Yamaha Audiogram 3 or 6 1.0.1 Driver Update

New Free Driver update for the Yamaha Audiogram 3 or Audiogram 6 from 1.0 to 1.0.1 - If you are looking for the current driver for the Yamaha Audiogram 3 or 6 for Mac OS X or Windows Vista (32 bit or 64 bit) then click below:

Yamaha Audiogram Driver at Yamaha.com

For more information about these great quality and very affordable home recording solutions click below:

Audiogram 3 or Audiogram 6 Details and Specs

Canadian Indie CD Release Package Checklist

Canadian CD Packaging Checklist

If you are an indie artist trying to release their own CD, all the little items of business can be overwhelming. Hopefully this indie CD Package checklist will be helpful so you will not only release your CD in style, but with all the correct information!

On the front cover
- Artist name and title of CD.
- Something eye catching, something thematic. A picture of the artist often works best, especially in the beginning

Back of the CD Jacket:
- Number track list and length of each song given (especially if you will be shipping to radio)
- Your copyright notice (indicating the year of production, your name, and the © symbol), also, copyright notice referring to who owns the master recording (indicated with the (P) symbol)
- A statement prohibiting reproduction e.g. "All Rights Reserved. Warning: Unauthorized Reproduction, Copying and Rental of this Recording is Prohibited by Law."
- A bar code which is necessary if distributing to retail outlets (Most manufacturers can supply this)
- The MAPL logo (the Canadian content label as appropriate) if shipping to radio in Canada.
- Logos of any agencies from which you received funding, along with any other sponsor logos.
- The Distributor's name if you have a distribution agreement in place.
- Artist website url (you can leave out the http:// )
- Made in Canada is required by law if you want to export your CD. It must be equal in font size and weight to the artist contact info
- Other info like Producer or other important acknowledgments are nice

Items to print on the Spine
- Your CD title and Artist name - very clearly
- Your catalogue number (if you don't have a label, or you are the label just create a unique number/letter combination)

These items should be printed on the CD itself:
- Artist name and CD title
- The MAPL logo
- Your copyright notice
- The "compact disc" logo should be clearly seen
- Your catalogue number
- "Made in Canada" / "Fabriqué au Canada"

And inside the CD insert:
- If you have space, printing the lyrics out is appreciated for those reviewing or in radio.
- Songwriters, musicians and producers should be clearly indicated for each track.
- Clear copyrights for each song
- Contact info (As much as you can fit or feel comfortable with as an indie artist. Website, Contact e-mail, physical address and phone number are all good to have)
- Acknowledgments and thank you’s
- Production and Studio Information should be clearly indicated.
- Artist website url

In the end you typically want to make the Artist and CD Name clearly stand out. This is especially true for the new artist. You can afford to be obscure later in your career, but in the beginning you need all the help you can get. Think about how your product will be displayed on retail shelves and in pictures on the web and ask yourself or your friends how it will communicate and entice the listener.

Design Resources in Canada
Logos for CD Cover art including MAPL and the proper (c) and (p) symbols.

http://www.predisc.com/logos.htm

Places to consider for Manufacturing:

www.canclone.com
Just down the street from Revolution Audio. Superior customer service, speed and highly personable.

http://www.summitsound.com/
Located in Westport, ON - An honest, family owned business who can match prices for duplication with the best of them. Working via shipping is no problem. They also have in house design if needed.

SOUNDSCAPE PRODUCTIONS - www.soundscapeonline.com
Variety of great services including duplication, replication and download cards. Run by musicians for musicians. Ask for Howard and say you were referred by Revolution Audio.

http://duplium.com
A large, established company with an indie focus. Good quality short runs available.

www.predisc.com
Based in BC, these guys have great eco-designs, templates on their website and good prices

References:

Some information was modified from the New Brunswick Sound Initiatives (NBSI) website which was found on www.hiphopcanada.com

Monitor Your Mixes - Every way you Can!

This month's tip is about monitoring your mix. In the store we often get question, "I have awesome home stereo speakers - can I mix on those?" The answer is yes and no. There are two main listening sessions you need to have to complete your mix. The first listening sessions for accuracy and a second set of listening sessions for translation.

Mixing for accuracy means you probably can't use your amazing home stereo speakers, or at least not very well. They are designed to massage the sound coming through so it sounds the most pleasing to the ear. Good speakers change the frequencies to smooth out any harshness and give you a pleasing listening experience. They are also overcoming their own weakness to detail with these changes. When it comes to mixing your audio, you need monitors that won't produce hyped lows or highs and give you accurate detail in between. These are typically called "Reference Monitors." and can be found for around $279 (at the time of writing) for a pair of M-Audio Studiophile BX5a Deluxe on the lower end, or the 8 inch M-Audio Studiophile BX8a Deluxe for $449. In the mid range we have sold a lot of the Yamaha HS50m and Yamaha HS80m monitors. Getting more expensive we like the JBL LSR4326P pair or JBL LSR4328P pair. All reference monitors will have inaccuracies, and most certainly so will your mixing room (Especially in the low end if it is a smaller room). So get to know your mixing area and its weaknesses by trying mixes again and again and listening to your favourite music in comparison.

When it comes to making sure your mix translates, that is, that your mix sounds good in the places where your friends and fans will be listening, this is the time when it is important to play your final mix in your regular stereo speakers. In fact, play the mix just about everywhere you can. At one time, the final listen always happened in the car. Now, with the changes in listening habits, perhaps the final listen should be on iPod earbuds. Wherever you take your final mix, don't trust it too much but use it to inform your mixing decision before giving it the final okay. Good luck and happy mixing!

Steinberg Yamaha CI2 USB Advanced Integration Studio Review

The Steinberg CI2 is a USB-powered audio interface and controller with Advanced Integration features. Together, CI2 and the included Cubase AI 5 software present a complete recording system, providing a plug-and-play solution for recording and editing vocals and instruments with a computer in next to no time. With 24-bit resolution and a sampling rate of 48 kHz, the CI2 offers a professional digital audio recording standard that lets you record the music in studio quality.

When the CI2 was first demonstrated to our staff this last summer at the MIAC trade show, we were blown away by the intuitive nature of the Advanced Integration controls. Basically a lock, control and action button integrate into Cubase AI 5 to give you easy control over any parameter your mouse points to. One of the coolest features was the ability to assign the action button to repetitive, circular tasks, as seen in the photo. So simple, yet such a great feature that we have not seen in any other product.

The CI2 USB Advanced Integrated Studio would be perfect for the singer/songwriter, guitarist or the pro Cubase user who wants a small interface with some advanced controls. We were impressed and you will be too.

The Steinberg CI2 first Canadian shipment is mid October 2009.

Click here for more information about the Steinberg CI2 Advanced Integrated Studio!