Sunday 25 December 2011

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Merry Christmas and have Happy New Year.
From myself At One........

Thank you for reading/watching/commenting and much much more.....

The blog will be back in 2012.

Until then feel free to check over the last years posts, there have been some great ones...

Thursday 22 December 2011

Dirtybird set to release new compilation: Hatched

Dirtybird has a new compilation in the works called Hatched.

Run by Claude VonStroke and Justin Martin, Dirtybird has been putting out bass-heavy house music since 2005. Hatched gives a snapshot of where the San Francisco institution is at today, with with a dozen new tracks by as many artists, both established (VonStroke, Catz 'N Dogz, Worthy) and new to the fold (Tom Flynn, Sacha Robotti, Eats Everything). Before the full compilation comes out in February, the tracks will be released across three digital EPs beginning in January, "spanning a bird's full life cycle from hatchling to roast dinner" as VonStroke puts it. All of the songs included are previously unreleased. 


Tracklist
01. Claude VonStroke & Eats Everything - Ignorance Is Bliss 
02. Sacha Robotti - The Major 
03. Kingdom - SFX 
04. Tom Flynn - Jerry's Liquor Store
05. Christian Martin - Waiting
06. Dj Cra$y - That Amen Track (BrEaCh Remix)
07. Samuel Dan - Bitch
08. Catz n Dogz - Bring Me That Water
09. A1 Bassline - Why Do You
10. Worthy - Shy Look
11. Kingdom - SFX
12. Nick Monaco - Long Kiss Goodnight


Dirtybird will release Hatched on February 29th, 2012.


Wednesday 21 December 2011

This Weekends Actvities

Se7en -Xmas Party- with Atjazz @ Cc2 Club, Friday 23rd.


Line Up


Atjazz (International DJ, Producer, Remixer)
w/ Ross ‘Magic Number' Hillard (Live Bass)
Teaser DJ (Resident)
Scholar Tee (Resident)
DJ Tipz (Atjazz Record Co.)
Dezy.B (Live Percussion Set)
Sabrina Chyld (Live P.A Showcase)


Time: 11pm - 5am
Venue: Cc2 Club  / 1 Nine Elms Lane, Vauxhall, London SW8 5NQ
Cost: online e-tickets @ £15. M.O.T.D


Elements Of House Christmas Eve Special @ Raving Buddha, Saturday 24th.

Line Up


Sy Sez (AphroDisiax/Soul Heaven)
Wez Whynt, Elements Of House (Handzonradio)
Nat Wendell (Unknown FM/Soul Aspiration)
DJ Knowledge-Soul'd Out/Housoulful
Michah Fish (DHT/Sunday Soul)


Time:8.00pm - 2.00am
Venue: Raving Buddha/ 77 Goldhawk Rd, Shepherds Bush London, UK, W12 8EG
Cost: Free before 10PM

Tuesday 20 December 2011

Maschine Video Tutorial: Step Automation, Autowrite, Live Sequencing

Automation is handled a little differently in Maschine compared to working with automation inside of a DAW. What I really love about it is how “hands-on” writing automation is – you just crank some knobs and go! Sure there are other controllers on the market that will allow you to map automation parameters to knobs/faders and write this information to your track, but more often than not, we are stuck using our mouse to draw in automation lanes and double click breakpoints all over our tracks, ultimately resulting in a tedious task. Maschine is different in how quickly you can create multiple patterns with recorded automation modulations while never having to use that stupid mouse.


Monday 19 December 2011

Thursday 15 December 2011

Filter VS EQ: Which, When, Why?

Written by Chris Cartledge


Okay, if one was better than the other, top flight mixers would only have one – right? Yet it tends to be the cream of the crop that feature both. Why is this, and when should you be using which?

BACK TO BASICS


Not to confuse you, but EQs are a form of filter. The bottom line is that a filter takes a sound input, applies a rule to it, and then outputs its modified version. Whether that’s an EQ/tone, low pass, high pass, band pass, notch, or any number of others, filter is as filter does – but when we talk about filters on DJ mixers we just mean that single knob that sweeps across the entirity of the track.
The image above represents a low pass filter’s frequency response. A DJ filter, when integrated into a mixer, is almost always, nowadays, a dual mode affair; the central detent is the off position and a clockwise and anti clockwise motion respectively take care of high and low pass filtering (the Vestax mixer in the header is an uncommon exception… but it’s a very pretty mixer so we thought it was worth the confusion. Allen & Heath have also traditionally used filters that switch modes with a button). ‘High pass’ and ‘low pass’ are pretty well termed in that they, as they are ramped up, have a progressively smaller guest list, so to speak, and the frequencies allowed through are whittled down until only the very lowest/highest are allowed past.
EQ, on the other hand, tends to have three ‘bands’ – think of them as areas of influence over frequencies in the track – but sometimes have two (ala the lower end Vestax PMC mixers) or even four (the Allen & Heath Xone 62/92, for instance), and the most notable thing that a DJ filter doesn’t do that the EQ section does is boost. All the filter does is reduce the amplitude of frequencies; turn your EQ clockwise and it will make the frequencies in its domain more powerful.
One of the big advantages to a filter is the way that there’s just the one knob to worry about. Mixing with a filter can be really subtle, because of the smoothness with which frequencies are added to (or taken away from) the mix.
Mixing with EQ brings with it the advantage of a high level of control, at the expense of the sweeping smoothness of a filter. Whilst it’s difficult to create a smooth sweeping frequency effect with channel EQ on account of the reality of dealing with a knob for every EQ band, it’s not only simpler to pinpoint a specific problem point or sweet spot with EQ but is the only way to isolate the mid range of your audio as well as both top and bottom end.

CHARACTER WITNESS

If all filters were born equal, then there’d be no arguments over who had the best – and we all know that’s not the case. A good DJ filter isn’t completely flat; a good DJ filter has character over and above simply ‘turning the sound down’. All the things that make one filter sound different to another are actually quite involved so we’ll leave the nitty gritty for another day,  but two of the big ones are steepness and resonance. The steeper a filter’s cutoff is, the harder frequencies are attenuated when they pass the threshold. An exceptionally steep filter will completely kill frequencies more or less as soon as they fall outside the cutoff point, whereas a gentler one will attenuate the frequencies smoothly as they’re cut out. This steepness curve is measured in dB per octave, and typically speaking DJ filters are quite, but not ruthlessly, steep. Resonance (often called Q) is the amount by which, just at the cusp of the cutoff point, frequencies are actually boosted with a little hump before they’re cut out. The more Q a filter has, the more of a warbly, ‘singing’ sound it creates as it’s turned, and this characterfulness creates two camps: those that love it, and the more the better, and those that hate it.
The smoother a filter, the more clinical and precise it is and thus the more accurate for using as a blend control, but at the same time the less musical it tends to sound. Different manufacturers and software developers give their filters different characteristics – and in this digital age, many are building in the opportunity to choose the style you prefer in settings.

TECHNIQUE

If you’re DJing with only the biggest, boldest, brightest confirmed dancefloor destroyers, and especially if they’ve never been out of the digital domain, using EQs for technical rather than creative reasons might be a foreign concept. If, however, your selections are a mixed bag of different eras, genres, formats – especially vinyl – and top-secret work in progress dubs, you’ll know that a little EQ goes a long way to bridging the gaps between how two tunes are mixed (and I mean mixed in the engineering sense here), and this is definitely the area in which EQ shines.
The ‘highs for high hats, mids for vocals and lows for bass’ mantra that many a DJ spits out whenever EQ is mentioned is a pretty big over-simplification, but it’s not one without foundations. Matching the levels of not just the general volume of the tracks you’re playing, but also their composition, will make for a smoother mix. Got some 80s house that just doesn’t thump as hard as 2011’s sonic pallet? Perhaps some bass is in order. The sound coming off your records a little harsh compared to the digital smoothness of your latest Beatport wavs? A little tweak to the mids should sort that out. You may even be the kind of perfectionist that, armed with the power to twist, stretch, and massage tracks, always has a hand hovering over the EQs to smooth out any changes in the tracks. But with all this technical tweaking, your EQ dials resembling the London/New York/Sydney world clocks in a high end board room, how do you fit in the creative frequency fiddling without losing your consistency? You guessed it.
DJ filters are, I’m fairly sure without exception, post-EQ (please let us know if you know any otherwise!). Whatever those EQ dials are doing, they’re doing it before the sound gets into the filter. This means that the filter’s effect on the track remains consistent no matter what’s going on up there, and so you can use the EQs to dial in the perfect character for the track – the setting at which all your tracks match each other tonally – and leave the filter to provide the artistic flair and frequency led mixing and blends.

TOP TEN TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL SOUND SCULPTURE

  • Don’t forget your gain when you EQ!
  • Use filters to allow you to make creative sweeps to the track and still be able to go back to the tuned EQ setting.
  • Experiment with the filter Q types available to you to find your favourite.
  • If you use a chunky Q, ride it rhythmically to get the track to ‘sing’!
  • If you don’t have filters available on your gear, practice using your EQs to get a sweeping effect by twisting the high, then high and mid, then mid and low, then low down to the bottom (or vice versa).
  • A filter sweep to bring a track in can sometimes sound a lot more natural than fading it in with the volume fader.
  • If you mix out by using filters, be wary of the filter not totally closing the track out; always finish a mix with a volume fader to avoid issues.
  • If your mixer doesn’t have mid EQ but you need some mid-range adjustment, try boosting high and low while cutting gain or vice versa.
  • Use filters for creative effect; ‘pump’ the filter rhythmically to make tracks wobble much more than an EQ tweak.
  • Remember: mix the overall sound of the tracks together with EQs, and then use filters to perform sweeps and blends

Originally posted: http://www.djtechtools.com/2011/12/07/filter-vs-eq-which-when-why/

Wednesday 14 December 2011

This Weekends Activities

Return To The Future @ Secret Warehouse Location, Friday 16th.


Line Up


Art Department 
Bill Patrick
Alexis Raphael
Ali Love


Time: 10:00pm - 6:00am
Venue: Secret Warehouse Location  / East London Warehouse
Cost: £10 early door, £12.50 advance £15 on the door




Deep Into Soul @ Music Bar & Club, Saturday 17th.


Line Up


Neil Pierce
DJ Crookid
Ziggy Funk
Gary Gee
Ian Dadds





Time: 2:00pm - 6:00am
Venue: Music Bar & Club/ 144 Brixton Hill, Brixton, SW2 1SD
Cost: £7





Tuesday 13 December 2011

Ableton Live ‘Gangsta Sync Setup’ Video Tutorial

In this video tutorial Ableton Certified trainer Martin Delaney presents “The Ableton Live Gangsta Sync Setup,” a simple way to sync two computers running Live. His method doesn’t use MIDI clock or time code. “It’s just a way to get them playing at the same time,” Martin explains. His solution lies in the use of Midi Remote settings in Ableton. By setting each computer’s MIDI prefrences you can create a perfect start sync that avoids MIDI altogether and stays tight as you jam.



Monday 12 December 2011

ÂME (Innervisions) - Interactive Live Interview


Secretsundaze hosted a live Ustream interview with the Innervisions ÂME.




Thursday 8 December 2011

Strictly Chill A Sister Label Of Strictly Rhythm

Strictly Rhythm has outlined details for the first edition of Strictly Chill, a new ambient and downtempo compilation series.

Strictly Chill Volume 1 collects laid back versions of upbeat club tunes from the classic New York label's catalog. A number of '90s classics get the chillout treatment, including low-key mixes of Wink's "Higher State of Consciousness," Mood II Swing's "Do It Your Way," Wamdue Project's "King Of My Castle" and Ultra Naté's "Twisted," all of which are exclusive to the compilation. Due for release next week, the Strictly Chill Volume 1 will be available digitally and on CD, in both mixed and unmixed formats.

Tracklist
01. Wink - Higher State of Consciousness (Deep & Slow Chill Edit)
02. Ultra Naté - Twisted (Strictly Chill Edit)
03. Wamdue Project - King Of My Castle (TJK Chill Edit)
04. South Street Player - (Who?) Keeps Changing Your Mind (Daniel Bovie & Roy Rox Chill Edit)
05. Michel Cleis featuring Totó La Momposina - La Mezcla (Charles Webster's Chill Edit)
06. Code 718 - Equinox (Henrik Schwarz Chill Edit)
07. Mood II Swing - Do It Your Way (Strictly Chill Edit)
08. Logic - The Final Frontier (Acoustic Chill Edit)
09. HellenBach feat. Sylvia Simone - Chills (HellenBach DeepDUB)
10. Doman & Gooding feat. Heather Bright - Back To Life (Afterlife Chill Edit)
11. Osunlade - A Monk's Tear
12. Ben Westbeech - Summer's Loss
13. Dennis Ferrer - Sinfonia Della Notte (The Afterlife Sunset Reprise)

Strictly Rhythm will release Strictly Chill Volume 1 on December 13th, 2011.

Wednesday 7 December 2011

This Weekends Activities

Tribe Xmas Party Wth Boddhi Satva @ Brixton Clubhouse, Saturday 10th.


Line Up


Boddhi Satva (OFFERING/VEGA RECORDS)
Zepherin Saint
MATT L-S
KRISTEL MORIN



Time: 10:00pm - 5:00am
Venue: Brixton Clubhouse/ 467-469 Brixton Road, SW9 8HH
Cost: £10 early bird tickets from www.ticketweb.co.uk / More on the door




Aphrodisiax presents Deetron & Charles Webster @ Plan B, Saturday 10th.


Line Up


Deetron
Charles Webster
AphroDisiax
Mark Paul



Time: 10:00pm - 6:00am
Venue: Plan B/ 418 Brixton Road, Brixton, London, SW9 7AY
Cost: £5 earlybird, £10 first release, £12.50 second release, £15 third release, more on the door

Tuesday 6 December 2011

Beatport Launches Mashbox, an iOS “Mobile Mashup

Written by Dan White on December 9th, 2011


What happens when the largest internet music store for DJs decides to make an iOS app? Beatport announced a new iOS application for mashup enthusiasts, Mashbox. We take a closer look at how good the application is for performing and playing around, and Ean has his own editorial perspective to share on what this means for the future of stems and mashups. 

The Basic Overview


Mashbox is a surprisingly simple workflow, allowing the user to load and mash up loop packs of various popular tracks. The loop packs are divided into six different channels, “Drums”, “Percussion”, “Bass”, “Theme 1″, “Theme 2″, and “Sweetener”. Each channel can have a maximum single loop playing on it at a time, and is controlled with an awkward volume knob at the top of each one.  All of the loop triggering is quantized and completely synced, so (for better or for worse  your mashups will always sound clean and on-tempo.
In addition, there is a single FX unit that can be applied to one or many of the channels concurrently – we found that the delay was nice, but the distortion often overpowered a number of the samples and needed a significant volume decrease.
The interface essentially comes off as an extremely stripped-down Ableton Live styled in a cute-but-frustrating analog design. You can’t do anywhere near as much as in a real DJ program or DAW, but it does do what it claims to – building mashups on the fly – very well.

The application is free until December 31st, and then .99¢ after that – but it’s clear that Beatport isn’t expecting to make money off of app sales, but rather of loop pack sales. The application comes with just three tracks to mess around with- “Funky Cold Medina”, “C’Mon”, and “Party of Politics”. Each new pack (there are 12 to purchase at the moment) in the built-in marketplace costs $1.99.
What We Like
  • Free!
  • Wide Music Variety: while the selection is limited to 12 tracks at the moment, they’re from a number of genres – and Beatport is promising many, many more tracks.
  • Analog Interface Design: from the clever downbeat lights to the odometer-style beat counter
  • BPM Dial: makes this potentially a tool to mix in with other production work
What Needs Work
  • Design Defeats Function: As classic as it looks to have knobs over every channel, knobs suck on a touchscreen. Also, closing the marketplace window requires you to flip an awkward switch.
  • Track Player Design: Why put ugly spinning album art in a cool looking analoge interface?
  • Limited Playability: Only one clip active per channel may keep the mashups clean, but we get that feeling that we’re all just making the same combinations as everyone else in the world.
  • Single FX Unit: We want to use our effects intelligently and diversely, and only one FX unit limits that.
  • No follow Actions: It’s really challenging to create a steady progression through the loops.
  • iPad only: show some love for the other devices out there!

Even though the UI and general usability of Mashbox leaves a lot to be desired, Beatport’s new app is a very interesting development for the industry. Right now it’s arguably a novelty, but there is clear long-term potential for something bigger.
This is the first time a content provider of this size has attempted to produce a content interaction app in the DJ space. There are many examples of apps that allow you to remix songs or albums, notably Major Lazer and Richie Hawtin’s Plastikman app. However, no one has attempted to bring songs from various sources together in a seamless manner.
If anyone has the artist connections and library to make a stem based mashup tool actually relevant, it’s Beatport. If they can manage to gain traction, build a decent interaction experience, and build a large library of relevant song material, then it will be a very powerful platform. Beatport faces some significant obstacles to success:
  1. Many artists do not feel comfortable providing stems and parts to their songs fearing countless bad versions and bootlegs may pop up all over the net. In today’s MP3-hype-world, that fear may be counterproductive but it still remains.
  2. Beatport has a hard enough time getting labels to submit songs with proper tags and artwork. Imagine the trouble in trying to collect stems in a consistent format and then converting them down to a standard that always mixes each stem perfectly together.  At $1.99 and 30% to the Apple Store, is it even profitable?
  3. Is it worth all of the effort to bounce out and create these files when many artists can make more off their 2 track mixes in MP3 form on the old Beatport?  Possibly, especially given that the walled garden effect of  building this app for Apple’s iPad makes piracy non-existent.
  4. Do DJs really want to mute and unmute each part? Does the effort required create a result that is better than the sum of its parts? Most Ableton DJs I know use a significantly simpler layout  when playing live, so it can easily be understood and mastered. I wonder if DJs really want to remix songs at this level. Let us know below!
Ean’s bottom line: The app has some room for growth but the new format is what we have all been waiting for. The major question we’re wondering- when can everyone else get this content and use it with a great controller?
Let us know what you think about Mashbox in the comments below. Download your own free copy here.