L'attirail

Rap music is something that has been around for a long time and people are looking at the ways that it has changed over the years. When you have a taste for this style of music then you are going to be able to target the entire process in the right way to make a change. You must be sure that you are working it all out and then moving on. We can see that most of the people are spending more and more time getting the free rap beats out there on the internet. This is a good thing for those that want to have some kind of starting point for their own music.

All over the internet people are posting their free rap beats in hopes that someone will use them. This is due to the fact that they are getting some credit for the entire song and they are getting some attention that they have been looking for. However, you have to be careful when you are using the free rap beats because some of them are put up by people that have fewer morals then you might have. They like to come back and say that they have wrote something when you get successful and that is not all that great when you consider the results.

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I can describe the latest release from Jazz sensation Al DiMeola for you with just one word… Outstanding!

Refreshingly, this was one of those CDs I was able to just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish.

The nice thing about a CD like this is with this level of talent even if Jazz isn’t your favorite genre you still can’t help but appreciate the greatness of the artist.

Overall Infinite Desire is an outstanding release. Quite possibly Al DiMeola’s best to date. Really spectacular from beginning to end. If you’re even mildly into Jazz music you’ll enjoy this CD.

While the entire CD is really very good some of my favorites are track 2 – Shaking The Spirits, track 10 – Race With Devil On Turkish Highway, and track 12 – The Infinite Desire

My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 1 – Beyond The Mirage. Good stuff!

Infinite Desire Release Notes:

Al DiMeola originally released Infinite Desire on August 25, 1998 on the Telarc Jazz Zone label.

CD Track List Follows:

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If you’re still sacrificing your home made recordings and mixes because you think you don’t have the six-figure budget to come up with some basic sound treatment, think again! The most crucial forms of acoustic treatment are also the ones that are the least expensive to make. If you’ve set up a small recording area in your bedroom or in your home, there are some ways to improve the sound of the recording space as well as the way you listen to your music.

Choosing an appropriate space

If you haven’t dedicated a space just yet, it’s best to look for as large a space as your home or bedroom would allow. A larger space almost always guarantees better acoustic response than a tiny one because standing waves and early reflections are generally less (although still largely present if you don’t have any treatment). So to begin your project, look for a place where you can position your recording equipment or computer in the middle of the room so that sound bounces off the side walls at the same time with its trajectory. Once you’ve done this, set up your rig as you see fit.

Determining the best listening position

It’s always a good idea to experiment with the best mix listening position in any environment, but a good rule of thumb is to keep your head at a position that allows it to form a triangle with the tweeters of your studio monitors. Keep your monitors as far as possible from the back wall. Mark this position with duct tape on the floor, and try moving around it to hear the differences in phase that each position gives.  Read more...

With the explosion of technology it is now easier than ever to make your own rap music beats. The average person has a wealth of technology in their home and access to the Internet. So downloading a simple piece of software can be done with ease any time of the day or night.

There are several good quality beat programs available for you to choose from and a wide price range too. My advice is to strike the correct balance between cost and quality.

For example, if you were to spend $1000 on a beat software program you are sure to get excellent quality, but this is a lot of money to spend less you have a multi-million pound recording studio to fit out.

On the other end of the spectrum it is also not very wise to buy the cheapest program around. There are several that you can get for $10 but the quality of your production sounds as cheap as the cost of the program!

Find a balance in between and spend somewhere between $25-$60. There are a few excellent programs in this price range and they are expensive enough to produce professional quality yet cheap enough to not break the bank.

Always look for a software program that has a full money back guarantee, just in case it is not suitable for your needs when you purchase. Also look to ensure you rap beat program has an edit feature and an export feature.  Read more...

Little Johnny C is the latest Jazz CD put out by the highly talented Johnny Coles who once again has delivered a brilliant collection of tracks. I’m confident Johnny Coles fans, and Jazz fans alike will be pleased with this one.

It’s a rare day indeed that I get a CD from an artist that I can truthfully say does not have a bad track in the bunch. I’m more than happy to announce that’s exactly what I must say about this one. There simply is NOT a bad one in the bunch. No fillers here at all.

Jazz music fans will recognize some of the well known guests that have been assembled to play along with Coles on several of the tracks. Artists like Bob Cranshaw and Walter Perkins just to name a couple.

If you’re a Johnny Coles fan this is a CD your collection flat cannot be without. In fact, this is one of those CDs that you don’t even have to be a fan of Coles, or even Jazz to know is good. This is just good music. Period.

While this entire album is outstanding the truly standout tunes are track 4 – My Secret Passion, track 5 – Heavy Legs, and track 6 – So Sweet My Little Girl.

My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is rack 1 – Little Johnny C. What a nice track!  Read more...