Gear

Recording at Home: The Apogee Mini Me & Laithwaite’s Voucher Codes

The past couple of weeks I was hit hard with really missing going out to see live music. There is just nothing else like it. I have been listening to all of my favourite albums and watching livestreams when I can at home, but it lacks the energy and the connection of a live show. Hopefully we’ll be able to do that again soon. Anyways, instead of wallowing in self pity I decided to channel my angst into setting up my home recording studio and creating music again. I thought I’d write a review of my favourite piece of gear, and also share a cool discount code that I found.

Voucher Codes for Laithwaite’s Wine Delivery

I like to sip on a glass of a nice red in between songs while I’m playing. These days going to the shops is an anxiety-inducing excursion so I tend to just get the basics and get in and out as fast as possible. Then a co-worker put me onto something I had never considered before: wine delivery from Laithwaite’s. I expected it to be very expensive, but it wasn’t at all and they occasionally have a voucher code that brings the price down even more. I recommend purchasing one of their sampler packs to get the best price, usually it works out to around £8 a bottle for 12 of them. They have pre-set packs, which I liked because I tried a bunch of different wines I wouldn’t have otherwise and got some new favourites out of it. You can also build your own case of 12 wines, you just have to order everything in pairs so you can choose 6 different wines.

pictured: my Friday evening

Wine is not integral to having a great home set-up for recording, but I spent a nice evening enjoying a glass while I was getting set up. Nice evenings have been hard to come by lately, so I thought I’d pass it along. It’s the little things that keep you going right now.

Still the champ: the Apogee Mini Me

I can’t believe I’m still talking about the Apogee Mini Me in 2021, but here we are. This pre-amp came out 15 years ago and still provides and incredible sound quality on par (maybe even better) than any of the newer models on the market. I have tried newer models and ended up selling them because they just didn’t sound as good although I could connect them directly to the computer.

That’s something I’ll go over in the next section, the one drawback to your Apogee Mini Me is that it’s A/D only and does not have any digital inputs so you’ll need a ‘middle-man’ so to speak to connect it to the computer. I’m going to get a little ‘old man yelling at kids from the porch’ here, but in my opinion most pre-amps that do digital only just don’t sound as good unless you’re making purely digital music. If you’re recording actual instruments (I’m not dissing electronic artists, it’s the just the way is) then something like the Apogee Mini Me gets a much better sound quality because it was designed to work with them.

Now, the Apogee Mini Me is not the cheapest unit on the market because of the exceptional quality. If you’re on a budget you have a couple of options. Watch the retailers closely, sign up for their mailing lists and they may put it on special for Black Friday or something, or have a site-wide discount code that would get you 10% off or something. You can also carefully watch buy-sell sites like Ebay, or used gear groups on Facebook. The Mini Me does not come up for sale on used sites a lot because most people want to hang onto theirs, but you never know.

Cheers, we’ll get through this

I know we’ll be able to see live shows again soon, whether at packed stadiums or your local pub. What this experience has taught me is how much I value the connections music gives me, and not just my good friends who I see all the time. I miss the sound guy at the local venue, who always spared a minute to chat about gear with me. I miss the bartender who knew my drink. I miss being surrounded by strangers but feeling like they were kindred souls because we all showed up to see a band live because we love music. I will never take these things for granted again, and I will be the first in line to see shows once we can have them again. Take care of yourselves, we’ll see each other again soon.

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What’s the Best VPN for Music Apps?

What is the Best VPN for Streaming Music?

To better understand the answer to this question, it is firstly important to become familiar with the VPN itself. What exactly is it? What does it do? Do you need one?
A VPN is also known as a Virtual Private Network. It creates a private network by routing your internet connection through a server. It masks the user’s IP address, making it easier to hide personal information and browsing history.
The purpose of a private network is to give the user more privacy and security, especially in a world where the internet is used for virtually everything: checking emails, making deposits to your bank account, keeping in touch with others via social media, and much more. If you regularly use the internet for these activities as most do, then you are sure you value your privacy and may benefit from using a VPN.

As mentioned earlier, the internet is used for virtually everything these days. It has transformed the art of listening to music. In the past, fans would listen to their favorite artists by purchasing the record, the cassette, or the CD and playing it in their CD player at home. Technology even made it possible to take your CDs with you, so you could listen to them in the car while on the go.
Today, the easiest way to listen to an artist’s latest album is to download it on your phone. Music apps such as Spotify, Google Play, and Apple Music make this possible.

So back to the original question: What is the best VPN for streaming music?

When looking for a VPN for streaming music, there are a few factors to look for specifically. The first being speed. Have you ever tried to watch a video on Youtube only to have to pause the video every few seconds or so because the video needs to finish buffering? This can be frustrating when you have limited time to watch the video. But it can also be frustrating to sit in silence while waiting for your video to load. Can you imagine having to pause your music every few songs because your connection was being stubborn? This is something we want to avoid, so a VPN with high quality speed is at the top of the list.


Another factor that will be helpful to look for is the number of servers across different countries. When dealing with music, there are copyright laws. While it would be nice to access all of your favorite music for free, this is sometimes a difficult task to achieve when musicians are trying to protect their music and obtain their royalties. For this reason, certain music streaming apps are blocked in certain countries. By using the correct VPN, your exactly location is often masked, giving you the access to these apps.
Below are some specific Virtual Private Networks that you may find useful in accessing some of your favorite music.

NordVPN

Perhaps one of the highest rated virtual private networks online, NordVPN makes it easy to stream and download music smoothly and effortlessly. It has a long list of servers, with more than 5000 in many countries across the world, so you are guaranteed to receive a high speed connection. Another pro of using NordVPN? It is one of the most affordable VPNs at around $12 per month.


Express VPN

Express is known for being one of the most trustworthy VPN services out there. This provider prides itself in taking security measures to make sure your identity is kept private and that your internet browsing history is kept private as well. After all, that is the purpose in using a private network in the first place. The only con? Express is a little more costly than some of the other options.


Surfshark

Surfshark is fairly new to the VPN world, so there are currently only around 800 servers it its network. However, uses are finding themselves to be impressed with the features this provider has to offer. It offers a No Borders Mode and a Chameleon Mode which makes it possible to unblock music streaming services, even when you live in a country that is blocked from accessing such services.

Once you have chosen the provider that suits your needs best, you are able to configure your VPN so that you are receiving the best music streaming services you are able to enjoy. The good news? You don’t have to be a tech savvy engineer in order to be able to do so.
Most VPN providers make the connection process easy and straight forward. Download the app of the provider you wish to use and use the app to log in. At this point, you will often be asked to choose the country in which you would like your server.

Spotify seems to be the most tricky of the music streaming apps as it is only available for use in certain countries. It is of course available in The United States, Canada, and United Kingdom as well as select other countries in Europe, Pacific Asia, and the Caribbean. If Spotify is among the music streaming apps that are you hoping to access, just make sure you choose a server in a country where it is available. Lists of the countries where it is available can be easily found online.

Once you have chosen the country in which your server is found, it is smooth sailing from there. The connection will be established and you will be able to access the internet as you normally would. Only now, you are accessing the internet through the Virtual Private Network you have established.

You are now able to access music from any music streaming app, including those that may not provide access in your country. You are also able to listen to your music comfortably, knowing that your login information is secured and your browsing history is not being tracked. You are able to listen to music securely and privately.

Streaming Music

The Top Coupon Codes For Music Mixing Services

The craft of mixtape making has unfortunately been lost to the modern era of music on-request. However, there are still places where you can hone this lost art, and one of them is YouTube. Here is how to mix your collection of tunes and offer them to the world or that exceptional individual.

Coupons For Domains and Tech Can Help.

If you’re listening to music on a computer, then you really don’t need to go into the ultra expensive headphone category. Manufacturer discounts & coupons can help offset the cost, of course, and we like https://couponfeed.org for that. Most digital music files and streaming audio are very compressed so that the amount of data is minimized. It doesn’t mean that they sound bad, it just means that they will sound the same on a standard pair of headphones as they will on a pair that costs you $1500 and uses an amp so there is really no point in getting the high end ones. There are a lot of good options in the sub-$100 range, take a look at this guide: http://bestgear.org/5-best-headphones-under-100/. They have a good comparison of the best brands on the market in this range, which one is right for you will come down to the details and the features.

take a look at this guide. They have a good comparison of the best brands on the market in this range, which one is right for you will come down to the details and the features.

coupon codes for music mixing services

How to Make a Music Mix for Youtube

Quality Tracks

Utilizing tracks bought from the iTunes Store or other trustworthy music websites (Beatport, Amazon, iTunes etc) ought to guarantee that the tracks are of high quality. In the event that you decide to get the tracks from your CD’s by ripping, ensure that they are no less than 320Kbps in quality, or utilize bigger documents like AIFF’s or WAV’s to guarantee that the quality isn’t reduced.

One reason for utilizing great quality tracks is that you can guarantee that the volumes of the individual tracks will be comparative, not different but rather comparative, ensuring the various tracks complement one another. This can prevent your mix from having any clumsy disparity in volume when played.

Music Editing Software

Audacity
Audacity is a free application that enables you to record and edit songs. One of the cool highlights of Audacity is that it enables you to make a level volume for each track so you don’t have outrageous volume changes ruining the quality of your mix.

Mashup

This is a software created by the Mixed In Key group. It enables you to critically analyze tunes in melodic key and makes quality hints as to which tune will coordinate well with the others because of them being in the same or comparable melodic keys. You would then be able to duplicate as well as, paste areas of your tune, much the same as how your copy and paste in text editors, and make imaginative associations or mixes with your melodies. It is just like a software production room. Mashup is a paid service, unlike Audacity.

Uploading your Music Mix to YouTube

First Step

To get started. log in to your account on YouTube. If you do not have one it can be easily created by creating a Google account which you can use to log into YouTube.

Picking a File

Once you have signed in to YouTube, tap the upload icon close at the top right of the screen. From that point, you will be taken where you can upload your video.

Relevant Settings

Depending on the aim of putting up your mix, setting the right privacy settings is very important. There are 4 settings for your video, public, unlisted, private and scheduled. If you want your mix to be seen by the general public then the privacy settings should be set to public in other to ensure your mix is seen.

Uploading

You can either drag and drop your mix on the upload page or select it from your files. The progress of the upload shows on your screen.

Optimization of your Mix for Quality Ranking

This is very important, otherwise, your mix won’t be visible to people searching for what your mix features. Optimization of a video can be done by using proper tags, titles, and Keywords. By using relevant keywords in your description of the video and title, it gives your video a higher search ranking which ensures your video can be found easily when a search relating to it is made.


The process of creating and uploading a mix to YouTube must be done effectively from the stage of sourcing for the songs to the stage of using proper keywords and titles, to get the best out of the whole process.

Learning to Play

Learning to Play Guitar Online

Getting Started:

Learning a new instrument can be hard and getting lessons can be expensive. It can even be hard to get to lessons with such a busy schedule. Lucky for you there is another alternative to learn this skill. With these alternatives you can simply learn how to play with just your guitar and an internet connection. Learning to play guitar online is easier than you think.

Finding Videos:

Videos are an excellent method for learning how to play the guitar. Videos can show you how to play a certain songs or just getting down the basics. Some videos can be vague, but finding the right videos can be key. You can find a lot of these videos on You Tube. You can do a simple search for a tutorial on your favorite song or just learning the basics for beginners. If you find the right video then you will get the experience of seeing how to properly play while having a visual aid and a person to teach you. This is a good option for many people on learning the basics and working up to harder songs and getting more experienced. For good videos on how to learn the basics and many popular songs I recommend JustinGuitar on YouTube.  Here is an example of the videos on YouTube that you can use to learn guitar.

Finding Programs to Teach You:

Alongside with videos on You Tube to teach you there are also special programs that you can download on your computer to help teach you everything you would need to know. Some of these programs are free while some cost a small monthly charge. This is a very good option for someone who may be willing to pay a little money to learn the guitar, but may not have the time to go to physical lessons. Some good programs to download that I recommend are Yousician and Rocksmith. Yousician has a very small monthly charge of $9.99. Yousician can be used with electric and acoustic guitars, and works kind of like the video game Guitar Hero except with your own guitar. Rocksmith on the other hand is just like Yousician, but you would have to physically buy it and it is only for electric guitars. This is a very good option for someone who wants the overall feeling of having a real good lesson, but not having the time to get there.

Finding the Option that Is Right for You:

After you have found the option that is the best for you to learn, you will soon be great at playing the guitar, Everybody is different and everybody learns at different paces and different learning styles, so it is up to you to find your own way to learn. Try out different ways like watching videos, programs and even blogs that explain how to play the guitar. Once you find what is easy for you, you will be learning in no time. Just remember to keep on practicing and never give up on learning more and more everyday.


There are plenty more audio equipment coupon codes online, it’s always a good idea to do a quick google search before purchasing anything.

Streaming Music

5 Best Sites to Listen to Music

Music brings joy to ones life. It is the one that brings happiness and color to a dull world. Imagine life without music? It would be dull, boring and somewhat lifeless. The melody, the meaning of each songs is what brings hope and inspiration. Indeed music has a big role in ones life. Anywhere you go, you hear music playing or even you can hum your favorite song. Most individuals now listen to songs not only in their free time but even during work or doing household chores. With your MP3/iPod and earphones, your ready to listen to your favorite songs.

Music streaming is the latest trend today. There are two kinds of music streaming websites, the free music streaming website and the paid music streaming website. The difference between the free and paid website is that for free music streaming website you can listen to music without downloading it. With paid music streaming website, you can listen all you want and download it. You have to pay a subscription fee or pay a small amount for each song you want to download. For practical purposes, free music streaming is still best because you do not have to spend money for it. You just have to be careful to choose the safest music streaming website to listen to. Check out the 5 best sites for listening to music.

Pandora

5 Best Sites to Listen to Music

Pandora is likened to a radio station online where you can choose your favorite song genre. After choosing your kind of music, Pandora will show a list of songs where you can start to choose, play and listen to music. Pandora has more than a million songs to choose from. One thing you have to do, you have to have an account with them to listen to free music without the downloading feature. Pandora has both paid and free music streaming options. This application is available for smartphone too.

Spotify

Spotify is one of the oldest in music streaming. It has more than twenty million songs available for online listening. Just like Pandora, it offers free and paid membership. You have to have an account even for free listening. With free spotify music streaming, you have to bear ads in every two to three songs played. You can get the application in your desktop or smartphone.

Last.fm

This site has a huge collection of music. They have a search feature where you can search for your favorite song or artists. Most of the songs are free to listen and even download but there are songs which you have to pay too.

Jango

Jango is purely music streaming without download. You have the option to signup or not. The only benefit you get if you signup is that you can create your own radio station base on your favorite artists and songs.

iTunes Radio

This does not make much introduction since since most already know about their service. They are only available to Apple users and they feature both free and paid memberships.

So now you have a choice which websites to use. The important thing is you enjoy your time listening to your favorite songs.