Do the Rhumba!

We're proud to introduce the Latin category to Samplebase. Our team has been working hard for the past couple weeks perfecting these new Latin SoundBlocks.

I must admit that I found myself spontaneously breaking into a dance while working on Rhumba Blocka. Between the piano and the percussion, I just can't help myself! Luckily, my studio is in the very back of the building, so no one was there to watch me make a fool of myself. :-)

Say hello to Satellite Pro

The time has come. We are now selling Satellite Pro. For those of you who are wondering, Satellite Pro is the full-featured version of our Satellite sample player. With Satellite Pro, you can completely manipulate your SoundBlocks. You get full control over filters, envelopes, LFO's, FX, and a powerful keymap editor. You can also load in your own samples and rex files, and create your own SoundBlocks from scratch.

By the way, if you haven't already, check out our Satellite video tutorials. We had a lot of fun creating them, and they will give you a good introduction to Satellite if you are feeling lost.

We've also added the Satellite Reference Manual to the Support section of our website. Check it out to answer any of your questions about Satellite.

Can your guitar player do this?

Our friend Peter DiStefano is one bomb-shizzle guitarist. He spent the past two summers rocking with electronic dance group Hybrid. Here's a video I found on YouTube of Peter playing with Hybrid at the Avalon. Play the video and fast forward about 40 seconds.



He's using a cello bow to play the guitar! Peter has a knack for creating really cool sounds on his guitar using really strange methods. I saw him play with Hybrid at Coachella 2006 (this was before I had met him), and I remember at one point he turned his guitar around and started playing the springs on the back. It was a very memorable performance, which is why I was really excited when we started working with Peter to make content for Samplebase.

Now after a bit of hard work, we are happy to announce Peter DiStefano's first SoundBlock, Exosphere - Experimental Guitar. We've tried to capture a wide range of Peter's sonic spectrum with this SoundBlock. It's got everything from light and ethereal to dark and heavy.

Samplebase now accepts PayPal

That's right. After a bit of hard work, Phill (a.k.a. "Monger"), our web architect, has managed to get PayPal working on Samplebase. So now you can use some of that money you received from selling your old synthesizer on eBay to buy new SoundBlocks from Samplebase. Best of all, you never have to pull out your credit card.

One thing to keep in mind -- most of PayPal's payment methods are instant, except for eCheck. If you use eCheck, it will take a few days for the payment to clear, so you won't receive your SoundBlocks right away.

Video contest

Got skills making videos? We are giving away free copies of Satellite Pro to everyone who submits a video showing how they use Samplebase to make music.

We have heard from people all around the world who are using our SoundBlocks in a wide variety of music productions. Now we want to see them in action.

So get those cameras rolling! As we receive your videos, we will select a few of our favorites to showcase on the blog.

Submission guidelines:

• Upload your video to YouTube, and then post a link to it in our forum on the Samplebase website: here.
  
• The video can be anything from a live performance using Satellite to a guided tour of one of your musical productions in which you used Samplebase
• Make it fun and creative!

We haven't officially released Satellite Pro yet, so this is your chance to get the sampler before the rest of the world. So go crazy, create a cool video, and send it to us. We look forward to seeing what you can come up with.