Archive

Monthly Archives: May 2016

Shimon The 4-Armed Robot Shows It Can Improvise

Shimon the 4-armed robot

I don’t know why I have such a fascination with robots playing music. I’ve covered many instances on this blog over the years (like the guitarist with 78 fingers and the robot band that plays Motorhead), and each time they get better at what they do. I’d like to think that they’re never going to […]

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Digital Drum Machine Creator Roger Linn On My Latest Inner Circle Podcast

Roger Linn

Drum machines and software are so common anymore that it’s not a big deal, but there was a time when the only thing that was even close was the beat box commonly found on organs. Roger Linn changed all that with his LM1, the first modern drum machine that used real drum samples, and he’s […]

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New Music Gear Monday: Pickatto Bluetooth Guitar Pick

Pickatto Bluetooth guitar pick

Just about everything has a Bluetooth connection on it these days, but a guitar pick? If you’re curious what you might want with a connected pick, then it’s time to meet Pickatto, the brainchild of guitarist Michael Murawski. Murawski found that while most guitar players have a pretty well-developed fret hand, their picking hand lagged behind. Pickatto […]

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Aerosmith “Walk This Way” Isolated Guitar Track

Joe_Perry_of_Aerosmith

Aerosmith is one of those bands that seems to get better with age. If you go back and listen to some of their earlier tracks, they were always fairly unique and came from an interesting place that never seems dated. “Walk This Way” from their Toys In The Attic album has been a hit several […]

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Motown’s Funk Brothers Instrumental Track – “Going To A Go Go”

Going To A Go Go

There’s so much to learn from the old Motown records in terms of arrangements and groove. You can hear more when you strip off the lead vocal and just listen to the instrumental track laid down by The Funk Brothers (the Motown house band), which is what we’ll do today with Smokey Robinson and the Miracles […]

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There’s A Scientific Reason For The Instruments In The Rhythm Section

Rhythm Section

You’ve probably never wondered why the drums and especially the bass hold down the rhythm section, but it turns out there’s a very specific scientific reason. A recently published study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that perceptions of time are much more acute at lower registers, and those that play […]

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The Producer’s Basic Tracks Checklist

Music Producer's Handbook 2nd edition cover

There’s always so much going on during a tracking session (especially one with a lot of players involved) that it’s pretty easy to get overwhelmed with the details and demands and overlook some of the things that can really help the session along. Here’s a Basic Tracks Checklist from my latest  Music Producer’s Handbook 2nd edition book that […]

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Plugin Developer Joey Sturgis On My Latest Inner Circle Podcast

Joey Sturgis

I’m happy to have producer/engineer and plugin developer Joey Sturgis from Joey Sturgis Tones on my latest Inner Circle Podcast. Joey makes some of my favorite plugins (I love Finality on Kick drum), and in the interview he tells you all about the process of creating a plugin, as well as why being a user […]

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New Music Gear Monday: Yamaha TransAcoustic Guitar

Yamaha TransAcoustic guitar

OK, this is pretty wild. What if you want to add some extra ambience to your acoustic guitar, but hate the idea of plugging into an amp or adding effects pedals. If that’s the case, then the Yamaha TransAcoustic guitar might be the thing for you. The Yamaha TransAcoustic guitar lets you add reverb and chorus […]

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Blue Oyster Cult – “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” Isolated Backing Tracks

There’s been a lot of hits from the past that you continue to hear on the radio, but a perennial favorite is “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” from Blue Oyster Cult. The song comes from the band’s 1976 album Agents of Fortune album, where it hit #12 on the Billboard charts and has been around ever […]

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