The Bass Geek

SimplifyMedia has put together a little package that allows music to be streamed from a home base computer to other devices, including the iPhone and other machines. My brief tests have encountered no problems, and it’s a pretty cool thought that I can access music on the handset and not have to worry about filling up the hard drive (my 60GB iPod is currently bloated and staggering under its full conditions). My only worry is the portable battery life - heavy 3G usage would no doubt shrink my listening window. But it’s a handy idea for work or scooting about town.

I’m a little less enamored with BeatMaker’s potential, enough that I can’t see purchasing it based on reviews that claim there’s latency in the pads. Devices and programs like this are made or broken on their ability to provide real-time response to a musician’s playing. It was the most frustrating part of working with older sound cards and MIDI devices for me, and I’ve got no desire to go back to square one.

To be fair, a lot of these programs seem like a land rush for prospectors, with the reasoning that it’s better to get the apps out there and the name made familiar and then work on the finer points. And it’s unfair to expect high performance from a handheld device right now. Hell, ProTools is just getting around to debuting on OS X Leopard, and that’s on a full-fledged computer and operating system. So it’s possible these things will get better - that’s why software always seems to have new releases and updates. I’m just not panning these waters yet.

The tech editing for the third edition of Home Recording For Dummies is completed. Since it’s already been through two generations, the basic stuff (principles that home recordists have followed for years) still applies and gets good results. Most of the work revolved around updated software and plug-ins (and that’s a never-ending chase), which made me want more software. And that’s not pretty. At least with physical gear, you’re holding something. It feels real. Purchasing software is a nebulous thrill, because you’re never quite sure what you’re getting into when you install it. There’s a visceral thrill in playing a new instrument or stomping on a new pedal. Not so much with the start of a program.

Otherwise, the weekend was spent either at the ACT, various and sundry First Friday activities (including a visit to the Brass Ring Lounge and an exhibition of the old artifacts salvaged from the previous tenants), or in front of the TV investing way too much time in Soul Caliber IV. It’s time for twelve steps.

No doubt inspired by the continued success and dedication of the Sears Silvertone, Best Buy is set to start selling musical instruments from Fender, Gibson, Roland and more. And, according to the article, it goes beyond just entry-level offerings and a few accessories. We’re evidently talking about high-end instruments and group lessons as well.

Which strikes me as a monumentally bad idea for Best Buy.

The only thing they’re getting right is setting aside a separate room for the inventory. The public doesn’t need to be exposed to the horrors guitar shop employees face every day by dealing with thousands of terrible renditions of “Stairway To Heaven” or “Eruption.” Otherwise, Best Buy lacks what every good music shop needs:

• Personal Service: An informed salesperson that takes into account the players’ needs and gets them the right equipment.
• Maintenance and Repair: Musical instruments need constant adjustment and tweaking. Best Buy can’t offer that. Or if they can, it turns out like the Geek Squad. And that’s scary.
• Lessons: Imagine a pre-teen or teen trying to concentrate on lessons when the latest video game is RIGHT OUTSIDE!!!!

While I’m certainly not in favor of trying to keep musical instruments out of the hands of kids and the public in general, Best Buy is doing nobody any favors by adding these to their stock. I can see folks suffering from sticker shock on high-end instruments (”Why, that guitar is the price of 3 home audio systems, and it only plays in mono!”), and smart money says serious players stay away in favor of their normal haunts. The manufacturers listed don’t normally add big discounts to their prices anyway, so I doubt anybody is getting a good deal there.

I realize that there are more options to service your car than the dealership, and that most products can be dealt with at the superstore level without issue. I just can’t see musical instruments making that transition, though. Especially after Mars Music folded and heavyweights Guitar Center and Sam Ash already in the arena. Musical instruments are not a loss-leader for the store, and my faith in Best Buy to offer quality service and care for them is minimal at best. I’d love to hear the logic behind this at some point, if it exists.

And it has to go beyond a wacky Guitar Hero “Play a Real Guitar!” tie-in.

My friend Jim Roach forwarded to me the next-generation mix tape, complete with USB connection. Kind of a cool idea, unless it’s actually inserted into a real cassette drive. Then, no matter what you’ve put on the tape, it sounds like Throbbing Gristle.

C|NET brings news of the magnetic guitar cable, featuring a snap-away design similar to the MacBook power cord. It’s an interesting design that most certainly would have prevented the recurring jack trauma an old bass of mine suffered from cord strain (that, to be fair, was the fault of the jack mounted on a plastic cover and not wood or metal). It’s not gonna help much when you keep stepping on your cord, though.

New IMN podcast is up - download it here or listen at the site.

I don’t actually own a Wii, so I can’t comment on the pan-gender, age-neutral fun to be had from playing this system. Still, the announcement of Wii Music (which incorporates the ability to control up to 60 instruments or conduct an orchestra) seems like a bonus for the musically inclined gamer. And it fits the system rep well - Guitar Hero and Rock Band allow the unleashing of your vulgar, profane inner rocker, while Wii Music encourages exploration and safe fun in a group setting. No word on whether it approaches the thrill-a-minute spectacle that was 3rd-grade recorder lessons.

The Onion does a great job summarizing the masterful piece of cinematic craftsmanship that is Road House in this recent article. Still no mention of the late Jeff Healey as Greek Oracle, though, which disappoints me. Perhaps that is my own dissertation to write.

To link the two subjects together, I propose a Double Deuce level for Guitar Hero. Imagine the chicken-wire-encased, bloozy fun to be had!