Properllerhead at NAAM Show 2016!

[pjeudy]

Props at NAMM 2016.png (166.08 KiB) Viewed 2346 times

Fingers crossed on REASON related showing. But not gonna hold my breath...but you never know

[joeyluck]

Look cool! Looks like they are part of the opening keynote.Thanks for the heads up. From a3exchange.com:

• 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (The Forum 203 A&B)
  
  A3E Opening Keynote: The Future of Audio: The Global Impact Of Disruptive Music Technology
  
  Technology has completely revolutionized the recording industry. Mobile devices and their sophisticated production and distribution apps have democratized the music industry into a new playing field, with new benchmarks for the success of an artist, and new standards for the recording process. A3E invites you to explore The Future Of Audio with luminaries whose vision for game changing technology has no fear of disrupting tradition in the quest to revolutionize the music industry for an emerging generation. Don't miss the talk that will help shape the years ahead for your business model, and the profound global impact it will have on the NAMM community.

[joeyluck]

And cool to see Google will be talking with an entire segment dedicated to Google Powered Audio...

[tronam]

I know it's something that doesn't excite most of us here, but in an opening keynote like this I would expect the Props to showcase mobile and Discover as these are the hot topics of the day: touchscreen apps and online collaboration. Maybe they have an ace up their sleeve though.

[JiggeryPokery]

Keynotes are just a load of hoopla...

/ducks

[dioxide]

• 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (The Forum 203 A&B)
  
  A3E Opening Keynote: The Future of Audio: The Global Impact Of Disruptive Music Technology
  
  Technology has completely revolutionized the recording industry. Mobile devices and their sophisticated production and distribution apps have democratized the music industry into a new playing field, with new benchmarks for the success of an artist, and new standards for the recording process. A3E invites you to explore The Future Of Audio with luminaries whose vision for game changing technology has no fear of disrupting tradition in the quest to revolutionize the music industry for an emerging generation. Don't miss the talk that will help shape the years ahead for your business model, and the profound global impact it will have on the NAMM community.

What a load of bollocks. The revolution already happened years ago. 'Mobile' music making isn't disruptive as a laptop is mobile enough – it was laptops that were the game changer, not iPads. I started gigging with Reason in 2001 when I realised how easy it was once you had an all-in-one system combined with my first laptop. Since then live electronic music has become a lot more common than it used to be and DJing is now laptop based. Now clubs are sometimes Technics free but never laptop free.

The only revolution going on now is that free music apps are so much better now than the music freeware back in 2001. 'Mobile' iPads are only slightly smaller than a laptop and I think few people have interest in doing serious music on their phones. If you can sit in a public space and make music on an iPad you can probably do it on a laptop.

If you want to talk about 'mobile' music making then you better make it a history lesson rather than making out we're in the middle of something new. It already happened.

[Marco Raaphorst]

Matter of time. Laptops are like typewriters.

[avasopht]

I'm sure it won't Take much to Figure out a way Thor making music on an iPhone

[C//AZM]

I'm sure it won't Take much to Figure out a way Thor making music on an iPhone

That's Punny!

[Vince-Noir-99]

Interesting topic. I understand how it's important to be part of the 'evolution' with mobile technology, touch screen and virtual social networking (including all the strings attached to the latter). The so called 'democratisation' of music technology indeed had a major impact with laptops in the early 2000s, as Dioxide pointed above. As a youngster at that time, I happily embraced that change and as we look around now, we can see it really marked music making practices.

But here's my point Touch screen interfaces are very cool and it's great to have simplified means of making music on tiny portable devices. Their sound quality is now stunning, and any peripheral gadget for computer-based systems, or mobile software solution is welcome, as they may spark new music. (The social aspect of such things, I don't even want to consider as I think it belongs to a different conversation)
However - popular western music practices rely heavily on performance, and anything electronic hardly delivers as, for instance, a traditional rock gig would have in the old days. There is an issue, in that electronic music is usually mostly programmed, rather than played. It is in its nature an intellectual craft, rather than a physical one. We know it's very very hard to reproduce programmed music live, which is why most times, even digital composers themselves, will go and perform partially or even entirely mp3-dj-style-playback.. Because it does not matter much to the average audience whether a laptop is running a complex custom made Max patch which is being controlled in its entirety live, or if there's VLC streaming tracks in the background whilst the performer is chatting on skype The amount of interaction/engagement perceived from operating electronic gear is pretty much the same. An educated audience may of course feel different if they knew a certain button triggers a one-shot sound rather than a playback cue to a pre-recorded mp3 whole track. The fact remains: the musical physical gesture is not as efficient as it would with traditional instruments that are played note-by-note, and I would add, instruments which generate sound by vibration and not by sending control signals to a computer.

Therefore, as much as it's nice to see how computer-based systems get squeezed to fit pocket devices and join the realm of 'apps', 'share', 'likes' and whatnot, I think it would be most beneficial to address how all this music could be brought from the studio/laptop/phone to the stage and performed in more engaging ways. That would be for me a true revolution! I hope that doesn't come across as <old man yelling at clouds> but coming from a non electronic background, playing traditional instruments, I've always struggled to find a similarly direct level of interaction among performer-instrument-audience, speaking from both sides of the game.

[Olivier]

Therefore, as much as it's nice to see how computer-based systems get squeezed to fit pocket devices and join the realm of 'apps', 'share', 'likes' and whatnot, I think it would be most beneficial to address how all this music could be brought from the studio/laptop/phone to the stage and performed in more engaging ways. That would be for me more of a revolution! I hope that doesn't come across as <old man yelling at clouds> but coming from a non electronic background, playing traditional instruments, I've always struggled to find a similarly direct level of interaction among performer-instrument-audience, speaking from both sides of the game.

This is very much where I'm at. I'm curious if props can develop something exciting for this.

[dioxide]

However - popular western music practices rely heavily on performance, and anything electronic hardly delivers as, for instance, a traditional rock gig would have in the old days. There is an issue, in that electronic music is usually mostly programmed, rather than played. It is in its nature an intellectual craft, rather than a physical one. We know it's very very hard to reproduce programmed music live, which is why most times, even digital composers themselves, will go and perform partially or even entirely mp3-dj-style-playback.. Because it does not matter much to the average audience whether a laptop is running a complex custom made Max patch which is being controlled in its entirety live, or if there's VLC streaming tracks in the background whilst the performer is chatting on skype The amount of interaction/engagement perceived from operating electronic gear is pretty much the same. An educated audience may of course feel different if they knew a certain button triggers a one-shot sound rather than a playback cue to a pre-recorded mp3 whole track. The fact remains: the musical physical gesture is not as efficient as it would with traditional instruments that are played note-by-note, and I would add, instruments which generate sound by vibration and not by sending control signals to a computer.

Therefore, as much as it's nice to see how computer-based systems get squeezed to fit pocket devices and join the realm of 'apps', 'share', 'likes' and whatnot, I think it would be most beneficial to address how all this music could be brought from the studio/laptop/phone to the stage and performed in more engaging ways. That would be for me a true revolution! I hope that doesn't come across as <old man yelling at clouds> but coming from a non electronic background, playing traditional instruments, I've always struggled to find a similarly direct level of interaction among performer-instrument-audience, speaking from both sides of the game.

Couldn't agree more about the performance thing. Saw a few acoustic acts recently both from completely different parts of the world and they both thoroughly enjoyed playing, smiling at each other and the audience all the way through. Couldn't be more different when compared to electronic musicians playing! Is there a way to make this stuff more fun so we don't have to put up with all the moody frowning?

[Vince-Noir-99]

Is there a way to make this stuff more fun so we don't have to put up with all the moody frowning?

In my view, that's a tough one because it really requires to break out of the evolution path, make a step or two backwards, and evolve from there on a new parallel path, if that makes sense.

We have a few great live electronic performers that employ original strategies to create captivating, authentic performances, but if we look at the technology and not people and their strategies to circumvent its shortcomings, the method of sound generation for electrophone instruments typically ranges between a single or complex set of control interfaces such as:
keys/buttons
variable resistors (knobs, faders etc..)
touch screen interfaces
pressure sensors (piezo etc..)
light sensors
etc etc..

What kind of physical skills one can develop on such interfaces?

Piano skills have rather successfully translated to synthesisers, which since the early days adopted the piano keyboard as main controller, so much so that if we say synthesiser to anyone, the first thing they'll think of is a keyboard.

A few attempts at MIDIfying stringed instruments made it possible to explore new sounds, especially for guitarists. Though, probably for latency/accuracy issues and unusual image/concept (musicians are after all, ironically, very conservative) it didn't make a huge impact.

Drumming solutions have been offered all along, but also, probably for the above reasons, didn't quite change the game. It's interesting how big companies still invest a lot into this category, implementing more and more sensors in their e-drum kits, more realistic drum presets... but we haven't yet seen one of those 3-4000$ instruments on the big stages or in the studios, but usually in homes for practicing.

Finger-drumming, evolving from a very performance oriented culture, hip-hop, thanks to the Akai MPC, has set the rules for everybody else, and it's amazing to see some performers showing off on those. We should also mention that combination of skills on different controller types are often displayed.

Sooooo... All good but I see one constant here, which if different, may make things veeeery interesting: electrophone instruments generate sound via oscillators or sample playback and no matter what setup (analogue, digital...), the human musical gesture will always be interacting with the interface and not the sound directly. Yes, the latency between gesture and sound feedback is negligible, and complex controllers allow for sounds to be multi-dimensional (not just pitch and velocity), but it is my opinion that because there is no vibrating part (besides electrons in the circuit and ultimately a speaker coil ) the 'music making flow' is therefore interrupted. I am instead fascinated by electronics as means to process sounds that are generated by physical excitement. That would be my suggestion

I don't mean to objectively condemn current electronic music systems, because since musique concrète in the mid 1900s, a great deal of innovations happened without much live playing involved, as instead I am suggesting I'd like to see more of here. Jim Morrison of the Doors, in a late 60s interview, envisioned the future of music: one performer playing tapes.. Sure enough, about a decade later people in NYC started scratching vinyls and breaking beats.

[Resonator]

I really hope Props reveal something new, rather than regurgitate more boring self-promotion. We've seen enough of that on their website and in their emails.

[EnochLight]

What a load of bollocks. The revolution already happened years ago. 'Mobile' music making isn't disruptive as a laptop is mobile enough – it was laptops that were the game changer, not iPads..

And yet...

http://www.statista.com/statistics/2637 ... app-store/

Just to be clear, I'm not arguing whether or not tablets are acceptable music making machines or not (I prefer my desktop studio); I'm just illustrating that the market seems to disagree with you. When the vast majority of kids/young adults in the market being sold to have touch screen devices in their pockets, it's hard not to see the potential in being able to make music using the tools available.

[Skullture]

Keynotes are just a load of hoopla...

/ducks

Truth

[dioxide]

What a load of bollocks. The revolution already happened years ago. 'Mobile' music making isn't disruptive as a laptop is mobile enough – it was laptops that were the game changer, not iPads..

And yet...

http://www.statista.com/statistics/2637 ... app-store/

Just to be clear, I'm not arguing whether or not tablets are acceptable music making machines or not (I prefer my desktop studio); I'm just illustrating that the market seems to disagree with you. When the vast majority of kids/young adults in the market being sold to have touch screen devices in their pockets, it's hard not to see the potential in being able to make music using the tools available.

I assume a chart for music apps would be similar and would include the apps I've downloaded and fiddled around with before never going back to. Results from these apps are actually pretty rare, despite the huge number of downloads. Remember the cheaper apps make it easier for casual users to try stuff out. Realistically if these were desktop apps I would have tried the demo instead but there's no provision for demoing things in iOS land and things tend to be significantly cheaper. So, lots of downloads but not much finished music.

It's not hard to see the 'potential' but unfortunately years after the iPad came out it is still only potential. I think people found that they didn't need multitouch as badly as they thought they did and that actually if you add a MIDI controller to your laptop you'll get multitouch with a number of benefits. I was very excited about the iPad when it came out. I bought a 1st gen device and I still have a (newer) iPad. But I think it is going to take years for this stuff to develop, as it did with PCs. For now most people aren't actually doing anything more than fiddling around, there is no iPad music revolution. In a few years time we'll be able to run Reason on an iPad and plug in a MIDI controller and pro-soundcard and we will basically be back to where we are now, but with multitouch.

The 'mobile' revolution was the mobility of the laptop and that happened when iBooks became affordable and software like Reason and Live allowed you to have a self-contained studio on something you could fit in a bag. So early 2000s - more than 10 years ago!

[dioxide]

Vince's post

I think one problem is that most electronic musicians are playing alone and there's no-one to bounce off in the same way bands do. The audience enjoy seeing that as well. As solo players we often end up like a one-man-band trying to do too much at once. Some electronic musicians might be like solo instrumentalists but a lot of us are trying to do everything at once, no wonder we end up frowning Maybe we should start a thread on this, if there are any other live people here.

[tt_lab]

iPad made me spent a lot of money in music gear, because I started playing in it and realise I liked it a lot(doing music) so I went the next level (I still am). But I am not able to do music on the ipad anymore. I still use it to use a synth with my desktop or laptop producing studio, but everytime I try to make music only on it (beatmaker 2, maschine 2 etc) I feel like toying, and bores me to death in about 10 minutes.

[clone]

Almost had some tickets for this year! My contact told me to let her know in October. I told her I will contact her in SEPT. THEN!

[eusti]

iPad made me spent a lot of money in music gear, because I started playing in it and realise I liked it a lot(doing music) so I went the next level (I still am). But I am not able to do music on the ipad anymore. I still use it to use a synth with my desktop or laptop producing studio, but everytime I try to make music only on it (beatmaker 2, maschine 2 etc) I feel like toying, and bores me to death in about 10 minutes.

I really like to use Nanostudio and Garageband on my phone when I'm not at home... With those two I know I can get at least some of the stuff transferred if it turns out nicely... Kind of wish I had an iPad to use other more sophisticated stuff, like iSEM, Korgs Gadgets or iMS20 though...

D.

[gak]

If it's not reason 10, then I'll be very disappointed! *






























*gak will not REALLY be very disappointed

[EnochLight]

What a load of bollocks. The revolution already happened years ago. 'Mobile' music making isn't disruptive as a laptop is mobile enough – it was laptops that were the game changer, not iPads..

And yet...

http://www.statista.com/statistics/2637 ... app-store/

Just to be clear, I'm not arguing whether or not tablets are acceptable music making machines or not (I prefer my desktop studio); I'm just illustrating that the market seems to disagree with you. When the vast majority of kids/young adults in the market being sold to have touch screen devices in their pockets, it's hard not to see the potential in being able to make music using the tools available.

I assume a chart for music apps would be similar and would include the apps I've downloaded and fiddled around with before never going back to. Results from these apps are actually pretty rare, despite the huge number of downloads. Remember the cheaper apps make it easier for casual users to try stuff out. Realistically if these were desktop apps I would have tried the demo instead but there's no provision for demoing things in iOS land and things tend to be significantly cheaper. So, lots of downloads but not much finished music.

It's not hard to see the 'potential' but unfortunately years after the iPad came out it is still only potential. I think people found that they didn't need multitouch as badly as they thought they did and that actually if you add a MIDI controller to your laptop you'll get multitouch with a number of benefits. I was very excited about the iPad when it came out. I bought a 1st gen device and I still have a (newer) iPad. But I think it is going to take years for this stuff to develop, as it did with PCs. For now most people aren't actually doing anything more than fiddling around, there is no iPad music revolution. In a few years time we'll be able to run Reason on an iPad and plug in a MIDI controller and pro-soundcard and we will basically be back to where we are now, but with multitouch.

The 'mobile' revolution was the mobility of the laptop and that happened when iBooks became affordable and software like Reason and Live allowed you to have a self-contained studio on something you could fit in a bag. So early 2000s - more than 10 years ago!

Perhaps that's one way of interpreting it. Another would be: the [iPad and other mobile devices such as iPhones, Android, etc] have been tremendously successful at fulfilling their potential. I'm not making those numbers up above - that's just for iOS. Add in Android apps and you've got an order of magnitude larger - we're talking several billion apps, on hundreds of millions of mobile devices (not laptops - phones and tablets). See, the thing is - people are using their mobile devices for music production. Sure, it's not in the capacity that we use our laptops and desktops - but they're being used. I understand that you don't use them (at least that's what I'm gathering from your posts), and that you don't feel they've lived up to their potential, but again - the numbers (and by extension, the market) seems to disagree with that school of thought.

The revolution has happened, and that's why you see so many software houses (like Props) trying to bring in customers via a mobile channel. They'd be stupid to not try and diversify their approach. Idiotic, in fact.

All that said, for me - I just use my iPad as an additional tool in the studio. It runs Delora Software's rsTouch and offers me a nice touch-friendly way to control Reason's mixer at a distance. I use my phone as a scratch pad to practice vocal ideas with Take. I use Drop to Prop to get my tracks to Take (unlisted, of course) in order to practice ideas off of them - no matter where I'm at. I'm willing to wager that I'm not alone in doing this. It's pretty revolutionary, IMHO.

Could I survive without it and still produce? Hell yeah, but I admit the way I use them now is pretty damn convenient.

[dioxide]

I'm counting mobile as having to do with mobility, so rsTouch and a laptop is no more mobile than a MIDI controller and a laptop. What makes mobile a thing is the portability not the device it runs on. The only difference is multitouch, which for most people isn't something critical otherwise we'd all have sold our laptops to buy Surfaces by now.

Your definition of success for iPad and iPhone apps is sales, and I agree that they are successful when it comes to making people and companies money. The huge global userbase means that you can make yourself very rich with a casual music app, if you can get it noticed so everyone is chasing the dream / dollars. I'm defining success as how many people are actually using these instead of laptops, or in conjunction with laptops. It's more than it was in the past but the numbers are still low.

Sales aren't a good indicator of actual use. Smule Ocarina was one of the biggest music apps in it's day but it was still a casual toy. There are some great apps out there but none have managed to really break out. IMO Korg Gadget is the nearest to a desktop quality experience. On an iPad pro it would be amazing, but is that more mobile than a laptop? Not really.

Really they should be talking about the multi-touch revolution, because portability in music is fairly similar to 10 years ago. It's just that we can now also use a phone we already own as a portable recorder rather than having a dedicated device. That revolution happened in 2007, nine years ago!

[philosurfer]

See you there!

its going to be a fun show this year.