads that you …
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MIDI Tricks #2 – Custom Arpeggiator
MIDI Tricks #2 – Custom Arpeggiator What does it mean to Arpeggiate? Arpeggio is when you breakdown a chord to it’s individual notes and play them separately in a sequence. Here is an example using a C Major7th chord. Chord as a Block Arpeggiated chord broken down to the individual notes playing 1/16 notes. We can of course play arpeggiate in any sequence we want and even take notes out or add more notes. In this example we’re playing the notes of the chords in a downward motion and taking out the last note(C3). divider style=”clear” Ableton Live comes with it’s own Arpeggiator MIDI effect. Which can arpeggiate a chord automatically so we only need to hold the notes of the chord when playing or simply draw a sustain chord when editing a MIDI clip. We can choose the speed using the rate and …
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