I have reviewed other speakers here on the Gadgeteer, and recently found an incredible little Bluetooth powerhouse called The Phoenix by Beacon. It has some awesome features and sound. But when I saw the Kinivo Bluetooth Speaker with its sleek, sexy profile (can a speaker be sexy??) I wondered if that larger size packed enough [...]
Tagged as:
Audio,
Bluetooth Gear,
Music
As someone who loves music, is a wannabe musician, iPad mini owner and The Gadgeteer, I love any gadgets or apps that allow me turn my tablet into a musical instrument. We’ve seen apps that convert your iPad into a piano, guitar, ukulele and even a drum set. Using your fingers to play piano, guitar [...]
Tagged as:
Instrument,
Music,
Tablet
I have owned a bunch of portable speakers over the years. Ever since my first boombox in high school my love affair with portable music has led me on the quest for the perfect portable audio companion. My ideal companion must be small, have big sound, crazy battery life, cheap, high quality workmanship, and multiple [...]
Tagged as:
Audio,
Bluetooth Gear,
Music
Guitar tuners, what can I say about them? They come in various shapes and sizes. They are digital and analogue. They have inline and audio versions. But what I can say about me and guitar tuners is, I can never find one when I need one. The Pitchclip from Korg helps solve that issue. Korg [...]
Tagged as:
Guitar,
Musical instrument tuner,
ukulele
If you play or are learning to play the ukulele, check out this iOS music app. The Ukulele Songbook: The Beatles app is a universal iOS app that teaches you to play 19 of Beatles songs. Each song is complete with lyrics and chords, and there’s even an enhanced chord library where “you can view large [...]
Tagged as:
Music app,
ukulele
Bob Marley, Roy Orbison and Chet Adkins would probably turn over in their graves if they could see these new Gibson Min-ETune guitars. Affixed to the back of the headstock is a battery-powered robot tuner that can accurately tune all six strings simultaneously to standard tuning in a matter of seconds. Just press the button, [...]
Tagged as:
Guitar
Now that the new Game of Thrones season has started up, I am seeing Stark vs. Lannister items pop up in different stores. My favorite is the Game of Thrones Stark and Lannister on-ear headphones by Gear4. The Stark headphones are all white with a direwolf sigil on each ear, while the Lannister headphones are [...]
Tagged as:
game of thrones,
Headphones
Vibration speakers are unique because they turn ordinary objects like a table or a box into a speaker with full sound. The Yaba X is an ultra portable vibration speaker from PLX Devices that has already achieved full funding through Kickstarter. The pocket-sized Yaba is made of cast zinc and is going to be available [...]
Tagged as:
Guitar,
Speaker
The Korg Headtune tuner takes all the mystery out of tuning guitar, ukulele and basses, so new players can concentrate on learning to play music instead of figuring out how to keep their instrument in tune. Shaped like the headstock of a guitar, bass or ukulele, the tuner clips on and has an easy to understand [...]
Tagged as:
Guitar,
Tuner,
ukulele
Griffin‘s StudioConnect with Lightning connector is a new version of the existing interface between an iPad and your guitar/bass or a MIDI instrument or controller. The StudioConnect has Audio-In connectors where you can plug your 1/4″ guitar plug to play directly into GarageBand or other recording apps and a 3.5mm audio plug that lets you [...]
Tagged as:
Guitar effects,
MIDI controller,
Musical interface
The other night while watching TV, I caught a new iPad mini commercial from Apple. This one features a little girl playing a ukulele and singing a song to her grandpa. The little girl is using Facetime on her full sized iPad while her grandpa is watching at the other end with his mini. Cute [...]
Tagged as:
iPad mini,
Musical instruments
Most of the instrument interfaces for connecting an instrument to a computer or iPad that we’ve looked at on the Gadgeteer require the instrument to have a 1/4″ phono plug or a USB port (or adapter, like the Apple Camera Connection kit). They work great, except when you have instruments or mics with different connectors. [...]
Tagged as:
Musical interface
Computers and software have transformed the recording industry for even amateur musicians. No longer do you have to rent expensive time in recording studios to make professional-sounding recordings. A quick Google search will find multiple stories about entire albums being recorded on an iPad or an iPhone. If you intend to use only virtual instruments, [...]
Tagged as:
Fender Squier,
USB Guitar
I’ve seen a couple of TV shows about luthiers, and building guitars seems like a very interesting activity with a beautiful and useful end product. Of course, it takes skill to make the wooden enclosure for any guitar, and the electronics for an electric guitar only adds to the complexity of the project. This Mini [...]
Tagged as:
DIY,
Guitar
Google’s Creative Labs has just released Jam with Chrome, an experimental Web app that makes use of all the latest Web tech and allows you to select and play 19 different instruments. Instruments include guitars, drums and keyboard, and you can switch between instruments whenever you want. Up to 3 other people can collabrate with you [...]
Tagged as:
chrome browser,
Musical instruments
Guitarists who want to record directly into their computer or iPad have had to rely on some sort of interface, and The Gadgeteer has reviewed some of them. Some work better than others, and some require proprietary software for best results. Fender has released a guitar that doesn’t require a third party interface. Their Squier [...]
Tagged as:
Guitar,
USB Guitar
The Pitchclip from Korg is a chromatic clip-on tuner that will help you quickly and accurately tune your guitar, bass or ukulele. It features a display that can be reversed for easy viewing when mounted on either side of the instrument’s headstock. The Pitchclip is available in 8 different colors and is priced at an affordable [...]
Tagged as:
Guitar,
Tuner
Guitarists who perform live (and even those who don’t) are always on the look out for new ways to attach an extra pick to their instruments. When you’re playing music in front of people and accidentally drop your pick, you can’t take time to search around for another one in the middle of a tune. [...]
Tagged as:
Guitar,
Music
It’s time to start planning your holiday shopping, and Pyle Audio has a great gift idea for someone who wants to learn to play guitar. Their PEGKT15 electric guitar package comes with everything needed to get started. The kit starts with a double-cutaway, solid-body electric guitar made with a basswood body, maple neck, and rosewood fretboard. It [...]
Tagged as:
Electric guitar,
guitar accessory
If you’re an amateur or professional musician, you’ve undoubtedly seen information about the variety of interfaces that allow you to record music on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. IK Multimedia, who created the iRig guitar interface, has just announced that their new iRig PRE microphone interface is ready to ship. The iRig PRE has [...]
Tagged as:
microphone,
Musical interface