Computer Tech – The Bass Geek

iOS Gets Better Audio Support Behind The Scenes

Ryan — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:54:20 +0000

This announcement wasn’t a big deal at yesterday’s Apple event, but the support for registered audio streams shared amongst apps in iOS 7 is a huge deal. While it doesn’t look like Audiobus or Jack needs to abandon ship any time soon, the possibilities for multitasking and sharing audio between apps seem promising. More plug-ins, more possibilities . . . and probably the need to buy newer hardware (the new iOS doesn’t support all features for anything but the latest Apple hardware). And, of course, my Alesis IODock doesn’t support the newest connectors. Feh.

Nevertheless, I think this is the point where the hardware is fast enough and the multitasking availability means that tablets and phones start replacing laptops onstage at a faster pace. Less boot time, cheaper, and the touch interface beats out the need for hauling the laptop around. Looking forward to seeing where this goes.

New Music Computer Doesn’t Like Windows

Ryan — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:31:18 +0000

If anything, just let this be a warning to never try and install Windows 8 on a dual-drive Mac Mini system. It doesn’t work. Trust me – I have many days of effort to attest to it. I encountered several warnings that it was difficult, but I tried every possible configuration short of voiding the warranty and disconnecting one of the drives. Just doesn’t work – gets through two reboots and hangs on a black screen. And throws up occasional errors, just to taunt you.

On a lark, I tried the 32-bit version on my 6-year-old laptop – took about half-an-hour to a full boot. Amazing.

That said, the dual-drive Mac Mini makes a great machine for Reason and the RAID array means the data is always backed up. Which is nice. But it definitely doesn’t like Windows. At all. Even when given its own drive and no Boot Camp. What a prima donna.

So now I’m going to revisit Ableton Live Lite (free, courtesy of Soundcloud) and see how it plays with Reason. And we’ll never talk about Windows again.

New IMN Podcast and Blog

Ryan — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:42:05 +0000

The new IMN podcast is available for download – get it here or listen at the site.

I’m also jotting down notes in a new blog for the good For Dummies folks, so feel free to enjoy my musings over there as well. There are some other notable blogs over there, like Bob LeVitus’s Dr. Mac blog. The Wiley folks are moving a good deal of their instructional content online at Dummies.com, and I’m happy to be a part of it.

And now I’m going to get some sleep and try to avoid a head cold on a show weekend with a book deadline rapidly approaching.

The New Book Is Out!

Ryan — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:54:31 +0000

I forgot to mention that I received my advance copies of Laptops Just The Steps For Dummies the other day, and Amazon has them shipping out as of 10/6, so they may be at local retailers near you as I post this. Who knows. I just write the books and push them out of the nest. In any case, if you have a laptop and use the Vista, check it out!

Hoffspace? Really?

Ryan — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:26:04 +0000

Not only does David Hasslehoff decide to open his own social networking site, but he commits MySpace suicide at the same time. No word whether he’s going to link it to OpenSocial or not, but we can always dream.

Somehow, I don’t think there’s a book in this one. Sorry, Hoff.

I’d Like To Say Goodbye To My Free Time . . .

Ryan — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:48:04 +0000

The weekend was full of quality overtime spent finishing some writing projects, and it’s probably a good thing that they’re done now. My wife gave me an Xbox 360 for my birthday (wisely withholding games until the weekend was done), and now I can see GTA IV and the Orange Box (my first two selections) eating up the formerly productive home time.

For a good long time, there wasn’t a modern console in our general living area – there’s an old Genesis moldering in the closet, and I occasionally fire up a PS1 to remember the good old days of the Pittsburgh Steelers under Kordell Stewart (such magical times – the mental equivalent of suffering a Theismann injury), but I know what kind of time drain I face when I’m around these things. I can probably justify it a bit as research into video game music, but that’s a hollow reason. It’s just time to accept a bunch of wasted time.

I wonder if my wife know she may never be able to use the big TV again?

Shaking My Head

Ryan — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:55:48 +0000

Most reasonable people shy away from blogging about their day jobs, and I’m going to go ahead and stick by that rule.

Hypothetically speaking, though – if you’ve been busted for illegal filesharing, please at least acknowledge what you’ve been doing and have a well-reasoned and thought-out argument for doing so. I can respect your logical viewpoints on the matter, even if I disagree with them. A blank stare and stammering protestations will earn you nothing. Especially if you’re asking for my help.

Enough. I’m linking to a photo from the Hamer Guitars website of a lovely 12-string bass. I got to hear the sound of it played solo on a documentary a couple of days ago, and it reminded me of all that is good and right in the world.

Too Much!

Ryan — Thu, 29 May 2008 19:05:37 +0000

Part of the wonderful challenge of putting together a tech book is that the playing field is always changing – programs update, new versions come out, etcetera. It can be a bit difficult to manage.

Now multiply that by the five versions of Vista I have to account for my current project, and all the fun should become clear. I’m writing using Vista Ultimate, which includes the whole shebang, and I’m trying to take into consideration all the features and such people might not see. Joy.

Also, the new IMN podcast is up. Download it here or listen at the site.

MySpace Radio Spot Online

Ryan — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 03:28:30 +0000

If you want to listen to the radio interview I did for http://wsradio.com, check out this link.

I tried to sound intelligent.

Can’t Sleep

Ryan — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:12:59 +0000

Trying to cram rehearsals and writing into the same day after the normal grind may be a bit too much. I’m having visions of explaining the basic operations of Vista running through my dreams, and that’s probably not healthy. I’m hearing sections of King Crimson’s “Red” album substituted in for the Fripp-composed Vista sound effects. That’s definitely not healthy.

Also, “South Park” was right this evening. A shutdown or reboot of computing devices can help clear up scads of issues. Learn that now and save yourself some time.

The new IMN podcast is up – download directly or listen at the site.