Eric Parker’s IK Multimedia iRig KEYS MIDI controller on top of a million dollar recording console.

It’s not everyday that a music producer or engineer gets to work on a million dollar recording console, in a multi-million dollar recording studio..but when it does happen, it costs people money! And when you see a low cost, $99 MIDI controller that plugs directly into your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, like the iRig KEYS, sitting on an SSL in that multi-million dollar recording spot…well, it’s pretty damn cool. Music producer, Eric Parker,  was cool enough to send me this photo from his latest Miami session, where he was producing music with SampleTank for iOS and iLectric Piano for iPad, and using the iRig KEYS to control it, all the while, being in a the spot where the real instruments probably were sitting in the next room? Who needs them when SampleTank for iPhone has 500 sounds to start with?

Bottom line, it doesn’t matter what you’re using, as long as you’re inspired to make music. Eric probably worked on the plane, recording the tracks on his iPad with his iRig KEYS, and then when he got to the studio, dumped the recording on to Pro Tools or another DAW to work with the vocalist/rapper. Technology for mobile music production has become so effing sweet!

Learn more about how to connect your iPad, iPhone, iPod touch or Android phone and make music with IK Multimedia’s music creation apps and peripherals, click here.

My experience was great, the classes were fun and about 40 minutes long. I lost some weight during my experience, and I didn’t even realize it, because I was having so much fun and it didn’t feel like working out. I guess if you’re tired of going to the gym, then taking dance classes is another way to keep your cardio up and the weight down.

Anytime Dance Studio in Long Branch, NJ has a lot of different programs, from beginner to professional certification, along with a cool wedding dance program. It’s worth checking out if you would like to mix your love of dance with your everyday life, want to have fun, or need to learn how to dance at your wedding.

Learn more about AnyTime Dance Studio, its online school, or the Long Branch, NJ location, click here. Also, here is the phone number and location:

Anytime Dance Studio – Central NJ Location
104 Brighton ave 
Long Branch, NJ  07740
732-272-1793
anytimedance@gmail.com

What is Juvederm, and how can it eradicate the look of deep lines in the face, including frown/laugh lines, the nasolabial folds/deep creases around the mouth?

Margherite, owner of the Medispa at Shrewsbury in NJ, gave me her personal story on how this facial filler took ten years off of her face in under 20 minutes, with constructive application and practically painless injections. Margherite has an interesting story, because not only did she have deep lines around her mouth (they look like C’s, called “marionette lines” that appear on the Nasolabial folds), but she also had dark circles under her eyes and wrinkles that were settling on top of bone, which genetically, would not have disappeared and only deepened, due to the skin’s plumpness slowly decreasing over time, to actually show where the eye socket bone starts. I know it sounds kind of strange for this filler to be applied there, but the results were amazing.

I am a regular at Shrewsbury Medispa, a huge fan of the stellar microdermabrasions, swedish massage, IPL (photofacials) and relaxing/pampering facials they serve up (Christina and Maura are my main aestheticians that work with me). And one Saturday morning, I met Margherite, and she took one look at me and said that I had the same genetic affliction that she shared, a gradual decrease of the collagen plump that appears directly beneath the eye, and you can see a definitive line where my eye socket is underneath! Of course, this makes your eyes look darker, and the skin under there starts to wrinkle up, because basically, it has no where to go as the collagen decreases with age. Not only that, but your eyes look more and more tired ALL THE TIME because of it, and no amount of eye-brightening or pasty concealer make-up is going to counteract it. Only photoshop can do that…

Margherite explained to me that she had the doctor at her Medispa apply injections of Juvederm XC directly under the her eyes to counteract this affliction. Of course, being the skeptic I always am, thinking that someone is trying to sell me a bridge, I didn’t believe her. Then she pulled out some pictures from her wallet, before and after photos of what Juvederm had done to transform her eyes, deep facial lines (and even plumped up her lips!). I was in awe of the photos, because it looked like she lost ten years on her face, especially around the eyes and mouth area. I did some research on doctors providing the under-eye application of Juvederm and found that it is very rare for the medical professionals to do this, but this doctor did it…and with astounding results. Creatively, the Medispa at Shresbury is unique in that it is one of the very few places that can and will perform this radical procedure, and WELL!!!

Here are the before and after photos of Margherite’s transformation with Juvederm XC. If you look at her eyes, lips and the folds around her mouth, you will see that they have basically disappeared once the Juvederm was applied at the Medispa of Shrewsbury.

The first photo is a before and after pic of Margherite’s under-eye application of Juvederm. If you look at her before photo, you can see a definitive line where her eye socket starts, and a very dark circle with some wrinkling/bunching of skin just above it. Then look at the after photo, and see the incredible difference.
This innovative application technique of Juvederm from Shrewbury Medispa in NJ is what sets this spa apart from all other spas, and from the research I have done, few doctors will do this application of the filler, and the ones that have tried, have met with not-so-great results (some horror stories actually).

Amazing transformation, before and after photos of Margherite from Shrewsbury Medispa- where Juvederm applied under eyes.

The second photo highlights the beautiful transformation of the lines around the mouth disappearing from the injections of Juvederm XC, both applications taking years off of Margherite’s face.

Margherite’s Before and After photo of Juvederm, disappearance of marionette lines.

If you are interested in learning more about these procedures from the great team at Shrewsbury Medispa, I highly suggest checking out their website and scheduling a consultation to see if you’re skin structure can benefit from their creative applications of the Juvederm XC facial filler.

Contact email and Shrewsbury Medispa website, click here.

Shrewsbury Medispa: Address: 480 Shrewsbury Plaza, Shrewsbury, NJ 07702

Phone: (732) 460-0600

Sooo yeah, sometimes you go through what is called a “block” and fall into one or all of these scenarios:

1. Won’t look at or even open your studio computer.

2. Start a song, but never finish it,

3. Say things to yourself like, “I wish I had more time to do music”, whilst doing some other non-music making brain-dead activity like watching TV, or surfing/stalking Facebook.

The result? No music gets produced, and your life feels dull, and pointless. Yeah, you may have an incredible boyfriend/girlfriend, or an amazing job, or “insert something interesting here” that eats up the majority of your time, so you feel like you don’t need to make music to survive…but musicians always feel like there’s something missing if they’re not spending time creating non-verbal communication in the lab. Its almost like if you don’t tap into the universal creative platform, or atmosphere, or whatever the realm is that musicians pull their creativity from, its like the battery is dead until you recharge it, and get the feelings out into the universe. You have to surrender to your creative impulses…right? Right.

Whatever it is…I finally did it. I broke the creative songwriting block. I surrendered and turned on the studio computer. I re-downloaded all my plug-ins, and even bought some new ones. Then I started a track, gave myself a deadline (wow…) and finished the track on time!  Now, this is not my normal style of music creation… it’s on the ambient electronic side, but that’s what you get when you shake the dust off…and finally let it flow out of you.

Enjoy “Surrender” by me (Starr Ackerman)

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

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

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, iPod Touch and iPad in landscape mode

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 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.