Winner of the first ever Home Recording Weekly blog songwriting contest announced.

You want the best? Well, you got the best!

Who will be celebrating their new win with IK Multimedia Amplitube 3 and Groove Maker for Iphone and/or Ipod ?

The winner of the first ever Home Recording Weekly blog songwriting contest is MacLain Christie, with a great song titled “Tell me, Joeseph”! Congratulations! A job well done!

MacLain Christies' winning song “Tell me, Joeseph” is posted here, in the video, so please check it out!!! I know that you will enjoy it as much as I have.

MacLain writes.......

“Well I actually produced it just in GarageBand. I used an Alesis MultiMix8 mixer as my audio interface and a Shure SM57 dynamic mic for vocals. Everything else was played in the box by me through midi with an old General Music keyboard.

I am a piano player and so I typically write my songs at the piano as I did with "Tell Me, Joeseph." I then laid down the piano track and vocals in GarageBand and later arranged it with the other instruments. It would probably sound more natural with real people playing the other instruments, but I just don't have the equipment or resources to do that.”

Now, as for the next Home Recording Weekly songwriting contest.......

That is right, the next Home Recording Weekly blog songwriting contest will be soon underway! The Home Recording Weekly blog will be taking MP3 song entries starting on June 16, and will stop taking entrys on July 15.

But what is the prize for this new songwriting contest????

I am so glad that you asked!

The single lucky winner will take away their very own copy of EZ Drummer, from Toontrack music!

That's right! One lucky winner will receive a brand spanking new copy of EZ Drummer from Toontrack music!

All that you need to do is to (first) subscribe to the Home Recording Weekly blog, and then email your entry in! The rules and email can be found here. All of the prior entries must be deleted from my hard drive, mail in your new entry, or the same entry again. Of course I will ask for your email because I will need to email the winner for their information. So, dont delay, get that song finished and mailed in to the Home Recording Weekly blog for your chance to win some great software from Toontrack music!

Pleas feel free to scroll through my blog posts in order to watch the demo videos featuring both IK Multimedia and Toontrack music products!

Toontrack Songwriters drum packs

What “ships” inside the new Toontrack songwriters drum pack, and songwriters fills pack, played by Ricard "Huxflux" Nettermalm?

The short answer is “lots”. The long answer is “lots and lots”.

Video part 1

Video part 2

To begin, the Song Writers drum pack, and the Song writers fill pack can be found and purchased at the Toontrack website, and for a mere 19 dollars (USD) each. That is all I needed to know in order to get my own copies downloaded. Speaking of downloading, they both were installed on my hard drive, and running in Pro Tools LE8 in moments flat, and they run flawlessly.

Songwriters drum pack

The Song Writers drum pack is midi information that is arranged as a songwriter might browse for it. I opened up Toontracks EZ Drummer, looked under the grooves section, and there was my new purchases.

The Song Writers drum pack is organized rather neatly, and laid out for quick usage. The midi headings are labeled as “Ballad, Halftime, Mid tempo, Uptempo, and shuffle”. Under each of these headings are sub headings, which are as follows: under “Ballad” you will find “Straight 4/4, Straight 6/8, and Swing 6/8”. Under the heading of “Halftime” is “Straight 4/4 and Swing 4/4”. Under the heading of “Mid tempo” is Swing 3/4, Straight 4/4, and Swing 4/4”. Under the heading of “Uptempo”, you will find “Straight 4/4, and Swing 4/4”. Lastly, “Shuffle” has “Swing 4/4” time midi information inside of it.

After choosing you time, you next choose the part of the song that you need some midi for. The midi in the Song Writers drum pack is laid out as “intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, and fills”, and different variations of midi files are found inside each of these sub headings. This is a lot of midi for 19 bucks! My experience thus far has been that you should have no problem either finding a perfect fit for what you are writing, or you will find a very close midi file that may need some minor changing.

Both the midi information found here, and the way that this midi information is laid out, will shave precious time off of your drum writing approach.

Song Writers Fill Pack

I just loves to write my own fills. Not! I do, however, find myself customizing fills quite often, just to make them sit in my songs a little bit better. One problem that I have is that it has become tougher and tougher to find unique fills to alter. Well, I wont be having that issue any longer, as I purchased the Song writers fill pack , and I now have tons of unique fills to select from.

The Song writers fill pack is laid out just like the Song Writers drum pack . To save time, I have included a snap shot of the EZ Drummer midi selection browser, with the Song writers fill pack selected. Let me just add that the fills are awesome. Check out the video that I have posted to hear just a smattering.

All in all, as a songwriter, I have long awaited for products such as these. My work flow will become a bit faster and the final product will be that much more unique sounding. If you are on the fence about purchasing these Songwriters drum and/or fill packs, Then listen to me: “go ahead and do it”, you will not be sorry!

Lastly, as just a reminder, the Home Recording Weekly song writing contest is quickly coming to a close! If you are still putting the finishing touches on your song, dont fret, get it done and sent in. This is your chance to win Groovemaker and Amplitube 3, both from IK Multimedia, and I dont want any one of you to miss your chance of winning these smokin' prizes!

If you have already sent in your song entry, then a big “thanks” goes out to you! After the winner is declared keep an ear close to the groung for the next Home Recording Weekly song writing contest. The prizes are getting better.............

Song Writing Contest

Announcing the Home Recording Weekly song writing contest, featuring IK Multimedia product prizes!

Want to win IK Multimedias' Groovemaker and IK Multimedia's' Amplitube 3? Yea, I thought you might!

Those are the two prizes being given away for the Home Recording Weekly blog song contest, right here on the Home Recording Weekly blog!

One lucky winner will take home both of these amazing products!

Your original song, recorded in any way that you can get it recorded, might just be worth a very cool package of amazing and powerful gear from IK Multimedia!

How can you enter your original song to this contest? Easy!

1) Subscribe to the Home Recording Weekly blog. Fill out the Feedburner email box link, and then read on below.

2) Either Email your MP3 file song to the Home Recording Weekly, or mail your CD to the Home Recording Weekly Blog. Do not send in any links to your music please, as they will not be followed!

3) Wait to hear the winner announced, here on the Home Recording Weekly blog!

Limit one entry per musician, please.

All applicants must first subscribe to the Home Recording Weekly blog, because hey; how else are you going to know who wins? All emails, songs, and other material that is sent in to the Home Recording Weekly blog song contest will not be used in any way, what-so-ever, well.... that is unless you are the winner. The lucky winner will have their song posted here on the Home Recording Weekly blog, for all to hear. Please send your email address along with your song, so that I may contact you in the future, to announce the winner of the Home Recording Weekly blog song contest! No catches, gimmicks, or anything else. Just a free to enter song contest.

Email submissions or your questions to Steve@ITMaine.com.

Submissions will be collected until midnight (Eastern daylight savings time) on the day of June 15^th. That means you better get busy!

All prizes are being given by IK Multimedia, where musicians come first! Please visit their site to learn more about these, and many other products available from IK Multimedia.

Don't worry about the overall quality of your submission either. I have made four track recordings too! No matter if you record in the garage or in the studio, mail it in! Never know, you might win! Good luck!

Amplitube iRIG is here!!!

If you are a techy type, get ready for tone on the go!!!

As taken from IK Multimedias press release......

“The new Amplitube iRIG is the ultimate mobile guitar amp and effects system for iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad.

Simply plug the iRig interface into your iPhone/iPod Touch or iPad, plug your instrument into the appropriate input jack, plug in your headphones, amp or powered speakers, download AmpliTube free for iPhone and start rocking.

You'll have at your fingertips the sound and control of 3 simultaneously reconfigurable stompbox effects + amplifier + cabinet + microphone just like a traditional guitar or bass stage rig!

Add amps and effects as you need them - you can expand your rig with up to 10 stomps, 5 amps, 5 cabinets and 2 microphones in the AmpliTube iRig app custom shop.

AmpliTube iRig - plug interface adapter

Works on iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad

1/4" female mono input jack connector

1/8" female stereo output mini-jack connector

Connect electric guitar and bass

Also works with line level signals from synthesizers, keyboards and mixers

Output can be connected to headphones, amplifiers, powered speakers and mixers

AmpliTube for iPhone - mobile guitar amp and effects software

Real time guitar and bass mobile multiFX app

Full rig made of 3 simultaneously reconfigurable stompboxes + amp + cabinet + mic

10 Stomps, 5 Amps, 5 Cabinets, 2 Mics available

Import and play along with songs or backing tracks with real time effects

36 presets can be saved/recalled on the fly

Includes tuner/metronome

Free, LE and Full versions available

Free and LE versions expandable with a-la-carte downloadable gear

Same low-latency as Mac/PC system

AmpliTube iRig and AmpliTube for iPhone are coming soon to selected stores near you and on the iTunes app store. You can now preorder your AmpliTube iRig from our online store as well as from IK selected dealers and distributors worldwide for only $39.99/ EUR 29.99 (exc. VAT).”

Toontrack EZ MIX

Toontrack EZMIX as I like to use it.

Recently I posted a quick video dealing with the new Toontrack EZmix 2 . Well, I knew that it was not enough. So, here is a follow up video that better demonstrates just how I like to use this awesome product.

I love the ease of which you can get the sound that you are looking for, and then tweak it to taste simply and quickly. This video is another quickie, but with much better detail. I use it with Pro Tools LE 8 flawlessly, with about five or six apps of EZ Mix at the same time, as atrack insert without any drain on my older laptop.

To read, and even watch a video review from my new friends at the Home made hit show, just follow the link! These guys are very easy to listen to, and are very informative! Check out their great blog today!

Toontracks EZ Mix review.

The problem....

I have spent what now seems to be a lifetime of learning how to use compressors, limiters, hi and low pass filters, EQ's and a very large host of other effects and audio tools. This was done with a goal in mind, and that goal is to get better sounding audio in my recordings. The hard part, which I am still contending with, is not just knowing how these tools work, but when and how to apply these tools to my tracks and my recordings. I thought I would spend the rest of my life “learning this as I go”, with both good and bad results. I simply want to have the tools that allow me to quickly and easily achieve the same types of sounds that the pro's get. Is that too much to ask for?

The solution!

One day last week I found just exactly what I have been looking for all along! With EZ Mix, a new product from Toontrack, I found myself getting the sounds that I have been knocking myself out for most of my life, and I am now getting them in seconds flat, time and time again, and with little to no effort at all.

EZ Mix is a powerful tool. EZ Mix is a life saver. Let me explain what I mean by those two statements. EZ Mix is a tool that gets your audio sounding as good as it can be, easily. EZ Mix can used as an “insert” in almost any type of audio track. You can open EZ Mix on an instrument track, drum busses, effect tracks, master fader tracks, or in any other type of creative way that you can come up with.

EZ Mix works on all types of tracks, mono and stereo, and on all sorts of mixing situations. EZ Mix has a very powerful set of audio effect and/or audio tool combinations that studio engineers most commonly use across (or on) certain types of tracks.

For example, you will find presets for vocal tracks, bass tracks, kick tracks, snare tracks, or even entire drum kit busses, master fader EQ'ing, and the list just goes on and on!

Each preset has a combination of tools and/or effects that are “set up” to best fit the type of track that you put it onto.One example would be a compressor, chorus/flanger, and EQ for a bass track, and dialed in just as the pros would have it for a bass track too! Toontrack has come up with a very simple multiple slider (or a multiple fader) system for raising or lowering the amount of the “blend, shape, and level” for each tool or effect contained within each preset. Using the preset browser found in Toontrack EZ Mix allows the user to audition each preset “on the fly” too.

Each preset in Toontrack EZ Mix is completley (and easily) tweakable, just so that the user can dial in just the perfect amount of each tool or effect in the presets for the perfect sound for our mixes. I was amazed at just how much better my digital tracks and my entire recordings improved with EZ Mix, and all with very little effort! It is really just like having a studio engineer in my apartment doing all of my audio conditioning!

EZ Mix downloaded off of the Toontrack website in seconds, up loaded in seconds and works flawlessly. My “new” laptop is a dog, but EZ Mix shows no signs of draining any vaulable resources at all! EZ Mix is just perfect! Toontrack said it best when they said “One Click, great sound”.

At a mere 69 dollars, this one tool will increase your audio to new heights, and will boost your level of sound, and confeidence!

Here is a cool link over to some videos from Toontrack at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68uX64h4V8M .

Amplitube 3, speaker cab section

Hello, and welcome back to the Home Recording Weekly blog.

I have just finished part two, of at least three parts, featuring IK Multimedias' Amplitube 3. This second part deals with navigating the speaker cab section of the software.

Thanks for watching, and come back soon for the next instalment! Feel free to post any and all coments that you might have!