If you want your fans to be able to remix, mash, and recreate your music, you could adopt new remix-friendly digital distribution formats, or even give people your work as a GarageBand file. Of course, for maximum flexibility there’s a centuries-old technology that’s even better: notation. Using Sibelius, the Pat Metheny Group has put its […]

No, not that kind of playmate. (Sorry.) The killer feature of Alesis’ new PlayMate Guitarist is (really!) a CD player: pop in a CD of music and you can change the tempo without affecting pitch. Throw in 80 guitar effects and a helping of I/O, and this definitely makes a cool gadget bag addition for […]

Guitars may be more portable than, say, a concert harp, but can you fit them under an airplane seat? Sure you can, if you’re lucky enough to own one of the 15 Chrysalis Guitars in the world. The instruments, developed by ex-biologist Tim White starting in the early 80s, actually inflate (as in, you blow […]

I use Lego metaphors all the time here on CDM, but why not make music with Legos? Aside from the cool Lego-created DJ shown at right, there are various DIY projects involving Legos. (Thanks for the pic, Elle!) Most impressive is the Lego-based CD changer, constructed from Mindworks kits to shuffle CDs. Sure, it’s basically […]

Podifier, the free Windows podcasting app, has hit 1.0. Drag and drop MP3 files, enter an FTP site, and you can instantly create a RSS 2.0 podcast feed. It’s perfect for creating podcasts like the brilliant Fake Science Lab Report. So, have you started podcasting yet? Send us the links, and let us know which […]

All work and no play makes Pro Tools a very dull boy. Digidesign appears to be wooing musicians who want some creative toys with new bundles and a new instrument and, while it wouldn’t sway me to Pro Tools from another system, there are some nice tools for current users. LE/M-Powered Users: Digi’s new bundles […]

Part of a series looking inside readers’ studios . . . Atariboy is the Melbourne-based graphic designer and musician behind the UI for some of our favorite software (see his EM411 page and plasq.com). Apparently he knows something we don’t, because it looks like he’s stockpiling vintage Macs and PCs in preparation for some sort […]

Part of a series looking inside readers’ studios . . . It’s beyond me why people waste time on message boards debating the merits of hardware versus software. Come on, people: it’s 2005. Most of use a mix of the two, in different combinations. Check out Wally’s studio; whoever can identify every last piece of […]

Part of a series looking inside readers’ studios . . . Ah . . . living space and working space. For most of us, they’re one in the same. Witness San Francisco-based sound designer Dan Dugan‘s island of sound creation in his home. Digital meets analog: reel-to-reel? Check. Dolby gear? Check. Computer system? Check. [Take […]

There’s something comforting about looking at other people’s home studios. Music creation isn’t about pricey, luxury studio spaces after all: it’s random assortments of gear in bedrooms and living spaces. Sure, we know that — but it’s another matter to see the endless diversity of what that actually looks like. EM411, easily the best digital […]