Idioteex

Archive for the ‘Music’ Category

This is a list of some of the world’s music genre and their definitions  Read more...

Recently released and widely acclaimed film “Eat, Pray, Love” is just one example of a film with a wonderful soundtrack. Based on the memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert and co-written and directed by Ryan Murphy, this hit movie features a soundtrack made up of a unique blend of sounds and artists. Trailers for the film popularised Florence and the Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over,” One Republic’s “Good Life,” and The Temper Trap’s “Sweet Disposition.” As for the film’s original score, veteran composer Dario Marianelli was responsible for putting together a stunning background to the events of the film.

Proving that movies with popular soundtracks don’t fit any single mold, Disney’s tween favourite television series “Hannah Montana,” not to mention the spinoff movie – which itself spawned a number of sequels – has also produced a best-selling score. This is due in large part to the tween idol playing the central role of the film – the young actress and pop sensation Miley Cyrus, who plays, fittingly enough, a famous pop singer leading a double life. For the various soundtracks to the series and accompanying films, much of the music is sung by Cyrus herself, capitalising on her popularity as both actress and singer.

Of course, it’s not only the recent releases that have topped the charts in terms of soundtrack quality. Plenty of soundtracks to classic movies are in themselves considered timeless. According to Entertainment Weekly, one of the greatest soundtracks of all time – if not THE greatest soundtrack of all time, full stop – belongs to none other than the 1964 hit “A Hard Day’s Night,” featuring – of course – the Beatles. Other classic film soundtracks include “The Sound of Music,” featuring the unmatched, pure soprano of Julie Andrews and the compositions of Broadway mega hit producers Rodgers and Hammerstein, the chilling Alfred Hitchcock thriller “Psycho” whose assigned composer Bernard Herrmann popularised the use of those famous shrieking violins for mounting suspense sequences, and “The Wizard of Oz,” which features a score that has long been ingrained into public American culture – particularly “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” originally sung and popularised by one Miss Judy Garland, and more recently covered by various modern day artists.  Read more...

Entering these types of music competitions is generally quite a straightforward process. For instance, for the latest Ministry of Sound contest, all potential winners need to do is purchase the brand Ministry of Sound Annual 2011 – which is no doubt a must have for any established fan of the group. The prize includes two Ministry of Sound T-shirts, Ministry of Sound branded Skullcandy headphones, and two tickets – one for the winner and one for a friend or date – to an as of yet undecided 2011 Ministry of Sound event. Altogether, it’s quite the impressive package, and for fans of Ministry of Sound, an opportune chance to win some great merchandise, not to mention a fun filled evening at a great concert by way of a double pass.

Another great competition currently open to the public is the Stereosonic 2010 contest. Again, the rules for entering as a contestant are almost laughably simple – all you need to do is buy a CD, or even just a single track, by either Major Lazer, Calvin Harris, Wiley, Tiesto, or Robyn. The competition, having opened at the tail end of October, will be closing on the twenty first of November, so for eager contestants, it is important to sign up before the month of November is out! Winners receive concert tickets and a free Stereosonic T-shirt.

Yet another contest in the same vein is the Summberbeatz music competition, where the winner gets to receive a double pass to Summerbeatz in the state of his or her choice – presumably the winner’s home state – as well as a chance to spend some time with an international music superstar. Contestants enter by purchasing anything by Soulja Boy, Flo Rida, Stan Walker, Jay Sean, or Travie McCoy.  Read more...

Having recorded my new CD Sacred Love with Grammy-award winners Will Ackerman (producer) and Corin Nelsen (recording and mix engineer), here are 6 sure-fire ways to make musical magical happen on your next recording session and take your CD to the next level.

1.            Make a Budget and Stick to It

Records cost lots of money to make. If you’re recording in your home studio, you’ve probably spent thousands of dollars for a computer, software, audio interfaces, speakers, microphones and musical instruments. Whether you’re recording your CD at home or working with a producer at independent studios, you want to make a budget and stick to it.

My budget included fees for producer, studio, travel, musicians, mastering, PR and radio promotion, duplication, and distribution. Make sure you know what you expect to spend and over how long, so that you can raise the money.

Producers get paid hourly or by the song, or a custom deal plus points on a song. If you are co-producing, you can split the points.

Musicians get paid different fees from free to sky’s the limit. The more famous and accomplished musicians get larger fees than your friend might – unless your friend is Sting.

Figure all the possible costs of your recording and put them into your budget. Then try to spend money according to the budget.

And even if you do, it’s more likely than not that you’ll go over budget. So add a 10 per cent contingency right now. Then when it comes time for you to professionally master, and design, duplicate and promote your CD, you can have the cash you need once the recording is finished.

2.            Surround Yourself with the Best  Read more...

live music venue

Somewhere between a concert style listening room and walk-in recording studio, Mike’s Music Exchange is a great place for live music and arts. At Mike’s Music Exchange the music always comes first. Our 1400 sq. ft. performance space is acoustically engineered for sound clarity; our 200 sq. ft. pumice filled bloodwood decked stage is designed to highlight the artist and to provide the best sounding stage in New Mexico. We also have video projection capabilities for full 1080p projection on our 12′ wide screen. We can accomodate up to 150 people seated and/or 80 people with tables, or a combination of the two as required. The venue is rentable for both private and public events.

guitar shop

Mike’s Music Exchange is also a custom guitar shop with the best products and services on boutique guitars in Northern New Mexico. We are the exclusive dealers in this area for Line 6, The Heritage, Rainsong, The Loar, VHT, and many other products, and we offer guitar repairs and custom work on any kind of guitar you can bring into the store. Our lead technician is a 30 year veteran of guitar repair and customizations and a factory authorized repair technician for Taylor, Martin, and more.

recording studio

Mike’s Music Exchange is also an affordable full service digital micro-recording studio that specializes in live stage recordings. We also have multi-room isolation booths for multi-tracking. We work on a flat low cost hourly rate to help turn your musical vision into reality. Our recording services utilize state-of-the-art direct to digital recordings, which allow limiteless remixing and remastering to tune your recording just the way you like it. In our studio, you are the producer – we are the engineer, and if you’re new to the process, we’ll help you get just the sound you envisioned when you first heard the song in your head.  Read more...