KoreAudio

LSS Student Profile: Nadim Amir

2012-01-18T15:48:00.000Z

Name: Nadim Amir

Courses Taken: Electronic Music Production (SU510) Summer Program

Featured Track:

Nadim - MMXI ( original mix ) by Dj Nadim

Links:

http://soundcloud.com/dj-nadim

How was your time at LSS? And how did it help you develop your music career?

To be honest I had an amazing time at LSS, the atmosphere is fantastic and I enjoyed the fact that there are students from different backgrounds and musical tastes all together in one class. This made me love the process of learning!

Taking a course in music production was the perfect step from taking my love for music and my curiosity towards music production towards the right track, and LSS was the ideal place to take it to the next level.

What have you been up to since you left LSS?

Since I finished my courses in LSS I have been working non-stop for the past year locked away in my room producing tracks and trying out new equipment and techniques. It is important to say that experience is very important, and through it each new track sounds better than the last because the learning process never stops with music production.

LSS Student Profile: Andreas Pallikaras

2012-01-04T11:28:00.001Z

Name: Andreas Pallikaras

Courses Taken: Professional Certificate: Music Production 101, Sound Engineering, Structure Form & Creativity, Sound Design & Synthesis.

Featured Track: 13 Stitches (Dubstep Remix)

13 Stitches (Dubstep Remix) by NΕΚΡΟΛΥΤΕ

How was your time at LSS? And how did it help you develop your music career?

When I came to LSS I wasn't familiar to anything really and I can say with certainty that I wouldn't be able to learn all the things I have learned so easily.

LSS for me is a fun place to be at in general and even more fun studying, the people there are always helpful and no question ever seams hard for them to answer so I would say that I had a great time.

What have you been up to since you left LSS?

As for now, I'm in Cyprus working a full time job and on my extra time I make music, mostly Psychedelic, but I've also started working on a dubstep project that will be followed by more to come.

Links:

http://soundcloud.com/necrolyte

LSS Student Profile: Philip Row

2011-12-21T11:14:00.001Z

Name: Philip Row

Courses Taken: Music Production Professional Certificate

1.) How was your time at LSS? And how did it help you develop your music career?

So basically there no work to describe my amazing experience with LSS, first time in my life to study and have fun in the same time. LSS gave me some powerful knowledge in all aspects of sound engineering, music production, music theory, and sound design. Even though I started the course with basic knowledge I initially felt bit "smarter" but than I discovered that there was a lot of more things to learn!

2.) What have you been up to since you left LSS?

LSS gave me the opportunity to work with music on a professional level since I just ended the course. We'll see what happen in the future. That's all thanks for the support!

Links:

Supported by Dave Clarke on Whitenoise!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7qREw0ZLMA&feature=player_embedded
Whitenoise 3rd of September Episode 302:
http://weblogs.vpro.nl/whitenoise/2011/09/04/whitenoise-3rd-of-september-episode-302-this-week-features-tracks-by-c-system-gregor-tresher-george-lanham-and-a-whitenoise-set-by-christopher-kah /
Whitenoise 17th of September Episode 304:
http://weblogs.vpro.nl/whitenoise/2011/09/18/whitenoise-17th-of-september-episode-304-this-week-features-tracks-by-the-exaltics-humandroid-gregor-tresher-and-a-mix-by-sheffield-bleep-aka-chris-smith/comment-page-1/#comment-12278
Fabio Agostini & Philip Row – Autofix EP
Cat Number: elek139
Label: Elektrax Recordings
Release Date: 15 Dec 2011
Featuring: Fabio Agostini, Philip Row, Shaun Mauren
Preview Page:
http://www.elektraxmusic.com/elek139 /

LSS Student Profile: Nima Khaste

2011-12-19T11:00:00.000Z

Student Name: Nima Khaste

LSS Courses Taken: Music Production Diploma

Featured Song: Love Was There

Love Was There by C'est la Soupe

1.) How was your time at LSS? And how did it help you develop your music career?

After I finished my music foundation course in Cambridge, I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue studying music or music production. Fortunately I decided to go down the Music Production road and I have learned and developed myself in many ways more than I expected. I now have a greater knowledge about the process of making a track, skills to be a better producer and sound engineer, the industry and most importantly knowing what I want to do as my career.

2.) What have you been up to since you left LSS?

I am now studying a B(Mus) course of Songwriting at London Centre of Contemporary music. I decided to develop my songwriting and performing side as well. During my study at LSS, I started working with a lot of different singers and musicians from various genres. From Hip Hop, Trip Hop, and Instrumental to Pop, Commercial, Rock etc.

I also finished my instrumental album the first of year the study in LSS ( http://www.myspace.com/nimakhaste ). Then formed my band in the second year ( soundcloud.com/cestlasoupe). Now I am in a new band called Turbulenze ( http://www.facebook.com/TurbulenZe ). I still produce for other artists as well.

3.) Links to your works:

I composed and produced all the track in this band:

http://www.facebook.com/cestlasoupe

soundcloud.com/cestlasoupe

http://www.youtube.com/cestlasoupe

This is my first instrumental album which was a personal project:

http://www.myspace.com/nimakhaste

This is my new band which I play keyboard in:

http://www.facebook.com/TurbulenZe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKvNGwRK2RQ

Few track I have produced for other people:

http://soundcloud.com/troyrook/white-lies

http://soundcloud.com/masakosugi/house-demo

http://soundcloud.com/johngalea/rain-down

http://soundcloud.com/johngalea/detonate

My collaboration with BBC Persian:

http://www.catscollege.com/en/cambridge/static/news/?newsitem=159

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9ypM8A3jDY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxZnLO3plsQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gErhZHSiquc

Playing piano:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QKYDfX8tRU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otD9kMYZpkc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCQOd5WiBNA

LSS Student Profile: Hassan Mohyeddin

2011-12-16T13:09:00.001Z

Interview With Hassan Mohyeddin

Course(s) taken: Music Production Diploma

Links to more works:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mo-yo/203286383072527

http://soundcloud.com/moyosmusic

Featured Track: Strummer Boy

Strummer Boy by mo yo

1.) How was your time at LSS?

My time at LSS was enjoyable and fruitful... I think that the teachers I had were inspirational and also motivational... and the open access to the school's facilities was/is great... I also made some great friends in the 2 years I studied there, allowing me to develop diverse collaborations... and of course, I learned so many technical skills, from music production and sound engineering, live sound and sound design to elements of composition, structure, and creativity, and advanced mixing and studio techniques.

2.) What have you been up to since you left LSS?

Since I left LSS in February 2011, I started doing live sound at The Gallery Cafe, a small live music space, art gallery and cafe in Bethnal Green, where I continue to work at weekends. I also started working as a percussionist/collaborator and composer at Tara Arts, a theatre company based in Earlsfield, South London. Both these experiences have been invaluable, and have made me learn a whole lot more, especially with the know-how I acquired at LSS. I also am working with a couple of sound design projects for student films and a few musicians on singles and EPs... Im trying to focus most on my music playing and production, trying new things and looking to keep move forward.

LSS Student Profile: Luca Cerruti

2011-12-13T12:12:00.000Z

Name:

Luca Cerruti

Links:

www.myspace.com/lc-space

LSS Courses:
Music Production Diploma
Music Production
Sound Engineering
Sound Design

Featured Track: Underage

Underage - Luca Cerruti (Full Track) by London School of Sound

Q&A With Luca

- Where are you from?

Genova, Italy

- What is the best city for music in the world?

I really think it's London, the city has so many talented artists and great opportunities everywhere you look and go. Not to mention that in my opinion most of the bands that left a mark in music history came from the UK.

- When did you first start making music?

When I was 15. Back home in Genova I put up a band named Snapped-Out, I was a guitarist. We used to play mostly crossover and nu-metal. We had some gigs but then split up at 19 because we were way too busy with studies and work.

- What is your favourite/most used DAW? Why?

That would be Logic. So far is my favorite because its pretty simple and straight forward; I'm hoping to get used to Pro Tools, I'm actually working a lot on it, but I still need way more practice. I soon hope to be able to know it as well as I know Logic which I've always used last year to produce Electronic tracks.

- Who are your favourite artists and who inspired you the most to pursue your music studies and career?

Nowadays I'd say Queens Of The Stone Age first, that band is epic!

When i was in the band I was very fond of Slipknot and Limp Bizkit, but also bands like Incubus and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

When i first started to listen to electronic music, I loved Loco Dice, Claud Vonstroke and Sven Vath, I'd say minimal techno kind of area.

The LSS helped me to learn of some of the the coolest producers around such as Wolfgang Gartner, Deadmau5 , Skrillex and so on, even though my music is kind of different from theirs!

- How long have you been studying music production? Which courses at LSS did you take?

I've been studying Music Production for a year now, along with the Sound Engineering and Sound Design courses. I'm actually takin the full two-year Music Production Diploma Certificate due to finish in the summer of 2012.

- Why did you pick LSS?

I was looking for a sound engineering school, and found a couple in Italy. But then I discovered LSS and decided to move to London and study as much as possible in this music area. I was willing to learn everything regarding music even thought I already knew what path I was going to take.

- How do you feel your learning at LSS has contributed to your musical development?

I'd say LSS has contributed to everything apart for my background music theory knowledge.

Music Production wise for example: when I first got here I didn't even know of the existence of Logic/Reason/Ableton, I had no clue of how to produce an electronic song (structure wise as well).

Sound Engineering as well, all the knowledge I got now is because of LSS and I have to say, I think I made a great decision coming here.

- What tune do you simply wish you wrote?

Well if we speak about electronic music I'd say Undertaker by Wolfgang Gartner, Rock n Roll by Skrillex or The End by Pryda or Raumgleiter by Daniel Strauss. All great tracks each one from a different genre.

- What are your plans after LSS?

Get into the record engineering business right away, trying to make my way by assisting in every possible studio that will take me. And possibly keeping my music production skills as an hobby, never know what it can lead to.

- What advice would you give prospective students interested in starting studying music or music production?

Good choice if you really know what you're getting into. Loving music is not everything. 50% of work here has to be done by you and only you, working hard and making an effort in every chance you're given. Once you know that, it's gonna be a great adventure and I'm sure you'll enjoy it and definitely won't regret it!

LSS students and ex-students are available for collaborations, internship, work opportunities. Contact them directly using the links provided above or contact info@londonschoolofsound.co.uk if you have specific requirements.

LSS Student Profile: Adrian Charras

2011-12-12T11:33:00.000Z

Name:

Adrian Charras

Band:

Dario Nicolau Group

Members:

Dario Nicolau : Guitar and vocals

Marcos Giraudo: Bass

Adrian Charras: Piano and accordeon

Anibal Guevara: Percusion

Links:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Dario-Nicolau-Canciones-para-pobres-y-ausentes/198975810128994

LSS Courses:
Mixing and Mastering

Featured Track: Remo

Remo - Dario Nicolau Group - Adrian Charras by London School of Sound

Q&A With Adrian

- Where are you from?

Buenos Aires, Argentina - the Dario Nicolau band performs songs using the native rhythms of Argentina and Latin American, incorporating folklore in modern and simple context.

- What is the best city for music in the world?

Buenos Aires. London too. I love these two music cities!

- When did you first start making music?

Don't even remember, my father is a musician so there was always music in my house, but professionally I started at around 18 years old.

- What is your favourite/most used DAW? Why?

My favourite DAW is Pro Tools. It's easy and fast.

- Who are your favourite artists and who inspired you the most to pursue your music studies and career?

I am a musician and sound engineer so the two vary. As musicians, from Latin America: Astor Piazolla, Cuchi Leguzamón, Bebo Valdez, Horacio Salgán ... many.

As Engineers: Jorge Da Silva (a legend, and the best sound engineer from Argentina) Osvaldo Acedo, Eduardo Bergallo, Andres Mayo and many others.

- How long have you been studying music production? Which courses at LSS did you take?

I have spent 16 years learning and practicing music production. I took the Summer Course in "Mixing and Mastering" at LSS.

- Why did you pick LSS?

For many reasons: for its prestige, because it was an advanced and short course, and because it was in London!

- How do you feel your learning at LSS has contributed to your musical development?

LSS has helped me see new techniques in mixing and mastering, showed me a different way to start a mix, correct common mistakes, and helped me to appreciate what is important in each song.

- What happened after your time at LSS?

Working hard ! Trying to sound even better. Many of my customers appreciate the new techniques applied. I'm really happy with my experience in London.

- What advice would you give prospective students interested in starting studying music or music production?

The sound is not in the machines, or expensive equipment. The sound is in yourself. You just have to learn how. LSS is the place!

LSS Student Profile: André Di Napoli

2011-12-11T18:52:00.000Z

Name:
André Di Napoli

Links:

http://soundcloud.com/de-di-napoli

http://www.facebook.com/E.R.DNA.MUSIC

LSS Courses:
Music Production Essentials
Structure, Form & Creativity

Featured Track: Dark Rainbow

Dark Rainbow - André Di Napoli (Full Track) by London School of Sound

Q&A With André

- Where are you from?

I'm from Brazil,Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre.

- What is the best city for music in the world?

The best city in the world for music must be London, I have never found a place like this before.

- When did you first start making music?

I started making music when I was really young. My oldest memory is playing drums with my uncle in his music school. But I started to make music in a more professional way when I was 16. Piano, guitar, pen and paper.

- What is your favourite/most used DAW?

I don't even need to think about this question, Logic with no doubt, everything sounds better in Logic. Why? Well, Logic is a perfect platform for producing, mixing and mastering. Everybody says that Ableton is easier, but thats just because they don't know how use Logic. But that's just my opinion.

- Who are your favourite artists and who inspired you the most to pursue your music studies and career?

Roger Waters,Syd Barret, Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson, Carl Palmer, Tiesto, Jimi Hendrix, Fat Boy Slim,Eric Clapton, Deadmau5, B.B. King, Kaskade, Gui Boratto. My Father and my Mother, definitely. They were always there for me and supporting me when I needed them.

- How long have you been studying music production? Which courses at LSS did you take?

I've been studying music production since 2006, but always online, I started to study with real teachers this year. Music Production and Structure, Form and Creativity.

- Why did you pick LSS?

Because I heard that LSS was the best place to study music production in Europe. After that I talked with a counselor at LSS, I felt like they where real musicians trying to teach music, and enjoying what they do.

- How do you feel your learning at LSS has contributed to your musical development?

I feel completely satisfied, I don't have not even one complain about the LSS, my teacher are the best ones on the market, and all of them where really nice. Let me put in this way, I have learned more in a day than 2 years studying in Brazil. I just have good things to say about LSS.

- What tune do you simply wish you wrote?

Thats a tuff one… But i think Roundabout by Yes.

- What do you aim to do after your time at LSS?

I will make my first album, open my studio in Brazil and keep my work as a DJ/Music Producer.

- What advice would you give prospective students interested in starting studying music or music production?

My advice is don't expect nothing for now. Study hard, and put your heart in to it. Start making your music with the same passion that you where studying, and if you do that, good things will start to flow in to your life with time.

LSS students and ex-students are available for collaborations, internship, work opportunities. Contact them directly using the links provided above or contact info@londonschoolofsound.co.uk if you have specific requirements.

LSS Student Profile: Gabriel Aguilera

2011-12-10T17:57:00.000Z

Name:

Gabriel Aguilera

Links:

http://soundcloud.com/gabriel-aguilera

LSS Courses:
Structure, Form and Creativity

Featured Track: Illuminate

Illuminate - Gabriel Aguilera (Full Track) by London School of Sound

Q&A With Gabriel

- Where are you from?

My dad's from Chile and my mums British, but I was born in England so im technically just British.

- What is the best city for music in the world?

The music scene in Brussels is excellent, supporting a lot of up and coming dubstep artists as well as drum and bass. But really I have to say London due to how diverse the music scenes are, ranging from garage, uk funky, various forms of house and electro, jazz, reggae, indie and many more.

- When did you first start making music?

I first started making music when I was fourteen, circuit bending children's toys. I wouldn't really refer to it as music anymore, just creating bizarre noises. I created my first track when I was sixteen.

- What is your favourite DAW? Why?

So far I have only used Logic and Abelton, I found Abelton quite complex and not very user friendly. Logic on the other hand is straight forward, has some good synth presets and an excellent selection of EQ and compression.

- Who are your favourite artists and who inspired you the most to pursue your music studies and career?

I listen to so much music its really impossible for me to specify who is my favorites are, but currently Synkro is producing amazing garage/dubstep. My main inspiration is an artist called Burial, he produces a combination of ambient soundscape and garage. His ability to create such emotion and thought provoking music really is inspirational.

- How long have you been studying music production? Which courses at LSS did you take?

I started a one year course when i was sixteen and I then stopped for a year when it finished due to other college work. I chose Structure, Form and Creativity at LSS.

- Why did you pick LSS?

I had heard good things about it so I decided to visit one of the campus's. I was shown around and met a few of the head teachers and it made a very good impression on me.

- How do you feel your learning at LSS has contributed to your musical development?

LSS has not only provided me with real head start in production, but a certain mind frame as well. I have progressed so much in the past 11 lessons and I have learned information thats invaluable.

- What tune do you simply wish you wrote?

This has to be one of my favorite tracks of 2011, http://soundcloud.com/boddika/swims. The use of the cowbell is just genius and the bass line means business.

- What happened after your time at LSS?

Im going to finish off an album i have planned that contains various genres such as dubstep, drum and bass, garage/uk funky, ambient and electro. Im going to give it out for free and try and get signed as soon as possible but with a label that respects the producers and I know will take me as far as possible.

- What advice would you give prospective students interested in starting studying music or music production?

I'm not even close to where I want to be in music as I think im still in a really early stage of my production so its hard for me to offer advice, but all I would say is dont give up and be as original as possible.

LSS Student Profile: Marco Viglino

2011-12-09T12:52:00.001Z

Name:
Marco Viglino

Links:

http://it-it.facebook.com/people/Marco-Viglino/100003091050723

http://it-it.facebook.com/PolynomialB

http://soundcloud.com/polynomial_b

https://twitter.com/#!/Polynomial_B

http://www.myspace.com/polynomialb

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lenrAuBwR64

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UBxk9GOMf8&feature=related

LSS Courses:
Summer Course

SU550 Mixing & Mastering

Featured Track: Higher Burry

Higher Burry - PnB - Marco Viglino by London School of Sound

Q&A With Marco

- Where are you from?

I'm from Padua, Italy but I recently moved to Berlin, trying to push my music forward.

- What is the best city for music in the world?

I'm probably biased but actually Berlin is a real good place for music and for artists. And a great place to get inspired!

- When did you first start making music?

I've been playing guitar in a hard rock band since 2001. In 2005 I started making music with my PC.

- What is your favourite/most used DAW? Why

Ableton Live for sure. It's user friendly and has any tool I need.

- Who are your favourite artists and who inspired you the most to pursue your music studies and career?

I would say Danko Jones for the rock music, who still inspires my music. And T. Raumschmiere for electronic music because he was the first artist I heard, close to what I like to hear in a song.

- How long have you been studying music production? Which courses at LSS did you take?

I studied sound engineering for three years in my town's Conservatory, then I picked the Summer Mixing & Mastering course at LSS which is designed to help improve mixing and mastering skills.

- Why did you pick LSS?

I've been studying sound engineering for 3 years but in a very theoretical way, nothing practical on mixing or producing music, so I thought LSS would be a good chance to me getting better. Also, I needed to unmask the secrets of mastering!

- How do you feel your learning at LSS has contributed to your musical development?

Better focus on "what I'm looking for" while producing and mixing music. Better knowledge of most important instruments used to produce music (vst, plugins...)

- What tune do you simply wish you wrote?

Hard question... I can't decide - Scissor Sisters was the first track I loved, which came to my mind.

- What happened after your time at LSS?

After I have finished the LSS course, back home, I worked on my PnB project and I had some dates around North Italy. Since October 2011 I 've been living and working in Berlin for the PnB project.

LSS students and ex-students are available for collaborations, internship, work opportunities. Contact them directly using the links provided above or contact info@londonschoolofsound.co.uk if you have specific requirements.

LSS Student Profile: Dominic Rippel

2011-12-06T14:21:00.002Z

Name:

Dominic Rippel

Links:

www.microbang.com

www.soundcloud.com/microbang

www.myspace.com/gullwingclassic (previous band)

LSS Courses:
MP151 Structure, Form & Creativity
MP324 Advanced Mixing

Featured Track: Nostalgia

Nostalgia - Dominic Rippel (Full Track) by London School of Sound

Q&A With Dominic:

- Where are you from?

I was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where my mother's family is based. Lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico until the age of 5. Grew up in Connecticut, where my father was born and raised, until the age of 18, when I went off to the University of Colorado , Boulder. After 3 years there, I transferred to the New School for Social Research in NYC, and lived/worked there for 15 years, before moving to London in 2008. I'd consider myself a New Yorker at this point.

- What is the best city for music in the world?

There are many many.... Brooklyn, New York, London, Austin, Los Angeles, Chicago, New Orleans, Boston, Manchester, Glasgow, Berlin, Paris, Toronto, and Seattle.

- When did you first start making music?

My life in music started around age 6, singing in concert choirs, which I continued until age 17. At the age of 11 I had my first electric guitar, and was probably writing silly songs by the age of 15. I really started getting into recording in my mid to late 20's.

- What is your favourite/most used DAW?

At the moment it is Logic Pro. This is because is it fast and easy, and the included plugins help generate a suite of customisable instruments and sounds that require a sizeable investment from the other big DAWs. I started with Protools 10 years ago and still use it, though now I can achieve faster results with Logic. I also enjoy using Reason 6 for my more electronic pursuits.

- Who are your favourite artists and who inspired you the most to pursue your music studies and career?

Short list off the top of my head... Velvet Underground, Dinosaur Jr., Treepeople, Built to Spill, Ramones, No Age, Pixies, Led Zep, Pink Floyd, Brian Eno, Bowie, Flaming Lips, Eddy Grant, Primal Scream, Johnny Cash, Beach Boys, Bob Marley, ACDC, Simon & Garfunkel, Eagles, Wings, Queen, Sea & Cake, Rolling Stones, Shuggie Otis, Shellac, Stone Roses, My Bloody Valentine, Autechre, Bon Iver, Elliot Smith, etc...

- How long have you been studying music production? Which courses at LSS did you take?

I've been self learning for more than 15 years and just started taking courses this year to learn the multitude of things that get overlooked when you are working by and for yourself.... Last spring was Structure, Form & Creativity. Next spring is Advanced Mixing.

- Why did you pick LSS?

It seemed to be the most straight forward and lean out of all the programs on offer. There is no filler in the curriculum... It is all very applicable to producing music.

- How do you feel your learning at LSS has contributed to your musical development?

It's really taught me how to use the tools I have, properly and more confidently.

- What tune do you simply wish you wrote?

Wish you were here. Simple and great.

- What happened after your time at LSS?

I've built a recording studio from the ground up, in Dalston, London. I just began to produce and record new material that I hope will get released in some shape or form.

- What advice would you give prospective students interested in starting studying music or music production?

Try to bring something new to the equation. Owning a bunch of gear and learning how to use it according to the manual is one thing... but bringing inspired ideas and well crafted performances is whole other bag of beans.

LSS Student Profile: Solomon Marshall

2011-12-06T12:07:00.006Z

Name: Soli Marshall

Links:
http://soundcloud.com/solomonmarshall

LSS Courses:
Professional Certificate
MP 101 Music Production 101
MP181 Sound Design
MP151 Structure, Form & Creativity
MP261 Foundations of Sound Engineering.

Featured Track: Tired Old Shoes

Tired Old Shoes - Solomon Marshall (Full Track) by London School of Sound

Q&A With Solomon

- Where are you from?

I come from a town called Totnes in South Devon.

- What is the best city for music in the world?

Well I'm going to have to say London.

- When did you first start making music?

I've been making music since I was about 13 or 14.

- Who are your favourite artists and who inspired you the most to pursue your music studies and career?

It's too difficult to decide who my favorite artists are so I'm just going to name some of my influences: definitely James Blake, Jamie Woon, Fat Freddy's Drop and I'd say Kanye West.

- How long have you been studying music production? Which courses at LSS did you take?

I completed the Professional Certificate at the London School of Sound. This year long programme combines the MP101 Music Production course, MP181 Sound Design & Synthesis, MP151 Structure, Form & Creativity which focuses on songwriting, and MP261 Foundations of Sound Engineering.

- Why did you pick LSS?

I chose to attend London School of Sound simply because it offered the course that most suited me. I liked the fact that it was nearly all hands on, practical work (rather than essay based).

- How do you feel your learning at LSS has contributed to your musical development?

My time at LSS has helped hugely, mainly because I have acquired enough knowledge now to really get which ever piece I am working on to sound like (or very close to) the original idea I had in my head. Which is harder than you think.

- What tune do you simply wish you wrote?

If there was any song that I wish I had written it would probably be "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by George Harrison or maybe "Feeling Good" by Muse.

- What happened after your time at LSS?

Since leaving LSS I have been doing various bits and pieces. As well as continuing to work and improve my own music, I also engineer and produce songs for other people. I've also been doing some Logic training for beginners.

- What advice would you give prospective students interested in starting studying music or music production?

My advice to anyone about to study music production would be just to stick it out. There will certainly be difficult moments but it is definitely worth it in the end.

LSS Student Profile: Jassim Jaffer

2011-12-05T12:00:00.001Z

Name:

Jassim Jaffer

Links:

www.soundgood.biz

www.soundcloud.com/kukri

LSS Courses:
MP 101 Music Production 101
MP181 Sound Design
MP151 Structure, Form & Creativity

Featured Track: S.I.E.

S.I.E. - Jassim Jaffer (Full Track) by London School of Sound

Q&A With Jassim

- Where are you from?

Muscat, Oman

- What is the best city for music in the world?

Bristol or Havanna

- When did you first start making music?

When I was 17 I started making acoustic music and transitioned to electronic at the age of 24.

- What is your favourite/most used DAW? Why?

I like Apple's Logic mainly due to it being the main DAW that I have studied and used. It is very intuitive and I like the layout.

I would like to learn how to use something like Renoise.

- Who are your favourite artists and who inspired you the most to pursue your music studies and career?

Favorite electronic artists are Mike Paradinas, Plaid, Del Dot, AFX, and Ochre (to name just a few)

- How long have you been studying music production? Which courses at LSS did you take?

1 year studying and 3 years practicing. I took 3 modules at the London School of Sound: MP101 which is the Music Production 101 module including the Apple Certified Logic Pro Level One training; MP181 which is a course on Sound Design & Synthesis, as well as MP151 Structure, Form & Creativity which focuses on creativity and songwriting.

- Why did you pick LSS?

Cause it seemed to offer a more hands on approach to music production.

- What tune do you simply wish you wrote?

Within A Sound by Mu ziq

Fer by Plaid

- What happened after your time at LSS?

I started working as a sound designer and recordist for student films and built my way up to corporate jobs and low budget feature films.

- What advice would you give prospective students interested in starting studying music or music production?

Learn from the pros at LSS ;)

LSS students and ex-students are available for collaborations, internship, work opportunities. Contact them directly using the links provided above or contact info@londonschoolofsound.co.uk if you have specific requirements.

LSS Student Profile: Stephen Acuna

2011-11-30T13:13:00.002Z

Name:

Stephen Acuna

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/mythoben

LSS Courses:
2 Year Diploma Certificate

Featured Track: Typecast

Typecast - Stephen Acuña (Full Track) by London School of Sound

Q&A With Stephen

- Where are you from?

The Philippines, born and raised. But go I home to Italy now because my family lives there. My step dad's italian.

- What is the best city for music in the world?

Where else.. London!

- When did you first start making music?

When I was sixteen. I wrote a song for this girl I was trying to get together with. It was really cheezy but I got with her ;)

- What is your favourite/most used DAW? Why

So far still Logic Pro, It's the jack of all trades I guess. It does everything ok but not great. Pretty simple interface, decent plugins, and you don't need much 3rd party stuff to get a good product out of it. Typecast was all Logic. But I think Pro Tools is still superior in many ways. Just need to get better at using it.

- Who are your favourite artists and who inspired you the most to pursue your music studies and career?

Ahhh....hate this question because my answer for this changes all the time. What I say now might not be the same next year. Currently I would have to say: Thrice, Bon Iver, QOTSA, Deftones, Paramore, Jimmy Eat World. And when I was younger Incubus and The Foo Fighters were bands that really inspired me.

- How long have you been studying music production? Which courses at LSS did you take?

Almost 2 years now. Well pretty much all of our courses as I did the Music Diploma Certificate.

- Why did you pick LSS?

Good atmosphere to work in with great people and staff. Really involved and knowledgeable tutors. Great industry standard equipment.

- How do you feel your learning at LSS has contributed to your musical development?

It was huge. Before LSS I was mainly just a musician still reliant on the powers that be (i.e other musicians, sound engineers, mixers,) to get a final product out. Now I can do everything on my own. Compose, Produce, Mix. And even with the things I still can't do great, I atleast have the knowledge and connections on where to go.

- What are your plans after LSS?

Same as I'm doing now. Making music, and performing as much as I can.

- What advice would you give prospective students interested in starting studying music or music production?

It's never too late to learn something new. There's always something you still don't know. And you get what you put in.

GarageBand for iPhone - yes please!

2011-11-02T00:10:00.006Z

Apple announce GarageBand for iPhone and iPod touch......

Yes please!!!!!

Way better than playing Scrabble on the go (sorry Scrabb).

Here's what's new:

GarageBand 1.1 - universal app designed for iPad, iPhone, iPod touch
Create custom chords for SI's
3/4 and 6/8 time signature support
Reset song key without transposing original recordings
Transpose songs
Additional quantization options for recordings (straight/triplet/swing)
New audio export quality settings for AAC and AIFF
Arpeggiatior
Adjustable velocity settings
Other enhancements incl audtomatic fade out, improved audio import options, etc

Next....... iCloud support please!!!

299 pennies at the app store.

Logic Pro X coming soon?

2011-09-07T23:21:00.003+01:00

A Japanese site reports that a new Logic is under development.

If you have been following what happened (and is still happening) with Final Cut Pro X you will know that is frightening stuff.

Which is not to say that we don't enjoy FCP X tremendously. Having only used iMovie three times in my life I have to say that playing around with this latest Final Cut was easy and a lot of fun. But we don't actually work with video, so it's no surprise that all the missing features are not a problem.

And in time it will no doubt realise its amazing potential. But let's see what we know and don't know of the next version of Logic...

Well, actually we don't know a great deal. This page is written in Japanese and some kind of translated English, and I suspect that it reads better in Japanese. I am waiting for confirmation from my friends that can read it.
What it says is that it will NOT have a Garage Band interface. This is welcome news. Not that I thought they would, but nice to hear anyway.

The only other information is that appraently they will be dropping Soundtrack Pro (and that's just fine, it was a terrible application and no one used it) and they will be incorporating the functionality of Wave Burner directly inside Logic. This makes sense and should be fine, except maybe that if you have ever used Wave Burner you should have noticed its main functionality was to crash a lot. But anyway, OK, we can compile and master a CD directly in Logic.

Lastly, they would be selling MainStage as a separate app. This also makes sense. In the grand scheme of things we can expect that Logic will retail via the AppStore for even less that it already was, and so if you want MainStage you should buy it separately. I bet the sum of two is still cheaper than the current Logic Studio package.

But which other revolutionary game-changing features are we going to have (or not have)? Well, the one I'd expect the most is on-clip non-destructive processing: in other words, if you want to apply an effect to just one word of your song you should be able to open a plugin just on that section of audio instead of affecting the whole channel. Soundtrack Pro had it, Wave Burner had it, and I was very surprised to see that it didn't make it in to Logic 9.

But this takes me to my greatest fear. What if, in a wave of new radical thinking, they decide to do without tracks? This is the way the new Final Cut Pro X works: you never see tracks, you simply drop audio in a arrangement area and assign effects to it, including automation directly on the region. The tracks are sort of created and deleted in the background by the software so you can hear as many objects as you like, but you are never aware of how this is possible. You never see horizontal lines, you don't see a mixer as such. And while this is a very intuitive way of working for someone that simply needs to drop bits of audio on to a film (and you can group them, hide them, change volumes and add effects directly on the regions) it would be a very bad thing for us.

Imagine wanting to add some reverb to a vocal. Hundred of regions after careful vocal comping, punching, editing, overdubbing. It is very convenient that anything that is on that track will take the effect. If instead I had to go and select all the regions and somehow put them in a group to add the effect, well, it would be a massive waste of time.

Maybe I worry too much, but I can see how someone that doesn't actually work with audio might be tempted to innovate and get rid of the tape recorder / mixing desk paradigm: make the most of new technology and drop the old way of doing things.
Certainly there are a lot of interesting things we could try in developing new software and new working methods. But the thing with Apple is that when (rarely) they get it wrong, they get it wrong a lot and all of a sudden. So I will keep my fingers crossed for now and pray.

Now it's your turn to think of the most crazy ideas of what could go in or out the new Logic, but if I were you I wouldn't wait to buy the software in case the new one comes out. I would rush to buy the software precisely because the new one cold come out.

REASON 6

2011-07-14T11:55:00.014+01:00

Just when you thought no more fun could be had using Propellerhead's award winning music production software Reason you'd quickly be made to gasp in excitement at what their announcement of the latest installment to the series has to offer in it's delightfully colourful world of infinity rack unit heaven.

So what's new here you ask, trying to maintain an air of decorum and class..after all you've seen so many like this and have the best production tools plus Reason 5 already working away for you...well there isn't a revolution going on to be blunt but for the fact that the team at Propellerhead have decided to make you benefit from the best of two of their products from one box! The software "Record" which was introduced to us two years ago as an able to capture, edit and mixdown audio takes within the now familiar Propellerhead Studio user interface has been integrated into Reason...and there you have it!

Could it be that Reason might now be referred to as a DAW without risk of getting an elitist put down? Maybe, who knows! Reason 6 is really no different from any of the other known brands at this point, it will let you seqeunce/edit your MIDI parts, record/edit any audio required and apply any effects at the mixing stage...master bus inserts/sends and all that jazz. It still has no VST support unfortunaltely so what they give you is what you get, this isn't a bad thing to be fair as the instruments and effects units here have delivered previously and should continue to do so, the disadvantage of not having a third party plug-in support feature lies in not having those options...without this we are not limitless in creativity!

There have however been some additions to the upgrade, five to be precise and they are unleashed upon you as The Pulveriser, The Echo, The Alligator and Neptune, all of which are used for effects. The finale of the new bunch is the new look mixer..it has colourful knobs that'll make you feel like a winner indeed, it's the dream you've always had of owning an SSL desk...only not quite the same.

Some songs that rock...

2011-06-22T22:17:00.005+01:00

Some random songs that rock...

Bad Brains - Attitude

Bad (Brains) but still rocking...

The Remains - Don't Look Back

Accountants but still rocking...

Iggy Pop - Consolation Prizes

Will show you his penis but still rocking..

The Saints - This Perfect Day

Who ate all the pies but still rocking...

Iron Maiden - Prowler

Needs a square meal but still rocking...

Flipper - Ever

Burning fat woman but still rocking...

Meat Puppets - Split Myself in Two

Inbred but still rocking...

Cabaret Voltaire - Nag Nag Nag

Nagging but still rocking...

Human League - Almost Medieval

Human League but still rocking...

maningrey

My Favourite New Song

2011-06-19T13:02:00.002+01:00

If only all songs were as on the money as this peach...

My girlfriend turned me onto this, should be number one all over the world, if I had a label this would be my first release

Lover Hurts by Clemmers

Maningrey

Phone music on Public Transport?

2011-06-14T13:23:00.004+01:00

Why do people play music in public through a phone?

Does anyone think it's normal / acceptable / incredibly annoying?

Have a look at this...

www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13749313

Students learn how social media helps Eric Prydz sell more records

2011-06-01T11:00:00.007+01:00

Terry Church is an award winning dance music journalist and editor with over a decade of experience in the industry. He has worked for DJ Mag as their News and Web Editor and at Beatportal.com as the Editor. He now runs Terry Church PR and has clients such as Dubfire, Eric Prydz, Adam Beyer and Sebastian Leger.

Last week the students of London School of Sound were treated to a lecture by Terry where he went through how he helps his clients sell more records and become even bigger successes.

Terry began the lecture by discussing brand attributes and the characteristics we associate with artists who indeed have their own brand. When you think of an artist you may or may not realise that they do indeed embody a brand and culture. Lady Gaga is a brand, Deadmau5 is a brand, the moody local DJ who refuses to do interviews is a brand. It is what we become addicted to, what we feel when we hear their music. Terry asked each one of us in the room to write down a list of brand attributes that we want to associate with ourselves and our music (for those interested mine were eccentric, wild and uplifting...yeah baby). This was a powerful thing actually because nearly all of us had never even thought about this, or even that we can control it.

Most of us just make music and let the world decide how to perceive us. But what Terry made us see is that because of the changes in the world today we have a lot more control on how the world perceives us. Super celebs can directly communicate with hundreds of thousands of their fans in seconds via updating their status on Facebook or sending a tweet out on Twitter, it's astonishing.

He went on to discuss exactly how we can showcase our brand attributes via Social Media. In today’s world we can access our fans and target market directly through Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud and blogs. Terry went through each one and discussed how they play a part in the branding process and how we can utilize each to become a household name. Facebook on one hand is great for talking directly to fans and getting feedback on tracks you may be working on. Twitter on the other hand is good for networking with companies, labels and major artists directly to gain good business connections.

Terry closed the show by discussing how to start a label in today’s digitally enhanced world. Overall Terry was a delight and was great afterwards handling the students questions too.
I really took away a lot from the lecture, knowing what it takes to market your own music and yourself makes you incredibly more likely to be successful and signed to a major label. Labels today want to know an artist can create their own following and have done so, meaning knowing how to do this with the wonderful world of the Internet is a major plus.

This was one of a series of free lectures we organise from time to time. Some are exclusive to LSS students, others are open to everyone; each lecture is unique and will not be repeated. Subscribe to our newsletter to hear about future events as soon as they’re announced.

For more information on Terry Church visit his website www.terrychurchpr.com/

Studio Update: Argosy studio furniture

2011-05-31T11:19:00.007+01:00

In these days of “in the box” mixing and recording, it’s important that a studio still has a main focus point - something that at least looks like a recording console (if not for any practical reasons, then for the aesthetics!). There’s also an element of “hands on” control that’s missing with a keyboard and mouse.

We’ve had a Digidesign C24 Pro Tools control surface for a while now which meets most of these needs, but simply placing it on a desk doesn’t have the functionality and ergonomics of a large format console. We'd looked at getting custom furniture built, and had been stuck with a horrendous combination of Quiklok stand and office desk for a year. Eventually something had to be done about it....

The 90-NC24-RR model is designed with the C24 in mind, so suited our purposes nicely. It arrived in a variety of confusingly numbered boxes, but once we’d found the one with the instructions in, we were ready to get assembling.

Putting together an Argosy desk is a familiar experience to anyone who’s ever bought IKEA flat-packed furniture. The step-by-step instructions make perfect sense once you go through them carefully, but as typical men, we blundered ahead regardless (we had to redo a few stages, but no damage was done - I’d advise you spend a bit more time reading than we did!)

After the best part of a day, we’d cleared out the studio and the Argosy frame was finished. Days 2 and 3 were spent re-wiring and testing the studio (most installs wouldn’t take this long, but we have a dual console studio, which takes a surprising amount of time to wire up fully and neatly).

First impressions of the Agosy? It looks awesome! We went for the mahogany hardwood end panels, which along with the padded armrests give a classy finishing touch. Put the C24 into Vegas mode, and the studio is all set to impress.

The rack rails are direct screw in American style, and the Argosy comes with more than enough screws to fill the rack. Once you get over your fear of cross-threading (and let’s face it, when have you ever cross threaded a rack nut?), you’ll start to appreciate these over the European nut-and-bolt standard. I never want to have to force rack nuts into slightly too small rack slots ever again! There’s also a couple of logo’d blanking panels to be found somewhere among the boxes.
The C24 comes with a full set of D-sub multicores, each around 6 meters long. Given that the patchbay lives under a meter away, this tends to leave a lot of slack. Keeping this amount of cabling all tidy was always a difficulty before, but the Argosy has a large space underneath where you can coil any excess neatly out of the way. There was even enough room left to tuck in the C24 power supply.
Once the wiring’s all in place, you can still get to the back of the desk via three hinged lids and with a latched rear panel, so it’s simple enough to mod your setup (we added alt speaker connections and the listen mic patch point about a week after the initial install with no difficulties).
There’s more than enough space for a mousepad and keyboard on both sides of the mixer, but you’ll probably end up balancing the keyboard on the arm rest and leaving the mouse to one side. You could change to a trackpad or trackball, but I’ve never been a fan of either of these. I’ve yet to see an ideal solution to this on any desk furniture though.

My biggest gripe about the Argosy? I’m starting to despise slanted patchbays! It’s all too easy for the rear patches to fall out, and almost impossible to see where they came from. Admittedly, a permanent soldered patchbay would solve this, but we need a fair amount of versatility and adaptability to our setup. As it stands, I’ve spent so much time beneath the desk recently, that I’m starting to consider buying an under-car mechanic’s trolley!

If you’re looking for studio furniture, I’d rate Argosy over the AKA design and Quick-Lok desks I’ve put together. It’s solid and built to last, though (much like IKEA furniture) I’m not sure how easy it would be to take apart and re-assemble. It’s a lot of money to outlay (especially when you add shipping to the UK from the States), but it will give any studio that professional look that a laptop and audio interface just will never have.

Terrible Music I Dig

2011-05-30T19:56:00.002+01:00

Here is a list of my favourite songs which are officially terrible, as in you would not stick them on if you brought a date home but would hide the albums in your wash basket with your soiled grots rather than admit you owned them. My bete noire Ciaran would suggest that everything I listen to is terrible, but as his favourite band is Hayseed Dixie he can go whistle.

Godley & Creme - Cry

Famous for it's hideous shape shifting video and Kevin Godley's massive beard if this was recorded by Radiohead it would be a lighters aloft weepy anthem instead of hogging the bargain bins. Best bits are the really high pitch shift at the end and the strange spacious production which is quite at odds to the usual kitchen sink productions of most 80s pop, Dub-MOR if you will.

Touch - Don't You Know What Love Is / When The Spirit Moves You

Massive cheesy power pop/soft metal also rans, bizarrely produced by the Tim Friese-Greene who worked on Talk Talk's brilliant last two albums, the mortgage needed paying eh Tim? Everything is overblown but is oddly soulful in it's own grotesque way, much more Todd Rundgren than Bon Jovi. No one knows why it never happened for them but a disastrous performance at Donington where the bass player swallowed a bee on stage and had to be carted off to A+E probably didn't help...

Detective - One More Heartache

Zeppelin clones who were championed by Jimmy Page who was in the running to produce this album until heroin led apathy got the better of him. What else is there to say that the massive opening drum salvo doesn't say already? I have sampled this already for a tune so hands off!

The Cars ― Moving In Stereo

Know for dire cynical skinny tie cobblers, The Cars lead singer produced some surprisingly credible bands on the side including Suicide and Bad Brains. Their albums always had at least one droning electronic Suicide tribute amid the fluff, this being the best example. Everything is so icy and riddled with sang froid you feel the need to run out into the street and hug a stranger post listen in a desperate desire for human body heat. A note for our overseas students, this is not advised in Dalston or Brixton.

Cristina - Things Fall Apart

A bit of a cult classic this, for everyone who thinks Noel is a big pile of pig balls, doleful, oddly sexy vocal over metal guitars, what's not to like? The song sounds like the model from Kraftwerk's The Model got to write her own song. Makes sense as Cristina was a model and girlfriend of the millionaire owner of the label ZE which released this Christmas turkey to resounding lack of success. Features a description of everyone's classic Xmas party from hell:

The party was a huge success,
"But where should we go next?" they said.
They'd killed a tree of ninety-seven years,
And smothered it in lights and silver tears.
They all got wrecked, they laughed too loud,
I started to feel queasy in the crowd,
I grabbed a cab back to my flat,
And wept a bit,
And fed the cat.

Pavlov's Dog - Natchez Trace

Spectacular spaghetti AOR, a deranged clash between Journey's shrieking vocals and Sergio Leone guitars. The whole album is simultaneously repellent and addictive. The record company must have torn their hair and nashed their teeth at all these great songs being sung by a man whose balls had failed to drop. Featured a fat dog licking it's chops on the cover as if that would help matters.

Robert Fripp and Daryl Hall - North Star

A nightmarishly unlikely collaboration between the dark lord of prog rock guitar, King Crimson's Robert Fripp, and the crown prince of the blow dry/back comb Daryl Hall, 80's "soul" star, AKA the one without the tach' in Hall & Oates. Who knows how they met or why they chose to collaborate but this is a strangely lovely thing despite Hall's over singing, sounds at points like he's having a tilt at Pavlov's Dog's highest voice in AOR title.

Al Di Meola - Race With The Devil on a Spanish Highway

Steady ladies, remember women were powerless under the comb over and three piece suit (with weak chin disguising beard) combo in the 1970's. Dismissed as "prattle wank" by LSS tutor Ben Wood, bear in mind though that Ben dislikes anything in music unless it is three minutes long, sung by a white guy with a skinny tie and has a guitar going "a chak a chang" before a big chorus about luv. Whether the musicians saw it or not at the time jazz fusion is best approached with a healthy sense of comedy, so much talent and skill going into producing music of such idiocy. Then you can sit back and enjoy the cop show riffing, mach speed axework and terrific title.

Please note LSS will most definitely NOT teach you to produce any of this toss while studying with us (Editor)

Maningrey

Go Live Now!

2011-05-27T12:54:00.001+01:00

Ever thought you'd make a good Radio DJ? Tired of daydreaming of spinning that iPod playlist you love so much to a wide audience? If you can answer yes to one of or both questions then here's something to give you a fighting chance at beginning a culture and era moulding radio broadcast movement. Here's introducing "Spreaker"...WHAT on earth!? I hear you quibble, well...as weird as that name sounds (also hoping their marketing team were more creative than just putting spread and speaker to form this brand genius) it is probably another Twitter in the making or maybe that's a bit farfetched. Spreaker is one of those DIY personal profile, follow or be followed and play ranking hybrid of podcast hosting sites that also lets you broadcast live to your loyal listeners for all of 30 minutes (Free user accounts) or 3 hours as a Premium member with commercials inserted at 15 minute intervals..niiiice! There's also the very handy link with ubiquitous Facebook profiles to get your listeners flowing in fast and furious, the same share feature lets users update their status with an "I'm LIVE on AIR now" message thereby making you the provider of much needed music for friends that might be unaware of your hot mixes or newly released tracks.

Other features include being able to record podcasts for later broadcasts, use of jingles, sound effects and even looped music for talk segments of a broadcast.
Now, if you're not musically inclined how did you end up on this blog? Ok seriously if you're not a musician or an aspiring DJ this site is still a good platform for your discussions on sport, current affairs and other areas of entertainment. I've said enough to arouse your interests...go now...an SPREAK to the masses!

Best ever cover versions!

2011-04-06T17:02:00.014+01:00

Tired of watching some pony tailed oaf (no offense Ciaran) strumming a tuneless acoustic version of "Bittersweet Symphony" on the tube? Well here are some top covers to warm the cockles of yer jaded heart...

The Residents - Satisfaction

Brutal dismemberment of the Stones classic, out dweebs even Devo's version by some way. Reminds us there are many more things to be worried about in the world than if a girl will not make out with you (but not many).

Big Black - The Model

Talking about dweebs, check this out! Kraftwerk's cool dispassionate ode to the unattainable is turned into a nerd's stalker anthem.

Rapemen - Just Got Paid

Charmingly named and the second Steve Albini related cover, ZZ Top this time, what can I say the guy has a knack for great cover versions (still shit with names though). As funky as the original but with an writhing mass of noise where a slide guitar solo should be.

Judas Priest - Diamonds and Rust

Joan Baez folk dirge about what a twat Bob Dylan was is mangled into a storming, none more metal shriek, tailor made for thousands of screaming Japanese people to wave their arms to.

James Chance - Jailhouse Rock

Elvis provides a veritable gold mine of cover versions that out do the originals, check out this racket, worth it just for the intro.

No embedding with this mutha unfortunately:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNry5C4PIrM

John Cale - Heartbreak Hotel

If there was ever a song for a miserable Welshman to sing this is it. Years of bitterness about how Lou Reed wrote all the best songs for the Velvets come to the surface in this suicide note in song.

Annette Peacock - Don't Be Cruel

If you like your dose of The King delivered as a sultry samba the eccentric Ms Peacock is your woman. Just bought her long unavailable album "I'm The One" for £30, signed and everything..

Jimi Hendrix - Come On

Better know for his Dylan cover I like this off the cuff version of an old New Orleans classic because it captures Hendrix at his most exuberant. You can almost hear the strings snapping on the fret board as he wails away, leaving the white boys in the rhythm section for dust.

Dinosaur Jr - Just Like Heaven

As with most of J Mascis' work it's hard to tell if this is a genuine tribute or a piss take, but isn't that the best thing you can get from a song? I hate The Cure but I love this so if it's a tribute it's worked.

Muddy Waters - Mannish Boy

Credited to Muddy but pretty much a straight lift of Bo Diddley's "I'm A Man" this is what most people think of when you say the word "blues". Bo's swaggering original is turned into something monumental, if you are looking for the roots of heavy metal you could do worse than this.

Van Halen - Ice Cream Man

The boys did a blazing version of "You Really Got Me" but I like this one as firstly nobody has heard of the original and secondly it's possibly the first time ever where a white heavy metal cover of an old blues song actually captures the raunch, swing and humor of it all.

peace

Maningrey

DIY PAD cable

2011-03-30T12:07:00.006+01:00

I was having a few difficulties recently when trying to record drums with the C24 in studio 2 - even with the mic gain turned all the way down, we were still clipping the inputs to Pro Tools.

On the day of the session I worked around this by using external mic pre's, but I wanted a better solution.

A little bit of research and soldering later, and I turned up with this:

(at the other end of the lead is a standard XLR female connector)

The circuit fits quite neatly into the chassis of an XLR male connector (it's important to make sure it goes on the desk input end of the signal, so I'd avoid wiring this into a patch cable), and does the job quite nicely.

I made the cable about a foot long, and you simply daisy chain it to the end of a mic lead. They've turned out to be so useful, I'm in the middle of making another half dozen of them.

SE Voodoo Ribbon mics - active vs passive

2011-03-18T17:59:00.007Z

I remember when SE mics came out, we all assumed they were just another company ripping off classic European mics for budget prices. Turns out we were quite wrong! SE have introduced some totally new concepts (take the Reflexion filter for example - why did nobody think of this before?), and developed their own technology - the capsule design on the Voodoo ribbon mics being a case in point. Designed by Siwei Zou (the CEO of SE), it extends the hi frequency response of the mic, giving us what is said to be the first ribbon mics with a 20Hz to 20kHz frequency response.

I managed to get my hands on both the Voodoo VR1 and VR2 mics, so I though I'd check them out, and see what the differences are between them.

The two mics have identical capsules - the VR2 is the active model, so has an extended body to fit the amplifier circuitry (Careful putting the two up against each other though - the magnets are strong enough to stick them together!). Both look pretty unusual - but at the same time, pretty cool. As with all ribbon mics, it's essential to treat them with care, so there's a small drawstring bag included to cover the capsule when moving the mic (the saying with ribbon mics is "bag it on the stand" - simply waving the mic though the air can be enough to damage the ribbon - it's only 2 micrometers thick!). In practice, the bag is a little fiddly, so it might be worth investing in something like an iPod sock to do the job.

The Test Setup
I decided to put the ribbon mics to a classic purpose - guitar amp recording. I used a Fender Strat (Rory Gallagher model, set to neck pickup), and a Vox AC30. I let the amp warm up for an hour, and played around with the tone settings until I found something I liked (which honestly doesn't take long with that set up!).

To keep the performance consistent, I DI'd a guitar take into Pro Tools, then used a Radial Pro RMP re-amp box to feed the performance back into the AC30 through a Soundcraft Reims console.

After setting up the passive VR1, I played around with the mic position until I found a sweet spot. I quickly recorded the re-amped performance, then swapped over the VR1 for the VR2, positioning the capsule in as close to the same spot as possible.

The Results
Both mics sounded great - I have a couple of guitar tracking sessions coming up soon, and can see them getting quite a lot of use. On paper, both mics have the same frequency response, so I was surprised to hear as much difference between them as there was.

The passive model definitely picked up more room sound, and the active model had a fuller low end. On balance, I'd choose the sound I got from the VR2 over the VR1, but only just. The only thing I can put this down to is the mic pre settings (the VR2 has a much higher sensitivity, so although I took care to match the record levels, the mic gains had to be significantly different).

The oddest thing I noticed was that the mics are wired phase-opposite - definitely something you should be aware of when putting multiple mics on an instrument (and simultaneously using a ribbon mic with an SM57 is pretty much a standard guitar recording technique). OK, simple enough to fix, but a bit of an oddity all the same.

The Final Word (for now)
I'd like to put the VR1 to test with a few different mic pre, just to see the kind of difference that makes (I'll try this over the next couple of weeks), but if you have a lower end interface, it might well be worth stretching your budget to the active model, and letting the inbuilt mic circuitry take the strain. However, whichever of the two you go for, you won't be disappointed in their performance.

first impressions of The King of Limbs

2011-02-20T11:06:00.006Z

Last week I pre-ordered the full package, vinyl+CD+artwork+download for £33, and yesterday was the day you could start getting your download, while the rest will arrive by post eventually.
It could have been £3 less choosing to get the download as MP3, but since there was no indication of how these were produced* I thought I'd pay a bit more for the bandwidth and get full-quality Wavs.

And just to give you the full picture, if you don't believe in material things you can get just the MP3 for £6 or just the Wavs for £9. Very fair.

Read More

Papa Sangre - a binaural computer game

2010-12-22T11:42:00.003Z

Been having fun with this for the past day or so. A game for the iPhone (3GS and up), that uses binaural processing to place you in a surround-sound acoustic world. Play with your eyes shut, and navigate a pretty scary game......

Check out the demo video here, and head to the App store to try it out for real!

01V96 rhythm section

2010-12-04T10:28:00.003Z

Have to try this some time - we have an old Yamaha desk kicking around somewhere... (not to mention a Mackie d8b, and a few dozen MIDI controllers...)

Heavy metal band names flow chart!

2010-11-24T08:22:00.002Z

There's a whole bunch of cool flow charts here, but this is my favourite...

Slayer! In Christmas lights!

2010-11-23T10:50:00.002Z

I know it's not time for Christmas stuff yet, but to celebrate my 500th post, here's Slayer, but, like, Christmassy....

Otamatone Jumbo!

2010-11-22T08:27:00.003Z

I picked up an Otamatone in Japan earlier this year (now available at Amazon and as an iPhone ap), but I wish they had one of these - the Otamatone Jumbo!.......

Look after your ears

2010-11-16T14:23:00.003Z

Tinnitus and the dangers of clubbing too hard.

Something big on the way for iTunes....

2010-11-15T19:45:00.001Z

Rumours are it'll be music streaming - something on the lines of Spotify. Come back tomorrow to find out!

Happy 40th to Rush...

2010-11-13T18:29:00.003Z

Here's Tom Sawyer with the kids from South Park...

Jon Bon Jovi Likes Cup Noodles.....

2010-11-12T08:15:00.003Z

We saw Jay Kay was a fan before, but here's Bon Jovi selling Japanese pot noodles....

Once more, the evil effects of illegally downloading music show themselves.

Apparently translates as:

"the son is third grade of junior high school.

He was studying for his exams.

But Cup Noodle for midnight snack

His Mum has forgotten it.

The son......

Sulked."

Mmmmmmm. Not poodle......

(Thanks to Yohei for spotting that one)

Korg iMS-20: Transform your iPad into a complete analog synth studio

2010-11-11T00:11:00.003Z

Korg has just released another virtual instrument for the iPad - the Korg iMS-20, a software recreation of the classic Korg MS-20 analog synthesizer.......

According to Korg, the Korg iMS-20 "transforms your iPad into a complete analog synth studio."

Product Highlights:

- A complete recreation of the legendary Korg MS-20 analog synth

- Built-in 16-step analog sequencer to control the sound

- Music production studio with the MS-20 mono synth, a six-part drum machine, and a mixer

- Kaoss Pad function allows intuitive performance and control

- Publish and share your iMS-20 songs online with the SoundCloud audio platform

More details on specifications here, and buy it here.

"Down On Me" - Keenan Cahill featuring 50 Cent from Chelsea Lately

2010-11-10T23:53:00.004Z

I'm not sure if you have seen this YouTube sensation already... Keenan Cahill, over 1.22 million views.

Remember Remember...

2010-11-10T15:53:00.009Z

The 5th of November, gun power, treason and fireworks enjoyed from the roof of the LSS South Campus in Clapham....

....you can enjoy both the massive Clapham Common shebang and a couple of others over by Canary Wharf, while drinking cans and swirling sparklers. Narrowly avoided spending the night up there when the roof door was blown shut but help arrived just as it started to get nippy..

maningrey

Yes, it's Free Plugin time again

2010-11-09T15:31:00.002Z

Found quite a stack of them this time....

Melda Productions do a variety of plugins, from drum plugins to time correlation, and at tempting prices.

Give a few of their free ones a go (I'm torrenting their MDrummer Small as I write this (yes, legally)), see what you think (look for the bottom of the page for the free stuff).

Do low frequencies make you see ghosts?

2010-11-09T13:45:00.003Z

Heard about this years ago - (how certain frequencies can cause your eyeballs to resonate, making you think you see movement in your peripheral vision). But is this true, or as real as the South Park brown noise?

Read this to find out?

Katsura Strobe Tuner

2010-11-09T13:34:00.002Z

Thanks to Dirty Singh for this one.....

Katsura Strobe Tuner is a shareware ap, that's a very affordable way to get a strobe tuner on your Mac. If you've not used a strobe tuner before, it's a much easier way to tune that the traditional needle-pointer.

Might give this a go myself - there's a 90 day free trial, but my tuner needs are currently met by PolyTune on my iPhone (they gave it away for free for a very limited time - as a few lucky blog followers found out). You wouldn't think a polyphonic tuner would work, but it does - and the individual string tuning is the best I've used without a strobe.

Nebula Free Bundle - now in AU format

2010-11-09T13:22:00.003Z

Time to see what all the hype has been about.....

There's been an amazing buzz about Nebula for a while now, but as a Pro Tools and Logic user, there wasn't really much chance to play with it. Acustica have finally released the Nebula free bundle - a fully functional, limited feature version of Nebula.

What is it? Well, from their site blurb:

"Nebula emulates the character and personality of analog hardware with exacting accuracy. Whether it is high end outboard equalizers, classic compressors, the latest reverbs, or vintage time-variant effects like phasers and flangers, Nebula has them all. With a large library of free included presets, you'll be adding the warmth of analog to your digital mixes in no time at all.

Nebula is a VST multieffect plug-in that is able to emulate and replicate several types of expensive audio equipment, eliminating the need for costly and bulky hardware. Nebula uses libraries which are created using a sophisticated “sampling approach” making it possible to “record” aspects of the sound of audio devices and play them back. Our sampling process results in highly realistic, complex emulations of many types of audio processing devices that can then be used to process any audio signal digitally, all within a VST plug-in that is compatible with all major DAWs and editing software"

Nebula Free gives you:

Nebula3 Free (CoreII Engine): the free VST and AU multi-effect plug-in
N.A.T.3 free: the free FX Sampler 
The free library: small, fully-functional preset library.

If you like what you see, the full version of Nebula is only €119, and can be expanded with 3rd party libraries. In the mean time, get the free version here.

All Glory to the Hypnotoad

2010-11-08T08:56:00.002Z

This guy has figured out how to get that hypnotoad sound - and written a pretty cool article about how he did it. Well worth a read for the synth heads and Futurama fans among you.....

And for the rest of you, here's a classic episode of Everybody Loves Hypnotoad......

Pro Tools 9

2010-11-05T07:40:00.004Z

We said it was coming, and here it is!....

It's got everything we hoped for:

Use any Core Audio or ASIO interface
Up to 96 or 192 simultaneous tracks
Up to 128 instrument tracks
Up to 512 MIDI tracks
256 internal busses
Up to 160 Aux tracks
Automatic Delay Compensation
Multitrack Beat Detective
Digibase Pro
Built-in OMF/AAF/MXF file interchange support
The new Complete Production Toolkit gives you the rest of the previously HD only features, including 7.1 surround mixing, and VCA faders

OK, the downside is:

You need an iLok (fair enough, as you no longer need AVID hardware)
It's expensive (£505 from new, £210 for upgrade, and it's a staggering £1679.95 for the Complete Production Toolkit)
That's it

As LSS is a Pro Tools Sponsored Training Centre, we'll be trying this out asap, so I'll be back with a review pretty soon (it ships on November the 19th).

In the mean time, head to AVID for more details.

Canterbury Tales: In Praise of English Eccentrics

2010-11-04T15:59:00.011Z

Been listening to some classic British psyche. Mellotrons, beards, real ale and Leslie speakers abound in the world of the fragile English cult acid head..

As the winter nights close in I find myself needing music that reminds me of the last days of summer, black birds chirping, ice creams melting, straw boaters and used condoms in the canal...here are some classics.

Roy Harper - When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease

Steady Ladies! While no looker, the tramp like Harper had a knack for bleak cynical folk, enlivened by some lovely brass. Also a mate of Jimmy Page who as well guesting on his albums dedicated the track "Hats Off To (Roy) Harper", on Zep's third album, to him.

Kevin Ayers - Hymn

Kev had everything to become a big star, blond good looks, a deep croon and Elton John's management but indolence and alcoholism did for him. His albums always sandwiched beautiful introspection, like this track, amid bloated prog rock toomfoolery and lyrics about bananas..

Syd Barrett - Dark Glode

The poster boy for acid casualties in fact Syd probably just got bored of dealing with Rodger Waters as this dismissive song attests. Horse and swaying wildly in tempo (The White Stripes are super stars with the same template) it's still better than 90% of Pink Floyd's output after he was booted out.

Matching Mole - O Caroline

A complete one off, the rest of their work is complete toss but this lovely ballad features Robert Wyatt's school boy vocals and is rather sweet.

Caravan - In the land Of Grey And Pink

Whimsical prog folk from group of art school bozos about whom I know nothing other than this track tickles me.

maningrey

Nanostudio for the iPhone

2010-11-04T09:16:00.004Z

Nanostudio is a sampling, synthesis, sequencing (and according to their website, mastering) ap for the iPhone.

It's been described as "Reason for the iPhone", and that's enough to make me want to have a go (have to get Kore Audio to put it on the LSS iPad!). There's a fully featured synth, with CV patching, and the TGR-16 Trigger Pad.

Here's the full specs:

Compatible Devices

OS version 3.1.2 or later (tested on iOS 4)
iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4
iPod Touch 2G, 3G (mic recording possible with external accessory)
iPod Touch 1G (mic recording not available)
iPad (1/2x zoom compatibility mode)

General

Instruments - 4x Eden synths, TRG-16 trigger pads, 6 track sequencer, 7 input mixer with two sends
Insert Effects - 2 per synth (waveshaper, chorus/flanger/delay)
Send Effects - 2 (reverb, chorus/flanger/delay)
Total polyphony - 48 stereo voices
Buffer latency - 10ms
Stereo 44.1kHz floating-point signal path (only the final output is reduced to 16 bit)
Individually optimized for new and old hardware (chooses between VFP or NEON technology)
Maximum size for a single sample - 8MB (total sample memory will depend on your device)

Extra Features

Audio copy/paste with other compatible music apps - both Intua and Sonoma standards supported
Direct SoundCloud sharing straight from your device
Compatible with Line 6 MIDI Mobilizer accessory for MIDI input from external hardware
MIDI file import/export
Eden Synth (x4)
Maximum polyphony - 8 voices per synth
2 anti-aliased oscillators per voice, each with 36 basic waveforms including noise
Oscillators can be mixed or sync/ring modulated
Resonant filter per voice - low pass, band pass or high pass with 12dB or 24dB slope
Samples can be used in place of basic waveforms
4 LFO's, optional sync to note start/sequencer tempo
3 ADSR Envelope generators (amp, filter and aux)
2 X/Y controllers, 1 configurable control knob, pitch bend wheel and accelerometer input
Virtual patchbay for connecting controllers, LFO's and envelopes and other synth parameters
2 insert effects per synth (waveshaper, chorus/flanger/delay)
192 Global presets (shared between all projects) and 64 Project specific presets
TRG-16 Trigger Pads and Sampling
Number of trigger pads - 16
Maximum polyphony - 16 voices
Adjust volume, pan, pitch, output bus, attack, release and loop type per sample
Exclusive groups for use with high hats etc.
Three output busses, each with its own filter and send effects
Load/save individual samples or whole kits
Upload wavs or aiffs to your device using NanoSync for Mac or Windows
Record your own samples using the internal mic (iPhone only) or external mic (iPod Touch 2G, 3G)
Resample NanoStudio's main mix output
Crop and normalize samples on the device using NanoStudio's built in sample editor with 4 levels of undo/redo

Sequencer

Realtime record with undo
Pattern editor and song arranger
6 tracks (4 Eden synths and 2 tracks dedicated to the TRG-16)
Record unique parts or turn them into patterns for repetitive loops (100 patterns supported)
Draw note and controller events such as XY pad movements, pitch bend, velocity and accelerometer
Editing functions include delete, merge, copy, move, note length, transpose, clean and quantize
Controller editing and automation
Time signatures 2/4 - 7/4
4 levels of undo/redo on every editing operation
All editing operations are possible while the sequence is playing

Mastering

Mixer with 7 stereo inputs (4 Eden synths, 3 TRG-16 output busses), 1 stereo output and 2 stereo sends
2 Simultaneous global effects sends per input (reverb, chorus/flanger/delay)
Stereo VU displays for all inputs and outputs
Offline mixdown - stereo mix, individual tracks or individual song parts

And if that's not tempting enough, have a look at this:

There's support for the Akai Synthstation on its way!

Head to the blipinteractive site for more details, or click here to go straight to iTunes.

And after you've done that, head here for a stack of free Nanostudio samples from LoopMasters!

Native Instruments - The Mouth

2010-11-04T08:53:00.006Z

Really cool, or the end of all civilisation?....

New from Tim Exile, the Mouth is the sequel to the Finger. A cross between a harmoniser, a vocoder and a synth, it tracks the pitch of the incoming signal, and uses it to create very cool effects.

Check out the details here, but not before watching this video!

Sehr Kosmisch!

2010-11-03T16:31:00.019Z

Gratified by finally finding a copy of Julian Cope's epic meditation Krautrocksampler
that was not in German, I was inspired to download...ermmm I mean purchase a fist full of music most Kosmisch....

Here are a few of my favourite tracks from my recent investigation and some familiar classics I have cherished for a while.

Faust - The Sad Skinhead

From Wumme but sounding like The Specials! A whole new sub genre like Egyptian Reggae, it's Kraut Ska..

Ash Ra Tempel - Light And Darkness: Darkness - Flowers Must Die

Worth it for the title alone...phazed and flanged to the max, it's hard to imagine their guitarist, Manuel Göttsching, later made the sedate proto trance classic E2-E4.

Popol Vuh - Aguirre I

Something a little more solemn from the mysterious Popol Vuh, named after a manuscript containing the mythology of the Quiché Maya people of highland Guatemala...Hey far out! This is from the brilliant soundtrack to Werner Hezog's deranged exploration of Conquistador greed, Aguirre: The Wrath of God.

Can - Mother Sky

Perennial family favourites Can kick out the jams with this dense rocker. Great timpani!

Cluster - Sowiesoso

Friends of Brian Eno, but don't let that put you off. A beautiful ambient classic, good for a day of Pims and boating..

Harmonia - Deluxe

My all time classic Krautrock track, a collaboration between Cluster and Neu, this positively shimmers like the gorgeous sun on the album cover.

Neu - Hero

The afore mentioned Neu invent punk two years before the fact. All their songs sounded the same but all their songs were good.

La Düsseldorf - Silver Cloud

As you may have noticed all these bands seem to share members and these guys are no exception being Neu's drummer's side project. Neu's guitarist was also in Kraftwerk briefly ...confused? Well just enjoy the monster synths and glam guitars of this strange Euro hit. Also a big inspiration for David Bowie who declared them "the sound of the future".

Tangerine Dream - Zeit

Before they started churning out Hollywood soundtracks the Tang's were space rock in excelsis. This brooding collaboration with Popol Vuh's Florian Fricke (see what I mean about incestuous relationships?) could soundtrack either 2001 or Dark Star. From the heady days when there were no instruction manuals..

The Cosmic Jokers - Galactic Joke

This "band" came about when Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser had the bright idea of rounding up a load of German rockers, sticking them in a studio and feeding them loads of acid. All well and good but he then took the sessions away with him, edited it all into three albums worth of aimless riffing and released under a made up name of his invention. The first guitarist Manuel Göttsching (from Ash Ra Temple) knew about it was when he heard some intriguing music playing in a record shop, inquired who it was only to be shown the album cover with his face staring out of it.

Amon Duul II - Archangel Thunderbird

Sounds like a deranged mix of Queens of the Stone Age with Geddy Lee on vox..Big foot stomping music when out of your mind on beer and speed.

Moebius & Plank - Tollkühn

Proto techno or wot?? Moebius from Cluster and Conny Plank, legendary producer of Kraftwerk, Can and Neu, join together for summit meeting of years-before-their-time electronic pioneers.

maningrey

TuxGuitar

2010-11-03T12:16:00.002Z

TuxGuitar is a multitrack tablature editor and player. I've got some guitar teaching coming up soon, and this has been a very useful find......

It comes in Windows, Linux and Mac versions, and even FreeBSD - and if that's not enough, there's even a version that runs in your web browser. As the name suggests, it's open source and free. Head here to find out more and download!

Top 100 DJs in the World, 2010

2010-11-02T14:42:00.003Z

DJ Mag's November issue is out, and the results are in.........

Armin Van Buuren beat out David Guetta, Tiësto, Deadmau5 and Above & Beyond for the top position in this year's list of the Top 100 Djs in the world, as compiled by DJ Mag.

For Van Buuren, it’s his fourth year at the top.

“It’s pretty obvious when you’ve been voted top for three years that at some point you have to come down,” says Van Buuren. “But, obviously, it’s a people’s vote, and I’m not going to lie and say I wouldn’t like to win it again.”

Check out the full list below. No woman on the list yet!

Vent your thoughts on this year’s list with comments!!!

The Top 100 DJs In The World – 2010 List

Armin Van Buuren
David Guetta
Tiësto
Deadmau5
Above & Beyond
Paul Van Dyk
Gareth Emery
Markus Schulz
Ferry Corsten
Axwell
ATB
Sander Van Doorn
Infected Mushroom
Steve Angello
Dash Berlin
Sebastian Ingrosso
Laidback Luke
Judge Jules
Afrojack
Aly & Fila
Fedde Le Grand
Carl Cox
Swedish House Mafia
Cosmic Gate
Bobina
Benny Benassi
Sasha
Simon Patterson
John Digweed
Eric Prydz
Richie Hawtin
Andy Moor
John O’Callaghan
Roger Shah
Kaskade
Headhunterz
Chuckle
Bob Sinclair
Avicle
Kyau & Albert
DJ Feel
Moonbeam
Joachim Garraud
Daft Punk
Lange
Sean Tyas
Eddie Halliwell
Erick Morillo
james Zabiela
Umek
Paul Oakenfold
Matt Darey
Mark Knight
Richard Durand
Martin Solveig
tyDi
Hernan Catteneo
Sven Väth
Astrix
Super8 & Tab
Andy C
Myon & Shane 54
Marcel Woods
Roger Sanchez
Wally Lopez
Mat Zo
Marco V
Leon Bolier
Ronski Speed
Wolfgang Gartner
W&W
Boys Noize
D-Block & S-TE-FAN
Dubfire
Dirty South
John B
Daniel kandi
Arty
BT
Boy George
Pete The Zouk
Fatboy Slim
Skazi
Paul Kalkbrenner
Pete Tong
Bloody Beetroots
Arnej
Joris Voorn
Dada Life
Noisecontrollers
Showtek
Laurent Wolf
Claudia Cazacu
Calvin Harris
Luciano
Marcus Schossow
Sied Van Riel
The Thrillseekers
Justice
DJ Vibe

Loudness Maximizer

2010-11-02T08:29:00.004Z

Here's the Ardez Loudness Maximizer - for when you want it just one louder...

It says there's no pumping and breathing, and gives you:

Maximize parameter (how loud?)
2 speed types (normal and fast)
Attack and release characterization
Output parameter (never exceed 0 dB)
Sample rates up to 192 kHz
64 bit internal processing

It comes in both Windows and Mac VST formats, as well as AU.

Head here to download. Enjoy!

End of an era - Panasonic discontinue Technics analogue turntables

2010-10-29T12:40:00.003+01:00

Said it all in the headline really, but Panasonic are discontinuing their entire Technics analogue audio range.....

Say goodbye to the SL-1200MK6, the SH-EX1200 mixer, and even the RP-DJ1200 headphones....

(And if you've got one or two, hang on to them - prices are going to rocket!).

Head to tokyoreporter for more details.

Playbutton

2010-10-28T16:44:00.002+01:00

I have no idea what to say about this little find... check it out and share your thoughts! -> Playbutton

Should new albums cost £1?

2010-10-25T17:04:00.001+01:00

Do you agree?

http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2010/10/should-new-albums-cost-1.html

Random album cover, band name and album title generator

2010-10-24T14:02:00.002+01:00

Does what it says on the tin: I got:

My band is From Stump to Ship and our new album is Khelyulya.

This was autogenerated from random Wikipedia article names. Get your own Wikipedia Album.

Musical Petri Dish?

2010-10-23T12:48:00.003+01:00

Honestly, not sure what to do with this, but it's a nice way to spend a few minutes...

OSX 10.7 - code named Lion!

2010-10-20T14:35:00.002+01:00

Well, pretty sure by the looks of this pic: More to be released later today.

Beatles Flowcharts!

2010-10-20T11:00:00.003+01:00

A Beatles flowchart!

-

2010-10-19T04:02:00.004+01:00

Free Ableton Live Pack

2010-10-17T11:27:00.003+01:00

The Partner Instruments Compilation is, as you'd expect, a collection of Ableton instruments.... It comes in at just under 4GB, and includes everything from pianos, electronic drums and Japanese percussion.

As ever, head here to download!

Free EQ plugin..... tomorrow (18th Oct)

2010-10-17T09:49:00.005+01:00

They're raving about this Windows VST plugin at the GearSlutz forums, and tomorrow it arrives in Mac AU and VST formats...

SonEQ is a 3 band EQ, that emulates vintage gear (pretty sure it's based on Pultec), and sound fatastic on bass.

Head here to download, or here if your Spanish is rusty!

SampleTank Free

2010-10-16T17:13:00.007+01:00

It's back!

For a free version of a synth, it's packed with features:

Over 500 MB samples for over 200 sounds included
16 part multitimbral with easy layerable/mixable parts
3 synth engines:  - STRETCH™ (formant preserving pitch-shift/time-stretch) - Polyphonic Pitch-Shift/Time-Stretch (PS/TS) - Resampling
The most powerful multi-effects section in a virtual instrument: - 5 insert effects per Part - 5 Send effects - Master effects
33 built-in DSP effects derived from award winning audio processors like T-RackS and AmpliTube
Part and Master Loop Sync
Can be expanded with: SampleTank 2.5 L and XL sounds and any "Powered by SampleTank" sound modules including Miroslav Philharmonik, Sonik Synth 2, SampleMoog, SampleTron
Can be expanded with any Xpansion Tank 2 sounds
Imports WAV, AIFF, SDII, AKAI S-1000/3000, SAMPLECELL
Available both as a standalone application as well as a plug-in
VST, RTAS, and AU on Mac OS X/Windows

Head here to download.

Slim Phatty

2010-10-16T16:40:00.006+01:00

Oooh, it looks nice....
Check out the Moog site for details, or watch this video.....

Hip Hop - Don't Stop - 5 Classics

2010-10-15T14:30:00.012+01:00

A random collection of my fav Hip Hop tracks for your pleasure and comment...

Jeru The Damaja - Da Bichez

Righteous rasta Jeru meets DJ Premier for shimmering ode to ermmm...bitches. Whatever you think of the sentiments Jeru has a cool lopsided flow but it's Premier's narcotic sleazy backing, based on a snippet of The Crusaders sauntering "Whispering Pines", that steals the show, I love the shimmering cymbals. The main sample is at 1.12 but the subtler shivery verse sample is at 2.49.

Pete Rock & CL Smooth - The Basement

Named after the dank cellar Pete Rock used as his studio this really does sound like an off the cuff funky jam but is in fact the usual intricate mixture of clashing ambient sounds Rock is know for during this period. Heavy D steals the show with his angular but swinging rant. Riff sampled a classic ragga song below.

Da Lench Mob - Freedom got an A.K

Ice Cube found the perfect mix between punk rock piss taking and massively funky disco in this monster production for the Mob. He also wrote most of the lyrics so after this career peak i suppose Anaconda was just around the corner...Check out the original groove from Jimmy "Bo" Horne's "Dance Across The Floor".

Jungle Brothers - Jimbrowski

This quirky non to subtle track about a giant penis is one of the simple unsung pleasures on the Jungle Brothers excellent first album. Related to De La Soul but sparser and more zany its lasted better than the better known 3 Feet High and Rising. Based on the massive drum riff from a cool Funkadelic track.

Cannibal Ox - Scream Phoenix

Prog Rap? These guys were reasonable rappers but it was the eery futuristic backing which put them over the top. Along with Philip Glass these guys also sampled Yes and made it work, no small achievement.

Logic 9.1.2

2010-10-15T09:23:00.003+01:00

So, it's out , and wow, that's a lot of bug fixes! Just run Software Update....

About the Logic Pro 9.1.2 update

This update improves overall stability, provides numerous fixes and improvements, and is recommended for all users of Logic Pro 9.

Some issues addressed in this update include but are not limited to:

Performance and Stability

Logic’s performance while playing movies at larger than 300% native size in 64-bit mode has been improved.
Resolves an issue that could cause the warning dialog “Memory Getting Low” to appear when simultaneously recording multiple tracks in 32-bit mode.
Resolves an issue that could cause the warning dialog “Specified volume doesn’t exist -35” to appear when simultaneously recording multiple tracks in 32-bit mode.
Using the Undo command after a "Bounce in Place" command now correctly reinserts used plug-ins on the channel strip.
Performing Undo after using the "Bounce - Replace All Tracks" command now correctly restores all automation.
Resolves an issue that sometimes caused Logic to stop responding when loading a setting for a mono plug-in in a multi-mono surround configuration.
Compatibility

Improves compatibility with 6- and 12-core Mac Pro systems.
Supports iOS control surface apps that utilize the OSC protocol.
Supports REX files when running in 64-bit mode.
Improves compatibility with select Audio Unit plug-ins.
The expanded System Performance window now accurately reflects the number of available real cores on all supported computers.
Logic no longer inadvertently reloads the content for third-party sampler plug-ins such as Native Instrument’s Kontakt after tracks are deleted, or after some other edits are performed.
Resolves an issue introduced in Logic 9.1.1 that could cause the spacebar to incorrectly trigger playback in Logic while the Melodyne plug-in window had focus.
Logic Control or Mackie Control hardware control surfaces no longer switch to plug-in edit view when a plug-in on slots 8-15 is removed.
MIDI Editing

Resolves an issue introduced in Logic 9.1 where using the Marquee tool to trim the end of a MIDI region could extend the number of loops for regions earlier in the same track.
The Piano Roll now updates as expected to show the currently selected MIDI take.
Resolves an issue in Logic 9.1.1 which could cause the Score to not display all notes from a region that had been split with the Scissors tool.
The appearance of downward slurs and ties has been improved in the Score window.
When pasting MIDI events into the Arrange area, the playhead no longer jumps unexpectedly to a position far to the right of the end of the pasted content.
Instruments and Effects

Amp Designer now reliably maintains saved non-default EQ settings when a project is reloaded.
The Wah Wah stompbox now responds more reliably to expression pedal input.
EXS24 loads and plays back instruments that use short AAC or ALAC audio files when Virtual Memory is disabled.
Corrects an issue that could cause the “Next Plug-in Setting or EXS Instrument” key command to change settings on the wrong plug-in.
It is possible again to copy and paste sequences between Voices within an Ultrabeat pattern.
A Software Instrument with a Send set to Post Pan no longer loses audio output when the Aux it sends to is soloed, and the Software Instrument’s pan is adjusted.
Software Instrument tracks with the AUNetReceive plug-in no longer exhibit excessive latency.
The Noise Gate no longer creates audible clicks while processing audio with the plug-in GUI open.
Double-clicking an insert slot will close the associated plug-in if it is open and set to Link Mode.
In the EXS Editor, a mouse roll over of an audio file name now displays the full path for the file.
The EXS Editor now properly displays all Groups even those that have the same name.
File Handling and Management

Resolves an issue which sometimes caused the text after a period in a plug-in setting name to be lost on the first save of the setting.
Resolves an issue from Logic 9.1.1 which forced exported MIDI files to have a .logic extension rather than the .mid extension.
Import of folder tracks from other projects now works reliably.
Bank and Patch names in Multi-instruments now import correctly when using the Track Import feature.
Resolves an issue which could cause the Track Import window to become non-functional in certain rare cases.
Import of stereo Input Channel Strips from other projects now works reliably.
It is again possible to drag split stereo audio files from the Finder into the Arrange window.
The mute status is now maintained for tracks imported from other projects using Selective Track Import.
The “Export Region as Audio File” and “Export Track as Audio file” functions now add tempo information to the exported files.
The EXS24 now automatically locates samples stored in a folder inside the Project Folder that have any of the following names: “Samples,” “Sampler Files,” “Sampler Instruments,” or “Audio Files.”
When a project is opened from a project folder that has been copied, EXS24 now loads samples from the copied location instead of the original.
It is now possible to drag and drop an AIFF audio file copied from a CD into the Audio Bin in the Media area of the Arrange window.
The project name is no longer truncated if a period is added to the project name when performing a Save As for the project.
General Issues

Resolves an issue where applying a crossfade with the crossfade tool might affect existing crossfades on the same track.
A marker is no longer created unexpectedly when the Open Marker Text command is used.
The relative movement of the mouse when editing multiple automation nodes has been improved.
The mouse pointer no longer incorrectly shows the Freeze pointer when editing volume, pan, send, mute or solo automation on frozen tracks.
Help tags for the Marquee Strip now show the correct range.
Soloing an Auxiliary channel strip whose source is a Bus from another Auxiliary channel strip now works as expected.
Copying a MIDI region on a ReWire track no longer creates an unexpected new track.
Cutting a region at a point earlier than the anchor at high zoom levels no longer causes the region to move unexpectedly.
Plug-ins now open with Link mode enabled when they are invoked by entering Plug-in edit mode on a remote control surface.
When a channel strip is muted, pre-fader sends on the channel strip are now muted as expected.
Reordering multiple Control Surface objects in the Control Surface Setup window now behaves more reliably.
Performing comp edits while recording will no longer create graphic artifacts in the Take Folder.
The behavior of the key commands to adjust Marquee selection borders based on transients has been improved. See this article for details.
There is no longer audible stepping with automated volume changes at low fader levels.
Touch automation mode now works correctly with Sculpture's Object Position 2 parameter.
Quantize parameters are now correctly maintained when a region is divided.
The vertical position guide when moving/copying a flexed region is now correctly positioned at the left edge of the region in projects that start earlier than position 1 1 1 1.
The Optimize file(s) command now properly affects both channels of a split stereo file.
Delete now works properly on selected regions within undisclosed groups in the Audio Bin.
Resolves an issue introduced in Logic 9.1.1 that could cause channel strips with default names to display incorrectly on EuCon control surfaces.
The “Reset All I/O Labels” command once again works as expected.
Regions dragged from the Audio Bin to tracks within folders in the Arrange window are now correctly positioned.
Contextual menus now appear as expected when Control- or right-clicking entries in the Audio Bin in the Media area of the Arrange window.
Performing Undo after adding tempo events to a project no longer inadvertently modifies the selections for the active comp in a take folder.
Regions with a negative value set for Delay in the Region Inspector are now rendered properly with Bounce Region in Place.
Bounce Regions in Place now works properly on record-enabled audio tracks.
The current scroll position in the Audio Bin will not jump unexpectedly after renaming an audio file.
The color and icon assigned to a track are now properly maintained when tracks are imported using Selective Track Import.
Using the Backspace to remove all characters in the File Browser’s search field no longer causes it to lose key focus.
Imported linked stereo files will now load with all other audio files in a Project without sometimes displaying a dialog that states "Unequal Stereo Regions Corrected."
The MIDI channel number is now appended to the channel strip name when new tracks are created using the “New Track with Next MIDI Channel” menu option.

Nothing to do with audio....

2010-10-15T09:09:00.006+01:00

Click here...

Use the arrow keys to move around, and the spacebar to shoot.... Perfect for Dirty Singh to remove all the Counterfieter posts!

(Also works on most other web sites - right-click to copy link, go to your website of choice, paste into the browser and press Enter)

For the curious...

javascript:var s = document.createElement('script');s.type='text/javascript';document.body.appendChild(s);s.src='http://erkie.github.com/asteroids.min.js';void(0);

Free Public Lecture - Robin Millar on Producing Vocals

2010-10-14T13:25:00.002+01:00

The artofrecordproduction.com are holding a free public lecture by Robin Millar (Google him - seriously!). Read on for details........

The London College of Music Research Centre presents...

Making Records Lecture Series

Robin Millar talks about Producing Vocals

Thursday October 28th at 6.30p.m. in TC102
London College of Music, TVU.
St. Mary’s Road. Ealing W5 5RF

Recording a singer is often the toughest part of making a record. Grammy and Brit Award winning producer Robin Millar has over 150 platinum, gold and silver records to his name and has recorded 44 number one hits including Sade’s Diamond Life album. In this free public lecture Robin talks about his strategies and techniques for getting the right performance from a singer and the best ways to record it. Drawing on his huge experience from an extraordinary career, Robin will use examples from his own productions to deliver a lecture that will be invaluable to aspiring producers, sound recordists and performers alike.

Entry Is Free, Just Come Along…

How to get there.
(Part of the Faculty of the Arts’ Creative Practice Research Project)

The Jam

2010-10-11T17:40:00.005+01:00

The LSS jam night is back in effect...

A small clip of the latest jam session in studio 2, featuring some guest players from the groovy Bambus City Strut and the inimitable "Wolfman"...

maningrey

The Vestax Pad-One MIDI Controller

2010-10-10T02:37:00.005+01:00

The Vestax Pad-One is a new MIDI pad controller that can be used to control any kind of MIDI device, including syntehsizers, samplers, drum machines, and electronic drums.

Pricing and availability are TBA. Read on for more details, and to watch the demo..........

Features include:

12 velocity & pressure sensitive LED backlit pads
Individual LED colour for each bank
MIDI message for each pad can be selected with the Pad-One
Real time control XY touch pad
Solid aluminium die-casted robust chassis
Full control of ROLL button tempo with the TAP button
MIDI cable connection for control over various effect and sampler devices
USB plug & play
Excellent portability

Free Drum Samples

2010-10-10T02:27:00.004+01:00

MrTheBigMan has released a new free drum sample library, E|Drums 2.0, which features "drums, drums and more drums dedicated to all types of electronic music."

The library features 318 free drum samples altogether, divided between two different sound sets: foley (110 samples), and synthesised drum sounds (208 samples). You can download it from MrTheBigMan's site in different formats.

Space Designer Manager for Logic

2010-10-10T01:40:00.005+01:00

3R Audio has introduced the first version of Space Designer Manager - an add-on designed to extend the usability of Logic Pro's Space Designer impulse reverb plugin....

Space Designer Manager consists of 2 parts:

On the left side, you find the Generator which batch generates setting files for Space Designer compatible impulse responses. You can process single impulse response files, folders or multiple selections as you wish by drag and drop or the open file dialog. The program will process all files in folders and folders in folders with the format aif, wav, sd2 and sdir.

On the right side, you have the Relinker, which relinks setting files with the impulse responses they were originally pointing to by selecting a setting folder and the according impulse response folder. Relinker lets you choose the right file if there should be any files with the same name.

Space Designer Manager uses Keyfile protection. Its Preferences Drawer lets you set various options for the pst setting file generation. You can decide if you want to use volume and latency compensation or not, and also set the wet/dry levels. The Help Drawer gives you instant information with a single click without having to open a help menu or separate help file. Check the 3R Audio site for more details, and a demo version.

Space Designer Manager is available now for 29 Euros (about £25) until January 1, 2011.

Minimum system requirements: Apple Intel based Mac computer running MacOS 10.6, 1Gb RAM, Apple Logic.

Seaquence - "an experimental musical petri-dish"

2010-10-10T01:28:00.004+01:00

Adopting a biological metaphor, Seaquence lets you create and combine "musical lifeforms" to create compositions. This is a short demo showing how it works:

Project by Ryan Alexander, Gabriel Dunne, and Daniel Massey.

So addictive! Try it out here.

Free Drum Machine for Windows

2010-10-10T01:18:00.002+01:00

AREX 2011 is a free VSTi drum module, based on a hardware drum machine from the early 80’s......

Features:

16 pads
29 embedded drum samples of RX11
12 individual/group outputs
individual volume, pan, accent
assignable MIDI note within 36 – 99 range
VST automation
MIDI automation of essential controls
16 part multitimbral MIDI Out flow
can be used as a MIDI controller of sorts
bundled with RX11 MIDI swing templates and 55 demonstrational patterns

Download it from the Bayan site by clicking on the drum machine image.

Zoom for Audio

2010-10-08T08:15:00.003+01:00

While browsing round on boingboing.net, I spotted this - a new system called AudioScope, that uses an array of 300 time-aligned microphones to zoom into any area of a sports arena....

Not much more in the way of details, but check out this vid!

%$@& OFF

2010-10-06T13:45:00.015+01:00

People are annoying, as anyone caught in Monday's tube strike can attest, however one type stands like a colossus over all other beings when it comes to getting on ones goat..THE MUSICIAN!

Below is a list of things all musical people do which cause mental pain for us normals. "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone"...OK then:

Other members of a band who are not the singer mouthing the words to songs as they play.

Playing covers on London Underground to "entertain" commuters who look like they want to stab them.

Using words like "passionate' and "spiritual" when they talk about music.

Arriving late.

Saying they have no interest in money before selling all the tracks from their concept album about the Holocaust to advertise Special K.

Saying that "every other studio they have been in" lets them run over time without charging extra, eat flaky pasties over the mixer and order everybody about like they are their personal slaves...well fuck off to those studios then!

Having tattoos and torn clothing despite being neither a sailor or poor.

Playing expensive instruments despite being unable to strum an A chord.

Customising said expensive instruments to make them look older and more played..just play it doosh bag.

Testing out guitars in shops.

Saying they like "all music".

Saying their music is "hard to describe", it isn't, it sounds like Coldplay.

Saying they sound a bit like "Jamiroquai", like that's a good thing.

Pretending to be interested in politics and other people.

Pretending to be younger than they are.

Going on and on and on about how much they worship Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Bobby Womack and if American, Bob Smith (The Cure).

Jamming in E.

Saying "what's wrong with a heavy blues jam?"

Saying music is "not about the technique but the feeling..maaan".

Conversely sending you videos of someone playing Mozart's Requiem on a triple neck sitar at 500 bpm like this is anything to do with music.

Having dreadlocks or saying "aks" when they are not black, street or in anyway rasta.

When successful appearing on Jools Holland.

"Discovering" someone you have listen to for years and droning on about them in the NME.

Being Damon Albarn.

Having hair and glasses like Morrissey.

Saying that music is "a universal language".

Closing their eyes when playing or singing.

Saying they have "connections" or "contacts" in the industry...they don't.

Saying they will produce you if you give them the publishing for all your songs.

Asking how to make their music "louder like on records".

Covering classic deathless songs so badly you wish to stick a screw driver in your ears every time you subsequently hear the original.

Wearing Misfits T-Shirts when they don't like the Misfits..who does?

Telling engineers to make their guitar "sound more purple".

Indie musicians who start listening to jazz and classical music and let this "influence" their "new direction".

Inviting you to their gigs.

Asking you what you thought of their gigs.

Making terrible music no one wants to hear, while the world slides towards capitalist totalitarian world government and the planet dies screaming.

maningrey

Mixxx - free, open source DJ software

2010-10-05T09:05:00.003+01:00

If DJing is your thing, it might be worth checking this out.....

Mixxx is free, cross-platform DJ mixing software. It works with most standard DJ controllers, including the Hercules DJ Console MK2, RMX, and Stanton SCS.3d, but also has a MIDI learn feature, allowing you to use almost anything you like.

It also has support for Traktor Scratch, and FinalScratch vinyl, as well as Serato CD for control from CDJ units.

All in all, looks pretty promising. Head here to check out the rest of its features and to download..

SonicWORX Isolate

2010-10-03T11:00:00.003+01:00

Interesting find this - sonicWORX have released their Isolate software, that can extract the vocals from a mix.....

There's a few vids of this in action on YouTube - here's one at Musik Messe from last year, which shows them separating Peter Gabriel (but making him sound oddly like he's vocoding a pan pipe)..

But this shows them using the software to remove vocals....

Interested? Head to their website and try out the demo...

LAConvolver Impulse Response plugin (free!)

2010-09-30T10:51:00.005+01:00

While hunting round on the Gearslutz forums, I found a very cool impulse response AU plugin (thanks to "imagineaudio" for his post)....

LAConvolver from Learnvall Audio convolves your input signal with your impulse response:

VERY TECHNICAL BIT

An impulse, or "spike" is a short transient, that contains all frequencies (similar to a short burst of while noise). The Impulse Response is a recording of the behavior of the room/device when an impulse is played through it (in practice, a true impulse is impossible to create, so a starter pistol shot is used, or a tone sweep, which is then "deconvolved" to calculate the effect an impulse would have had).

The Impulse response and the plugin input signals are passed through FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) algorithms. The resultant spectra are multiplied with each other, and the product run through an IFFT (Inverse Fast Fourier Transform) algorithm, which makes the signal sound as if it had run through the same room/device the impulse response was recorded through.

What does that mean? Well, if you can get hold of impulse response recordings of, for example, a mic'ed up guitar cab, you can make your signal sound as if it also ran through the same setup - in fact, why not click here for some very cool guitar cab impulses! (GuitarHack IRs).

Have fun!

Loads more free plugins for you

2010-09-22T10:49:00.002+01:00

SoundMagic Spectral is a set of 23 AU plugins, that apparently use real time spectral processing of sound. Not figured out what that means yet, but they're pretty interesting.....

In the bundle you get:

Spectral Averaging • Spectral Bin Shift • Spectral Blurring • Spectral DroneMaker

Spectral Emergence • Spectral Filterbank • Spectral Freezing • Spectral Gate and Hold

Spectral Gliding Filters • Spectral Granulation • Spectral Harmonizer • Spectral Partial Glide

Spectral Pitch Shift • Spectral Pulsing • Spectral Shimmer • Spectral Shuffle

Spectral Stretch • Spectral Tracing

Chorus • Comb Filter Bank • Grain Streamer • Idee Fixer • Mr Filterbank

Head here to download and check out some examples.

New Music Strategies - free ebook

2010-09-21T16:41:00.002+01:00

Just been doing some random reading in between work... and found an interesting resource. It's a free e-book about the music industry by A. Dubber.

Download New Music Strategies.

Can you tell your hard drive from your jet aircraft?

2010-09-18T12:44:00.001+01:00

Have a go at this quiz over at Boing Boing...

No cheating now!

Master Tracks - from demo to finished product in a day.....

2010-09-16T11:11:00.003+01:00

Just discovered this site this morning. Master Tracks gives a band a day to take a track from demo to finished product in a day.....

Producer Moe Berg (the singer from The Pursuit Of Happiness) and engineer Laurence Currie (who's worked with loads of bands, but to be honest, none I've ever heard of) take the band into Metalworks Studios in Ontario, Canada, and each episode shows you the song go through all the stages to final mix.

Definitely worth a watch.

New MBox range officially announced

2010-09-14T17:44:00.002+01:00

As we predicted, the new range of MBoxes are out, with a few interesting features....

The MBox Mini doesn't seem like any huge leap,

but the MBox is now offering 96kHz sampling rates, the same soft-clip limiter found in the HD interfaces, a built in guitar tuner, and a "multi' button (we were wondering what that was going to be with the earlier leaked screen shots, but it can be assigned to any Pro Tools control (e.g. tap tempo, play/start etc.) ).

A built-in reverb will make input monitoring easier too.

The MBox Pro supports up to 192kHz sampling rates (though Pro Tools LE only goes up to 96kHz - a sign of things to come? Rumours have already started of more Pro Tools announcements coming in November, and a 004 in January).

Head to Avid's site for a few more details, but to be honest, there's not much more there yet.

Beavis and Butt-head return!

2010-09-13T11:53:00.007+01:00

Yes! Yes! YESSSSSSS! I AM CORNHOLIO!....... heh heh, huh huh huh...

Accordin to the New York Post, Mike Judge has confirmed they're making new episodes. Just as a taster, here's a trailer for his film from last year, staring everybody's favourite frog baseball players.

Drum machine or click track?

2010-09-11T08:43:00.003+01:00

Was put onto this a couple of days ago. Want to know if a click track or drum machine was used?......

Head to In Search of the Click Track, put in the band and track title, and it'll give you a plot of timing fluctuation...

A score above 90% probably means a click track was used. It's got some pretty obscure stuff in there, and gets a little confused at times, but it's worth a few minutes of your time.

MBox 3 is on the way!

2010-09-10T14:15:00.011+01:00

We'd seen the signs that this was coming, but with a little bit of sleuthing, I've found it!

Read on for pictures....

Very sleek and black, so it'll match the new line of HD systems we saw recently, with instrument inputs on the front, and a huge volume pot.

What's quite interesting is what looks like soft limiting on the inputs.

Price is looking to be around $550, but we'll know more after the release date.

Native Instruments Komplete 7 Players - for free!

2010-09-09T17:22:00.011+01:00

Native Instruments are giving away Kontakt Player, Guitar Rig 4 Player, Reaktor 5 Player and Kore 2 Player for free.......

Just head here to start your download.

They're obviously all cut down from the full versions (e.g. Guitar Rig 4 Player only has one amp and one cab), but you can't complain at this price!

Their server seems to be having a few difficulties at the moment, so it might take a while to get through, but keep on trying, it'll be worth it.....

Korg M01 Music Workstation sequencer for the DS

2010-09-01T08:46:00.007+01:00

Though it's not the first music sequencer for a hand-held gaming console (I remember spending hours playing with Pocket Music for the Game Boy Advance - with real Eminem samples!), but the Korg M01 Music Workstation looks like something special....

Check out the vid to see it in action.
The specs include:

300 original M1 PCM Sounds

8x multi timbral

8 track 16 step sequencer

1 sequence max 64 pattern,

max polyphonic sound 12

master reverb, delay effect

track overview, sound browser, sequence edit, mixer and keyboard.

Simple and functional display

notes/chords,/drum input mode by touch control

data exchange by wireless transmit

drag & drop transpose

sustained notes

No UK release date, (it's an amazon.jp exclusive at the moment), but we can hope!

Free Commodore 64 Synth (Windows only)

2010-08-24T10:03:00.009+01:00

De La Mancha created Basic 64: a free software synth inspired by the 8-bit sounds of the classic Commodore 64. It's available as a free VST download for Windows. No Mac version, so I haven't tried it yet... but if you do, feel free to comment! Read on for details.

Features include:

6, 8, or 16 bit sound quality
3 oscillators, with individual ADSR envelopes
Oscillators can be sync'd and ring-modulated by each other
Pitch envelope modulation
Pitch wobble option
2 tempo-sync LFOs to modulate pitch, cut-off and pulse width
LFOs have attack/release curves
Tempo-sync arpeggiator
Flexible routing to state variable filter (LP, HP, BP)
Envelopes can be reset or continuous at retrigger
Monophonic / polyphonic option
MIDI learn / MIDI CC support
128 presets by sinkmusic & WhiskeyPriest

Get Basic 64 here.

Free loops and samples

2010-08-24T09:28:00.004+01:00

In an effort to give people a "Try Before You Buy" option, Peace Love Productions has released a free 1GB "taster" collection of audio loops and samples in a range of genres, including Hip Hop, Rock, Trance, Chillout, Electro House, Deep House, DJ Scratches, Techno, Ambient, and more.

You need to sign up and verify your email address, before they send you the download link --> PLP Taster

Who Ya Gonna Call?

2010-08-24T08:25:00.002+01:00

You've probably heard all the fuss about the use of Autotune on X-Factor. Here's LSS lecturer Ben Wood on Channel 4 News last night.....

Online Music Mixing

2010-08-23T00:04:00.004+01:00

Mixing & mastering: get a pro in, or do it yourself?

It's one of those dilemmas.

In recent years, several online mastering services have emerged (including the famous Abbey Road Studios'), but now a team of professionals takes things one step further (or back), offering a complete mix-down service, and all handled remotely......read on.

The team behind Online Music Mixing are four sound engineers whose credits range from The Libertines and Kasabian, Orbital and The Prodigy to Girls Aloud and The Ting Tings. The idea is that, while the likes of GarageBand and Live have led to ever more people making music at home, not everyone can be a great songwriter or musician and a great producer - so the OMM team are there to help.

Prices range from £175 to £450 per track, depending on your choice of engineer. And it's not just a case of firing off a bunch of files and hoping, either: "Effective information exchange is critical," says co-founder Daniel Hulme. "Our aim is to create a one-to-one dialogue between client and engineer, even though it's all done remotely."

If you decide to try OMM's service, please leave a comment with your thoughts!

Live Beat Series Europe tour

2010-08-22T23:38:00.006+01:00

After several successful events in the USA earlier this year and an appearance at the Midsummer Music Conference in Portugal, Ableton & Novation are bringing their Live Beats series to Europe this September, with 14 events across 8 countries........read on.

The Live Beats events are designed for musicians and producers of all skill levels to learn more about using Ableton Live and Novation hardware. They provide an opportunity to receive training from demonstrator Thavius Beck, who will mainly focus on the hands-on music making potential of Live and Launchpad, but will also be showing off other Novation hardware and demonstrating how Automap - the control software that comes with Novation's controllers - can be used to take your Ableton Live sessions to the next level.

At each event, Thavius and local Ableton & Novation demonstrators will be on hand to answer questions, as well as offer tips and tricks on how to get the most out of your software and hardware. There will also be a chance to win a Novation Launchpad and Ableton Live 8 at each event.

Dates & times for Live Beats events:

Tuesday 7th September, Production Room, Leeds, UK, 18:30
Thursday 9th September, Digital Village Clapham, London, UK, 18:30
Saturday 11th September, Teach Music, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 19:00
Monday 13th September, Just Studio Kulturbrauerei, Berlin, Germany, 18:30
Tuesday 14th September, Just Music, Hamburg, Germany, 19:15
Wednesday 15th September, Hard Rock Cafe, Cologne, Germany, 19:00
Saturday 18th September, Just Music, Munich, Germany, 16:00
Monday 20th September, microFusa, Madrid, Spain, 19:00
Tuesday 21st September, microFusa, Barcelona, Spain, 19:00
Thursday 23rd September, SAE Institute, Milan, Italy, 18:00
Friday 24th September, Percorsi Audio, Acquapendente (VT), Italy, 18:00
Monday 27th September, Rytmus Aula, Stockholm, Sweden, 18:30
Wednesday 29th September, ProLyd AS, Oslo, Norway, Time TBC

Noise Annoys: A Taste of DNA...And Other No Wave Delights

2010-08-13T12:31:00.006+01:00

I just re-bought a CD by DNA, avant garde punk titans, and it opened up a world of unlistenable New York "No Wave" bands whose only mission statement was to annoy...

In the early 80's a group of bands sprang up who thought punk was growing soft, if indeed it had ever been that tough to begin with. With a foot planted in both the art and the music world these artists blended the two disciplines until music and performance were intrinsically linked in their presentations, as much influenced by Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns as The Ramones and Television. If this sounds all very pretentious it is worth remembering that they all produced an invigoratingly unholy racket as well as talking bollocks...Most considered such punk icons as Patti Smith to be as boring as the mainstream bands that early CBGB's punk was meant to replace such as The Eagles. The No Wave acts consumed drugs, partied and rocked as hard as Led Zeppelin, it's just their music was about a primitive NOW rather than goblins and wizards.

Egg headed pretention-meister Brian Eno picked up on the emergent scene and decided to document it in the epical album "No New York" which gathered together four of the most original groups and spread the nihilistic message. It was originally going to feature 10 acts but featured artist James Chance persuaded Eno that his band and friends were the only people worth featuring proving that rock star egomania thrived even in this defiantly "non rock" environment...

Below are a few of the best No Wave bands, "best" is a loose term, most of them are equally irritating and one of our tutors said DNA should be renamed DNR (Do Not Resuscitate). A good place to get an idea of the world that spawned this underground phenomenon is the film Downtown 81. This is a rambling mildly fictionalised day in the life of graffiti artist Jean Michel Basquiat who wonders about spray painting, looking stoned and running into gigs and rehearsals featuring a selection of No Wave acts including DNA, James Chance, members of Blondie pretending to be a No Wave band, Debbie Harry as a fairy godmother and oddly Kid Creole....

The live clips below are mainly from this film and give you an idea of the quirky energy of No Wave.

DNA

James Chance and the Blacks

Mars

Teenage Jesus and the Jerks

A compilation was released by Soul Jazz called New York Noise which gives a good round up of the main players if you want to investigate further...

maningrey