Music

I would like to wish all my fans, family & friends a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year. Thankyou to everyone that has supported me. Stay tuned for more music coming in 2016     Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)     Posted with Blogsy

The past few days I've been looking at getting a new microphone for live/ stage use. Ive seen a few options: Shure SM58 beta, Sennheiser e835/ 945, Audix om 5, AKG D5 & SE Electronics H1. Which microphone would you choose & why? (The microphone will mainly be used for female vocals). Thankyou Until next time. Law Official Website LW Music Services (online mixing) Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music services)

My new 'Reverse' EP is finally out now. Feel free to check it out: http://www.lawmusic-online.co.uk     Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)     Posted with Blogsy

A what? A Triller is a new invention for guitarists. It's a kinda string striking hammer. It can be played 3 ways- Lead Postion Chord Postion Pick Postion At the moment it's on Kickstarter with a triller costing $15 (plus other options)   I would be interested in trying this.   Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)       Posted with Blogsy

After finishing my latest 'Reverse' EP I finally decided to upgrade to CUBASE Pro 8. How CUBASE has changed over the years. When I was a teenager CUBASE was'nt as colourful as it is now. It certainly did not have all the features it has now. What features do I like? ARRANGE PAGE- Slightly different featuring the VST Instruments & Media Bay on right hand side. This is convient feature. MIXER- I seem to be able to resize this better (so I can everything on one page) RENDER IN PLACE- Logic Pro has had Bounce in place for years. It's only now that CUBASE has this feature. Handy feature. Plus many more features. I have to say I do like CUBASE PRO 8. I'm interested in what will be new CUBASE 8.5 or 9.     Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)     Posted with Blogsy

Posters around Manchester have appeared displaying pictures of Lemons. Fans of THE STONE ROSES have been speculating that something new could be arriving from the band in 2016. Why? Well lemons have been used on THE STONES ROSES albums & posters previously. Could THE STONE ROSES be coming back 2016? We'll have to see.   Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)     Posted with Blogsy

Well I've finally finished the 'Reverse' EP. The EP will be released in Nov 2015. I would like to thankyou everybody for their patience. Date will be revealed soon.   Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)     Posted with Blogsy

I'm sure we've all seen 'Deluxe' album packages. Producer JOACHIM GARRAUD has gone one step further, called: THE PRODUCER BOX. GARRAUD's new album: '96/ 24' Collectors edition will not only feature just the album, also 'Ableton Live 9', plugins (including Lennar Sylenth 1, Arturia Mini V etc) & a CME keyboard controller, 20 video tutorials, autographed photo book etc. It ships on a 1TB solid hard drive. You can see more on JOACHIM GARRAUD website.   Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)     Posted with Blogsy

AKAI are bringing back what looks like another modern version of there Classic MPC sampler. This time with a 7" touchscreen. It's also features an 2 in/ 2 out audio interface. If you are into sampling then this might be worth checking out.   Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)     Posted with Blogsy

The past few weeks NOVATION had been teasing fans with video's on YouTube with various musicians etc regarding a new product they are releasing in a few weeks. NOVATION have finally revealed what it's going to be... It's NOVATION circuit. What is it? It's a groove box. Looks a bit like launchpad if you ask me. Yeah I would try it. It could be fun to play. Circuit contains 2 polysynths, a drum machine, sequencer & mixer into a device that is about the same size as an iPad. For recording a quick song idea then I suppose yeah it could be a great little machine.     Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)     Posted with Blogsy

A few bands & artists over the years have had just one album that has done really well. However, there was never a follow up album. Here are a few: 'Grace'- JEFF BUCKLEY (I remember when I first heard this album & played it on repeat at times. It's a beautiful album. Tragically BUCKLEY died in 1997 after an accidental drowning. It was such a shame because he was a very talented musician) 'Since I left You'- THE AVALANCHES (This was released in 2000. The album contained around 3,500 vinyl samples. 2 of the most popular songs were: 'Frontier Psychartrist' & 'Since I left you') 'The La's'- THE LA'S (The most famous song on the album was 'There she goes' in 1988. John Power leaves as the bass player & forms the band CAST) 'The Lexicon of Love'- ABC (This album was released in 1982. The 2 most famous songs: 'Look of Love (Part 1) & 'Poison Arrow'. Produced by Trevor Horn) ...

Yes Roland are back with some new products, called Roland Boutique. Looks like more of their classic synths making a comeback in a contemporary version. JP-08 (Jupiter 8) JU-06 (Juno 106) JX-03 (JX-3P)   They come with a 16 step sequencer & the ability to chain them together. Yes I would try them. However, is'nt it time we had something completely new from Roland? I mean synth wise. A few years ago Roland bought out Jupiter 80 etc. That was a kinda remake of the Jupiter 8. I did enjoy playing the Jupiter 80. Probably more suited to live performance. Maybe next year Roland bring out a brand new synth that is not a remake.   Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)     Posted with Blogsy

Now vinyl has made a comeback Jack White has decided to maybe take things one step further. (I did a blogpost some time ago about Jack White releasing a record that displayed a hologram when you played it). Well, Jack has not stopped there. For some of the releases from his label 'Third Man Records' he has pushed the boundaries with what can be done with vinyl. Here are a few examples: 'Vicious'- KAREN ELSON (Clear Vinyl with peach coloured rose petals inside) 'The Ghost Who Walks'- KAREN ELSON (The vinyl was peach coloured & also had the scent of peach) 'Sixteen Saltines'- JACK WHITE (Liquid vinyl. Hmmmmmmm! Not the best idea as fans found liquid spilling out onto their turntable). 'My House Of Peace'- RACHELLE GARNIEZ- (Glow in the Dark Vinyl. I do like this idea) 'The Great Gatsby'- OST (metalised platinum & gold vinyl) These could be collectors items in the future, which to me makes them more interesting.   Unt...

As some of you may or may not know I own a online mixing service. I have now changed the prices. On the website there is a store feature & a contact form. If you are interested in online mixing please feel free to contact me. Click here   Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)       Posted with Blogsy

Today technology seems to be a necessity for most people. We kind of depend on technology a lot. These days you buy eg a laptop, smartphone etc & after about a week or so it becomes old hat. With any technology you want it to work. Most of us that own any kind of technology know how frustrating it can be when it don't work. That moment when you are working on something important & then your PC, laptop etc and then it completely crashes. You've pressed Ctrl/ Alt/ Delete for the millionth time & still NOTHING happens. To add to it you have'nt saved all your work up until this point. This is when you sometimes ending up pulling the plug & starting the computer again. This has happened to me over the past few months. A few times the computer was overheated & the other day was a plugin that was working properly & completely crashed Cubase & everything with it. Talk about being frustrated. Eventually after wasting time faffing about restarting the comp...

Well I know it's been a while. I have been writing, recording, mixing etc for my new EP. I can finally reveal that the EP will be called: 'REVERSE'. It's due Sep/ Oct 2015. I will keep you updated.   Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)   Posted with Blogsy

Guitarist YONATAN GAT'S new single 'Acension' is a cd that can be played on a turntable. How can a cd be played on a turntable? It was cut with a lathe. The B side can be played on a CD player. I have to say this certainly a unique format. However if you were thinking of buying the single I do believe it has sold out.     Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)     Posted with Blogsy

Since in the UK we have had a bit of a heatwave in the last month or so. As my computer is not really used to this kind of weather, it got overheated & completely crashed. I mean one minute it was fine, next blank screen & would'nt do anything else. My thoughts were what if the computer really would'nt start or shut down properly, would I have to re-install everything? When was the last time I made a complete backup of everything (the whole system)? Good point. More than a few months ago & since then new software has been added. I do back-ups of files etc on DVD, external hard drive etc. I really should do a complete computer back-up a lot more. On a Mac you can use Time Machine. That backs up your whole system. So if your Mac crashes you can go back to your system as it was when you last backed up. Great idea. So maybe making back-ups of back-ups is the answer. At the end of the day you do not want to lose any of your work etc.   Until next time Law Official ...

I'm talking about the TEENAGE ENGINEERING POCKET OPERATOR series. Design wise, I'm not sure. To me they look like pocket calculators. There 3 to choose from: RHYTHM (PO-12)- A drum synthesizer with a sequencer SUB (PO-14)- Bass Line synthesizer with a sequencer FACTORY (PO-16)- Melody synthesizer with a sequencer & arpeggio I'll be honest I'm really not sure about these. I'm afraid I'm not really impressed. Have you ever tried one of these? If so what do you think?   Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)     Posted with Blogsy

The other week I was on the train going to London. (It takes over an hour to get there). To pass time on the journey I choose to listen to music. A few times when making this journey I have to listened to: 'Best of...'-CHICANE. Really like this album. There are quite a few driving anthems around. What is your favourite music for travelling?   Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)     Posted with Blogsy

Sound Magic have released: 'Headphone Vitalizer' software. The idea is that it enhances your headphones sound quality. However, the price at £420 seems a bit expensive. Hmmmmmmmm! Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)     Posted with Blogsy

Yamaha have recently been teasing us with a new video: 'REFACE'. It could be a synth like the CS Series in the 70's. Maybe something like the Roland Aira (Plug-out synth)? Mini keys? Any thoughts? It could all be revealed at NAMM (Summer 2015). Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)   Posted with Blogsy

APPLE'S new streaming service was offering subscribers 3 months free trial. However, artists, musicians etc it seemed were not going to get paid for the free trial. However, that has now changed thanks to TAYLOR SWIFT. TAYLOR wrote a letter to APPLE to tell them she was refusing them to stream her album: '1989' & it was unfair not to pay artists etc. Recently APPLE has now decided to pay artists, musicians etc during the trial period. Thankyou TAYLOR for speaking out for all us musicians, artists etc. It's good news :)     Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)   Posted with Blogsy

It's that time of year again, Festivals. SECRET SOLSTICE 2015 could be one of the most expensive for VIP. 'The Ultimate Festival Pass' ticket for 2 people is around $200,000. What does the price include?: First class return flights for two (anywhere in the world) A luxury 5 bedroom villa for 5 nights Personal Chef 2 personal assistants Private car service Driver on call 24/7 All access to SECRET SOLSTICE 2015 And so much more...   Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)   Posted with Blogsy

I'm sure at some point nearly all of us have sang the wrong lyrics to a song. Here are some misheard lyrics: "All the lonely Starbucks lovers, they'll tell you I'm insane". (It's a good plug for Starbucks). However, the lyrics actually are: "Got a long list of ex-lovers, they'll tell you I'm insane". The song? 'Blank Space'- TAYLOR SWIFT "Boom Clap, you make me feel good, come on, Timmy, come on, Timmy now" (Who's Timmy?). The real lyrics: 'Boom clap, you make me feel good, come on to me, come on to me now". The song? 'Boom Clap- CHARLI XCX "I wish I was a prawn cracker, with flowers in my hair". The real lyrics: 'I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair'- SANDI THOM There are lots of songs with misheard lyrics. Can you think of any? What are your favourites? Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)   Posted ...

I have to admit for many years I've been a fan of good ole CUBASE. I still use CUBASE today (as well as LOGIC PRO X). Recently PRESONUS announced a new version of STUDIO ONE 3. After seeing the DAW advertised I thought I this looks interesting I will demo it. So that's what I did. First impressions I do kinda like the interface. STUDIO ONE 3 comes with synths, drums & samplers:   Impact- Drums Mai Tai 2- Polyphonic Synth Mojito- Monophonic Synth Presence XT- Synth & Sampler Sample One- Sampler The synths have some really good sounds. Also are plenty of Effects including: Ampire- Guitar Amp & Pedals Auto filter Bitcrusher Channel Strip- EQ, Compressor & Expander Chorus Compressor Delay Distortion EQ Fat Channel- Gate, Compressor, EQ & Limiter Flanger Gate Level Meter Limiter Multiband Dynamics- Phase Meter Phaser Pipeline Stereo- Useful for connecting Analog Gear Reverb Rotor- Simulates a Rotary Speaker, based on the Leslie ...

Over a year ago I wrote a blog post about a song that gets stuck in your head. Recently I read an article that if you chew gum whilst listening to a song then you are more likely to shake the song off. Has anybody tried this? Does it work? Yes I currently have a song stuck in my head. Until next time. Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)   Posted with Blogsy

If any of you have seen 'GIORGIO MORODER'S' new song 'Deja Vu' video, you may of noticed a 'Morodernova' synth (around 2:44). It looks like a Novation Mininova. Will this 'MORODER' synth be a signature synth? (You can get signature guitars). Or was this synth just for the purpose of the video? Who knows? You never know there could be 'MORODER' synth announced.   Until next time. Law Official Website LW Music Services (Online Mixing) Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)   Posted with Blogsy

Jack White's record label 'Third Man Records' teamed up with 'Critter & Guitari' & created a boutique synth 'The Septavox'. The mini amp is: 'The Terz'. 'The Septavox' has 41 keys & 49 sounds. Looks like it comes in a choice of 2 colours. Black or Yellow. 'The Terz' has analog amplification. 15 watts. I'll be honest I'm a bit unsure about the synth & amp. Until Next Time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)   Posted with Blogsy

It's that's time of year again. Yes, more music gear. So what was announced? Here are a few: AKAI MIDImix Daw Controller- I'll be honest there are a lot of Daw Controllers on the market. Is this one much different? It's portable (could be good for live use). I think for around £60 yes it could prove popular. BOSS SY-300 Guitar Synth- An analogue synth for your guitar. Plugin & your guitar (or bass) & create synths sounds (synth filters, LFOS, amps, effects etc. Also can download more sounds from the website). I'll be honest I have played a guitar synth before, back in the mid 90's. Yes, I like the idea. ROLAND JD-XA - At winter NAMM 2015 Roland introduced us to the JD-XI. The JD-XA looks like his big brother. Bringing an analogue & digital crossover. Listening to the demo's the synth sounds very powerful. Really get some good sounds. I would like to try this synth. If you are a guitarist, one of the most expensive guitars (I've ever h...

These days there are various different music controllers available. However, none of them wearable, until now. Ylenia Gortana, fashion designer has created a midi controller jacket. It has 52 push sensors. I'll be honest I'm not to sure about this idea. Until next time. Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)   Posted with Blogsy

A Korean named Hayarobi has created a working Lego turnable. It's built using 2,405 pieces of Lego. Named 'The Planet'. Everything is made from Lego apart from the Audio-Technica phono cartridge. Unfortunately I don't think it will be for sale. There is a video on YouTube showing the turnable in working action. I think what Hayarobi has created is very clever.   Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)   Posted with Blogsy

For some time now Adobe started a subscription surface for there Photoshop software. Looks like some music software companies are catching on. Cakewalk Sonar are the first DAW to announce a subscription service. Cakewalk stated that you can either pay annually or monthly. Recently Avid have announced that when Pro Tools 12 is released that too will be purchased by a subscription service. I'll be honest I'm not to sure about this idea. I still think there also should be a choice to buy the software outright. If all music software companies start using this idea, won't it start getting expensive for customers (eg: Daw, Plugins, vst instruments etc). Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services (Online Mixing) Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)   Posted with Blogsy

Monday mornings. I know some of us are not a fan. One thing on a Monday morning (in the UK) is new music albums are released. However, this summer that is all set to change. Friday will be the global release day for all new albums. Is this a good idea? Would you prefer to be able to buy new albums on a Friday?   Until next time Regards Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)   Posted with Blogsy

Opera singer SARAH BRIGHTMAN is probably best known for her performances in the musicals 'Cats' & ' Phantom of the Opera'. However, recently Sarah has been training at 'Star City' in Russia to travel to the 'International Space Station' planned for 10 days in September/ October. Towards the end of her mission Sarah is due to perform a Space Station gig. (Astronaut Chris Hadfield performed ' Space Oddity'-DAVID BOWIE from the 'International Space Station' in 2013, so it proves that singing in space can be done). It seems Sarah would like to record a song in Space too. I would be interested in seeing how this would be done.   Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)   Posted with Blogsy

BJORK's next video for the single 'Stonemilker' will be available on the Oculus Rift (Headmounted Virtual-Reality display). Could this be an idea that other bands & artists use as a way to promote their music? We'll have to see. I think this a great idea. I would like to see this video when it has been made.   Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)  

This year Apple have said that there will be an Apple streaming music service. How far will Apple go with this idea? Would they create a music label & sign various artists so they can control things? Itunes has a lot of customers. We'll have to wait & see.   Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)  

What is it? Well its basically a sphere with pads on the side. It is like a midi controller, sampler & sequencer. All the pads are pressure sensitive. Created by the company Nu Design. To use Alphasphere you really need to use the software Alphalive. The Alphasphere looks quite interesting. Would i like to try one? Yes i would. I think for stage use i think it could be quite good. In the studio? Im not so sure.   Until next time. Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)  

Controlair is available on the mac app store. What is ControlAir? You can now control your mac using your finger. The app currently supports: itunes, quicktime player, VLC & spotify etc. (More apps should be supported soon).   Until next time Law   Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)  

MADONNA's latest video 'Living for Love' (Taken from 'Rebel Heart' album) was premiered on Snapchat. This is the first time a music video has been released on snapchat. Will this be a new way for musicians to promote their music video's? We'll have to see. Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)  

Last weeks post was about music innnovations. Were there any music innovations at NAMM 2015 (Winter)? Well personally. Hmmmmmmmmmmm! I think maybe i was disappointed with the new products this year. Here's a few products announced: ROLAND JD-Xi - Analog/ Digital synth. It looks ok. It does remind me of the Korg Microkorg, Novation Mininova etc. I have to say i'm a bit disappointed with this. I was hoping Roland would come out wity something completely new. Oh well. KORG ARP ODYSSEY- I have never played an original Arp Odyssey. Is Korgs version going to be the nearest i get? Hopefully this year i will get to try Korgs version & see what it's like. NOVATION LAUNCHPAD PRO- If you use Ableton etc you may of heard of the Launchpad, well this is a new version with more features. Looking at it yes i think the new features would be useful. If you already have the launchpad would you upgrade? I'm not sure i would. FOCUSRITE CLARETT- I am a fan of Focusrite. I do like the S...

Long before we were recording music on computers, ipads etc, music was recorded onto magnetic tape. In 1943 Multi-track tape recording was invented (this is when stereo was introduced). Ross Snyder developed the 8-track tape recorder in 1955. (This was at Ampex). So, thats how we first started recording music. Here's some more innovations: PHONOGRAPH MAGNETIC TAPE ELECTRIC GUITAR- The electric part was created in 1931 SYNTHESIZER- The first synthesizer was invented by Elisha Gray, in 1876. However, the first commercially available synth was by Robert Moog , in 1964 VOCALS- Microphones really first came about in 1860. The first microphone to transmit a reasonable signal came around 1877. HEADPHONES- Nathaniel Baldwin created these around 1910 MIDI Yes there are a lot more. Over the years we have seen many changes to music inventions. We are creating music innovations now for the future. In 10, 20 years time how will we be recording music? The same way or completely di...

It's nearly that time of year again. What am i talking about? NAMM 2015 (Winter). When is it? Around the end of January. So what can we expect? Well, to start with ARTURIA think they have got the "next generation" audio interface, KORG look like they could release the ARP ODYSSEY, NORD have teased on youtube with a video & ROLAND may have a new synth JD- Xi. (Also new guitars, drums etc look like they will surface at NAMM too). One keyboard i'm interested in at the moment is the AKAI Advanced Keyboard.   Until next time   Law   Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)  

Jack White & Wu Tan Clan are not the only ones to create an interesting concept for an album. DJ Qbert's new album 'Extraterrestria' record fold into a Bluetooth DJ Controller. DJ Qbert teamed up with Novalia & Algoriddims DJ App to create this. Here's a link youtube: http://youtu.be/YCAzEh6Wyj8 (I would like to thank Novalia for their kind permission to use this video for this blog post) Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)  

Recently NASA released a lot of audio files & uploaded them to Soundcloud. Whilst working on another 'Space' related project, two musicians found these audio files & decided to make a four-track EP (08UA). The EP has been released on Bad Panda records. To hear the EP. Click here (Thankyou to Bad Panda records for allowing me permission to share the link)   Until next time Law Official Website LW Music Services Twitter Facebook (Law) Facebook (LW Music Services)