Jan 12
All Posts, Apple, Audio/Music, Awards, Cameras, Computers, DJ, Design, Features, Hardware, Lightroom, Photography, Photoshop, Plugins, Software, VJ, Video, Web, Writing

At the risk of stating the obvious, it’s the start of a new decade and this, in conjunction with the Technofile celebrating its 5th birthday (albeit slightly belatedly) seems like the perfect opportunity to give out some awards. Unlike everyone else’s awards though, the Technies are not for the best of 2009, or even for the best of the noughties. They are for, what, in the opinion of The Technofile, is the best software and hardware currently available to creative professionals. Whether it was released yesterday or 5 years ago is immaterial, the only stipulation is that you can go out and buy it…or sit at home and download it (legally, of course) now. So, without further ado: Continue reading »
Tagged with: 2010 • Ableton Live 8 • Ableton Suite 8 • Access Virus • Act! by Sage 2010 • Adobe After Effects CS4 • Adobe Creative Suite CS4 Master Collection • Adobe Dreamweaver CS4 • Adobe Illustrator CS4 • Adobe InDesign CS4 • Adobe Lightroom 2 • Adobe Photoshop CS4 • Akai Professional APC40 • anti virus • anti-spyware • APC40 • Apple • Apple Final Cut Studio • Apple iPhone • Apple Logic Studio • Apple Mac Book Pro • Apple Motion 4 • Apple OS X • Arturia • Arturia Analog Factory 2 • Arturia ARP2600 V • Arturia Brass • Arturia CS-80V • Arturia Jupiter-8V • Arturia Minimoog V • Arturia Moog Modular V • Arturia Prophet V Arturia Prophet VS • Audio Ease Altiverb 6 • Audio Ease Speakerphone 2 • AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9 • Awards • BBE D82 Sonic Maximizer • Best Control Surface • Best DAW • best gadget • Best Hardware Synthesizer • Best Reverb • Best soft synth • Bob Moog • Camel Audio Alchemy • Camel Audio CamelSpace • camera • Canon 5D MkII • cell phone • compact digital camera • computer • computing • contact management • Convergent Design Nano Flash • DAW • distortion • DJ • DJ deck • DJ mixer • DJing • DSLR • DTP • E-MU Systems Emulator X3 • Edirol V4 • Final Draft 8 • firewall • Gadget • GPS • Graphics Tablet • HDR • HDRsoft Photomatix Pro 3 • Holga 120 GN • Illustration • iZotope Trash • Laptop • Lightroom plug-in • Line 6 Bas Pod • Line 6 Guitar Pod • Litepanels • Microsoft Windows 7 • Microsoft Windows XP • mobile phone • motion graphics • music tech • Music Technology • Nik Color Efex Pro 3 • Nik Dfine 2.0 • Nik Sharpener Pro 3.0 • Nik Silver Efex Pro • Nik Viveza 2 • Nikon D3s • Norton Internet Security 2010 • Novation SL MkII • onOne Focal Point 2 • onOne Genuine Fractals 6 Professional • onOne Mask Pro 4 • onOne Photo Frame 4.5 • onOne Photo Tools 2.5 • onOne PhotoTune 3 • Operating System • OS • Panasonic Lumix DMC GF-1 • phone • Photography • Photoshop plug-in • Pioneer CDJ 2000 • Pioneer DJM-800 • Pioneer DVJ-1000 • Pioneer SVM-1000 • Portrait Professional Studio 9 • Predator • Propellerhead Reason • Propellerhead Record • Propellerhead Rewire • Proteus 2000 • Quark Express 8 • Resolume Avenue 3 • reverb • Ricoh GXR • Rob Pappen • Scriptwriting software • Sekonic Dualmaster L-758 Cine • Sennheiser • Serrato Scratch Live • Snow Leopard • Sony PMW EX1 • Sony PMW EX3 • Sony Vegas Pro 9 • SSL 9000k • Sub Boom Bass • Technics SL-1210M5GEB • The 10 Year Suite • The Technofile • TomTom Go 950 Live • Video • Video Editing • VJ • VJ deck • VJ mixer • VJ software • VJing • Wacom Intuos 4 L • web design • Write Brothers’ Movie Magic Screenwriter 6 • X-Rite ColorChecker Passport • Xtreme Lead
Sep 17

I remember a time when no DJ worth his salt took CD players seriously (I say his, because they were all blokes back then). The objections were longer than a 12” (remember those?). “CDs are all very well, but what are you going to do when one starts jumping in the middle of a set?”…“It’s not like you can scratch with them is it?” “CDs? What next, female DJs?” Enter Pioneer (DJ booth left), with their now legendary CDJ-1000s, which, combined rock solid performance, optimal ergonomics, industrial build quality and the ability to emulate the entire cannon of vinyl tricks…and then some. The CDJs revolutionised the industry to such an extent that it’s almost impossible to find a club that doesn’t have a pair. But with a whole new generation getting their tunes direct from the net (some even, legally…) and the ever growing popularity of laptop DJing with Live, Traktor and Serrato, it seems that the graffiti’s on the wall for CDs. So what next? Continue reading »
Tagged with: DJ • Hardware • Music • Previews
Feb 09

Desktop audio and video editing is a great thing…using a mouse to navigate a timeline is not…enter Contour Design’s Shuttle Pro, a mini control surface that’s pre-configured to work out of the box with many of today’s top A/V applications. Continue reading »
Tagged with: Animation • Control Surfaces • Hardware • Reviews • Video
Nov 18

In the UK, there’s no shortage of music industry trade shows, but until recently if you wanted to check out the latest DJing kit, you were faced with a choice between PLASA (the main focus of which is sound and lighting for concert tours and large installations, making it 95% irrelevant to the average DJ) and a handful of shows targeted at musicians and producers. Last weekend though, the landscape changed, as DJs took control at BPM, a brand new show organised by Marked Events. Continue reading »
Tagged with: DJ • Hardware • Shows • VJ
Sep 26

It seems like there’s a million soft synths on the market. Most are pretty good, a few are excellent. Albino? It’s one in a million! Continue reading »
Tagged with: Music • Plugins • Reviews • Soft Synths • Software
Jul 06

If you work with loops or breakbeats, you’ll love Propellerheads ReCycle. Simply Open it up, load in an audio file and move the sensitivity slider to the right. As you do so, the program uses some clever algorithms to slice up your file into…’slices’, (conveniently visualised in its waveform display). The further you drag this slider, the smaller these slices get, until you’ve broken it down into discrete rhythmic components (e.g. kick, snare, hats, etc.). Continue reading »
Tagged with: Music • Reviews • Software
May 24

In 1981, Roland released the Jupiter 8 synthesizer. A true flagship, it offered, amongst other things, a massive (for the time) 8 voices, keyboard split and layering, a powerful arpeggiator, a unison mode…and lots of sexy multi coloured buttons. Most importantly though, it was more reliable and flexible than many of its contemporaries. Continue reading »
Tagged with: Music • Reviews • Soft Synths • Software
Apr 25

It had to happen sooner or later and now it has…someone has released a dual format Blue Ray and HD DVD drive…and that someone is LG Electronics. I know this because last week I was at the launch of not one, but two dual format drives, by the major Korean manufacturer, at appropriately cutting edge London venue, 24. Continue reading »
Tagged with: Audio • News • Previews • Rebbetorials • Storage • Video
Apr 13

Absynth is one of the best sound design tools out there. Like its brethren, ‘Battery’ (reviewed below) and ‘FM8′ (review coming soon), it has recently had a makeover.
If you’re not already familiar with this soft synth, then check out my Absynth 3 review. If, on the other hand, you already know the score, read on. Continue reading »
Tagged with: Music • Plugins • Reviews • Soft Synths • Software
Apr 05

If you’re not familiar with Battery, it’s a dedicated drum sampler by Native Instruments, which makes editing samples and creating kits easier than making jokes about bad drummers. Continue reading »
Tagged with: Music • Plugins • Reviews • Soft Synths • Software