Sonic Talk Podcasts

This week Mark is excited about his new iPhone app RJDJ which does seem pretty nifty, we then talk of the new Apple laptop range which seems to have omitted musicians and video producers from it's possible customer base by the exclusion of FireWire on the Mac Books and only FW800 on the MBPros, we touch on the panels experiences with the new Spectrasonics Omnisphere mega instrument, then we take a look at the new SoundCloud.com audio sharing and distribution service, then we touch on the new Metallica album which has been mastered too loud and results in poor MP3 encoding and other issues, the Tone Generation series from Ian Helliwell is up next, then it's smelly Mac Pros and other stinky equipment to end the show on a low note.

So this weeks show covers, Punk meets butter as Johnny Rotten appears in a butter ad in the UK - we wonder if it's all gone wrong and at what point is it acceptable to take the money and run. Then Dave drops a massive hint on the next 80's band to reform, Mark shows us an interesting duet between Le Bon and Debbie Harry, then we discuss the new Roland Cakewalk V-Studio, ProTools 8 and a time/pitch conundrum for Mark.

As this is episode 101, we indulge our grumpier sides and talk about things that really annoy us in the studio world, but not before we marvel at Matt Mahaffey's amazing rendition of classic AC/DC track Back in Black on drums and Omnichord, then we discuss the recently delayed release of the Linn Drum II and the availability of Dave Smiths new Mopho desktop synthesizer. Then we discover who are panel would like to meet or work with alive or dead - which was one of the topics we didn't get around to last week (no surprise!).

First up we remember the voice of Don LaFontaine, Mr movie trailer himself, then we ponder the SPL Transient Designer which seems to be used so much these days, another brief spell remembering Richard Wright keyboard player with Pink Floyd, the wonderful International Dance Party machine and other party machinery and finally the Korg M3 Xpanded and other workstationery.

After thanking the powers that be for not obliterating us in the Cern particle accelerator experiment that took place on the morning of our recording, we move on to Sony's latest laptop recall gaffe, then the new HG Fortune The Dream Machine self generating VST synth, then the first 100 Million views for a Youtube video goes to.... After which we ponder the new Waldorf Blofeld keyboard and how Sugababes got away with using that Apple Loop as the main theme of their hit 'Change'.

First up we ponder the significance of Universal Audio's latest UAD-2 Sharc powered DSP plugins and examine their claims in detail, then we run from the awesome attack of the musical robots - is no one safe? After which, we discuss the new wave of DIY stompboxes and otherwise, followed by EQ tips and pratice.

Firstly we talk of Creamfields and other weather dependent activities, then we're into Slau's response to Rich Hilton's question on M&S mic tecnhnique, sound libraries on hard discs and other sound effects related chat, then we talk of music that makes us cry, Psychedlic Furs and then to a topical politics in music.

After I gloat about the Olypmpic medals table, we talk about good working practices to make sure your ears stay healthy when wokring in the studio, then on to manuals paper and otherwise, followed by a spell on Alan Blumlein - grandaddy of stereo recording then the promising Girton Labs SenseSurface a sort of hybrid LCD/ hardware control system, then I wax lyrical about the iPod Touch and the pretty promising App Store from Apple - saviours of the developers? We end on a blast of Isaac Hayes who sadly passed away on the 10th of August.

Mark Tinley, PJ Tracy, Dave Spiers, Rich Hilton and host Nick Batt As well as the Olympic theme and singers and composers of Olympic theme songs, we linger in the backstage area to discuss band riders and unreasonable requests, a quick announcement for the B52's remix competition winner, GigaStudio to be no more, the enigmatic Studio Electronics Omega Orion - to Nelly Hooper and then 6 degrees of separation just about finishes us off.

This week we think back to Thomas Dolby's Windpower which celebrates 26 years since it's release this week, then on to the latest iPhone apps - Beat Maker and a Tenori-on-a-like sequencer, MacBook Touch coming soon? Modular Synth beats, the Nevermind Baby is now 17 - what were we up to?

We take a look at the new Wii MotionPlus addition for the WiiMote which allegedly ads true 1:1 motion control and increases the accuracy of the 3D positioning and it's musical possibilities - it's demonstrated by the new WiiMusic titles with people "playing" various instruments at the recent E3 demo. Then we talk about virtuoso drummers - with plenty of drummer jokes, then on to famous sounds, green technology and finally David Beckham in the Sharpies ad. Richard Evans, Mark Tinley, Dave Spiers and Nick Batt

This week we bask in the wonderful light shed by Grace Jones and her seminal Slave to The Rhythm album as well as taking a preview of her forthcoming release Hurricane, then we move on to the Nine Inch Nails Google Earth treasure hunt, of course we mention the recent 3G iPhone release then Crazy Coffins and the joy a man can find in choosing the right luggage, then we finish with the future of retail ads Presonus launch a new online store.

We first talk of plastic figurines and memorabilia as inspired by the Keith Emerson doll, then we're off on to Rich's work on Ramones album Subterranean Jungle, Devo take McDonalds to court, Jay Wasco's amazing rendition of Heart of Gold on the Swiss Army Bass and people who can play and sing one more instruments at a time, we then take the Audiocheck.net hearing challenge, then we discuss electronic drum kits.

This week we talk of creativity, inspiration and divergent thinking thanks to Sir Ken Robinson - who I saw speak at the LIMS show on education day, then we put Rich Hilton on the spot with a legacy question from Dan Austin who wants to know whats the difference between Peak Limiting and Compression and how do you use it? Then the Korg Nano series controllers and we're done.

We skip through the mental futuristic photo browser that is Taggalaxy.de, then on to Krakli Software's rendition of Video Killed the Radio Star, then on to the Moog Guitar which gets it's official launch at Summer NAMM, the Electronic Music Guide, AES, Sonicstate.TV and Prince is 50.

I'd like to shout out a thank you to Dan Austin, who sent in a few topics for us to look at , the first of which is the classic New Order track Blue Monday, drummers who could play tight, then we're on to the reformation of Yazoo with Vince and Alison back on stage "like salmon", Robbie Ryan posts us a comment, the Wizard Master Control program- a funky sequencer, Melloman Walkman based Mellotron from Mike Walters via Tara Busch, Compact Flash for scsi samplers and then we're done...

Starting out with the great Silibil n Brains hoax - two Scottish rappers who fooled the industry for 2 years, Noneric tells us about Snap, we cover Milli Vanilli, the Monkees and Audrey Hepburn too. Mark also has a theory about Pete Doherty and the KLF. Virus targets file sharers, Totally Wired - documentary of Schneiders Buero, Digidesigns' Transfuser grooves on and finally vegetable orchestra and other hand made instruments....

Our topics this week range from a quick plug for the WNYC Radio Lab podcasts, intelligence and rhythmic accuracy proves drummers are clever (or does it?), in-ear monitor systems, Lipps Inc. Funkytown, and the largest UK music chain goes down. Finishing up we talk of the Moog guitar, which turns out to be real after all. Somehow from there we get to Toyah Wilcox and dis-lexia - who says we go off topic?