Gonna stop here for a second and acknowledge the English language/UK-US bias, right off the top.
That said, this is still quite interesting. Before you follow the link, take a guess as to who in the pop universe has the biggest vocal range. Challenge is to name anyone in the top three.
[VIDEO] Fender:
Originally released in 1969, the Maverick (or the “Custom”) was a wildly unique six-string guitar crafted from leftover 12-string necks, bodies and pickups. 51 years later, the Parallel Universe Maverick Dorado steps up the swagger of its predecessor with a pair of Tim Shaw-designed Filter’Tron-style humbucking pickups, a Bigsby vibrato and dark ebony fingerboard.
I love the idea of the parallel universe series, updates of old school guitars. Video embedded in main Loop post. [H/T @cyclonus]
[VIDEO] Ridiculous. And fun. [Via Kottke]
Video embedded in main Loop post.
[VIDEO] Yeah, just watch. I love this a lot. Video embedded in main Loop post.
[VIDEO] This is a fun, ongoing project. 50 songs from every year, mashed up into a single song/video (video embedded in main Loop post).
I keep waiting to see when the aspect ratio will change from old-school 4:3 to a more modern 16:9 or the like.
Enjoy.
Justin Kahn, 9to5Mac:
If Apple were to make a drum synthesizer, it would probably be dead simple so anyone can use it, while still offering up just enough control over the sounds to do some serious damage right? Probably. And that’s exactly what it just did here. But don’t be fooled by how simple its sound design controls/synth engine appears, this is just one piece of the puzzle. I initially thought that it looked way too simple to be all that useful, especially with the new Quick Sampler now in everyone’s LPX arsenal. I was wrong.
If you are interested in creating electronic music wit Logic Pro, this walkthrough is worth reading.
Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post:
When the covid-19 crisis abruptly canceled its season, Spence launched a weekly series of rebroadcasts to fill the silence. These broadcasts, even with their modest virtual attendance of 100 or so viewers per stream, have been essential to keeping Spence’s Santa Barbara-based chamber organization engaged with its audience.
That is, until that recent Sunday, when his audience started to disappear, one by one, all the way down to none.
And:
Just minutes into the airing of the concert, Facebook issued Spence a notification that his video — an original performance of an hour-long piece composed by Mozart in 1786 — somehow contained one minute and 18 seconds of someone else’s work, in this case, “audio owned by Naxos of America.”
FaceBook and YouTube are issuing takedown notices for an artist’s own performances of public domain music.
The fault is in the bot technology used to scan online music and compare it to recorded work. This is an overreach by, in this case, Naxos Records, who are trying to protect their recordings of, say, Mozart, but using bots that can’t tell the difference between one of their records and Camerata Pacifica’s own recording of the same work.
And this is definitely overreach by Facebook and YouTube.
[VIDEO] If you read the title and instantly thought of The Temptations, then this is definitely for you, a lip-sync tour de force.
And if the title means nothing more to you than social distancing in the time of coronavirus, that’s just fine, dig in anyway.
Great song, great performance. Video embedded in the main Loop post.
[VIDEO] I believe we’re now all caught up with this series. Love every one of them, from 1979 to 1986. I believe 1987 is in the works. 1986 is embedded in the main Loop post.
[VIDEO] I love this series. It started with 1979 and there’s one for every year between 1979 and 1985. Every one of them worth watching.
Video embedded in main Loop post. Enjoy.
[VIDEO] Terrific, deep dive into what’s new with Logic Pro X. Some amazing detail work here, especially in Live Loops. Video embedded in main Loop post.
[VIDEO] Another in the series of music-by-year mashups from The Hood Internet. These started with 1979 and have, year-by-year, made their way to 1984. They are all fun to watch, especially if you have a sense of music in the ’80s. Video embedded in main Loop post.
[VIDEO] I love the craftsmanship that went into this process. The creation of the mold, judicious use of epoxy, those amazing tools. This was cool to watch unfold. Video embedded in main Loop post.
Now make one out of Heineken bottles!
[VIDEO] Terrific work. Great set, costumes, colors, movement and, of course, great music from the creative mind of Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. Video embedded in main Loop post.
Samantha Cole, Motherboard:
Two programmer-musicians wrote every possible MIDI melody in existence to a hard drive, copyrighted the whole thing, and then released it all to the public in an attempt to stop musicians from getting sued.
And:
To determine the finite nature of melodies, Riehl and Rubin developed an algorithm that recorded every possible 8-note, 12-beat melody combo. This used the same basic tactic some hackers use to guess passwords: Churning through every possible combination of notes until none remained. Riehl says this algorithm works at a rate of 300,000 melodies per second.
Once a work is committed to a tangible format, it’s considered copyrighted. And in MIDI format, notes are just numbers.
This won’t stop musicians from getting sued for copyright infringement, at least until this is used, successfully, in a lawsuit defense.
And if it is successful, are all bets off? Will wholesale copyright theft follow?
[VIDEO] Laughing Squid:
kiboko, a video editor who focuses on drum tracks, took the iconic Toronto Pearson Airport inspired instrumental “YYZ” by Rush and brought the audio of Neil Peart‘s drumming to the forefront while quieting Geddy Lee‘s bass and Alex Lifeson‘s guitar.
Beautifully done. Really showcases the complexity of Peart’s iconic drumming style. Video embedded in main Loop post.
Rolling Stone:
In the five years since a court ruled that “Blurred Lines” infringed on Marvin Gaye’s 1977 “Got to Give It Up,” demanding that Thicke and Williams fork over $5 million to the Gaye estate for straying too close to the older song’s “vibe,” the once-sleepy realm of music copyright law has turned into a minefield. Chart-topping musicians have been slapped with infringement lawsuits like never before, and stars like Ed Sheeran and Katy Perry are being asked to pay millions in cases that have many experts scratching their heads. Across genres, artists are putting out new music with the same question in the backs of their minds: Will this song get me sued?
To me, this mirrors the patent trolls in tech. Achieve a certain level of success with a technology, or a song, and you’ll pop up on troll radar.
Watch the video. Neil Peart makes virtuosity look so easy.
From the linked Rolling Stone appreciation piece:
Peart was one of rock’s greatest drummers, with a flamboyant yet utterly precise style that paid homage to his hero, the Who’s Keith Moon, while expanding the technical and imaginative possibilities of his instrument. He joined singer-bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson in Rush in 1974, and his virtuosic playing and literate, wildly imaginative lyrics – which drew on Ayn Rand and science fiction, among other influences – helped make the trio one of the classic-rock era’s essential bands. His drum fills on songs like “Tom Sawyer” were pop hooks in their own right, each one an indelible mini-composition; his lengthy drum solos, carefully constructed and full of drama, were highlights of every Rush concert.
Rest in peace, Neil.
[VIDEO] Willie’s guitar, nicknamed “Trigger”, is one of those iconic instruments, recognizable by tone and by that famous hole in the body.
Follow along (video embedded in main Loop post) as Mark Erlewine gives it some love and repair.
[H/T Josh Centers]
[VIDEO] Just for comparison, here’s the original version of this iconic song, most definitely in a celebratory major key.
With that as context, take a listen to the reworked version (embedded in the main Loop post). I find it amazing how well this one works, and the fact that someone was able to make the pitch changes to the original to make this possible.
[VIDEO] Wow. Just wow. Great watching this take shape. Video embedded in main Loop post.
Apple should use this in an iPhone ad.
[VIDEO] This is from a few years ago, but it made its way around the internet over the weekend, thought you’d enjoy. The video is embedded in the main Loop post. I love the timing of all of this, especially that end cut. Well done.
[H/T Storm Garelli]
[VIDEO] I love these “data race” videos, where a bar chart is animated over time. Lock in your guesses as to the current top selling artist, ranked by album sales. Video embedded in main Loop post.
[H/T Storm Garelli]
[VIDEO] From MIT, a fascinating device that puts artificial intelligence in the hands of any guitarist.
To get a sense of what this is about, watch the two videos embedded in the main Loop post. The first gives you a sense of the mechanics of MIT’s Guitar Machine, and the second puts Guitar Machine in the hands of some traditional guitarists.
Read the linked article for more detail on how all this works. I would absolutely love to play with one of these.
[VIDEO] Graceful and effortless, a brilliant take on a classic. Video embedded in main Loop post.
Tim Hardwick, MacRumors:
According to Spotify’s release notes, Siri support is compatible over connected AirPods and also extends to CarPlay and HomePod via AirPlay. On iPhones and iPads running iOS 13, Spotify will also now turn on its Data Saver feature when a device has Low Data Mode enabled.
In addition, the streaming service says Spotify is “now available on Apple TV,” although it isn’t showing up in the tvOS App Store as of writing, so rollout is likely scheduled for later in the day.
“extends to CarPlay and HomePod via AirPlay” – Played with this a bit. If I ask HomePod Siri to play music via Spotify, Siri responds:
I wish I could, but I can’t open apps here.
Requiring AirPlay is still a significant bit of friction.
Lots of great hooks. RIP, Ric.
[VIDEO] This is pretty cool to watch, but especially because of the special guest who drops in. 519 guitar pedals, all going at once. Video embedded in main Loop post.
The new RIAA sales report is out, and it shows vinyl on a pretty good upswing, and CD sales continuing to shrink.
What’s particularly interesting about the two curves is that they will likely cross later this year, with vinyl set to outsell CDs for the first time since 1986.
Personally, I continue to be surprised by vinyl’s rise. What is it about vinyl that continues to appeal, to spread? Is it the gear? The sound?
Is it the romance of the culture, something about sliding the vinyl out of its cover, then gently out of its protective sleeve, cautiously placing it onto a turntable, and oh so carefully lowering that tone-arm in place, no Siri in the loop, just you and the music?
Colorful and fun. Glad to see this.
Logged in on my MacBook Pro. A single fingerprint, and I was in. Easy-peasy.
As to the look and feel, I liked this layout better than iTunes (I’m on Mojave). And the performance feels rock solid. Great work.
Interesting that the bit in the lower-left corner says “Open in Music”. On my Mac, it launches iTunes. Obviously, this is a reference to the split-up of iTunes in Catalina.
Wondering if there will ever be a direct bridge between the web interface and my HomePod.
Interesting experience. Give it a try.