Wire in my heart by Back Bone Shiver

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Lyrics:

My sides are aching, laughed myself into a hole.

You left me hanging when all I needed was a rope.

How can I apologise with your hands wrapped around my throat.

The more I understand the less I know.

You’re like a hole in the sky,lost your shine but still priceless.

And still our highness, regardless.

Like the whole of the sky, you tried so hard but couldn’t find us.

Left us in heartache and darkness.

Give me the punchline I’ll tell you the joke.

How can I step aside if I don’t know which way your going.

You’re like a bird in the sky that grew tired of always flying.

Clipped your wings just to spite us.

And now the whole of the sky, looks down through blackened eyelids,

Condemns our hearts to silence.

Wire in my Heart by Back Bone Shiver is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.untidymusic.com/wordpress/contact/.

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So if you are having problems then a bit of advice, it seems to be a problem on apples servers.

Which is great.

No announcement and probably no apology.

I pay for content only to not be able to use it in the way I want to.

Bit of a joke.

As a very recent convert to Apples products I had become a bit of a fanboy as opposed to the suspicious/cautious person I thought I was.

Well didn’t that bite me in the arse?

There is a work around.

Not perfect and definitely not what we paid for an Apple TV to do but…

You can still play the content you bought on the pc or mac you downloaded to, then use airplay to stream to your Apple TV.

Like I said not ideal.

But will save you the arseache of restarting your equipment and reinstalling software.

Apparently this could be going on for a few days.

Be nice if Apple could make some kind of statement to their customers.

Not holding my breath though.

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Lyrics:

Memories turn to white lies.

Flick the switch, watch and learn.

No 2nd chances, bridges burnt.

Bridge:

I can easily shift the blame

It’s not a trick, it’s not a game

Chorus:
Cos I know somethings will never change

I can live without knowing your name.

Verse 2:

It might just be a trick of the light.

But I can see it in your eyes.

You cut my wires and watch me fade

Just a memory with nothing left to say.

Bridge:

I’m like a moth to the flame

I burnt my wings playing your game.

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The Jackhammer is a funny pedal, the controls are fiddly and  the Distortion is hopeless but the overdrive is very usable indeed.

I picked mine up on ebay for a very good price. Therefore this review and test is based on the price I paid which was under £20.

Like I said the controls are fiddly, the contour and freq control are really hard to seperate so when you turn the Contour knob the Freq knob turns also.

The Distortion is terrible, I A/B’d it with a few other distortions I have and no matter how much fiddling I did it just didn’t come anywhere near to what I wanted.

That said the Overdrive is better than I expected especially when you take the dismal Distortion into account.

It’s got a very AC/DC vibe about it, it allows you to get some really crunchy sounds and sounds excellent on open chords with the right settings.

Getting the settings is the problem, too many knobs in a very small space and they’re stacked.

The Gain knob is onto of the Volume Knob, the Treble sits on the Bass Knob and the Freq sits above the the Contour.

After some messing I managed to get a sound that suited my Fender Champion and then just used the Gain to dial in more overdrive and it works very nicely.

I have a few different distortions and usually find a good setting and leave them using the guitars volume and tones to alter the sound.

If you’re looking for a distortion/overdrive you can dial different sounds in then it may be an idea to look elsewhere.

If you’re looking for a very usable Overdrive and are willing to fiddle with it then this maybe the pedal for you.

Check out the video below, it’s recorded using a Fender Champion, Fender Telecaster with the toggle switch on the bridge pickup and it’s been recorded using a T-Bone MB75 and not an sm57 as stated in the video.

Sound: 7/10 for the overdrive 2/10 for the distortion

Usability: Too twiddly and trying to do too much on a small box, 4/10

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Is it it worth a punt?

The answer to that question is do you have the time and patience?

I recently bought one of these devices off ebay for £51 including P&P

This review comes in 3 parts.

On start up I was pretty suprised at how well it worked, that is until I decided to try and download an app from android.marketplace.

Be aware this device doesn’t have this facility from the get go.

It’s also only Android 2.1 with no future dates for updating to 2.2 – investigate before you buy and decide if it’s worth it.

Some apps will not work on 2.1 – and think hard about the future.

It takes some work – see part 3 below.

Also I found scrolling on the device pretty difficult(ironic seeing as it’s called the ‘scroll’).

You’ll find yourselves opening items that you don’t want to.

But those problems aside here is the cool part and what makes the Scroll worth the dosh:

Part 1: Out of the Box

1. Kindle App – if you can get it downloaded you’ll be able to turn the scroll into a cheap kindle with access to all of Amazons books available in the kindle store. (free classics) – you can download from slide.me an app already installed on the device.

2. PDF viewer – If you’ve got a google docs account you can save all your pdfs and view them online.

3. Browser – Works well and with the device being wifi means you’ve got access to the web and networking.

4. Email – Really easy to setup – sync from your gmail account.

5. Calendar – As with email.

6. Contacts – Again as with email but be aware there is no app to see them! That said you can use the search facility to enter a name and the contact details with appear. (took me a few days to figure that one out)

7. Networking – If you can get apps downloaded there are some very cool ones that allow access to other pc’s allowing printing, sharing, streaming and remote control – see part 2 – Printing

Accessing more:

To get apps on your device you can side load them – this is where you plug your Tablet into your pc and download straight from the internet and copy the files to your device.

(See Side Loading Files) ^[1]

Part 2 – Cool Stuff! – *Installed after Rooting see part 3

(note) You’ll need to read instructions on how to setup each item. This article is just a quick run through of what you can do and where to get files.

Record Sky* – if you’ve got SKY+ you can get access to your sky recorder with a couple of apps, if you’ve got marketplace working search Sky+ and find the free app – I have it working at the moment and it’s very cool.

Control Windows Media player – I have pc in my office but it’s audio output is wired to my stereo in my front room – my house being open plan means I can control my media player from the kitchen.

You’ll need WMP remote for android and HomeMedia for the pc.

Printing* – This was a hard one to do – All my files for lessons are saved as jpg – (TABs and Chord sheets) – these are hosted on my pc so I needed access to them.

1st Option Remote Access of PC:^[2]

2nd Option Print from Android:^[3]

Control Your DAW – TouchDAW – Control surface emulation & MIDI tools. Works directly with native MIDI drivers.TouchDAW is a full-featured DAW control and general purpose MIDI control app. It allows you to tweak a large set of parameters in popular digital audio applications as accessible through standard hardware control surfaces.

You’ll need drivers for your DAW – http://www.tobias-erichsen.de/rtpMIDI.html

Of course these are just a few nice little additions and there are many more but for the cost of a couple of pounds each I now have some serious power in my tablet.

Some other apps that I like are:

OurGroceries*which is a program that syncs to my Blackberry over the web.

Taskos which syncs my Google Tasks

Part 3. – Serious hacking and getting Marketplace to work.

To get the most from the Scroll I had to go through some serious processes.

Do not do this unless you are desperate, the Scroll has it’s limitations but for £50 what do you want?

I’m going to list these in the order I installed. This fixed the marketplace problem and made my device faster.

I take no responsibilty for your decisions from now on in.

Market Fix for Android 2.1 – This fixed the downloading problem for some apps but not all – it did however give me an Android id for marketplace.

Rooting and Slimming Down – After I did this the Android became faster it also made marketplace work better allowing me to install lot’s more software including SKY+ – be aware though this buggers up youtube – there is a fix though on the same link.

Well that’s everything feels like I just emptied my brain.

Time for a coffee.

Hope some of this nonsense helps – sorry no screen shots – maybe I’ll come back later!

Maybe not.

	
[1]  Side loading files is a process where you can download apps direct from the interent to pc and then over to tablet.

The Android tablet has an installation file called a n .apk file – this you will need to search for(google is thy friend)
Also there are some websites that allow you to download to pc to sideload:
Pocketgear and Slide.Me
Just download file to folder you can access – usually called downloads(huh!)
Now plug in your tablet use cable into pc -the socket on the Scroll is next to the charger socket and is called USB
using host won’t work. (sorry but that’s what I tried!)
Next you’ll hear the Scroll beep – you need to mount the Scroll device.
If you look at the top of the Scroll there is a grey bar that stretches across the screen,
it has battery and time on the right hand side.
If you grab the bar by pressing you finger down on it and then drag it to bottom of screen
this will open up your notifications.
It will now say USB connected(Internal) and USB connected(External)
Underneath each instance it will say ‘Select to copy files from your computer’
Choose which one you want to transfer to.
To keep things simple we are going to cop our file to the nand directory on the internal storage.
Press below USB connected(Internal) ‘Select to copy files from your computer’
It will now ask you Mount. Press that button.
An AutoPlay popup will now appear on your PC. Open to view folders. Keep window open.
Now goto where you downloaded .apk file copy file(ctrl c) and paste to tablet folder.
DO NOT UNPLUG YET!
Go to tablet and drag notification down again it is not already in that state.
USB connected(Internal) Select to turn off USB storage – press and press Turn Off button.
Next look for grey TAB at bottom of screen that opens application list.
Look for App Installer – open that and it will scan your folders.
Hopefully the app you copied over will now be there. Press and it should install.
 ↩
	
[2]  You’ll need androidVNC for Tablet and TightVNC for PC – this way you can access files and print remotely. ↩
	
[3]  The previous option was a bit like trying to paint through a letter box and quite slow but worked -

Even so I wanted something a bit quicker.
You’ll need a Dropbox account ,  Dropbox for Android and Sync Folder+Wolshon’sAccount for Dropbox
This is convoluted and uses space on your SDCard – when you setup sync state which folder you want to sync
and also you’ll need to point to sdcard/Dropbox folder.
This now means that you’re files on your pc are setup to sync with you wherever you go.
To print – to your printer from anywhere – you’ll need Filelinx for android and Filelinx for PC
 ↩

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Each of Studio Devil’s plug-ins now installs a LIVE application, so you get Audio Units, VST, ProTools RTAS, and Studio Devil LIVE with your download…and at no extra cost.  Best of all, Studio Devil LIVE is also included with British Valve Custom (BVC)…our FREE plug-in.  So now you can turn your laptop into a practice amp…for FREE!

If you already purchased a Studio Devil plug-in, or if you’re downloading a DEMO for the first time, make sure you download the latest versions of your favorite plug-ins to install this new standalone feature…here’s how:

STEP 1:

First, come visit Studio Devil online and set up a new account with us (if you haven’t already):
http://www.studiodevil.com/user/create_new_account.php

It’s totally free, and all you need is a valid email address.

STEP 2:

Log in to your new Studio Devil account and download your favorite plug-ins from us:
http://www.studiodevil.com/download

Make sure to re-install these new versions, and you’ll be up and running with Studio Devil LIVE in no time!

Thanks for making us a part of your sound…and thanks for rockin’ with us!
It means a lot to us.

~ Studio Devil Team

“Desire Analog…Embrace Digital”

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In the meantime I’ve been using it during my lessons with students and so here is my review.

On first opening the item and giving it a test run with a guitar and seymour duncan woody pickup I found that the volume given out would be enough to project my warblings without deafening poor passers by.

It’s a wedge shaped speaker with two inputs, one for guitar electric or acoustic and vocal.

The guitar channel comes with a really bassy gain. There is a reverb that can be assigned to either channel but not both.

The battery has a good 4 to 6 hours in it.

The guitar sound without gain is nice and crisp.

The only fault I can find is that it is quite noisy, the amp gives off a very audible white noise which from reviews I read before seems to be a common design fault.

That said it’s use is not for recording or even the bedroom, it’s for performance which when you have street level noise would not be a factor. For portability this is quite a heavy peice of kit so bear that in mind when having to carry a guitar as well.

If you’re looking for a cheap small area performance vocal and guitat amp I don’t think you can go wrong for the price.

If you’re looking for a portable battery powered amp to practice with get a pignose.

Overall I;d give it 7/10 due to the noise generated but in a performance setting you could live with that.

Check out the info below for specs:

The Hiwatt BSK15/8 Guitar Amplifier Busker Amplifier, Solidstate, 15 Watts. Compact and portable, battery or mains powered busking amp from the legendary British company. Simply plug your mic, your electro-acoustic guitar and off you go, to the streets!

£130 @ Dolphin Music

The Hiwatt BSK15/8 15 Watt Guitar Combo blends pedigree with portability. Hiwatt have been making great amps since the 1960′s and the BSK15/8 Maxwatt 15 Watt Busker Amp With AC/DC is no exception.

A lightweight construction with side handles, a removable speaker cover and internal battery make this an indispensable tool for musicians on the move – the internal rechargeable battery can even be charged by a 12v car lighter socket. The 15 Watt Hiwatt speaker provides great sound powered by AC or DC operation for convenience.

The amp has two channels for simultaneous guitar and microphone inputs with separate volume and tone controls for each. You can adjust the tone of your guitar to your needs with bass, middle and treble controls, a boost switch and gain dial. A compact, highly portable guitar amp, great wherever you take it!

Features:

• 15 Watts
• 8″ Hiwatt High Performance Speaker
• AC/DC Operation
• Internal Rechargeable Battery
• DC Socket & 12v Car Charger Input
• Battery Life 2-8 Hours (Subject to Vol.)
• Microphone Channel: High/Low Input, Level & Tone Control
• Instrument Channel: High Input, Gain, 3 Band EQ
• Level Controls & Boost Switch
• Headphone Jack

£130 @ Dolphin Music

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A while back I started looking into the idea of network storage drives but each time was put off by the cost.

Last week I decided I to take the plunge.

As is usually the case I decided that I should check out the reviews on each item that seemed suitable in price and size.

Unforunately it seemed that most of the ones I was contemplating where either unreliable, limited in use or just plain junk.

So what would be the solution?

Build one myself!!!

———————–

I knew I had some spare drives and an old HP Kayak workstation in the attic that I’d previously bought to transfer samples across to Emu sampler I once had.

At the time I must have known a tinkering was in it’s future because I hadn’t stripped it for parts and thrown it away.

At the time I’d paid £10 for it.

Luckily for me I’d upgraded my old 19″ monitor for a brand new 22″ widescreen model.

So now I have Workstation, Monitor + spare 40gb hard drive and keyboard and mouse.

The workstation came with Windows 2000 professional already installed, 256mb ram and 10gb system hard drive.

It also came with the most important bit, a 10/100 LAN card installed.

Now I know what your saying, 40gb is not a lot of space or I haven’t got a spare monitor or PC.

Well let me answer those:

1. 40gb is a small  amount but what we’re creating here is a network server. This will allow us to do an awful lot.

It will let us attach any usb or parallel device with will give us networked printers.

This will also allow us to attach via usb any usb hard drive we have and leave it attached.

Also if you take into account that the PC has 4 IDE channels – this gives us minus the os hard drive three more attached drives(we won’t be needing a CD or DVD drive).

Look on ebay, a 120gb hard drive can be bought for £10 – work it out 120gb x 3 = 360gb at £30 cost.

Be careful though and check what size drive your motherboard, OS and bios will support.

2. On the subject of spare monitors, you don’t need one! You can use your desktop monitor to set it up and maintain if needed – or borrow one from a friend.

Once up and running it won’t need a monitor, we’re just using it for network storage and networking our printers and besides further on I’ll show you how to get access to the screen without a monitor.

On the subject of keyboard and mouse.

You’ll need the keyboard attached at least and it’s always worth having a spare mouse knocking around, again ebay can cut costs here, don’t go for fancy, go for cheap.

———————————————–

Let’s do a bit of costing on my system as an example

Workstation = £10

Monitor = £0 already owned

Keyboard and Mouse = £0 spares from attic

40gb hard drive = £0 spare.

120gb hard drive = £10 bought on ebay

LAN card = £0 already installed

Network Cable = £0 spare

In total £20 for a 160gb network hard drive.

You’d have to cost in any item you don’t own but LAN cards and Network cables are cheap on ebay, in fact if you have a wireless router you should have an appropriate cable somewhere already.

Anyway lets’ get on with it.

———————————

Setting up the network.

For this bit I’m going to name the two PCs I used to setup.

PC = Workstation(wired) and Laptop = Laptop(wireless)

Attach the network cable to the PC LAN card and attach the other end to the first port on your router.

Fire up your PC.

Now please note, PC has windows 2000 professional installed and LAPTOP has windows vista.

On my network these two found each other straight away. If you have problems at this point then you’ll need to do some extra reading on setting up a network. Google is your friend!

Now onto the cool part.

I now have my Xbox(softmod) and XMBC installed connected to router(wired), my Laptop connected by wireless, PC connected(wired) with printer attached and 250gb usb hard drive attached also.

My xbox can access my music collection from the PC, my laptop can also access said PC and I can also print via network printing.

Network printing is easy to set up -

1st install printer drivers on all attached computers wanting to print from.

2nd attach printer to PC that is attached to router

3rd In Vista – Goto Start – Settings – Printers – ADD Printer add a network printer – if your network is setup and printer is on then it should find it.

———————

Finally the really cool part

How about having access to your files when away, such as your music collection or wanting all your business files secure.

This will work with a laptop, desktop and netbook.

1st You’ll need a gmail account

2nd You’ll need to download this peice of software GBridge

Gbridge is a free software that lets you remotely control PCs, sync folders, share files, and chat securely and easily. An extension of Google’s gtalk service, Gbridge automatically forms a collaborative, encrypted VPN (Virtual Private Network) that connects your computers and your friends’ computers directly and securely with patented technology. Gbridge has many unique features.

DesktopShare and SecureShare are the ones we’re looking at.

Once the software has been installed on all pcs attached to our network we can connect from anywhere in the world.

You can play mp3′s direct from a browser!

You can also connect to the PCs desktop via Gbridges VNC connection, which means you can remotely control your PC, which also means no need for a monitor.

Gbridge is free and easy to use.

————————————–

Well that’s me done, hope there is some food for thought there,

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The notes above give us all the notes from the ‘Key of G’.

As in a previous lesson to help learn the notes better we are going to use somthing called modes.

What modes are and what they mean is not important for this lesson, we’re just going to use their concept to create exercises that will help us learn the notes.

MODE:

G A B C D E F# G = Ionian (Major)

A B C D E F# G A = Dorian

B C D E F# G A B = Phygian

C D E F# G A B C = Lydian

D E F# G A B C D = Mixolydian

E F# G A B C D E = Aeolian (Natural Minor)

F# G A B C D E F# = Locrian

———————————————————

Exercise 1:

Try and find all the G Major Scales, this would playing all the notes G A B C D E F G.

Exercise 2:

Now find all the different ways to play the E minor scale.

Exercise 3:

Try playing the E minor scale and remove the notes F# & C this will create the pentatonic minor scale.

You could also try this with the G Major or any of the Modes.

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