Live Demonstration - Video

Here is how it all works...
WAVDJ vm108 + Kaossilator.

This is not a proper life. I did this with one hand only and wish I didn't need help at all.
(The other hand was filming the thing)

In this video, I didn't include the Korg melody, the sound bend from the wheel, and I didn't have much flexibility to work as I do with the Kaossilator PLUS. This is a very short demonstration. Usually, this track takes 10 to 15 minutes from start to finish and is a progressive thing.
In this case, it is a rapid demonstration, but it works!

So... off we go then :



Questions ??
Please... do it!

Chapter 7 - Display

LCD Display

This part of the machine is not very useful.
The only information displayed on the LCD is numbers showing the time the machine is on, and has a (kind of) spiral that shows the tempo just moving over and over, don't stop.
This is what I call a display with useless information !!

This other part of the machine is where the music blocks are supposed to be written. Copy and paste them into the software if I were interested in making music and recording the patterns into the program. I do not want to work that way!

This can be useful if I were doing tracks in the software program, but I saved myself from that nightmare.

My plan is to use the machine to play the music, not the software program to make the music ;)

Basically, I can create a pattern and record it in blocks, and then play it all together.

This is the main point of this music program, which is outdated and no longer helpful.

Chapter 3

THE RETURN OF THE BEAST

Meanwhile, I was waiting for my Birthday present :) I put my hands back on the machine and start to reconnect everything to the PC. This time, I didn't connect with my music PC; I connected to my personal PC, an old IBM.

This time, there were no problems at all!
I performed the exact same installation of the program and the drive for XP, and the program and machine started to work perfectly.
So, what was the reason I had so much trouble getting this machine to work on my music PC and on this one was working fine?
The problem was because the mouse socket was connected with a USB adapter and the pins of the plug from the machine didn't get precisely the same effect and provoke impaired function...

Luckily, I found 1 of these Machines for sale on eBay and I got all the images to post here.

Again, the sale of this WAVDJ (machine) was without the software !!

Here are the plugs I mentioned. Many of the PCs these days do not have this connection, now it's all in USB.

All its plug and working fine for now :)

Chapter 1

THE MEETING WITH THE BEAST!

I was browsing through a shop in town when I came across a box featuring a software program and a console for creating music. The box's appearance was dated, and it had been on the shelf for a long time.
Examining the box images, this is a program designed to connect to the PC, enabling you to create music using WAV files.
Very plastic-looking.
The price was fine (£15)

I have many music systems at home, including amplifiers, mix CD decks, monitors, and a sound card.
As a DJ/ Music producer, I am passionate about everything related to music, and I have a tendency towards experimentalism and unconventional objects.
I found this a strange music object, so I asked about it, and they told me this was a discontinued product.

I got back home and I did some research on the web, but I didn't find anything about this, apart from some people in forums looking for the original software program.
Without the software, the machine doesn't work !!

So, the next day I get back to the shop and pick one of these machines to see what's happening.
I get a box, come home, and start to install the machine on my music computer.

The program software and machine are from 2001, and no more updates have been made.
The guy from the shop told me that inside the box was an XP driver for the program.
I opened the box, and inside was the original program software, along with a recorded CD containing the XP driver.
This software utilises an outdated ActiveX driver, which is no longer available on the web.

I set up everything, but first, I had to pass some challenges:
The cable of the WAVDJ connecting the machine to the PC is an old Mousse socket, together with a 6-pin socket for image. My PC is not that old and just has a USB mouse connection, so I have to go out and get an adapter.

After that, it was all about making the sound connections and installing the software.
Works fine at first, but has many problems.
The sound sometimes came grumbling, sometimes didn't produce any sound, and later wouldn't start the software, resulting in some stupid errors.
Between all these happenings, I had about a week to experiment and see what I could do with this toy.

The Software program allowed me to change all the FX sound files, as they are all in WAV format.
The drums feature 72 different loop patterns, which can be altered and reconstructed beat by beat.
The software allowed me to construct tracks or change the sounds and rhythms independently on each button.
He has connections in and out, plus a microphone.
The keyboard instruments can all be changed, and there are tooo many to count.
Have a scale with 8 octaves on the keyboard
Interesting things for a toy !!

After the problems start, I decide to put the machine back in a box and set it aside...
Leave it!

Intro

 WAVDJ (The Machine)

Hello.
I started this blog to document my experience with WAVDJ -VM-108.
This machine (as I like to call it) is discontinued from the market and not much information is found on the web.

This wavdj is a (Oregon Scientific) product and was released in 2001 as a console to make music with WAV files + .sty and .osm files.


It is a minimal machine to work with, but on the other hand, can be very fun to change things around, altering sounds and creating something different.
You can read more about WAVDJ  here:
Jornal Article

http://amplifiers.annonz.co.uk/amplifiers/wav-dj--74896

 http://www.trademe.co.nz/nz/auction-177550236.htm

http://www.positive1.com/reviews/toys/osci/dj/index.html

If you like to download the manuals, you can find them here:
http://safemanuals.com/user-guide-instructions-owner-manual/OREGON%20SCIENTIFIC/WAV%20DJ



Now... Why get a thing like this to make music?
I have two PCs at home, and one is dedicated to making music, as I work with Ableton music software. I have also used other music programs.
The problem I found (if it is a problem) with this software music program is the numerous options it provides, which can be beneficial, but can also be detrimental.
Sometimes, I get no feeling to make a musical track and I start to work automatically, as I get no vibe making music just by putting all the sounds together and clicking a button to synchronise beats or spending hours searching for a sound or making a sound.
It's good, it's professional, but sometimes really takes my vibe away !!
It's ok to do music with software, it's like playing a game where you have to put the images in the right places, but I much prefer to feel the music and play with the sounds :)
Yes, I can make the same in Ableton, but again, all is synchronised.

I am undertaking this project for fun, and I am not looking to make a professional career out of it. As a result, I am free to experiment and explore without the constraints of being tied to a specific music style.
We all have a shelf, don't we??
DADA DO ;)

So, here and there, some of the reasons I set up this machine and why....

1- I can set up specific sounds and know where they are when I press a button,
2- Is lots of  fun = work?
3- I can make something really different,
4- I will not need to click a mouse,
5- I can have just the sounds I made or need in each of the buttons of the machine,
6- I don't need to look at 1000 sounds to find a sound to make a track,
7- I can improvise with all the sounds,
8- Any track is a new creation and never the same.
9- It's all in real time ... live,
10- No synchronizers, just my fingers,
11- All the sounds are made individual and put together.
12- I can fade sounds in and out as the machine has a mixer with 6 channels,
13- I can improvise sounds or melodies with the keyboard instruments, while I can make some FX with the FX wheel, doing scratch and pitch bend,
14- I can regulate the BPMs in real time,
15- I can jam on a 6-pad drum,
16- PLUS.... I can add 992 sounds to the WAV effect buttons panel, which I'm using to store samples and sounds. On this wav effects part of the machine, I can have more than 1 hour of a sound or a sample in each button and it will keep playing.

This will take me a long time to set up, but it will be a 1 time job.
The main problem (for now) is that I cannot change the drum sounds... I can change the drum loops, but not the sounds of the drums. To make this, I will need .sty files or .osm files (still available with these ones... grrrr). If you know something about them, just let me know.

But what do I really want to do?
I want to create a Psychedelic, ambient, experimental music project with this machine, and I also want to incorporate a Kaossilator to add some spice to the music.
This machine and the Kaossilator are loop machines, which can create hypnotic ambient music capable of entering the mind and providing a truly psychedelic experience, as I have noticed.
For that same reason, I started this blog.

I am late on this intro and chapters as I started some weeks ago working on this machine, but I will update regularly and hope by the end, I can leave you some tracks for your experience.)

02/12/2009