Karen Shadbolt ” Better Day ” Music Review

The first thing that strikes you about this Album is the cover art Karen is just a very photogenic lady this is a good thing LOL , The album contains ten tracks all written and composed and performed by Karen. This in itself is a rare thing these days to find a totally original album for there is usually at least 1 cover track in most Albums these days.

The Alum is released under the Rushing Winds Records label and the production of the album is impeccable it’s very evident that time was taken to ensure the best production on every track vocals and harmonies and instrumentation are faultless throughout. A real credit to the engineering of Gary Rushing.

The Album opens with “ Jesus The One And Only “ a nice mid to uptempo praise song that’s immediately lets you hear the quality & timbre of Karen’s voice. This leads into a slow acoustic feel with the second track “ I won’t Let Go” which is a soothing acoustic ballad that Karen sings effortlessly. Track 3 “ God Of Endless Grace “ Shows the soft rock side of Karen with good use of vocal harmonies and a good driving bass this one gets your feet tapping. “ Broken Bridges “ track 4 takes you back to a more mellow mood with a meaningful piano based ballad. My second favorite track on the album is “The Road Less Travelled “ track 5 A good song lyrically and has a light almost Celtic feel to it especially with the flute intro. Track 6 “ Rock Of Ages “ sees Karen rocking it up a little Good vocals here and nice use of the Hammond type organ really fills this track out. Now my personal pick for best track on the Album track 7 “ Keep On Living “ it catches you right from the start with an interesting guitar based intro Vocals are excellent throughout and keeps you interested without being too busy, the chorus chord progression wise reminds me of Eric Clapton’s “ Knocking On Heaven’s Door “ maybe that’s why I like this one so much I’m a big fan of Clapton LOL. Track 8 is “ Close To Me “ an intimate ballad that works well. Then comes track 9 “ Who You Are “ which to me is the most commercial track on the entire CD and if released as a single to radio in my opinion would do very well. The Final track number 10 is “ Good And Faithful One “again a good track both lyrically and musically and provides a fitting end to what really is a most engaging CD. This being my first encounter with Karen Shadbolt and her music would definitely lead me to wanting to hear more from her.

All in all this is a well produced and excellently performed CD that would easily grace the collections of most good discerning Christian music fans .

Karen Shadbolt’s CD’s are available from her website at

http://www.karenshadbolt.com/

Triplestrand Productions Group

Minnesota USA

“Who’s Bad Now ” Michael O’Neill

Thursday, September 18, 2008

” Who’s Bad Now ” Michael O’Neill

Hey fans of independent artists, Dixie here with the latest cd review from my studios.
This week’s cd for consideration comes from Michael O’Neill and his latest album titled “Who’s Bad Now” Michael is no stranger to music, having developed a cult following in the US for his roots/rock offerings and hisnotoreity as being a ‘bad boy’. Michael’s songs have always been known for their down-to-earth story telling reminicient of Johnny Cash and Willie
Nelson, but story telling on MICHAEL’S terms–terms that lean more toward the outlaw country of Willie than the traditional flavorings of Johnny. The latest album is no exception. It’s jam-packed with songs sure to fill venues where ever Michael goes. Michael doesn’t completely forget his roots though,with songs like “Cowboy Ride” that are as traditional as they come. From country rock, to tex mex with a gorgeous ballad thrown in the mix, this cd covers a variety of moods and is sure to become one of your favorites.
So country lovers out there–check out Michael’s site at www.michael-oneill.comIf you’re new to Michael’s music, you can check out his tour schedule for a venue near you to hear this fabulous artist, as well as buy his cds and read up about Michael. All in all, a topnotch release from a topshelf artist sure to be a hit on radio and in the stores.

Now in a continuation of my review of products handy for the do-it-yourself
independent artist, I’d like go into something that all independent artists need to break down and do eventually, and that’s get a website for themselves.The internet can be an incredibly powerful tool for the independent artist,not only in starting to get themselves known through internet radio, but in drawing people to wherever they have their cd for sale. Ah yes, money is always a struggle for the up and coming artist–I’m sure more than a few ears perk when I say there’s a way of making MONEY out of what you love to do.

So you’ve made a cd, you’re out there playing at venues (and hopefully
selling your merchandise at the gig) but what for those people that have heard you and WANT to buy your cd but haven’t made it to a gig (or you don’t tour near them. Take for example, country music is incredibly popular overseas, but it takes a bit to get to the point that you can actually load the band and GO there with a cargo load of cds and tshirts lol. Internet radio being what it is–worldwide–you can end up with listeners from all over trying to find a way to buy your cd, and what do they turn to first, the internet where they FOUND you. So your objective is to create a ‘web presence’ or in other words a place or several places you can be found on the internet.

There are tons of places that will sell your merchandise FOR you–
at a cut of the profits of course. So why not keep all the money yourself and sell your merchandise from a website of your own.

Now for the non-computer minded, this can be a pretty overwhelming task. You ask a fellow musician that you know has a website how to get started and they tell you to get a good host (what’s that?) and find a reliable webdesigner.

After a few looks on the internet and the yellow pages, you find that this website proposition can not only be daunting, but EXPENSIVE (not a good thing for the typical “starving artist”)

First off, for the novice, let’s go into what each of the things your musician friend told you to get, a host and a webdesigner, actually IS.

The “Host” is a company that has computers on site that you can lease a “piece” of to hold all the information that will eventually become your website and it’s connection to the internet. It’s big business, both for the reliable and the not so reliable, so do your homework here and ask around because you can pay a large hosting fee (your lease) and end up with a host whose computers are down alot–and when THEY’RE down–so is your website. And when your website is down–those people that want to buy your cd basically can’t open the door to the cd shop (not good of course). Hosting fees can vary, another good reason to do your homework.

The “Webdesigner” is a person that takes that piece of computer you leased from the host, and helps you turn it into the website of your dreams. You work with them to get everything up on the internet so that people can order your cd, learn more about you and your tour schedule so they can come to a venue to see you,even host clips of your music so they can get a taste of your music before they buy the cd (think here of the typical sample station in a grocery market that gives you a piece of the candy, then points you to where you can buy the whole bar lol). Reliable and talented webdesigners are just as important to find, so that you’ll end up with a person that LISTENS to what you want your website to look like (we all like to decorate our homes to our own taste–the same is true of our ‘web home’. Prices can vary from one web designer to another–the same as hosting fees. Make sure that the designer has a portfolio (links to other sites he/she has created) so you can take a look at their past work and see if it’d be something along the lines of what you’d want.Most webdesigners have their prices clearly posted on their own websites, but some have you call simply because different sites demand a different number of hours in work time to get ready, so they like to taylor their prices to what you want.

So now that we know what a host and webdesigner are–which ones to choose? I’m going to give a plug to the ones that I use–simply because I know they’re reliable AND talented and you’ll get what you need at a fraction of what others will charge you.

My choice for a host (based on having been on several hosts over the years)would be A Small Orange (strange name for a company I know lol). These guys do the best in both quality hosting and price. They have various size packages for hosting to fit your needs for low prices. Take the typical indie artist’s website, your hosting with ASO (short for A Small Orange) would cost anywhere between $25-$60 per year. Not terribly expensive yet they have a good record for uptime (more time for your cds to sell) and quality support.They even have a forum on their site where other ASO users congregate to ask each other AND the staff questions about their specific needs. So check them out because coming in at $5 or less a month for your site is a good deal in the sea of hosting possibilities out there.

For web design, my choice would have to be the webdesigner that does all of my sites, Derek McCorkell Musicweb Designs. You can find Derek on the internet at Derek McCorkell Musicweb.
It can cost an artist a bundle if they run into the wrong groups. The typical music site can cost over $1000, and that doesn’t count upkeep on it if you decide to change anything about the site (or even add some new songs to it).We’re not talking anything like the flash sites that major artists have. (that would triple or more your cost). As an independent artist you just need a clean looking site that let’s people know who you are, what you music sounds like, where you may be touring and how to buy your cd.

Derek started his business keeping the needs of the independent artist in mind and keeping his costs low in response. Although Derek tends to be modest about his capabilities–he’s designed some fabulous sites for me over the past 5 years (and my business is far more demanding than the typical artist site would be). You know that webhosting stuff we just went over–I’ve never needed to look for a host with Derek–because he’s always up to date on the most affordable hosts out there–as well as the not so reliable ones. So you can either get your own host then have Derek work with you to design your site, or he can help you get set up with a host that he uses. So check his portfolio out–lots of cool designs to choose from and modify or just tell him what you’d like and he’ll create if for you–I’ve found him really easy to work with and very in tune with a musician’s needs because he’s an artist HIMSELF, so who better to work with? Plus who can beat talent that works at 1/4 of the price (averaging $400 for a 5 page site) of his competitors?

Hope these reviews have been a handy bit of information for you artists out there. I’ll be back next week with some more tidbits of advice, but ’til then–keep writing those HITS.

Posted by Dixie A. McCorkell at 1:35 PM 0 comments

Roger Knott ” Been Down That Road “

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Roger Knott ” Been Down That Road “

Hey fans of independent artists, Dixie here with the latest cd review from
my studios.

This week’s cd for consideration comes from a UK artist by the name of Roger
Knott. His cd is entitled “Been Down That Road” and is jam-packed with songs
that can only come from his experience as a singer/songwriter. Having been
down that road myself, I could relate to the subject matters he covered in his
songs. Style-wise, Roger sways back and forth over the boarders of genres,
writing in anything from contemporary Country to songs squarely in the folk
realm. Add some Americana to that and you’re ready to sit back and be
thoroughly entertained while listening to this cd in a mannner that never
repeats or gets stale. The cd was recorded at TJ tunes in Mount Juliet, TN
and in listening to one song–the quality of recording speaks for itself.

You can find Roger at several places on the internet such as myspace and his
label which is Legroom Records. But you can definitely find him at his own
website which is www.rogerknott.com. A great cd for those people with
eclectic tastes, “Been Down That Road” is sure to become one of the favorite
cds in any discerning musiclover’s collection. So check him out today
because you’re in for a real treat.

Now in a continuation of my review of products handy for the do-it-yourself
independent artist, I’d like review the Yamaha MG102c mixing board. Most
bands need a mixing board if they’re going to be playing out to control how
they sound. Smaller venues have a tendency not to provide them (most times
you’re lucky if they have a PA lol) Keeping the independent artist and
cost restrictions in mind, this mixing board comes in at a very affordable
price of $99 to $129. Don’t let the price fool you though, because this mixing board has all the bells and whistles of larger boards at a fraction of the price.

Whether you’re only mixing one microphone with a stereo source for the web,
or multiple microphones and line sources for a live show, you want the
highest performance, flexibility, and reliability available. Yamaha’s
MG-series mixers cover a wide range of applications from solo home recording t
o complex live sound with no compromises in sonic quality, processing
versatility, or dependability. The new additions to the MG series feature
the same compact, lightweight design as the preceding models, and incorporate
the latest generation of specially-selected components for further refined
performance and audio precision. They also now feature Yamaha’s innovative
one-knob compressor for built-in dynamics control that further eliminates
the need for external equipment and potentially troublesome connections.
If you need a convenient analog mixer that can handle 10 input sources and
deliver pro-level sound, you’re looking in the right place.

This exceptionally simple system may be all you need for practice and basic
recording at home as well as small venues. An electric-acoustic guitar and
microphone are plugged directly into the channel inputs, while a CD player
is connected to the 2TR line inputs for convenient play-along practice. The
channel compressors and internal effects provide plenty of signal processing
capability. The REC OUT jacks could be connected to a recorder or computer
for basic recording functionality.A pair of headphones is used for monitoring.

But wait, it’s not just for the artists out there–it’s fabulously handy for
the typical podcaster. Get a good microphone, plug it into the mixing board
and the mixing board into the computer–and you’re set to record your podcast
into your favorite computer recording software. No preamps required because
they’re built IN. I’ve used it to record my syndicated program and got a
quality that matches your typical am/fm station output. So podcaster or artist,
the Yamaha MG102c will become an invaluable tool for a variety of situations.
Since some online stores will sell it for far more, check out my favorite online
store at u-ni-que-music.com for the best prices on the net for this handy
little mixer. Until next week, take care and keep writing those HITS!!

Posted by Dixie A. McCorkell at 9:45 PM 0 comments

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Hey fans of Independent Artists, Dixie here with the latest CD review from
my studios. This week we’re going to concentrate on an artist all the way
from Australia, Col Millington. The name of this release is ” Somewhere
Between”. The title track is a song that inspired Col to write the whole
album. The songs are original Country Christian and according to Col, the
entire album of 14 tracks seemed to flow from him easier than any other
songs he’d ever written. Having written in the Country Christian genre
myself, I can understand Col’s feelings–the songs appear in your head as
thought they just are meant to be heard. And heard they have been, appearing
on radio stations around the world as well local television programs. After
listening to Col’s album myself, I can certainly agree with his pastor that
he must have had divine inspiration.

Musically, the album runs more toward the traditional country flavor but the
words are fresh even though Col deals with subjects that have been covered
in songs before. in my opinion, the sign of a good songwriter is when they
take something that’s been said before and say it in a WAY that’s never
been done before. Col definitely fits the bill there, filling an entire
album with songs that are sure to fan the flames of faith in even the most
jaded Christian listener. To take a listen to Col, buy his cd or to contact
him, check him out at his internet home at http://www.colmillington.com

Col’s on tour right now across Australia and New Zealand, so if any of my
readers happen to live in that area, check out a show near you, I guarantee
you’ll be entertained, but more importantly, you’ll be blessed.

Now in a continuation of my review of products handy for the do-it-yourself
independent artist, I’d like review the Boss BR-1200CD digital home studio.

As artists, we all know how expensive it can be going to a professional
studio to record your songs. Sure you can get the professional musicians
to do your backup (at an extra cost) and a professional engineer to mix and
master your songs (and I use the term “professional” loosely here, because
I’ve heard some songs from artists who had recorded at studios that made
me want to slap their engineer for leaving blips and hums in the master. So
even after paying the big bucks for a studio, you’re never assured of your
songs coming out the way you want. You can complain about it of course, but
will it get you anywhere but shown the door? So the typical do-it-yourself
artist wants to save the money and the aggrivation by recording themselves
in a home-built studio. Most artists looking into this for the first time
can be rather overwhelmed at their lack of knowledge of the recording side

of things. The first question most of them ask other artists is “What kind
of equipment do I need?” Obviously a good microphone will be necessary, and
my recommendation as a good starter microphone for most beginners would be
the Samson CO1 condenser studio microphone.

Great for recording vocals, acoustic instruments and for use as overhead drum mics,
the new Samson C01 large diaphragm condenser microphone is accurate, detailed,
smooth with warm bass and extended top end. This sturdy microphone has a large
19mm diaphragm that produces a smooth flat frequency response. It features a
heavy gauge mesh grill screen, a gold plated XLR connecter and an LED indicating
48V phantom power. The unit includes a swivel stand mount and an optional
SP01 shock mount is available.
Features:

Cardioid Pickup Pattern
Large 19mm Diaphragm
Gold Plated XLR Connector
LED Indicates 48V Phantom Power
Smooth, Flat Frequency Response
Swivel Stand Mount
Optional SP01 Shock Mount

Now that you have your microphone, what do you record INTO.

That’s where the
Boss BR-1200CD digital studio becomes an invaluable tool for the independent
artist.

From guitar pick to compact disc, the BR-1200CD can turn your ideas into
radio-quality songs with power and ease.

For those artists far enough along that they would understand these
specifications, I’ll go over them because it’s got a ton of them. For those
still lost in the “What do I get?” fog, I’ll explain the down to earth terms
for you further in the blog, but let’s give the geek information first LOL.

Packed with great COSM®effects and amp models derived from BOSS’s GT-6/6B multi-effects processors,
plus a great-sounding bass and drum rhythm programmer for instant backing
tracks, the BR-1200CD is the friendliest and most comprehensive hard
disk recorder on the market.

Boss BR-1200CD Features:

Built-in CD-burner and mastering effects for CD-quality mixes

12 simultaneous playback tracks (192 V-Tracks) with individual Comp/EQ

2 individual XLR inputs with phantom power, digital output

GT inside! Famous BOSS GT Guitar and Bass effects engine built in for
unsurpassed signal processing

Vocal Toolbox provides pitch correction and harmony generator for true pro
vocal processing

COSM Mic and Amp models offer incredible hardware simulation
Backing band built in – programmable drum/bass pattern generator with 600 patterns
and EZ compose feature for super fast drum and bass pattern creation
Easy importing of stereo drum loops with Automatic Tempo Matching feature
Internal hard drive can store up to 120 hours of uncompressed music
USB port for data backup to computer, plus importing/exporting WAV files

Boss BR-1200CD Details:

Hassle-Free Recording & CD Burning

Fly from point A to B in record time, thanks to the BR-1200CD’s
logical arrangement of buttons, knobs, and faders, and its inviting
icon-based user interface. Recording, mixing, and CD burning is simple.
To record, simply connect an instrument or microphone
(XLR inputs with phantom power are provided), and follow the logical flow
of controls on the left side of the panel. Use the fader pack in the middle to mix,
and press the “Audio CD Write/Play” button to jump to the CD Burning menu.

Multi-Effects & COSM® Models

From full dunk to subtle sweetening, the BR-1200CD is equipped with a powerful
multi-effects processor derived from the famous BOSS GT-6/GT-6B. A lineup of
COSM amp models are in the lineup, including the world standard Roland
JC-120 Jazz Chorus™, R-FIier Vintage, Metal Stack, BOSS Compact Pedal models
such as OD-1 and MT-2, and more. Also onboard – COSM® Mic Models,
which emulate expensive condenser mics. Correct pitch and add hamornies
with the Vocal Tool Box, and for the finishing touch, tap into the Mastering Tool Kit
to put a pro-quality polish on your track.

Backing Band Built In

Another distinguishing feature of the BR-1200CD is its world-class bass and
drum programmer, packed with instruments and patterns to suit a variety of styles.
Realistic acoustic drums and percussion are included, as well as many electronic sounds
to compose modern hybrid type of music. For bass, you can choose from a variety of bass sounds,
such as slapped basses, picked basses, and fretless basses. Jam along with the supplied
patterns or create your own from scratch. The EZ Compose feature makes ultra-realistic
custom programming a snap. There’s also a selection of great loop phrases pre-installed
on the internal hard drive.

Computer Connection

The BR-1200CD has a USB port for simple, one-cable data exchange with your computer. You
can export audio tracks to your computer in WAV format, and safely save backups of your song data.
If you have WAV files you would like to use, you can import them to the BR-1200CD’s
tracks via USB as well. The BR-1200CD is compatible to both PC and Mac, including Mac OS X.

Boss BR-1200CD Specifications:

Tracks Track: 12
V-Track: 192 (16 V-Tracks per each Track)

Up to 2 tracks can be recorded simultaneously, and up to 12 tracks can be
played back simultaneously.

Maximum Useful Capacity/Recording Time Internal Hard Disk: 40 G bytes
Recording Time; 120 hours (conversion in one track)

Signal Processing AD Conversion: 24 bit AF Method (Guitar/Bass),
24 bit delta-sigma Modulation (VOCAL, LINE, SIMUL)

DA Conversion: 24 bit delta-sigma Modulation

Internal Processing: 24 bit (digital mixer section)

Recording Data: 16 bit linear
Sample Rate 44.1 kHz

Frequency Response 20 Hz to 20 kHz (+1/-3 dB)

Total Distortion 0.05% or less(INPUT SENS: CENTER, 1 kHz at nominal output
level)

Nominal Input Level (Variable) GUITAR/BASS jack: -20 dBu

MIC 1, 2 (TRS balanced/XLR) jacks: -40 dBu

LINE IN jacks: -10 dBu

Input Impedance GUITAR/BASS jack: 1 M ohms

MIC 1, 2 jacks: 12.5 k ohms (HOT-COLD)(TRS balanced/XLR), 6.5 k ohms
(HOT-GND, COLD-GND)

LINE IN jack: 22 k ohms

Nominal Output Level LINE OUT jacks: -10 dBu

Output Impedance LINE OUT jack: 2 k ohms

PHONES jack: 100 ohms

Recommended Load Impedance LINE OUT jack: 20 k ohms or greater

PHONES jack: 8 to 50 ohms

Residual Noise Level LINE OUT jack: -87 dBu or less

INPUT SELECT: GUITAR/BASS, input terminated with 1 k ohms,

INPUT SENS: CENTER, IHF-A, typ.)

Interface DIGITAL OUT: S/PDIF 16–24 bit (optical type)

USB connector (B type)

Display 64 x 40 mm (Backlit LCD)

Connectors MIDI IN connector

MIDI OUT connector

USB connector

DIGITAL OUT connector (optical type)

FOOT SW jack (1/4 inch phone type)

EXP PEDAL jack (Stereo 1/4 inch phone type)

LINE OUT jacks (RCA Phono type)

LINE IN jacks (RCA Phono type)

MIC 1, 2 jacks (TRS balanced & XLR)

PHONES jack (Stereo 1/4 inch phone type)

GUITAR/BASS jack (1/4 inch phone type)

Power Supply DC 12 V; Supply AC Adaptor (Roland PSB-7U)

Power Consumption 3.0 A

Accessories AC Adaptor: PSB-7U

DISCRETE DRUMS (CD-ROM)

Owner’s Manual

Options Expression Pedal: EV-5 (Roland)

Foot Volume/Expression: FV-300L

Foot Switch: FS-5U

Pedal Switch: DP-2 (Roland)

Size and Weight ( excl. AC Adaptor )

Width 478 mm 18-7/8 inches

Depth 297 mm 11-3/4 inches

Height 95 mm 3-3/4 inches

Weight 4.1 kg 9 lbs. 1 oz.

0 dBu = 0.775 Vrms

Yike’s that list of stuff looks scary!! This section is for the artist that’s still
confused about where to plug the microphone in LOL. If you ignore the above
numbers and terms, what using the Boss BR1200-CD means is you have a studio
that has a smaller footprint than most computer printers on the market, yet
with all the power of most small studios that you can spend a bundle to record
your songs at. Plus it’s portable, great for taking on the road to catch
those songs that hit you while your band is practicing while on tour. And the
thing I love most about it is how simple it is to USE and get a wonderful
sounding track out of. Reading the manual and spending a few minutes hands
on with this studio and you’ll wonder why you ever spent the bucks to have
your songs recorded in a studio lol. Seriously though, for people that are
multi-instrumental and could lay all their own tracks, this could save a
huge amount of money over time. Coming in at less than $1000, the Boss can
pay for itself if you record just 3 or 4 songs on it instead of paying studio
fees for those same songs. After that, you’re recording for free, can take
your time to redo those odds and ends that bug you about the first take, and
to mix and master the song to sound like you WANT it to–not the way some
engineer that you’re paying way too much decides it should sound lol.

We have one here at our studios that gets used for a ton of different
functions, from recording those songs that come to you in a hotel room, to
quickly getting down the idea for a song before it escapes you, to full-
blown sessions that end up being mastered into songs that will (and have)
gotten airplay on the radio. So check the boss out at (you guessed it) my
favorite place for the best deals around on musical equipment (and check out
the microphone as well) at http://www.u-ni-que-music.com Get yourself set
up today and make the fabulous music you hear inside tomorrow!!

Jim Ragsdale ” Why Didn’t I “

Dixie here, just back from doing my syndicated radio program where I played some cuts from a wonderful new cd on my show. This cd comes from lyricist Jim Ragsdale. Most of Jim’s songs fit into the Country/Americana genres, with some being sung by demo musicians (most of whom he’s friends with) and some by Jim himself (although in my opinion, he needs to sing more of his own material).

The cd is titled “Why Didn’t I” and from the first track of the song (the title cut) to the last of this 11 song cd—Jim takes you through what can only be called a lesson. You can’t listen to Jim’s songs without hearing the commercial value of his songs, and I wouldn’t be surprised if most of the songs from this album get picked up by major artists for their own repertoire. Jim’s songs explore a variety of subject matters, but no matter what that may be—the songs are sure to make you think.

Jim’s “Friends” are quality musicians and vocalist from all over the US and the cd was produced at Bayou Recording—one of the best studios for turning out quality tracks. It’s quite evident that a great deal of work by all involved went into this cd. You can listen to clips of the songs on Jim’s website at http://www.JimRagsdalesMusic.com Any artist looking for quality material to cut for their tours or next cd project, can contact Jim at jandtragsdale@cox.net In this reviewer’s mind, Jim is well on his way to being the type of lyricist whose songs stand the test of time and become CLASSICS. So keep an eye out for Jim Ragsdale as a name you’ll hear bantered about a lot around Nashville. For although at present, he’s an undiscovered lyricist–with quality material like this hitting the airwaves, I don’t think he’ll remain undiscovered for very long.

For my product review this week, I’d like to review a couple of pieces of software from NCH software. Both are very handy for the Do It Your Self Independent artist. The first one I’d like to touch on is Wavepad—something that I find invaluable in my own studio. WavePad audio editing software is a sound editor program for Windows and Mac OS X. This audio editing software lets you make and edit music, voice and other audio recordings. When editing audio you can cut, copy and paste parts of recordings and, if required, add effects like echo, amplification and noise reduction. WavePad is a wav editor and MP3 editor, and supports a number of other file formats including vox, gsm, Real Audio, au, aif, flac, ogg and more.

WavePad is designed to be a very easy and intuitive to use audio editing package. Within minutes you will be able to open or record a file and edit it. But if you take time to explore the other features you will find many powerful tools designed with the professional sound engineer in mind.

Features include:

• Sound editing functions include cut, copy, paste, delete, insert, silence, autotrim and more.
• Audio effects include, amplify, normalize, equaliser, envelope, reverb, echo, reverse, sample rate conversion and more.
• Supports a number of file formats including wav (multiple codecs), mp3, vox, gsm, real audio, au, aif, flac, ogg and many more.
• Batch processing supports up to 32000 files allowing you to apply effects and/or convert your files as a single function.
• Tools include spectral analysis (FFT) and speech synthesis (text-to-speech).
• Recorder supports autotrim and voice activated recording and more.
• Audio restoration features including noise reduction and click pop removal.
• Supports sample rates from 6000 to 96000Hz, stereo or mono, 8, 16, 24 or 32 bits.
• Includes its own CD ripper with ‘ultrafast ‘rip mode and cddb music database lookup.
• Works directly with MixPad multi-track audio mixing software.
• Links directly to the Express Burn CD Recorder to burn your sound files to CD.
• Edit tracks for the Zulu DJ software.
• Easy to use interface will get you started editing in just minutes.

Price-wise it’s very easy on the pocket as well compared to lesser programs out there. So take a look into it for your home studio today.

Now speaking of the Express Burn CD Recorder—it’s a handy piece of software in itself even if you’re not in the market for editing software. Express Burn Plus is a program that lets you create and burn audio CDs, data CDs, video DVDs, data DVDs or data Blu-ray discs under Windows or Mac OS.

With Express Burn Plus you can record an audio CD, video DVD or data CD/DVD/Blu-ray quickly and easily by dragging the files you want onto the Express Burn icon and clicking Burn. You can also use Express Burns easy to use interface to navigate to your files and add files or folders as you please. The software does the rest, including converting the files if required. So as a program, it’s an incredibly easy piece of software for even the beginner to use. It also has more advanced features like the ability to create and record ISO images and support for many more file formats. Express Burn is also the fastest CD/DVD writing program in the world using proprietary optimizing systems. Again, the price is very easy on the pocketbook—something mandatory for the independent artist. Hey, they don’t call us “Starving artists” for nothing!! If you do most of your recording from your own home studio (or even a decent studio but you master it yourself), look into these two pieces of software, you’ll find them to be invaluable additions to your ‘toolbox’.

Steel Blue Rose

Dixie here, back from the front lines of the war to get independent artists heard. We have a wonderful cd to review this week. I arrived at work one morning to find an album by Steel Blue Rose on my desk. I couldn’t tell from the band name whether they’d be Country, Americana, a jug band or what description they’d end up fitting. “Steel” in the band name lent me to think there might be a lot of steel guitar in their music. Ah well, nothing to do but slide the cd into the player and see what surprises might lie behind the name.

And surprises there were! Far from being easily pigeonholed into any one of the categories above, they fit them ALL and more. This band easily crosses genre and sub-genre boundaries from Country to rocking Americana, to songs heavily influenced by the blues or jazz. Quality production was evident throughout the nine song cd. So in short, Steel Blue Rose is a band that is sure to keep its audiences jumping and leave them wanting more. Steel Blue Rose can be found on the internet at www.steelbluerose.com. Check out their schedule and if they’re coming to your area, go see the concert—you won’t be sorry.
For my product review this week, I’d like to focus on products that would be useful for the DIY artists and bands. The songs have been written and recorded, what’s the next step? Make and release a cd, of course. You come away from the studio with that master in your hand thinking NOW WHAT? You want to sell cds at your gigs or possibly sell them from your website. That means making more of them than the one you have in your hand. Sure there are companies that will do this for you—usually at a hugely inflated price. But we’re talking the DIY crowd here—I can DO this. So it’s time to look around for duplicating equipment (turns one cd into many over time). Most people starting out don’t have the financial resources to buy the robotic arm wonders that duplicating companies use. Do it one at a time in your cd burner? Let’s get real here. Say you want to burn a hundred cds to take with you on the weekend to your gigs. You’re just looking for a simple way to burn cds as you need them. Well I’ll let you in on a secret, it doesn’t have to cost the proverbial arm and leg to get your cds ready for sale. The duplicators I use at my studios all come from Vinpower Digital. I can burn 100 cds in around 15 minutes and each is note perfect compared to the master.
These duplicator systems feature “DHP Technology”, which creates a hard drive partition to the size of each master disc image so no HDD space is wasted. It also features two new password protection modes to restrict unauthorized use of your duplicator. All of which is enclosed in an up to 13-bay durable casing and feature a screw-less thumbscrew design. Also the enhanced vented air circulation design will improve the life of your duplication need. These durable cases are an ideal match for use with our high performance CD Duplicator Controllers and the combination makes them one of the fastest and most reliable duplicators on the market today. Now let’s discuss features, and there are plenty of them:
• Complete stand alone, up to 11 target CD duplicator system
• 2 easy to use Password protection modes to prevent unauthorized usage
• DHP “Dynamic” hard drive partition Technology
• Ability to load disc image to HDD and rename the partition
• Support Counter Function
• Master Error Proof
• Supports CD-R & CD-RW blank media.
• Burn 220+ 650MB CDs per hour with an 11 target system
• Includes 64MB buffer memory for 11 target systems and 32MB for 3 target systems.
• Auto Start Strategy
• Auto Source Disc Analyzing
• Set Burn Speed
• Select Source
• Audio Track Edit
• Utilities & Tools
• Button Beep
• Error Avoidance Technology
• 4 “Eject On Start” modes
• Clear Setup
• Intuitive user-friendly LCD panel
• Rigorously tested for performance & reliability
• Customizable controller LCD display
• Enhanced vented air circulation design
• Comes with a one year warranty (parts & labor included) and free life-time technical support.
This duplicator is the workhorse that it looks like—running for hours in my case without needing to cool down. Since you can buy it with a wide number of drives, you’re sure to find the one that’s perfect for your needs.
Where to buy it? Vinpower has offices all over the world, but that leads me into my next review—a great place to buy equipment for all your musical needs. It’s always been hard to find great deals for musical gear online without a great deal of searching. One thing the hardworking independent artist seems to be always short of besides money, is time. Well I’ve found a site run by a company that wants to help out the independent artist by doing all that searching FOR them. They find the best deals on various needs for the musician, then place it all in one site. How simple is that for getting everything you need with a minimum of hassle? The name of the group is a bit different, but then how different is it to find someone in the music industry that wants to HELP you? So check out U-Ni-Que-Music.com One glance through the pages let’s you know someone really cares about the independent artist. All the best deals on the net have been gathered into one place for your convenience. I found them when searching for deals on Vinpower duplicators and found it to be the most inexpensive price I’d ever paid for the exact same duplicator. So if you want a great ‘one stop shop’ for all your musical needs, U-Ni-Que-Music.com is the place to head to. You’ll be amazed at the prices you’ll find on even items as ‘pricey’ as Fender, Takamine or Gibson guitars. Take a look at them today, you and save yourself the money for gas to get to your next gig.

The Eastern European Garth Brooks

I was pleased to receive a cd last week from a new artist in Nashville. Nashville producer David Walker had sent it on for my review after having worked with this artist. To tell the truth, I didn’t expect much from an artist from Slovokia now living in Pennsylvania who was finishing his first complete project in English. The artist, Roman Vitkovsky, proved how wrong I could be. From the opening bars of the first song, Roman had me totally captivated with his original material and fresh outlook on country music. Not only would you not know this artist wasn’t from Nashville itself, but his smooth voice is very reminiscent of Garth Brooks, one of his influence. An eleven song project, Roman’s cd titled appropriately “No Stone Unturned” leaves the listener wanting more, much more from this artist. Roman has apparently left no stone unturned himself in his desire to be the next rising star of country music. And in this listener’s opinion, he is well on his way. Roman’s cd was released in the spring of 2008 and you should be hearing him tearing up the airwaves on a radio station near you.

A product that I’d like to review this week would be Magix Music Maker 14. I’ve never run into such a versatile and user friendly piece of software for creating music on your computer. Five minutes within getting your hands on this software, you can be creating radio quality music on your home computer, whether you use loops as the basis for the backing track or wish to plug your own instruments in and record like you would in an expensive studio all at the comfort of your own computer. But wait, the software isn’t just for the budding recording artist, it’s the perfect solution for the podcaster as well. Ability to crossfade tracks makes for seamless shows that rival that found on am/fm stations. Hard to believe? Well, I use Magic Music Maker for my syndicated shows that are heard on am/fm stations around the world. So if it’s good enough for am/fm stations to pick up, the sound levels and production quality needs to be darn near perfect, otherwise a show would distort on their equipment. Each blip or crackle would multiply itself several times over as it hits the air. So for note perfect production for your songs or a inexpensive solution for most podcasters for a production software, Magic Music Maker 14 is the software for you.

Hello world!

Welcome to Legends In The Making (The Blog)

Within these pages I’ll be doing my best to bring you fresh and interesting reviews on Country music artists and useful products that I’ve encountered for the music makers amongst us.

I hope you enjoy my posts happy reading

Dixie