WORLD OF MUSIC ; PORTABLE KEYBOARD - Latest Portable Music Keyboards, Synthesizers and Music News

Synthesist Bryan Noll (Lightbath) shared this live performance, from the Plant Music Lounge at South By Southwest (SXSW).

What Noll has to say about the performance:

“Revisit my immersive PlantWave performance at SXSW 2023, where I used real-time plant biodata to animate carefully designed musical systems in my modular synthesizer and computer.

Held in Data Garden’s Plant Music Lounge, this concert of guided generative music was an interspecies collaboration between myself and four houseplants.”

The Plant Music Lounge was a project of Plantwave, who make a device that translates signals from sensors that you can attach to plants into ambient music or MIDI signals.

The Lounge was intended to be a space where attendees could relax and recharge at SXSW.

Novation has introduced FLkey 49 & FLkey 61, two new additions to its FLkey line of keyboard MIDI controllers for FL Studio users.

Building on the success of their FLkey Mini and FLkey 37, the new models come with four- and five-octave keyboards respectively, and also offer some  additional features.

Developed in collaboration with Image-Line, creators of FL Studio, the FLkey 49 and FLkey 61 allow for a hands-on music production experience, with controls for FL Studio’s Sequencer, Channel Rack, and Mixer (you get eight knobs, nine faders and nine fader buttons). The controllers include Scale and Chord modes for creative play, along with Sequencer Mode for programming beats fast. The controllers also include essential buttons for easy access to transport, score log, undo, redo, quantize, and metronome triggering.

Pattern Pad mode enables you to select and edit patterns directly from the pads, while Scale mode locks the keyboard to a specific key. There are also three different Creative Chord modes (Fixed, User and Scale) that enable you to trigger chords with a single finger.

Presets can be browsed in Image-Line plugins directly from the controllers, and you can make your own control assignments using the Custom modes.

Additionally, both controllers come bundled with a range of software from AAS Session bundle, Spitfire Audio Expressive Strings, XLN Audio Addictive Keys, Klevgrand DAW Cassette and Klevgrand, as well as a 6-month trial of FL Studio Producer Edition.

Both controllers ship with a 6-month trial version of FL Studio Producer Edition, while other bundled software includes XLN Audio Addictive Keys, AAS Session bundle, Spitfire Audio Expressive Strings, Klevgrand DAW Cassette and Klevgrand Roverb.

Features:

• Seamless Integration with FL Studio.
• Mixer and Channel Rack control: Adjust volume and pan with eight knobs, nine faders, and nine fader buttons.
• Step sequencer: Take control of FL Studio’s step sequencer and program drums easily.
• Pattern Pad mode: Select and edit patterns directly from the pads.
• Channel Rack playability: Play directly into the Channel Rack from FLkey 49 and FLkey 61’s pads.
• Scale mode: Choose your scale and always hit the right note.
• Instrument control: Trigger FPC and SliceX with the pads for more expressive beats and melodies.
• Plug-in control: Tweak Image-Line plugins and record natural-sounding automation with eight knobs and nine faders.
• Creative Chord Modes: Three chord modes–Fixed, User and Scale–unlock rapid song building and performance. Play custom chords and chords in different scales with just one finger.
• Preset browsing: Find your favorite presets from Image-Line plugins directly from FLkey 49 and FLkey 61.
• Custom Modes: Assign custom controls to the pads and knobs on FLkey 49 and FLkey 61 to tailor your music production workflow.
• Included Software: FL Studio Producer Edition – 6 Month Trial, XLN Audio Addictive Keys, AAS Session bundle, Spitfire Audio Expressive Strings, Klevgrand DAW Cassette and Klevgrand Roverb.

The FLkey 49 and FLkey 61 are now available now to pre-order, priced at $229.99 and $279.99.

Native Instruments has announced that it is dumping the Soundwide brand, announced in April of 2022 as the parent company for NI, iZotope, Plugin Alliance, Brainworx and Sound Stacks.

As of today, though, that’s all changed, as it’s just been confirmed that iZotope, Brainworx and Plugin Alliance are now part of Native Instruments. The company says that the move will help create a seamless and consistent experience for customers that use Native Instruments, iZotope, and Brainworx products.

If you’re a little confused, we are sure you’re not the only one. The bosses of the company formerly known as Soundwide are now saying that they’re moving forward with the NI name on the masthead because it’s “more familiar to our community,” which is certainly true.

Native says that they’re making the change because:

“What about Soundwide?

Some of you might remember back in 2022 when iZotope, Native Instruments, Plugin Alliance, and Brainworx came together as a group called Soundwide. While the spirit of Soundwide lives on—our brands coming together to empower creativity—the Soundwide name wasn’t as familiar to our community.

With that in mind, we made the choice to move forward with a brand that more people know and love: Native Instruments.”

This is more than just a rebranding exercise. In the future, you can expect to be able to use one login across all the brands, while NI’s Native Access will become the preferred destination for installing and authenticating a broader range of products, negating the need for multiple similar tools. There will be one customer care centre, and we’re promised a “one-stop shop” that will enable you to explore all products, loyalty offers and upgrades. Expect a more “tightly-connected” experience across all products, too.

No timeframe has been announced for all of this to be implemented, but you can expect to see some changes this year. These include more iZotope products in Native Access (with more Brainworx titles to follow next year) and more cross-brand content on the Native Instruments blog and social media channels. There could also be cross-pollination of features and new bundle offers.

Because it’s a vendor for third-party plugins, Plugin Alliance will remain distinct from the rest of the brands, but sales and special pricing offers will be coordinated across the year. Evidence of this can be seen in the current Summer of Sound campaign, which features savings of up to 50% on iZotope, Native Instruments, Plugin Alliance and Brainworx products.

The company says that they are working to make it possible to:

• Use one unified login for your accounts across the brands, so you don’t have to remember multiple sets of login details;
• Utilize Native Access as the preferred destination for installing and authenticating a broader range of products, reducing the need for multiple product installation tools;
• Get access to one Customer Care center to get the support you need, across all product lines;
• Visit a one-stop Shop and discover products across all their brands, including loyalty offers and upgrades; and
• Explore more tightly connected experiences and technologies across NI products.