This is the OLD BLOG >> New address BLOG.DUBSPOT.COM

Dubspot has launched a new blog, the address is

blog.dubspot.com.

WMC 2010 :: Peter Kruder @ Dubspot's EDU Suite!

Dubspot is hosting a very special event on Friday afternoon, March 26th, at the Shore Club in Miami during WMC week.  A small group of people will be joining a conversation focused on the music creation process, with individual sessions hosted by elite electronic music pioneers such as Christian Prommer and Peter Kruder!
 
This is a chance for artists to engage with their respected peers, educators, special guests, and the next generation, to discuss production & performance techniques, current projects, and technology developments.  All through a program of (de)/constructing tracks, examining workflows, listening to inspiring or revolutionary tracks, and presenting their philosophical approach to their music.

From 12 to 6pm, there will be four individual sessions, each running for a hour.
Attendance is capped at 50.  In addition to a selection of DJs, producers, and industry, a limited number of current Dubspot students can rsvp and stop by, for free.  Spots will fill up fast, so be sure to send in your email to rsvp@dubspot.com.  "Dubspot WMC 2010"

Immediately following the sessions, the Beats Build Hope Party will kick off at the Shore Club with a variety of DJs from Crystal Method, to Jazzanova, to Mark Farina, and many, many more. All to raise money for our partner charity, NextAid, and three other organizations who have joined the event, LIFEbeat, SOIL, and Green Wave. >> More Details

SXSW 2010 :: Dubspot Interactive Booth & Ableton Demo

Dubspot is traveling to South By Southwest in Austin, Texas, for the first time this year, bringing along our unique brand of cutting-edge music education, and taking part in a variety of special events, a major one being the Gear Alley of the Music Trade Show, March 17, 18, and 19.

Our booth will have a combination of general information on Dubspot, our classes, tour, video projects and workshops, and actual interactive educational opportunities, focused on music production and performance.  The public can meet some of the Dubspot staff and instructors, including DJ Kiva, Matt Shadetek, Mike Hatsis, and DJ OBaH, and get a taste of the experience we offer.  Check out some free mini-tutorials on some of the finest production and performance gear around from M-Audio, Ableton, Rane/Serato, and more.

Plus, on Thursday, March 18th, at 2pm, there will be a special presentation taking place on the Gear Alley performance stage.  Musician, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Martín Perna (Antibalas, Ocote Soul Sounds, Dap Kings, TV on the Radio) has been trying to create a hybrid live/DJ set in Ableton Live with his pre-recorded studio sessions.  In this demonstration, he'll meet up with DJ Kiva (Dubspot, Adios Babylon), who will demonstrate how to translate these studio sessions into an Ableton-ready set, using the Akai APC-40 console for control.  Together they'll take a song, create and perform a live remix on the spot, incorporating the prerecorded tracks with live vocals, and add instrumentation from Martín and guests from the Ocote Soul Sounds band.

Dubspot M-Audio Giveaway :: Pro Tools, Axiom Pro 49 +

Celebrating our new partnership with Avid/M-Audio, we are happy to offer our friends and family an easy chance to win some top-notch gear.  The Dubspot M-Audio Giveaway will be running through Sunday, April 18th, and is open to anyone motivated enough to send us an email: how hard is that?

And so the details stand: two winners of two grand prizes will be selected, each receiving an Axiom Pro 49 keyboard controller, a Fast Track Pro audio interface, a pair of BX5a Deluxe Studio Monitors, and a copy of Pro Tools 8 M-Powered.  Thats over 1500 bucks of gear in each package.  To enter, email contests@dubspot.com, and reference "Dubspot M-Audio Giveaway" in the subject.  Entries will also get you on the Dubspot & M-Audio mailing lists, lots of great stuff there...

                                                                                                                                                                                            

Axiom Pro 49 - Advanced 49-Key USB MIDI Controller with HyperControl Technology -

We use Axiom 25's on all our stations at Dubspot, the Pro 49 is a little larger & has lot's of fun new features we will soon experience.

Click to read more ...

SXSW 2010 :: Warper in Dub :: 3.19 :: Dubspot Austin 2011

On Friday, March 19th, Dubspot is hosting a special SXSW edition of New York’s Warper Party (in Dub), at Rabbit’s Lounge, from 7pm – 12am,

The Warper Party is known for its embrace of unique and cutting-edge performance concepts.  Dubspot shares and ecourages this idea of progress, and has thus decided to get behind this special night in Austin.

The event will see performances by Matt Shadetek, Moldover, Martin Perna, DJ Kiva, Inside, Barry Cole, !Include, Nebulae, Starlynx, Sacco & Vanzetti, Lux Divon, Dreadbass Sound System, and Freebassbk, with visuals by Chris Jackson.

Its all free to the public, and Austin Ableton User Group members will be eligible for some great giveaways.

As described on warperparty.com...

Warper is the party for people interested in getting in on the ground floor of the latest evolution in DJ culture. Conceived by live electronic music performers to build community, showcase creativity, and share knowledge in the NY area and beyond. Hosts DJ Shakey & !Include schedule the evening to include feature performers, open electronics jams, and special events in a fluid and energetic environment appealing to both participants and party goers. Warper will be held monthly at various NY and Brooklyn venues and will additionally include all-ages parties, premium shows, and events on the road.

SXSW 2010 - Waxpoetics & Dubspot - Funkaid Party 3.18

One of Dubspot's many projects at South By Southwest this year, The Wax Poetics & Dubspot Funk Aid For Africa & Haiti Official SXSW Showcase, held at the Scoot Inn, on Thursday, March 18th, is sure to please any musical aficionado.  The event is free, with an encouraged donation for our partner charities, NextAid and SOIL.

Presented by Puma, and sponsored by Avid/M-Audio & Serato, along with partner charity NextAid, the event will see performances by Black Dynamite Sound Orchestra, Ocote Soul Sounds, Chico Mann, Jovi Rockwell, Grimy Styles, Keys N Krates, and Brownout, plus DJ sets from Rich Medina, DJ OBaH, Chicken George, J. Boogie, and Smiles Davis.  Maker’s Mark are kindly providing drink specials, and Austin mainstays StrangeTribe Productions and Soul of the Boot Entertainment are managing promotional efforts.

NextAid harnesses the power of music to create sustainable solutions to the challenges facing African children. Funds will go towards the construction of an eco-friendly facility to help expand an inspiring youth group's micro-business and enrichment program, ultimately allowing them to serve more orphaned and vulnerable youth within the Kawangware slum of Kenya. Visit nextaid.org for more info.
 
Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihood (SOIL) believes that the path to sustainability is through transformation, of both disempowered peoples and discarded materials, turning apathy and pollution into valuable resources. They are empowering communities, building the soil and nourishing the grassroots in Haiti. Funds will go towards rebuilding efforts. Visit oursoil.org for more details.

Ableton NYC User Group :: Chris Willits :: 3.31.10

Christopher Willits will be hosting an Ableton User Group meeting at Dubspot on March 31st, from 9:15pm to 10:45pm.  Like another presenter this month (Thavius Beck), he has worked with us on past workshop tour stops in San Francisco, L.A., and Austin, and we are happy to have him talk again.

During his workshop, Chris will focused on Max For Live, while also discussing his personally developed signal processing methods in Ableton, and working with his Monome controller.

Chris uses Ableton in the studio and during all his live performances; the products of both settings are a testament to his musical talent and qualifications for hosting this meeting…  Eloquent experimental compositions of striking attention to detail and attuned emotional content.

Anyone interested in attending should send an RSVP in case it fills up.  Just email "rsvp@dubspot.com" and note "Willits" in the subject.


Here is some more info on Chris from his website:

Christopher Willits has been instrumental in redefining the guitar in the digital age. Using custom-built software, Willits morphs his guitar playing into warm folded rhythms of texture and melody.

Click to read more ...

Thavius Beck :: Ableton NYC User Group 03.11.10

Thavius Beck, a talented producer, composer, and educator (Ableton certified trainer), will be joining us for a two hour workshop, on March 11th, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.  Thavius is a great new friend of ours: he first presented for us during the LA stop of our workshop tour, and the response was so good that we just had to bring him to the right coast for another edition.

His workshop will focus on his central talent of beatmaking, along with some automation instruction and sound editing tips, while using the Novation Launchpad for control.

His current projects include his new solo album, Dialogue, available in the US on Mush Records and in the UK and Europe on Big Dada.  Thavius also just finished a score for a feature length film by the Suicide Girls, called Suicide Girls Must Die, which has a planned limited theater run beginning March 12th, before moving to Pay-Per-View and DVD in June.  More info is on his MySpace page.

"Composer of mercurial soundtracks for uncertain times, Thavius Beck conjoins various strains of electronic music to arrive at a daringly ambitious sound. He has received recognition in The Wire, Spin, and Urb for his solo releases under the moniker Adlib, the Labwaste project with fellow LA artist Subtitle, his recent production for fellow Mush artist K-The-I???, his early work with Global Phlowtations, numerous guest appearances, and producing alongside Trent Reznor for and touring in support of and accompanying Saul Williams. An exceptional programmer, engineer and multi-instrumentalist, Thavius Beck’s many talents allow him to take a song from idea to completion without ever having to leave his cluttered studio. Uncompromising vision and an ear for the unusual are staples of this writer/producer’s work." 
- from mushrecords.com

Video: Martin Perna (Antibalas / Ocote Soul), Rich Medina & Chico Mann in class @ Dubspot

Martin Perna (Antibalas, Ocote Soul Sounds), DJ Rich Medina (Jump N Funk, Marksmen Productions, Rock Steady Crew), Marcos Garcia (Antibalas, Chico Mann), DJ T-Kat (Chico Mann), and Mark Hines (Marksmen Productions), met with Dubspot instructor DJ Kiva for an Ableton Live 101 session here at Dubspot, focused on their shared creative roots on Afrobeat, funk, hip-hop, and soul. 

While giving a general overview of the program's powers, Kiva focused in on applicable functions, that fit the individual's styles, needs, and workflow methods.  One area of focus was drum racks, and their capacity to immediately import and access a large amount of sounds very quickly and easily.  Old school producers and performers met cutting-edge technology, and these musicians of the vinyl and analog world were loving this crash course on the future of digital music.

Beatgridding in Traktor :: Syncing Properly :: DJ Endo

 

Beatgridding in Traktor
by Mike Henderson (aka DJ Endo)

Traktor Scratch Pro and Traktor Pro have proven to be the industry standard in DJ Software.  Traktor can help your DJ workflow tremendously depending on how much work you put into preparing your tracks.  Whether you are using Vinyl, CD’s, MIDI controllers, or even a mouse, Traktor has a very handy button called the “Sync” button.

                                                                                                                                                                                       

The Sync button matches the BPM (speed) of whichever deck you are playing to the Deck set as the “Master” Deck.   It will also match the “Phase” of both records, matching the downbeats of each track so they are hitting at the same time.  If used correctly, the sync feature will allow for perfectly beatmatched mixes every time, and will also allow for perfect loops and effects in Traktor.

Traktor's Phase MeterThe proper use of the Sync feature is commonly misunderstood in Traktor.  A common complaint with Traktor is “I press the sync button, and everything goes off.” This problem occurs because Traktor needs to know where the downbeats are in your tracks, as well as the speed (BPM) of your tracks. This is where beatgrids come into play. Beatgrids are the backbone of Traktor.

A Beatgrid is a series of Gridlines set across your tracks that mark the downbeats of your track, and tell Traktor the BPM of the track.

They are like Warp markers in Ableton Live, except setting a beatgrid in Traktor is much easier.

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