The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) http://www.tuaw.com The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/feedlogo.gif The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) http://www.tuaw.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Rumor: new visualizer in iTunes 8 to be Robert Hodgin's Magnetosphere]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/09/05/rumor-new-visualizer-in-itunes-8-to-be-robert-hodgins-magnetos/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/09/05/rumor-new-visualizer-in-itunes-8-to-be-robert-hodgins-magnetos/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/09/05/rumor-new-visualizer-in-itunes-8-to-be-robert-hodgins-magnetos/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



On the heels of our earlier post about new features in iTunes 8 comes this post from video producer and designer Allan White, speculating that the new visualizer in iTunes might be Processing artist Robert Hodgin's amazing Magnetosphere, which was available up until a few months ago from The Barbarian Group (aka Robert's design company) as an iTunes plugin.

As Allan points out, there are two very strong pieces of evidence for this: 1) Allan emailed Robert, who told him Magnetosphere had been sold to a "third party", and 2) a twitter from Digg founder (and amateur Apple rumor mill) Kevin Rose on Sept. 2nd describing the new visualizer as "planet like objects wrapping around each other w/stars/light streams". As you can see in the image above, this sounds like a pretty apt description of Magnetosphere, which visualizes sound as particle explosions like supernovas. The Barbarian Group website's page for Magnetosphere says that "We've had a ton of interest in it, and we've got some exciting plans, but it's gonna take us a couple months to make it all happen."

Of course, nothing is confirmed, but it all points in the right direction. Personally, I'd love to see Magnetosphere on every iTunes user's screen, and not just because Robert is an amazing artist and also always gracious and helpful when I email him because my Processing particle system animations don't look as cool as his. The world just needs stuff this cool-looking everywhere.

(Thanks to Poopie for noticing that I'd accidentally added an "s" to "Hodgin"!)

[via Create Digital Music]

TUAWRumor: new visualizer in iTunes 8 to be Robert Hodgin's Magnetosphere originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>itunes8processingvisualizerFri, 05 Sep 2008 07:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Create Digital Music rounds up iTouch / iPhone music apps]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/09/03/create-digital-music-rounds-up-itouch-iphone-music-apps/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/09/03/create-digital-music-rounds-up-itouch-iphone-music-apps/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/09/03/create-digital-music-rounds-up-itouch-iphone-music-apps/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



The lovely and talented Peter Kirn over at Create Digital Music has posted a round up of music apps for the iPod / iTouch platform. The list includes tools for using your iPhone as a MIDI/OSC controller, making random weird digital art, visualizing your music and, er, listening to Snow Patrol's next album, amongst other apps. Peter's a thoughtful critic and his evaluations are pretty detailed and thorough.

If you're an aspiring iPhone musician / DJ/ sound designer, this is definitely a good place to start finding useful apps.

TUAWCreate Digital Music rounds up iTouch / iPhone music apps originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>audiodjiphoneipod-touchmidimusicsoundvisualizerWed, 03 Sep 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Create Digital Music on early iPhone music apps]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/07/11/create-digital-music-on-early-iphone-music-apps/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/07/11/create-digital-music-on-early-iphone-music-apps/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/07/11/create-digital-music-on-early-iphone-music-apps/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Peter Kirn over at Create Digital Music has weighed in on early iPhone music apps. His verdict? You'd still do better to get a PSP or a Nintendo DS for handheld music apps. While the App Store has metronomes, guitar tuners and the like, there's nothing really exciting there yet.

It's a shame, too, because the iPhone / iPod Touch seems made for doing cool future-y music stuff. I'd personally love to see an app that simply lets you put interface objects like sliders or buttons or X-Y pads on the iPhone screen and link each one to a MIDI control sent over Bluetooth to a host machine running a synthesizer. You could turn the iPhone into a far cheaper (though far smaller) version of the JazzMutant Lemur, using your shiny new phone like a Kaoss Pad or an Akai MPC drum/sample pad. Or you could use the motion sensors to scratch samples, ala Serato or FruityLoops. I even suspect that Apple may soon drop an app that lets you use the iPhone as a virtual mixing board / transport control for GarageBand and Logic like the now-defunct and frankly unlamented iControl. The ability to control Logic remotely from inside my vocal booth (aka my closet) would be enough on its own to make me give up my tasty Nokia futurephone and drop a couple of Benjamins on the iPhone.

I agree with Peter that it's early days yet; it's just a matter of time before you see groups of kids hanging out on the corner with their iPhones making beats in real-time, a high tech version of the guys who hang around in Manhattan making music with plastic buckets.

Heck of an expensive plastic bucket, though.

TUAWCreate Digital Music on early iPhone music apps originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 11 Jul 2008 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>musicFri, 11 Jul 2008 22:30:00 EST<![CDATA[A low cost guide to making music with your Mac, part three]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/07/03/a-low-cost-guide-to-making-music-with-your-mac-part-three/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/07/03/a-low-cost-guide-to-making-music-with-your-mac-part-three/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/07/03/a-low-cost-guide-to-making-music-with-your-mac-part-three/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Here we are with the long-awaited third part of my series on how to make music with your Mac. In the first installment, we looked at audio hardware; in the second installment, we discussed digital audio workstations. Today we're going to look at useful DSP (or digital signal processing) plugins and software synthesizers to help aid in your music making.

Again, a disclaimer: these are only a small handful of the options open to you. There are thousands of Mac-friendly synths and plugins out there, and you can spend as much time playing with demos and tweaking presets as you can making music. Having said that, these are a few tools I've personally found useful in my quest to become a halfway-decent digital producer.

More after the jump.

Continue reading A low cost guide to making music with your Mac, part three

TUAWA low cost guide to making music with your Mac, part three originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>masteringmusicsynthsynthesizerThu, 03 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Jerome, where's my mirror?]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/16/jerome-wheres-my-mirror/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/16/jerome-wheres-my-mirror/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/16/jerome-wheres-my-mirror/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Gizmodo's Jesus Diaz has a wonderful solution to the problem of videoconferencing on your 3G iPhone: compact, convenient and battery-free!



Okay, we get it: a camera on the front of the iPhone is probably a pretty useful idea. Although there's something oddly compelling about turning a videoconferencing session on the iPhone into a Morris Day and the Time concert....

TUAWJerome, where's my mirror? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>mirrorsillyvideoconferencingMon, 16 Jun 2008 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[BeatMaker: sample studio for your iPhone or iPod Touch]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/09/beatmaker-sample-studio-for-your-iphone-or-ipod-touch/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/09/beatmaker-sample-studio-for-your-iphone-or-ipod-touch/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/09/beatmaker-sample-studio-for-your-iphone-or-ipod-touch/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Developer Intua has just announced BeatMaker, a sampler / sequencer for your iPhone / iPod Touch that allows you to record and make beats on the go. It appears to function similarly to hardware like the famed Akai MPC sampler, allowing you to create loops and beats and play them back in real time. BeatMaker also includes a three-channel EQ, synchronized delay and a bitcrusher, for those of you who like to rock the 8-bit sound.

No word on availability and pricing yet -- Intua is, like almost everyone in the Apple world, waiting for more info on the iPhone App Store. Developer Mathieu Garcia also says that, though MIDI won't be in the initial release of BeatMaker, it's planned for inclusion in upcoming versions, along with Open Sound Control, the successor to MIDI that's becoming standard in more and more music-making apps these days.

TUAWBeatMaker: sample studio for your iPhone or iPod Touch originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>instrumentmusicsamplerMon, 09 Jun 2008 11:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Apple megastore in Las Vegas CityCenter in 2009?]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/06/apple-megastore-in-las-vegas-citycenter-in-2009/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/06/apple-megastore-in-las-vegas-citycenter-in-2009/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/06/apple-megastore-in-las-vegas-citycenter-in-2009/#commentsFiled under: ,



CityCenter is a massive new multi-use building project designed by architectural rock star Daniel Libeskind. It is currently under construction in Las Vegas, and -- according to AppleInsider -- the jewel in this glittering crown will be a supermassive Apple Store, located directly in the front of the complex right along Las Vegas Boulevard.

Quoting "people familiar with the project", AppleInsider claims that the store will boast over 20,000 feet of floor space on two levels. The article is accompanied by architectural renderings, though none of them feature any giant white apples or other clues as to the exact placement of the store.

The CityCenter project has been controversial in Las Vegas; six workers have died on the project since it began, and construction workers walked off the project last Monday after union safety negotiations with the general contractor failed, though they returned the next night. The project is due to be completed in the fall of 2009, at which point the new Apple megastore will join the two existing Apple Store locations on the Strip. (AppleInsider incorrectly states that there are three locations, but the third Apple Store in Nevada is actually in Reno, on the other side of the state.)

Speaking as a resident of Sin City, I'm not sure if CityCenter is going to be a beautiful hypermodern arcology to rival Tokyo's Roppongi Hills, or just another big ugly thing for drunken idiot turistas from the Midwest to throw up on. But if they're really putting a ginormous Apple Store front and center, I'll be out front on opening day with the rest of the rubes.

TUAWApple megastore in Las Vegas CityCenter in 2009? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>citycenterlas vegasLasVegasFri, 06 Jun 2008 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Kinesis Freestyle]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/04/kinesis-freestyle/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/04/kinesis-freestyle/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/04/kinesis-freestyle/#commentsFiled under:



Kinesis (from the Greek kinetikos, or "damn you, carpal tunnel syndrome!") have released a Mac addition to their Freestyle line of ergonomic keyboards, which allow users to split the keyboard in half for optimal positioning. This is accomplished via Kinesis' Pivot Tether[TM] technology, which appears to be, uh, a cable that connects the two halves of the Freestyle.

Kidding aside, this actually looks like a nice solution for those of us whose wrists are ravaged by unfriendly keyboards. I particularly love the big Esc/Force Quit button up on the top left -- clearly the design team at Kinesis has the same build of Firefox I do.

$99 for the Freestyle and $40 each for the Incline and VIP snap-on accessories, which provide a 10 degree slope and wrist supports, respectively.

[via Gizmodo]

TUAWKinesis Freestyle originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ergonomickeyboardWed, 04 Jun 2008 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A low cost guide to making music with your Mac, part two]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/03/a-low-cost-guide-to-making-music-with-your-mac-part-two/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/03/a-low-cost-guide-to-making-music-with-your-mac-part-two/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/03/a-low-cost-guide-to-making-music-with-your-mac-part-two/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Last time, I looked at hardware audio interfaces for getting sound into your Mac. But now that you've got it coming in, what do you do with it?

You need a DAW, or digital audio workstation. DAWs are to audio what Photoshop is to image processing: they allow you to layer, mix and manipulate your sound into something resembling music. Most DAWs also allow you to incorporate MIDI sequencing to drive your hardware or software synths.

DAWs vary in terms of feature set and usability. At the high end, recording audio is a highly technical process, and many DAWs look like the control panels for nuclear submarines. But don't be discouraged if it all doesn't make sense at first -- as you learn the underlying concepts behind recording digital audio, all those little buttons and windows will become second nature.

There are a lot of different DAWs out there, but we'll take a look at a few of the Mac offerings here. These are the main contenders in the field, along with a couple of interesting also-rans.

Continue reading A low cost guide to making music with your Mac, part two

TUAWA low cost guide to making music with your Mac, part two originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 03 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>musicTue, 03 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[iClooly: make your iPod into a baby iMac]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/02/iclooly-make-your-ipod-into-a-baby-imac/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/02/iclooly-make-your-ipod-into-a-baby-imac/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/02/iclooly-make-your-ipod-into-a-baby-imac/#commentsFiled under: ,

This is the cutest damned thing I've seen in a while. The iClooly, from Japanese manufacturer RockRidgeSound, is a stand for your iPod Touch that makes it look like a lil' baby iMac -- and, as a side effect, serves as an actual useful way to watch movies on your iPod Touch without having to get your greasy mitts all over it.

The iClooly even pivots 90º for landscape/portrait swapping goodness and has a dock connection inside. It'll be ¥4,980 (roughly $47) when it hits the streets June 7th.

[via Engadget]

TUAWiClooly: make your iPod into a baby iMac originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>standMon, 02 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Griffin PowerDock: quadruple your charging pleasure]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/02/griffin-powerdock-quadruple-your-charging-pleasure/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/02/griffin-powerdock-quadruple-your-charging-pleasure/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/02/griffin-powerdock-quadruple-your-charging-pleasure/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Perennial iPod peripheral maker Griffin announced that their new PowerDock multiple-iPod / iPhone charging station would be available in June, and now it's apparently almost here.

Available in two- or four-dock models, the charging station is designed for nerdy families like mine with multiple iPods, or perhaps just gadget freaks. It supports most every flavor of iPod and iPhone, with adapter inserts included, and it's made of brushed metal which is always a lovely choice.

No word on a street date, but presumably it's still on schedule for a release this month. The two-dock version will run $49.99 and the four-dock version will be $69.99.

[via Gizmodo]

TUAWGriffin PowerDock: quadruple your charging pleasure originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>docking stationDockingStationgriffinpowerMon, 02 Jun 2008 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[iPhoneBrowser: browse your iPhone's file system]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/31/iphonebrowser-browse-your-iphones-file-system/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/31/iphonebrowser-browse-your-iphones-file-system/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/31/iphonebrowser-browse-your-iphones-file-system/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Getting access to your iPhone's file system can be pretty difficult. But if you're a Windows iPhone user, you can take advantage of the free BSD-licensed IPhone file system browser iPhoneBrowser. You can browse your IPhone's files, drag and drop stuff onto it, and copy your MP3s and movies back to your hard drive. iPhoneBrowser also offers a backup system for keeping your iPhone files safe.

It even works with non-jailbroken iPhones, but as the developer says, you won't get very far with one, thanks to Apple's file system "sandbox".

[via Lifehacker]

TUAWiPhoneBrowser: browse your iPhone's file system originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 31 May 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>jailbrokenwindowsSat, 31 May 2008 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Sharing your clipboard]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/29/sharing-your-clipboard/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/29/sharing-your-clipboard/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/29/sharing-your-clipboard/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Web Worker Daily's got a nice little roundup of apps that allow you to share your clipboard between multiple computers. There's tools for Windows, Mac and -- most useful -- cross-platform.

Also, as a user points out in the comments for the post, there's cl1p.net, a web-based tool that lets you cut-and-paste and share text, files, images and URLs. It's even iPhone ready, which is nice, considering nobody seems to want to put an actual clipboard on the darn thing.

These are all cool tools...but personally, if I need to copy text from one machine to another, I just email it to myself. How about you? Got any other easy tips for moving content across machines?

[via Lifehacker]

TUAWSharing your clipboard originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 29 May 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>clipboardThu, 29 May 2008 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Orange to trade up iPhones?]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/28/orange-to-trade-up-iphones/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/28/orange-to-trade-up-iphones/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/28/orange-to-trade-up-iphones/#commentsFiled under: , ,

According to Boy Genius Report, French iPhone carrier Orange may be offering current iPhone users a 3G iPhone for €30 €50 (thanks to kol and jaxx for pointing out my typo!) if they trade in their old iPhone, as well as "generous subsidies" for users who wish to upgrade and keep their current handset.

The news comes from reader tips to French tech site PCInpact, though Orange apparently has no official statement yet.

We can just add this to the number of other 3G iPhone rumors that have been swirling as of late.

[via CrunchGear]

TUAWOrange to trade up iPhones? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 28 May 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>franceorangesubsidytradeinWed, 28 May 2008 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[A low cost guide to making music with your Mac, part one]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/27/a-low-cost-guide-to-making-music-with-your-mac-part-one/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/27/a-low-cost-guide-to-making-music-with-your-mac-part-one/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/27/a-low-cost-guide-to-making-music-with-your-mac-part-one/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

It's well known that Macs have always been favored by musicians. And why not? Macs are the only computers that come from the factory with a starter-level digital audio workstation, or DAW as the hip kids call 'em.

Point of fact, these days it's entirely possible to make perfectly respectable, professional quality music with your Mac and some relatively inexpensive outboard gear. Gone are the days when you could only use your desktop or laptop for sequencing MIDI tracks and writing lyrics for songs that you'd have to take to a professional recording studio to realize. You may not be able to make a Dark Side Of The Moon or an OK Computer in your bedroom but if you're a singer-songwriter, hip-hop artist or if you're in a band making music with simple arrangements, you can skip the studio process almost entirely.

Of course, when it comes to music, most of the quality has to do with talent and skill, not technology: despite tools like Antares AutoTune, no amount of digital wizardry can make you a better songwriter. And you'll still need to understand the fundamentals of audio production, which can be as exciting as watching paint dry.

But if you're wiling to educate yourself a bit, there's no reason you and your Mac can't make beautiful music together.

In this four part feature, we'll look at what it takes to turn your Mac into a music studio.

Continue reading A low cost guide to making music with your Mac, part one

TUAWA low cost guide to making music with your Mac, part one originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 27 May 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>audio productionAudioProductiondiymusicTue, 27 May 2008 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[More Audio Driver Drama: Blame Apple, Says Peter Kirn]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/27/more-audio-driver-drama-blame-apple-says-peter-kirn/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/27/more-audio-driver-drama-blame-apple-says-peter-kirn/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/27/more-audio-driver-drama-blame-apple-says-peter-kirn/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

A few days ago I posted about the problems that the 10.5.2 update was causing with audio recording hardware and software from various manufacturers. Today, in a follow-up post to his original roundup of the issues at hand, Peter Kirn weighs in on Apple's accountability.

Kirn's position is that Apple is responsible because all the evidence suggests that the problems lie with the 10.5.2 update, not any one vendor's drivers. "Problems haven't affected everyone," says Kirn, "but they have been widespread enough that we have a right to be disappointed. As a user, I think I have the right to be disappointed. As a writer, it's my obligation to point it out. And I hope they do better in the future."

Of course, as Peter points out, rumor is that 10.5.3 is right around the corner, so hopefully these problems will disappear and Trent Reznor can get back to making music instead of standing in for angry Mac-using music geeks in my music-related posts.

TUAWMore Audio Driver Drama: Blame Apple, Says Peter Kirn originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 27 May 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>10.5.2driversTue, 27 May 2008 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Putting the Earth on your iPhone]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/27/putting-the-earth-on-your-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/27/putting-the-earth-on-your-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/27/putting-the-earth-on-your-iphone/#commentsFiled under: ,


While there's still no Google Earth app for the iPhone (*cough cough*), Google Earth developer Frank Taylor recently got a chance at the Where 2.0 conference to check out a 3D Earth app from Colorado company Earthscape. He posted a YouTube video of the app, and man, it looks pretty fly. I'm particularly digging on the ability to use the iPhone's tilt sensors to navigate around in 3D space.

No word on a timetable for availability for the iPhone; the software is in private beta for Windows right now, with Mac and Linux versions coming soon.

[via TechCrunch]

TUAWPutting the Earth on your iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 27 May 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>geobrowsergoogle earthGoogleEarthiphoneTue, 27 May 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Interview with MacHeads director Kobi Shely]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/27/interview-with-macheads-director-kobi-shely/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/27/interview-with-macheads-director-kobi-shely/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/27/interview-with-macheads-director-kobi-shely/#commentsFiled under: ,



Back in January, we told you about MacHeads: The Movie, an upcoming documentary about Mac freaks fans from brothers Kobi and Ron Shely. It looks to do for Mac people what Trekkies did for obsessive Star Trek nerds.

Apparently the brothers Shely have finished the movie, and Gizmodo's got a nice interview with Kobi Shely about the moviemaking process and the choice of subject. The filmmakers are planning to make the movie available through "community distribution"...and of course, they want to get it on iTunes.

TUAWInterview with MacHeads director Kobi Shely originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 27 May 2008 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>documentarymacheadsobsessivesupernerdsTue, 27 May 2008 04:00:00 EST<![CDATA[10.5.2 causing mega-problems for musicians?]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/21/10-5-2-causing-mega-problems-for-musicians/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/21/10-5-2-causing-mega-problems-for-musicians/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/21/10-5-2-causing-mega-problems-for-musicians/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,




Peter Kirn over at Create Digital Music (one of my favorite music-making blogs, by the by) has a post rounding up a lot of the issues OS 10.5.2 seems to be having with various drivers for audio interfaces, including those manufactured by Digidesign (aka the Pro Tools folks) and its subsidiary M-Audio. This is a pretty big problem, as Digidesign and M-Audio are two of the most popular manufacturers of prosumer/professional audio interfaces. Peter's post links to apologies and explanations from the manufacturers as well.

According to Dave Lebolt, general manager at Digidesign, the 10.5.2 upgrade may have actually broken fixes that appeared in 10.5.1. And Kirn goes as far to say that he "certainly can't recommend Leopard in its current state," at least for making music, which is why I haven't upgraded from TIger myself.

Does this affect you if you're not a music geek? Probably not. But when your psycho microhouse-obsessed beatmaking roommate starts swearing and kicking his MacBook and ProTools rig around in the middle of the night, at least you'll know what the fuss is all about.

TUAW10.5.2 causing mega-problems for musicians? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 21 May 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Wed, 21 May 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Name Mangler: batch rename your files]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/21/name-mangler-batch-rename-your-files/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/21/name-mangler-batch-rename-your-files/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/21/name-mangler-batch-rename-your-files/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Most people rarely ever have to rename a whole lot of files at once. Let's face it -- batch file renaming isn't UNIX kernel reprogramming, but it's one of those irritating tasks that can be a surprising amount of trouble for casual or even more experienced users without the right tools. As a web designer and developer, I find myself having to numerically rename images a lot or add "_tb" suffixes for thumbnails, for example.

Luckily for Leopard users, there's Name Mangler 2.0, a donationware app by Mac developer Many Tricks that does all the stuff you might need a batch file renamer to do: change case or extension, prefix or suffix a file name, remove characters, the works. You can even store renaming configurations as droplets that you can drop files or folders on to.

Unfortunately, Name Mangler is Leopard-only. Many Tricks has an earlier app, File List (direct download link), that apparently does the same thing for pre-Leopard systems; another alternative app is File Wrangler, which resides on my 10.4.9-running MacBook Pro quite happily, or the venerable and powerful A Better Finder Rename.

[via Lifehacker]

TUAWName Mangler: batch rename your files originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 21 May 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>batch renameBatchRenameWed, 21 May 2008 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[IR-909 brings old school beatmaking to the iPhone]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/16/ir-909-brings-old-school-beatmaking-to-the-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/16/ir-909-brings-old-school-beatmaking-to-the-iphone/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/16/ir-909-brings-old-school-beatmaking-to-the-iphone/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



Back in 1984, Roland released the TR-909 drum machine as a successor to their legendary 808. Over the years, the 909 became one of the most influential and widely-used instruments in the history of electronic music, right up there with the Minimoog and the AKAI MPC sampler.

Now you can pick up IR-909, a free iPhone / iPod Touch version of the 909 over at roventskij.net. It has the 909's 16-step sequencer, eight drum sounds, and four pattern storage.

The minimal, lovely interface is close enough to the 909 for aficionados of the original hardware without sacrificing usability on the iPhone / iPod Touch's small screen.

IR-909 may not be a full-fledged replacement for your software sampler or old-school hardware 909...but I'm betting it's fun to play with on the bus or the train. Or hook it up to a pair of portable speakers and get your "Planet Rock" on anywhere and everywhere. 'Cause I know you got the funk in you.

[via Create Digital Music]

TUAWIR-909 brings old school beatmaking to the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 16 May 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bring the noiseBringTheNoisedrum machineDrumMachinetr-909Fri, 16 May 2008 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Vidnik: Record video directly from your iSight to YouTube]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/14/vidnik-record-video-directly-from-your-isight-to-youtube/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/14/vidnik-record-video-directly-from-your-isight-to-youtube/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/14/vidnik-record-video-directly-from-your-isight-to-youtube/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Thinking about starting a video blog? Good luck. But if you're sure about this, the cool folks over at Google Mac have created an extremely useful tool to help you get your very own DIY reality show started.

Vidnik (0.13.0 beta) is an Apache-licensed app that allows you to record video from your iSight and upload it directly to YouTube. You can title, tag, categorize and add a description to the videos right from within the app itself. Above you can see why I don't vidblog. Nobody wants to look at that.

Developer David Phillip Oster says that there's a small bug currently that makes the sound lag a fraction of a second behind the video when uploaded to YouTube, but he knows what the problem is and he's solving it quickly.

[via the Official Google Mac Blog]

TUAWVidnik: Record video directly from your iSight to YouTube originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 14 May 2008 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>videoyoutubeWed, 14 May 2008 07:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Sync your iPhone's music library in Linux, the wireless way]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/10/sync-your-iphones-music-library-in-linux-the-wireless-way/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/10/sync-your-iphones-music-library-in-linux-the-wireless-way/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/10/sync-your-iphones-music-library-in-linux-the-wireless-way/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Linux users are a bit left out in the cold when it comes to the iPhone, but if you're a Linux user who wants to sync your music library with your iPhone, Lifehacker's got a tutorial on how to do just that. Video syncing seems to work as well, but images are apparently a little idiosyncratic.

You'll have to jailbreak your iPhone using ZiPhone, and the actual steps involved seem fairly involved...but hey, if you're a Linux user, you're probably cool with both fairly involved technical tweaking and voiding warranties.

Go forth, brave adventurer.

TUAWSync your iPhone's music library in Linux, the wireless way originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 10 May 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>iphonelinuxsyncSat, 10 May 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The OS X desktop as music video]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/10/the-os-x-desktop-as-music-video/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/10/the-os-x-desktop-as-music-video/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/10/the-os-x-desktop-as-music-video/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

A digital filmmaker named Dennis Liu has made an amazing video for The Bird And The Bee's lovely song "Again & Again". The set? His Mac desktop. You sort of have to see it for yourself to understand; luckily, Dennis has dropped it on YouTube so that the world can see it in low-res glory:



Innovative, and definitely cool. It doesn't seem to be an "official" video for the song...but if it isn't, it oughtta be. (Hey, Bird! Bee! Y'all paying attention?)

Thanks, Ted Roddy!

[via MacRumors forums]

TUAWThe OS X desktop as music video originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 10 May 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>music videoMusicVideotweet-thisSat, 10 May 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Adium adds Facebook Chat support; emo kids cheer worldwide]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/09/adium-adds-facebook-chat-support-emo-kids-cheer-worldwide/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/09/adium-adds-facebook-chat-support-emo-kids-cheer-worldwide/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/09/adium-adds-facebook-chat-support-emo-kids-cheer-worldwide/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Adium, the tasty multi-client Mac chat app, is about to get even tastier: developer Evan Schoenberg announced today on the Adium blog that he's adding Facebook Chat to the ridiculously long list of instant messaging protocols already supported by the app. He even included a screenshot of the new protocol in action, seen on the right.

No word on when the new release will be available, unfortunately, but you can keep track at the Adium blog.

Thanks, Chris!

TUAWAdium adds Facebook Chat support; emo kids cheer worldwide originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 09 May 2008 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adiumchatfacebooktweet-thisFri, 09 May 2008 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Renoise: A multi-platform tracker for music composition]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/09/renoise-a-multi-platform-tracker-for-music-composition/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/09/renoise-a-multi-platform-tracker-for-music-composition/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/09/renoise-a-multi-platform-tracker-for-music-composition/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Back in the day before Ableton Live and Reason and all the other sequencer apps out there, desktop electronic producers made do with trackers: apps which allowed the budding Moby or Paul Oakenfold to sequence samples. They were basically software equivalents of legendary hardware sample sequencers like the Akai MPC. These usually had all of the usability of a 1957 Trabant and none of the good looks.

Renoise 1.9.1 sequences like an old-school tracker, but it's got loads more features: plugin and MIDI instruments, effects chains, a halfway decent mixer, and even internal sample editing. Everything a growing music geek needs to make bleep-bleep music (and maybe more). It's available for Windows, Linux and Mac OS 10.3.9+ as a Universal Binary.

At 49.99 euros (US$75.80 at today's exchange rate) for a license, Renoise is a helluva lot cheaper than alternatives like Live or Reason, and the ability to use a single license for versions running on multiple platforms is nice. The only drawback is that the interface appears a little complex for users unfamiliar with the conventions of sample trackers. Also, the demo version times out and doesn't allow rendering of your tracks out to .wav format.

I still have nightmares about using FastTracker on my old Pentium II back in the late '90s, so I haven't tried this one myself. If you have, drop me a line in the comments and let me know what you think.

TUAWRenoise: A multi-platform tracker for music composition originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 09 May 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>musicsoftwareFri, 09 May 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[iPod Touch/iPhone Music Round-Up]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/09/ipod-touch-iphone-music-round-up/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/09/ipod-touch-iphone-music-round-up/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/09/ipod-touch-iphone-music-round-up/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Peter Kirn over at Create Digital Music has posted a great round-up of all the tools people have put together to make music with the iPod Touch and iPhone.

The post touches on some of the more technical aspects of music app development on the iPhone and iPod Touch, and there's a great list of links to cool apps you can download and mess around with.



Music apps are still in their infancy on the iPhone, but hopefully, as the SDK gets out there to more developers, we'll begin to see more robust and feature-heavy apps.

Me? I want to see Ableton Live on the iPhone.

TUAWiPod Touch/iPhone Music Round-Up originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 09 May 2008 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>musicmusic-appsmusicphoneFri, 09 May 2008 07:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Here Comes A Special Boy...]]>http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/08/here-comes-a-special-boy/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/08/here-comes-a-special-boy/http://www.tuaw.com/2008/05/08/here-comes-a-special-boy/#commentsFiled under:

Hi, TUAW readers! My name is Josh Ellis, and I'm the latest addition to the TUAW team.

I'm a blogger, web designer/developer, electronic musician, former newspaper columnist, and occasional DJ -- your usual post-millennial hipster nerd scum, basically. I currently reside in Las Vegas, NV, USA, and I spend a lot less time in casinos than you might expect.

If I were on Jeopardy, my categories would be:
  • Using Logic Pro To Bring The Noise
  • The History Of The Early Roman Empire
  • Alternative Rock 1967-1993
  • Damn You, ActionScript 3.0
  • DC Vertigo Comic Books
  • Digital Music Distribution
and my Daily Double would probably involve Tom Waits, Brian Eno or Asia Argento.

So hello, and be kind, folks -- though I've been a blogger since the early Neolithic period, I'm new to this whole professional / group blogging thing.

I plan to drop some (hopefully) useful info on TUAW about guerilla Mac music production in the very near future, so keep an eye out for that. And thanks to the TUAW team for having me!

TUAWHere Comes A Special Boy... originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 08 May 2008 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>new-bloggersThu, 08 May 2008 21:30:00 EST