3 Offical NI MASSIVE X Expansions launched...

[JoeCat]

OMG the demos...

But that's par for the course for NI -even the demo for Rounds sounds like DJ McWubmaster, and that instrument is capable of a lot of great ambient soundscapes, etc. (indeed, the presets themselves are much more varied and nuanced).

I have a feeling the EDM market is already looking very different (wonder what Beatport's numbers are). If your'e trying to produce the dopest drops to move the subs at a club in Ibiza, you might want to turn on the news.

Meanwhile, there will probably be a growing resurgence in ambient and downtempo styles, as well as a broad market for hobbyists (which is already happening - there are more hardware synths and modular gear in bedrooms now than in the studios and on stage).

hmm. i need to try rounds again . i rarely use it.

btw.. how do you use beatport to track trends in EDM? you just look at the charts?

Yeah Rounds can be complex, but it doesn't need to be used that way. Although there's not a ton of synthesis there, what's available sounds great (that much is typical for NI, IMHO), and you can do interesting things just by using a few of the features.

For example, I'll often make a pretty simple patch alternating the analog and digital synths on one of the "rounds", and vary them a bit - maybe sending one or two to the delay, the others to reverb by various amounts, etc. Then turn the individual modules (1-4) on an off. You get a round robin effect and if you're alternating every 3 or 4 it's gives a completely different tone and accent to a melody. It's not using everything it was made to do, but it's a simple thing that can be used to great affect and doesn't really sound like anything else. It think it's not quite obvious that this thing effectively gives you 16 different synths that can be cycled through.

As far as Beatport - I don't product EDM really anymore (and didn't do much before), but I'll follow along to see what's happening, and of course you can see what't the top trending and then drill down into the different genres.

However, since its largely a DJ app, I'm curious how this music is doing at all. The entire global market for clubs is kinda shot!

[ATS]

I got them all for $4 a piece. I had 3 vouchers that I never used before going back very far. They are great in my opinion.