今年3月30日に発売された桃月なしこの初めてのフォトスタイルブック『PEACHY』（光文社）の電子書籍版が、5月31日に発売された。 桃月なしこのすべてが詰まっていると話題沸騰のフォトスタイルブック『PEACHY』。発売当初から電子書籍でも発売してほしいという要望が多かったが、ついに実現。今回は、……
ウクライナ避難民が“料理の先生”に…日本の人々と作る郷土料理・ボルシチ等「文化知ってもらえて嬉… （東海テレビ）
名古屋市中区でウクライナ料理教室が開かれ、「先生」はウクライナからの避難民、日本人が「生徒」です。 先生： 「今日はみんなテーブルには、ウクライナ人の避難民と日本の方が一緒にボルシチを作りましょう」 メニューは真っ赤な野菜・ビーツを使ったウクライナの郷土料理・ボルシチとキーウカツレ……
ウクライナ避難民が“料理の先生”に…日本の人々と作る郷土料理・ボルシチ等「文化知ってもらえて嬉… （フジテレビ）
名古屋市中区でウクライナ料理教室が開かれ、「先生」はウクライナからの避難民、日本人が「生徒」です。 先生： 「今日はみんなテーブルには、ウクライナ人の避難民と日本の方が一緒にボルシチを作りましょう」 メニューは真っ赤な野菜・ビーツを使ったウクライナの郷土料理・ボルシチとキーウカツレ……
“開成OB会”に岸田首相が凱旋 2年半ぶりの会合 開成”初”総理「なっちゃいました」 （フジテレビ）
岸田首相は31日夜、自身の母校・開成高校を卒業した国会議員や官僚が集う会合に出席した。首相就任後、初めて開催された会合で、凱旋を果たした形だ。 岸田首相が会長を務める「永霞会（えいかかい）」は、永田町と霞が関で働く開成高校OBの官僚と国会議員で組織された会。31日夜、東京都内のホテルで……
安倍、菅氏が会食 自民党 （時事通信）
自民党の安倍晋三元首相と菅義偉前首相が31日夜、東京都内のフランス料理店で両氏の夫人も交えて会食した。関係者によると、安倍氏が呼び掛けた。安倍氏が菅氏の派閥結成を「人は集まるのではないか」と促したのに対し、菅氏は「私は派閥の弊害を批判してきた」と改めて慎重な姿勢を示したという。参院……
West Pest is an affordable and experimental semimodular synth
It’s only been a couple of weeks since Cre8Audio unveiled its first self-contained synth. But the company is back already with a companion to the East Beast, called the West Pest. As the name implies this is a West Coast style synth, made to complement the Beast’s east coast flavor.
Just like the Beast this is an analog semi-modular synth built in collaboration with Pittsburg Modular. It has a 20-point patch bay, a one octave keyboard, a 32-step sequencer, an arpeggiator and a “digital multi-function tool” that can be an extra envelope, LFO or a random generator.
In fact the two have more in common than not. Physically they’re nearly identical, but with slightly different control layouts and graphics. And they’re both just $250, which is stunningly affordable for an analog modular synth.
Of course what separates the West Pest from its sibling is its core sound and design features. Its main oscillator is described as “buzzy” and instead of a filter to shave off harmonics, it has a wave folder to add more. Rather than a traditional envelope and filter combo, the Pest has a Dynamics Controller module, that combines the functions of an envelope generator, VCA, and a low pass filter, which sounds more-or-less like a low pass gate. And there’s a generative sequencing function for getting truly unpredictable with your bleeps and bloops.
West Coast style synthesis has enjoyed something of a resurgence these last few years. Small companies like Erica Synths and big players like Korg have dabbled recently. And the OG of the form, Buchla, came roaring back in 2020 with an updated take on the iconic Music Easel. So it would make sense for a company like Cre8Audio looking to make a splash with it’s first couple of synths to give it a try too.
The West Pest is available to preorder now for $250 and should be shipping “imminently.”
The Monument Valley games are coming to PC on July 12th
Classic mobile games Monument Valley and Monument Valley 2 are getting a new lease of life. They’re coming to PC on July 12th, meaning they’ll be playable outside of the iOS, Android and Windows Phone (remember that?) ecosystems for the first time.
A vertical phone-style format wouldn’t quite cut the mustard for PC players, though. As such, Ustwo Games has upgraded the already-gorgeous visuals with an ultra-wide 21:9 aspect ratio. The expanded view could help you solve the mind-bending puzzles and find the right paths. With that in mind, the developer is calling these the “panoramic editions.”
The games are coming to Steam and they’ll each cost $8. Scoop up a bundle of both titles (which includes all of the expansions) and you’ll get a 15 percent discount.
As part of the announcement, Ustwo Games released a behind-the-scenes video in which developers talk about porting the games to PC:
Sonos Ray review: A soundbar that nails the basics
With the $279 Ray soundbar, Sonos is going after a new market. The company’s previous home theater products have all been $400 or more and have primarily been geared toward people intent on getting the best sound possible. The Ray, meanwhile, is more a…
Orba 2 adds a sampler and more to an excellent musical fidget toy
The Orba is mostly a musical curiosity, but a compelling one especially at the reasonable price of $100. But for its next version Artiphon is hoping to go beyond fidget toy and turn its little MPE grapefruit into a legit groovebox.
Physically almost nothing has change about the Orba 2. It’s till the same black half orb with eight touchpads across the top. It still has a builtin speaker and synth engine, the latter of which was recently opened up for anyone to design their own patches. It’s still a capable MIDI controller with support for multiple gestures including shake, tilt and spin.
What makes the new version immediately more impressive, is that it now supports sample playback. You can even record your own samples using the Orba app on your phone and then turn that into a preset that can be played. So you could record a bird call, a car horn or just another instrument and play that melodically.
But that’s not all, Orba 2 can also quantize your playing, which is extremely helpful if your rhythm is lacking. Lastly, where the original was limited to an eight bar loop, the sequel can handle up a 128 bar loop — or about five minutes of music.
All of that additional power comes at a bit of a premium. But even at the new price of $150, it’s still one of the most affordable MPE controllers out there and no doubt still a great fidget toy. But perhaps it will also now be a great groovebox too.