Reviewing the Korg KR-55 and KR-55b Retro...
I've recently purchased and have been using both the Korg KR-55 and KR-55b on some new Anjelicas Baby tracks. I really enjoyed the hands on use and retro sound of these two machines. If you are into electronic, electronica, new wave, electro, synthpop, dance or pop music in general you will love adding these sounds to your music productions. Made in (1982), the Korg KR-55b was the successor to the popular (1979) Korg KR-55. Korg were one of the companies at the cutting edge of analogue technology when everyone was attempting to recreate the sound of a real drum kit. For its time it was revolutionary and very easy to operate. It had twice the allotted 48 drum programs of the KR-55 with a very handy...
The Best iPhone Apps For Musicians
The iPhone is an amazing device with many practical uses and applications. For musicians especially, the iPhone features many handy apps that can be used for on the go music making. The following iPhone apps are great for any musician, whether they're just a curious novice or a pro.iDrum This iPhone app gives musicians a portable drum machine. There are a handful of different editions (hip-hop, rock, club, and more) of the app with new preset kits to satisfy any musician's taste. iDrum turns the iPhone into a step sequencer, where users can create different beats and string them together into a song. Musicians can edit their beats on the fly and at just $4.99 this app is a valuable tool for musical...
How to Produce a Christmas Number One Hit
The worst thing about Christmas has to be listening to Top Of The Pops and the Christmas Number 1 - Girls Aloud, Robbie Williams, Westlife and Mr Blobby for goodness sake! Surely anyone can produce a better Christmas Hit than those. After all, a computer does all the work, doesn't it - all you do is press a few buttons and jiggle a few drum and bass lines around. So what do you need? You need a PC with a reasonable amount of processing power under the hood - a Pentium III at least, preferably a P4 - in order to run the music software. Audio files are quite large - forget MP3s, we're talking the real thing here - and for each track of audio you record you'll need around 10.6Mb of hard disk space per...
Importing MIDI & WAV Files Into Reason For...
We all know that Reason Refills are a great way to expand the already bulging factory soundset included with Reason, but how do you import other sounds into this versatile piece of music production software? We'll start off by looking at MIDI files, these allow you to easily reconstruct a single riff or entire piece of music and add your own unique sounds using any of Reason's instruments. First off let's import a MIDI file into Reason's sequencer. Make sure that you've got a song open with at least one instrument in your rack and a sequencer track added. Then from the file menu choose "import MIDI file". This will open a file browser window. Navigate to the location where your MIDI files are stored...
Yamaha S90XS Review
This powerful machine is certainly made with the artist as the primary goal instead of just for creating a sound to be applied in a studio nonetheless it measures up in the two elements. The sound quality is really as high as you would count on from Yamaha products. The huge 142 megabytes worth of Piano sounds captures the sound of the S6 Concert Grand Piano combined with the ideal weighted keys will make you ignore that you just are not sitting down at a genuine piano. The performance creator functionality allows you to produce rich soundscapes by using a single push of a key, adding diverse voices as well as arpeggios over the top of the main sounds. The look with the machine is clearly directed...
Yamaha S90Xs Review: The Future Of Music...
Music workstations have come a long way ever since the beginning of electronic musical technology. The Yamaha S90XS Workstation uses the real performance features of a high quality keyboard to a higher level. This powerful device is clearly designed with the performer in mind instead of just for creating a sound to be applied inside a studio nonetheless it measures up in each areas. The audio quality is as high as you'd assume from Yamaha tools. The giant 142 megabytes worth of Piano wave forms carries the audio from the S6 Concert Grand Piano coupled with the excellent weighted keys will make you overlook that you aren't sitting down behind an actual piano. The performance creator function is used...
Music Creation: Chopping Drum Loops
how you how to slice pre-made sampled drum loops to help you re-arrange them, create variations as well as totally new new drum grooves. To aid us we'll be using Propellerhead Software 'Recycle!' software to aid the slicing of your drum loops since this easily creates a MIDI file representing each beat slice of the loop. This enables you to load the resulting Recycle! file (REX) into your sampler software for easy arranging. An alternative for both PC & OS X is iZotope's Phatmatik Pro, a VST & Audio Unit plugin that'll work from within your sequencer. They've recently added Recycle loops support too so this one's a definite contender for slicing drum loops. FL Studio also has it's own built in beat...
Popular Brands of 88 Key Synthesizers
88 key synthesizers are made for professional music players. As the name suggests it contains 88 keys. There are several popular brands of 88 key synthesizers. Here's providing a list of few below. - Korg: Korg is a very reputed name in the world of musical instruments. Mr. Tsutomu Katoh founded the company in the year 1963. They first produced The Disc Rotary Auto Electric Machine (Doncamatic DA-20). After this, Korg went on creating different instruments. Today they are one of the leading synthesizer makers. Some of their very popular synthesizers are, POLY-800 Synthesizer (world's first polyphonic synthesizer that costs below $1000), M1 Music Workstation etc. The Korg TR88 88 key Weighted synth...
Coco Montoya - I Want it All Back
The release Coco Montoya - I Want It All Back melds genres from blues, pop, funk, rock, soul, and rhythm and blues seamlessly in creative arrangements and melodies complementing Coco's distinctive guitar work and vocals. I Want It All Back: Hey Senorita; I Want It All Back; Forever; Cry Lonely; As Close As I Have Come; The Life of My Broken Heart; The One Who Really Loves You; Fannie Mae; Don't Go making' Plans; She's Gonna Need Somebody; Somebody's Baby Personnel: Coco Montoya: Guitar; Keb' Mo': Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals; Jeff Paris: Keyboards (Yamaha S90ES), Hammond B3, Kurzweil PCS Horns, Guitar, Backing Vocals; Reggie McBride: Bass; Stephen Ferrone: Drums; Courtney Branch: Percussion; Nikki...
Why would you buy an electronic piano instead of a normal acoustic one? Electronic pianos have progressed since the early days, and the quality of sound has improved markedly. They are becoming more and more popular as they are of a much more manageable size than the heavy old upright pianos, and of course they take up much less space, and do not tend to dominate the room. There is no need for a piano tuner to come in every few months, and also there is the added benefit of earphones, a godsend to parents who have had to endure their children's practice sessions. So if you have decided to buy a digital piano, which one should you buy? The first thing to do is to find out the most poplar brand, and...
Laptop computers have come a long ways since their introduction a relatively short time ago. Here is a look at some of their history and why they are so popular. The personal computer first emerged in the late 1970s and found a following even with its limited applications. As digital technology advanced and microchips became smaller and faster, the use of computers became widespread with almost every office, school, hospital and business using them. As the form, features and uses of these computers continued to change with time, demand for more portable and personal computers arose. Eventually, these evolved into the virtual portable work stations that we know as laptop computers. Laptop computers...
Everybody Can Learn to Play the Piano With the...
The Yamaha YPG 625 keyboard has a new voice technology and this has attracted the masses towards it. This keyboard debuted in the year 2006. This is a portable keyboard which is better than its predecessors. Before this the DGX keyboards were available, the YPG replaced the DGX with its brand new features. The best thing about this keyboard is that it has 88 keys for different actions. The 88 key keyboard is a first for the Yamaha brand at this price. The piano has a real acoustic feel to it. New and debut piano players will be delighted with all the features of the keyboard. It is a lot better than light weighted keyboards. The Yamaha YPG 625 also has a 6 track sequencer. If you have a hidden...
Review The Yamaha Ypg - Grand Keyboards From...
for a digital keyboard with more than 61 keys? Have a look at the Yamaha YPG series of keyboards. These are the grand size keyboards with 88 keys, and can be used for playing all the piano pieces. Are you an intermediate level keyboard player who wants to graduate from his 61 key electronic keyboard to an 88 key musical keyboard? Are you interested in playing classical music, or want to learn a lot of advanced pieces? An 88 key keyboard is what you will need, and the Yamaha YPG series produces one of the best 88 key keyboards, also known as grand size keyboards. The YPG series keyboard is primarily meant for the North American market, and contains the usual hundreds of musical styles and voices. But...
Looking for a digital keyboard with more than 61 keys? Have a look at the Yamaha YPG series of keyboards. These are the grand size keyboards with 88 keys, and can be used for playing all the piano pieces. Are you an intermediate level keyboard player who wants to graduate from his 61 key electronic keyboard to an 88 key musical keyboard? Are you interested in playing classical music, or want to learn a lot of advanced pieces? An 88 key keyboard is what you will need, and the Yamaha YPG series produces one of the best 88 key keyboards, also known as grand size keyboards. The YPG series keyboard is primarily meant for the North American market, and contains the usual hundreds of musical styles and...
With the advancement of technology and science the production of music has undergone a lot of changes. The modern form of music is composed using digital means. Digital music is also typically called electronic music. This music consists of digital signals which undergo diverse digital processes to be reproduced in its original analog form. A digital signal is made up of 2 levels only-0 and 1. This signal is broadcast in the form of bits with each bit either 0 or 1.To convert an analog signal to a digital format analog-to-digital converters are used ;to convert a digital signal to analog form digital-to-analog converters are used. The digital music is soundless, distortion free to a large extent and...
Midi Keyboards
MIDI keyboards are a kind of missing link in the modern world of computer generated audio. A great many music hobbyists and professionals working in the field of electronic music are generating their sounds and music from inside their computers. The sounds themselves are synthesized by the computer in a virtual environment, and it is the job of a MIDI controller or MIDI keyboard to control these sounds and make them playable just like a traditional musical instrument. It is a little more complicated than that and MIDI controller keyboards can come in many varieties, differing in price and in features between different models. Piano keyboards will generally try and imitate a piano playing...
'The Mandala is the Best and Most High-Definition Way to Control All the Pro Audio Software Out There,' Says Mandala Inventor Vince De Franco Laurel Canyon, Calif. - Showcasing the Mandala's unprecedented ability to control pro audio software, Synesthesia Corporation today released 50 Native Instruments Battery 3 presets for the Mandala 2.0, along with an HD Black Beauty Battery 3 Player for Mandala. They are available now to anyone via free download from the company's website at The presets configure drum sampler Battery 3 for use with the Mandala (Battery 3 required, and is not included with the Mandala), using only samples from the Battery 3 12GB library of more than 100 drum kits with more than...
Steinberg Cubase 5 buy cheap
Steinberg Cubase 5 buy cheap Cubase is 20 years old this year, so it's strange to think that it has only reached version 5. In fact, Steinberg rebooted the brand in 2002 when Cubase VST 5 turned into Cubase SX. Its two-year turnover is slow, though, and a lot has happened in the two years since version 4 was launched. Steinberg has responded with a swathe of inspired new features, many of which will have a big impact on the creative process. Pick of the bunch is VariAudio, a vocal pitch-correction editor in the style of AutoTune. This type of effect has a mixed reputation: it's blamed for letting poor vocalists off the hook but it's so widely used now that few singers can live without it. VariAudio...
Types of Kick Drum Samples
There are many different types of kick drum samples available for music producers today. Beat making is such an involved activity that having to use the same samples over and over can really kill your creativity. This is especially true with kick drum sounds as these are an elemental ingredient to just about every rhythm and blues, hip hop, rap, pop and rock song on the charts and underground today. A kick drum sample has a few phases, the first being the start or attack. If the attack is very strong, you will be able to hear the introduction of the kick through many other instruments and sound layers, and if it is not that strong, you will still feel it but not be made aware to its presence...
Yolanda Adams "Day By Day" Pop Music...
Day By Day is the latest release from Pop Artist Yolanda Adams, and is another winner by this talented musician. Unfortunately, it's not everyday that I get a CD from an artist that I can just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. There is usually a song or two that I just can't force myself to get through. Not at all the case with Day By Day. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish. One of the refreshingly nice things about this CD is the way all of the participating artists seem to be really enjoying themselves. Combine that with the overall presentation and you've got one of Yolanda Adams's most impressive releases ever. If you're a...
Electric Light Orchestra A New World Record...
One word describes the CD A New World Record from Electric Light Orchestra... AWESOME! It's a rare day indeed that I get a CD from an artist that I can truthfully say does not have a bad track in the bunch. I'm more than happy to announce that's exactly what I must say about this one. There simply isn't a bad one in the bunch. No fillers here at all, with each song standing tall on it's own. These days it's a very rare CD on which every single song is good or better than the one before it. This CD is certainly one of those rare CDs. Overall A New World Record is an outstanding release. What I call must have music. I give it two thumbs up and is most definitely a worthy addition to any Rock...
1980's New Wave Music and the Skinny Tie
The Birth of New Wave Music New Wave mania hit the scene in the United States in the mid to late l970's and moved on into the United Kingdom in the early 80's. It was a sound that took its origins from rock and pop music and was initially used interchangeably with punk rock before making a stand on its own. New Wave music brought together a variety of popular music sounds that included disco, electronic and experimental. Electronic elements including synthesizers were commonly used in the 80's New Wave sound. It was an era when bands began to experiment with and incorporate electronic sounds into their compositions. The digital synthesizer and electronic keyboards were being made available...
Bonnie Raitt Fundamental Rock Music CD Review
Talented Rock artist Bonnie Raitt has released her latest CD on the Capitol / EMI Records recording label, entitled Fundamental. The CD kicks off with an outstanding track, The Fundamental Things, that I suspect will be heard on radio stations everywhere, and deservedly so. It's a really nice track. One of the refreshingly nice things about this CD is the way all of the participating artists seem to be really enjoying themselves. Combine that with the overall presentation and you've got one of Bonnie Raitt's most impressive releases ever. If you're a Bonnie Raitt fan this is a CD your collection flat cannot be without. In fact, this is one of those CDs that you don't even have to be a fan of Raitt...
Mind, Body & Soul is the latest release from Pop Star Joss Stone, and I can only think of one word to describe it... AWESOME! This CD literally grabs your attention right from the very first note with Right To Be Wrong and doesn't let go until the very last note of the very last song The Right Time, which is another great track by the way. Joss Stone is one of those musicians that has the ability to just bowl you over with her talent. The kind of artist it's really a treat to be able to listen to. Listen to and I think you'll agree that the song choices are excellent, the production is outstanding and Stone is certainly in top form. Of particular note on this offering is her amazing rendition of...
Yes Album Rock Music CD Review
Yes released their most recent album entitled Yes Album. It's a rare day indeed that I get a CD from an artist that I can truthfully say does not have a bad track in the bunch. I'm more than happy to announce that's exactly what I must say about this one. There simply is NOT a bad one in the bunch. No fillers here at all, with each song standing tall on it's own. Yes Album has a pleasantly varied, mix of 9 tracks that are very well written and brilliantly performed songs by these clearly superb musicians. Most of the songs display a lot of the kind emotion that makes for a really great listen. Seemingly drawing from what I can only imagine are their own personal experiences. At different points...
George Harrison's 10 Best Beatles Songs
e Harrison is often referred to as the "quiet Beatle" and sometimes sadly even as the "forgotten Beatle" and that's due to the fact that he was in the same band as the greatest songwriting team in popular music history. Lennon/McCartney were good enough to overshadow almost anyone but that being the case Harrison wrote many great songs with The Beatles and that's what this article is set to highlight. He was the youngest Beatle which explains his "late blooming" as a songwriter in comparison to his band mates John Lennon and Paul McCartney. When the Beatles recording session happened in January of 1970 Harrison was only 26 years old. Harrison's best known Beatles compositions are probably his pair...
Review of the Electric Light Orchestra CD a New...
The exceptionally talented Rock group Electric Light Orchestra have released their CD entitled A New World Record. I am very confident and happy to announce that I believe Electric Light Orchestra fans, and Rock fans alike will be pleased with this one. With the release of A New World Record their artistic excellence is on full display as they have once again delivered a brilliant collection of tracks that could very well be their best work to date. Electric Light Orchestra have been a heavy hitters in the Rock genre for quite a while now and A New World Record is an excellent illustration as to why. These days it’s a very rare CD on which every single song is good or better than the one before it...
Sheryl Crow - CMon CMon - Rock Music CD Review
Richly talented Rock artist Sheryl Crow has released her latest CD titled CMon CMon and Wow! It's really a good one. Unfortunately, it's not everyday that I get a CD from an artist that I can just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. There is usually a song or two that I just can't force myself to get through. Not at all the case with CMon CMon. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish. Rock music fans will recognize some of the well known contributors on the project including Benmont Tench and Others plus a few other notables as well. Listen and I think you'll agree that the song choices are excellent, the production is outstanding and...
Paul Taylor "Hypnotic" Smooth Jazz...
Not sure what's happening with me on this one, but it seems like the more I listen to it, the better Hypnotic gets. Hypnotic simply stated is one of Paul Taylor's best CDs to date. Refreshingly, this was one of those CDs I was able to just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish. Hypnotic has a pleasantly varied, mix of 11 tracks that are very well written songs by this clearly outstanding artist. With many of the songs displaying a lot of the kind emotion that makes for a really great listen. Paul Taylor is one of those musicians that has the ability to just bowl you over with his talent. The kind...
Richly talented Pop artist Billy Cobham has released him latest album titled Spectrum and Wow! It's good. I wish it weren't the case but, it's not everyday that I get a CD from an artist that I can just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. There is usually a song or two that I just can't force myself to get through. Not at all the case with Spectrum. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish. Spectrum is a pleasantly varied, mix of 6 tracks that are very well written songs by this clearly outstanding artist. With many of the songs displaying a lot of the kind emotion that makes for a really great listen. Seemingly drawing from what I can...
George Duke "Face The Music" Jazz...
Talented Jazz artist George Duke has released his latest CD on the Bizarre Planet Entertainment recording label, entitled Face The Music. It's a rare day indeed that I get a CD from an artist that I can truthfully say does not have a bad track in the bunch. I'm more than happy to announce that's exactly what I must say about this one. There simply is NOT a bad one in the bunch. No fillers here at all, with each song standing tall on it's own. Face The Music is a pleasantly varied, mix of 10 tracks that are very well written songs by this clearly superb artist. This is a first rate CD, delivering a little something for everyone. I give it two thumbs up. It's quite simply great listening. A must buy...
Review of the Lenny White CD Venusian Summer
Super talented Jazz artist Lenny White has released him most recent CD on the Wounded Bird Records recording label, entitled Venusian Summer. It's a rare day indeed that I get a CD from an artist that I can truthfully say does not have a bad track in the bunch. I'm more than happy to announce that’s exactly what I must say about this one. There simply is NOT a bad one in the bunch. No fillers here at all. Jazz music fans will recognize some of the well known guests that have been assembled to play along with White on several of the tracks. Artists like Raymond Gomez and Onaje Allen Gumbs just to name a couple. Listen to this CD and I believe you’ll find there's not much to dis-like about it. The...
The exceptionally talented Rock artist Santana has released him CD entitled Moonflower. I am very confident and happy to announce that I believe Santana fans, and Rock fans alike will be pleased with this one. With the release of Moonflower Santana's artistic excellence is on full display as Santana has once again delivered a brilliant collection of tracks that could very well be him best work to date. It's a rare day indeed that I get a CD from an artist that I can truthfully say does not have a bad track in the bunch. I'm more than happy to announce that's exactly what I must say about this one. There simply isn't a bad one in the bunch. No fillers here at all. Santana is one of those musicians...
Tom Scott - New Found Freedom - Jazz Music CD...
Tom Scott has released him most recent album entitled New Found Freedom. It's a rare day indeed that I get a CD from an artist that I can truthfully say does not have a bad track in the bunch. I'm more than happy to announce that's exactly what I must say about this one. There simply is NOT a bad one in the bunch. No fillers here at all. Tom Scott is one of those musicians that has the ability to just win you over with him talent. The kind of artist it's really a treat to be able to listen to. New Found Freedom is a first rate CD, delivering a little something for everyone. I give it two thumbs up. It's quite simply great listening. A must buy for the Jazz fan. While the entire album is really very...
The super talented group Third Eye Blind have released their latest CD on the Elektra Entertainment recording label, entitled Blue. Refreshingly, this was one of those CDs I was able to just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish. The nice thing about a CD like this is with this level of talent even if Rock isn't your favorite style you still can't help but appreciate the greatness of the musicians. Listen to and I think you'll agree that the song choices are excellent, the production is outstanding and Third Eye Blind is clearly a group that is in top form. While the entire album is really very...
Review of the Mariah Carey CD Rainbow
I can describe the latest release from Pop sensation Mariah Carey for you with just one word... Outstanding! It's a rare day indeed that I get a CD from an artist that I can truthfully say does not have a bad track in the bunch. I'm more than happy to announce that's exactly what I must say about this one. There simply is NOT a bad one in the bunch. No fillers here at all. Rainbow is a nicely varied, mix of 14 tracks that are very well written songs by this clearly talented artist. Most of the songs display a lot of the kind emotion that makes for a really great listen. Clearly drawing from what I can only imagine are her own real life experiences. At different points touching on the most real...
Marc Antoine Urban Gypsy Jazz Music CD Review
Not sure what's happening with me on this one, but it seems like the more I listen to it, the better Urban Gypsy gets. Urban Gypsy stated simply is one of Marc Antoine's best CDs to date. Unfortunately, it's not everyday that I get a CD from an artist that I can just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. There is usually a song or two that I just can't force myself to get through. Not at all the case with Urban Gypsy. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish. These days it's a very rare CD on which every single song is good or better than the one before it. This CD is certainly one of those rare CDs. Overall Urban Gypsy is an outstanding...
Stephen Stills - Manassas - Rock Music CD Review
Manassas is the latest release from Rock Star Stephen Stills, and I can only think of one word to describe this CD... AWESOME! The CD opens with a great track, Song Of Love, that I anticipate will be heard on radio stations everywhere, and deservedly so. It really is a very nice track. Stephen Stills possesses the characteristic of being able to win you over with him talent alone. The kind of artist I really enjoy listening to. I give Manassas my highest recommendation. It just plain belongs in any serious music collectors collection regardless of genre preference. While the entire CD is really very good some of my favorites are track 5 - Both Of Us, track 11 - Don't Look At My Shadow, and track 21...
Beverly Hills Cop IV / 4 Soundtrack
The original movie Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack was made with top of the line synthesizer's and had a great marketing setup with the soundtrack song being released as a instrumental single to further promote the Beverly Hills Cop movie. I'm wondering if Bret Ratner is considering doing the same with his upcoming release of the Beverly Hills Cop 4 soundtrack. Till this day you can turn on you radio and hear the sounds of that 80's Robert Moog synthesizer, once you hear it you automatically remember that Beverly Hills Cop movie. This song is still currently one of the most popular instrumentals internationally it reached the tops of the billboards it didn’t event have words. Bret Ratner needs to do...
Lenny White Venusian Summer Jazz Music CD Review
The extremely talented Jazz artist Lenny White has released him most recent CD on the Wounded Bird Records recording label, entitled Venusian Summer. It's a rare day indeed that I get a CD from an artist that I can truthfully say does not have a bad track in the bunch. I'm more than happy to announce that's exactly what I must say about this one. There simply is NOT a bad one in the bunch. No fillers here at all, with each song standing tall on it's own. Venusian Summer has a nicely varied, mix of 6 tracks that are very well written songs by this clearly superb artist. With many of the songs displaying a lot of the kind emotion that makes for a really great listen. Clearly drawing from what I can...
Very talented Jazz artist Marcus Miller has released him latest CD titled Silver Rain and Wow! It's really a good one. Marcus Miller has been a heavy hitter in the Jazz genre for quite some time now and Silver Rain is an excellent illustration as to why. Jazz music fans will recognize some of the well known contributors on the project including Dean Brown and Macy Gray plus a few other notables as well. I'm of the opinion that Silver Rain is certainly Marcus Miller's best work in a few years. A totally enjoyable CD and an outstanding release. What I call must have music. I give it two thumbs up because it's a collection that even the casual Jazz fan can appreciate and enjoy. While the entire album...
-- End Ad Box ---> The synthesizer was a long time in the making. The history of the synthesizer is one that goes back long before electricity — many of early composers conceived of the concept, but could never put it into practice. In fact, it would take the invention of the silicon chip to make synthesizers possible. The first synthesizers were very crude in their abilities. They date back well over 50 years. They were wired manually to create a given sound. They consisted of an oscillator, or tone generators, in one of three basic waveforms. These were sawtooth, square, or sine waves. This signal was then passed through several other modules to alter the initial tone. These first...
Abbey Road was the last studio album The Beatles recorded. There's some confusion over this bit of trivia because Let It Be was released in 1970 and Abbey Road was released in 1969. But Let It Be had actually already been recorded, it had just been shelved due to the band being unhappy with it. It wasn't until Abbey Road had already been recorded and released that the band hired Phil Specter to "salvage" Let It Be with his production work. Abbey Road was a huge critical & commercial success. It remains one of The Beatles most popular albums to this day. Abbey Road has also been critically acclaimed. For example it was ranked #14 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the top 500 albums of all time. And...
Review of the Erykah Badu CD Mamas Gun
Erykah Badu has released her most recent CD entitled Mamas Gun. It's a rare day indeed that I get a CD from an artist that I can truthfully say does not have a bad track in the bunch. I'm more than happy to announce that's exactly what I must say about this one. There simply is NOT a bad one in the bunch. No fillers here at all. Erykah Badu possesses the characteristic of being able to win you over with her talent alone. The kind of artist I frankly just flat out enjoy listening to. If you're a Erykah Badu fan, or just a fan of Pop music this is a CD your collection simply should not be without. While this entire CD is really very good some of my favorites are track 2 - Don't Cha Know, track 11 - In...
How to Make Professional Rap Beats
Here's the differences between a Dr. Dre type producer and a wanna be rap producer and also some main points on How to Make Professional Rap Beats. It's all about knowledge and experience with the many styles of beat making. 1. The range of different types and techniques is wide so you must be sure to narrow your focus on only a couple of these styles when starting out. 2. When it comes to knowing how you can make rap beats you need to know the proper layout that a beat should follow. 3. A great DJ and rap producer once said, "Knowing what equipment is necessary for composing and structuring your music to give it that unique and fresh flavor is key on How to Make Professional Rap Beats." 4. You...
10 Things You Might Not Know About the Electric...
me of you may think of someone playing the electronic keyboard as a “pianist”. Well you’d be wrong. They would actually be referred to (by someone who knows what they are talking about) as a “keyboardist”. Sounds clumsy, but it’s true. 2. The term “electronic keyboard” is used to mainly describe the cheap end portable home sequencing keyboards, but is also commonly used to include many variants such as the digital piano, the synthesizer, the electric organ and the arranger keyboard. 3. Many electronic keyboards commonly use MIDI signals to send and receive musical data. MIDI is essentially a sequence of instructions that identify the sound used, the...
4 Tips to Make Hip Hop Beats Quick and Easy...
So you want to make hip hop beats? Well the trick is that there really isn't a trick at all. Of course beyond starting with a solid beat and then adding layers of sound (not too much) to make the perfect mix, you need to find the right equipment for the job. Fortunately with today's incredible technology you don't need to buy a single piece of hardware, and even better, you don't need to know a whole lot about music theory. Tip #1: Always start with the bear minimum. This means that you never want to overwhelm yourself with a ton of equipment that will cause a ten month learning curve. So yeah, you might be making great hip hop beats in about 6 months with hours and hours of practice, but what good...
Image Line Drum Synths - Do They Deliver?
When you think of Image Line, what exactly comes to your head? If you answered like me, your answer would be Fruity Loops. Wait a minute... except it's not called that anymore, is it? It's now FL Studio. I think we're up to version 9. Anyway, Image Line have been busy bees, releasing a batch of processors and plugins that are not only compatible with the FL Studio program but every VST host out there. It is no surprise that their recent drum synths offering, then, has gotten a lot of attention. With the existing user base as big as it is, it wasn't hard to find guinea pigs to test drive the new system. I have had the pleasure of testing the new drum synth Drumaxx for a few days now. Truth be told...
You have probably been out to a club and have been blown away by the tracks the DJ was spinning throughout the evening. Maybe you were envious at his ability to create those sounds and you would like to try to make your own. You can surely do this with a bit of knowledge and a really good techno beat maker. Are you familiar with Mash-ups and Bootlegs? A Mash-up is a unique song that is produced by overlaying two or more tracks onto a single track. It is really easy to do if you find two complimentary tracks. A Bootleg starts with a single original song. You then add different sounds or mix in some loops from other songs to produce a new, unique piece of music. A good techno beat maker will allow you...
You don't need expensive studio equipment to make beats. If you want to know how to make beats like a profession, all you need to do is fire up your computer and buy some good beat maker software. You already have a computer and finding the beat maker software is easy. So if you are in the business of learning how to make rap beats, you have a lot of few different options that you that you can take. You can get a beat maker that is online or one that is offline and installed on your computer. Both get the job done and can be used interchangeably. Price-wise, there's no difference between the two. Generally, the software isn't that expensive. A basic beat maker will range from about about $20-40...
Hip Hop Beat Maker - The Tool to Get Your Child...
Have you been trying to encourage your son or daughter to pick up a musical instrument and learn to play? As adults, we understand the importance of learning to play an instrument at an early age and the satisfaction that can be derived from doing so as the years go by. But what if you're child is stubborn and refuses to do so yet shows a keen interest in listening to rap music? Investing in a hip hop beat maker might just spark the creative flare you know your child has! So just what exactly is a hip hop beat maker anyway? It's a musical program that runs on your computer allowing a person to mix music, sounds and samples to produce great sounding beats. For many parents, the idea of this is a...