electronic music without the computer
New Album
Hope Breaks, the first full length album by The Data Lakes will be released on 14th March 2025. Pre-save now!
DAWless Blog
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Arturia Key Step Pro Arpeggiator
I am a big fan of the Arturia Key Step Pro. It has a straight forward interface for sequencing 4 different instruments and as well as MIDI, it is staked full of CV outputs for modular and semi-modular gear. But today we want to focus on the Arpeggiator. Well actually the 3 Arpeggiators that the…
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TC Electronic M300 Review
Overview If you are looking for a versatile and affordable multi-effects processor mainly for reverb and delay in rack mounted format, then you might want to check out picking up a used TC Electronic M300. This 1U rackmount unit features two independent engines, one for multi-effects and one for reverbs, that can be configured in…
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Roland Aira T-8 Review
Roland has so far launched 4 synths in its Aira compact series: the S-1 Tweak Synth, T-8 Beat Machine, the J-6 Chord Synth and the E-4 Voice Tweaker. You can find out about he range here on Roland’s website. They have been designed in a compact form factor and to all play nicely together. Today…
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New OId Circuit Tracks Packs
Last week Novation released a bundle of OG Circuit packs for the Circuit Tracks. So hook up your Circuit Tracks to the Components software and get downloading for some New (but old) sound packs! The collection includes seven packs from the original Circuit: Details here on Novations website
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Cheap Acid: Behringer TD-3 Review
The Behringer TD-3 is a faithful recreation of the classic Roland TB-303 Bass Line synthesizer, with the same classic sound, some added features and enhancements, and the same love it or loath it sequencer (more of that later) at a bargain basement price. Design and Features The TD-3 has a very similar design and layout…
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New DAWLESS EP: The Data Lakes – One Up
This month I have released a brand new DAWLESS EP. I am pretty pleased with how it turned out and think its the best one yet. These tracks were all recorded live using mainly a Arturia Microfreak, Behringer TD-3 and Crave, Novation Circuit Tracks and an ancient TC Electronics M300 for Reverb and Delay. The…
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Roland MC-101 Groovebox Preset Machine
The Roland MC-101 is a compact and portable groovebox that offers a lot of functionality and versatility for its size and price. It is essentially a mini version of the MC-707, with four tracks, 16 pads, four faders, four knobs, and a variety of sounds and effects. The MC-101 is powered by Roland’s Zen-Core engine,…
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Behringer Crave Auto Sync Sequencer
I typically use the Behringer Crave with an External Clock sync set, so that any Arpeggios or Sequences are in time with the other gear it is synced to. However when you want to use an external sequence from a device such as the Circuit Tracks, there is an annoyance that a MIDI start signal…
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New DAWless EP
I have a brand new DAWless EP of mostly Ambient Techno Electronica with a few diversions into trance released on Spotify and other streaming platforms at the end of 2023 The 4 tracks were all created in my home studio mostly as a live performance using Circuit Tracks, Behringer Crave and TD-3, the Arturia Microfreak,…
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Ambient Live Looping with Behringer Crave and Valeton GP-200
Building an Ambient loop using just a Behringer Crave mono synth and the Valeton GP-200 MultiFX guitar pedal which has a built in looper. Despite owning many different instruments, sometimes it can be great fun to restrict a session down to just one or two. Using a looper is an interesting way of discovering new…