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Keith McMillen Instruments has introduced the K- Mix BLUE, an 8 in x 10 out digital mixer, USB audio interface and touch sensitive MIDI controller.

The K-Mix BLUE Edition is an updated version of the original K-Mix, introduced at the 2015 NAMM Show.

The BLUE edition features upgraded preamps, an updated tactile control surface and a new ABS-Polycarbonate finish.

K-Mix BLUE Features:

• Programmable Digital Mixer
• High Pass Filter, Three band EQ, Gate, and Compressor on Every Channel
• On-Board Reverb with Dedicated Send/Return Bus
• Flexible Routing to four Stereo Output Buses and USB
• Headphone Monitoring of Channels, Busses, or a Dedicated Mix
• Quad, 5.1, 7.1 and Octo Surround Mixer with Bass Management
• Onboard Preset Storage
• No Computer Required
• Audio Interface
• 8-in/10-out Audio
• USB Bus Powered
• Low Noise Pre Preamps
• “High-End” AKM Converters
• 32-bit Floating Point Signal Path
• Control Surface
• Precision Rotaries and Faders
• User Assignable MIDI Controls in Three Banks
• Supports Ableton Live versions 9-11
• Mackie HUI Control (requires K-Mix Editor software)
• Light Weight and Portable
• Durable ABS-Polycarbonate enclosure
• Rugged Construction, No Moving Parts

The K-Mix has a unique design with no moving parts, so it does not have faders that get could scratchy over time, and it can be thrown into a backpack for mobile mixing without worry about damage to control knobs.

“With K-Mix BLUE, we’ve upgraded the classic K-Mix tactile experience and aesthetic”, said KMI President Eric Bateman.  “The finish feels great and will stand the test of time, the preamps are clean even when powered from a laptop, and with full Ableton 11 support, K-Mix is hands down the most versatile audio Swiss army knife out there.”

The K-Mix BLUE Edition is available now for $599.

In his latest loopop video, synthesist Ziv Eliraz takes a look at the Poly Effects Hector. Poly Effects Hector is a virtual modular environment for your Eurorack modular setup, containing over 100 virtual modules that can interact with the rest of your rack through 6 inputs and 8 outputs for CV and audio.

Hector contains a variety of modules, from the simple and functional – LFOs, quantizers, filters –  to the highly advanced. Among the most interesting on offer are the granular texture synthesizer, controllable chaos generator, and a meta modulator with seven blendable signal-combining algorithms. There is also a EDP-style looper module capable of looping multiple tracks simultaneously.

In addition, Hector brings convolution reverb technology to your modular, an effect that has long remained in the domain of DAWs, thanks to its CPU-intensive nature. Hector is completely lacking in any hardware controls and operated using a touch-screen that controls the virtual modular environment. However, module parameters can be controlled using CV or mapped to external MIDI controllers.

If the idea gives an overview of a virtual-modular-in-a-modular seems puzzling, Eliraz gives an overview of the module, compares it with the guitar effect version of it called Beebo, does a walkthrough of a quad delay Frippertronics-style patch compares it to other options, you can see how the Hector’s 100+ modules, effects and functions can bring some serious creative and experimental capability to your modular system.

Topics covered:

0:00 Intro

1:35 vs Beebo

3:20 Patching

8:15 MIDI learn

8:55 Spotlight

10:25 This setup

12:15 Fripp patch

13:20 Latency

14:15 Mutable ports

16:05 Rings

16:50 Into Clouds

17:30 Marbles

18:20 Grids

20:10 Euclidean seq

21:15 Loopler EDP

22:20 Competition

24:45 Pros & cons

29:25 Outro

The Poly Effects Hector is available now for $599.

This series of videos is a free masterclass on PitchLoop89, a new pitch-shifting delay device introduced in Ableton Live 11.

The two-part masterclass was created with the assistance of Ableton and features Robert Henke, developer of PitchLoop89.

Henke is one of the co-founders of Ableton and co-creator of Ableton Live; is active as a composer and performer with his project Monolake; and has held teaching positions at the Berlin University of the Arts, the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) at Stanford University, the Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique (IRCAM) in Paris, and the Studio National des Arts Contemporains – Le Fresnoy, in Lille, France.

Henke was inspired to create PitchLoop89 by the rare Publison DHM 89 pitch-shifting delay from the ’70s. In this masterclass, Henke discusses the unique features of this rare effects unit, how it inspired its software counterpart and using PitchLoop89 for sound design.

In Part 1 of the PitchLoop89 Masterclass, video above, Henke discusses the Publison DHM 89 and how it was the inspiration for PitchLoop89; introduces the features of PitchLoop89, capturing audio and controlling the device with MIDI.

In Part 2, video below, Henke takes a look at using PitchLoop89 as a sound design tool with drums and also at Push integration.

PitchLoop89 is included in Live 11 Suite and can be downloaded directly from Live’s browser. Live 11 Standard users with a Max for Live license can also download it in the browser.