iPhone notepad

So, it's a notepad that costs a stupid amount of money, but looks like an iPhone....

Pointless? Maybe not - if you're developing iPhone apps it might be useful, but how difficult is it to draw a square on paper?

"iPhone notepad" > read the full post

Free Bitsmacker Plugin

Another free AU for you, this time from Meatscience...

Bitsmacker is, as you might have guessed, similar to Bit Crusher in Logic. It allows you to reduce the sample rate and bit resolution, for that eighties-sounding digital audio effect.

What's cool though, is the pre and post distortion parametric EQ, allowing you to shape the tone of the bitsmacking.

Head to the Meatscience page to check it out.

"Free Bitsmacker Plugin" > read the full post

Kurt Cobain raps and sings Bon Jovi

If you want to see the positive side, this could be your best argument to convince someone that killing yourself is bad. Rather than being the tragic romantic gesture, the ultimate rebellion against the system, or whatever other misconception your average teenage goth might have, it turns out that suicide is the quickest way to be made in to a money-making puppet – now legally owned by a giant capitalistic corporation.

(Watch the video at the end of this post)


In short, the latest version of Guitar Hero has a bonus mode in which you can get a 3D version of Kurt Cobain to sing songs from a number of other artists. Some of them, you could say, quite not what Cobain would have ever wanted to be associated with, in life or death.

And while there is some debate to the amount of blame to attribute to Cobain's widow, selling the rights to use his image to Activision, it should be pointed out that every single retarded person who buys Guitar Hero is fundamentally supporting this thing.

I do appreciate that in saying so I am probably offending a large part of the readers of this blog, but hey, maybe you like seeing Kurt Cobain singing Bon Jovi. I can't really say that I am that bothered myself, personally I find more offensive the concept of a game which uses music to reward your ability to follow orders and doesn't involve the slightest amount of creativity.

But I am digressing.

Activision's CEO has so far responded to the criticism of fans around the world "We went and spoke directly to the estate and made it crystal clear, got the rights, paid for the rights, and really we've done what we've always done.”

Business as usual then. Well, if you think hilarious to see Cobain singing light-hearted pop songs, here below is a video for you. If you think this is a bit in poor taste, you should email Activision and tell them so. More importantly, if you don't like the idea of becoming part of Guitar Hero after you are dead, it's time to call a lawyer and make some amendments to your recording contract.




"Kurt Cobain raps and sings Bon Jovi" > read the full post

Butch Vig will record your band! - eBay auction

Butch Vig (producer of Green Day, Smashing Pumpkins, and Nirvana, as well as being the drummer in Garbage) will record your band.....

He's auctioning a 1 day, 10 hour session at Dangerbird Studios in LA, for the Pablove Foundation. Bidding's currently at $790, but with 5 days to go, don't expect it to stay that low for long!

Check out the auction site here.

"Butch Vig will record your band! - eBay auction" > read the full post

Eleven Rack is here

And, as we suspected, it's a bit pricier than first rumored......

At £787, it's still pretty cool for an audio interface + amp emulator + pro tools though. Check out vids of it in action here, or head straight to Digital Village for UK prices and specs

"Eleven Rack is here" > read the full post

Jimi Hendrix Signature......Gibson?

OK, so Hendrix did play Gibsons occasionally (we have a Hendrix Flying V in our collection), but he's most pictured with a Fender Strat in his hand.....

But this is a bit of a weird beast - The Little Wing, Signature and Experience models. They look like Fender Strats, probably sound like Fender Strats, but they're Gibsons...

Not very convinced myself - looks like a bit of a cash-in by the Hendrix estate.

And is it a good idea to walk on stage with Jimi's face on you scratch plate? - let's face it, you're not going to come off well in comparison.

Still, anyone gets to try one out, let us know how they perform....

"Jimi Hendrix Signature......Gibson?" > read the full post

Pro Tools on Snow Leopard

In what must be the fastest ever turnaround from Digidesign (10.5 support took ages - Leopard was released in October 2007, and compatibility with Pro Tools arrived in June 2008), there's a pre-release of 10.0.3 now out......

The bad news is, they're dropped support for Power PC Macs and the original MBox, as well as a few other bits and pieces. (Whether our old MBox will be usable with the update remains to be seen - unsupported doesn't always seem to mean doesn't work in Digidesign land)

For the adventurous amongst you (and those who've just bought a new Mac so don't have 10.5), head here to check it out.

Go on, you first..... let me know how it turns out....

"Pro Tools on Snow Leopard" > read the full post

Support Your Local Record Shops...

...AKA lets fuck HMV! Here at London School of Sound we dig little damp disorganised record stores owned by enthusiasts rather than faceless corporate giants pedaling AOR and my favorites are...



...Revival Records on Berwick St, its hit and miss but if you go with a zen pure mind and a sense of adventure you can come out with a load of treasures. Many is the time I have despaired of ever finding that rare Salsoul comp that is now £80 on Amazon only to uncover it with trembling fingers in Revival's racks. Possibly the greatest day of my life was finding the CD of the book "Last Night A DJ Saved My Life", worth it for the edit of "Love is The Message" by Danny Krivit...I can only imagine that the birth of a daughter would bring greater joy to me...If I had a daughter I would call her Clamidia, such a pretty name..

Soul Jazz on 7 Broadwick Street. What a terrific load of reissues these guys do, I often buy them just for the packaging. Brazilian pop, Kraut Rock, Funk, Disco, mad free jazz, they got the lot. My last trip there I got an Albert Ayler album of jazz splatter, a comp by Mark Stewart electro dub and would have got a This Heat CD if they hadn't "misfiled" it, this means that it was the last copy and someone in the shop wanted it for themselves but thems the breaks!

Exotica, they don't seem to have a website and maybe the name has changed or they have gone under but this used to be a great vinyl only shop on Portobello Road. It had a distinctive red and yellow sign and reminded me of a tribal hut, but stuffed with weird garage rock rarities rather than shrunken heads. Worth a trip to see if its still there.

Finally after trecking round all day and now laden with goodies I usually go for some herbal tea to re balance my chi at the excellent Yumchaa on 45 Berwick Street, sometimes they play The Kinks and sometimes they play The Eagles, I hope you get lucky...

Anyway happy digging..

maningrey




"Support Your Local Record Shops..." > read the full post

Gig Opportunites for Young Musicians

Promoters of the up n' coming music night Go West are looking for ambitious, young and exciting acts for support slots, are you all this and more? If so (or even if you are old and fat) read on...




Michelle Cooney from Go West (hopefully named after the Village People's disco classic rather than the awful 80's soul band) confidently told me that her night at the atmospheric ex strip club Madam JoJos is regularly riddled with Patrick Batemanesque music industry professionals looking to snap up (and exploit) young bands. Bloc Party, The Horrors, Noah and the Whale and The Kills have all graced JoJos stage so it looks like a great opportunity to get noticed. If you are interested give Michelle a shout at the contact details below or even better pop down to the night in person, see the randy flyer, and give her a CD...But make sure your hair is suitably wonky!!

michelle@lambands.co.uk
07803 663 731



maningrey supports live music and delinquency


"Gig Opportunites for Young Musicians" > read the full post

Jazz, Soul, Funk, Blues and Latin - Live music bonaza!

A new live music showcase run by Shades of Soul promises a spicy cocktail of......



....Jazz, Soul, Funk, Blues n Latin! Sounds like it could be worth the treck if the slick suit n southpaw Les Paul action on the flyer below is anything to go by!





"Jazz, Soul, Funk, Blues and Latin - Live music bonaza!" > read the full post

Free Samples

Loads of free guitar and drum samples for Kontakt...

Just head here, where Pettinhouse have a huge selection of free (and pay for) sample packs. Share and enjoy!

"Free Samples" > read the full post

Free plug in time once more....

Blue Cat Audio have updated their free plugin pack....

It gives you chorus, flange, frequency analyzer, gain controls, more chorus, more flange and EQ (and there's a meter too for the PC users amongst you). It comes in AU and VST for the Mac, and VST and DX for the PC. Head to Blue Cat Audio to download them and try them for yourself..

"Free plug in time once more...." > read the full post

Digidesign Eleven Rack - Only $165!

After Digidesign's Change Your Game teaser announcement, one of the more inquisitive Gearslutz forum members did a little googling, and found this rather (and amazingly priced) promising listing....

Schilke Eleven Rack Guitar Multi Effects Processor.

To quote:

Digidesign Eleven Rack Guitar Multi Effects Processor

Digidesign's Eleven Rack is a revolutionary guitar recording system designed to solve the challenges guitarists face in the studio. Eleven Rack uses a unique tone cloning design and one-of-a-kind, custom-designed True-Z input to re-create the experience of playing through a mic'd amp. By combining studio-standard Pro Tools software with a DSP-accelerated high-resolution interface, Eleven Rack puts professional recording into the hands of every guitar player. Whether you're tracking in the studio or playing on stage, this rackmountable multi-effects processor delivers fresh, mind-blowing, hyper-realistic guitar amp and effects tones that will inspire your best performances.



Digidesign Eleven Rack in the Studio



Eleven Rack combines studio-standard Pro Tools software with a high-resolution, dual DSP-powered audio interface, so you'll never have to worry about latency when recording, thanks to its built-in amp/effects tones, nor will your computer have to carry the processing burden. Additionally, Eleven Rack takes re-amping to the next level by recording both dry and processed guitar signals simultaneously, allowing you to re-amplify later without patching a single cable. Digidesign even found a way to embed the Eleven Rack amp and effects settings into the audio tracks you record, enabling you to automatically recall those settings from your audio files on any Pro Tools system with the Eleven Rack.


Obviously no pics yet, but check out the full specs here,

"Digidesign Eleven Rack - Only $165!" > read the full post

Skull Crusher Overdrive Pedal

How's this for a cool looking guitar pedal?...

Available in stainless steel, gun metal, "aged" and "ancient", they're available from Tone Box. Doesn't look like they're in the shops yet, but I've a feeling I'll be in the queue once they get distribution - the eyes glow red when you stomp on it - what more do you want?

"Skull Crusher Overdrive Pedal" > read the full post

New Remastered Beatles DO NOT BUY (updated)

As previously announced, on the 9th of September the entire catalogue of the Beatles has been re-issued, remastered from the original tapes (as part of a general push of the brand with the Beatles game and other creepy things being done around it).

Personally I have no hesitation in saying that the extra low frequencies and loudness make the overall balance worse than the first CD release. You might disagree but at least think about it before you go and splash a lot of money on something that possibly you already own, simply assuming that the new version "must be at least just as good as the old one".

I have just spent some time comparing the two versions (which reminds me of a fantastic episode of the IT Crowd where Moss orders Harry Potter in both original and adult edition to check word-by-word if it is really true that the text is the same) and it is immediately clear that what you get is a different record, one where instruments that used to be loud become just part of the mix, and certain choices made during the mixing stage would have to be reconsidered.

One example for all...

The song Taxman features a mix with the entire rhythm section on the left channel; odd choice by today's standards, but absolutely fine for a record that didn't have the bass frequencies we are used to now. However, when the new mastering brings up all the bass that can be extracted from the original recording, this choice doesn't make sense anymore, and particularly when listening to the song in headphones you have to say that the effect is only detrimental to the song.
I am looking forward to demonstrate this and many other points during my lectures, where we can analyse the original CDs in the best possible way without incurring in copyright infringments. If I find the time I might be able to post some short examples here or somewhere else in the future.

UPDATE: Things are more complicated than it seems.
Check this post for more about the remastered Beatles stereo boxset and mono boxset

"New Remastered Beatles DO NOT BUY (updated)" > read the full post

Melodyne DNA beta now out!

Finally! Celemony have released the beta version of their revolutionary Direct Note Access, with Melodyne Editor.....

You'll need a valid existing Melodyne install on your computer for the beta to work, so I haven't had the chance to try it out yet, but word on the Celemony discussion board is promising - give me a few days, and I'll have a chance to play with it myself, and let you know how it handles.

"Melodyne DNA beta now out!" > read the full post

Jeff Beck FREE tickets

If anyone fancies seeing the mighty Jeff Beck, legendary be-mulleted guitar mangler, for FREE read on...



A nice lady at indigO2 at The O2 rang to tell me she has some free tickets to see Beck on Monday 21st September, you just need to contact me at the details below and I will email her your details for the freebee.

Frank
info@londonschoolofsound.co.uk
0207 720 6183



"Jeff Beck FREE tickets" > read the full post

Native Instruments gives you the finger

Warp artist Tim Exile is clearly as proud of his work programming this fantastic new instrument in Reaktor as he is of the fact that he got away with calling it 'The Finger'.
You can see him giggling from NI's website while proudly announcing "and now I am gonna show you the finger". Ah, well, nerds will be nerds.

Having started life as a home-made Reaktor ensemble, the Finger is now officially endorsed and repackaged by Native Instruments, and it's nothing short of extraordinary. Just have a look at these videos and judge for yourselves...





More videos can be seen on Native Instruments' website.

To see where it all started you can watch this other video from a guest lecture that Tim Exile did at Thames Valley University in 2007 (incidentally, also an Ableton Training Centre: Phelan Kane teaches there and he is another genius, the only other person I'd recommend to learn from outside London School of Sound).

Well done Tim, maybe we'll manage to get you down to Clapham one of these days for a workshop or something.

The Finger can be purchased online directly from Native Instruments for a ridiculous 69 Euro. Compare this to the £350 I spent on a Kaoss Pad that looks GORGEOUS in its glowing red light but does little more than nothing!



"Native Instruments gives you the finger" > read the full post

Pro Tools Vocal Studio, Recording Studio and Key Studio

No sign of this on the Digidesign or Avid website yet, but word is that a new, cut down version of Pro Tools is on its way, at a very reasonable $99 (converts £60, but probably around £100 by the time it gets here)...

It's coming in three varieties: Vocal Studio (with USB condenser mic) for $99, Recording Studio (with Fast track audio interface) for $129, and Key Studio (with 49 key MIDI controller/interface) for $99.

It won't be fully featured (limited to 16 tracks for a start), but at that price, definitely worth a closer look once it hit the shops in mid September

"Pro Tools Vocal Studio, Recording Studio and Key Studio" > read the full post

The weird and wonderful Omatone

I just have to get one of these. The Omatone is the closest we'll ever get to the Holophone in Futurama....

Kind of a cross between a theremin and a tennis ball, the Omatone is an invention from Meywa Denki. Can't find it on Amazon yet, so for now I'll just have to watch videos like this one...

"The weird and wonderful Omatone" > read the full post

Pro Tools on the Mackie Onyx

So, the unimaginable has happened. You can now use a non-Digidesign or M-Audio interface with Pro Tools (M-Powered).

Rumors have been floating around about this for a little while now, but the official announcement has now arrived from Mackie - their new Onyx desks work with Logic, SONAR, Cubase, Ableton Live, and last of all, Pro Tools.

This is not just HUI control, or ADAT connection to an existing interface. So, what's the downside?

Well, it won't work yet - the small print says that the driver will be released with details how to use it with Pro Tools M-Powered 8 in the coming weeks. (So it might not be that straightforward to set up?). Also, if you read carefully, it says it is qualified by Mackie to use with Pro Tools M-Powered 8. So Digidesign have not agreed to this. What's to stop the next update crippling the Onyx?

On the bright side, it looks like a pretty nice piece of equipment (though I've not forgiven Mackie for the atrocity that was the dXb), and if it does work as advertised, it's pretty tempting. My advice? Hold off for now, see what Digidesign do first.

"Pro Tools on the Mackie Onyx" > read the full post

Studio build, phase two

IMG_3881
Originally uploaded by London School of Sound

A few pictures I never had the time to upload from the work done during August.

Eventually we will have a full feature on the construction of the studios with links and advice on the acoustic performance of different materials, where to buy it, etc.

See all the pictures here

For the moment we are too busy trying to put the final touches (electricity, to name one, is one thing that apparently is quite important in the modern recording studio, and we are looking forward to seeing some of it this week).

Also coming soon another set of pictures showing the work done in reception and our custom made desks for the Pro Tools class.

"Studio build, phase two" > read the full post

Discount for DJs!

The good people at Decks have given us discount cards worth £10 off their selection of kit....

If you would like one please come down to our Clapham campus, have a look around and get your discount card. Please ask for Frank at reception.

"Discount for DJs!" > read the full post

Behringer does Apple

You have got to love these guys!

Most companies, in their humble beginnings, will have done things in slight bad taste: 'taking inspiration' from a competitor's idea and claiming it as their own, to put it nicely.

As the company grows there is always an effort from the management to distance themselves from these episodes, and gain an air of total respectability, integrity and what not.

Then you have Behringer. Taking shameless theft to a level where, to me, it becomes a form of art. Have a look at the last and most incredible example...



Yes they have cloned the website of Apple! WOW! Fantastic.

I mean, anyone designing a website will take in to consideration the example of Apple's and learn a trick or two from that, but here we have a photographic clone, pixel by pixel, like only Behringer could do.

Like with all the other products they copy (Boss FX pedals, Mackie mixers, etc) it would have been so easy to change just a thing or two and maybe get away with it. That's what everyone else does; I mean, take London School of Sound's website, we clearly steal a few ideas from here, there and Apple everywhere, and then adapt them to our design. But not Behringer.

I can imagine the quiet desperation of a graphic designer when Uli Behringer, founder and CEO of the company, asks to have a website "a bit like Apple's"; it will have to be REALLY a bit like that.

The irony in all this is that the website they used to have was much easier to navigate and I could find manuals and info about products in a second. This 'Apple" one is wrong in so many ways. The yellow Behringer logo is stitched on without having any counterpart anywhere else on the site, the navigation lacks the research that Apple puts in giving the right priorities to different parts of their business.

But that's not the point. The point is that stealing is morally wrong (and criminally fine as long as you are based in Switzerland and China), but stealing on this scale becomes a work of art, and art is exempt from moral.

Besides, if you think their products are inferior, all you have to do is buy something else. But you can't escape the fact that some of their things are just FINE. We have quite a few in the school and they do the job, according to the company's motto "double the features at half the price". One example? Their headphone amplifier, as found in LSS and many other studios around the world: I would recommend this to anyone, and it would still be great value for money if it cost twice as much.

But I am digressing.

To all the behringer haters and lovers I'd like to point out a passage from Uli's Behringer's story:

"At the university I studied, we had exactly two microphones for over 100 students and one had to queue up for several months to be able to use them. The mixing console and tape machines were under “constant maintenance” (...) I realized that it was simply impossible to become a Sound Engineer without having my own studio."

Think how much different things would have been if Uli had been a student at London School of Sound. The world would be missing a major manufacturer and would have gained a properly trained Sound Engineer. But then we wouldn't have our heaphone amps (and may other little useful things) and Uli would be out there copying note-by-note every song you hear on the charts!

Maybe it's better this way. What do you think?






"Behringer does Apple" > read the full post

More essential studio upgrades

If you wonder how come your records have not gone platinum yet, or if somehow your records have not even gone past the stage of being more than a vague idea, we now know why.

Do you want to know too? Read on...

What you are missing, really, are a 'decent' computer screen and a 'decent' pair or headphones.
Sure. How can you be expected to come up with anything decent when you are still struggling on that miserable iMac 24"? It's barely enough to give you a sun tan when you stand in front of it for a coupe of hours!
Have a look at these Panasonic plasma screens: the largest one is 103", meaning that if you point a camera at yourself you can use it as a life-size mirror – handy to see yourself dancing to your finished mix.

And for headphones, I normally recommend the entry level Grado or the HD650 from Sennheiser for mixing, but now there is a new model called HD800.

Is it good? Well, it probably is. We have not tried it. But it costs £1000 so it's gotta be. I am still quite happy with a pair of much more affordable HD600, but if Sennheiser decides to send me a pair of 800 to try I might discover what the heck can you do to a pair of headphones to make them so expensive.
Check a review here: http://crave.cnet.co.uk/accessories/0,39101000,49301485-1,00.htm



"More essential studio upgrades" > read the full post

Antares Autotune on your iPhone!

Oh dear.

Antares have a new product out - I am T Pain.....

From the blurb:

* Genuine Auto-Tune technology, right in the palm of your hand

* Bundled T-Pain tracks, including lyrics, for singing along alone or with your friends

* The ability to record and stream your songs to Facebook, MySpace and email

* Freestyle mode lets you create your own tracks

You can check out the website here, or go straight to the iTunes store here. Or just check out this video:

"Antares Autotune on your iPhone!" > read the full post

Line 6 Pod Farm for free

Line 6 are giving away Pod Farm to anyone with a Line 6 account!

This offer is only good through September, so hurry! You'll need an iLok or Line 6 hardware to act as a dongle though. I'm downloading mine as I type....

"Line 6 Pod Farm for free" > read the full post

Les Paul documentary

I know it's about a year old, but for those of you who missed it on TV, the BBC iPlayer is still showing the Chasing Sound documentary. Worth checking out by engineers and guitarists alike.

"Les Paul documentary" > read the full post

Free plug in time again

This one's designed by Yellow Tools (who gave us Yellow Tools free recently), who've teamed up with Best Service....

Download the demo version of Titan here. You get a copy of the Yellow Tools Engine sample player, and a selection of the Titan samples. Very cool - similar to Yellow Tools free, with all the modulation control and effects.

"Free plug in time again" > read the full post

Apple's September 9th Media Event

Apple has chosen "it's only rock and roll but we like it" as a subtitle for the event. How original. How corporate.

Anyway, expect new iPods and stuff. Everyone knows they are working on a touch-screen tablet but it won't be announced yet.

This doesn't stop us from thinking ahead, trying to figure out how to hack one in to a cheaper clone of a Lemur controller.

Interesting story, JazzMutant. Three friends develop a midi controller. In doing so, they also develop a revolutionary technology that allows true multi-touch input. They get a patent, and in March 2009 get $13 Millions to develop this technology further and integrate it in to virtually everything. See where you can get when you follow your dreams.


"Apple's September 9th Media Event" > read the full post