Native Instruments have just announced their latest Maschine surface, the Maschine+, launching on October 1.

Featuring a quad-core processor and 4GB of dual-channel DDR3L RAM, the Maschine+ will work without a computer attached as a standalone surface for music production and groove making.

The announcement comes just weeks before the October 13 launch date of Native Instruments Komplete 13 suite of instruments and effects.

The main hardware interface is more or less identical to the previous flagship Maschine Mk III unit, however it’s guts and insides are where its power lies.

Listed at £1,099.99 on the Native Instruments website, it is more than double its predecessors. However, if you take away the cost of a computer, and you have a pretty solid deal.

NI’s website does state that you’ll need a wireless internet connection and your Native ID to get set up initially, but once set up, you are free to produce anywhere.

With in-built wifi, users don’t even need a PC to download new content, having access to it straight from the device itself.

The announcement follows an alleged leak by Vintage King, a US-based music gear retailer, which published details on their website detailing the upcoming launch.

According to MusicRadar, Native Instruments has had prototypes for a standalone groovebox as far back as 2014. It seems that they are only now happy to launch it as a fully-functional product.

Maschine+ includes Maschine+ Selection: A dedicated package of nine synths and sampled instruments, 35 effects, and seven Expansions (including two of your own choosing) that work seamlessly in standalone mode.

 It includes synths and effects such as Massive, Fm8, Monark, Prism, the Maschine Factory Selection, Raum, and Phasis.

Maschine+ Storage

It comes with 32 GB internal eMMC flash storage (for OS and factory content) and a 64 GB SD card, which can be swapped out for up to 1TB of storage.

Maschine+ features and specifications

• Standalone workflow for creating beats and melodies, sampling, arranging music, and performing on stage or in the studio
• Includes Maschine+ Selection with instruments, sounds, and effects, plus renowned Maschine drum and bass synth plugins and effects
• Quad-core CPU and 4 GB RAM for fast, seamless creation when it counts
• Pro-grade, 44 kHz / 24-bit audio interface* with 2 x ¼” TRS line outputs, 2 x ¼” TRS line inputs, ¼” dynamic mic input, stereo headphone output, 1 x MIDI In, 1 x MIDI out; 1 x Footswitch, 2 x USB ports for MIDI controllers / external HDDs
• Robust, anodised aluminium design for years on the road and in the studio
• Iconic Maschine features and workflow including 16 velocity-sensitive pads, Maschine effects and plugins, swing, pad link, note repeat, step sequencer, and vintage sampler emulation
• Use standalone or with a computer – integrate with your studio workflow, and unplug for DAW-less setups or live performances
• WiFi and Link enabled for wirelessly installing and updating products, collaborating with others, and syncing with other gear

No third-party VSTs … yet

It is reported that third-party VSTs are not yet compatible with the Maschine+, and this even includes certain plugins from Native Instruments too.

There is speculation that more NI content will be added in the future, but it remains to be seen whether the company will allow other VSTs to ever make it onto the device.

The post Native Instruments launches Maschine+ as standalone hardware on October 1 appeared first on Audio Ordeal.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, global search interest in digital audio workstations (DAWs) has seen a surge.

With people across the world stuck in lockdown and self-isolation, Google Trends results show a significant increase in people looking up DAWs, presumably to take up a new talent.

FL Studio has been the most popular DAW to search for, also having the broadest global appeal. This is followed by Ableton Live, which stood out for British, Australian, and Israeli searchers.

Searches for “how to make music” have increased along with general interest topics related to it.

With the absence of running venues across most of the world, search interest in streaming DJ sets increased significantly, as more people took to performing online.

Unsurprisingly, the music performance and concert industry has faced a major hit, with online interest plummeting. This is a major hit to the industry as there has been a strong upwards trend for search interest over the past five years.

The impacts of the virus will be long-lasting for the music industry, but the silver lining is that an increase in interest will encourage more people to get involved in it.

With a surplus of free time, it will become more accessible to get into music production and people will be able to develop skills while unable to leave their houses.

As dark a time as it is, it will also be pivotal for the future of many producers who would never have had the time to make the songs they have done in these past few weeks.

Stay safe, and stay producing!

The post Five graphs which show how COVID-19 has affected DJs and music producers appeared first on Audio Ordeal.

THERE is a grey area when it comes to software piracy. Sure, a crack of the Waves Gold bundle is hard to dispute – it’s an expensive product and getting it for free is pirating. But what about software such as Reaper?

For those that don’t know, Reaper is a great DAW. It is very cheap (and many people claim it is free). It is somewhat unique because it has an “unlimited” trial license.

When I say this, I don’t mean that Cockos, the developers, say you can use it indefinitely for free, I mean, there is nothing stopping you from doing so.

Cockos don’t add in hardcore anti-piracy features and there is very little to stop someone “pirating” a copy.

You just download it from the website and once the trial period is over, you are simply expected to pay up. If you don’t, the only real consequence is the 5-second nag when you open up the software.

This has led to a large debate among users as to whether the DAW can be called free.

I have seen many people say it is and get shot down in Reaper Facebook groups and discussions.

There are two types of licence for Reaper. The first is for businesses and is more expensive. The second – which most people will fall under – is a personal licence.

The website says:

You may use the discounted license if:

• You are an individual, and REAPER is only for your personal use, or
• You are an individual or business using REAPER commercially, and yearly gross revenue does not exceed USD $20,000, or
• You are an educational or non-profit organization.

People with multiple computers have a lot of flexibility too, as the website says: “If you own multiple computers, you may install the same license key on all of them, as long as you only use REAPER on one computer at a time.”

The straightforward answer is, of course, that you must buy Reaper after the 60 days are up, even though they don’t enforce it.

The reason being that it is the terms of using the software and also to support the developers in the creation of a phenomenal DAW.

The barrier of needing a good income to support the cost of the software … when you need the software to generate income, is something which is a big driver of piracy

It does get a bit murky for some though, especially comparing using a copy of Reaper past its evaluation licence for free and using a cracked software alternative.

For me personally, learning music production and editing was a key part of my childhood hobbies and I didn’t have the spare cash to really spend on software.

For around three years, I used Reaper on its evaluation license without paying until I had left my parent’s home and got a job.

And this is where my personal opinion will be voiced. Pirating software, or using it beyond its evaluation period, is OK provided you go on to buy it.

I am a big advocate of long trial periods for software, particularly in the creative world where people can use it to get into hobbies and then careers.

If you are at school or working, you might not have the endless hours to rigorously evaluate a software before the trial is up. This is why I applaud Reaper’s long 60-day trial period.

But for other software, particularly those that cost hundreds of pounds, the investment is pretty big, and not one to take lightly.

Another instance where I downloaded a cracked software was Native Instruments Massive, which I wanted to play about with in a non-professional hobby capacity. I used it for a few months before I decided to spend hundreds of pounds on the Native Instruments Komplete bundle.

I have been using that suite of plugins for years now and they are worth every penny, but I wouldn’t have made the leap had I not been able to give a spare hour once or twice a week to messing about with Massive.

Much of the music industry is built from people who, as teenagers, used cracked software. The fact is, no amount of anti-piracy measures will rid the industry of it and I stand firmly behind Reaper’s blind-eye approach.

With Reaper not enforcing it, it means that the DAW gets a lot more people trying it out, then inevitably, loving it so much that they spend the small cost it is to use it officially.

So what do I ask of all of you? It’s simple. If you are making any professional money from your use of software, buy it. Your reputation is on the line and many producers at the top have been called out and shamed because they have used cracked versions of software.

If you have been using pirated software (or running the Reaper evaluation for years) then it is probably time to pay up. A film will cost you a few pounds and you get maybe two hours of fun from that. I guarantee you, the price of Reaper, on a cost per hour basis of your enjoyment, is better value than that of films.

Without money, the developers of software cannot fix bugs and roll out updates. If you ever want to complain about issues, you lose the right to if you haven’t paid the fee.

There are alternatives to paying the full price too. Serum, one of my favourite synths, is available on a pay monthly schedule where you have access to it as long as you pay that month’s price. Over the course of many months, you contribute to the full price and once it is paid off, you have it for good.

I like this method and it is by far the best for people like students and people in school. I really hope more software makers use this method in the future because it would allow the monolithic prices of some software options to become available to those who can’t front the cost.

The barrier of needing a good income to support the cost of the software … when you need the software to generate income, is something which is a big driver of piracy. Without accessible options, people who can’t afford it will either look elsewhere or look for a crack.

It is always worth contributing to the industry that you hope will support you into making a profitable career as a musician. If you spread the attitude that products have value, you help maintain that value for the music you go on to produce.

The post Is it OK to use Reaper DAW without ever paying? appeared first on Audio Ordeal.

Controllers vs CDJs in 2019

What is the difference between Controllers and CDJs?

It would seem that while this debate raged furiously in previous years, things are starting to mellow out a lot more now. There have been some key developments in the industry recently that have thrown a spanner in the works. One of the biggest being the huge rise in Denon DJ which has dealt a blow to Pioneer’s dominance as the main CDJ brand.

There is now a solid third category, which has been around for some time, but 2019 will definitely be the “year of the standalone”. Expect this third type to hybridise controllers and CDJs and eventually become the norm.

Controllers

Controllers are getting more advanced. Expect even the cheapest controllers to typically offer features that were premium 5-10 years ago. All controllers worth buying have built-in sound cards now, something which never used to be the case until the past few years. 

While there is a broad range of software, most work with Serato and Traktor, with Rekordbox still growing as a market contender. Controllers are still cheaper than CDJs and allow much more advanced mixing potential – generally with better effects and performance pads/controls. 

Most beginners will choose controllers simply due to price. A basic controller will do almost everything a CDJ can do at a fraction of the price. Whereas a controller in the $1000 and higher range will far exceed a most club CDJ setups in performance capability.

You won’t see as much hate for using controllers anymore, especially as many of them are hardcore pro gear, but you may find that trying to set everything up in a club could cause annoyance. 

This means that controller DJs should still be ready to perform on CDJs more than their home setup.

CDJs/Players

It is worth noting that a lot of “CDJs” don’t use disc drives anymore, instead loading their music from USBs and SD cards, or over Ethernet. This is why they are often now called media players. I shall continue to refer to them as CDJs as despite this technicality they are of the same family.

CDJs used to be black and white. You go to the club and there was a Pioneer setup. Most clubs wouldn’t have the very latest models, but they weren’t too far behind the industry either. 

You used to prepare your tracks in Rekordbox and just rock up to the club. Now this is slightly different. While most clubs will hold onto Pioneer, some are moving to Denon’s Prime series which offers more advanced features at a much lower price. This market is the most exciting at the moment.

CDJs are still seen as the “pro” setup. This is partly because a venue can have them and DJs only need USB sticks, they require much less setup than a controller and you can switch DJs quickly. 

The latest Prime series from Denon is the first time “controller” features have been seen on a CDJ.

Standalone

Standalone units have long been a thing, with controller-style decks fitted with CD/USB drives and a mixer built into the middle.

It would seem a bit late for me to say 2019 may be “the year of the standalone” gear but the big change now is that screens and built-in computers are advanced enough to really offer something special.

Previously, a laptop with Serato or Traktor could always offer more advanced features, but now the brains in the latest standalone controllers are built to match the power of an external computer. 

Standalone units are also growing in popularity in the production world with Akai launching Force, a standalone unit that works much like Ableton Push and a laptop running Ableton combine. This is a big thing for DJs to as it means more live elements can be incorporated into sets.

Expect the latest standalone units to be able to do pretty much everything that a DJ software could do, minus the laptop. 

Standalones also may mark the eventual downfall of CDJs. They not only offer the same features (and normally more) they tend to be cheaper and just as convenient. Instead of having a permanent CDJ setup in a club, you could have a standalone controller instead. 

This option would provide the ability for DJs to rock up with USBs like they did with CDJs, but also allow them to control software too. Even if DJs wanted to use it with a laptop, the controller is already there so they only need to bring their computer. 

It will also make changeovers easy. Dual soundcards have been around for a while now meaning that if they are added to new standalone units, a laptop could provide music to one channel while the next DJ takes over from USBs. This means there would be no silence as the music gets changed over.

What are the latest DJ developments?

It would be wise to follow the trends across the whole DJ gear scene, many of which end up being featured on controllers eventually (if not initially). The scene has been quite dynamic recently with releases from companies such as Native Instruments, who launch new gear infrequently, and Denon, who have really been knocking dents into Pioneer’s throne as the “industry standard”.

Screens are in vogue.

The beauty of tech becoming more accessible is that it gets adopted into all industries. Screens went from being a very exclusive feature of the top end controllers to being available in the mid-range.

Screens are great because they prevent the dreaded “laptop stare” that no audience wants to see. They also allow you to have lots of useful information of the controller as you mix.

Some controllers are have screens at the top, some have one on each deck, and some have them in the platters. What is worth considering, should you want a screen, is what you want displayed. 

Different controllers offer different levels of detail, and while some allow you to hide your laptop away completely, others are really just additional visual feedback.

Standalone systems threaten laptops.

Standalone systems have been around for a long time now, most of which are able to double up as a software controller when needed. The NAMM 2019 announcement by Denon gave the world its first 4-channel standalone DJ system. 

These systems are increasingly welcome as they are cheaper than buying a controller, laptop, and software separately. They are also easy to set up in a club – where the DJs are only required to bring their USB sticks. 

One of the challenges we now face as DJs is that there are multiple brands which offer standalone systems, each with their own software.

It is now not as simple as setting up tracks in Rekordbox for the guaranteed presence of Pioneer CDJs, because Engine (by Denon DJ) is now a major contender on the market. 

This means that DJs must now be aware of the different options they might face in the club.

Motorised platters may soon emerge as standard.

With the recently upgraded hardware from Native Instruments (the Traktor Kontrol S4 MkIII), we have seen motorised platters on controllers. The patented “Haptic Drive” is used on the Kontrol S4 and is a jogwheel which is powered – like traditional vinyl.

The Numark NS7 range (several years dated now) had motorised platters with “real” vinyl on them, but this is a much more cutting-edge implementation. 

It also has enhanced feel to it, such as “clicks” where there are cue points so the DJ can feel their set. This is a really significant development, and will likely be rolled out by other manufacturers in the coming years. 

It would be especially great to see this feature on the largest controllers, which is a niche that Native Instruments have not exploited.

What is the Best Beginner DJ Controller?

Coming in at the low end, this range is for people on a tight budget looking for a controller for parties and small events. They are great to learn on but do remember that the feature-set will not be as extensive as inmore expensive setups. The second thing to remember is that the connections available on low-end gear are generally limited so make sure you have a selection of adapters if you need to use different wires for a setup.

Numark Mixtrack Pro 3

What is the Best Lower-Intermediate DJ Controller?

This stage is where you can comfortable start performing and feel safe that you have the right inputs and outputs. You are paying a bit extra compared to the previous tier, but money is still a factor that you want at the forefront of your decision. Intermediate is a tricky tier in 2019 because it includes both 2 and 4-channel mixers. At the lower price point, however, it is worth mentioning that you’ll likely get a high-quality 2-channel controller, or a lower quality 4-channel one, for similar price.

Denon MC4000

What is the Best Upper-Intermediate DJ Controller?

I added another level to the intermediate stage because this group is generally around the £1000/$1000 mark, but still not the top level. Here you will see 4-channels as default and advanced I/O, but these won’t be the most expensive options. Most DJs who have their own gear for performing will want to be in this level unless they are making serious cash and can afford the bonus extra features.

Denon MC7000

What is the Best Advanced DJ Controller?

This is a really tricky tier to decide on for the reason that there are super expensive options that have everything, but their price-per-feature value is not that great (looking at Pioneer DJ). I am going to assume therefore that if you are at this stage, money isn’t a problem and that you are looking for the best gear on the  market. 

Pioneer DJ DDJ-RZX

The post Best DJ Controllers 2019 appeared first on Audio Ordeal.

Ableton Live released an update today including new features such as user wavetables, a channel EQ and sidechain track freezing. 

The 10.1 update is free to download for Live users and was announced via email.

Alongside much needed improvements to their Wavetable synth, to bring it on par with the likes of Xfer Serum, the Ableton team have touched on several significant improvements.

For many users, the absence of VST3 support has been a major frustration. 

This has been fixed in this latest update, bringing Ableton back up to the level of most other major DAWs.

The update is available on Ableton’s website and is quite a large download.

As you can see, you are redownloading the whole package as Ableton doesn’t update from within. 

So don’t expect to be using the new update immediately if you are using a slow internet connection.

Highlights

• Import wavetables
• Channel EQ
• Simple Delay and Ping-pong have merged into Delay
• New Automation shapes and features
• Resizeable arrangement overview
• Pinch zooms
• Better keyboard shortcuts
• Sidechain track freezing
• Exporting tracks with send routing
• VST3 (finally)

The post User wavetables and VST3 added to Ableton 10.1 appeared first on Audio Ordeal.

Having an artist or producer website is a great way to direct your fans and other people to your music and contact details. If you are a band, producer, or DJ wanting to look professional, then there is nothing better than a pro-looking website. Today I will be going over the requirements, such as what are the best options for choosing a domain, and where to host your site, as well as what to provide so people can find your music online.

This guide will help you find your Wix from your WordPress, your Bluehost from your HostGator, and links to all the different parts you need to read more into.

Honesty note: I have included some affiliate links in this guide. I have only linked to products which I am currently running for this site and would recommend for free (it just helps the site run if I can get something out of my honest suggestions too!)

Why have a website?

Probably the biggest question that you are asking yourself (and probably know the answer to).  

Remember, to be successful, your music must be treated as a business. Either you can treat it like a business, or you can hire a manager. Regardless of how much you want it to be about the music, to succeed, someone needs to do the “office-work”.

Every business should have an online presence. Not only does it mean that someone can find you easily with a google search, it is also a platform to provide updates and news.

There is, of course, the argument that social media is a great platform for this, but over the past few years, Facebook especially has significantly cut the relevance of pages for musicians and small businesses. They say this is to make the content on people’s newsfeeds more friends and family orientated, but it also means that if you want to get around it, you need to put a lot of money into Facebook advertising. 

Convenient.

 

Having a website means that everyone who visits it can see everything you decide. While it has the challenge of getting people to click on it, you should be able to share it every time you have an update.

It is also a digital business card. Many people rank the professional-ness of a business or an individual on their “business card”. If you have a bad LinkedIn profile or hand over a bad business card, you look less serious or professional. Conversely, If you present a nice business card or website, then you will look more professional. 

Many record labels nowadays want a complete product from the start. They don’t want to invest in musicians who aren’t established yet and need to see a level of self-management. This means that a good quality website is essential for any aspiring musician.

Want the easy option? Don't want to read all the stuff below?

If you aren’t too fussed about the details and pros and cons of each offer, that’s OK!

I added this box for the people who just want to get on with it and make a website. In that case, I recommend something which worked for me. If you pick Bluehost, you get WordPress hosting and a free domain. 

It is, in my opinion, the simplest option and has worked well for me. Click here for the link which can get you started immediately and select the “WordPress Hosting” option.

First Steps

The first steps for anything is to know what is needed and what your limitations are. Websites are time-consuming to learn about and can be costly. Likewise, saving time by getting someone else to do it is costly too. 

If you want to take the journey alone and really invest time into the project, I recommend you spend some time using the Google Digital Garage. It is a free online marketing course by Google. It does, of course, recommend that you use Google products in the course, but overall it is a brilliant beginners guide to setting up an online presence for your business. 

Next what you need to know is what you want to achieve out of a website. Everything should have a purpose and so this is an essential consideration.

As just a general guide, some musicians have a single page website with a few of their songs and a contact form. Others may have a multi-page website with tabs for tour dates, integrated merchandise online shopping, and fan pages.

Choosing a hosting platform

When you want to load a picture on your desktop, you need to find the file and open it up. This could be in the file location C:\Users\Public\Pictures, for example. Much like any other file, a website has to be stored somewhere. While it is possible to store your website on your computer (and leave it running so it can be connected to), most people look to have their website hosted on another computer. 

There are lots of sites which will host your website for you, lots are free with big drawbacks, others cost a lot but provide a really good quality user experience. 

This site uses Bluehost to store the files. Bluehost is really good if you have a website built with WordPress (which this site is).

What should you look for in a hosting platform? Here’s a few things you might not know you want:

• Reliability – if the host goes down, people can’t click on your website and it will look like your fault. Downtime can cost a lot of money, particularly if you rely on any merchandise sales or it happens during an EP launch.
• Speed – nobody wants a website to be slow. If the website takes ages to connect to you lose business. If you are a music page, there’s a good chance you will want to include high-quality press pictures on the site which can slow things down on a bad host.
• Storage – a website takes up space. This site is full of photos and my words, while it doesn’t take up a huge amount of space, I still need to make sure that I don’t go over any limits.
• Customer support – you are paying a significant annual fee normally, you want your business to always be up so labels can sign you at any moment. If you can’t get things fixed fast, there is a problem. 
• Free Domain – Many hosts, Bluehost for example, offer free domains along with the website hosting. This is a good thing to consider as it is integrated into the same account and payment. Before I moved to Bluehost I had this site hosted in one place and was paying separately for a domain from elsewhere. 

Have an explore of different hosts because there is another key decision to make – whether you want to use WordPress or another system to manage your website. 

Check out these guides from across the web:

Best Web Hosting Services in 2019

Best Web Hosting Services in 2019 (On-Going Case Study)

If you want an example of a slow website that takes ages to load, check out the official website for Skrillex. 

To avoid this, make sure that you use a good host. Other reasons this could happen is if you have an ultra-fast internet connection, slow loading page elements may not be as apparent.

Much like how a producer should make sure the mix works on more than just their speakers, a website should be tested on several internet speeds.

Choosing a domain

Make sure you do a good job at this stage. I hope it is obvious, but if you get a bad or forgetful domain, nobody will find you. Your domain should be the name of your project and nothing more if possible. 

If your band name was “Dinosaur Stew” then a web domain like www.dinosaurstew.com would be best. The problem is, there are so many people in the world, there’s a chance a domain will be taken. 

I just came up with that name off the top of my head there and typed the domain into my browser. As you can see, it’s already taken by a photographer (who is probably now wondering where the additional traffic is coming from).

What you could so is find a different ending. Are you from the UK? would www.dinosaurstew.co.uk work? It looks like there is (at the time of writing) no website attached to that domain, but you obviously don’t have as good a brand separation. 

A good free tool for finding if a domain is available can be found on Bluehost’s website. Just select “Domains” and search for what you want. If the domain isn’t available, it will suggest similar alternatives which you can snap up before someone else does.

Lots of countries have their own endings, think about sites that end in .ru or .ca for Russian or Canadian sites. Does your country have one? 

Of course, the more original your name, the more likely you will be to get a good domain. If you name your band “Google” then please realise you may be stuck.

Designing your website

Once you have picked the host and back-end management of the website, you can focus on actually building it. 

If you decide to go for a WordPress site, there are hundreds of tutorials out there for building your site up and making it look how you want. Since WordPress is used for a huge percentage of websites, you know it is going to work well. 

I recommend you download the Elementor plugin which is free and will make designing your site a lot easier. It is really nice and I have used it for many of my most recent articles as it works by dragging and dropping blocks together. 

Other options include Wix, and various other smaller options. I recommend you stick with one of the more well-known options since they will be the best-documented. 

If you are a coder, you may also be comfortable making your own website, but for everyone else its better to stick to templates and community created options. 

Make sure you include:

• Contact information
• Links to social media
• Links to music
• Tour dates

Everything else is a bonus. Get an old or tech-illiterate person to test it out. They should be able to use it easily. 

 

Example of a good site by a non-web designer

I got in touch with my friend Seán who runs FROZEN SOUNDS AUDIO, to chat to him about how he made his website and what it does for his business. Seán is an audio engineer, musician, and composer based in London. 

His website is run on Wix, one of the most popular hosts for small businesses.

“What I really love about Wix is that it is choc-full of helpful tips and advice as you build.

“You can add almost anything you want to it: a store, Spotify/SoundCloud players, and any kind of graphic, feature, polls etc. that you might want.

“It also allows you to rent a domain and sync emails as well as many other things.

“I should mention that I’m using the first tier of the subscription service. The free one isn’t too limited but paying allows me to remove the Wix tag and allows me analytics integrations and sync functions. 

“I hardly get any traffic so really it’s more of a digital business card.

“Also the mobile app is super handy as I can see who’s on the site at any time and contact them immediately.”

He went on to demonstrate the feature by messaging me as soon as I went onto his site to check it out. It is a really cool feature as it gives an instant ability for visitors to connect to you. 

Seán’s site is a good example of a clean, multi-page website with clear information and user interface. You immediately know how to find out about him, or where to get in touch. There is not an overload of information and he even provides audio clips of songs he’s worked on. This is the kind of website that most musicians and producers can make easily. 

The post How to create a good website for music promotion appeared first on Audio Ordeal.