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Twenty years after the original 1989 release, Uncle Tony has returned. We wanted to have a little fun and do a remake and video for the 20th anniversary. Your first thought might be that we are just ripping off The Sopranos, but Uncle Tony was written long before anyone every heard of Tony Soprano. Created at a time when rap music was just starting to appear on the scene, it’s the original “Gangsta Rap”!

We always thought that Uncle Tony had the potential to become a hit just because it’s so bizzare.  It got a fair amount of radio play when it was first released, but as things often go in the music biz – it never caught on. When The Sopranos became popular we sent them a copy though our friend Mike Russo – who was a stuntman on the show, but they never used it.

“Hey my son come kiss the ring. Uncle Tony say’s – you did the right thing”. Spread the word. Uncle Tony’s back. Bada Bing!

You can purchase an MP3 of Uncle Tony directly from us for only $1.00 US. Payable by Paypal. Just send your payment to: kidnepro@mac.com from your paypal account and we will e-mail you the MP3.

You can contact our favorite Uncle via e-mail at: uncletony@kidnepro.com

Anthony Spinelli – Uncle Tony

Steve Proto – Music & Video

Anthony Spinelli and Tom Vespa – Lyrics

Karla Sheman – Background Vocals

© – 1984-2009 Kid Nepro Productions – All Rights Reserved

GOOD NEWS!! Kid Nepro brings you new sounds to play with for the holidays.

Korg M3 Volume #2 – Soundtrack/Film Mix our followup to our popular “Proto Rock” collection, is now available. The new collection contains 64 programs, 32 combis and 60 megs of new samples including over 100 new samples from our “Effectron” sound effect library. All well crafted and fully KARMA-fied to produce only the highest quality sounds for the M3 series music workstations.

While Proto Rock was more “meat and potatoes” type sounds, this new PCG sound collection is more unique. M3 Soundtrack is perfect if you’re doing television, film work or video game scoring and you require background effects, killer pads and synth sounds or unique rhythms not found in the M3 factory presets. Using KARMA GE’s and real time controls, we have created an assortment of different “atmospheres” that can be used as background to a video track. Many of the sounds can also be used in New Age or Synth type audio tracks. 

With KN Soundtrack, we have tried to do some new things using the effect samples. Combis 9,11,12 & 31 have some interesting loops that trigger the samples using KARMA drum patterns. As far as we know that’s never been done before. We think you will enjoy those. The demo “Johnsons World” features one of the loops. It’s one of our favorite samples! Great how you can tune it down so low without any aliasing.

As with Proto Rock, we will be adding more sounds in future updates and all KN Soundtrack owners will be eligible for free updates and discount prices. If you need any more info please contact us via phone or e-mail. Thanks again for your support and happy holidays!

More Info and audio demos at our Korg M3 pages

Kid Nepro’s Big Beat collection is now available in Apple Loop format for Apple’s popular Garage Band and Soundtrack programs. Easily create grooves with our “SP1200 Beats”, M3 “Proto Rock” Program/Combi Loops and Triton “Producers Mix”. Over 500 New loops for Hip Hop, Techno, Rock, Rave, House and Industrial tracks. All time sliced and well organized so you can just drag and drop a cool mix together in minutes.

Each file has between 20 and 30 loops included in it and is only $5. Buy six files and get two FREE. Any Eight Files for $30. Delivery as downloadable files only. Pick the “FREE e-mail delivery” option and “AIFF” format for same day delivery.

More info and demos at: THE SAMPLE CITY SECTION Of our web site.

Now that Korg has updated the M3 to the new “expanded” version with the 2.0 operating system, many of you might have experienced some problems with your custom sounds and sequences. There are a few issues involved that I wanted to touch on concerning that as well as how our M3 Proto Rock sounds have transitioned to the 2.0 OS. If you have not already downloaded the new OS, you can find it “HERE”

We recommend downloading and installing the new OS even though you might experience some problems getting everything back to normal. The update is packed with lot’s of new features including those new EX-USB-PCM sounds that everyone has been waiting for and includes new Acoustic Pianos, Brass and Woodwinds. We have also read that “some” M3 owners have had some real headaches with the update which are still being worked on at this point, but most M3 users have had little or no problems with the new OS. 

After updating to 2.0, the first thing you might have noticed is that all the programs are now in a different order. The sounds are set up more like the “Producers PCG” that Korg provided when they released their super charged 512 patch update a few weeks ago and the programs are now all set up in sounds categories. This creates problems with any custom combis that you have created since the combis all reference the programs that were in their old positions. Unfortunately, the only thing you can do to fix that is to go in and change all the programs to point to the new positions in the 2.0 OS.

A second problem is with the drum patterns and also has to do with the change of position in the programs. What you will notice with the drums is that all the drum track programs default to the A018 – Studio Standard Kit. This problem only occurs in program mode. Also, the only fix for this at the moment is to go in and change them back one by one to your old drum kit settings.

I’ve included a couple of links to the Karma Lab forums where these issues are being discussed and where you will be able to find some good info on how to best get you back up and running with the new operating system. You can find them at:

http://www.karma-lab.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12774 

http://www.karma-lab.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12771 

Now for the good news!

Proto Rock, our custom sound set for the M3 has been virtually unaffected by the update. You will not experience any “broken combis” that others might experience due to the programs being moved around. PR’s programs are all original programs that we have programmed so the combis reference those and not the factory programs. All of Proto Rock’s data is neatly self contained in one soundbank and does not rely on the factory settings. We had taken great care to set things up like this just in case of a situation like this. We have learned it’s better to have everything living in one bank and not to rely on factory settings being where they are supposed to be. After a synth is around for awhile, data gets moving around and that’s when you start running into problems.

However, there has been one small problem with the drum programs that has occurred with the Radias programs in User-F bank. Since those programs were referencing the factory drum settings all the drum track programs default to the A018 – Studio Standard Kit (as I mentioned above). We originally did this so we could provide some free demos of the sounds and it had to be set up that way, but we were well aware of potential problems that might occur if things were moved around.

In any case, we have now fixed the problems with the Radias drum patterns and have updated Proto Rock to version 1.4.6. This version is fully compatible with the new M3 2.0 OS. This is a free update for anyone already running Proto Rock 1.4 or later so just contact us via phone or e-mail for the free update. Just beware not to load this version into your M3 until you have first updated to the new 2.0 OS since it is not compatible with earlier operating systems.

Also note that if your running our “original” version of Proto Rock (version 1.0 through 1.1.5) there is no need to do anything since the update only affects the Radias programs. Just reload the Proto Rock data after you upgrade and your ready to roll.

If you have any questions or comments about the new Expanded M3 or Proto Rock, please contact us. More info on Proto Rock and all our Korg M3 patches can be found at the Korg section of our web site.

Thanks for your support and enjoy the sounds.

Kid Nepro’s massive SP1200 sound library is now available for download in WAV, Reason or Kontakt file formats. Get that “Lo-Fi” – 12 Bit Dirty Drum Sound for your hardware or software sampler. Thousands of new SP1200 samples from one of our most popular sound collections. Without having to shell out all that cash for a vintage SP1200, you can now get the next best thing. Much care was taken to preserve the original sound of the SP1200 when sampling the files and assembling the drum kits. The results are as close as you get to the real thing. 

50 New Drum Kits made for creating killer beats in no time. And, over 200 new WAV and REX Loops that will jump start your tracks. A wide assortment of drum kits now available including old favorites like the TR808 and TR909 to custom Hip Hop, Trance, Rave, House, Cyber and Techno Kits. All arranged for easy set up with any sampler.

Drum kits and loops are available as individual downloads for only $5. per kit. Buy Six and Get Two FREE. Or get the complete collection as a Download, WAV or Kontakt CD-ROM or Reason Refill for only $75. Large discounts when you purchase our special bundle packs. More info at;

https://www.kidnepro.com/KN/SampleCity/AIFF-WAV/sp1200-wav-reason-kontakt-downloads.html

It may be a bit confusing if you never loaded in new sounds via midi so we have put a tutorial together on exactly how it’s done. When you purchase any of our sounds in Macintosh format you receive the files in both system exclusive (.syx) and standard midi (.mid) files. This gives you a wider option as to what programs you can use to load the sounds. There are many programs that you can use to load the files including DAW programs such as Logic, Cubase or Digital Performer. We also provide a great program written by Kurt Revis (www.snoize.com/) called “SysEx Librarian” that will do all sorts of cool stuff including load both system exclusive and standard midi files. 

Make sure you “Save” your internal sounds to disk before loading in our sounds. Our sounds will replace your internal presets, so it’s best to save them to disk so you can reload them in later if you wish. Many synth have a “re-initilize memory” setting which you can use to restore the original factory settings, so if you have one in your synth there is no need to save your factory sounds (if you have not changed anything).

First connect your midi cables from your midi interface to the synthesizer. Remember that your synth must first be set up to receive data via midi. Each synthesizer is set up differently, so refer to your owners manuel on how to transmit a “Bulk Dump” or “Sysex Dump” from your synth to your computer. Some synths require you to turn off the memory protect. Others require you to “enable” or “turn on” the system exclusive. It varies from synth to synth.

Before you boot up the sysex librarian you have to set up your instrument(s) in the Mac’s “Audio/Midi Setup”. The Audio/Midi setup can be found in the Utility’s folder inside the Mac’s Application folder. Open up the Audio/Midi setup and click on “Midi Devices” (if you using OS 10.4 or earlier). If your running OS 10.5 or later then go to the “window” menu and choose “show midi window”.

You should see your midi interface in the window. For our example we are using a Midi Timepiece AV as the midi interface and a Korg Triton Extreme as the synthesizer we want to load the new sounds into. Click on “add device” and a icon will appear that say’s “new external device”. Double click on the icon and the “properties” box will pop up. Give the device a name, choose the manufacture and model and fill in the midi channel info. The “system exclusive” ID, in the bottom right corner is the setting for the midi channel that you have your synth set to. Note that if you happen to have a synth made by Roland: midi channel 1 is actually channel 17, midi channel 2 is channel 18 and so on.

Once you create your settings, close the properties box and go back to the main Audio/Midi box. Then as in the top photo, you have to connect your midi interface to your synth with the patch cables. Just click and drag to connect the two. Connect both the “out to in” and the “in to out” just as in the first photo.

Close the Audio/Midi setup and open the SysEx librarian. In the pull down box choose the port that you have your synthesizer connected to. In our example we are using port 1. Then just drag the sysex or midi file from your desktop into the SysEx librarian box and you should see the name appear in the box (Kid Nepro Triton V1.syx). Then just hit the “play” button and if everything is connected properly the data should load into your synth.

From the SysEx librarian docs: Transmit Speed: Most MIDI devices can handle sysex messages sent at full speed, but a few older ones have problems keeping up. If your device doesn’t work, try turning down the transmit speed a little bit. (this is done in the sysex librarian preferences) Note that you can change the speed on an individual device, if you’ve set it up in Audio MIDI Setup. This is the recommended way to do it (instead of setting the speed on the whole output port), because SysEx Librarian will use the appropriate speed even if you change which port the device is hooked up to.

Please note two things:

• SysEx Librarian is absolutely dependent on the MIDI interface’s driver

• MIDI drivers can and do have bugs, especially when dealing with SysEx messages

If you’re having problems, your first step should be to get the latest version of the driver for your MIDI interface. Almost all manufacturers have web sites where the drivers can be downloaded — please check with the manufacturer of your particular device.

You must have a Mac OS X driver for your MIDI interface; Mac OS 9 drivers will not work.

More info on how to use the sysex librarian can be found at; http://www.snoize.com/SysExLibrarian/docs.html

Complete info on all our sounds can be found at: www.kidnepro.com. If you have any questions please contact us via phone or e-mail.

Now Proto Rock, our first sound release for the Korg M3 is even better with a major update. The new versions have lot’s of new goodies included and are recommended for all M3 users.

1- Version 1.1.5 – For all “Original” Proto Rock users who have not yet updated to our Radias Rock sounds. This is a FREE UPDATE!

2- Version 1.4.5. For Radias Rock owners who are running Version 1.4. Also a FREE UPDATE!

The updates include a few bug fixes, remixing of several combis and extensive KARMA real time controls added to all 96 combis master layers.

Version 1.4.5 is a FREE UPDATE for all registered users EXCEPT if your still running version 1.2 or 1.3. In that case you can update to 1.4.5 for only $10. Or..If you have just picked up the Radias Expansion board, original Proto Rock owners can update to 1.4.5 for $25.

Contact us via phone or e-mail for your update and you will be Proto Rockin with a couple of hours. If you need any more info or are not sure which version you have just let us know.

More info on all Proto Rock options can be found at: Our Main M3 Page.

Thanks for your support and enjoy the sounds!

America always celebrates the July 4th holiday in a big way. Fireworks, parades, giant barbeques, friends and family getting together. But the biggest event for millions of Americian’s takes place in Coney Island, Brooklyn on the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues for the annuel Nathans hot dog eating contest. 

Started way back in 1916, the winner back then ate a measley thirteen dogs. However, things have changed a lot since then becoming an international event watched all over the world. Last years winner Joey Chestnut raised the bar to incredible heights by eating an astounding sixty six dogs in twelve minutes! How anyone can possible do that is beyond me. 

This year the contest was shortened to ten minutes. I guess the people running the show thought that the way things were going and the large amounts of food consumed over the twelve minutes, someone was going to drop dead right on the spot! A good move in my opinion.

Anyway, Chestnut did it again this year. This time downing a mere fifty nine dogs before beating his rival Kobayashi in a one minute “eat off”. The Mustard Belt remains in the US and other great moment in the history of American sports.

Happy Birthday America!

I don’t know exactly why, but lately the sound of my Mac’s startup chime is really starting to bother me. I recently bought a new Imac and Macbook Pro and while they are two of the most beautifully designed machines on the market today, with all the most innovative new features one could ask for, they still had that same old chime when starting up that I’ve been hearing since I bought my old Mac Quadra back in the early 90’s. I know it’s not a big deal, but maybe it might be a good idea for Apple to update the sound to a more 21st century sound that would better suit their new product line. After all, when I hear that chime, I think I’m back at a time when the first George Bush was president! 

Yesterday, I was doing a bit of research about the Korg Wavestation and came upon this interesting bit of trivia at wikipedia and it got me thinking about all this again. “The sound of the Wavestation is familiar to users of the Apple Macintosh, since the startup chime that has featured on every mac since the Quadra 700 to present day was created by Jim Reekes on a Korg Wavestation. Reekes said, “The startup sound was done in my home studio on a Korg Wavestation. It’s a C Major chord, played with both hands stretched out as wide as possible (with 3rd at the top, if I recall).”

Now I have nothing against Jim Reekes and his classic chime. It has certainly served us well through the years.  However, I just thought that maybe it’s time for a change. How about something like THIS or THIS ?

OK..OK..just kidding. I know Steve Jobs would never go for that. Besides, that would get old very quickly. But seriously, maybe something like THIS or THIS would go over well. They are couple of ringtones that I created awhile back which I think might work. 

I’m sure someone out there can come up with something better. Maybe some sort of contest to pick a new start up chime would be a good idea. I know there are many creative musicians and sound designers that could come up with a bunch of cool choices for Steve and the gang at Apple to choose from.

What do you think? Good idea? Want to participate? We can’t guarantee that Apple will even consider changing the chime (this is our wacky idea) and there are not even any cool prizes, but we thought that it might be fun anyway. Send your chime to us “HERE”. Obviously it has to be something very short. 2-3 seconds max, so try and keep your creations in that ballpark. After we get a bunch we will post them online and who knows what will happen. Maybe your original chime will be used in the next generation of Mac’s to hit the market!

Great to see that the Fab-4 of the jazz/rock/fusion world getting together again for a tour. Truly one of the important groups to come out of the 70’s with a sound that just blew everyone away. Four virtuoso musicians playing in high gear was enough to turn heads for both rock and jazz fans alike. I was lucky enough to catch one of their shows at The Beacon Theatre, back in 1976 and it was one of those concerts that you don’t forget. 

Was searching around youtube for some video and found a great vintage clip of a live performance of “Sorceress”, from the classic “Romantic Warrior” recording. Chick Corea’s live set up was certainly state of the art for 1976. You could see that he was having some problems with the Mini Moog and that old ARP is “just barely” in tune, but he still sounds amazing! Yeah, that’s the way it was back then. Don’t ya just love that old analog gear?

More info on the 2008 tour and much more at the: Return 2 Forever ’08 Web Site