In this week's Digital Media Insider podcast, "Express Yourself," I played a bunch of examples recorded with wind controllers, electronic devices that transform the player's breath into expressive musical gestures. Matt Traum, who contributed the amazing Crumar sawtooth solo, just wrote to remind me about the extensive wind controller FAQ on his site. Matt Traum on the Steiner EVI. As...

This is funny. You see 14 logos that could come from either a studio or a salon. Your mission: Separate the software from the hair care. I got 13 out of 14 on my first try, then dropped to 12 out of 14 while second-guessing one of my answers. How about you? (Thanks to Doug Wyatt.)...

Welcome to this week's edition of Friday Napster Freebies. These un-DRMed MP3 files are free for a limited time and can be downloaded from just about any country. Enjoy! "The Chase" by Original RecipeTheir formula is simple: Go to the record shop and purchase the most ridiculous records you can find from the $1 bin, go back to the "studio,"...

Annoyed by the handling noise my pocket voice recorder picks up, I bought some external mics last fall. Not only did the noise disappear, the recordings also gained much more bass and stereo depth. The mics I got were Sound Professionals SP-TFB-2s, which someone recommended in this field-recording forum. Interestingly, the TFB-2s are designed to fit in your ears, using...

Can Someone Please Explain To Me Again Why I Can't Loop An MP3 File!? When I sat down to write Part 2 of my rant, I discovered it had been 7 years to the day since my article "Songs in the Key of Beatnik" was published (Electronic Musician, Feb 2000 issue), and amazingly enough, you can still find it online....

A nice treat from the folks at Zune: 30-odd free unDRMed MP3s ready for download, including tracks from Wierd Al, Barenaked Ladies and the Shins. Perfect for your iPod, Zune or other MP3 player....

Trade shows can be murder on your ears. Especially music shows like NAMM, where every booth is trying to out-crank the next. This year, I made two discoveries there, one scary and one pleasing. First, the scary one. My first stop, at 9:30 on the day the show opened, was at the House Ear Institute booth, where they were giving...

There's a fantastic "must read" article gracing the cover of this month's Fast Company (February 2007) entitled "Music's Secret Money Machine" talking about a company called Music Today that connects artists and fans -- and is making a boatload of money for artists. Artists like John Legend, Gwen Stefani, Dave Matthews Band, and hundreds of others are taking control over...

Welcome to another edition of Friday Napster Freebies. These un-DRMed MP3 files are free for a limited time and can be downloaded from just about any country. Enjoy! "Spring Hall Convert" by DeerhunterThis Atlanta-based psych-pop collective has endured financial strain, death, and lineup changes, but has persevered and come out the other side with a rocking sophomore album, Cryptograms. "Seasons"...

The fever I got is of the Analog Modular kind. There's a lot of that going around--a wonderful resurgence in hands-on, knobs-and-patch-cables, Not For Any Reason(R), synthesis....