Sonic Talk Podcasts

Life on the road with Peter Gabriel. Richard Evans shares his experiences and tells us about the technology involved

We start with a trip down memory lane as our guests recollect their first synth experience, VEMIA, Youtube Synth Classics from DX5, the Japanese Matryomin/ Theremin ensemble, the Create Digital Music Circuit Bending Challenge and the fascinating Gracenote Music Map and breifly Achtung Baby

This week we discuss the merits of body modification, tatooos and the like, NIN name-check, Radiohead's 'pay what you like' new album, Madonna's $120 million deal and the future of music both live and recorded, Krakli Software's Ian Webster poses a question on virtual instruments which sends us off onto interface and innovation.

Mark's Nokia N95 is our first subject this week, as he's totally enamored with it - almost talking me into an immediate purchase. We then move on to Audio Ease's trip to India to capture the incredible reverb of the Gol Gumbaz temple for their Altiverb IR plugin, a brace of old ads for portable computers from the 1980s send us down memory lane, Nick introduces us to Flight of the Conchords - less said about that the better, Easy Rider memorabilia and then the worst jobs in Rock n' Roll sets us off on another thread.

This week we flesh out the the facts on the Logic 8 release, CakeWalk Sonar 7 is here, Reason 4, a little more, Kontakt 3 and world domination, happy birthday U87 - and other mics, Roland's new V-Mixer and finally - Do you sit or stand in the studio when performing?

This week, after recovering from my recording cock-up, we dive straight in with Logic Pro 8, then move on to Apogee's Duo and their interfaces, Joe Zawinul RIP, Not the BMF and virtual tradeshows, Scarbee's Black Bass and Bernard Edward's ancient strings, 30th anniversary of punk - we remember, some forget...

Noneric brings us news of Reason 4, Nuendo 4, we talk of Tenori-On, then move on to the massive slump in Rap sales, the Struggling Musicians Toolkit and associated resources including Jamstudio.com, East Wests Fab Four sample library, then I get some group therapy for my mid-life crisis - thanks guys - group hug!

First we get excited about the new synthesizer from Dave Smith Instruments - the Prophet 08, then Noneric gives us some second-hand but reliable information on the new Logic Pro imminent update, then we're off to the world of quad core laptops, OS upgrades ain't what they used to be, and as Jazz Mutant demo their first mulit-touch PC, how do we feel about using that as an interface?

As well as the breaking Waves software police story, passing through our collective consciousness is also the upcoming Yamaha Tenori-on release, a massive musical Tesla coil instrument, a 404 thats a TB-303 and new Dells and new iMacs.

Topics this week include, the recent Summer NAMM show in Austin TX, the demise of analog tape and associated plug-ins aiming to recapture it's glorious past, Ken Macbeth's band of synthesists and celebs, iTunes reach the 3 billion downloads and much more.

This week talk ranges from the iPhone and what it means, to the Roadbag - a device for those caught short, what are we all using to record the podcast, the FM3 Buddha Box, Stevie Wonder drum solo and finally - how to ruin a mix or how to approach one.

Topics for discussion range from The Weather (of course), Dave goes sailing with a bunch of sound engineers, to Morphine - a new additive synthesis plug-in, FireWire is history?, Prince and his latest CD giveaway and what it means for music distribution, Rolling Stones to leave the band, A concept piece from Godfried Willem-Raes leaves us pondering - but is it art?

This week we discuss Marks new laptop and the lost plugins, Broken Drum Machine, how come there aren't many women in the studio or in technical roles? Let your keyring open the door and keep you germ free, Nick enjoys Punkdisco and the Whilte Stripes, Mark finds a man on a jet-powered shopping bike.

Dave Spiers, PJ Tracy, John Musgrave, Mark Tinley and Nick Batt discuss: This weeks topics include: the Top 10 Star Wars sound effects and how to make them generally, Mark edits Timbaland's multitrack sessions, Lara Crofts motorbike, what you can find on an old multi-track tape, talking paper, build your own Edison player, Roger Linn on the BBC, mythical tales from on the road.

Mark Tinley, Dave Spiers, Noneric, PJ Tracy. This week discussion ranges from Marks new binaural mics, new multitouch screens from Microsoft and C-Base, a pixelated Stratocaster, Roland System 100 on Youtube, EMI and Youtube cut a deal, iTunes up bit rate and custom built PC's from Rain et al sparks the usual Mac/PC debate.

Mark Tinley, Rich Hilton, PJ Tracy, Dave Spiers and Nick Batt: Much of this weeks show is spent in reminiscence mode, with a healthy chunk devoted to the most underrated synths, Reason 4 beta, the science of quantize, Steinbergs Virtual band plug-ins, $10k to spend on music gear and Nick embarrasses himself with Shannon.

Rich Hilton, Mark Tinley, Jon Musgrave, Dave Spiers and Nick Batt discuss: This weeks chat ranges from what it's like being in Chic, to a duet with the Fields of Nephilim and Justin Timberlake. Moving on to Mac migration, the Sony PSP game Traxxpad - a music creation title, a concise video on the pitfalls of audio maximization, techno glasses for all, pop band for sale with a $25k reward, the quaint British Rockschool, and UK ISP blocking AllofMP3.com