News: 8th Wall's Web AR Brings Album Art of Pink Floyd to Life
What better band than Pink Floyd, the pioneers of psychedelic and progressive rock, to show the music industry how to reinvent album art for the augmented reality age?
Summer Music Search Results
How To: Create Custom Text Tones for Your iPhone Using macOS 10.15 Catalina
Apple hasn't refreshed its text tones on iPhones since iOS 7. That's six years of the same sounds. And while text tones like Bamboo and Hello have undoubtedly aged like fine wine, that's still too long to live with the same old sounds day after day. Let's take matters into our own hands — let's make our own text tones, right in Music on macOS 10.15 Catalina.
News: Get Rodriguez's '70s Rock Albums Remastered on Vinyl or CD
A relatively unknown musician from the early-'70s that's gained popularity stateside over the last ten years just got the remastered treatment with two new reissues available on CD and 180-gram vinyl. And they're available right now.
Quick Tip: There's a Faster Way to Open an App's Settings on Your iPhone
While iOS has many strengths, in-app settings are not among them. Sure, third-party apps often come with a settings gear, but stock apps? No way. To change settings in Music, Photos, Camera, and other Apple apps, you'll need to leave the app. But there's a hidden trick to quickly access an app's settings — without needing to open the Settings app itself manually.
News: The Smartphones of Austin's Underground Musicians
Smartphone technology has become as ubiquitous as automobiles. In Austin, Texas, a city that is widely known as the "Live Music Capital of the World," smartphones have been embraced by the music community not just as a way to document and promote, but to create music.
News: GarageBand Changed How My Autistic Son Interacts with the World
My autistic son loves music. One afternoon, when he was nine, I downloaded GarageBand to his iPhone to help with the boredom of a long wait at a doctor's office. Instead of pacing or escalating into a meltdown, he spent the entire hour and a half practicing, learning, and composing. When we finally left that day, the rest of us exhausted and irritated, he shared his first composition with a big smile.
News: Live Nation & Hyundai Roll Out Augmented Reality Experiences for Concert Goers at Music Midtown Festival
For those about to rock, Live Nation salutes you, now with augmented reality. This week, at the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival of Creativity in France, the live entertainment giant unveiled a suite of AR experiences that music festivals and their sponsors will be able to deploy in their mobile apps to engage attendees.
News: Verizon Is Giving Away the iPhone XS via Snapchat AR Scavenger Hunt
Now that the iPhone XS is officially available for pre-order, Verizon and Apple are giving Snapchat users the opportunity to win the device through an augmented reality scavenger hunt rather than forking over $1,000 for one.
TIDAL 101: How to Adjust the Quality of Streaming or Downloaded Music
Thanks to their partnership with Tidal, over 30 million Sprint customers can access Hi-Fi audio on the go. And the Jay-Z-owned music service isn't limited to just Sprint customers — for $19.99/month, anyone can listen to lossless audio from their favorite artists. But streaming uncompressed audio files uses a lot more data than standard quality, so how do you use Tidal without hitting your data cap?
News: This Group Is Backing Up SoundCloud Content in Case It Shuts Down
After laying off 40% of its staff this month to cut costs, SoundCloud appears to be struggling to stay afloat. While blog posts from the company have assured fans that the music platform is not in danger of shutting down, some people aren't so sure this is the truth. Internet Archive — a non-profit dedicated to preserving websites and services — announced today that they will be conducting a partial backup of SoundCloud to safeguard the site's content in case of closure.
News: iOS 10.2 Update for iPhone Snuck Star Ratings Back into the Music App
When Apple released the iOS 10.2 update to the public on December 12, 2016, iPhone users got a slew of new features, including new emojis, a brand new TV app, the ability to save camera settings, and more. But out of all of these new features, the one that interests me the most is something they didn't even include in the release notes—star ratings are back in the Music app!
How To: Hot Damn! These Homemade Popsicle Ideas Look Epic
The magic of an ice cold popsicle on a hot summer's day is undeniable, whether you're a child or a kid-at-heart. Neon-colored, store-bought popsicles may have a special place in your memory, but homemade popsicles are pretty hard to beat. Here's how to create delicious frozen treats that will both delight your inner child and tickle your adult taste buds!
How To: Banish Baked Cakes—Icebox Cakes Are So Much Easier!
With the warm summer months right around the corner, just the thought of having to bake anything in your oven may have you perspiring profusely. But you don't want to give up dessert, especially not luscious, layered cakes, so what's a sweaty sweets-lover to do?
How To: Install Sony's Newest Album & Walkman Apps on Almost Any Android
Sony's Xperia line of smartphones are beautifully crafted and have many great features. But considering the fact that Sony has evolved into a media company over the last two decades, it's their media-related apps that stand out the most.
How To: Party Pooper Lets Your Friends Vote on What Plays Next in Spotify
Everyone's a music aficionado these days. Whether you're having a party or on a road trip with friends, someone is always complaining about the music. There's no possible way to satisfy everyone, so instead of having your music drowned out by persistent nagging, turn Spotify into a democracy, allowing the consensus to pick what plays.
How To: Simplify Your Android's UI for Less Distracted Driving
Most new Android devices come with at least one feature that helps control navigation, music, and more through voice-controlled, hands-free communication. While they usually don't end up being completely "hands-free," these apps do stop people from using both hands to perform tasks on their smartphones while driving, therefore distracting them less overall.
How To: Stream Music, Photos, & Videos on Your iPhone to Your TV
AllCast, from renowned developer Koushik Dutta (better known as Koush), allows users to stream personal media, such as movies, photos, and music from mobile devices to Chromecast and other streaming devices.
How To: Get Karaoke-Style Floating Lyrics for Any Song on Your HTC One
We've previously shown you an app called Floating Lyrics which displayed song lyrics in a, you guessed it, floating window. And while that app was great for any minimalist, it was pretty bare bones overall.
How To: Use Headphones to Automatically Launch Apps on Your HTC One
Every morning I walk out the door with my headphones plugged in and music blaring. While it's not be the most difficult thing in the world, unlocking my phone and starting my music manually every time feels like a hassle. Pressing play on my headphone's remote will auto-start music in the HTC Music app, but I prefer Google Play Music instead.
How To: The Easiest Way to Back Up, Restore, & Sync Files Between Your Computer & HTC One
If you've just upgraded to an HTC One M8, chances are you've got some media files you want transferred over from your computer or previous phone. Even after you've done that, there will be times when you want to transfer content back to your computer for safe keeping.
How To: Use Spotify's New Free Mobile Streaming on Your Nexus 7 Tablet or Other Android Device
What can be said about Spotify that most of us don't already know? It's the most popular digital music streaming service out there, giving you access to millions of songs on your computer. However, the mobile service was once an exclusive feature for paid subscribers. Not anymore, suckers.
Mobile Surround Sound: How to Make Any Android Device a Wireless Speaker for Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2
One of the coolest features of the Samsung Galaxy S4 is Group Play, which lets you connect other Samsung Galaxy S4s up to yours so you can use them as extra speakers to create a surround-sound stereo of sorts.
How To: Find and Shut Up Those Annoying Music or Video-Playing Tabs in Your Browser
If you're the type of person who constantly uses multiple tabs in your browser, you know how annoying it is when one of them starts playing unwanted music or video.
How To: Organize applications in Mac OS X Lion using Launchpad
One of the many new features in Mac OS X Lion is the new Launchpad utility. Launchpad allows you to gain access to all of your apps quickly by showing an overlay on the screen with several different icons. You can organize the icons into different catagories such as "Music" and "Photography." This way, all of your apps are just a click away on your Mac computer!
How To: Create a lightning bolt effect using After Effects and the Trapcode Suite
The Trapcode suite is a set of plug-ins for After Effects that allow video artists to create a variety of effects for inclusion in video and film productions. This particular guide demonstrates the power of Trapcode Particular and Trapcode 3D Stroke. Specifically, Wes Ball from OddBall Animation reveals how Trapcode was used in the creation of 'Eye of the Storm' - a music video by Lovett which can be seen here.
How To: Do the Achy Breaky Heart Line Dance
Oh god, don't you break my heart, my achy breaky heart, I just can't take it anymore. Oh well, if you still need more achy breaky, check out this video and learn the line dance that years ago caused a nation to pause and reflect.
How To: Play "The Cave" by Mumford and Sons on guitar
"The Cave" by Mumford and Sons (not to be confused with "Cave" by Muse) is a great tune from this new force in the music world. Watch this video for an easy-to-follow tutorial on playing the song on acoustic guitar.
How To: Make a T-shirt reconstruction inspired by the Ke$ha video "We R Who We R"
Ke$ha has become more of an icon that she probably ever could have even a decade ago (before OCD autotune use spread through the world's producers) and her latest music video "We R Who We R" continues her hit parade. This video will show you how to make a t-shirt reconstruction inspired by the one Ke$ha wears in the video.
How To: Train your ears to hear the intervals of a minor 6th, 7th & augmented 4th
Yes, there's a whole lot more than 3 chords out there and this lesson of aural training will help teach you the intervals of a minor 6th, minor 7th, and an augmented 4th - thus completing an entire octave in melodic interval ear training. Justin Sandercoe takes the mystery out of music with this clear and comprehensive lesson to make sure you'll be more than a one hit wonder.
How To: Remove and replace the cover on a iPod Classic
The iPod Classic is the iPod of choice for the serious music listener, but the covers are as annoyingly easy to scratch and break as ever. Watch this video to learn how to replace an iPod Classic cover, restoring yours to it's original look and functionality.
How To: Set up a home recording studio with microphones, cables, interfaces, etc.
Recording professional-sounding music at home is cheaper and easier than ever before, but still neither cheap nor easy compared to, say, grilled-cheese-sandwich-making. If you need some help getting started watch this video, which will teach you all about mics, cables, digital interfaces, and the other elements of the modern home recording studio.
How To: Collect all three Star Coins in New Super Mario Bros Wii World 1-2
Just like the original Super Mario Bros, New Super Mario Bros Wii begins with an open-air grassy level followed by a subterranean level with amazing background music. This video will show you how to get all of the Star Coins in World 1-2 of New Super Mario Bros.
How To: Program a SAW lead patch on a MicroKorg synthesizer
The SAW lead is the most recognizable sound in hardstyle and hardcore electronic music, sounding like a swarm of bees attacking with the precision of an honor guard. Watch this video to learn how to program a patch for a SAW (or sawtooth) lead on a MicroKorg.
How To: Create a Benny Benassi synth effect in Reason 4
Benny Benassi is one of the biggest names in mainstream house music, and his distinctive synth sounds can be heard at clubs the world over. In this video you'll learn how to emulate one of his signature effects using Reason 4.
How To: Program a Roland TR-808 drum machine
The Roland TR-808 drum machine is one of the most important modern instruments, forming the backbone of both hip-hop and electronic music percussion. If you have gotten your hands on one, you're a lucky devil, but you have a long way to go before you can unlock it's true potential. Watch this video to learn how to program an 808 all the way up to a 64-step beat!
How To: Program a Roland TR-909 drum machine fast
Old drum machines make some of the coolest sounds in modern music, but can be very hard to get used to for beginners. If you're lucky enough to have gotten your hands on a Roland TR-909 Rhythm Composer drum machine, watch this video to learn how to program it.
How To: Play "Time to Pretend" by MGMT on piano
MGMT is only two full-lengths old, but their impact on pop music has been massive. "Time to Pretend" has spawned legions of imitators, and for good reason. If you want to play a classy version of it, watch this video to learn how to cover the song on solo piano.
How To: Patch a MicroKorg for use with a Micron BANSHEE talkbox
A MicroKorg synth / vocoder combined with a Micron BANSHEE talk box allow you to make a lot of great, funky music without too much equipment. Finding the right patches on the synth that make the talk box sound the best can be tough, so TalkBoxerDX made this video to demonstrate one way to patch the MicroKorg so it will sound awesome with your talk box, be it BANSHEE or otherwise.
How To: Use ReDrum to load a .wav sample into Reason 4
So, you've got a copy of Reason 4 now huh? Congratulations, you own one of the most powerful music-making tools on Earth. It is infinitely complicated though, and getting started can be tough. Watch this video to learn how to load a .wav sample into Reason 4 using ReDrum, something you're going to be doing a lot of as you produce your tracks.