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Monthly Archives: December 2012

NEWS
UniqueSquared

UniqueSquared
December 28, 2012

Korg iElectribe Gets “Beat Flutter”

Up until the end of 2012, Korg was producing any real headliners, and very few teasers were released that had DJs and Producer checking their bank accounts.  By all means, however, they’ve been hard at work – and unlike the majority of gear manufacturers out there, they have many avenues to progress in, not just a single camp.  Their careful development of the Krome Workstation keyboard led them to pursue areas of music that weren’t as popular as others.  Korg still makes its mark in the DJ word with MID controllers and effects units, but as of now there is nothing groundbreaking for DJs to look forward to.

On the bright side, they’ve let down their guard a bit and have entered in the iOS app realm, which is probably a good move in the long run.  This might mean sales of hardware favorites like the Kaoss Pad Quad won’t …

NEWS
UniqueSquared

UniqueSquared
December 28, 2012

7 Things We Learned in 2012

As we look back on year 2012, it’s clear that the environment for DJs and producers has changed; and it has changed for the better.  Cultural shifts have also had an effect on the way we embrace music in general.  Rewind to just a couple of years ago, and cloud computing (or the idea of own music on another server) was just in its infancy.  Music collections were hoarded on 7200rpm hard drives until they could contain no more.  People were (and still are) beginning to realize that it just wasn’t economically sound to try to store the entire internet’s collection of music on their hard drives at home.

Both DJ manufacturers and other 3rd parties have embraced the idea of storing music online, rather than off line – and new systems of buying and sampling music have also arisen while managing to find ways to work around copyright …

NEWS
UniqueSquared

UniqueSquared
December 28, 2012

Tip of the Day: Recess Your TV Outlets

Cables have changed and morphed over the years to keep up with changes in the technology.  Take our new high definition televisions for example.  Once upon a time, RCA cables were the standard form of “new technology”, and these were considered the best you could get (instead of using coaxial cable box lines).  That had soon become old news and newer innovations like s-video soon beat out our old standbys of composite and component cable.  Now we revel in creation, as HDMI is now the standard for all high definition televisions and computer monitors.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the wall outlet.  Sadly, there have been no innovations in that department and no matter how new the device is we still have to plug it into the wall in the same fashion.  We still have the simple power strips and adapters and we won’t be seeing wireless electricity any …

NEWS
UniqueSquared

UniqueSquared
December 28, 2012

Electronic Music Works DX700

Producers are lucky (or unlucky) enough to live in an age where variety is abundant.  Picture the original Atari or Nintendo games that had to create diversity in their soundtracks using only the ability to create music from 8 or 6 bit monophonic sounds.  It sounds almost impossible, yet they created some original themes to games that are still remembered today.

Present day producers may wish that they were faced with this challenge.  Instead, they have the challenge of sorting through thousands of samples in their favorite software production tool; trying to find one that fits best.  Odds are they will never be able to sort through their gigantic collections to find the perfect beat, but will rest of one that is “good enough”

Those that have used older synthesizers have also worked with less; something like 32 presets max.  If you’re a hardware guy and you have this problem, …

NEWS
UniqueSquared

UniqueSquared
December 28, 2012

Dave Smith Instruments Mopho X4

The idea of a desktop synthesizer seems like something a synth company would jump at, if given the chance to make – but there is a long history behind these machines which makes us respect a company who puts out a synth that can be lifted with one hand.  If you look at older Roland or Yamaha synthesizers you’d understand why these things were hardly ever moved around.  They weight as much as a DJ’s coffin does, when two turntables and a mixer are placed inside.  The idea of portable or desktop based was a joke back then.  The shrinking of technology has made collaboration possible, and setup times nonexistent.

Korg’s MicroKorg is one of these timeless gems that will be repeated by many, but never superseded.  It strikes the right balance of new technology, size, and class.  Parts are no longer completely made of metal and thick plastics, but …