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NAMM 2015 Review

Well, the Namm 2015 show, the biggest in the Music Tech and Guitar work is nearly at a close, and here is my little review of what seem to be some of the biggest highlights so far.Well in answer to one of my wishes, Spectrasonics are back, and wow are they back with Omnisphere 2, which fulfils one of my biggest wishes the ability to import your own samples, that is simply wow, the possibilities are now limitless, for someone like me who has a massive library of my own sounds, the ability to mangle them through Omnsiphere is SO amazing, and to go along with this is the inclusion of 400 new DSP waveforms for the synths oscillators, how is there enough time in the world to explore all the possibilities?? And not only that, but new FXs, improvements to the Arpeggiator, Granular synthesis, wavetable synthesis, 10,000 new sounds (again how much time in the world?), check out their website for all the details, but it is amazing and I can't wait!Next up the Jim Dunlop mini wah!! Wow finally a little wah pedal, I have wanted something like this for years. The wah is an integral part of my sound and always on my pedalboard, but wah pedals are rather big and do take up quite a bit or real estate, as such it means have to make choice about which pedals can fit on a small board, meaning some have to be taken off due to the size of the wah. Well not now!! I am well chuffed about this.DAW timeWell Apple aren't throwing Logic away it would seem and have been doing some work on Logic X 10.1, some really interesting things in the update, including VCA faders, and some audio editing enhancements and much more under the surfaceDigital Performer is to be upgraded to DP9, with some interesting additions, automation lanes (whoo!), some new guitar effects (even more), the MX4 synth is now to be bundles, that is pretty cool, and spectral display in the sequence window (that is very cool too!). Should be interesting to see all the updates....wonder if they will make midi regions (doubt it!)Pro Tools 12 have been announced...meh! Cakewalk's (Gibson) Sonar is now on a subscription basis, interesting times, I wonder how that will pan out!Next up, the Focusrite Clarett range of interfaces with the Red series plugins. These look great, the first proper fully Thunderbolt interfaces, with 1ms latency (wow) and even more wow the inclusion of an ADAT input, so you could easily get away with a smaller 2 input interface and then add 8 additional inputs via adat if you want to track some drums! I really like that!! Plus the Red plugins, since working in MI retail in the early 90's selling the actual RED series compressors and the like, I have always loved them, and so I am dead curious to see how these plug ins sound!!No big news from the major guitar companies really, no new amps or the like,Disappointed that there was nothing really new from TC Electronic apart from two new pedals, will you please please update the Nova system as I have suggested before, I am sure it will be a massive seller for you, it is what the world wants Nova System 2!! Please!All in all a good year, with some interesting releases and so MASSIVE releases, looks like it could be an expensive few months!!EnjoyPeaceNeil   

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How to play Uptown Funk guitar lesson

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So it is everywhere now, so I though I would give you a 'how to play Uptown Funk guitar lesson' by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars. There is certainly a lot to like in this song and it really seems to hark back to the funk tracks of the 80's by people like Prince, Cameo and I would say one of the guitar lines is almost a direct rip of the style of David Williams playing on Michael Jackson's Off the Wall and Thriller albums. The guitar parts are actually quite spare, and like the best of pop production the whole thing is spares lines interplaying with one another to give a massive sound, right out of the Quincy Jones school of production.I think Uptown Funk works best f you take the parts and make them your own, adding you own little twists on to the lines here. I also think that it makes an excellent tune to do a loop too, I will have a go at this an post the result!!Here is the lesson....and here is the tabUptown Funk Tab Uptown Funk - Guitar TabEnjoyPeaceNeil

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NAMM 2013 iZ RADAR STUDIO Review: RADAR and Pro Tools in One Box

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So NAMM 2015 hasn't started yet, but there has already been one big announcement.A DAW in a box, I have talking about this for years as I have never quite understood why no one has done this before, a Bespoke DAW in a box, running only DAW things, just like in the old days when you had a box to do something. Really excited to see and hear more about this, although I am guessing the price tag will be rather steep to begin with. I wonder if in the future you might get versions for other DAWs?

iZ Technology Corporation announcesRADAR studio (patent pending), the culmination of 25 years of audio engineering excellence. In addition to its best-in-class sonics, unparalleled build quality, and brilliant simplicity, RADAR studio now runs DAW software, natively. Shipping with Pro Tools* and Harrison Mixbus, RADAR studio creates an entirely new category of digital audio recording technology: the integrated audio appliance."Recording is a daunting task. Music producers must research and choose computers, software, audio and sync interfaces, hard drives, and unwieldy digital interface cabling and integrate them all into their studio," says Barry Henderson, President of iZ Technology Corporation. "RADAR studio is a turnkey solution that makes recording as easy as turning on the power and hitting the record button. The best hardware and your favorite software now seamlessly work together in one box to deliver the highest sound quality. Easy."RADAR systems are the premier choice for multi-track recording and playback in some of the finest recording studios, scoring stages, theatres, and post-production houses around the world. Legendary musicians and producers record on RADAR because of its cutting-edge technology, rock-solid reliability, customization capability and, of course, the sound quality it delivers. Now, music producers can run their favorite DAW software and plug-ins inside RADAR studio for the best of both worlds.RADAR studio Key Features: 
  • Breathtaking Sound - near-zero jitter, pristine signal path and the latest converter technology
  • Runs Pro Tools - track, mix and automate, using all plug-ins and features of native DAW software
  • Simplicity - just arm tracks and hit record. Focus on the music
  • Workflow - integrate iZ Session Controller and MeterBridge for a traditional studio feel
  • Customizable -configurable I/O, drive bays, external media, DSP cards, and peripherals
  • Reliability - rock-solid, time tested performance; avoid endless techno-tweaking and mid-session reboots
  • World-renowned Support - comes with 10 years of free customer support.

PeaceNeil

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Quick Lick #2 Blues Lick

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This is a little blues lick in C, using both Minor and Major pentatonic scale in 3rd position (with the addition of 6th from scale), works well over an C7 Chord.Tab : NSB Quick Lick 2For those of you who lead busy lives and struggle to get guitar practice into your daily schedule, quick licks offers a way of improving your vocabulary and ear in just 10 minutes a day.For more in-depth information on maximising your practice time and finding your own voice on the instrument, check out my book Guitar Creativity - A new way of thinking https://gumroad.com/l/zCAXyEnjoy!PeaceNeil

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Quick Licks - An Introduction

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New for 2015 is a series of new online tutorials I am going to be doing, here is a video which give a brief introduction to the tutorials. The idea is simple it is for those of you who lead busy lives and struggle to get guitar practice into your daily schedule, quick licks offers a way of improving your vocabulary and ear in just 10 minutes a day (or less). The premise is simple and I explain all in the introduction video....For more in-depth information on maximising your practice time and finding your own voice on the instrument, check out my book Guitar Creativity - A new way of thinking https://gumroad.com/l/zCAXyEnjoy!PeaceNeil

2014 in review pt 1 - Groovething

Well just started to think about summing up the year and this popped up...so I'll post this as the first and then think a bit more about the other bits!!

So that’s it for 2014, almost! We’ve had a brilliant year, travelling all over playing at all kinds of events, from weddings to corporate events and birthday parties. We’ve been fortunate to play at some of the regions finest venues, Aintree Racecourse, Carden Park, Manchester Hilton Deansgate and the Lowry amongst others! Next year is shaping up to be another busy one, with our diary filling up fast. Despite our busy schedule we’ve decided to play a few more public gigs this year so that you can come down and see us do our thing. Check out our gigs page for more details!To celebrate the new year here’s a short video of some of our highlights of the year, along with some audio that we recorded live at a recent gig. Enjoy!

Enjoy!PeaceNeil

Merry Christmas and a good news story

I would like to visit all the visitors to my site and blog a very Merry and Happy Christmas. Thank you for stopping by in such numbers over the year and digesting all my content, and also helping support my book. A lot of big things to come in 2015, and I am very excited about the projects I am working on and look forward to sharing them with you all.A little good news story, after being found half dead, in a wet, disused patch of wasteland in Salford, after a savage and sickening beating with a piece of wood, I am glad to say that after months of rehabilitation, counselling and physiotherapy  Tigger has come through and is now enjoying a Christmas glass of sherry! BOUNCE! The attack was a case of mistaken identity by members of the notorious crack dealing (honey as they call it on the streets) Pooh gang, whose members include thugs such as the Eeyore and Piglet. He’s now ready for his next adventure.1898468_10155011935840457_541676832004563571_oMerry Christmas!!PeaceNeil