Music Musings

First thing, and I know I’ve touched on this before, but it is still very irritating.  Why do music labels make it so hard to buy their music?  I have the Zune pass and was trying to get Derek Sherinian’s new album with my monthly allotment.  But alas, my credits aren’t valid for that album.  I can’t even download it to listen with the Zune pass.  So I figured o.k., it’s a new album, I’ll get an older one instead to at least support the artist.  Nope, same thing, though I can download it for listening.  That’s two albums, not songs, albums worth of material I couldn’t buy that I wanted to and the labels continue to complain about piracy and low CD sales.

Second, I’m curious if the labels/musicians check out zune marketplace for listeners of their music.  I’m not sure how iTunes works so the same thing might apply.  Seems like it makes sense that they should.  They could use those metrics to help build listeners or maybe even reward those who like them.  Could be as simple as recognition on the artist’s website or maybe first dibs on tickets when they tour.  Obviously I’m not an insider, but these types of things seem like easy things to embrace and musician and fan closer instead of making the fans work so hard and then berate them at each turn.  End of the rant…for now.

Sonic Assault Studio

Okay so it sounds more impressive than it really is, but still I’m pretty psyched about it.   I’d been playing lots of Guitar Hero and Rock Band with (and without) the kids and I just kept thinking about getting out my real guitar and playing.  Some of the songs are actually easier to play for real than they are in the game.  So around July of last year, I went digging for my guitar in the back of the closet, and started trying to remember the scales and the other stuff I used to be able to play.  It was a blast and even though the fingers complained for the first couple of weeks I kept on playing, trying to get back into some kind of playing shape.  I just played on the guitar without any amplification.

Then around August I decided it was time to hear what I was playing and maybe be able to record.  I didn’t want to shell out for a real amp, which would just annoy the rest of the family.  So I spent 90 bucks to get the Line 6 Toneport UX1 and the “studio” was born.    The amp modeling in the Toneport is great and since I was in the family room I could totally crank up the volume and rock out without driving anyone crazy.  I tried both the Riffworks demo and the free Kristal audio engine as my DAW.  I used both, but not a whole lot since there wasn’t much to record as I was trying to relearn what I’d forgotten from my bass playing days in the the early nineties and figuring out what was possible to do with the Toneport.

At the beginning of October I was still enjoying playing and starting to understand the basics of recording.  I had also experimented with Reaper and Ableton Live as my DAW, but decided that if I were going to get serious and actually buy something, I wanted what the pros use even if realistically I won’t ever be a pro.  So I got a Protools mini in a package that came with studio monitors and a condensor microphone for my birthday.  Yes there are tons of other just as capable DAWs available, but that’s what I decided to go with and it’s been great.  Of course, now I’ve had lots to learn with playing the guitar and figuring out Protools, but that’s all part of the fun.  So now I had the pieces for the studio even though it was in the family room.

Then in January, the oldest daughter moved out.  After the musical chairs with the rooms was settled, I ended up with a room to double as my office and a home studio.  After some cleaning, new paint, and a trip to Ikea I was able to start settleing into my new digs.  The family was a big help with that!  This past month my wife and I have been able to find stuff to get on the walls and start to make it feel more homey.  Now that it’s pretty close to finished, I figured I better have a name, but I wasn’t sure would be a good one.  Then I remembered telling somebody after I’d been to a Tool concert that what I had heard was a sonic assuault on my body.  That stuck in my mind and seemed to be a perfect fit.  Now to the business of actually creating music!

In the raw

You can always check out the rest of the set on my flickr page.

The Zune a Week Later

Well I’ve had the Zune for a couple weeks now and thought I’d write up my thoughts so far.  The device itself is cool, and easily handles all the music I have.  Now just trying to get all that organized into playlists that make sense.  It’s sweet not having to try to keep music on both the home PC and the work one.  Just take the Zune.  Same with podcasts, I’ve been enjoying listening to those.

Two things I’m not fond of so far and they really are kinda nit picky, but hey better to know.  The first is cases.  I can’t believe how hard it is to find any good cases.  I’d love a clear acrylic case, but good luck finding anything.   Second the number of plays thing on the Zune card.  It shouldn’t be that big of a deal, but I love being able to see what people who like what I like are listening to and it doesn’t keep accurate counts.  Finding new music is why I love Pandora.  Of course it probably is partly my competitive side to, but for something that is supposed to help differentiate the Zune from the iPod, it certainly seems like Microsoft would want the working correctly.

So overall I’m still thrilled, but would like a couple more things to make it more my own.

Now a Zune Owner

I hadn’t much thought about an MP3 player until a couple months ago, it just didn’t seem worth it.  However, as I continued my daily commute and tried to manage music between my home and work computers, it just seemed like a good idea to have one.  So it came down to the IPod and the Zune.  Obviously I went with the Zune.  I did that for a number of reasons.  The software, the DRM free downloads, points that could be used with my XBox 360, and favorable reviews.  So what do I think?

Out of the box experience was incredible.  I already had the software installed and was ripping my CD collection already.  I plugged in the Zune with USB cable, followed a couple of directions and I was synching all my music within 5 minutes.  The hardest part was getting the stupid box open.  I also got a radio tuner connector and it was just as easy.  So now I’m able to listen to every piece of music I own whenever I want.  Pretty cool.

Prog-Metal mania!

Well earlier I was excited about all the music coming out this year. Now three of the disks have released! They are Rush, Dream Theater, and Symphony X. I’ll have to say, I’ve like what I’ve heard.

For Rush, I heard the album on a radio station. They still sound amazingly tight and I like the concerted effort to go back to their roots as a 3-piece. I’ll definitely pick this up at some point, but it is mellower than I was looking for, so I’m spending my money on the below albums right now.

That brings me to the one band I’ll plunk down money on a disk without hearing any of the tracks; Dream Theater. Though, I did sign up for the early single Constant Motion. Kudos to Roadrunner for doing that! That’s makes them my favorite label so far. As for the album, I love it! Once again they bring a nice heavy groove that shows they are one of the best bands on the planet. Maybe a little fanboy showing there, but hey I can deal. My two favorite tracks are Constant Motion and The Dark Eternal Night, but the album I thought was strong throughout. I can’t believe they are not coming to Seattle. Especially since the next band is opening for them on the European leg.

Lastly a band I discovered not that long ago through Pandora, Symphony X. It’s been a few years since any new material, but after getting V: The New Mythology Suite, I have been seriously hooked. This disk is amazing and completely worth the wait! It’s hard to pick a favorite, but I’d have to say my favorite track so far is Serpent’s Kiss. However, Domination, The Walls of Babylon, Set the World on Fire, and Paradise Lost all are a close second. I am absolutely stoked to see these guys come through Seattle at the end of July.

[update] added a link to Pandora

Cool ideas to hear new music

I was looking at all the albums coming out this year and today I saw that some of the music is already out there to hear.  Dream Theater, through their label Roadrunner, is allowing people to download the song Constant Motion.  All they are requiring is an email address and some other info and you can get the mp3 (via Blabbermouth.net, you rock!)  As an aside, the song is meaty!!

Another awesome idea that I actually like better than getting an mp3, is what Rush has done/allowed with a radio station to stream several of the songs from their new album.  The quality is really good, but every once in a while there will be a voice saying “Music On Demand”.  To me this is the best situation because you get full songs, not just 30 seconds, even with the interruption it allows me to hear the whole thing.  That allows me to make a much more informed decision about whether or not to buy the album (One again courtesy of blabbermouth.net).  I’d love to see much more of that from record labels.

Lots of new prog rock this year

Normally I’ll be looking to get older releases of music on CD if I’m going to get any music at all and since I’m into progressive rock it’s not like I can go on down to Target or something.  So this year has been a little different for me.  I’m actually waiting for music to be released.  And not just one album, but five!  Nightwish is slated to release a new album with the new singer at the end of September.  Symphony X is slated to release their new album at the end of June.  Archetype is slated to release their new album sometime this year.  Rush is slated to release their new album May 1st.  Last but not least, Dream Theater is slated to release their new album at the beginning of June.

The other exciting thing is that I might even get to see some of these bands in person this year too.  Both Nightwish and Symphony X have confirmed dates as well as Rush.  I saw Rush last year for the 30th anniversary tour so I’ll be using the money to see some other bands.  I’m hoping Dream Theater will make a stop as well, but since they didn’t make it out with the Gigantour last year, I’m not holding my breath.   All in all pretty cool stuff!

Nightwish is touring in 2007

Looks like a band I discovered not long ago, has chosen their new singer and will be on the road this year. It looks like Nightwish will be in Seattle on Halloween. Still trying to figure out if I can go, but whether or not it works out, I definitely want to go. Finding information on progressive metal bands is tough, so when one comes to town I definitely want to show my support. As part of that I discovered tourfilter.com. It allows you to pick a city and monitor bands that are coming through town. Pretty cool, because then you can subscribe to the feed you create and you’re kept up to date with who’s going to be in town.

Crimson Glory review

Overall I like this album, though it is more of a metal disc than progressive rock. You can tell it is a debut album from the mixing, but all the elements are there for a pretty good group. The vocals, instruments, and songwriting all show themselves.

It starts with “Valhalla”, a nice straight ahead rock and roll song. Next is “Dragon Lady”. This song is a bit more progressive and showcases the singer’s ability very nicely. I’m reminded of “Equinox” by Styx. “Heart of Steel” brings down the pace for a little bit, then hits hard. My favorite track is next with “Azrael”. To me this is the most progressive track on the disk, which probably explains why I like it the best. The next track is “Mayday”, which feels more like a radio track. It does have blazing guitars that show off the talent, but the overall song left me wanting a little. “Queen of the Masquerade” follows and gets back to more of the progressive metal and is not too bad a tune at all. I also liked the next song, “Angels of War” which has some good guitar parts and a more complex song structure. The last song is “Lost Reflection”. This is more of a ballad, again spotlighting the vocalists talent.

Can’t wait to hear the new stuff!

New disks on their way

I love progressive metal so for my birthday I’m getting two albums from Tower Records: Crimson Glory from Crimson Glory and V: The New Mythology Suite from Symphony X.  Crimson Glory just shipped so hopefully in the next couple of days I’ll get it and post my thoughts.  It seems painfully hard to get this type of music but, oh well.  I’ll keep checking Prog Archives.