Looking For a Recording Studio?

Here are a couple of links to help you find a studio to book, the first is the official music week studio map. This is by no means an exhaustive map but it's still quite a nice resource. If you want something a little more interactive then the allstudios site lists the studios in categories and run promotional offers, it's worth checking if only to highlight the great value on offer at Roundhouse and other youth centers. I will be running a MASTERING SPECIAL soon so keep checking back for the update!

Here's a link to the pdf studio map

Here's a link to allstudios

Myspace site for Bedroom Producers!

mybedroomstudio.com follows the myspace format of social networking sites but is specially for bedroom producers! Although the name may suggest an amiteur nature there are in fact a number of pro users on the site, you only have to browse a few users to see that there are some serious home setups these days! I haven't yet set up my profile on this site but I fully intend to in the next week or so. Its a good place to pick up a few tips from kindred spirits and is certainly a fresh break from the constant marketing attempts of fellow music producers on the myspace music  site.

As the slogan on the site indicates - wear your studio tan with pride!

So let me know what you think and I guess ill see you there!

Map Listening Trends With CDDB Chart

Who knows about the digital music software GIANTS 'Gracenote'? What about cddb? No? Still scratching your heads?

Well if you have ever used itunes or winamp to rip a CD and then had all the track names mysteriuosly appear over the cyberspace, complete with details of genre, artist, year etc; then you have come into contact with Gracenote!

Gracenote keeps a database of virtually every record ever released (at least since the digital revolution). They catagorise all the essential elements of the music and then when you insert a CD into your computer the database is accessed at lightning speed to identify the disc and send a packet of information back to your computer to update the names, clever isn't it?

Not to miss out on the whole charts thing Gracenote or cddb as it's otherwise known has launch its own chart. Instead of going on sales the chart calculates what people are downloading or uploading onto their computers. This means if I buy a CD then loan it to 4 friends who also upload the CD to their computers; then it would come up on their database 5 times. The initial sales chart picks up 1 sale as I was the only person to buy the CD, but the gracenote chart picks this up as 5 instances. The significance of this is that it becomes easy to track trends in what people are listening to and happens over a sustained period.

I think it's a very useful chart for getting a feel of what is coming and going out of fashion, a CD that has in effect left the sales chart can remain in the listeners chart for a great deal longer and so reveals the true shelf life of a given album

here is a link to a world map of listening trends, just click on a country and see the top 10! You can browse from this page to some more conventional chart views.

CDDB/GRACENOTE MAP

Movers and Shakers

Keep up to date with all the Billboard action, every week I will feature a chart in the side panel for all the statisticians out there!

1st Mobile Phone Tutorial - REWIRE SET UP

In case any of you missed session 1 or you have forgotten these steps and need a quick reminder...here's our Graham. Sorry about the low quality, thats the nature of the beast!

Former Thursday Night Producer Ableton Promo

Wow its been a big month for Producers from the Thursday night sessions. This week NSG was endorsed by Ableton live on their website for making waves with his youtube tutorials.

NSG has been using Ableton live since being introduced to it at the Thursday sessions back in 2003. Live was less adavanced then but we managed to get 3 producers, Maya Jane Coles, Reconeyes and NSG to put together some improvised live mixes that they mc'd over. At the time it was a first and it took a while for the audience to catch on to what they were doing.

NSG also has an album available on itunes.

Here are the links:

NSG on ABleton Live Website

NSG on Myspace

NSG Website

Silent Music Gig - Whats that all about?

Last week giants of Alternative Hip Hop 'Fun Lovin Criminals' in partnership with Smirnoff original nights and silent disco did a silent gig at Koko in Camden.

For anyone who is unsure if what a silent disco is (as was I and everyone else), a silent gig is where the PA is turned off and instead the music is piped through wireless headphones to the audience. Its quite a crazy sight because if you take your headphones off then you can see everyone bopping to the music but it looks as if they are just a bit mad dancing to nothing!

"Smirnoff Original Nights" run a whole lot of events and have started a grant based bursary for promoters of club nights deemed original and innovative. You can find out more on their facebook page just search for them in the facebook filter.

or
Try this link here. Smirnoff Original Nights

Thursday Producer on BBC Newsnight

Creative Producer Glodi appeared on the BBC News programme "Newsnight". He was featured heavily in an article about youth knife crime on Tuesday nights show giving a very real and mature account of life as a young person.

As a producer Glodi has created a number of tracks for local artists and is regularly found in the studio writing or mixing a new masterpiece.

You can view the article from the BBC iPlayer site here, you will need to forward through the player to around 26mins in.




If you want to catch some of Glodi's music check his myspace page here

Thursday Producer (My Roundhouse Group)- New Release on Beatport

After uploading the last post I decided to check the beatport link and randomly on the front page was an advert for former Thursday Creative Producer, Maya Jane Coles. Maya used to come to the Thursday night session in 2003/4, She has a release out on the Dogmatik Label which you can purchase on beatport.

Here is a link to the download/audition page. Support your own by buying the EP!MAYA JANE COLESLowKeyEP

Click here for her MYSPACE

and click here to read a SoundOnSound article I wrote that gives some background.

Beatport Sync Software & Remix Contest

iTunes alternative 'Beatport' are running a new remix contest with a range of prizes up for grabs. First you will need to set up a user name to access the site fully.

Beatport is a great legal download site and differs from itunes in that it specializes in independent electronic and dance based music (hip hop is covered from sister site beatsource). The interface is much more conducive to browse and has the feel of DJ and production software...more on this point later.

Another point worth a mention is that the mp3 quality is higher then iTunes at 320kbps which gives a superior playback quality and is aimed at those who want to DJ from mp3s.

Back to the interface, this was desinged by soft synth giants Native Instruments and for anyone who has used their sampler "Kontakt" it feels very similar. There is even a FREE downloadable itunes style music player with the ability to mix from one track to the next using the decks and crossfader built in. Its an ideal piece of software for anyone starting to produce mixtapes. The software is called Beatport Sync and again is designed by Native Instruments.

Anyway heres the link to beatport

Goodluck!

Work Placement at PRS

The PRS (Performing Rights Society) have a 6 month work placement for a recent graduate. If you want some more info and an application pack follow this link.

Good Luck!

PRS WORK PLACEMENT

Interested in Playing the Guitar?

Okay here is a quick a link for those of you who are into playing the guitar.

Songsterr is an online resource of Guitar Tab arrangements that can be played and slowed down to help you follow at your own pace.

Guitar tab is a great method of notation that uses the strings of a guitar rather than the conventional stave. It doesn't replace conventional notation but many self taught guitarists find it more accesible, so to me thats a good thing.

Thanks Rax for the link,

http://www.songsterr.com