SKB have just introduced the world's first amplified pedal board. It has a 5W amplifier and 6" speaker built in. It's main feature, of course, is that it is a world first. Other notable features are...um...I dunno...I mean you are going to need a proper amp for gigging, and if you use this for practice how do you get used to your stage setup? Maybe I'm missing something here, but I'm not sure there is a point to this invention.
In the old days singers used to entertain by, er...singing. LUFS (aka LkFS) is being rolled out internationally through the broadcasting media. Hopefully it will mean the end of the Loudness Wars. A good overview about it can be seen here.
I watched Goldfinger again the other night. I always chuckle when he says this line:
“My dear girl, there are some things that just aren't done, such as drinking Dom Perignon '53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That's just as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs!” Goldfinger (1964) – James Bond (Sean Connery) Apple have released version 10 of Logic Pro. There are some really useful new features e.g. Flex Pitch (similar to Melodyne), and Drummer (similar to EZ drummer).
The main change is to the 'look'. The GUI has a darker colouration and now sports the Apple software look. Where things are located has changed, with some menu item reshuffles. There are also some name changes. Overall it is not a major change but there are a lot of little differences that mean playing the "where's the ____ gone?" game. Already the reviews are coming in so I won't bother here (well maybe after I have plumbed the depths of it). Here is one from a user who has been with Logic since version 1 (I'm a newbie - I joined in at version 3). And here is an article about some of the hidden features. eMusician have reviewed it here (along with a video tour). Version 10.0.1 has just come out so there is no lack of support from Apple. The documents covering what's new are here and the manuals are now online. Vi Hart has a keen interest in things musical and mathematical. Here she gives a 30 minute expose on 12 Tone Row. It is fast paced, funny, and she really does have a good understanding of the underlying meaning of serialism (in fact, her overall understanding of physics and music theory is quite sharp). Aruis Blaze has invented and built a modular synthesiser which he calls the Impossible Box. Best of all it is now for sale for the sum of $1,000,000 US. Maybe that's where the name comes from - it might be impossible to sell at that price.
Whatever happened to Karaoke? Well, it seems to have gone online. There are a number of Karaoke sites available (some paid, some free). Most cater for teenagers and include taking a video of the performance which can be uploaded. Some just select Youtube videos and don't show the lyrics. Karafun is one of the best, with songs in many styles spanning the last hundred years or so. It is subscription only but for a few dollars you can get a 48 hour licence, which is long enough for any party (why else would you want Karaoke?).
This book is about the earliest part of recording history, and covers the period of recorded music from the birth of the phonograph in 1877 up to the emergence of radio in the early 1920s (hence the reference to Marconi). The book is particularly about the start of the record industry, and is subtitled "The First Thirty Years of Recorded Music". This period begins around 1890, when record sales got a foothold. The focus is on the music artists and repertoire, genre, and how the phonograph shaped music culture, rather than the development of the invention itself (the technical and business aspects are well covered in Roland Gelatt's 'The Fabulous Phonograph, and Oliver Reed's 'From Tinfoil to Stereo'). Half of the book is dedicated to detailing particular recordings according to genre. |
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