Korg ER-1 Feedback trick

You ever plug the output of your ER-1 into the input? Here’s how to cross the streams and bring some new energy back into this old beast.

I’ve lost control

I wanted to finally use those qlink knobs on the akai z8. So what better than a remake of my favorite classic? The seq is a 4 bar loop I punched into the mpc. All samples are on the Z8. The synth drone is originally off a rompler but the loop and lfo to pitch is on the akai.

1,2 – assigned to cutoff and resonance for “I’m losing Control”
3 snare volume
4 wet/dry for effects on voice sample.
5 kick drum volume
6 CH volume
7 OH volume
8 synth drone volume

The Knobs require zero force to turn so I keep my hand on the base when turning something or i’d turn it too much. I wish they were harder to turn.

All in all if you have any Akai product with those knobs give em a shot. I got the idea from some dude I saw in sf going crazy with the qlink on a mpc1000 during a show. He made it look like a Vestax.

Hardware synths are back!

It’s time for me to hang up hardware in the studio. So, I was browsing sites for a controller and good software package when I came to Novations site. I paused for a moment in sadness as I remembered the days of when they were the leaders in ground breaking tech (I still got a drumstation hiding somewhere) . Anyways as I searched the site and saw this beauty! Enjoy and it’s coming in under $800.

Monotron Vs Access Virus

I just picked up the monotron after a month of backorder and no replies from musiciansfriend. Here’s a comparison for you synth dweebs!

Custom MPC 1000 (Access Virus Edition)

I got tired after years of seeing blue and decided to mod my MPC 1000 after seeing Forat‘s insane mpc works. This is based on the Access Virus although I…er styleflip got the color wrong. (See comparision shot below)

Here’s the work so you can make your own.

1. download this template.

2. Go to www.styleflip.com and upload this image. Resize it to fit the MPC1000 on the site. It says it will take 3 weeks to get the panel, but It took like 4 days to get mine -I guess 3 weeks is worse case. Note: The red comes out much lighter after sending it to styleflip and the black comes out not quite black.

3. Go to www.mpcstuff.com and grab the wooden sides and black LCD surround if you have a blue MPC. You need to also grab wood sealant from the hardware store as these come with a very very weak porus seal. I grabbed a small can of minwax.

4. (Blue MPC’s only) lightly sand the MPC and paint it flat black mainly around the buttons and QLinks. This will make is so the sticker template will show black around it’s edges as it’s actually a but wider than the buttons.

5. I rubberized the buttons to get a nice feel to them. Grab plasti-dip from the hardware store and get to work. I’d recommend the spray but the dip worked for me. I just dipped the whole thing and even though it didn’t form to the button right away about an hour later it tightened up.

Quack Trax 808/909 Sample CD

Yup it’s been done 10,000 times before. These are very clean samples I recorded off the Novation Drumstation as I’m about to put it up in storage. 130+ samples but no MPC Programs for you so you get to set that up yourself

Download Quack Trax 808/909

Yamaha Sample CD Converter

Over on the Live PA Forum a member asked about converting yamaha A4000 sample CD’s. I checked Chicken Systems and it’s doesn’t look like it supports the Yamaha A Series. Here is a program I whipped up to convert entire yammy CD’s to normal WAVS. It’s also useful if you want to quickly preview CD’s (after you converted them to wavs) as the A Series is slooow. Also, these are the raw samples so they don’t give you the true patch with filters, envelopes and effects which the yammy excels at.

D’s Tested Syntraxx, String/Choir, DJ/Producer Toolkit,Key’s n synths – btw yamaha packed these cd’s with tons of samples seems more than the programs use. IE. DJ Producer Kit had 1,608 samples on it!

Download It!
QuackTraxx Yamaha Sample CD Converter

Quack Traxx: DM5++ Sample CD

Turn your MPC1000 into the classic Alesis DM5!

I just mega sampled My Alesis DM5, Unlike most sample cd’s This has 100% of the internal programs with Pan Level Tune already mapped for your MPC complete following the original DM-5’s settings -Even mute groups. Most programs cover all 64 pads. They are sampled at 44.1khz on a Echo Gina64 and yes this took a long time!

All 500+ sound’s are included as well so you can make your own kits. As a test I played a midi track via the MPC and the DM5 panned one to the left and the other to the right and it’s pretty much stereo. Well the DM-5 does sound a bit better.

Quack Traxx: DM5++
Download Em!

CS2X Cubase Script

Just finished a script to convert yamahas CS2xTune’emup format files to cubase so nows there’s a usable script format for the old cs2x. Yay!  Performance’s are not included just multi. A readme is in the zip on how to install it if you havent installed scripts before.

http://www.autodefrost.com/~travis/files/cs2x_cubase.zip