Pat Metheny's Orchestrion: one-man-orchestra!

An amazing album, where a guitarist controls a number of mechanical instruments from his guitar and a number of pedals on the floor. No overdubs, no software in sight, the whole piece played live.
It's kind of like an alternative future where technology has kept moving but personal computers have not been invented.

Personally, I'd be happy to play only one string of a guitar as well as Metheny does, and I guess that I will stick to my Logics and Abletons for another while, but it's a majestic effort (if slightly megalomaniac, and I will throw in 'mental' for good measure).

Watch the video below to see some Orchestrion action...



To hear more you can catch him in London on the 10th of February at the Barbican, and buy the CD from amazon.


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Find who ripped off who, and got away with it

Radiohead stealing from the Hollies*, Tears for Fears from Cat Stevens, and of course Coldplay from everyone.

And most of them getting away with it! (*Radiohead actually give credit and royalties to the Hollies for Creep, so there you go, some justice and everyone lives happily thereafter)

Or maybe coincidences. Decide for yourself...


Waste a few minutes watching episodes of Musicology, the youtube postings of Kim and her robot, as they highlight some interesting similarities.



See more episodes here

http://www.youtube.com/user/thektb

For even more soundalikes visit http://www.thatsongsoundslike.com/


"Find who ripped off who, and got away with it" > read the full post

Free SMPTE reader app - no hardware required

Brilliant!

Until now if you wanted to synchronize a tape machine with Logic, ProTools, Cubase, Performer, etc. you needed a hardware unit that could accept audio time code (SMPTE or AES/EBU) and generate Midi Time Code.

Typically these were Motu interfaces, Emagic Unitors (now discontinued), or the super expensive Digidesign Synchdio (which does also a lot of other things).

Now all you need is this little software for mac. And it is FREE.

You can download it from...

http://nobusiness-soft.com/smptereader.html

Simply feed SMPTE Audio Signal into an Audio Input of your Mac, and SMPTE Reader will create MIDI Timecode (MTC) of it. It can send it to any MIDI Destination Port of your computer.
No Hardware required.


"Free SMPTE reader app - no hardware required" > read the full post

Interview With Brian Eno

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/jan/17/brian-eno-interview-paul-morley


Learn from this guy. He spreads vibes and does nothing. Can barely play an instrument, doesn't actually engineer or record anything, and gets to be the producer for U2 and Coldplay at the same time!

And the last comment he makes, about the future of making records, well I kind of agree. I think people will keep recording music, but the idea that someone can live from making and selling records will be something no one will believe in a few years.

That doesn't mean that you can make music and make money, but forget selling records.


"Interview With Brian Eno" > read the full post

Post F**K

We have had Post Rock now the much more fun genre of Post F**K, post coital classixxxs as selected by the avuncular Maningrey......Read on




In the nuclear winter we are having what else is there to do on a freezing Sunday lie in than a pleasurable fumble with your boy, girl, fourlegged furry friend? For those non smokers amongst us we have to reach for the musical nicotine of the post coital play list.

Ismistik: Absence
Icelandic prog techno, the sound of an albatross gliding over the glaciers before being harpooned by the currently impoverished Icelanders for food. If I got my geography, natural history, economics wrong here please email the London School of Sound and I will ignore it.

Grant Green: Deep River
Classic Blue Note jazz, as soft as one of those really long strong toilet roles that give you a free puppy toy when you send the tokens, hand crafted by Thai 6 year olds for 1 pence a day.

Pharoah Sanders: Astral Traveling
Of all the beardy bead fez wearing jazz gurus Sanders is indeed the Pharoah of them all, specialises in massive glittering dirges awash with bells, whistles and dejembe topped off by his own shrieking harmolidic sax and generally some guy stoned on chick peas talking about ancient Egypt....but like in a totally mellow way...

As One: Epic
Epic indeed, this was for a long time my Sunday morning anthem after a night of illicite substances, more a come down song but now I partake of nothing stronger than Guava juice its become a humping song....Oh its jazzy techno by the way, made by people who love beats and jazz fusion but can't dance or play an instrument leading to IDM, generally horrible but the glittering synths and Headhunters bass does the trick in this case.

Fripp and Eno: Wind on Water
You got to have a bit of Eno if your talking "chillax" his best work is with demented King Crimson/Bowie guitar hero Robert Fripp who always lends a bit of edge to otherwise drippy "soundscapes". In this case the churning phalanx of trilling guitars lurk beneath the shiny synths like a giant friendly Koi Carp wanting bread. See also the excellent Eno solo track "Julie With", all charming ocean going vibe and sun baked glockenspiel....the lyrics possibly about a murder.

Dave Holland: Conference of Birds
More jazz, I realise its a jazz, techno, prog mix I'm making here but bear with me there is some Slayer further down the list...Dave Holland is a jazz hero for his excellent bass work on "In A Silent Way" with Miles Davis but mainly for wearing a bandana and over bite infront of half a million people at the Isle of Wight festival in 1969 again with Miles. Talk about white men can't jump...but white men can play some righteous bass and compose charming flutey melodies.

Donald Byrd: Places and Spaces
Got into this through a Pete Rock hip hop track that sampled the introduction, I love it when you have a favorite track and then find that the original is even better. Huge string laden philly funk master work...For more sample information check here

Judi Sill: The Donor
Majestic prog folk, I randomly bought this after reading some raves in the great book Hotel California, a hilarious read about the monsterous behavious of the 70"s "mellow mafia" of The Eagles, CSN, Joni Mitchell etc. Sill was the best of the bunch but due to an unhealthy mix of smack, prostitution and pissing off David Geffen she disappeared.

Reagenz: A
When I bought this for £25 on the excellent Discogs, the best place for rare impossible to find stuff, I was horrified, it just sounded like two oafs randomly fiddling with the oscillators, and to be fair a couple of years down the line that is exactly what this album is apart from the electronic hundreds and thousands of this track. A two chord christmas tree of electronic tingles or one of those pink and blue circular biscuits with icing everyone remembers from kids parties before they got into heroin.

Global Communications: 9.25
The Sistine Chapel of ambient techno, imagine seeing a city crushed not by the feet of a terrifying Japanese killer lizard but by one of Jeff Koons' silver bunnys (ahh the picture is finally explained!) and rather than crushing the citizens it showers them with bunny love.

Gil Scott Heron: Lady Day and John Coltrane
Groovy soul jazz from the pre crack proto rapper, it just makes ya feel goood.


Until next time

Maningrey

"Post F**K" > read the full post

Beastie Boys Samples

Wanted to see where the Beastie Boys got all their samples from?.....

Have a look here, where you can check out the track listing, and download them all.

"Beastie Boys Samples" > read the full post

Alternative Rock n Roll Stamps

The Royal Mail have launched a selection of stamps paying tribute to classic album covers...we came up with our own...



The Royal Mail have made a seemingly random selection of rock covers for a selection of stamps.

A few covers were considered but rejected, The Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main Street, for example, was considered for the set but was rejected because its album cover image, shrunk down to stamp size, would be undecipherable. Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here was rejected because its image of a man shaking hands with a man on flames was considered possibly disturbing for the public. Dark Side of the Moon failed to make the cut as it was "too black,” If the stamp was too dark the machines would fail to print it.

Not having to worry about practicalities we decided to pick a few between us which we liked...

King Crimson: In the Court of the Crimson King aka Pubes Caught in Zipper
Jimi Hendrix: Axis Bold as Love aka Too Many Drugs
Peter Gabriel: Melt aka Disasters in Plastic Surgery
Parliament: Mothership Connection aka I Want One
New Model Army: Thunder and Consolation aka The Cover That Launched a Thousand Tats
Rage Against the Machine: Rage Against The Machine aka That's Got To Hurt
Santana: Abraxas aka One Lucky Dove
Slayer: Reign in Blood aka When Office Christmas Parties Goes Wrong
Frank Zappa: Hot Rats aka New Years Eve











































>

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Shamless Student Promotion

We have a student requiring some altruistic support for his DJing...read on




Music Production student Charlie's latest podcast mix has been entered into the LetsMix.com Next Generation DJ competition. The winner will get a launch gig at the Miami Winter Music Conference plus a load of other promotion.

To get through to the next stage of the competition, he needs 200 votes on the mix. If anyone likes what they hear vote for him. To vote, just go to www.letsmix.com/mix/24320 and click on the stars at the top of the page.






"Shamless Student Promotion" > read the full post

Logic 9.1 update direct download

Logic 9.1 and Mainstage 2.1 are out.
You can use software update or download directly from Apple.

Apple is starting to get a bit more strict about who gets to download what.
The idea is that you need to login with your Apple ID and then enter your Logic 9 serial number to link it with your ID. Only then you are allowed to download.

For those that never seem to remember their ID or need to download from another computer, we have a link which at the moment appear to bypass all that and allow you to download directly. This is probably a mistake on Apple's part and it's very likely that someone will patch it soon. The link is at the end of this post.

But what about 9.1 – big deal? or minor bug fixes? Read on....



Apple says:

"This update improves overall stability, provides numerous fixes and enhancements, and is recommended for all users of Logic Pro 9. Running Logic Pro 9.1 in 64-bit mode requires Mac OS X v10.6.2 Snow Leopard, or later. For information about running Logic Pro in 64-bit mode, see this article."

Regarding 64-bit mode, the bottom line is that the implementation is still incomplete, but it is now possible to use 32bit plugins in 64bit mode. Hooray! If you are wondering, do we care about 64bit mode? No, not yet. Just make some bloody music and stop asking questions.

Aside from 64-bit compatibility, the list (incomplete) of bug fixes and changes is huge, and you can read it in full here: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2565

One of the things they fixed is that now the Logic browser doesn't display anymore hidden Unix system folders. Basically these contain files that have no use in your every-day music making, and Logic wouldn't let you see them anyway, since they ar enot files that Logic can use, but it was a reminder that the Matrix operates underneath your neat and cheerful Mac osX. If you curious, see the picture in this post or see it for yourself before you upgrade.



Ableton Live displays the same folders but then crashes when you try to see what's inside. Coincidence? Or EVIDENCE OF A MASSIVE CONSPIRACY??? Just ask anyone that knows anything about Unix and prepare to be laughed at.
Are we being stupid? OR IS IT FURTHER PROOF THAT THE CONSPIRACY IS EVEN MORE WIDESPREAD THAT YOU INITIALLY THOUGHT????
No, we are being stupid. BUT REALLY??????

...but I am digressing...

Here is the link for direct download of Logic 9.1


Now if only they stopped forcing you to create a stupid track every single time you launch this software, I'd be almost happy.




"Logic 9.1 update direct download" > read the full post

Halls of Fame Reverb

Been a bit quiet round here over the holidays, but to start the new year off, Sounds On Demand are giving away a free impulse response reverb unit, the Halls of Fame Origami Edition...

It's from Yellowtools, who gave us the Independence Free synth, and it's based on IR presets from the AKG BX20, EMT 240 /250, LEX 224XL / 480L / 300 / 960L /, PCM 96, Reverb 6000, Bric M7, RO R-880, QRS 2496 and the Even T 2016,

Pop to the Sounds On Demand website, and add it to your shopping basket. It'll ask for a root folder - (look for it in your Macintosh HD, called HOF Free Origami Edition), and on my Mac it failed AU validation in Logic the first time, but there was no problem trying again from the Audio Units Manager (under the Preferences menu).

"Halls of Fame Reverb" > read the full post

Apple - no, sorry, Gibson Dusk Tiger

Gibson's website is looking very Apple at the moment - all white with tigers on it. But what's caught my attention is the new Dusk Tiger guitar....

It's got the new Chameleon tone circuitry - (all analog, digitally controlled EQ), robot tuners (jump to amy tuning preset in seconds), editing software and low Z o/p, as well as looking rather pretty.

Check out the Dusk Tiger homepage, or jump straight to the videos to see it in action... but be quick, there's only 1000 being made!

"Apple - no, sorry, Gibson Dusk Tiger" > read the full post

How to enable GodMode in Windows 7

At LSS we still use and recommend Windows XP for audio applications, but it is inevitable that soon enough new software will force the upgrade to the latest Windows 7 (without going through the horrible Vista).

When this happens we'll be glad that someone invented GOD MODE. This doesn't, as the name would suggest, give you eternal life, allow you to eat what you like without getting fat, and surround you with angels. No, technology hasn't got there yet.

What you get is much less, but it's still exciting to anyone that has to use a PC.
GodMode is the ultimate control panel: a single place from where every simple or advanced customisation can be made to your computer, without having to mess with registry settings, or battling stupid little control panels that try to prevent you from changing default settings.

The feature is so good that some suspect it might have been the hidden creation of someone working for Microsoft, who needed a personal shortcut. It certainly isn't advertised as a feature and when CNET tried to contact Microsoft to ask them about this hidden feature all they got was a "no comment".

So, how do you enable GodMode? It couldn't be easier...


Create a new folder and then change it's name to:

GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

It is important that the string is typed exactly as above (copy and paste to be sure, and don't have any spaces before or after).

The folder will change its appearance and it will now display GodMode as its name. Open it and you are your computer's God.



"How to enable GodMode in Windows 7" > read the full post

Good news everyone!

How's this to start off the new year? - Soundgarden are back!

"Good news everyone!" > read the full post