Since starting on classical guitar around 2000, Diego has become a multi-instrumentalist at heart, but specializes in keyboards and electronic instruments. A sometimes member of various At the Drive-in-adjacent El Paso-based bands, Diego fell out with the scene/sound and does his own things now. He’s worked as a staff writer for the zZounds Blog and a product specialist at zZounds for well over 10 years. If you ask Diego’s significant other, his true talent is cooking.
Legends: Parliament-Funkadelic
Exactly what kind of band is Parliament-Funkadelic? Although the focus of our video above is their totemic single, “Flash Light,” the brains behind it — George Clinton, Bootsy and Catfish Collins, Bernie Worrell, Eddie Hazel, Junie Morrison, and Garry Shider, among many others — were always one group. To distill every nook and cranny of […]
The Beginnings of FM Synthesis
Editor’s Note: This post covers the origins of FM synthesis through a historic and technical lens. For more on the video above, please see the section labeled “Notes From Our FM Synthesis Video.” Black. Queer. Transgressive. In 1986, in some deep backwoods of Huntsville, Ontario, appearing right on the cabin doorstep of a young Beverly […]
Beat Tools: MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression)
I’m going to ask you to do something today: spare a thought for the old keyboard. Whether at school, in the living room or at a music store, everyone at some point in their life has plopped themselves in front of one and struck a note. Intrinsically, we know how they work. On acoustic pianos […]
PreSonus Atom SQ Review
From trackers like Renoise to DAWs like Ableton Live, Bitwig Studio, Logic and more, I believe I’ve seen/used enough tools to understand how most work. So, truth be told, I both admit to: A: Never using PreSonus’s entry into the digital audio workstation world, the Atom, three years ago, and B: Jumping at the chance […]
Casio CTS-200 Casiotone Demo
“A lot of music for a little cash.” Those were the words to describe the Casiotone — Casio’s revolutionary first portable keyboard — in 1980. Outfitted with built-in preset tones, full-size keys, a built-in speaker, and battery operation, it set the stage for Casiotones as they evolved over the years, eventually featuring auto-accompaniment, lessons, built-in […]
Arturia KeyStep Pro Demo
Unite all of your electronic music gear under one universal keyboard controller using KeyStep Pro, Arturia’s sequencing mastermind. The Arturia KeyStep Pro takes complete control of your Eurorack modular rig, digital MIDI synths, and DAW software. It’s all housed in a tight, intuitively designed keyboard kitted out with a built-in 24-part drum sequencer and a […]
Moog Subharmonicon Demo
Let your imagination run wild with Moog’s Subharmonicon, a dual-oscillator semi-modular analog synth that uses subharmonic generators and multi-layered sequencers to create extremely deep and unforeseeable organic arrangements. Patch it into a rig outfitted with Moog’s other evolutionary desktop instruments — the DFAM and Mother-32 — and hear your music turn literally upside down, producing surprising harmonies generated […]
Rethinking Your Home Music Studio
In light of the ongoing global pandemic, the vast majority of us now find ourselves forgoing any trip to a practice space, club or record studio. That doesn’t mean our musical escape ends at home, however. The largest struggle we’re facing creatively is how to deal with our current situation at home constructively. Now is […]
Denon DJ Prime 2 Demo
Cut the cables and leave it all behind with Denon DJ’s Prime 2 standalone smart DJ console. Powered by Denon DJ’s Engine OS and driven by a 7-inch HD multi-touch, multi-gesture screen, Prime 2 features extensive media connectivity, letting you tap into your digital crates through two 6-inch jog wheels and an intuitive workflow. Built […]
