Ancient and noble ninja warlocks,
Here at the R0b0tninja, sometimes the darts I throw are poison-tipped, and sometimes they are merely diamond coated. Nevertheless, enemies sometimes appear that require more attention than my hydraulic shurikens can deliver, and your friendly yet merciless robotic ninja can be waylaid by sonic potential, and promises of infinite energy.
The people at Native Instruments, long discussed by your humble r0b0t narrator for their instrumental prowess, have unveiled Komplete 4, which is a plug-in based group of multiple synth, sampler and effects programs that, under the control of Kore, combine as one to form a giant R0b0t of musical destruction. Each synth on its own is a powerful weapon, much like the lions of Voltron, only these are easily capable of devouring entire skyscrapers, lengthwise, in their powerful jaws.
Individually, the different plug-ins available are as follows: Absynth, Kontakt, Massive, Battery, FM8, B4, Pro-53, Akoustik and Elektrik piano, Guitar Rig, Vokater, Spectral delay, Kore and Reaktor. Together, these sonic blast-dragons, if you will, threaten to overtake mankind as the pinnacle of evolutionary intelligence, and, as with all of man’s tools, have the power to create as well as to destroy.
This monstrous compilation of audio processing is too deep to be described collectively, and so, your R0b0t ninja has taken it upon himself to report, in detail, on the different qualities presented in each. Some, (like absynth and reaktor), are available as 400 dollar programs alone. By themselves, they are like hand-held universes: fully accessible from our own dimension, yet so intricate and multi-faceted as to defy full definition. Attempting to combine them all and successfully express their true power to the uninitiated would be like explaining the brilliance of Rembrandt to a blind man with no ears. Not completely impossible, but nonetheless, a thoroughly ridiculous task.
Anyway, in the coming weeks, expect to find new updates of this herculean process on the R0b0tninja post, and watch this new audio potential affect change within my dub and hiphop galaxies. I will begin with Absynth (as recent trends would have us follow), and give you a basic walkthrough that, when shown to the beasts of the field, will grant them instant comprehension of the universe and its workings. Unfortunately, all others will gain only a topical understanding of modern synthesis and sampling techniques.
So it goes
Robots and Ninjamen,
My audio bredren De la Mancha, programmer of synthesizers and digital music/art, has released a Commodore 64 inspired synthesizer for use with your VST compatible frame (pro tools, live, logic) though, unfortunately, DLM’s plugins only work on Windows machines. From the site:
basic64 is inspired by the 8 bit sounds of the classic Commodore 64.
It’s not a straight emulation, but is based around the SID chip with some extras for that 8-bit retro game sound, lofi gritty noises or just plain oddness
features
- 16, 8 or 6 bit sound quality
- 3 oscs, each with their own ADSR envelope
- oscillators can be sync’d and ring modulated by each other
- pitch envelope modulation
- pitch wobble option, for subtle instability
- 2 tempo-sync LFO’s to modulate pitch, cut-off and pulse width
- LFO’s have attack/release curves
- tempo-sync arpegiator
- flexible routing to state variable filter (LP, HP & BP)
- envelopes can be reset or continuous at retrigger
- monophonic or polyphonic option
- midi learn / midi CC support
- 128 presets by sinkmusic & WhiskeyPriest
Like all true R0b0tninja, I respectfully acknowledge the works of supreme instrument creators such as De La Mancha. Some use Reaktor, some take this more direct approach, but all must inevitably answer to the Supreme Ninja-master in the sky. R0b0tninja blasters set to annihilate.
R0b0tr0n offers exciting new careers in such fields as: multi-dimensional bomb- droppery, advanced turbonics, logistical metaphysics and diamond robotics. Come see which robots are right for you! Act now
Use magnetic tape, my ninjas. Please. For years, the most respected ninja-audio scientists have known that analog and digital recording offer two distinct sonic possibilities. Analog recievers/recorders tend to use tubes to amplify the signal, and magnetic tape to record that signal. This process, as I will tell you, disregards the odd-numbered harmonics in a given sound, leaving the signal with a warmer, richer tone (for examples, see the latest posts on my music sites, or, compare early Bob Marley to his later stuff). Digital recording, in comparison, either includes odd numbered harmonics, or excludes even numbered ones. And for any of my ninjas hopelessly confused: all sounds are conglomerations of smaller sounds called harmonics. The almagamation of these harmonics become the sounds that we all know and recognize. It is the sworn duty of anyone bearing the title of R0b0t Ninja to honor and refine these sound wave harmonics to the macro-evolutionary apex at which we find ourselves. Which led me to purchase this little number on the ebay.
It’s amazing. I love it so much, as does black jesus–feel free to witness it’s sonic warmening on the R0b0tninja, as well as the R0b0tr0n/dub R0b0t interwebs. It is called an Akai M-8, 1/4 inch reel to reel tape recorder, with bloody, wonderful orange tubes glowing inside it. Ancient, high ninja-technology represent.
I ninja Dreadren,
Who wan tes. As Iman would say, praise be to the most high in all him forms and works. Blessed is Iman robot, who would help H.I.M. bredren to behold Jah glory, decapitate baldhead vampire, and who in him breath, make babylon tower fall. Blessings be to Iman ninja who, by Jah mercy, slay the seven-head beast with him hand, and teach overstanding to lost I-dren along the Way. Jah Bless.
Myninjas, when I attempt to describe the ninja-blasting potential of different synthesizers to you (in these posts, and in the greater soundscape), I can only offer you different aspects of certain instruments, midi structures and samplers that people like Ableton and Propellerhead have taken the time to create.
That being said, for the more esoteric ninja for whom the current synthetic lexicon is never vast enough, Native Instruments Reaktor 5 allows the discriminating r0b0tninja to forge his own weapons of mass destruction and distribute them worldwide in the online Reaktor 5 user library. Good luck battling the US military, although as a r0b0tic ninja you probably have more important things to worry about…
The Reaktor core is unlike anything else. While several audio applications can mangle audio into feedback loops, leading to chain reactions of deafening proportions, inside the Reaktor, highly unstable elements can be multiplied together exponentially. Different levels of macrocosmic and cellular elements can be combined to form instruments, the user able to arrange and assign knobs and sliders to any of the endlessly customizable inner connections. Combine that with its ability to be used as a VST (virtual instrument) inside Live or Logic or whatever, and you begin to understand the pure nature of its sonic potential; as in life, the uninitiated will risk certain deafness, while the pr0b0t faces only the risks of being def.
Explore vast regions of inner and outerspace with the R0b0tninja! Witness, as he manifests the combined output of mankind’s most powerful synthesis techniques!
That’s right, my most illustrious ninjas–the pro-status DAW used by countless studios, post-production firms and sound designers is back for more. This latest version features a new space-time compressor (elastic time), heightened compatibility with the AVID video editor, and (most impressively to this robot/ninja), the AVID satellite option, which allows you to use a separate, dedicated computer to house your non-audio media files. Several billion man-hours are wasted every day by those seeking to peep their exported movies (with sound)–this option allows one to preview said movies in full form without the hassle of exporting them to disk.
Now, while several of these features are brand new to Protools users, allow me to take this opportunity to point out that both the elastic time feature and the ability to preview movie files with sound have both been available to LIVE users as of version 6. This satellite feature, however, does promise to take the strain off of your computer’s processor (assuming you have another, dedicated, computer on the side), and I will not lie: the R0b0tninja seethes with poisonous jealousy at those who can afford such a powerful and expansive set-up. My non-robotic eyeball boils in consternation.
for any of my ninjas who can tell the difference between these 100 dollar Monster cables, and these 8,000 dollar Pear “anjou” cables. I’m not the one putting up the money, so send all experiential evidence to this man, and the bounty will be yours. Then you might be able to afford a couple of these bad boys, or at least some of these. My R0b0tninja patience, while limitless, runs thin for these bourgeois playthings–real pro audio ninjas have no time for such nonsense. The R0b0tninja scoffs indifferently at the foolishness of mankind once more.
Reason 4 is out now myninjas–and you know what kind of mythological beasts it employs in its everyday workings. Combined with a new arpeggiator, groove module, and midi sequencer, Reason 4 promises to elevate minds, educate the children and motivate the masses. All hyperbole aside, humanity may have just given birth to yet another tool that could ultimately lead to its destruction, like artificial intelligence or the military industrial complex. R0b0tninjas worldwide unite–only through self-mastery and enhanced understandings of Reason will light burn through the darkness and the balance of the universe be maintained. As I would say.
