Music Diary

Prophet 12 Synthesizer by Dave Smith Introduced at NAMM 2013

One of the first synths I did serious work on was the Prophet 5. That synth was introduced by Sequential Circuits in 1978 as one of the first polyphonic instruments, but the reason it is still popular is the amazing sounds. The Prophet 5 was the brain-child of Sequential Circuits founder Dave Smith. If that name sounds familiar it is because Smith is also known as the ‘Father of MIDI’, and I recently wrote about the 30th anniversary of MIDI. After Yamaha bought Sequential Circuits in 1987, Smith went on to head up the new US research lab for Korg…

Gear Bits, Music Diary

Check Out Three Excellent Rare John Coltrane Live Performances

One of the amazing things for me about YouTube and Facebook is how folks on Facebook will recommend a YouTube video or site with an embedded video that leads you to something even greater. That happened this morning, as a Facebook friend recommended checking out a stellar John Coltrane version of ‘My Favorite Things’, which I did … but then it led me to this site that had an even BETTER find: a collection of three televised concerts of John Coltrane from the 1960s. Coltrane rose to fame as a saxophone sideman for Miles Davis’ legendary ‘first great quintet’. His…

Events, Music Diary, News & Features

Korg Introduces 9 New Products at NAMM 2013, Including KingKORG and MS-20 Mini

At the NAMM 2013 show, Korg announced nine (!) new products that all look great – I recommend you head to Korg to get all of the details. But I wanted to highlight two that look super-cool: the MS-20 Mini and KingKORG. The MS-20 Mini is the reimagining of the classic monophonic synth that we have seen emulated so much recently. The KingKORG is a robust analog modeling synth built for great sound and performance. MS-20 Mini Everyone loves the Korg MS-20, it seems. This 1978 monophonic synth with cable-patching and limited configurations ultimately had one major thing that has…

Music Diary, News & Features

AVID Teams with Katy Perry & Adele’s Producer for Online Talent Competition

If you are like me, you love the IDEA of a musical talent competition for a recording contract that slowly funnels from thousands to just a few … but the execution always gets muddled down as the music becomes secondary to what works on TV. But what if there was an online contest that will result in three lucky winners having their music heard, mixed and mastered by some of the industry’s top folks? That is exactly what Avid is announcing in conjunction with Abbey Road Studios. Avid is the maker of Pro Tools, which is THE system of choice…

Events, Music Diary, News & Features

Mackie Updates Master Fader Control App for DL Series Live Mixers

Last year at NAMM Mackie brought iPad control to their DL1608 mixer. Now for 2013 NAMM they have introduced the DL806 mixer and major updates to their Master Fader control app. This EQ is great for getting vocals, guitars and other instruments to sit perfectly in a mix. Now, DL users can choose between clean, surgical modern processing and the new range of classic vintage plug-ins for more flexibility in use. You can grab the app for free now, and the update will be coming soon. Mackie has added an episode to their DL Series podcast regarding Master Fader v1.4…

Music Diary, News & Features

HDtracks Offers a Master Quality Music Experience for the Masses

I was recently cleaning up some Iomega Jaz disks and came across a folder with stuff I used to keep on my Pocket PC devices. In there was a bunch of music I had ripped from CDs to store on Compact Flash drives from 32MB to 256MB as my devices progressed from the HP 430se to the Jornadas and iPaqs. For some reason I decided to listen to some of the music, and it sounded AWFUL! The undersampling was atrocious, and the lossiness was readily apparent. Of course, the compression schemes used by iTunes, Amazon and others is much more…

Music Diary, Reviews

AmpliTube Jimi Hendrix for iPad Review

Type of app: Music app Platform/where to buy: iPad (iPhone version here); available in the App Store Developer: IK Multimedia Specifications: AmpliTube Jimi Hendrix™ features: – Real-time guitar mobile multiFX + recording app with Jimi Hendrix tone – Jimi Hendrix™ gear models: 5 Stompboxes (Noise Filter, Fuzz Age, Octa-V, Uni-V, Wah 46) – 2 Amplifiers (JH Gold, JH Dual) and 2 cabinets (2×15″J, 4×12″J) – Complete Jimi Hendrix™ Discography Presets – Jimi Hendrix™ song links directly within the app for play-along – Single-track recorder expandable to 8-track studio with master effects (via in-app purchase) – Import and play songs as backing…

Events, Music Diary, News & Features

World’s First iOS Guitar/Bass Multi-FX System with Wireless Foot Switch Hardware

Last year from NAMM we got the iRig Stomp, which was able to control AmpliTube effects chains from a robust ‘stomp box’. It was clear that we would soon be getting a full effects board worth of controls, though I wouldn’t have expected the first one to be wireless! JamUp Pro XT and AirTurn have teamed up to power the first BlueTooth wireless multi-effects pedal system for iOS. Check out the demo video: I have not used JamUp’s app yet, but this looks intriguing – I will keep an eye on NAMM reports to get more hands-on details for this…

Events, Music Diary, News & Features

Moog Releases Details of the ‘Sub Phatty’ for NAMM 2013

The NAMM Winter Show for 2013 runs from January 24-27 and will showcase the best in music technology. We won’t be there, but will try to cover the coolest tech-focused music production gear coming out of the show. The question in 1993 was ‘why would you want a two-oscillator analog synth’ … but in 2013 there isn’t even a question anymore, you simply NEED this sound! Regardless of advances in digital simulated, the Moog Filter sound has a depth that cannot be emulated as well as the original instrument. So when leaks came about Moog introducing a new affordable analog…

Music Diary, News & Features, Reviews

Korg iPolysix Review – Bringing Classic Analog Synth to iPad

Type of app: Music app Platform/where to buy: iPad; available in the App Store Developer: Korg Description: ?Polysix polyphonic synthesizer, replicated on your iPad ?Use the newly developed Polyseq polyphonic step sequencer to control the Polysix ?A music production environment including two Polysix units, a drum machine, and a mixer ?Dual Kaoss Pads with chordal support make it easy for anyone to play analog synth sounds ?Polyshare powered by SoundCloud lets you publish, share, and remix songs with iPolysix users Major features: Way back almost 30 years ago I was trying to set up a home electronic music studio. I…

Music Diary, Reviews

‘Synesthesia’ by The Kandinsky Effect Review

As I have been compiling my ‘best of 2012’ list, it has occurred to me that I failed to do something last year I really wanted: ‘quickie music reviews’. So starting with some initial 2013 releases I will try to publish a music review a week that is a ‘quick look’ with a summary impression. And to be honest, this album was good enough to inspire me to start again! Musical Genre: Jazz Where to buy: iTunes Music Store, also available on Amazon MP3 Store Artist: The Kandinsky Effect Description: Founded in Paris in 2007, The Kandinsky Effect is a…

Music Diary, News & Features, Reviews

Living in Question – Recipes and Remedies CD Review

Living in Question – Recipes & Remedies Do you have people you interact with who, when they suggest music you simply listen? I certainly do, and even better I have developed an instinct for discovering quickly when someone falls into that category. While reviewing ‘Levin-Torn-White’, I exchanged emails with producer Scott Schorr of Lazy Bones Records, and I really liked his musical instincts on the record and music in general. So when he approached me recently and said he had something ‘not quite what I normally listen to, but he thought I would enjoy it’ … I simply had to…

Music Diary, News & Features

In 2012, Rock and Pop Continued to Dominate Digital Music Sales

The results of 2012 music sales are starting to trickle in, and Nielson Soundscan has a solid summary of the results. Here are some highlights: For 2012, sales of albums and track equivalents are down slightly at -1.8% vs. 2011. Digital Albums are up 14% and Digital Tracks are up 5%. CD sales declined 13%. If you look at the digital sales only as Statista did, you will see that Pop, Rock and Hip-Hop accounted for over 65% of sales, with Rock at nearly 25% and Pop at just over 22%. Add in country and you have accounted for nearly…

Music Diary, News & Features

Amazon Introduces “Amazon AutoRip”, Giving Customers Free MP3 Versions of Purchased CDs

If you buy a CD on Amazon but also want to play it on your iPod (which describes my kids), you insert the disc and rip the music to iTunes. That gives you the best of all worlds – and if you use iTunes Match you can then download the tracks on any of your iOS devices. But with fewer and fewer computers (dominated by the move to Ultrabooks and the Macbook Air) coming equipped with a CD drive, customers are increasingly making the move to an all-digital library … so if they use an iPod or other iOS device…

Events, Gear Bits, Music Diary, News & Features

IK Multimedia Introduces the iRig HD Guitar Interface

It is hard to believe it has been more than two and a half years since Travis reviewed the original iRig here at Gear Diary. In that time iRig has become THE standard for interfacing your guitar with your iOS device regardless of the apps you were using. Well, now at CES IK Multimedia has taken the next step in iRig development, introducing the iRig HD that goes beyond simple Lightning Connector compatibility to deliver a true high-def experience. “iRig HD features superior digital audio quality, and offers a premium 24-bit A/D converter for a crystal clear digital signal that’s…

Gear Bits, Music Diary

In 2012 Vinyl Saw Its Best Year Yet Again

Aside from his (total surprise) iPhone 5, the big gift we got my younger (nearly 15) son was a turntable. Sure it has USB capabilities and so on … but it is still a turntable. And he uses it not just for my older electronic stuff, but also for some brand new things or re-releases from Daft Punk and others. Vinyl never really went away, with DJs and audiophiles keeping it going at low levels … but over the last several years it has seen double-digit increases each year as more and more younger folks join in on the trend….

Events, Gear Bits, Music Diary

Roland Releases Video Celebrating 30 Years of MIDI

Do you know what MIDI is? Many people don’t know the acronym, which stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. But they know the applications – controlled sequences, drum machines, full orchestras controlled by a single person. Here is a quote from one of the creators, Dave Smith: You could play one keyboard with your right hand and another keyboard with your left hand. But [musicians] couldn’t play more than one at the same time because there was no way of electrically interconnecting them. Computers were fast enough to be able to sequence notes, control the number of keyboards and drum machines…

Gear Bits, Music Diary, News & Features

2012 Was the Year YouTube Went Professional

In previous years the ‘top 10’ lists of most viewed YouTube clips would always contain amateur videos such as ‘Charli Bit My Finger’, cat videos, and so on … but this past year saw YouTube move fully to a professional video channel, reflecting the mainstream adoption of internet video as a primary source of entertainment. As kids have known for years, it is often easier to simply grab a YouTube video for a song you want to hear than fiddle around on iTunes, Spotify or Slacker. As noted here, “Almost everything on the list this year was created by professional…

Events, Music Diary, News & Features

Android Mobile Musicians Rejoice – IK Multimedia Accessories Now Work on Android!

IK Multimedia is coming to Android full force this year at CES! Having just announced iRig Recorder for Android, they have opened the possibilities for mobile music-making on the platform. But just having an app isn’t good enough, you need ways to get your music into the app – so now IK Multimedia has announced the compatibility of several of their accessories with Android and iRig Recorder, including the iRig MIC, iRig MIC Cast, and iRig PRE. All of those products will work well in tandem with the just announced iRig Recorder for Android, the easy-to-use recording and editing IK Multimedia app. A couple…

Events, Music Diary, News & Features

IK Multimedia Brings Mobile Music to Android with iRig Recorder

For me, one of the deciding negatives regarding Android has been the lack of a low-latency core audio system as is found in iOS. And while that hasn’t been solved at a system level, talented developers such of products such as FL Studio have been working on their own solutions. Now IK Multimedia takes the lead! Today at CES IK Multimedia announced iRig Recorder for Android, which allows high-definition, low-latency audio recording. The app also has plenty of built-in tools for editing and exporting your sounds, and will support IK Multimedia accessories such as iRig MIC, iRig MIC Cast and…

Gear Bits, Music Diary

After More than a Billion Views, an Infographic Looks at Gangnam Style’s Social Reach

By now pretty much everyone with an internet connection has seen or heard or heard about the Gangnam Style video by the South Korean ‘K-Pop’ artist Psy. The massive success not just on YouTube but also on Facebook and Twitter has meant that it has been analyzed to death. But a guest post at HypeBot and an associated Infographic lend a lot of intriguing insights into how we gather and share this type of information. The most intriguing part for me is that in spite of being a YouTube video, YouTube had the LOWEST engagement of any social site, with…

« 1 … 10 11 12 13 14 … 32 »