I have just downloaded Spitfire Audio's amazing Albion V Tundra library and thought I would do a very quick first impressions video!! The thing that got me hooked was how it was recorded (as they put it) "on the edge of silence". The orchestra all playing a soft and as quiet as they can using the inspiration of Scandinavian composers such as Arvo Pärt, Sibelius and Gorecki, the sounds I have heard on my first few hours with the instrument do really conjure up and evoke the cold, mystical tundra.I am so excited to have been able to get this library and it is very, very useful for the kind of music I write. I will be putting together a proper composed demo soon, but it in the meantime it is safe to say, I totally love it so far!EnjoyPeaceNeil
Apple MacBook Pro 2016 Review
Apple MacBook Pro 2016 Review
So yesterday, at the Apple event, they announced the new Apple MacBook Pro 2016 Model....with Touch bar. As a result music and video forums around the world seems to give a resounding 'really' is that it? Is that the announcement? No new iMacs and crucially no new Mac Pros? What are you doing Apple, you remember those guys who saved you in the 90's, the designers, the studios, the video guys....remember, the one's you thought it was 'cool and trendy' to be associated with. Well, I personally think you are starting to dump on them BIG style! For the biggest company in the world, is it too much to put some resource aside and keep us guys content? Is it really?
SO Thoughts.....
I have given this some thought since the announcement, and the one thing that really jumps out is how, given the immense computing power available to the world now, why Apple in particular, aren't making absolute beasts of machines for those working in especially media related fields (Audio, Video, Photography) etc. It seems there is a specification undercutting happening, perhaps the warning flag should have gone up when the iPod classic left the shelves. You know when real music lovers, who LOVED the fact they could have their entire library on a tiny portable device ,were told that this was not cool and you should either stream or die like a dinosaur, I mean I guess some people do only listen to 3 albums these days whilst permanently tethered to GOOD WIFI!!!There seems to be a complete disjunct between the needs of professional creators and the machines we have. Why are these MacBook Pros being shipped with a max of 16Gig of Ram? That is kind of pointless for many of us out there, not just in audio production and music, ESPECIALLY when you can't upgrade it. 256 Gig HD, yes cool it is SSD but that is like 1 and a 1/2 quality sample libraries and it is full, before you take in to consideration any applications, and let alone think about an ACTUALLY PROJECT FILES! But no Grandad, why aren't you uploading your project to the cloud? SO uncool Dude. Because I have GIGs of project files and yes Apple, you market saying...work any where, be a free spirit, travel, record indigenous tribes in their native home lands, but less an less giving us the tools to do that....wow cool I have a SUPER THIN SHINNY box, but that pretty much goes out the window when the rest of my bags is filled up with hard drives, power supplies, and now 4 more different adapters to connect to all the other adapters to make the gear I have invested thousands and thousands in actually work!! That is not cool Apple, it takes me 20 minutes to plug everything in.
Top of the pile??
Why oh why is it not possible to have a SOLID performing laptop (Which might be a bit thicker than some others used for web browsing and typing documents), with a powerful CPU, upgradable RAM, maybe....just maybe....two hard drives in it?? SHOCK, and yes why not have 3-4 USB ports, and SD card reader, and HDMI port and Two Thunderbolts all running down the side. I would be so proud to tell all my friends about a product like that, you know one where I could actually just take that to a gig, a forest, a tribe and DO EVERYTHING. THAT WOULD BE COOL APPLE.But NO, style over substance, form over function now from the INNOVATION CREATIVE FRUIT BASED COMPANY. Phones, watches, $$$$$$$$$s and watch the old guard take the lead and innovate. Who in a million years thought they would ever actually look up from their fruit based computing device and watch a Microsoft promo (firstly actually watch it!) and go....ooooh what's going on over there..........Peace, love and good happiness stuff!Neil
There is another way : Making life work as a creative - My New Podcast
Create, live, breath and be free
I am so proud to say that my first podcast has been broadcast and is now available online and in iTunes. This is something which has been in the planning for sometime now and I have an exciting information and interviews to share with everyone in the near future.SO what is it about?"Create, live, breath and be free" : There is another way!The goal of the 'There is another way' podcast is to help and empower those on a journey to break away from the 9 to 5, captive working environment and live the life they truly want to. To explore life, the world and creativity.There is another way podcast is all about the journey of being a creativity, a no holes barred account of the ups and downs of being a creative. Neil aims to give listeners the whole truth about the journey and the inspiration to know that they can make it work, no matter their circumstances. With advice, interviews and live talks, this podcasts aims to assist you in making the right choices about your future.Please subscribe on iTunes to get the next Episodes, we will be realising a next Episode every Sunday!Enjoy and thanks for your support.PeaceNeil
Improve your finger independence for guitar - try chord voicings
Facing the finger
Improving finger independence is one of the biggest challenges facing beginner (and more advanced!) players, there are a whole host of finger exercises out there (including student's favourite...the spider). I have found that another way you can tackle this area and work on building your finger independence is to use chord voicings and switch between them.
Video Lesson
So I posted this video lesson which uses some more 'complex' chord shapes and then spend your time switching between them. This is also a great 'musical' method to improve finger independence over the more traditional spider exercises.Download PDF of chord shapes here For more in-depth information on maximising your practice time and finding your own voice on the instrument, check out my book Guitar Creativity - A new way of thinking Follow me onTwitterFacebookInstragramLinkedInEnjoy!PeaceNeil
Flare Audio ISOLATE Ear Plugs review
Flare Audio ISOLATE
I recently was made aware of a crowd funding campaign for these little ear plugs and I have to say it got me hooked. As some of you know I have a background in academic acoustics and psychoacoustic and thus the ear are something very important to me. I also an a huge advocate of protecting one's hearing from hearing loss in musician circle (as they can be the most immune and the least caring....until it's gone!).
Testing one...two
I have also been very fortunate over the years working in the Acoustic department at the University of Salford to have taken part as a subject in numerous hearing defender tests which are conducted in the department for a variety of companies. I have lost count of how many times I have had gunk squeezed into my ears to make moulds! So, as I am sure you can guess this is an area close to my heart.....and something which I am very 'preachy' about to other musicians and engineers when I know they are in danger.So, I have tried out my fair share of ear plugs over the years and currently favour either the ACS 15 Pro Custom molds, or in low level situations something as simple as the Pro Plugs which work well. The problem is (and I totally get this!!!) that as soon as you put something into the ear canal, you are having a direct impact on the frequency response of the ear and for some instrumentalists this can be fine, say drummers or bass players where the low end isn't attenuated as much and they aren't totally reliant on the mid's to get a feel of what they are playing.
The guitarist
As you might have guessed (or know) as a guitarist, your instrument sits slap bang in this frequency zone, as such any attenuation can make you feel disconnected from the actual sound coming out of your amp. I am sad to say that currently no ear plug I have tried can bypass this issue, but some are better than others and over time you get 'used' to the sound.FlareAudio's ISOLATE are no exception and I have put together two video reviews for you to watch to get a feeling for the issues and plus points encountered using these new plugs in a live environment.First ImpressionsFollow up reviewSo, in summary.....
Pros
- They are amazing and offer a fantastic level of attenuation.
- They are very reasonably priced.
- They come with a great range of earbuds (and the packaging is awesome!)
- They offer a greater level of bass attenuation than most plugs and thus the resulting sounds is less muddy.
Cons (And these are probably just for me!)
- The amount of attenuation can not be adjusted (i.e. like changing filters in the ACS)
- They still attenuate and affect the frequency range of my instrument, but that will be a problem with anything inserted into the ear canal.
In short, they are pretty awesome for the money and have SO many uses, I will always have a pair with me and will be the backup for my ACS's at gigs.Enjoy.Peace,Neil
Brucie's Extreme Guitar | Opinionated lessons and thoughts on guitar playing
Along with my Guitar Creativity videos on Youtube, I have now started a new series of videos. These videos are entitled 'Brucie's extreme guitar' and I am offering opinionated lessons and thoughts on guitar playing.The idea of these videos is to think through and play devil's advocate on some ideas and opinions relating to guitar playing and the whole guitar world. I really want to suggest some things which might get you thinking or maybe even get you all fired up.Here is the play list of the videos so far and the first is any introduction to the series.I hope you enjoy and would love to hear your thoughts!EnjoyPeaceNeil
Atomic Amplifire 12 Review
Amplifire 12 Release Thoughts
How very exciting that news of this product has just been released at the LA Amp Show. I guess this is as a result of so many users requesting more footswitches rather than wanting to pair it up with an external midi controller. I have to be honest as say that since the implementation of multiple options per footswitch which came along in version 3 of the firmware, I have ditched the midi controller and found that all I really need are 3....but obviously the potential with 12 is pretty cool if you can do the same kind of assignments as you can with the 3 switch one.
That is yet to be seen, but I can't believe that you wouldn't be able to!
On the surface it looks pretty much exactly the same as the lovely red Amplifire in terms of functionality, amps etc. and I think this makes total sense, I am not sure it would be good to potential alienate buyers of the original Amplifire in creating a 'better' version, so soon after the launch. To be honest, not that there could be much more which would make it better. Well maybe an autowah effect, pitch effect and well maybe a few more amps :)
So what do we get...
Two external expression pedal sockets, this is a pretty big one, as you can now use your expression pedal without needing a bodged up cable and loosing your effects loop....so that is a win!
An on/off switch, as simple as it seems...that is a big one for me, I am not sure why, but I do actually like to turn something of from a designated switch, rather than letting if loose power randomly when you unplug it. I know you might think me strange, but hey it is another win for me.
A bigger display...well I used the editor mostly, so to be honest that is a Meh from me.
1/4 Jack socket for phones, that is pretty cool, but I don't tend to use it with headphones, so not fussed really but 1/4" is more inline with the headphones I own.
Atomic Amplifire 12 Review
So on the whole this is basically an extended foot switch version of the original and that is a really good thing for some. I am SO happy with my Amplifire (see review below) that I can't see myself upgrading (although I do like the Expression pedal option!), I think these are very exciting times for Atomic. I guess that given that the firmware is the same for the two units we can hope to see some additions coming along in the future which is pretty awesome too.
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I hope that you found this article useful and enjoy my blog, podcast and YouTube channel. I’m always happy to share my thoughts and to help others as much as I can and I will never charge for my blog content. Having said that, I truly appreciate when someone supports me in return for the time it takes to write articles, produce podcasts and videos, where I share my years of work and experience with you.
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Peace
Neil
My Time Keeper - All hail the humble metronome!
In praise of 'My Time Keeper'
Anyone out there who has ever tried learning a musical instrument will at sometime made friends with the ever ticking humble metronome! The one device which is ever present in learning rooms, recording studios, bedrooms, schools across the globe.This little device is the unsung hero keeping us in time, helping measure our performance and progressing on the instrument.Metronomes come in all shapes and sizes, all colours and styles, but their fundamental existence is to simply tick tick tick tick, for ever and ever or until you can't take it any more!!
We salute you
So, I thought it was time we took these unsung heroes and gave them their time to bask in the glory, show them that we care, that they are not something which we stick in draw, never really love and begrudge buying as they aren't sexy or cool!Imagine where we would be without them!! Imagine!!
My practice hero
So, here is my timepiece the metronome which I have had for probably 18 years, it still ticks and tocks and ticks and tocks and........it still have the SAME batteries it came with!!! I am actually in shock about that!!I can't believe the hours and hours I have heard you ticking over the decades!What about yours?Go on, give your metronome its fifteen minutes of fame :EnjoyPeaceNeil
New Testimonial
Really love getting testimonials from clients. This was an awesome project to work on and was great fun for me also!!
We worked with Neil on a recent project to formulate and record a song I had written. We had the words and a general idea of the tune but Neil helped us to form the structure and rhythm which came together to form the complete song. He was really helpful in giving us different options in terms of sounds, rhytym etc and he edited the song to a professional standard. We were really pleased with the finished piece, which went viral really quickly. If we ever decide to do anything similar again we will definitely be contacting Neil!
Thanks a million Alison and Sandra and hope your song goes everywhere!!PeaceNeil