My favorite music: Gareth Emery feat. Christina Novelli – Concrete Angel, w/ lyrics: Rebound Relationships?

•March 15, 2012 • Leave a Comment

I love the music production on Gareth Emery’s track featuring Christina Novelli – “Concrete Angel”, the overall mix is super smooth, and Christina’s angelic vocals are simply amazing. I especially like the bridge in the song, where the electro sounding synth cuts through the mix and takes over. This video is banging too! If you make music, then you know what the “meters” are doing in the buildings…lol.

This is a dating and relationships song….the lyrics are so sad…but so true if you think about it. I guess the song is about trying to get to know someone who’s been hurt, and them pushing a new person away because they’re not over the pain of the last love/betrayal/whatever. Listen peeps, we ALL have baggage from our last relationship, sometimes its closer in time so it hurts more, but that is no reason to push someone away because you don’t “think” you’re ready. (How do you know what you want anyway, if you keep agonizing about something that’s obviously over and not looking at what’s right in front of you?)

Do rebound relationships work? Sometimes rebound relationships do work, and If you could just stop thinking about the douchebag who broke your heart before you just met this new person, then you might actually be happy! Yeah, its easy to say, but so hard to apply. We all struggle with trust issues after being hurt…so why not take a chance? Ever heard the trite saying “When one door closes, another opens?”, well it’s actually true, because its impossible to stay in the closet of your broken heart forever. Eventually you have to break out of your crybaby cycle and start dating again, so why wait? If someone is trying to get to know you, you’re attracted to them, and they are sincerely trying to make you happy, then what do you have to lose? Who cares if it’s on the ruins of the demolition from your breakup…flowers do grow in the sand.

Here is the video of Concrete Angel:

Here are the lyrics to Gareth Emery featuring Christina Novelli – “Concrete Angel”:

Let me breath you in, and breath the words in your mouth,
Inside your shivering, the silence shouts so loud.
I just want to, I just want to stay around,
And while my heart beats I promise I won’t let you down.

If I’m somewhere else it doesn’t mean that I don’t see,
That you don’t trust yourself, that’s why you don’t trust me,
It makes me crazy, when you’re crazy, you don’t speak,
You think you know me, but what you know is just skin deep

If you keep building these walls
Brick by brick towers so tall
Soon I won’t see you at all
Till the concrete angel falls
I knew who you were from the start
But now I don’t know who you are
Soon there will be nothing at all
Till the concrete angel falls

For Girls: What is the Difference between a Cougar and a Puma?

•March 13, 2012 • 1 Comment

Yeah, I know that this has absolutely nothing to do with audio and/or music production, other than a really bad example of recording a video on an iPhone and listening to the audio…but I think this conversation is funny, and worth sharing. This video is just Kalli Meisler and I (Starr Ackerman) driving in the car at night and talking about the difference between being a cougar and a puma. Dating a younger man as a cougar, or a puma, is totally fine in my eyes. If celebrities can do it…and do it well…example, Demi Moore & Ashton Kutcher…then there should be some info out there for women looking to date younger men, and knowing what the difference is between being a puma and a cougar, like how old do you have to be, etc. Enjoy!

PS. I was cursing a lot in the video…sorry.

DJ Rig App is an App Store “Staff Favorite” after just two days on iTunes!

•March 9, 2012 • Leave a Comment

Image

Ohhh yeah, you know the editorial at iTunes are probably having DJ scratch competitions right now! After a debut of only two days on the market, DJ Rig jumps into the homepage of the iTunes App Store as a Staff Favorite! For a limited time, DJ Rig is only $1.99, and that means you should go ahead and download it before the price raises.

Download DJ Rig from the iTunes App Store today, and spend your weekend completely addicted, partying in your bedroom, car, couch, or on stage with your built-in DJ skills! Click here to visit the App Store to download DJ Rig. Beef up your skills as a DJ and get ready for the iPad 3!

Click here to learn more about DJ Rig from the IK Multimedia website.

DJ Rig for iPhone

•March 9, 2012 • Leave a Comment

DJ Rig for iPhone

DJ Rig for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad in landscape mode

How can I DJ using my iPhone, iPod touch or iPad? DJ Rig App is now available from iTunes!

•March 7, 2012 • Leave a Comment

Everyone wants to be a DJ. If you have an extensive iTunes library, chances are that you are a MAJOR music enthusiast, and have possibly dreamed of spinning at a party for your friends…looking cool…rocking chicks (or dudes)..etc. Only problem is, you don’t actually have any DJ skills…so how can you learn to DJ, or at least sound like a DJ without really having the skill? The invention of the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad have made it possible for your DJ wanna-be ass to be a majorly hot sounding party animal/professional DJ at your next house party… all you have to do is make a party playlist on your iTunes library, download the DJ Rig App from the App Store, and get to work!

Baddest MotherF*cker on Two Turntables GO OFF!

IK Multimedia’s DJ Rig app was released today in the iTunes App Store. What’s cool about it? Well, it’s mad cheap for one: introductory price of just $1.99. What else is cool about DJ Rig? Let me list all the phatness for you:

-Loads songs straight from your iTunes library. No fuss. Just mix.

-Beat Matches automatically, and BPM synchs automatically  (here’s your built in automatic DJ skill) This feature is UNIQUE to the app world. Only REAL DJ software on Mac/PC can do this…

-Shows BPM of the song, and also shows the album art of the vinyl DJ Deck

-When used with iRig MIX (soon to be released from IK Multimedia), it will automatically BPM synch (called X-Sync) to another audio source (like a real turntable or a CD player). This feature is UNIQUE to the app world.

-DJ Rig has 12 effects you can use, like Stutter and Flanger, so you can pretend you are DJ Skrillex or Wolfgang Gartner and kill it on the iPhone/iPod/iPad  and mix up tracks as you go.

-Records your whole DJ set, and you can send it to a friend!

-You will finally impress chicks, and you can SCRATCH like a motherfucker. Look at all the “not so hot” DJs out there in the world that have MODEL girlfriends. :-)

These are just a few of the rad features of DJ Rig. But you get the idea. If you want to learn how to DJ, or you already DJ and need a new DJ app for your next gig, so you can ditch some of your heavy ass hardware…then DJ Rig is your dream come true.

Check out this video of Scratching with DJ Rig and iRIG MIX

Download the DJ Rig App from the App Store CLICK HERE

Thanks for reading Starr Ackerman’s Music Production Blog!

Here is a video of Starr Ackerman demonstrating the iRig MIX and DJ Rig to the media at NAMM 2012:

GarageBand released on iPhone, iPod Touch, but how do I record vocals, guitar, and MIDI?

•November 1, 2011 • 2 Comments

GarageBand for iPhone, iPod Touch on the iTunes App Store

Apple’s iOS music creation app phenomenon, GarageBand, is now available for the iPhone and iPod Touch in addition to the iPad. Yay for all music creators in the world with iOS devices! But how are these musicians going to record their vocals, guitar and MIDI keyboard information into GarageBand for iPhone? You got it…the IK Multimedia “iRig” line of music accessories! How do you take the #1 music app in the world and enhance that experience? Read below:

Let’s talk about vocals…You have a few choices out there, but everybody knows that condenser mics are the best for vocals, and iRig Mic is your direct microphone of choice here. Its not only a condenser, but also needs no other input method than direct input- straight into the headphone jack of your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Plug it in and record to GarageBand baby! Plus, the iRig Mic will work with ANY APP that will accept an audio input (doesn’t have to be for just recording music). What does that mean? Ever heard of karaoke apps like Glee? How about recording audio to the video app on your iPhone? Ever wanted a quality recording input for that? iRig Mic is your answer.

iRig Mic for recording vocals to iPhone, iPod touch and iPad using GarageBand, VocaLive, iRig Recorder or other apps accepting an audio input.

How to record Guitar and Bass to GarageBand for iOS? The iRig plug adapter is the  weapon of choice for a direct input to record into iPhone, iPod touch or iPad & iPad 2 with any app that will accept this input. The iRig plug adapter for guitar/bass/or any 1/4 inch instrument input needed will work for recording into GarageBand for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad (any version). Not only that, but iRig will work for any app that needs a 1/4 inch input for getting your guitar signal, or instrument signal into your iDevice. Plus, the iRig allows for headphone monitoring (its an input, and an output, it has a headphone output!) while you rock on in your living room, or even on the stage.

iRig plug adapter for recording guitar and bass into your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad using GarageBand, AmpliTube, AmpliTube Fender or other app

But here’s the real deal question/fix of the century…Let’s fix a problem! Ok…so GarageBand for iPhone and iPod touch is a CORE MIDI compliant app. The iPhone or the iPod touch only has a small tactile user interface. How do I use a MIDI controller to access the tiny ass keys of the GarageBand app on my iPhone/iPod touch? Or, I want to play keyboards or the drums on GarageBand for iPhone, but I’d rather connect to my AKAI MPC or MPK and use the MIDI drum pads or keys to do it, so how do I connect a MIDI controller when the camera connection kit only works for iPad? Problem solved: You can connect ANY MIDI controller to work with GarageBand for iOS using the iRig MIDI connector. Yes, iRig again. Are you seeing a trend here? For more information on iRig MIDI, please click here to visit the IK Multimedia website to see all the apps that will work with iRig MIDI.

Thanks for reading Starr Ackerman’s music production blog. You are welcome to click on any of the iOS accessory photos in this article to learn more about the iRig producta for use with GarageBand for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

iRig MIDI for connecting your keyboard or drum machine MIDI controller to GarageBand, SampleTank, AmpliTube, AniMoog or any other Core MIDI compliant app for iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.

Making (Good) Music on Your iPad- SampleTank FREE + iRig MIDI – Video – Say Word!

•October 26, 2011 • 2 Comments

Up until now, musicians have been working with high-powered laptops and desktop computers to power their software synthesizers and samplers, romplers, etc to fire up bad-ass sounds and using them to make music. But technology has leaped once again, and tablet computers and cell phones are the new Macbook Pros and superdrive PCs. What??? Blasphemy? No, innovative software and peripherals make it possible, plain and simple. The toaster size CPU in your iOS device is now capable of pushing out just enough juice to get your “real-sounding” groove on. Say Word.

One fine example of an iOS music app and peripheral combo giving you the high-quality sound you have been looking for is IK Multimedia’s SampleTank for iPhone, and the iRig MIDI connector. Watch this video, or just close your eyes and listen, and try to tell the difference between a real grand piano, and the one this iPad is pushing.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, your heavy ass laptop for your next live gig can be replaced with a smooth looking iPad, iPhone or iPod touch, and fits nicely in your purse/man-purse without all the hassle, because of software and hardware innovations like SampleTank & iRig MIDI. Again, Say Word.

Download SampleTank for iPhone/iPod touch, now available on the iTunes App Store. You can use SampleTank for iOS without iRig MIDI.

SampleTank FREE
Full operation with 8 instruments*
free download 
SampleTank
Full operation with 72 instruments*
for only $9.99 / €7.99 
 
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