The RedFaux Transmission

Teenage Engineering OP-1 Keyboard Demo

This has gone around the web in the last 5 days or so, but I think its pretty interesting, so I thought I would post it. Here is a demo of the Teenage Engineering OP-1 keyboard. This unique synthesizer and sampler looks like it could either be an amazing breakthrough or just another cool oddity that hit the market and flopped... like the Jazz Mutant Lemur.  With rumors of the OP-1 going for a retail price of over $1000 I think its future is a bit dubious... but man it sure does sound cool.  Check it out. 

- Til Next Time... Over N Out

RED

What To Get Electronic Musicians for the Holidays 2010 For Under $60

 

It's that time of year again boys and girls.  Yup the holiday gift giving fervor is in full swing (ooh boy), so I thought I'd chime in again this year with my list of 11 fun and geeky-cool items under $60 to give to your favorite electronic musician on your list! To find out more about an item, click on the title links.

Without further ado here we go...

1.  Electronic Music Synthesizer T-Shirt $30.00 

 This t-shirt looks like tons of fun.  It's a playable, wearable synthesizer t-shirt from Think Geek.  You may have to also purchase a bat to keep people from fondling the keys while your wearing it though. ;-)  (from ThinkGeek)

 

2. Melody Horn Air Powered Synth $29.99 

 Do you have an electronic musician on your list that's full of a lot of hot air? ;-) Well unplug him and shut him up at the same time with this awesome melodica style keyboard! (from ThinkGeek)

 

3.  Korg Monotron Synthesizer $59.99
The Monotrone is an affordable, palm-sized analog synthesizer complete with ribbon controller and a VCO, VCF & LFO. Lots of great noise potential for small amount of bucks! (from ThinkGeek)

 

   

 4. Synthesizer Mouse Pad $10.95

 Cool synthesizer mouse pad or big fat coaster for those using optical mice. :) (from Zazzle) 

 

   

5. Synthesizer Skateboard Deck $59.99 

So whether the person on your list will put wheels on this and shred hardcore or just put it on their wall this is a pretty unique gift.  (from Zazzle)  

 

 

6. Mini-Theramin $29.99 

 This little kit is easy to build and and you can actually play it! No soldering required and it runs on 4 AA batteries. Cool! (from Maker's Shed) 

 

 

7. Electronic Music Pioneers Book $16.99

This book, by Ben Kettlewell, details the history of electronic music and the people & technology that brought the music and bands we love so much.  Softcover. (from Amazon)  

 

 

8. Analog Cassette Tape Bag $11.99 

   This cool tote is the perfect thing for the retro musician on your list. I know I want one.   (from thinkgeek)

 

 

 9. Synthesizer (TB-303) Thermos $20.00 

 I'm picking out a thermos for you... not an ordinary thermos for you... a cool synthesizer thermos! What more could anyone want? (from Cafe Press)

 

 

10. Moog Voyager Oscillator Hat $19.00

 This cool hat has the schematic of the famous VCO right on the top of the hat.  The logo is on the back of the cap.  Geeky and cool at the same time. (from Moog)

 

11. Vintage Korg T-Shirts $21.99 

 Korg has 4 different flavors of vintage tees available for sale: MS-20, Trident, Mono/Poly (my favorite) and the Doncamatic.  These would make awesome gifts for anyone who loves Korg Synthesizers.  (from Korg)

 

 

Well that pretty much wraps up my gift list for this year (pun intended ;-). Hope you find something for the synth geek on your list! 

P.S. If you like this post, you may like the gift list I made last year for electronic musicians.  You can read that one HERE

- Until Next Time... Over N Out

-RED

My Favorite Picks from Musikmesse 2010

Musikmesse is the big annual European music convention that went from March 24-27 this year in Frankfurt Germany.  Definitely not as big and as flashy as NAMM this year, but there were some cool products that caught my eye.  Here are my top 5 picks.

1. Korg Monotron

The Monotron is a mobile phone sized analog synthesizer that runs on 2 AAA batteries. The little instrument has a ribbon keyboard, a VCO, VCF and LFO. It's cute and tiny and reminds me of the nebulophone kit we made in the Austin Handmade Workshop a few months ago, although that synth is not analog.  The Monotron also allows you to patch any instrument into it's filter. I understand that Korg's aim was to make a purely analog synth, but the absense of MIDI on this little beast annoys me. This synth intrigues me and might be a fun addition to a live setup, but I probably wouldn't want to pay more than $100 for it.  Available in May 2010.

2. Korg MP10

The Korg MP10 is a media player for musicians.  Basically its intended for musicians who play with backing tracks.  It stores and plays MP3s & MIDI files. It also boasts a TC Helion voice processor, a bunch of onboard effects and allows for DJ style crossfading and mixing along with s-video outputs. The MP10 is intriguing to me but I definitely want to see a demo, because the description begs so many questions.. such as:

• Can I play a midi file & and an mp3 at the same time?
• If they are the same tempo will they be synched?
• Is there any plans to include a vst player at any point? It would be awesome to be able to host vsts on this as well.
• Can you play video while you are playing back mp3s or midi? Wouldn't it be great to have your visuals and audio for your show all in one box?

Available May 2010

3. Roland Lucina

You have probably already seen this on the internet as its receiving alot of hype.  The Lucina is the little sibling of the Roland Axxe. Roland is currently marketing it to kids, but I think they are going to find that us big musicians think its pretty cool too.  A low-priced MIDI controller that can be used strapped around your shoulder or on a keyboard stand, the Lucina also features an onboard sound set and the ability to play mp3 files from a USB device if you want to play along with your favorite songs.  The estimated street price for the Lucina is $699.00.  I'm going to be keeping my eye on this instrument as this may be my live controller of choice in the future.

4. Roland Gaia Synth

The Roland Gaia is a virtual analog 3 engine synth that is completely covered with sliders and knobs.  Roland claims the Gaia is like having three synths in one.  If you listen to the fat sounds in the demo you would be likely to agree with them.  This synth looks and sounds great to me, but doesn't seem to do much more than a bunch of stacked vsts on my laptop.  However with a street price of $739 I may be more likely to go back to big hardware synths at some point.

5. Roland FR-3X Accordian

I'm not an accordian player and this isn't Roland's first electronic accordian apparently, but I was impressed that there is such a thing.  It is battery powered and comes with a built in speaker that is loud enough to play at small venues without additional amplification. This new model also allows you to use the accordian as a MIDI controller. The FR-3X will be available April 2010.

- Until next time... over N out

RED