This new book covers: Triangle II, PSYN II, Pentagon I, Z3TA+, Session Drummer 2 and Session Drummer 3, Dimension LE and Dimension Pro, Rapture LE and Rapture, and Beatscape.
For readers of the current edition of the book, the new edition includes four new synthesizers: Beatscape, Session Drummer 3, Rapture LE, and Dimension LE. There are also significant updates to the material relating to three synthesizers featured in the current edition: Z3TA+, Dimension Pro, and Rapture. In addition, there is a revised and expanded section dedicated to the SFZ format, Cakewalk’s powerful sample format.
A large download package accompanies the book. The download is available from: http://noisesculpture.com/cakewalk-downloads.html and includes an additional 16 chapters covering: sfz and sfz+, Cyclone, RXP, DropZone, Square I, DreamStation, Roland GrooveSynth, and TTS-1. The download package also includes sound design master classes from several leading synthesizer programmers as well as all of the patches/sounds/SFZ files referenced in the book.
Cakewalk Synthesizers: From Presets to Power User, second edition
Since Cakewalk Synthesizers: From Presets to Power User was published in 2006 there have been a number of changes to the featured synthesizers and the Cakewalk line. As a result, I’m pleased to announce that a new edition of the book (to be called Cakewalk Synthesizers: From Presets to Power User, second edition) will be published in early 2010.
Since the first edition four new synthesizers have been released which are featured in the new edition:
Session Drummer 3
Beatscape
Dimension LE, and
Rapture LE.
This new book also reflects the significant updates (since the first edition was published) which have been made to:
Z3TA+
Dimension Pro, and
Rapture.
In addition, the materials covering the SFZ format have been revised and expanded.
There are, of course, other changes and some chapters will be moved around. Further details will be posted nearer to the publication date.
The SFZ format is the file format underlying Cakewalk’s Expression Engine synthesizers. It defines how a group of samples are structured: the samples can then be loaded and deployed in any compatible player (such as Dimension Pro, Rapture, the Session Drummers, and Beatscape). The SFZ format has also been adopted by several other non-Cakewalk synthesizers.
Beyond grouping and arranging source waves, the SFZ format allows access to a range of additional functionality in compatible synthesizers, turning them into something closer to a modular synthesizer while keeping the user-friendly interfaces.
The SFZ Tools are a group of tools based on UltraEdit which make it easier for musicians to edit SFZ definition files and to see what’s going on while they are doing this. In particular, the tools:
Highlight SFZ syntax. Cakewalk and (all known) non-Cakewalk opcodes are highlighted by the tools.
Provide a group of tags so that SFZ opcodes can be dropped into SFZ definition files at the click of a mouse.
Offer some guidance about how UltraEdit can be configured to handle SFZ files in a way that suits how a musician works.
The principles of synthesis and sound design, focusing on how to create the sound you want and the sound that is right for your music. These principles can be applied to any synthesizer.
The building blocks of synthesis, looking at the elements of synthesis, the function of each element and its effect on the sound, and how each element interacts with the other elements.
Synthesizer construction principles, focusing on the choices that are available from different oscillator and filter types, through to the audio path construction, the modulation that can be applied, and the implications of those choices in terms of flexibility, control, and sound.
The book looks at subtractive (analog) synthesis, frequency and phase modulation, sample-based synthesis, and additive techniques. It makes extensive use of illustrations from four popular modular synthesizers—Zebra 2, KarmaFX Synth Modular, VAZ Modular, and SynthEdit. The book is also accompanied by a free downloadable synthesizer (in PC VSTi format) which illustrates further some of the sound design and synthesizer construction principles.
Becoming a Synthesizer Wizard: From Presets to Power User is for people who are new to synthesis as well as for musicians who want to consolidate and expand their knowledge of the subject.
The book is also for anyone who wants to create (and perhaps sell) their own synthesizers. With SynthEdit (one of the featured synthesizers) you can create your own synthesizers. The free synthesizer accompanying the book was built with SynthEdit and you are walked through the construction of this synthesizer. In addition to the synthesizer itself, the underlying SynthEdit files are also available for download, so you can further develop your understanding.
If you want to take those first steps From Presets to Power User, or if you already know something about synthesis and you want to consolidate that knowledge and become a Synthesizer Wizard, then you can check out the book at http://noisesculpture.com/synthwiz.html.
Making music is only half the story if you want to earn your living making music: the other half is the business. Rocking Your Music Business:
introduces the business of music, and
tells you how to set up and run that business–both in terms of what you need to do, and the tools you need to run your business at home and on the road. As part of this, the book also looks at how you can use your existing tools, such as a desktop computer, a laptop, or a Smartphone/iPhone, to carry your office in your pocket.
You don’t need a major record label to have a career–especially with all of the changes that the industry has been undergoing in the last few years–but you do need a successful business and business infrastructure, and Rocking Your Music Business is the handbook that should be on the bookshelf of every musician who wants to take their business as seriously as they take their music.
Project5 Power! The Comprehensive Guide is now available. With SONAR Power! (by Scott Garrigus) and my other Cakewalk book Cakewalk Synthesizers: From Presets to Power User, this completes the coverage of Cakewalk’s Pro Suite.
To read more about the book, go to www.noisesculpture.com/p5p from where you can also download the patches accompanying tutorial 33.
Co-written with Klaus P Rausch, this book is intended for both the established musician who wants to develop a greater understanding of what sampling can do to help them make music, as well as for the musician who is taking his or her first steps in sampling. For further details, go to www.noisesculpture.com/st.
Project5 Power! is on its way and should be out at the start of next year.
The book is a comprehensive guide to using this sophisticated software and looks at:
how to record, and edit, audio and MIDI in Project5
the included synthesizers (Dimension and Dimension LE, VELOCITY, nPULSE, Cyclone, DS864, PSYN II, and Roland GrooveSynth) and the included effects units
the loop and beat creation tools and how to work with Clips to create music
Project5 Power! goes beyond a simple explanation of what function each control performs and also focuses on how to get results, making the book suitable for musicians with experience of Project5 who are looking improve their skills and broaden their understanding of the product, as well as people who are new to Project5.
The book will fits in with Cakewalk’s Pro Suite which is now covered by:
I recently finished updating Sample This! (Third Edition) which has been written in collaboration with Klaus P Rausch. This third edition of Sample This! will be available to buy on November 1. You can check out details of the book at www.noisesculpture.com/st from where you can also download a copy of the table of contents.
Some of you may not know Klaus, so let me tell you a bit about him.
Klaus is a musician, record producer, and sound designer based in Wiesbaden, Germany. In 1995 he set up Back in Time Records which specializes in sample production. As well as producing its own sample-based library products such as acoustic and electronic instruments ranging from the grand piano, to real orchestral sounds, and ethnic instruments to classic vintage synthesizers. Back in Time Records’ samples have also been used in products from Sonic Reality, LinPlug, Emagic, Image Line, and more.
He is also a highly talented keyboard player and one half of Milo’s Craving (he’s the half without red hair). If you haven’t heard Milo’s Craving, you can check out their website here. If you want to listen to some of their music, then check out their MySpace page. I suggest you start by listening to Come Out. To find out more about Klaus you can visit his personal website www.klausdot.com.
Since Cakewalk Synthesizers: From Presets to Power User was published there have been a number of changes to the featured synthesizers. The second Update to the book has now been made available for free download, ensuring that the information stays up-to-date.
The changes reflected in Update#2 include:
Rapture LE has been released with SONAR.
The synthesizers included with SONAR and Project5 version 2.5 and other Cakewalk products have been updated.
New soundsets are available for the Rapture and Dimension families.
This Update includes all of the material in Update#1 (which was issued in May and is no longer available). That Update covered:
Rapture version 1.1.
Z3TA+ version 1.5.
Dimension LE.
Go to www.noisesculpture.com/cakewalk to get Update#2. The download is freely available to anyone, and while it will be of most use to people with the book, if you’re still wondering whether to buy it, please feel free to download the update and take a look. You can also download the table of contents and a sample chapter from my website.
There will be further updates if and when Cakewalk again updates any of the synthesizers featured in the book.
