Digital Media Insider
Digital Media Insider Podcast 26: One Glorious Note
In many ways, music technology has become a numbers game. Today's digital instruments are often sold on specs, not sound. In this episode, the Fat Man goes back to basics, gleefully playing everything from an ancient test-tone generator to a spicy Excaliburrito to demonstrate that one glorious note may be all you need. Jul. 21, 2008
Digital Media Insider Podcast 25: Greatest Bits
DMI hits 25! Listen in as we explore our favorite moments from the first 24 episodes and unearth some never-before-heard bonus material. From vocoders to space-helmeted cover bands, from the secret sound of Goldfrapp to harmonious fat men, here are Digital Media Insider's greatest hits. Jun. 6, 2008
Digital Media Insider Podcast 24: 200 Digital Audio Blogs
To celebrate his 200th blog entry, O'Reilly Digital Audio Editor David Battino shares the sounds behind the stories. Hear how a bad pianist inspired the first computer music program, the surprising benefits of high-resolution distortion, and sneaky uses of voice recorders. Apr. 24, 2008
Digital Media Insider Podcast 23: Inside Intel Inside
Last year, O'Reilly Digital Media's David Battino got an amazing gig: the chance to compose and record the theme music for Intel's internal podcast on Open Source developments. With some slick music software and the freedom to explore endless musical ideas, he wandered into several hilarious dead ends before remembering some great advice and finding his voice. Mar. 28, 2008
Digital Media Insider Podcast 22: Synthesizer Sound Design
Part of the joy of playing electronic musical instruments is exploring the unique banks of sounds inside. This month, we speak again with Francis Preve, a Top 10 remixer who also works as the principal sound designer for Ableton and a consulting sound designer for Korg. Hear how he creates the sounds behind the hits. Feb. 15, 2008
Digital Media Insider Podcast 21: Remixing Tips with Francis Preve
Francis Preve produced six Billboard Top 10 remixes last year alone, but he graciously found time to share his insights and techniques. Hear the Preve magic in before-and-after musical examples and learn how he turned a shockingly small pile of gear into a production powerhouse. Jan. 4, 2008
Digital Media Insider Podcast 20: Precision vs. Feel
One of the fascinating challenges in modern music production is balancing the creative tension between computer precision and human feel. Hear how playing with quantization (timing correction) can make or break a groove. Nov. 8, 2007
Digital Media Insider Podcast 19: Inside the New Media Expo
In this special guest episode, DIY digital media expert Michael Dean interviews podcasting's rock stars to learn where the format is going and how we all can get involved. Recorded live at the premier podcasting show, the New Media Expo. Oct. 4, 2007
Digital Media Insider Podcast 18: Better Arpeggiate Than Never
It's about the most fun you can have with one finger. Arpeggiators turn a single note into a spiraling flurry of sound for instant musical fun. Hear how they work and explore some surprising applications.
Sep. 7, 2007
Digital Media Insider Podcast 17: Secrets of the Demo Gods
Top music technology gear reviewers Jim Aikin and Mark Nelson reveal how they create their web audio examples. Listen to some of our favorites.
Aug. 23, 2007
Digital Media Insider Podcast 16: Cover Yourself (A Radical Approach to Copyright)
Open source enthusiast Lucas Gonze wanted to record cover songs and share them online. But copyright law and web spiders crushed that plan. Then he found a mother lode of free music on a government web site. Jul. 27, 2007
Digital Media Insider Podcast 15: The Fat Man Sings...Digitally
The DigiTech Vocalist Live stompbox listens to your guitar playing and automatically generates vocal harmonies. Listen up as the Fat Man puts it through its paces and predicts where this breakthrough technology will lead. Jun. 28, 2007
Digital Media Insider Podcast 14: Doug Wyatt
Renowned music software programmer Doug Wyatt deftly fuses vintage electronics, Swedish vocals, and digital technology into remarkable soundscapes on his latest CD. We visit his home studio to learn how. Jun. 15, 2007
Digital Media Insider Podcast 13: Seize the Rhythm
There's rhythm all around us, and computers make it easy to capture those sounds and weave them into your own compositions. In this episode, we transform the everyday rhythms of talking, laughing, and even toothbrushing into exciting new grooves. May. 24, 2007
Digital Media Insider Podcast 12: Synth Mania, Part 2
Synthesizer maniac Paolo Di Nicolantonio returns with more stories, sounds, and musical toys. May. 10, 2007
Digital Media Insider Podcast 11: Synth Mania, Part 1
Synthesizer enthusiast Paolo Di Nicolantonio runs a wonderful website of synth sounds and information. In this episode, we listen to famous sounds, infamous sounds, and Paolo's favorite keyboard ever. Apr. 20, 2007
Digital Media Insider Podcast 10: Annoying Audio
Peter Drescher designed the sounds for everything from After Dark screensavers to the T-Mobile Sidekick. Hear what it takes to annoy (and thrill) this top ringtone composer. Mar. 30, 2007
Digital Media Insider Podcast 9: Songs You May Have Missed
Did you realize we've published nearly two dozen musician interviews on the O'Reilly Digital Media site, many with full-length songs? In this episode, we dig up some of the "lost" tunes and explore the surprising technology behind them. Mar. 16, 2007
Digital Media Insider Podcast 8: A Theme Come True
What makes a good musical theme? We ask Emmy Award-winning composer BJ Leiderman, the melodic mastermind behind NPR's Morning Edition, PRI's Marketplace, and many more irresistible tunes. Then we digitally deconstruct an original theme song to see how it works. Feb. 23, 2007
Digital Media Insider Podcast 7: Express Yourself
Expression is the soul of music. In this episode, we listen to the techniques players use to coax emotion out of electronic instruments and software. Feb. 12, 2007
Digital Media Insider Podcast 6: Desktop Music in Japan
From Tokyo, David Battino interviews DTM Magazine's Daigo Yokota on the state of Japanese music technology, tests Mixmeister's slick podcasting software, and explores two cool songs on the DTM DVD. Jan. 8, 2007
Digital Media Insider Podcast 5: Portable Recorders
Go inside the mind of guitarist and recording engineer Mark Nelson, whose unusual reviews of pocket digital recorders are top-ten Google hits. Dec. 8, 2006
Digital Media Insider Podcast 4: (((Echo)))
Sync and grow rich! Hear how tempo-synced effects can bring your music to life. Plus: virtual guest appearances by drummer Stewart Copeland and drum machine pioneer Roger Linn. Nov. 9, 2006
Digital Media Insider Podcast 3: Singing Computers
Daisy, Daisy, make your computer sing. Listen up as we uncover sneaky new tricks for speech synthesizers and audition some amazing new singing software. Oct. 16, 2006
Digital Media Insider Podcast 2: The Vocoder
Hey, Cylon breath! Think vocoders are only good for robotic sound effects? Hear how top musicians are using them creatively as we dive into the expressive sounds behind four recent features. Sep. 21, 2006
Digital Media Insider Podcast: Playing with Audio Plugins
Listen as songwriter and Pro Tools guru Gina Fant-Saez transforms a dust-dry vocal into a gorgeous soundscape by chaining four cool effect plugins, and then builds a song from scratch using only virtual instruments. Sep. 7, 2006
