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

Ableton has announced Extended Sounds, a new Pack for Ableton Live by Modeselektor. The Pack is a construction kit sampled from a huge variety of synths and drum machines from Modeselektor’s broad collection of classic studio gear and wraps them up in “wild effects with eminently-playable presets.”

Created with the same ethos as Modeselektor’s 2021 album “Extended,” the Extended Sounds Pack gives the user access to many of the distinctive elements that have defined the sound of Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary’s Modeselektor project. Extended Sounds delivers a bevy of handcrafted instruments, drum kits, MIDI clips, Effect Racks and presets to incorporate into projects.

What’s more, at the heart of the Pack are more than 2000 samples from equipment in the Modeselektor studio. The multi-sampled synths and drum machines are then distinctively processed through complex effects routings. Live’s native synths receive the same treatment, giving Wavetable and Operator “that signature Modeselektor grit.”

The pristine recorded samples in this Pack meet extensive effects chains for dramatic transformations. The Macro Variations introduced in Live 11 are often the first thing you’ll see when loading an instrument, Drum or Effect Rack from this Pack. Beyond the uniquely Modeselektor preset names you’ll find crushing distortion, heavily-modulated resonators and scuzzy reverbs, all multi-mapped for quick control over the chaos within.

The demo Live Sets found in the Extended Sounds Pack offer an insight into how the duo build and arrange their tracks, while the included MIDI clips further break down how they construct the foundations of their music. Divided into useful sub-folders for easy integration into the user’s work, combine the clips with drum kits and instruments, and easily explore new configurations of sound, rhythm and melody.

The Extended Sounds Pack from Modeselektor is a complete production toolkit, and is available from Ableton for $59.

Ableton announced Live 11.1, now available as a beta release, an update that adds support for Apple Silicon Macs and a variety of other improvements.

Ableton Live 11.1 adds native support for Apple’s M1 Silicon Macs, and you can try it right now. And if you have been waiting for it, its arrival is good news.

We are referring to native support for Apple’s M1 Silicon Macs, the first batch of which was released almost a year ago. This means that owners of M1 13-inch MacBook Pro will now be able to run Ableton Live without the need for Apple’s ‘translation’ software Rosetta, unleashing the full power of their computers in the process.

Whereas, owners of Windows machines and older Macs may be nonplussed by this news, Live 11.1 does also give them an updated Shifter device to play with. This adds a new mode for real-time monophonic pitch shifting, as well as delay, an envelope section, an LFO and glide functionality.

In addition, there are two new Max for Live utilities: Align Deay and MIDI Shaper. Align Delay enables users to compensate for lag when sending signals through their system, while MIDI Shaper generates modulation data that can bring more expression to MIDI performances.

Other tweaks include improvements to comping, updates to Clip handling and more.

Live 11.1 is available now in public beta.  You can sign up to the beta program on the Ableton website, where you can also view the release notes.

Full details are available at the Ableton website.

Roland has announced a free update for owners of the Roland Fantom 6, 7, and 8 Synthesizers.

Fantom Version 2.5 adds classic organ sound and playability with Roland Virtual ToneWheel engine, plus extended DAW control with integrated support for Ableton Live music production software.

New Fantom  Virtual ToneWheel engine emulates the sound-generating process of a real tone wheel organ and includes several tone wheel types with adjustable percussion, key click, leakage, and more. There is also a rotary effect, with variable speed, brake control, and tube distortion characteristics. Fantom touchscreen, sliders, knobs, and keyboard action are automatically configured to provide hands-on sound control and playability.

Now, Fantom also features official integration with Ableton Live, expanding on the previously included support for Apple’s Logic Pro X, GarageBand, and MainStage software platforms. Via Fantom high-resolution touchscreen, it’s possible to view and launch clips in Live’s Session view, access Live’s mixer parameters, and trigger transport functions. And with Fantom knobs, sliders, and pads, users can operate Macro Controls, control mix levels, play Drum Rack, and more.

To download the Roland FANTOM 6, 7 and 8 Version 2.5 update, see the Downloads section of the Fantom section of Roland website.