Musical Machines

RECORD STORE DAY is coming!

2010-03-17T19:51:00.001-07:00

Apparently, I'm into exclamation points in headlines tonight. But this one deserves it. Record Store Day is April 17!

f you haven't heard of this day before, it's a day when everyone should unplug iTunes or your favorite torrent tracker or whatever and actually go to your local record store and buy an album or two or three. That's right albums--as in vinyl LPs. The hope is that you make it a habit and keep some of these incredible stores in business.

I'm actually planning to visit several record stores on Record Store Day, including the mom-and-pop-shop right around the corner from me, Shady Dog Records. Start planning your trip now! Save a paycheck and invest in some vinyl.

Lemmy is here!!

2010-03-17T19:25:00.000-07:00

Like a lot of guys my age, I cut my rock 'n' roll teeth on punk, hard rock and metal when I was a pre-teen and teenager. And also like a lot of guys my age, the band Motorhead and their onslaught of proto-metal rawk was like an adrenaline shot to my ears. Metallica, Fugazi, Black Sabbath, Motley Crue, Megadeth, Anthrax, Dead Milkmen, Butthole Surfers and the Sex Pistols were all favorites, too. But nobody sounded like Motorhead.

So I'm pretty excited about the release of Lemmy the movie. In fact, I have a little embarassment over how giddy I am with anticipation about this film. It's going to be tremendous, as this trailer clearly outlines.

a beautiful blend of new- and old-school musicality

2010-03-04T19:44:00.001-08:00

This is one of my favorite videos on YouTube. It explains how a funk rhythm breakdown in a song released by The Winstons in 1969 titled "Amen, Brother" became one of the most famous and widely used six seconds of music in western culture.

For a lot of people, sampling, DJing and modern synthesis is still a somewhat controversial act (yes, even in 2010). To be sure, you can't deny the incredible musicianship of this hip young drummer giving it his funky best in the middle of the original ripping R&B tune. But in my mind, it's tough to ignore the incredible ways this break beat has been used over the years to create powerful new music. Just watch and see.

Let's road trip for a Kingpin

2010-03-03T18:36:00.000-08:00

Now offering one more reason to visit Toronto: The Sky Blue Sky Sandwich Shop.

Shop owner Chad Comfort created a deluxe deli where each menu item is named after a Wilco song. And the name for the whole establishment obviously takes it's name from the 2007 album released by the band. As a big deli sammich fan and a Wilco lover, too, I am very interested.

Just one question, though. What's in the "A Shot In the Arm" breakfast sandwich? What can you put in a sandwich that's bloodier than blood?

Via Pitchfork: Wilco: The Sandwich Shop

Tab hits the iPhone age

2010-02-28T17:40:00.000-08:00

There are already a few companies making digital sheet music readers, but they're mostly expensive units for professional musicians. Now a company that calls itself iTab (subtract points for unoriginal, yet market-friendly name) has come up with a smartphone-sized device that's centered around the universal language of guitarists: tab (add points for enabling guitar geekery).

The touchscreen iTab lets you quickly flip through your tab list to select the song you want. Then the iTab will scroll through the lyrics and chords at whatever speed you select (so you can match the song's tempo) while you play along. Having trouble with a song? iTab offers downloadable videos to help you out with any tough parts. iTab has also built an accompanying store where you can download more tabs.

The iTab also has the ability to output the display to a TV so you can set up an instant guitar-and-karaoke party. There's even a mounting system that lets you keep it attached to your guitar's headstock. The best part is that with an estimated street price of $199, you don't have to be a professional to convince yourself to splurge on one (add more points for catering to hobbyists). The company has put some demonstration videos up on YouTube.

via engadget.

Them Crooked Vultures gear

2010-02-27T15:27:00.000-08:00

Guitar Edge magazine has an article up that runs through the gear that each member of Them Crooked Vultures is using on tour. It's pretty cool, because none of them use "standard" stuff at all. On another TCV front, Spinner has a video with some backstage footage of the band members talking (well, Dave Grohl, mostly) about their first gig and being on SNL.

Liars "Scissor [Mute]" video brings the awesome

2010-02-27T08:14:00.000-08:00

Check out the video for the Liars song "Scissor [Mute]" over at Pitchfork tv. The song is pretty good, but the video kind of upstages the song and makes the whole thing more entertaining.

The cinematography (that's right -- I just used the word "cinematography" to critique a music video) is really amazing considering this was probably shot on a postage stamp budget. Best of all, even though you can see the end coming about 30 seconds in, you can't help but watch anyway.

music labels to bands: "Social network - or else!!"

2010-02-26T15:19:00.000-08:00

That's the basic gist of this reformatted press release over on CNET.

Skip about halfway down the article to read quotes that make Daniel Glass sound like a class-a jerkface. His tone is indignant and borderline self-righteous as he describes how he skipped signing a band to his label because they wouldn't tweet their every stage move. Seriously, check this quote:

"There may be some indie hipper-than-thou artists who want to let the music speak for itself . . . they are probably not for us."

How dare these impudent punks deny the all-powerful marketing tool of social media and slow the flow of dollars into Glass' pockets?!

Wait . . . huh? Money? Pockets?

Well, yeah. Think about it. How does the band's effort to promote itself through social media pay off for them? An active facebook, myspace or hosted webpage will result in some extra people showing up to see your band when you roll through town. If you set up an e-commerce store you might sell some tee shirts or cds direct and make some cash.

But I'll bet you a Motorola Cliq that's not what has Glass hot and bothered over your twitter account. He's hoping your online activity will generate music sales that put dollars in the label's coffers, and pennies in yours. Because in today's internet world social media = marketing = sales. Theoretically, at least.

Don't get me wrong; none of these things are bad by themselves. Maintaining a prominent profile with its online fans is important for most bands. Making it easy for its fans to support and follow them is a good thing. Bands deserve to get paid for their music, the same way doctors gets paid for their medicine. But making social-media-savviness a prerequisite for a record contract is ridiculous.

In fact, if social media is going to start having an influence on record contracts, the flow of influence and dollars should be going the other direction. If a band chooses to utilize the internet to promote itself, the label should pay them for their marketing efforts the same way they'd pay an in-house marketing staffer or a&r rep. Let's see a band's manager or lawyer bust that point of view out during contract negotiations and see how Glass reacts.

Afterthought:
I'd also like to see some analysis of the time a band spends promoting itself online through social media and compare the payoff against the time spent doing other work with its music (concerts, recording, practice, etc.) to see which is the more productive.

Deconstructing The Gibson Robot

2008-04-22T12:15:00.000-07:00

At the Embedded Systems Conference, teardown expert and guitarist David Carey disassembled the electronic system on a Gibson Robot Les Paul. CNet posted pictures.

Last.fm Streaming Good For Music Sales

2008-04-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

Interesting news from over at Wired's Listening Post where Mr. Van Buskirk sez the early returns from Last.fm's full-track streaming are good news for music sales.

Laugh Gleefully Or Cry In Despair?

2008-04-17T10:08:00.000-07:00

That's how I feel after finding out that Yamaha will finally be releasing the Tenori-On in the United States. The happiness? Because the Tenori-On is f'ing cool.

The tears? Because Yamaha is only releasing 100 units a month, with the run rumored to top out at 1,000 for the year. Plus, the price tag will be about $1,200.00 (US dollars). That means some of us will end up paying about double or triple that on eBay for the Tenori-On, used or new.

If you can't stand the wait, or if you don't have $1,200 to throw at it, you could always tide yourself over with a Korg KAOSSILATOR. At $200, it's a lot more affordable and offers a modest slice of the geeky musical goodness of the Tenor-On.

Save Your Ears

2008-04-16T16:56:00.001-07:00

Protect your hearing. This cool wiki page on the Wired How-To Wiki gives you some tips.

Crazy Record Labels

2008-04-16T16:53:00.000-07:00

Hahhahahhaha. Phew.

MAN! More Cool Pitchfork TV News

2008-04-04T16:27:00.000-07:00

Pitchfork announced today that Radiohead will be joining the launch of Pitchfork.tv! The band got together in Nigel Godrich's basement to shoot a live performance of the song "Bangers & Mash" from the In Rainbows album. Obviously Pitchfork is thrilled, and I'm sure there are a lot of fans out there who are, too. I'll definitely be watching. Is there any band in the world as cool as Radiohead right now? I think not. It just seems like they're firing on all cylinders in the right direction at the right time.

FindSounds Internet Sounds Search Engine

2008-04-03T13:08:00.000-07:00

Now THIS is cool! Ever wish you could find a sound on the Internet? Not a song, necessarily, but a sound. You know they're out there, you've heard them on websites, but it's not always easy to locate them. The other day I stumbled upon a unique search engine called FindSounds designed just for that purpose. You can search for all types of sounds, from aardvarks to jet airplanes. And you can even filter for certain types of files, like 8-bit, AIFF, mono, WAV, sample rate, etc. Pretty cool.

Woohoo! More Pitchfork TV News!

2008-04-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

Remember back when I posted this? Well, we're in the homestretch now for the launch of Pitchfork.tv! I don't know about you, but I'm really excited. I got even more pumped when Pitchfork posted their initial schedule on Monday.

The highlights include the most-excellent Pixies documentary loudQUIETloud: A Film About The Pixies which follows the band around on their 2004 tour, Juan's Basement will finally surface, there will be a rooftop performance by excellent punk-poppers The Thermals, and some up-close-and-personal time with the folks at Death By Audio, makers of some of the craziest noise blasters around. Good times for music lovers.

Earth Hour: You can make a difference tonight (Saturday)

2008-03-28T10:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this has nothing to do with music. But this is an issue that's bigger than just music and affects us all as human beings, not just musicians.

Tonight from 8pm to 9pm is Earth Hour. All across the globe people will be turning off their lights to conserve power and show their support for the planet and green living. The idea is simple and easy, but as it scales upward can have a truly tremendous impact. The Earth Hour initiative was started by the World Wildlife Fund, but has quickly grown into a much larger movement. Join in tonight!

P.S. – If you're unhappy about this post, I'll gladly refund your money for this issue.

P.P.S. – I jumped the gun just a bit yesterday. Hey, what can I say? I'm an eager beaver. Earth Hour is tonight (Saturday, March 29) from 8 to 9 PM.

Dying Weird Isn't Easy

2008-03-27T08:52:00.000-07:00

One of the things I'm always amazed by is the crazy ways many musicians meet their demise. Drinking, drugs, plane crashes, etc. So you'd think (at least I did) that there would be more musicians on Neatorama's list of the 30 Strangest Deaths In History. But no, only two musicians made the list. I won't spoil the surprise for you. Go read the article and find out for yourself.

Busking The Day Away

2008-03-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

Someone on the HCFX forums posted this awesome video of two guys busking outside a Japanese train stop. I miss the city.

Fun For Friday

2008-03-21T17:27:00.000-07:00

It's been linked to many times in many places, but for Musical Machines readers, I present the Gigwise gallery of Worst Album Covers. Enjoy.

Music Gear Spotlight: Korg pitchblack

2008-03-20T15:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay . . . I can hear the head scratching already, "How does something as mundane as a tuner deserve a spotlight?" The answer? When it's as flat-out cool as the Korg pitchblack. If you've never used a nice tuner (and by nice, I mean something rackmount or that costs more than $100), you don't know what you're missing out on. And no, this is not one of those audiophile geek things where they plug in two different cables and swear that the one hand-wound by virgins on a super-secret Japanese island using pure copper in a de-oxygenated environment sounds like liquid gold.

Tuning is a purely functional thing. When you tune, you want it to be fast, easy, and accurate. The pitchblack is the stone that kills all three of those birds with one throw. Cheap tuners are not usually fast (jumpy needles and slow note attack recognition), they are not easy (dim displays, flimsy cases, and crappy buttons), and they are not accurate (poor fundamental tone recognition). The pitchblack does all of these things very, very well. It recognizes notes super fast, its display is ridiculously easy to read, the case is solid cast aluminum, and it has a heavy-duty metal footswitch. These are the facts, not flights of fancy. I've got the tuner and it works like a champ.

You can pre-order the pitchblack right now on Musician's Friend, Music123, or GuitarCenter for $89.99. Throw a cable or some picks or strings in the cart and you're over the $99 free shipping limit, and you don't even have to leave your house to get the coolest pedal tuner around.

Happy Easter, Suckaz!

2008-03-19T09:03:00.000-07:00

Technically, this is not musical or machine like (although there is a soundtrack), but it's just so damn funny I had to post it.

I Want My Link TV

2008-03-15T16:29:00.000-07:00

Here's a couple of music links to check out.

Reuters/Billboard story about music e-commerce, indie style, with a spotlight on Merge Records.

The new NIN album Ghosts I-IV is doing well. In just over a week, it's already cleared 1.6 (cue Dr. Evil voice) million dollars. Proof of new distribution concept?

The Take-Away Shows has passed 6 million views on the web. In light of this success, I'm extremely interested to see how the newly announced Pitchfork.tv performs.

Listen To Sharin Foo

2008-03-14T14:04:00.000-07:00

Daytrotter has a page up where you can listen to Sharin Foo of The Raveonettes read a Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, "The Little Girl With The Sulphursticks." She's pretty good at it, considering this is probably her first time narrating a story. Plus, it's Hans Christian Anderson. You really can't go wrong here.

Music Gear Spotlight: New Boss SL-20 Slicer Twin Pedal

2008-03-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

Ooo, kewl. Boss just announced a new pedal over at Musikmesse in Frankfurt, Germany called the SL-20 Slicer. This pedal combines several of my favorite things: synthesis, arpeggiation, tremolo, and general sonic mayhem. I love it already. The audio "slicing" is handled by 50 different onboard patterns. It's also got looping, tap tempo, stereo panning, and filter-type effects controllable by expression pedal. Cool stuff abounds.

Music Gear Spotlight: Ernie Ball Titanium-Coated Slinky Acoustic Guitar Strings

2008-03-05T15:26:00.000-08:00

Yeah, that's right. Ernie Ball is releasing guitar strings coated with titanium. These strings for acoustic guitars are made by taking EB's popular Slinky acoustic guitar strings and putting an ultra-thin coating of titanium around each one.

Titanium-coated guitar strings? Are you serious? In a completely geeky way, I think that is one of the coolest things I've ever heard. If Superman played guitar, these are the strings he'd wail on. Mostly because they're probably the only strings that could stand up to his super-powerful picking.

Ernie Ball is calling this patented process Titanium RPS Technology. EB claims it makes the strings more resistant to rust and dirt so they sound better, longer. They also claim these titanium Slinky Acoustic strings are stronger and longer-lasting than other coated and uncoated strings on the market.

By the way, this "Music Gear Spotlight" is something I've been meaning to do around here for a while and simply haven't had the time to start, but NO MORE! From now one whenever I see a cool—or at least eyebrow-raising—piece of music gear, I'm going to share it. Cause that's what friends do; they share. And we're all friends around here, right?

Epic Audiophile Pwnage

2008-03-04T18:05:00.000-08:00

This link has been making the rounds at Engadget and The Consumerist, but it's just so funny I had to share it.

Read and chuckle, my friends. Read and chuckle.

Ha-YUGE News From Pitchfork

2008-03-04T17:24:00.000-08:00

Pitchfork is starting a 24-hour, internet TV music channel for independent music! Launching April 7, Pitchfork.tv will be an on-demand, high-resolution video channel dedicated to covering indie musicians in news-documentary style through Pitchfork-original segments. According to the press release they've got really cool stuff cued up like video of basement gigs and jams, full concerts, interviews, and the tried-and-true music video. In addition to the original content, they're also going to show full-length feature music films. Obviously, you can read the press release for all the details, but as a fan of independent music and musicians, I'm really, really excited. I hope this is as cool as it sounds.

Remember when . . .

2008-02-27T11:24:00.000-08:00

we all thought tapes would last forever?

Courtesy of The AllMusic Blog's latest Retro Ad Of The Week post.

Rainbows Remixed

2008-02-15T08:40:00.000-08:00

The remix album is nothing new. Since the '80s artists have been letting producers and other artists remix their music. Of course, the whole idea came from the clubs, where it's been going on a lot longer. Used to be, it was done to add a more dance-friendly beat to a song, or make it more club-oriented.

Over the years, DJs and remixers have slowly put more and more of themselves into these new versions. Sometimes in very cool ways, sometimes in ways that caused some head scratching. In the '90s the art of the remix was taken to whole new levels, with DJs and producers not just remixing, but in some cases re-imagining a completed album. To some, this was blasphemy. To others, it was exciting. Some say that DJs are simply stealing other artists' music and screwing it up. Obviously the people on the other side of the process feel very, very differently.

I think what both sides should admit to themselves and each other is that the creative process can be funny thing. We don't always choose what we are inspired by, or even sometimes what we are inspired to do with our ideas. On top of that, "borrowing" ideas in music is nothing new. Hell, borrowing ideas in art is nothing new, much less music. Art is nothing more than a human being's interpretation (or re-interpretation) of life; usually a physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual object or aspect of their environment. The best art—and also music—reflects all four. Pieces of reality combined with figments of our imagination and filtered through our own, unique creative process.

This is the modern remix. A musical artist hears a piece of music created by another musical artist and is inspired to create/interpret/alter/experiment. The end result may not be something the original artist or their fans even like, but I think it's time for everyone to back down and realize that, yes, it is art.

With that, listen and consider Amplive's Rainydayz Remixes of the Radiohead album In Rainbows.

Three Quick Links

2008-01-28T17:10:00.000-08:00

First up is a follow-up post from the Last.fm Blog about the free streaming of full-length tracks on their website.

Second up is enlightening news from the MIDEM conference in Cannes, France that maybe; just maybe record labels should try a different approach than scaring, spying, suing, and overcharging their customers.

And link number three is a feel-good story from ESPN.com on a celebrity soccer game played over the weekend. If you scroll about halfway down (just under the pic of Nomar Garciaparra) who's name appears? Why, Rivers Cuomo, that's who! Not only did the football-loving pop songster play, he even scored a goal for his team! I wonder if he sported those old school rec specs for the match . . .

Last.fm Is Cleared To Stream

2008-01-23T15:06:00.000-08:00

According to an entry on the Last.fm blog, the company has gotten clearance to stream full tracks—for free(!)—from their website. Every single stream of a song will result in a payment directly to the artist, no middle men and no b.s. Pretty cool. The only downside is the streams are not unlimited.

There are a lot of details in their blog post, but basically they got all the record labels involved--majors, minors, and independents--to agree to it based on a subscription service they're going to roll out soon. During the interim you can stream each song three times and then a message is supposed to inform you about the subscription service. I'm not sure what is supposed to happen after that, but I tried it and no message about the subscription popped up and it definitely wouldn't let me listen a fourth time. I just got the old "Oops, we had a problem connecting" error message.

Anyway, when the subscription service is up and running, you'll get unlimited streams for a monthly fee. No word on what the fee will be or if non-subscribers will still be able to get three free streams. I'm pretty sure the standard scrobbling will continue. It would be suicide for them to dump that.

I like Last.fm and use it a lot, along with the desktop scrobbler. If you like music--and if you're here it's reasonable that you do--you should check it out.

RIAA Hires Former FBI Agent

2008-01-23T14:33:00.000-08:00

Yup, it's true. You can read the full story over on Variety, but the RIAA has hired former FBI agent Kathy Loedler to help run its anti-piracy outfit.

When she still worked for the FBI she did things like fight organized crime and bust up huge casino cheating schemes. Oh, and she also happened to be running the RIAA case, but now they've just made it official and put her on the payroll.

What's next? Are they going to form their own private army of shock troopers to kick down doors and make downloaders disappear in the middle of the night?

Ringo Runs Away From Regis

2008-01-22T13:23:00.001-08:00

For some reason, this story makes me laugh. Something about Ringo getting huffy and giving Regis Philbin the cold shoulder is hysterical. Come to think of it, pretty much anyone giving sh*t to Regis Philbin for any reason at all would probably have me in stitches.

Wired Review of U2 3D

2008-01-22T09:32:00.000-08:00

Way back in March of last year I blogged about the pending release of the film U2 3D. This concert movie was produced entirely in 3D by a company called Real D. And it's about U2, featuring them live in concert during the South American leg of the 2006 Vertigo tour. Pretty creative film title, eh?

The highly esteemed music writer (highly esteemed around this blog, at least) Eliot Van Buskirk got to see the film at an Imax in all it's three-dimensional glory and wrote a thorough review of the whole shebang. The short take is that he liked it a lot. The long take is that . . . well, don't read my version of the long take, just go read Eliot's article. And then go see U2 3D.

New One On Me

2008-01-15T16:47:00.000-08:00

Now here's something you don't see every day. Dr. Dre has a signature set of headphones. Called "Beats By Dr. Dre" these high-profile cans were speced out by Dre and Jimmy Iovine and are engineered and produced in collaboration with Monster. So not only are these the first signature headphones on the market (at least from a name with sway like Dre's) this is also a first for Monster, and the two parties chose to break this ground together.

I wonder what would happen if you listened to East Coast gangsta rap through a pair of Beats? Would Dre show up at your house with Snoop and take away your headphones?

Unwarranted Giggling

2008-01-15T11:38:00.000-08:00

For some reason, the idea of Michael Stipe being dismissed from a jury made me laugh this morning.

Then I thought about it for a minute and realized that's actually a bad thing. I mean, isn't Michael Stipe EXACTLY the sort of person you would want on a jury making important decisions about his fellow Americans and standing up for what's right?

If I were being judged for a crime (whether I was guilty or not) I would take a whole bushel full of Michael Stipes on my jury.

Are You Tone Deaf? Let's Find Out

2008-01-04T16:13:00.000-08:00

Ever been called tone deaf? Prove you aren't. Or conversely, you can prove someone else is.

This cool test for tone deafness comes straight from the labs of Harvard Medical School.

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T20:05:00.000-08:00

Here's to peace on earth and good will toward men. And making music.

Cool new internet resources for musicians

2007-12-28T17:01:00.000-08:00

I just found this article over at Reuters that lists several new web-based services aimed at helping independent musicians. The best part? They're all free. Free is such a nice price.

Fanbridge is another cool (and free) service not listed in the article that musicians might want to know about. It basically brings mailing list management for your fan base into the Internet era.

Good stuff abounds.

Korg KAOSSILATOR: Coolest Musical Toy For 2007

2007-12-28T09:06:00.000-08:00

There has been a lot of cool high-tech musical gear released in 2007, but for my money, none is as cool as the new Korg Kaossilator. It's so new, Korg USA doesn't even have a page up for it yet. Korg UK does, though, because it's been out in the UK and Europe (and Japan, obv.) for a while before hitting the States.

Anyway, why all the love for the Kaossilator? Because it's probably the most fun new musical instrument of the year. In my book, fun can trump a lot of other factors. It's portable, battery powered, lets you play music and build loops by yourself, and can easily be integrated into your music rig for fun at home or live. Thanks to the XY touchpad interface, you don't have to know scales or play keyboard or anything to play it, either. It's the perfect starter musical instrument for a generation that grew up on video games, cell phones, the internet, and iPods. And for non-technophobic musicians, it's a toy that can keep you entertained and let you make music pretty much anywhere. Plus, it's really, really yellow.

There are several videos up on YouTube (they have all the best stuff over there), including a semi-professional product demo and some user stuff.

You can pre-order the Korg Kaossilator at Musician's Friend.

Stolen Thunder

2007-06-04T09:18:00.000-07:00

I've been quiet for a few reasons. The first of which is that I wanted to leave the Internet Radio brouhaha at the top of my blog so anyone who came here would see it and (hopefully) respond. The second is that I was doing some research to put up a big, long post detailing exactly who and what SoundExchange is. A bit of investigative journalism, if you will.

In the course of that research, I found this post on Daily Kos, which pretty much took all the wind out of my sails. In just a few paragraphs Douglas Giles—a.k.a. DJ ProFusion—turns the heat lamps on SoundExchange and illuminates the entire situation Internet radio currently finds itself in.

So instead of listening to me ramble on for eight or nine paragraphs, you can just click over and read the article Save Internet Radio From Corporate Money Grab for yourself.

Internet Radio Royalty Rate Due Date Pushed Back

2007-05-09T14:55:00.000-07:00

FMQB posts that the Copyright Royalty Board has delayed the deadline for royalty payments from web-based radio broadcasters. The date has been moved from May 15 to July 15, giving Internet radio stations and other interested parties (like, maybe the 57 million weekly listeners) an extra 45 days to get their act together and appeal this despicable thing. NPR already has their appeal in the works, and will reportedly be filed soon.

Just as crucial is the need to contact your Congressional Representative to show your support for the Internet Radio Equality Act. You can easily find out who your representative is by going to the Act Now page on the SaveNetRadio.org website and clicking on "Call your members of Congress" link. Enter your zip code, then just dial the phone number and follow the instructions provided on the page. Just think of it as one more way of sticking it to the man. In this case, the man happens to be an 18-member board of trustees formed by the RIAA and instructed to crush Internet radio: SoundExchange.

And if you're feeling especially generous with your time, drop an email to Representatives Jay Inslee and Donald Manzullo to say, "Thanks," for their effort in introducing this important piece of bipartisan legislation.

Use your phone to save music

2007-04-27T10:52:00.000-07:00

As I noted in the previous post, the future of Internet radio is in immediate danger. A crippling royalty rate increase for webcasters—which is also retroactive to January 1, 2006—is due to go into effect on May 15. A large chunk of internet radio stations will be forced to shut down on that date, but there is still time to act.

Representatives Jay Inslee (D-WA) and Donald Manzullo (R-IL) have introduced H.R. 2060, The Internet Radio Equality Act, which if passed will save the Internet radio industry. Please call your congressperson to ask them to co-sponsor H.R. 2060.

I called this morning after I was informed how to take action in an email from SaveNetRadio.org. It was very easy. The aide who answered the phone was very non-threatening and it took less than a minute to say my piece. Don't be afraid to call, and don't think it will take a long time. It's painless and the possible payoff is huge.

Call Your Representative!

Find out who your representative is by going to the Act Now page on the SaveNetRadio.org website and clicking on "Call your members of Congress" link. Find who your representative(s) is by entering your zip code, then just dial the phone number and follow the instructions provided on the page.

And if you're feeling especially generous with your time, drop an email to Representatives Jay Inslee and Donald Manzullo to say, "Thanks," for their effort.

Can you save Internet radio?

2007-04-25T16:30:00.000-07:00

Internet radio has had a stake driven through its young heart by the U.S. Copyright Royalty Board. To make a long story short, the Royalty Board—spurred on by hacks and lawyers at SoundExchange (an RIAA front)—decided to raise the royalty rates Internet broadcasters must pay to broadcast music. While the rate raise is only pennies per song, it adds up to a nearly 150% increase in fees. That's a lot. Increase your rent by 150% and see how quickly you have to move.

To make it worse the fees are retroactive, meaning a lot of Internet broadcasters will have to immediately shell out a lump sum payment for music they've already played. I'm not going to sugarcoat it: things look bad. An appeal of the decision has already been denied.

SaveNetRadio.org is a website that's trying to spread the word and also offers fans of Internet radio a chance to contact their representatives and have them ask for a Congressional appeal of the decision. Take a few minutes, click over to SaveNetRadio.org and use their extremely easy to use website to contact your Congressional representative(s) and ask them to help save Internet radio.

RIP Kurt Vonnegut

2007-04-12T12:01:00.000-07:00

He's gone.

Poo-tee-weet?

Everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt.

Pro-quality FireWire audio interface for $200

2007-04-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

Yeah, that's the stuff right there. Sweet gear on the cheap. In case you've missed it, Musician's Friend is blowing out the Mackie Onyx Satellite.

The Satellite is a very rugged 2x6 computer audio interface that gives you eight separate inputs and six line outs, has two clean-and-clear-sounding Onyx preamps, and high-quality 24-bit/96kHz audio converters. It also ships with a full version of Tracktion for recording, processing, and mixing audio on your PC or Mac. But the coolest part of the Satellite is its totally unique two-piece form factor made up of the Pod and the Base Station. It allows you to easily take your recording interface wherever you go without having to unhook all the wiring and cabling you have it connected to at home. It's a fresh, functional idea that works exceptionally well. All this for $200.

But WAIT, there's MORE!

Forgive me—I've always wanted to do that. Not only is the Satellite only 200 clams, but for a limited time (through the end of April) when you buy a Mackie Satellite from Musician's Friend you're also eligible for a rebate that gets you a free padded carrying bag for the Satellite and a FireWire cable kit. Huzzah! Free stuff!

DRM-free downloads from EMI and iTunes

2007-04-02T09:34:00.000-07:00

EMI and Apple have struck a deal to distribute high-quality, DRM-free music through the iTunes Music Store. The 256kbps AAC files will cost 30 cents more per track and you can still download the 128kbps version for the regular 99 cent price.

The wall hasn't fallen, but I think I see a hole.

Got $50 to spend on music?

2007-03-22T16:45:00.000-07:00

Of course you do. If you're like me you easily spend more than that on CDs, LPs, and digital music files each year already. But Peter Jenner says $50 a year is all it would take to save music. He made his argument at a panel held at SXSW last week called Reinventing Payment Models for Digital Music. The influential manager of musical acts from Pink Floyd to The Clash to Billy Bragg has publicly gone off on this subject before, but this time he's put forth a bold and simple solution to the situation. And no one has to put up with any crappy DRM schemes.

Needless to say, I like this idea. But do you think anyone at the Big Four will listen? Color me doubtful . . . but hopeful.

U2 in 3-D

2007-03-21T12:43:00.000-07:00

If only this was some kind of B-grade science fiction flick where Bono's head swells to ginormous proportions, threatens to block out the sun, and only the Edge can save him. But no, it's simply a concert film shot entirely in 3-D. Its producers say the movie, creatively titled "U2 3D," is in fact the very first live action movie ever shot, edited, and publicly shown entirely in 3-D. The company behind the movie is called Real D, and they've worked on a boatload of projects from various studios, everything from Disney's latest cartoon Meet The Robinsons to 3-D remakes of classics like The Nightmare Before Christmas as well as StereoGraphics scientific 3-D visualization products. "U2 3D" was shot during the South American leg of the Vertigo tour in 2006.

Real D 3-D isn't like the stereoscopic film you may remember from your childhood, though. All the 3-D rendering is done in digital for a much higher quality level, and you can't even watch a RealD-ified movie in a standard theater. You have to see it in a cinema outfitted for the RealD experience. While RealD has made serious strides in 3-D technology, here's a heads up: you still have to wear special glasses. You don't have to feel silly for wearing dark glasses in a theater, though . . . you know Bono will be wearing his.

Photo from PulseTC.com

Stax and SXSW

2007-02-28T11:36:00.000-08:00

Okay, there's nothing even remotely high-tech about this, but as a soul fan—and a Stax Records fan specifically—I gotta post this. Number one soul man Isaac Hayes will be hosting a Stax Records revue at SXSW.

It's a celebration of many related events. The first is the reactivation of the Stax Record label, Isaac re-signing with Stax, and the 50th anniversary celebration of the label. Many thanks to Isaac Hayes, Stax and SXSW for working to put something like this together.

Thanks to Modern Guitars Magazine.

SXSW sampler torrent

2007-02-23T15:58:00.000-08:00

Hey, music fans, the people behind SXSW have served up a tasty treat just for us. In order to help promote the event, the various showcases, and the artists involved, they've posted a giant torrent (direct link) in the SXSW Toolbox.

This the first torrent in what I suspect will be a two-part set. They did the same thing last year (and maybe the year before—does anyone remember?) and it was a pretty popular download. I grabbed it and discovered quite a few bands I like because of it, one of which is the beloved Sound Team, who I saw at the excellent Kuyahoga Music Festival last summer. Listen to new music!!

eMedia for education

2007-02-23T11:46:00.000-08:00

For years eMedia has made it easier for computer-savvy individuals to learn to play music with their award-winning multimedia music method software. I've checked out a few of their titles and I have some friends who've used it to learn guitar and drums. It moves at a nice pace and is affordable, with a single title being comparable to a round of lessons with a professional instructor.

Now eMedia has gone and gotten all charitable while furthering the cause of rock 'n' roll at the same time, which in my book deserves some kudos. The company donated a bunch of music software, namely their Guitar Method, Rock Guitar Method, Bass Method and the super-easy-to-use Band in a Box music software app to the Seattle-area Rock School. Rock School is a non-profit school with several locations around Seattle that gives its students a chance to learn about music and creativity. And thanks to eMedia, their curriculum just got a little more high tech. If you're betwen ages 12 to 21, live in Seattle, and are ready to get in touch with your inner Angus Young, then there's a school just for you.

Better hearing through science

2007-02-21T16:38:00.000-08:00

Now THIS is cool. Suffering from hearing loss? If, like me, you've spent most of your life playing music—LOUD music—chances are pretty good your ears have been damaged and your hearing has slipped a bit. Thanks to modern stem-cell technology and old-fashioned electricity, scientists may have found a way to reverse hearing loss.

The funny thing about this article though, is that the writer discovered it isn't the traditional sources of hearing loss which fueled this research. No, it's something much more recent: the iPod. It's the audio equivalent of teenage gamers with carpal tunnel syndrome, a medical issue normally associated with middle-aged office workers. Let's not forget, though, that just as in the case of CTS, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Let's turn down the volume, folks. Like the world really needs more noise.

Get educated on the tube

2007-02-19T09:31:00.000-08:00

YouTube, that is. Seems you can find just about anything on YouTube.com. It's especially nice for musicians and music fans as there is a ton of musical content scattered across the millions of videos the site hosts. Now Cakewalk has joined the fray with their own dedicated music software channel.

The company's videos are mostly focused on SONAR and range from general overview type stuff to tutorials on things like setting up your PC for audio and MIDI recording.

Hopefully this encourages other music software manufacturers to start their own channels. I'd love to see it. If you feel the same, make sure you voice that opinion to your favorite manufacturers, even just by emailing Musical Machines. I'll try to make sure your message ends up in the appropriate hands.

Bonnaroo line up posted

2007-02-14T13:52:00.000-08:00

The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival (didn't know the full name, did you?) has posted their initial list of bands slated to play this summer. The 2007 line up is chock-full of musical goodness. Get your MasterCard or Visa ready, folks. You'll pay anywhere from $184.50 to $214.50, depending upon how quickly you buy. I'm not slagging the prices, either. Two hundred bones for three days of music and fun is a good deal. No pushing or shoving in line, folks . . .

Warner Loves Last.fm

2007-02-08T12:38:00.000-08:00

Punknews.org is reporting that Last.fm has signed a deal with Warner Music that will allow users to listen to the label's entire music catalog online.

The music will be fed through a stream (no downloading, you naughty kids) and Last.fm account holders will be able to use the site's cool search tools to discover new music in the Warner catalog. Could be a win-win.

How to record good electric guitar sounds

2007-02-07T12:35:00.000-08:00

There's a treasure trove of information stored on the various websites Musician's Friend runs which isn't very visible to the general public. Unless you know it's there, you'd probably never find it. From time to time I'll highlight some of these articles and help spread the wealth.

Guitar Miking: Getting a Great Guitar Sound is an article by the skilled Barry Rudolph. If you're unfamiliar with Barry, some of his credits include work on gold and platinum records by musicians such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Corrs, Waylon Jennings, Mick Jagger, Jon Bon Jovi, and The Beach Boys. Trust me, you're in good hands.

If you've ever struggled with getting the guitar sound you want for your recordings, check out this two-part article. It deals chiefly with speakers and mic positioning, delivering some basics on each and divulging some of Barry's favorite, tried-and-true techniques. There's a lot of voodoo out there on recording electric guitars but Mr. Rudolph slices through it with his practical, experience-honed take on the subject.

For more infomation on guitar miking and recording in general, check out Cherry Lane's DVD Miking Guitars In The Studio, Hal Leonard's Professional Microphone Techniques, or Hal Leonard's The Recording Guitarist.

For those just getting started in recording, check out books like Hal Leonard's Musician's Home Recording Handbook, Making The Ultimate Demo, The Desktop Studio, or Berklee Press' Recording and Producing In The Home Studio.

DRM Free Europe

2007-02-06T15:12:00.000-08:00

This article has been causing quite a stir on the 'net and even sparked a few lively debates within our office. In it Steve Jobs airs his thoughts on Digital Rights Management (DRM), the iTunes store, the iPod, and music. He makes some good points and it's definitely worth a read.

I like the article because it abolishes the popular misconception that somehow Apple is the prime mover behind the iPod and iTunes store being a closed system. Using a DRM—in this case FairPlay—was simply the only way Apple could convince the major record labels to let them license their music for sale through the iTunes store.

I was shocked to discover that if Apple's FairPlay DRM encoding is hacked, Apple only has a short amount of time to fix it or the labels can pull out of the iTunes store without any recompense. Yikes.

Another point which Steve Jobs did not address is that the iTunes store and the music it sells don't make Apple any money. The music sold through iTunes is a loss leader for Apple, something they carry simply so they can sell iPods while avoiding the record label's wrath.

This excellent article by the esteemed Eliot Van Buskirk puts forth the proposition that soon all music will go DRM-free MP3 anyway. It's only a matter of time.

Indie Is The Future

2007-02-05T16:30:00.000-08:00

This excellent article by the talented Eliot Van Buskirk neatly summarizes the state of the whole major label versus indie label dynamic as it exists today.

I think there are some really great changes taking place that will reshape America's musical landscape for the better: More creativity and diversity with less marketing and posturing. That's just my take on the situation, but it's always nice to find out someone agrees with you, right?

As with every situation, there's another side of the coin. With the muscle these independent record labels are suddenly finding through organizations like Merlin, A2IM, and the Association of Independent Music (AIM), who's to stop them from consolidating and moving right into the void left by the collapse of the major record labels? That little bit of postulation is complete conjecture, but it's not unreasonable either. Hopefully musicians, music lovers, and consumers in general have learned a little about letting giant corporations control their art and culture. With some luck and faith we just might come out of this mess with a bit of balance between music, creativity, and commerce.

iTunes issues for early Vista adopters

2007-02-02T16:57:00.000-08:00

Some early reports indicate that Windows users upgrading to Vista may experience some clashing between iTunes and the minty-fresh OS. It seems music, movies, and television shows purchased from iTunes can't be authorized on a Vista PC.

The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs has a particularly funny take on the situation.

Thankfully Apple just released the fix. Good luck to all the iTunes and Vista people out there.

Fight the power!

2007-02-02T16:17:00.000-08:00

Okay, I realize I probably can't say that with quite the conviction of Chuck D and his boys in Public Enemy, but that's how this story released by the Associated Press makes me feel.

Remember that litigation spree the RIAA and a few of the major record labels went on a few years ago where they brought lawsuits against kids and their parents for downloading and sharing music? Apparently one of the young boys the RIAA decided to sue has filed a counter suit. Robert Santangelo was only 11 years old when the four labels suing him claim the music downloading took place. Despite not having any proof of Robert engaging in any illegal downloading activity, the RIAA continued to prosecute him and his family for the past four years.

Santangelo has maintained his innocence and has now gone one step further by filing a suit against his accusers accusing them of violating antitrust laws, conspiring to defraud the courts, and making extortionate threats. Wow, that's a mouthful. I'll bet Chuck D could still make it rhyme.

Internet Jamming Part Deux

2007-02-02T09:41:00.000-08:00

In the interest of competition, Sonoma Wire Works offers a similar service through their excellent RiffWorks software. The technology, called RiffLink, is built into RiffWorks. Although still in beta, I've heard second hand that it works pretty well.

The excellent Line 6 Guitar Port RiffTracker comes with a version of RiffWorks as well as a passel of Line 6's famous amp and effects models. In addition to hosting RiffLink, RiffWorks is an excellent computer recording and practicing platform developed especially for guitar and bass players.

Update: Apparently, RiffLink works really, really well because it's already inspired a band. I'm proud to present to you the RiffLink Junkies. Enjoy, people, enjoy.

Jamming comes to the Internet age

2007-02-01T16:31:00.000-08:00

Tired of playing with the flaky musicians in your home town? Thanks to eJamming now you can play with flaky musicians in other cities, too! No, seriously, eJamming is a cool new online service company which uses peer to peer technology and good ol' fashioned MIDI to make playing with other musicians online a reality.

The technology is being demoed at the appropriately named Demo conference to generate interest and show off what they've accomplished. Which, if it works as advertised, will be pretty liberating for musicians. I mean, I would imagine that if you're a huge post-rock fan living in Tuscaloosa, you've probably had a hard time finding four or five other mates to come over and jam on the latest Sigur Ros record. eJamming to the rescue! The computer requirements seem reasonable so if you're MIDI and Internet equipped—and looking for new people to jam with—you should check it out.

If you're in need of a computer and MIDI-savvy instrument, you can pick up something small like the M-Audio Axiom 25, or the E-Mu Xboard 49. If you've got a keyboard with MIDI, you can just get the M-Audio USB Uno or the Yamaha UX16 and you're ready.

For guitarists, check out the Switch Wild IV MIDI electric guitar or the Brian Moore i8.13 MIDI electric guitar. You could also simply buy a special pickup like the Shadow Quick Mount guitar-to-MIDI converter.

Yeah, iTunes is that good

2007-02-01T13:34:00.000-08:00

Music download startup SpiralFrog appears to be aborting before it even launches.

Despite my flip title, I don't think SpiralFrog is really an iTunes victim as much as it is the victim of a really, really tough market that's in bad shape right now. It's also tainted with a "me, too!" flavor. Previous variations of the ad-supported download model floundered and flailed as well and nothing tastes worse to consumers than failure.

Supposedly they've hired a new CEO and maybe things will turn around for the little musical amphibian but the pond is quickly drying up for music retailers and soon everyone will be forced to evolve.

Sonic Finger studio plug-ins

2007-01-30T13:03:00.000-08:00

Some cool new plug-ins have been released by a little company called Sonic Finger. I know, I know; there are a bazillion plug-ins released each second by obscure developers around the world. But these are pretty unique and deserve a look.

I'm especially intrigued by the Virtual Studio Visitor. My studio could use some traffic and it seems like the perfect way to generate some.

Stung By The Police Reunion Rumors

2007-01-29T09:50:00.001-08:00

This has been reported many other places besides here already, but it's just so freakin' cool I can't resist spreading the word. The Police are back!

Billboard put this announcement on their website back on the third of January:

"Rumors are swirling that the Police will reunite for 2007 dates in England and the United States, which would be the legendary trio's first since disbanding in 1986."

And now this is up on the NME site:

"The Police have scheduled rehearsals in Vancouver for a reunion tour, according to a report on the city's classic rock radio station, CFMI."

Other news reports are claiming the band hasn't reunited for a tour at all, but instead are simply making an unannounced appearance at the Grammys to play one song. Given this is the 30-year anniversary of "Roxanne" being released, I think we all know which song they should perform.

-sniff, sniff- Smell that? Ahh, sweet nostalgia . . .

Edit: It's confirmed!! The Police are playing the Grammys. Get your DVRs ready!

Music, computers, and high-tech gear: it's a wonderful thing

2007-01-25T15:31:00.000-08:00

What's this blog about? The short answer is pretty much summed up by the headline.

The long answer is a little more complicated, but since you asked, here we go: Musical Machines will nearly always be about music first and foremost: favorite artists and associated news as well as rocking out and recording the mayhem. In addition I'll share what knowledge I have about music, gear, and recording.

I'll also be writing about computer recording hardware, software, and associated gear like monitors, mics, preamps, MIDI, synths, keyboards, etc. Since I'm a writer for Musician's Friend, I'll be posting news of hot, fresh gear and equipment I think is cool or unique in some way. I'm sure I'll dip into guitar and bass stuff occasionally, since I also play bass and guitar.

That about covers it, I think. Feel free to leave comments or email. I might be opening a can of worms here, but I'll also try to serve as a question and answer guy. Emphasis on the try. Remember, I have a full-time job in addition to this blog. I'll do my best to respond and if I get some questions that I think might have relevance for other musicians, I may post them or put them up on the Musician's Friend ring of websites for everybody to see.

Mm'kay? Let's all go out and make some music, boys and girls.