musicians

A few months ago, my wife asked to borrow a portable audio recorder to interview people for a school project. Unfortunately, most of the devices I have around the house are overkill--the kind of hulking professional recorders that most people would mistake for radiation detectors or face-melting phasers. Eventually, we settled on her using the least intimidating device in my arsenal: a $200 Zoom H2 Handy Recorder. She wasn't thrilled that it looked like a cheap electric razor, but at least it wouldn't scare anyone.

Today, Samson announced a portable audio recorder that would have been perfect for … Read more

OK, maybe the name of the contest, "The Audiophillie Music Awards for Excellence in Recorded Sound" is a little intimidating. If that's what's holding you back, rest easy; record some tunes from an unsigned band, or your uncle playing Grateful Dead tunes on a banjo and you could win. A recording of a tuba playing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" might be a contender.

Lo-fi entries are welcome, so if you sing or play any instrument, you have a shot at winning a set of either Monster Turbine Pro Gold ($299) or Pro Copper ($399) … Read more

Of all the questions surrounding Apple's forthcoming iPad tablet, the one I find the hardest to answer is, "What can it do that my laptop and smartphone don't already deliver?"

The question is tough to answer for two reasons. For one, until we see how developers are able to tailor their apps, we really can't say to what degree the iPad experience is going to differ from the iPhone or iPod Touch. More importantly, but harder to communicate, is how much the iPad's 9.7-inch touch screen fundamentally changes the nature of how we … Read more

If you're looking for the latest, greatest way to record live audio with a pocket-size gadget, the recently-announced Roland R-05 may be just the thing. Due to be released in May with a retail price of $299, the R-05 delivers all the recording power of 2008's R-09HR at a more down to earth price.

The pocket recorder includes an integrated stereo condenser mic, external audio input (mini-jack), a swappable SD card memory slot, and Roland's own proprietary I.A.R.C. (Isolated Adaptive Recording Circuit) technology, used to optimize its onboard A/D converter.

Features such as … Read more

For DJs, the transition from vinyl to today's digital rigs has been a tense compromise between control and convenience. Year after year, a new crop of DJ software and USB gear attempts to fuse the responsive feel of vinyl with all the conveniences of digital audio. Invariably, these digital DJ rigs end up being too expensive, too messy, or downright gimmicky.

Enter the iPad. Here's an affordable device, roughly the size of a vinyl record, that offers quick multitouch control, integrated storage, a wireless digital music store, and a popular graphically rich software platform tied to a competitive app marketplace.

Could the iPad be the digital turntable replacement that DJs have been waiting for? Hell, at $499 each, you could grab two iPads and still spend less than you would on the majority of professional digital DJ solutions on the market.

For the most part, the software has already been worked out. iPhone applications such as Touch DJ, Virtual Deck, and Quixpin, have proven popular with adventurous DJ.… Read more

"American Idol" it's not, so instead of Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, Mary J. Blige, or Neil Patrick Harris, The Audiophiliac is the sole judge for The Audiophillie Music Awards For Excellence In Recorded Sound contest.

I keep hearing that every kid with a guitar or a mic can make a great recording. Bands record their own tunes all the time. Well, here's a chance to get your music heard and a buzz going on the Audiophiliac. Oh, and six winners will each receive a set of Monster Turbine Pro Gold ($299) or Pro Copper ($… Read more

Getting paid for digital downloads from iTunes, Amazon, or other stores is pretty straightforward. The artist or label submits songs for download, perhaps through a distributor like TuneCore or The Orchard. Each time a user buys a download, the store takes its cut, the middlemen take their cut, and the artist gets the remainder.

But there's another potential source of revenue that a lot of artists are missing out on: streaming Internet music. This includes thousands of standalone Internet radio stations, personalized radio services like Pandora and Slacker, and broad-based distributors like MediaNet. Here in the United States, a … Read more

ALSong is an innovative music player that lets users view lyrics to thousands of songs as they play. Although the program's design could be better, its unique features still make it worthwhile.

ALSong's interface is fairly intuitive (it's set up much as any media player is), but we didn't love that several of its features open in different modules. The media player opens in one window, the playlist in another, the lyrics viewer in yet another--things get cluttered pretty quickly. We were also irritated by the small text used throughout the program; anyone whose vision isn'… Read more

Music Theory Basics - Interval Training Complete has a focused set of tools for learning musical intervals. By offering a few basic options and some great tests, this program will appeal to anyone learning or relearning music theory.

The program's interface is surprisingly simple and intuitive, considering the complex material it covers. The layout consists of large buttons and onscreen directions that shouldn't require a trip to the Help file, which is fortunate, because there's no Help file to consult. Music Theory Basics opens with a simple menu asking how you want to learn. You can choose … Read more