archives

Chimera BC16 - Cute, CD-sized analog modular synth for $229

Love the look of this. The Chimera BC16 is a tiny circular mono synth - those holes are patch points (as you can see in this picture), linking together the VCO, LFO, Envelope, 24db filter, noise and ring mod. Orders taken now, shipping in mid Jan. Next year they'll be coming with the SM16 - a sequencer and MIDI/CV interface, and the PH303 - a $299 303 clone. And yes, before you write, it looks very similar to the Technomage Life which has been about to reappear for a year or two, but certainly isn't currently on sale for £115...

Fur Elise - Beethoven's Mysterious Inspiration

The mystery surrounding Beethoven's "Fur Elise" has still not been solved. Nevertheless millions of people over the space of 200 years have enjoyed and come to love this all time classic work.

Leaning To Play Guitar

Leaning to play guitar! It's not something you can learn in an afternoon and it will take hard work and above all, practice, but boy is it worth it.

Saga Security Of Illusion Rock Music CD Review

The exceptionally talented Rock group Saga have released their CD entitled Security Of Illusion. I am very confident and happy to announce that I believe Saga fans, and Rock fans alike will be pleased with this one. With the release of Security Of Illusion their artistic excellence is on full display as they have once again delivered a brilliant collection of tracks that could very well be their best work to date.

Mark Knopfler Shangri-La Rock Music CD Review

Shangri-La is the latest release from Rock Artist Mark Knopfler, and is another great one from this talented musician. Review of the Mark Knopfler CD Shangri-La.

Eric Clapton Pilgrim Rock Music CD Review

Talented Rock artist Eric Clapton has released him most recent CD on the Reprise recording label, entitled Pilgrim. I wish it weren't the case but, it's not everyday that I get a CD from an artist that I can just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end.

Piano Lessons - Creating a Practice Environment for Beginners

Piano students can improve their progress by making improvements to their practice environment. Everything is so new to beginning piano students that they may not be aware of simple measures they can take to dramatically increase their success in piano lessons. This article takes a look at what needs to go on behind in scenes in the practice environment at home to achieve the progress students want to make.

Music Online Glossary - When Music, Music Careers and PCs Collide

From Net-newbie to someone that's been in the business of music for years, you may run into word, term or phrase online that throws you occasionally. Artistopia offers you a way to decipher the music terminology that will eventually cross your path while being on the Web.

James Blunt - Singer-songwriter

James Blunt's debut in the UK was 'High'. The song was a top 10 hit in that country. After the success of the song "You're Beautiful" in the UK, it became one of the biggest hits of summer 2005 across the continent.

How To Find The Best Drum Sets At The Best Prices

When it comes to finding the best drum sets at the best prices, there are a few paths that one can take in their search. Also, exploring a few other factors, your search can be refined to acquire the best drum kit. Are you looking for a new or used drum set? What size kit do you prefer?

Sarah McLachlan Surfacing Rock Music CD Review

One of the refreshingly nice things about this CD is the way all of the participating artists seem to be really enjoying themselves. Combine that with the overall presentation and you've got one of Sarah McLachlan's most impressive releases ever.

Working microphone in a solid silver ring

Joel at Boing Boing Gadgets has this splendid microphone ring from Etsy ($105, but sold out, obviously). You could hack the module from a $5 K-Micro condenser mic into a ring, maybe with the phantom powered electronics in a wristwatch...

Nice And Easy, Smooth But Rough - Dave Sasscer Quiet Mind

In jazz, for instance, it's common for a group to play bebop, hard bop, a ballad, and a samba or Latin feeling pieces in the same set or on record. Dave Sasscer is a singer-songwriter who is not afraid to move out of the comfort zone of narrow musical definition on Quiet Mind.

Saga Worlds Apart Rock Music CD Review

It's a rare day indeed that I get a CD from an artist that I can truthfully say does not have a bad track in the bunch. I'm more than happy to announce that's exactly what I must say about this one. There simply isn't a bad one in the bunch. No fillers here at all, with each song standing tall on it's own.

Lily Allen Alright Still Rock Music CD Review

Alright, Still has a pleasantly varied, mix of 13 tracks that are very well written songs by this clearly superb artist. Most of the songs display a lot of the kind emotion that makes for a really great listen. Seemingly drawing from what I can only imagine are her own real life experiences. At different points touching on the most real emotions like love, and the pain of failed relationships can certainly be heard.

8 Simple Guitar Chords Every Guitar Player Should Know

Learn how to play 5 major and 3 minor guitar chords right now! A road map for the beginning guitarist.

How to Download Music to Zune

Zune players are considered new compared to iPods. As such, not much information is available about how to download music to Zune. But if you are already familiar with using MP3 players, then what you read here would be simple to grasp.