We all have periods of time throughout the day that are essentially wasted – whether it be during a commute, waiting in a doctor’s office, or restlessly sitting through a three minute commercial break until your show resumes.  What better way to kill that time than by practicing guitar?  Pocketstrings is a mini guitar neck with six strings and four frets and is about the same size as a television remote.  The idea is to work on chords and build muscle memory, not to mention some handy calluses, in places where having an actual guitar would be inconvenient.  There is no way to strum though and no prerecorded “correct” chord sounds, so it’s truly only a way to practice formations.  But it’s an awesome idea for hand fidgeters!

The Pocketstrings plastic neck and sliding base come in seven colors including sunburst, yellow, and blue and retails for about $30.  The site is currently sold out, but is taking names and emails to notify you when they’re back in stock.

Filed in categories: Musical Gear, News

Tagged: guitar accessory

Build Muscle Memory on the Go with Pocketstrings originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 6, 2012 at 8:00 am.

With forScore, you can carry a complete library of music scores with you.  You can download most any PDF into forScore and even annotate it using text boxes or add common musical notation symbols with the built-in library of stamps or your own, custom-designed stamps.  forScore has an organizational system that lets you sort your music files with six types of metadata.  There’s a metronome that marks time audibly or visually.  Auto-turn and half-turn options let you practice without pauses, and it can even work with AirTurns BT-105 Bluetooth page turner.  You can display the music vertically, or turn the iPad horizontally for a wider view (requires scrolling to see the entire page).  The iPad-only app is $4.99 in the iTunes app store.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Music app

Collect, Annote, and Carry Your Music Scores in Your iPad originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 24, 2012 at 12:00 pm.

If you’ve ever wished that you could learn to play the piano but don’t want to take weekly lessons miles from home, I have a potential solution for you. It’s software for your PC or Mac and Midi keyboard called Playground Sessions. With this software, you can jump right into learning to play popular songs that you’ve heard on the radio and / or learn to read music and the mechanics of piano playing.

Note: Click the images in this review to see a larger view.

I’ve wanted to play piano since I was a little kid. My mother played and we had a piano in the house through most of my childhood. I used the same lesson books that she used as a child to teach myself the basics such as the notes on the staff can be remembered by Every Good Boy Does Fine and the letters in the word f-a-c-e. I can pick out a melody but have never taken an actual lesson.

When the people at Playground Sessions contacted me to see if I would be interested in writing about their video piano learning software, I was happy to give it a try. The software is compatible with PCs and Macs and requires a Midi keyboard, which I already happened to have. Installation was quick and painless and the setup immediately found the M-audio Keystation 49e keyboard that I plugged into my iMac via USB.

The actual lessons aren’t part of the initial software download. They all have to be downloaded through the interface. The software is priced at $149.00 and comes with 3 songs of your choice and 27 bootcamp lessons for rookie (beginner) to intermediate. The video lessons can take quite a while to download depending on your broadband connection and have to be downloaded one at a time.

Their song library currently only has 15 songs to choose from. The first one I downloaded was I’ll Be There by the Jackson 5. But there are more contemporary songs from One Republic, The Fray, Five for Fighting and other bands. Each song has several different types of lessons available that range from beginner to advanced. The versions of each song can be purchased with or without a video walk through lesson from David Sides the instructor. Like I mentioned the initial purchase of the software will get you 3 songs.

If you want additional songs, they will cost you $6 with the video walk through or $4 without. That’s the price for each version of the song. So it can get expensive if you purchase the $6 rookie version + $6 intermediate version + $6 advanced version (not every song in their library has an advanced lesson). One song could cost you $18. What do you get for your $6 per version?

Each song lesson version has several parts. The I’ll Be There rookie version that I started with has 11 different video parts because David breaks the song down into manageable chunks like Opening, Verse, Chorus and then each of those parts is broken down further into Left hand, Right hand and both hands. The keys on the onscreen keyboard play along as David plays each part so you can see the notes and positions.

You can practice each section in slow or normal tempo with a metronome that can be turned on or off to help you keep time with the music. You can also toggle drums and bass back up instruments while practicing. As you play along, the notes you play correctly will turn Green, wrong notes will turn Red and notes you almost got right will turn Pink. This gives you immediate feedback to let you know if you’re playing the section correctly and gives your practice session a slight video game feel.  If you want to work on a specific section of the song, it can be highlighted and looped as many times as you need.

I do wish that there was an option to slow the tempo even further or have the option to play the notes without any time constraints at all. I tend to get flustered when I miss a note and then it’s hard to get back into the rhythm of the song.

After each practice session, you’ll be shown a progress chart with your accuracy level and a segmented chart that displays your percentage of right notes, wrong notes and almost right notes.

You can track your progress with each song that you’re learning and the time you’ve devoted to it.

You can even let your friends know about your progress via Facebook and compare your stats to others using the software.

I found the Playground Sessions software easy to use and the video lessons easy to understand and follow. But unlike with a real live instructor, the software does not really motivate you to practice more.  It would be great if you could win credits to purchase additional lessons by improving your stats as you practice songs. As is, you’ll have to supply your own motivation and $’s when you want to learn new songs.

$149.00 is a lot to pay for a software package and the relatively small selection of songs is a concern. Luckily there is a demo version which includes 1 free song lesson and 1 free bootcamp lesson. It’s good for 7 days, which gives you a chance to at least try it before you buy.

Have you used software to help you learn to play an instrument? What has been your experience?

Filed in categories: Musical Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Musical instruments

Playground Sessions Piano Lesson Software Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 15, 2012 at 10:00 am.

(Disclosure: Yonac Inc. provided a promotional copy of this app.)

The iPad is a great platform for musicians, at least those of the electronic or guitar-playing variety. But what if you fit into both of those categories? Then maybe Shredder by Yonac Inc. is for you. Shredder is a full featured guitar-driven synthesizer, meaning that it tracks what notes you play on the guitar and uses them to drive a modeled analog synth engine. Doing this without an iPad usually involves a special pickup on the guitar plus a synthesizer that works with it, but Shredder does it just by listening to your input.

While this is not a full review, I tried Shredder using an iRig and so far it seems to track well. (No, I am not going to record a demo… I’m not that good of a guitarist yet!) A large number of presets are provided to show off the synth engine’s range or act as a jumping off point for your own tweaks. And if you have another favorite synth you’d like to control, iOS or external, Shredder supports virtual and physical MIDI out. It even has a couple of modeled stompboxes and a way to record and play back your playing.

Apps like this are one of the reasons I recently ditched my Android tablet for an iPad. I’m not the most serious or skilled guitarist out there and there is no way I could justify the hundreds of dollars a typical guitar synth rig would cost, but the iPad can do it for, basically, pocket change? Yes please. (Although we got a promo copy, I am pretty sure I would have bought it anyway.)

Shredder is currently on sale in the App Store for $5.99; after the holidays it will go up to its regular price of $14.99.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Musical Gear, News

Tagged:

Shredder – Guitar-Controlled Synthesizer for iPad originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 15, 2011 at 3:28 pm.

If you’re looking for a cool gift for your favorite ukulele player, this is it. It’s a kit for a folding soprano ukulele. The parts are made of laser cut bamboo. All you need is some sandpaper, glue and a few other miscellaneous items and you’ll be able to build your own instrument that just happens to fold up into a nifty little package that can easily stow in your backpack. The resulting uke won’t sound as good as a traditionally built instrument, but it will make a fun do-it-yourself project. There are two kit designs to choose from, which are priced from $75-$87.50 (pictured). If you don’t want to take the time to build the kit, you can even buy them already finished… but for the price of the finished kits ($250 – $375), you could buy a decent regular uke. Check out these kits here.

Filed in categories: Do-It-Yourself, Musical Gear, News

Tagged: DIY, Musical instruments

Ukulele taking up too much space? Fold it. originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 26, 2011 at 11:49 am.

There’s a lot of software available for the iPad that lets you record and edit music, but you need some sort of adapter to connect the instrument to the iPad.  Instead of needing an arsenal of different adapters, the Alesis iO Dock Pro Audio Dock for iPad and iPad 2 lets you connect any of your instruments, microphones, professional speaker and PA systems, MIDI controllers, sound modules, and video projectors using their normal cables.  (Click the image for a better look at all the inputs.)  ”Built to accommodate all current app-development standards including Core MIDI, the iO Dock is a universal device that bridges your choice of music-creation apps, instruments, and devices.”  With the Alesis and your iPad or iPad 2 you can create, record, and perform music.  Go to the Alesis site to read much more about the dock and its capabilities and to find a dealer near you.  The Alesis iO Dock Pro Audio Dock is also available at various online retailers for $170-$200, depending on the seller.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Musical interface

Alesis iO Dock Pro Audio Dock for iPad & iPad 2 originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 19, 2011 at 9:00 am.

The K-Bow from Keith McMillen is a Bluetooth enabled bow for the violin, viola, cello and bass, which is constructed of Kevlar and graphite. While the K-Bow may look similar to a normal bow, it’s actually a real-time controller that will allow you to manipulate the sounds coming out of the stringed instrument for which the bow is being used. The bow has sensors for grip, bow tension, force, angle, and more. The sensor data is used with the included software to translate to MIDI or for live looping, reverb, etc. The K-Bow is available now at prices starting at $2995.00.

Filed in categories: Bluetooth Gear, Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Bluetooth Gear, Musical instruments, Violin

Play The Devil Went Down to Georgia on your Fiddle with the Bluetooth K-Bow originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 29, 2011 at 2:30 pm.

Did you know it was National Drum Month?  Me neither.  But it’s not to late to celebrate it, and Korg has just the portable device to kick your drumming up a notch.  The Wavedrum Mini uses Korg’s legendary Wavedrum technology, but it’s packed into a device small enough to take with you.  Tap the dynamic pad surface with your fingers to play any of the 100 ready-to-play sounds.  Attach the included sensor clip to any surface to add a second sound simultaneously.  The Mini also has 100 rhythm patterns and 10 preset effects, and it has a built-in looper for unlimited overdub layering.  It’s powered by batteries or by the included AC adapter.  It has a headphone jack and a built-in speaker.  There’s even a strap to attach it securely to your thigh .  The Korg Wavedrum Mini is about $300 and is available at a variety of retailers.

Filed in categories: Musical Gear, News

Tagged: drums, Musical instruments

Celebrate National Drum Month with the Korg Wavedrum Mini originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 12, 2011 at 11:00 am.

The GuitarJack from Sonoma Wire Works allows you to connect a variety of instruments and / or microphones to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. The GuitarJack plugs into the dock connector of your iOS device and features a 1/4 inch instrument jack and a 1/8 inch stereo mic/line input. It can record voice and an instrument simultaneously via a 4 track style app. The GuitarJack Model 2 is priced at $149 and will be available in 4-6 weeks.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Guitar, iOS, Music

GuitarJack Model 2 Audio Interface Now Compatible with iPad, iPhone and iPod touch originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 2, 2011 at 12:00 pm.

The Korg microPIANO is a miniature grand piano that even has a lid that opens. It’s about 31 inches long and 12 inches deep, with 61 velocity sensitive keys. It has 60 built-in sounds, 25 one-touch musical phrases and 40 demo songs. The microPIANO has built in speakers and it can be plugged into into AC or power it for up to 15hrs with 6 AA batteries. It’s available with either a Black or Red lid and is priced at $299.99. I don’t know about you, but it makes me want to learn Chopsticks right now!

Filed in categories: Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Piano

Celebrate National Piano Month with a Korg microPIANO originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 19, 2011 at 4:47 pm.

Last year I reviewed the Yeti USB microphone. At the time, I really liked the microphone, and over the last year using it, my opinion of it has only improved. Honestly, when it comes to my needs, the Yeti was definitely a 10. When they released the Yeti Pro, I was intrigued to see what they did to improve on it, and fortunately I was offered the opportunity to review one.

So, as the philosopher Nigel Tufnel once observed: “You’re on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, … Where can you go from there? Where?” Where indeed. Let’s take a look at the Yeti Pro, and see how it compares to it’s non-pro cousin.

The Yeti Basics

Just like the Yeti, the Yeti Pro has a triple capsule design that can be used to cover four different recording patterns:

• Stereo
• Cardiod
• Omni
• Bidirectional

The Yeti Pro Additions

The first thing you will notice about the pro is color. The pro is decked out in black instead of the silver finish of the original Yeti.

The black finish is a nice touch, and the stand on the Yeti Pro also has a titanium finish. There is no longer a THX logo on the front of the microphone. I asked about this, and the rep explained that the THX certification for microphones is not continuing, but all the specs on the Yeti Pro meet or exceed the Yeti.

A less cosmetic change are the connections. The Yeti Pro has the USB and Headphone jack of the Yeti, but also adds a stereo XLR jack on the bottom.

It also retains the standard threaded mic stand mount.

First Impressions

As with the Yeti, and other blue products, a lot of thought and design went into the packaging. The Yeti comes with a short manual, an XLR breakout cable (for the right and left channels of the XLR output) and a USB cable.

Not only is the packaging design attractive, it is also very informational. They include a nice chart to break down which of the four recording patterns are best for different applications.

The Specs

Having XLR outputs is enough to label this a Pro, but they also bumped the specifications of the microphone. Here are the specs for the Yeti Pro, with the Yeti’s in blue and parenthesis where different:

Microphone

Power Required/Consumption: 5V 500mA (USB)/48V DC (analog) (up from 150mA)
Sample Rate: 192 kHz (up from 48 kHz)
Bit Rate: 24bit  (up from 16bit)
Capsules: 3 Blue-proprietary 14mm condenser capsules
Polar Patterns: Cardioid, Bidirectional, Omnidirectional, Stereo
Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz
Sensitivity: 4.5mV/Pa (1 kHz)
Max SPL: 120dB (THD: 0.5% 1kHz)

Headphone Amplifier

Impedance: >16 ohms
Power Output (RMS): 130 mW
THD: 0.009%
Frequency Response: 15 Hz – 22 kHz
Signal to Noise: 114dB (up from 100dB)

Setup

As with the Yeti, setup with the Yeti Pro was fairly simple. It is a little different in terms of drivers, but I was able to plug and play on my MacBook Pro, and after installing the driver for Windows 7, had not issue using the microphone with Bootcamp on my MacBook Pro.

Controls

The Yeti Pro has a dial to control gain (sensitivity) and the recording pattern on the back of the microphone:

The front of the microphone contains controls to mute the microphone and to control the volume on the headphone:

These controls only work when you are using the microphone in USB mode. If you are using the XLR connections, the headphone volume and mute do not work. The Blue tech I talked to explained that the this part of the microphone is powered by the USB port, so naturally they are not available in XLR mode. This should not be an issue, though, as all those functions are better controlled on the mixing board when using the XLR connections.

When using the USB connection, a solid red light on the mute button means the microphone is on and working, a blinking light means that mute is on. I find this an odd way of displaying the information. If the the LED was not on the button, I think it would make more sense. It does not take long to keep that straight, though. Also, since volume can now be controlled digitally, the volume button does not have a clear minimum or maximum setting. You simply turn clockwise to make it louder, and counter-clockwise to make it softer.

Performance

I have replaced my Yeti with the Yeti Pro and have had no issues with the new microphone. I think my demonstration from my review of the original Yeti on recording patterns still suffices for those features.

Unfortunately, I am not a pro, so I can’t really show off the difference in quality. My primary use for a microphone is to record audio for web-delivered content. Frankly, the higher sample and bit rates offered by the Yeti Pro are not going to be readily apparent in my use of the microphone, since I tend to compress the audio and was not utilizing the full quality from the Yeti. I guess the best analogy is my dSLR. Sure I take a 10 Megapixel picture, but by the time I resize them for the web, you are not getting the full effect. However, it captures more information when I first take the picture, so the end-result is better than my camera phone.

Is It One Louder?

As I mentioned up top, I was a huge fan of the Yeti, and I wondered how will they would improve it. Did it go to 11? Actually I think it goes to 12. The bump in specifications (even if I can’t fully exploit them for my applications) takes it to 11, and then the addition of the XLR output takes it to 12.

I am not a professional musician, but I have good friends who are. I have also filled in on sound boards at times, so I know professionals can get a little sentimental about their microphones. The flexibility of using this microphone as a USB mic in casual settings, and then turning around and hooking it up to a professional sound board should be appealing to pros and semi-pros.

Is It Worth It?

The answer to this is the universal answer: it depends. If you are looking to have the best microphone you can for USB, Blue has taken their top-of-class Yeti and made it more responsive. If you are looking for the ability to go beyond USB and hook up your microphone to a professional sound board, the stereo XLR output will be worth it. If you need a microphone for recording podcasts, and you don’t need the XLR outputs, then you are probably better off saving a $100 and sticking with the Yeti. You are not really settling with that microphone.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Musical Gear, Reviews

Tagged: microphone, xlr, yeti

Yeti Pro by Blue Microphone Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 12, 2011 at 12:00 pm.

Combine the 25-key lighted keyboard from ION with your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, and you’re on your way to learning to play piano.  You  use the free teaching app in iTunes with the Piano Apprentice keyboard, and you follow along with the lights on the keys as they guide you to learning to play the music.  The iOS screen will display the sheet music or you can watch a pair of hands as they play to guide you.  The Piano Apprentice keyboard runs on batteries or with the optional AC adapter.  Amazon has the keyboard for $99.99, a $50 savings from the list price.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Musical instruments, Teaching

Learn to Play Piano with the ION Piano Apprentice originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 12, 2011 at 11:00 am.

Awhile back Julie wrote about the Orpheus wallet, a wallet for guitar players.  The company selling that wallet is currently out of business, awaiting a relaunch, but it seemed that from that article’s feedback the price ($107) was a bit much for the average gadgeteer.  Whipping Post, makers of a gorgeous line of guitar cases, has recently released their own picker’s wallet.  It’s a slimline, bare bones model, but is elegant in its simplicity. The wallet is full grain leather and holds three credit cards, has a cash compartment, clear-paneled driver’s license panel, and a stitched pocket for a guitar pick.  Two colors are available, tan and dark brown, and can be purchased directly through Whipping Post for $30.

Filed in categories: Gear, Musical Gear, News, Wallets

Tagged: Guitar, guitar pick, Wallet, whipping post

Whipping Post Picker’s Wallets originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 10, 2011 at 1:00 pm.

The FlashHarp is a 2GB flash drive that doubles as a harmonica. Yeah, you read that right – a harmonica. It even comes with a 10 minute instructional video stored right on the drive so that you’ll be blowing “Oh Susanna” in no time. Play a tune then copy files to your computer. Just be careful that your spit doesn’t short out your laptop The FlashHarp is available from Supermarket for $49.95

Filed in categories: Desktop Computer Gear, Laptops and Gear, Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Memory, Music

FlashHarp – Mini Harmonica with a Built-in 2GB Flash Drive originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 31, 2011 at 11:00 am.

The Griffin StompBox is a programmable multi-functional foot controller that interfaces with the iPad, iPhone or iPod touch, enabling virtual guitar effects for any instrument that takes a 1/4-inch jack such as a guitar, bass guitar, electric violin or keyboard. StompBox was created to work with Frontier Design’s iShred LIVE app to allow musicians to switch effects with their feet, without taking their hands off the instrument.The $99.99 StompBox comes with a professional quality 4-button foot controller and the Griffin GuitarConnect cable that enables a connection to an instrument, headphones and an iOS device at the same time.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Guitar, iPad, Music

Channel your inner Jimmy Hendrix with the Griffin StompBox originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 25, 2011 at 4:00 pm.

DigiTech has announced a new programmable pedalboard and iPad application that together allow a guitarist to replace a floor full of effects pedals.  The iPB-10 Programmable Pedalboard “combines the simplicity of a pedalboard with the flexibility of a multi-effect system.”  The Audio DNA2 inside the iPB-10 provides no-latency, high-definition signal processing.  The iPB-Nexus app lets you choose from 87 pedals, 54 amps, and 27 cabinets.  Design a pedalboard by dragging and dropping up to 10 pedals to each pedalboard, then add an amp and a cabinet to complete the design.  You can have a complete library of pedalboard definitions, so you can easily switch your setup for a show, between songs, or even within a song.  The iPB-10 works with iPad and iPad 2.  It’s available now at DigiTech and at retailers, and it has a retail price of $699.95.  The app is free in the iTunes store.  You’ll need to supply your own iPad.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Guitar effects, Pedalboard

DigiTech iPB-10 Programmable Pedalboard originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 29, 2011 at 11:00 am.

The iBamboo speaker is another innovation seeking funding through Kickstarter.  It’s a speaker exclusively for the iPhone 4 that is literally a piece of foot-long bamboo with a carved iPhone dock opening.  That’s it.  There are no cables, no batteries, no need for electricity whatsoever.  Once the iPhone is placed in the dock, the bamboo acts as a natural stereo amplifier for the phone’s native speaker.  The sound quality is actually better than expected, though it seems intended more for classical and instrumental music as evidenced by the inventor’s demo videos.

iBamboo is not only eco-friendly (made from sustainable materials and requiring no electricity to operate) but also a rather unique conversation piece.  iBamboo isn’t in production just yet, but is expected to retail between $25-$30.  The project page on Kickstarter is running through July 9th and a $25 donation up until that point will reserve you an iBamboo and case.

Filed in categories: Home Tech, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Musical Gear, News

Tagged: ibamboo, iPhone/iPod speaker

iBamboo Speaker for iPhone 4 originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 16, 2011 at 11:00 am.

I love to listen to music on my various gadgets, and I have a bunch, including some Android gadgets.  So once I got my invitation I was excited to try the new Google Music Beta.  It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I am fed up with iTunes.  I am a Windows pc user and iTunes on Windows pcs just isn’t that great, in my humble, two-cents worth, opinion, which is another long story for another day.  I have used iPods and iTunes since 2003 and owned a half dozen iPods, so I have plenty of experience to speak from.  iTunes sucks.  So did I like Google Music?  Would I recommend it to others? Will it replace my iPod/iTunes solution that I have lived with for 8 years?  Let’s find out.

After using my Google account to log into Google Music I installed the Google Music Manager utility on my computer.  The music manager gives you the options of specifying which folders of music on your computer you want to upload, or you can let it grab all your music in iTunes to upload.  I keep all my music in iTunes, so that is the option I choose.  Also, you can’t upload music through the browser, you have to use the Music Manager to do that.  Some good news is that you can set the Music Manager to automatically upload any music that is added to those folders that you specify, or schedule it to upload every hour, etc.  So in my case, if I ever add any music to iTunes, it will automatically upload to Google Music, which is a nice touch.  Also, you can pick and choose which songs to upload, so I picked only the songs and playlists that I wanted to upload.  The Music Manager runs in the background and uploads while you do other things.  I did notice my computer slow down somewhat during that process, so it isn’t as ‘behind the scenes’ as some people will like.

Here is a screenshot of the Music Manager main screen:

To listen to your music, delete your music, manage your playlists (which it thankfully grabbed from my iTunes playlists), edit song information, etc, you use the Music Player which is entirely browser based.  So that means you must have an internet connection to do so.  Which I guess is the whole point.  There is a downside of course to that, because if you don’t have an internet connection, you are sunk.   You have a search feature in the Player to quickly search for any song you have, which of course I would expect being a Google product.  You can also sort the view of your music by playlists, artists, albums, songs, etc.

Before I tell you any more good stuff, let me get the bad stuff out of the way.

After I uploaded all my music I then downloaded the Android app from the Market and fired it up.  And I guess this is where my frustration began with Google Music.  The Android app is truly Beta. It needs updating, like now.  Compared to the Amazon Cloud Music player app, this app is just pitiful in my opinion.  First of all, the app combed my Android phone for music files to see if it could add any files.  It found all sorts of sound files on my phone that are associated with apps installed on my phone.  So there are tons of 1 and 2 second sound files from game apps on my phone that are now sitting inside my Google Music app.  That is just not cool.

In addition, the app wouldn’t show me the songs from my Google Music collection that is now sitting inside Google Music. After poking around the sparse help files (which I guess is to be expected at this point) I found out that you have to set up your phone to ‘auto-sync’ to be able to see your music.   After the app ‘syncs’ and you can see your music, you can turn off auto-sync.  But if I add more music to Google Music I assume that I’ll have to turn auto-sync back on before the app can see the new music.  Again, not cool.  I shouldn’t have to turn on ‘auto-sync’ (which is a better drain) to see my music, the app should be able to communicate with Google Music and see my music. The Amazon Cloud Player doesn’t make me do that so why does Google Music?  Google, you should have told me somewhere (preferably in the app on my phone) that I needed to do this instead of making me search around the help files to find the answer.  It would have saved me alot of frustration. Or maybe I just don’t get it, which is possible.

Another huge item that is missing with Google Music is that there is no iTunes equivalent software for Google Music on your pc.  It is all based in the cloud and you use your browser to listen to your music, edit song information, add them to playlists, purchase more songs online, etc.  So when it comes to managing the music on my pc, I still have to use a piece of software like iTunes, or something else, and that is a bummer.   The Music Manager that I mentioned before simply uploads music to the service, and that’s it. Have I mentioned how much I hate iTunes? Looks like I am stuck using it a bit longer till Google comes out with some software, which I hope they will.

It takes a long time to upload music.  I have over 2,600 songs in my library and it took me over 6 hours to upload the songs using my enterprise-level, high speed network here at work.  It just crawled.  When I was at home on my DSL connection to see how long it would take to upload the entire collection, my home connection was going to take over 30 hours to upload.  Maybe I am spoiled with the speed of internet services that we now enjoy in the mainstream, but that just seems too slow to me.

Having said all that, I guess you are expecting me to now tell you that I simply don’t like Google Music, and you would be wrong.

I love it.  Even with the issues that it has, I love it.

I have loved Pandora for a long time, because it gives me access to music anywhere I go on my phone that I have with me 24/7.  But I can’t pick the songs I want to hear on Pandora.  Sometimes I just want to listen to a song that I know I have in my collection.  Google Music allows me to do just that.  This is a fulfillment of the promises of cloud computing I think.  As long as Verizon doesn’t lock me down in the future with metered data plans, I can happily live with this.  Google Music, and Amazon Cloud Music as well, are only going to get better and I greatly prefer them over any of the music management apps that are currently available to get music from your pc onto your phone.  I gave up on those type of apps because it just turned out to be a hassle, especially when switching phones.  Cloud music is where it’s at.  Do I recommend it to others?  Oh yes.  Will it replace my iPod/iTunes setup? Oh yes, at some point.

Now, Google needs to get busy updating that app, like now, and making software for my pc to manage my music.  Are you listening Google? Don’t keep this in Beta for 3 years like you do everything else.  You have a legion of people like me who are ready and willing to break up with Apple.

UPDATE:  I was made aware of the fact that even though you can have Google music on multiple devices, you can’t listen to your music at the same time on multiple devices.  That takes some of the shine off the product for me, but hey, I guess you can’t have it all.

Filed in categories: Android related, Musical Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Android, Cloud, Google Music

Google Music Beta Review… The Promise & the Peril originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 11, 2011 at 1:19 pm.

Actually, I’m just jealous that they don’t have a version of the TunerMatic Action Tuner for ukuleles! The TunerMatic is a robotic guitar tuner. Just turn it on, place over a tuning knob, pluck a string and it will do the rest of the work. It will loosen and tighten the string till it is perfectly tuned. It works with both electric and acoustic guitars (acoustic guitars require an optional microphone accessory). The price seems very reasonable at only $49.95.

Filed in categories: Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Guitar

TunerMatic – A Guitar Tuner for the Super Lazy originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 19, 2011 at 10:00 am.

Most people like leather cases for their electronic gear, so why not leather cases for your other toys?  Whipping Post Leather has three gorgeous 100% full-grain leather cases that will do your guitar proud.  These cases are hand-sewn with marine-grade threading, have 1″ thick padding, and stainless hardware.  The strap can be used as a shoulder strap or backpack strap.  Outside dimensions are 42.5″ x 17″ x 5.5″.  The cases are available in Mojave Sand, Arizona Arena, and Georgia Brown (shown, left to right).  The cases are $825 each, and they come with a lifetime warranty.

Filed in categories: Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Guitar case

Whipping Post Leather Guitar Cases originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 26, 2011 at 3:00 pm.

The Orange OPC looks like a guitar amp, but it’s a computer designed for musicians.  The Orange OPC combines integrated studio-quality speakers from JBL, full versions of hand-picked music recording/editing software (£700/$1000 value), and the newly upgraded 2nd generation Intel Core series i3-2100 cpu.  Orange says “the bundled software makes use of our OPC ASIO driver which effectively bypasses the Windows driver to bring you ultra-low latencies.”  Just like a tower PC, the Orange OPC is expandable with up to 8GB memory, an extra audio card, gaming graphics card, and extra internal hard drive.  Right now, the Orange OPC with the 2nd gen Intel cpu is available for pre-order in the UK only for £1020 plus VAT.  Hopefully, it will soon be available worldwide.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Amplifier, Computer for musicians

Orange OPC – The Computer for Musicians originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 11, 2011 at 11:00 am.

If you play guitar and also happen to own a smartphone like the iPhone, Droid X and others, or even the iPod Touch, the Strumbuddy Troubadour is a nifty bracket that you can attach to the headstock and then to the back of your device. You don’t have to use a special case with this product; the Strumbuddy has a really strong magnet that mates up with a metal disc that you place between your phone and the back of its case. Then you can use various guitar apps to help you play your tunes. You can even rotate the device 360 degrees. Interested? Hop over to the Strumbuddy site and order one for $29.99.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Guitar, iPhone

Your guitar’s new BFF is the Strumbuddy Troubadour originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 6, 2011 at 3:00 pm.

We recently told you about AmpliTube iRig and AmpliTube app – the easy-to-use instrument interface adapter and guitar and bass tone mobile software for Apple iOS.  If you’re a Fender fan, you’ll be happy to see that there are new versions of the AmpliTube app for iPad and iPhone dedicated to Fender products.  The iPad version allows four simultaneous stomp boxes.  You can choose from six Fender stomp boxes, five Fender amps with matching cabinets, and 2 mic models.  The paid app is $14.99 for the iPad or iPhone version, and there are free versions so you can test a limited set of features.  If you already own the original AmpliTube app, you can add the Fender models to it via an in-app purchase.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Music effects processor, Musical interface

AmpliTube Fender™ for iPad and iPhone originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 17, 2011 at 12:00 pm.

This Line 6 Pocket Pod has the same features as the larger Line 6 Pod used in recording studios, but it’s small enough to travel with you.  Plug it in to your PA or amp to modify your sound as you perform, or use it with headphones for practice sessions.  The Pocket Pod gives you 32 classic and modern amp models and 16 cabinet models that you can mix and match to get the exact tone you desire, and there are also 16 effects models.  All of this fits into a package smaller than most stomp boxes.  The Pocket Pod is powered by 4 AAA batteries or by the optional power supply.  Amazon.com is offering the Line 6 Pocket Pod for $129.99.

Filed in categories: Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Music effects processor

Line 6 Pocket Pod Portable Effects Processor originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 30, 2011 at 5:00 pm.

Pull on these USB enabled gloves and you’ll be on your way to creating music just by tapping your fingers on a flat surface. Each fingertip plays a different note. The gloves which are attached to a speaker, are powered by 4 AAA batteries and offer you the choice of 8 different instruments, 20 different background rhythms, along with volume and tempo control.  You can purchase these Electronic Piano Gloves from Brando for $35.

Filed in categories: Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Instrument, Spotlight Gadgets

Turn any surface into a piano with Brando’s Electronic Piano Gloves originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 19, 2011 at 5:30 pm.