Real World Digital Audio, My Music Production Book, Hits Shelves

I couldn’t be more proud to share this one: over a year in the making, my book Real World Digital Audio is now hitting shelves: Real World Digital Audio [Official Book Site] I launched this project with Peachpit Press because we wanted to compress the broad range of skills you need to master music production […]

Calling NYU ITP Participants

Just came back from the ITP show at New York University and had a blast. (Ah, yesterday. Remember when we still had a transit system in this town? Good times.) I know we have some readers over there, so, NYU students, faculty, and ITP visitors, drop me a line. Let me know about your work […]

Holiday Gift Guide: Last-Minute Digital Musician Gear + Games

It’s not too late. In the spirit of procrastination, I offer my last round-up of products. Mail order these suckers “rush” or stop by your local music store, and you’ve still got time. (Or, if you’re really lucky, you’re giving to someone like me with a January birthday and the “holiday season” just extends onward […]

Silly Ideas Dept.: Lighter Cellphone Wallpaper

Kids today. They’re at a concert, but they’re too busy texting and chatting on AIM on their cellphones. For Generation Why?!, we now have lighter images for your cellphones, so you don’t have to be bothered to take your cellphone and a lighter to the next Pussycat Dolls show. Available for US$1.99 (US customers only?) […]

Big in Japan: Audio-Technica Brings “Import Series” Headphones to US

Most of the world is living in the dark ages of headphones. (iPod earbuds, I’m looking at you.) That’s sad, because it’s a great time to buy pro-quality headphones: they’re better-sounding and cheaper than ever. One trusted maker is Audio-Technica, which has generously taken its previously Japan-only headphones and released them here in the United […]

New Intel Laptops: Good News for Mac, Windows Audio Users

Let’s cut straight through the marketing-speak on the Intel’s new notebook platform. As usual, Intel is likely to give its new platform a confusing name that sounds like a pharmaceutical product (Centrino?), and will make weirdly vague feature claims, like the new platform will be “better at running music.” (If they meant running Cakewalk SONAR […]

Robot Drummer Responds to Human Playing; How They Did It

Imagine playing a duet with a robot: that’s the idea behind Haile, a robotic percussionist that can “improvise” based on analysis of live playing. Project Page with Video Clips [Gatech.edu] Gil Weinberg, Assistant Professor and Director of Music Technology at the Georgia Institute of Technology, who created the project with the help of grad student […]

Simulating Phase Shifter Pedals in Software, Using Math for MIDI

In answer to my earlier question, yes, people are using circuit simulation software to develop music software. Chris Randall of the very cool plug-in development house Audio Damage writes us: We use SPICE when we’re modeling for Audio Damage products. We recreate the circuitry of whatever unit we’re modelling in order to better understand the […]

Sound Synthesis with Free Circuit Simulation Software

I’m still looking for scientist and engineer types who could make use of National Instruments LabVIEW for sound synthesis (I know they’re out there). The superb MAKE: Blog passed along that info, and got something else: synthesis using circuit simulation software. A reader on MAKE: Blog is apparently simulating sound synthesis circuits using University of […]

Best of the Rest: Underground Music Making Edition

It’s a sad day: you’ve dumped all those music site news feeds because you had real “work” to do. Good news: it’s time to take a look at the best of the rest on the Web. This week, I’ve got some great articles plus downloadable sounds, video, software, to keep you up with underground digital […]