How Cool is This?

Nine Inch Nails will be releasing their highly-anticipated album With Teeth on May 3, 2005. The new single The Hand That Feeds has already hit the airwaves worldwide. But the coolest news regarding this release was released today.

The Nine Inch Nails anthology has been notorious for releasing albums that have remixed versions of previously recorded material. First, there was Fixed, which featured remixed songs from the EP Broken, and then there was Further Down The Spiral, which included remixed tracks originally featured on the album The Downward Spiral. This does not include all the remixes that were featured as B-sides on the other halos.

I have known for many years that Trent Reznor was a Mac nut, and the majority of his albums have been recorded digitally using Pro Tools on Mac platforms. Having "worshipped" Trent's music for a large portion of my early adulthood, I was always interested in the recording and production process of his masterpiece works. Today, I got my first glimpse into the layers upon layers of raunchy guitars, screeching keyboards, angst-driven vocals, and loops of static.

Today, Trent Reznor made available to the world, the recording session for The Hand That Feeds as a free download via the NIN website. The song has been encoded in Garageband format, so anybody with a current version of Garageband (i.e. Garageband 2) can import the session, and make their own remixes of The Hand That Feeds. How cool is that? To my knowledge, no recording artist has ever done anything like this before.

Without wasting any time, I downloaded the recording session to my computer. I have an older version of Garageband, so I was unsure if the session would even play on my computer. I did get a great number of errors while the session loaded, but I managed to get the file to play. I also got a number of errors due to the lack of available RAM (I would suggest having a minimum of 1 gigabyte of RAM before you attempt at editing the session), but I was nonetheless ecstatic. I can't wait until I can start messing around with the loops and create my own Nine Inch Nails remix.

This has got to be the coolest thing I have seen in the longest time. Bravo, Trent.

From the Garage to the Studio

One thing I did not mention about last week's keynote speech at the Macworld Expo, was the release of iLife '05, Apple's software suite that includes upgraded versions of iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iTunes, and Garageband. Many of the upgraded versions sport some very exciting features, including Garageband, which is growing from a low-end audio production suite to a powerful application.

Apple is borrowing technology from their high-end production suite Logic, and offering it in Garageband. The most impressive feature with the new version is the ability to multitrack record (record up to 9 inputs at one time), music notation and transcription (most audio production suites shy away from notation), and automatic tuning features for less-than-stellar vocals. For these features alone, it might be worth the $99 upgrade fee.

One thing that makes Garageband worth more than it's weight in gold is the bundle of software instruments and effect plug-ins that come with the program. I discovered (accidentally) that Apple allows the ability to use Audio Units, which are plug-ins designed specifically for Logic. Once I discovered this, I knew that Garageband could be expanded well beyond it's limits. Strangely enough, Apple doesn't tell you how to go about installing these extra packages (likely because they want the user to purchase their Jam Packs instead). I had to resort to finding the answer to my query on the web. I tried using the Audio Units provided in my Garageband package, and I was blown away by the sound quality. My tracks sounded sparkling and full of life. I knew I had to have more.

Last night I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who happens to be a very serious recording engineer. He owns his own recording studio and over the years has probably invested well over six figures into his recording equipment arsenal. He also happens to be a big-time Apple nut. We were talking about the latest releases from Apple, when he suggested I visit a site called KVR Audio. What I found was a site dedicated to the distribution of open-source audio plug-ins for all the major audio-production suites, including Pro Tools, Cubase VST, Logic, and Garageband. I downloaded a couple freeware Audio Units to see if they would work in Garageband. After some fiddling (and a little prayer) I managed to install these plug-ins and had them working in Garageband. Needless to say, I was electrified, and impressed by the sound coming out of my speakers.

If you are into computer-assisted audio recording, you have to check out the KVR Audio site. I have placed a weblink to the site on the sidebar. Once there, you will find links to almost any plug-in imaginable and software is available for nearly every suite, as well as any platform you use (PC, Mac, OSX).

The Construction of My DAW Has Begun

Over the Christmas break, I found myself playing with a happy little computer app called Garageband. It's a no-frills Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) designed by Apple. I haven't played much with it in the past, as I have no way of plugging any instruments (or my voice) into the computer. I need a breakout box, and one of the cheapest (that's worth purchasing) is Digidesign's MBox. I'd love to have the Digi 002, but it's a little out of my price range. If recording were my business, than I might be able to justify such a purchase.

One thing I found interesting about Garageband was the integration of loops with digital audio. I honestly am not a fan of loops. I don't like writing songs that sound like someone else's composition. On the other hand, I was blown away by the quality of the "software instruments" that Garageband offers. Once I began using the effects processors, then I really got excited.

I downloaded a MIDI file of a song I enjoy, and imported it into Garageband. The idea was so I could get a feel for the software, while not having to worry too much about creative issues such as songwriting. Users of Garageband will know that it doesn't directly support MIDI files. If you use a program such as Dent Du Midi, it will covert your MIDI files into Garageband files. By the way, Dent Du Midi is an indispensable app if you use Garageband. I highly recommend trying it out.

I ended up having a ball playing with Garageband. Sure, it's not as powerful as Pro Tools, Cubase VST, or Logic, but it is well worth its' price ($0). The idea of me having my own recording studio is festering in my head again, and perhaps the MBox is the way to start. I would love to sink my teeth into Apple's Logic software, but the $1300 price tag is a little tough for me to swallow, especially if it isn't generating me any income.

If you have a chance to play with Garageband, I highly suggest you try it out. You don't even need an instrument (or know how to play one) to start making music. Sadly, it might be only available to Mac users.