Moanin' Cronin » Audio

iKlip – Taking Your iPad to the Stage

Derek — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 21:55:21 +0000

The amount of music apps for the iPad has exploded recently, and with the (albeit very late) arrival of iOS4.2, things are looking up for the iPad as a useful tool for musicians. You can use it for anything from reading scores or lyrics to pretty much controlling a whole gig, and almost anything in between. But one simple problem up until now has been, where does one put the thing when on stage?Well, IK Multimedia seem to have solved this problem with their very clever iKlip, which allows the iPad to be clipped to any microphone stand. Finally, no more flimsy music stands for your expensive iPad!

Logic Setup for PowerKeys App

Derek — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:00:27 +0000

I’ve always been a fan of PowerKeys for the iPhone/Touch. It started off a bit buggy and crashy, but since the last update, it seems very stable. A really nice feature of the new version is that you can save and upload your PowerKeys files to and from your Mac! This is brilliant, as you can not only back up your own setups, but you can share them with others too.

With that in mind, I’ve decided to publish my own Logic 8 pkl file, with transport buttons and a few extras besides (including a handy toggle between screens 1 & 2 and, of course, Save). I hope some people might find it useful. Of course, this is optimized for use with the standard Logic key commands, so I am not responsible if you accidently delete everything!

The people at PowerKeys are promising us an editor for PowerKeys, and I’m sure they’ve their eye on the iPad too, so expect some new features! I, for one, am very much looking forward to running apps like PowerKeys on the iPad.

You can find the Logic 8 pkl file here. Just change the .txt to .pkl and drag it to your PowerKeys dock icon, and enjoy controlling Logic from across the room or house.

Of course you’ll need the latest version of PowerKeys OS X, currently at 1.2, and the latest version of the iPhone app too. Oh yeah, and you need wi-fi. And Logic Pro 7 and upwards. And an iPhone/Touch. And a Mac. You knew that, right?

Spotify iPhone App Approved/Snow Leopard Available

Derek — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:32:27 +0000

Spotify has managed to jump the many, varied and often bemusing hoops of the iPhone App approval process, and get accepted. Despite being a very clear and possibly quite threatening competitor to the iTunes Music Store, the app will be rolled out in the UK, Sweden, Norway, Finland, France and Spain very soon. Irish users may be left waiting for a while.

This is a significant development for many companies, perhaps including Google, who have had their Google Voice app rejected recently, on the grounds that it altered the iPhone “user experience”. It will also be of interest to RealNetworks, who have pre-announced the Rhapsody iPhone App to try to force Apple’s hand into acceptance.

The pre-announcement strategy, also applied by Spotify (with YouTube videos and lots of press) may be working. Apple are feeling the pressure, not only from users, but more importantly, from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), to be more open about their app acceptance policy.

Rumours have been floating around that Apple are planning a subscription based model for the next generation of iTunes software, which may be available as soon as September. Is it possible that Apple are just going to buy Spotify? After all, the iTunes engine was originally developed by Casady & Greene, and not Apple, and they are not shy of buying the right software when it suits them. Funnily enough, it’s Facebook and not Apple who have been allegedly courting Spotify, but the Apple/Spotify match seems like a no-brainer to me.

Oh yeah, and Snow Leopard’s available today too.

New Final Cut Studio and Logic Studio Released

Derek — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 02:41:44 +0000

Apple put an instant hole in the pocket of people like me everywhere today, by releasing updates to their two premium software products for media professionals, Final Cut Studio and Logic Studio.

Logic Studio adds features like “flex time”; a much needed upgrade to its time manipulation abilities on the timeline, and better workflow tools to allow easier exporting and importing of settings and tracks between projects. Also included are some new features for guitarists like better amp and stompbox emulation, and a bunch of “how tos” modelled on the similar feature in the latest Garageband. None of the upgrades seem like “must-haves” to me, though the most tempting new additions are probably in the new MainStage, which now (finally!) has MIDI Out implementation, and the ability to include basic audio tracks and loops in your live setups; nice!

Final Cut Studio’s improvements also appear relatively minor, though the new ProRes codecs promise better quality at lower data rates. Motion 4 expands its 3D abilities with new shadows, reflections and depth of field. DVD Studio remains at version 4, and there are point five updates to Color and Compressor. Frankly, some of the upgrade highlights in Final Cut Pro itself, such as the ability to discuss your edit in realtime with iChat Theater, seem a bit like clutching at straws.

Overall, nothing earth-shattering has happened here, but the upgrades are reasonable and most will probably find an excuse to make the move soon enough for the price.

Spotify in Ireland? Not Quite…

Derek — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 15:44:56 +0000

Last week, I posted about Spotify; the insanely scary and cool application which streams pretty much any song to your PC legally, and for free. I was under the impression that the app didn’t seem to care where you were.

Unfortunately, turns out, Spotify allows users to go on a “holiday” for 2 weeks away from their home territory, but after that, they shut you down. Currently, Ireland is not a territory where you can use the free service. Thus, as a citizen of Ireland, I am deSpotified, unless I agree to pay the (frankly quite reasonable) €10 a month to subscribe. Tempting, but somehow, I feel robbed as my UK friends use the service for free. In the music world, the valuable lesson here is that perception of value is more an issue than price. Record companies, take heed!

Spotify in Ireland! It Works

Derek — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 01:37:54 +0000

I was in the UK last week for a welcome break, and everyone there, from my tech-savvy gearslut mates in Brighton (“Silicon Beach” to the rest of us) to my 11 year old niece in Clapham were raving about Spotify. And they have every reason to rave.

Spotify, for the uninitiated (which will be most of us in Ireland) allows you to listen to virtually any tune you care to hear instantaneously, and for free. The only price you pay is the odd advertisement every few minutes. Check out http://www.spotify.com for more details.

Using Spotify was exciting and terrifying in equal measure. It truly is the future of music listening, and it’s only a matter of time before the mobile app version for your favourite MID (Mobile Information Device, what the rest of us call, er, phones) makes it accessible everywhere you go.

Of course, as a musician, I am looking at this thinking, “where’s the paycheck coming from?” It’s not that I’m a breadhead, it’s just that I would like to think it’s possible to still make a living out of music. We all know YouTube makes no money, and clearly, neither does Spotify (yet at least), and if Spotify doesn’t make money, you can be pretty darn sure the music ain’t making much money for the artists either.

But I digress! The real reason for this entry is to let people know that Spotify (for free) appears to work in Ireland! Yeah, sure if you go to the site, under the “free” banner it says “Not available in your country”, but it seems while Spotify’s web site knows what country you are in, the application does not! In other words, if you get someone in the UK to create a username and password for you, and you download the app from the site, I have (almost) every confidence that you too, in Ireland, can Spotify!

Someone try it to confirm, please! I’m too busy Spotifying to try it for myself.