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Portastudio on iPad, with Faux Cassette, and Everything Old is New Again

| December 8, 2010 | 0 Comments

If it’s an iconic piece of hardware or software, there’s at least a decent chance you could be seeing it in virtual iPad form soon.

Tascam’s Portastudio, released today, is a particularly striking example. The famed, budget cassette multitrack recorder, the box on which countless demos and quick songwriter creations was forged, appears on Apple’s tablet. There’s even a fake cassette tape, which I have to say is a little bit unnerving.

This is all nostalgia, right? Well, no, actually: those big, simplified plastic controls and memorable layout work because they’re so easy to use. The problem with a lot of software design of the past couple of decades is that it’s somewhat inhumane. Given endless space and often-increasing, ever-cheaper system resources, music software has been, charitably, less-than-friendly. Resembling a 70s jumbo jet cockpit, UI controls multiply and shrink to the point that they challenge all but an 18-year-old pair of eyes. Add in clunky default OS widgets, collapsible tabs and dockable windows that add still more complexity, and you wind up with a trainwreck. What these hardware emulations prove is that you could learn something from hardware – even when the need for blank space, big knobs and faders and buttons, limited controls, and standard hardware inputs and readouts is gone.

So, back to the original product, what does $10 get your iPad? If you know how a Portastudio works, you probably already know most of the answer, but here’s a quick rundown:

  • Cassette tape-style transport. (Linear transport, I might add. Seriously. You have to rewind and fast forward to get around.)
  • Routing to four inputs.
  • Mixdown to stereo (via a dialog box, so that’s the point where you break the illusion).
  • Simple EQ.
  • File sharing, via iTunes or Soundcloud. (This last item is what makes this a useful tool and not just a novelty.)
  • Support for ‘a few’ class-compliant audio interfaces, though your mileage may vary.

The development work was done by a well-loved developer, Chris Randall / Audio Damage. (Chris I think does learn hardware’s design lessons in his UIs.) See his blog post:
Hey, Look What I Made…

The bad news: no bounce, which seems a major oversight. Ironically, Tascam also has to admit that they don’t have any class-compliant audio interfaces. (Doh!) In case you’re wondering, they also say flat out in the FAQ, don’t expect versions for other operating systems soon — too bad, as this would seem fairly ideal in a reduced form on iPhone and iPod touch.

But the radical simplicity of this app could be its appeal. I may actually fire this up to use as a recording sketchpad, especially with hardware synths, Game Boys, and so on.

http://tascam.com/product/portastudio/

And forget the app itself: this ought to be a perfect time to look back and remember what made the original PortaStudio great – and wonder why so often those same design principles are lost.

One of the famed Tascam models, the sort that may well bring up fond memories of mobile recording. (Not quite the right model, but you get the idea.) Photo (CC-BY-SA) Lucius Kwok (the developer), via Wikimedia Commons

(Via Create Digital Music.)

Remembering John Lennon – 30 years

| December 8, 2010 | 0 Comments

John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles and, with Paul McCartney, formed one of the most successful songwriting partnerships of the 20th century. Born and raised in Liverpool, Lennon became involved as a teenager in the skiffle craze; his first band, The Quarrymen, evolved into The Beatles in 1960. As the group disintegrated towards the end of the decade, Lennon embarked on a solo career that would produce the critically acclaimed albums John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and Imagine, and iconic songs such as “Give Peace a Chance” and “Imagine“. Lennon disengaged himself from the music business in 1975 to devote time to his family, but re-emerged in 1980 with a new album, Double Fantasy. He was murdered three weeks after its release.

Lennon revealed a rebellious nature and acerbic wit in his music, his writing, his drawings, on film, and in interviews, and he became controversial through his political activism. He moved to New York City in 1971, where his criticism of the Vietnam War resulted in a lengthy attempt by Richard Nixon‘s administration to deport him, while his songs were adopted as anthems by the anti-war movement.

As of 2010, Lennon’s solo album sales in the United States exceed 14 million units, and as writer, co-writer or performer, he is responsible for 27 number one singles on the US Hot 100 chart. In 2002, a BBC poll on the 100 Greatest Britons voted him eighth, and in 2008, Rolling Stone ranked him the fifth greatest singer of all time. He was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

Love John Lennon quotes …
‘As usual, there is a great woman behind every idiot.’
– John Lennon
‘I don’t know which will go first – rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity.’
– John Lennon
‘Music is everybody’s possession. It’s only publishers who think that people own it.’
– John Lennon
‘We were all on this ship in the sixties, our generation, a ship going to discover the New World. And the Beatles were in the crow’s nest of that ship.’
- John Lennon
‘Will the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands? And the rest of you, if you’ll just rattle your jewelry.’
– John Lennon
‘You have to be a bastard to make it, and that’s a fact. And the Beatles are the biggest bastards on earth.’
– John Lennon
‘You’re just left with yourself all the time, whatever you do anyway. You’ve got to get down to your own God in your own temple. It’s all down to you, mate.’
– John Lennon

Songbird – A Viable iTunes Alternative?

| November 18, 2010 | 0 Comments

With the release of iTunes 10, many people suddenly realised that iTunes really wasn’t that great, and might be starting to suffer from a major case of feature bloat. The interface is starting to become messy and hard to navigate, the icon is atrocious, and Ping just clutters everything up further.

But if your main priority remains to simply listen to music, what alternatives do you have?

Songbird will do everything you want your music player to do, and more. The Songbird developers realised that you don’t want an app to handle most of your media needs, you want an app which handles all of your music needs.

But how does it stack up against iTunes, and is it really a viable alternative? Read on to find out…

Getting Started

Getting Started

Continue Reading

Cry Baby – The Pedal That Rocked The World

| November 18, 2010 | 0 Comments

Check this out, Dunlop have made a 25 minute documentary about one of the most greatest effect pedals ever invented the Cry Baby Wah!

Cry Baby: The Pedal That Rocks The World tells the story of the wah wah effect pedal, from its invention in 1966 to the present day. Musicians, engineers, and historians discuss the impact of the pedal on popular music and demonstrate the various ways it has been used, as well as how its evolution has improved the ability of artists to express themselves musically. The film features interviews with Brad Plunkett, the inventor of the pedal, plus many other musical luminaries such as Ben Fong-Torres, Eddie Van Halen, Slash, Buddy Guy, Art Thompson, Eddie Kramer, Kirk Hammett, Dweezil Zappa, and Jim Dunlop. These professionals explain how a musical novelty transcended convention and has become timelessly woven into the fabric of modern pop-culture.

For more info keep an eye on www.crybabydoc.com

Love The Way You Lie

| November 10, 2010 | 0 Comments

Gianni Luminati does a rendition of “Love The Way You Lie” with loop pedals, a kids xylophone, a drum set, and a ukulele.

Even if you’re sick of this song you should really watch this

Adobe Audition Comes to the Mac

| November 10, 2010 | 0 Comments

Adobe has announced that the public beta of Adobe Audition, its professional audio editing suite, is now available for Mac OS X. Adobe Audition has been available for Windows since 2003 (when Adobe acquired the Windows program, Cool Edit Pro) but this beta marks its first appearance on the Mac.

Audition is a digital audio workstation, similar to Pro Tools or Logic Pro. Adobe Audition for Mac boasts a fast new audio playback engine, native multi-channel support for 5.1 surround sound, noise reduction capabilities and audio effects like de-hummers and volume leveling.

In a company announcement, Jim Guerard, vice president and general manager for Dynamic Media at Adobe, said Audition for Mac is part of an ongoing mission to provide ‘industry leading, cross-platform content creation tools for creative professionals.’

Mac users can download the beta version of Adobe Audition at labs.adobe.com/technologies/audition. The program requires an Intel Mac running Mac OS X 10.5.7 or Mac OS X 10.6. There is no serial number or activation for this download, but it will expire when the beta period ends.

Adobe also offers Adobe Soundbooth, its audio package for users that are not audio professionals. In other words, it’s more of a consumer-grade tool. On its FAQ page, Adobe says that one priority of bringing Audition to the Mac is to improve workflows by providing solid integration with Adobe Premiere Pro.

Adobe has put a lot of work into making Premiere Pro more competitive with Apple’s Final Cut Studio — especially in CS5. In my own experience (which isn’t in a professional capacity, but does include multi-track, multi-source editing), I’ve found Premiere Pro CS5 for Mac to be better and more efficient than Final Cut Studio in many arenas. However, while Final Cut Studio can easily integrate with Logic Pro and Avid’s Media Composer can integrate with Pro Tools, Premiere Pro for Mac lacks its own professional audio component. With Audition for Mac, that gap is now filled.

It’s exciting to see Adobe bring its professional audio toolset to Mac OS X. We look forward to bugging our audio professional friends to see how it stacks up against the competition, especially in Adobe-laden workflows.

(Via Mashable!.)

Sing-a-Ma-Jigs

| November 5, 2010 | 0 Comments

Sing-a-Ma-Jigs – Meet the latest toy craze. Which also happen to be quite possibly the most annoying toys in the world.

New iKlip iPad Microphone Stand Adapter

| November 5, 2010 | 0 Comments

iKlip iPad mic stand adapterIf you’re an iPad music software user, you may want to check out the new IK Multimedia iKlip — a $39.99 multi-angle iPad microphone stand adapter.

Here are IK Multimedia’s suggested uses for the iKlip:

  • Score viewing during musical performance and playback
  • Viewing notes and presentation materials during live presentations/performances
  • Learning tool – use your tablature and score apps to learn songs and riffs
  • Use it with AmpliTube for iPad to play on stage or practice at home
  • Use your favorite iPad music creation apps like GrooveMaker
  • DJs – now you can use your iPad DJ apps live — mounts to tabletop stands as well as standard mic poles
  • Use with karaoke apps for live ‘play along’ singing – whatever your favorite iPad app, it’s now within your reach.

According to IK Multimedia, the iKlip is is constructed from dense thermoplastic molded components for ‘extreme durability and secure holding abilities under the most demanding situations’.

Features:

  • Sturdy, durable thermoplastic construction with sure-grip touch points — securely holds your iPad without scratching or marring it
  • Universal stand clip securely attaches to virtually any microphone stand
  • Multi-angle adjustment allows precise positioning for optimal stage or studio viewing
  • Quick-snap clips provide fast, secure iPad insertion
  • Fast installation — iKlip installs on your mic stand in seconds with the twist of a knob
  • All controls, buttons and connectors are accessible when your iPad is clipped into iKlip
  • Multi-mount design provides both horizontal and vertical orientation of your iPad
  • Can be mounted on the vertical part of a mic stand, or on a horizontal boom for limitless positioning
  • Designed and manufactured in Italy

If you’ve used the iKlip, leave a comment and let us know what you think of it!

(Via Synthtopia.)

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