Software to make your own beats
By Kevin | July 2, 2008
I’ve just discovered one of the simplest and quickest ways to make your own beats on a computer!
Its a great package containing everything you need to intuitively create your own instrumental backing tracks for any dance style music.
click here for more video demonstrations »
The produced music is yours - its untagged and free of any licensing issues, and you can export your created file into mp3 format.
You can create your own backing track in under an hour using this software - and concentrate on your creativity!
No more hunting through loads of prerecorded “beats” that don’t suit your style - you can create your own with this software that will be perfect for your project… even if you can’t read a note of music!
So click here to check it out in more detail »
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Topics: Audio Application, Beats, House, Rap, Techno | No Comments »
Piano Music Game
By Kevin | June 17, 2008
Teach yourself Piano with a Game!
I was amazed to find this product - it is something that I’d imagined in my head years ago, and I knew someone would eventually put it together and bring it to the market.
Its called “Piano Wizard”, and its a computer game which helps you learn the piano in a new and fun way.
My Wife and I bought a copy last year, and its still on our laptop, which is constantly hooked up to our little MIDI keyboard. Why? Because we have our nieces and nephews (who range in age from 2 to 10 years) coming around and they constantly want to play “That game with the exploding eggs”!
That of course, means Piano Wizard. The game involves playing the piano notes when the “egg” or other object reaches the top of the screen. It is perfect for children, but adults love it as well - and they can learn to play piano even if they can’t read a note of music.
As the student develops through the piano wizard program, the screen turns the other way, and gradually transits the student into learning to read music the conventional way.
Having been a music teacher I don’t feel that this really can be a replacement for music lessons, however it certainly can supplement music lessons from a teacher.
As a teacher I would have loved to have a game like this available in my teaching room for when children are waiting, or as a reward for excellent work.
Now is a fantastic time to get started with Piano Wizard, as you can get 10% off until the 30th of June this year. Simply follow the links below to check out the Piano Wizard Online Store.
All you have to do is click here to visit the Piano Wizard Online Store and then add the promotional code “SUMMER08″ during the checkout to get your discount.
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Topics: Educational Music Software | No Comments »
Free Recording Software
By Kevin | May 9, 2008
The best things in life are free!
Well, there is some meaning to that statement, and some meaning to another statement…
You only get what you pay for…
You can do an awful lot with Free Recording Software which is available on your PC right now.
When I was in my first band and we wanted to have a demo recording done we would have to spend hundreds of dollars to go to a studio and get tracks laid down.
It would take hours and they’d have these huge 24 track analog recording machines and enormous mixing desks that looked really impressive.
The reality is that it is the music that you produce that’s the important thing… not how flashy the equipment is!
After a few of these experiences I decided to start my own home studio - so I purchased mixing desks, microphones and software for my computer. I was constantly playing and fooling around.
I spent thousands of dollars on all this equipment - I had mixing desks, dat machines and the works!
When I had my first child we didn’t have the space for the home studio anymore - so it had to go! I sold off the bits on e-bay and consolidated to one computer which I use for my internet business.
The point of this story… you don’t have to spend money to do things!
Just a matter of two or three years after I sold all this equipment I’m now looking into what I can do with my current computer.. and free software that is available online… and I discover that I can do virtually everything I did with my expensive software!
You can get a free program called Audacity - It’s an open source program (which means its completely free with no upgrades, nag screens or spyware type things) that will do most of the audio editing I used to do on my big studio computer.
You can set up Audacity on your computer, and then borrow one reasonable quality microphone - set it up and start recording yourself - one track at a time!
If you play guitar and sing you’ll be able to do quite a decent job of recording yourself that way. Simply record the guitar first, and then sing over the top.
You can also create midi file accompaniments completely free using low cost or no-cost midi sequencers as well.
So if you’re a musician my advice is to do what you can for very little cost, and concentrate on your music… not the gadgets!
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Topics: Audio Application, Audio Editing, Recording | No Comments »
how to remove vocals from a recorded track
By Kevin | May 7, 2008
These days, It is possible to remove the vocals from a recorded track.
The method is not perfect, but it will work well enough if you need to make a Karaoke track from a recording for something really simple, just like practice or lesson purposes.
The process works by altering the stereo image of the file, as the vocals are usually placed in the centre of the sound image.
When there is a lot of Reverb or echo on the vocalists voice it is a lot harder to remove the vocals, but the sound will be reduced, enough at least to sing along with it.
Software like the Karaoke Music Vocal Remover will remove vocals from a recorded track automatically, without you having to know any technical details:
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Topics: Audio Application, Audio Editing, Music Software | No Comments »
Making Text appear in every part in sibelius
By Kevin | May 5, 2008
Just a quick tip I found when working with Sibelius today.
I had to do something which involved creating text that needed to appear on every single part of the score - and I didnt want to make it appear multiple times in the score.
Sibelius calls this type of text system text, and staff text is text that just appears on one staff only.
Therefore if you want to create text that appears on only one staff hit
Ctrl - T (for standard instructional text)
and if you want text that appears on every part hit:
Ctrl + ALT + T
this creates system text, that will appear on every part!
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Topics: Notation Programs, Sibelius Help | No Comments »