Other than the little hiccup I’ve received some great feedback from Easy MIDI users. I haven’t finalised yet in which direction I’m going to take this app. Let me know what you would like to see in the future versions of Easy MIDI. I can be reached at apps@nikolozi.com.

Also, I have a couple of promo codes of Easy MIDI to give away to those who want to create a short demo video. Nothing fancy, 1 or 2 minutes of screen capture of you trying it out and sharing your thoughts on it will suffice. Email me if you are interested.

A few Easy MIDI users on Snow Leopard emailed me this morning to let me know that they had trouble launching the app. Good news is I’ve tracked down the issue and the fix has been submitted to the Mac App Store. If you are on Snow Leopard make sure you update Easy MIDI to v1.2.1 as soon as it comes out. Should be a couple of days.

Sorry, for the inconvenience. I know this sort of a bug can be really annoying.

Here’s a quick summary as to what’s new in Easy MIDI 1.2:

• Caps Lock key toggles Easy MIDI Window
• App Preferences added
• You can choose app type: Dock or Status Menu (useful for fullscreen DAWs)
• App appearance options added
• Switch between Keyboard/Drum Pads with ⌘1 and ⌘2 shortcuts

They may seem like small tweaks but I think it improves overall experience dramatically.

Easy MIDI Preferences panel is very straightforward. Here you can set whether or not Caps Lock key toggles Easy MIDI’s main window and tweak the app’s appearance.

By default the Application type is set to Dock, but you may want to set it to Status Menu type as this setting will allow Easy MIDI’s main window to appear on top of full screen apps. This can be very useful if you use Logic Pro in full screen mode. This is my favourite feature in this update.

I’ve also updated Easy MIDI help page. Enjoy.

Keyboard View

Drum Pads View

Michael Wolfe:

Let’s take a hike on the coast from San Francisco to Los Angeles to visit our friends in Newport Beach. I’ll whip out my map and draw our route down the coast:

The line is about 400 miles long, we can walk 4 miles per hour for 10 hours per day, so we’ll be there in 10 days. We call our friends and book dinner for next Sunday night, when we will roll in triumphantly at 6 p.m. They can’t wait!…

A beautiful story with no ending. Every software engineer can identify with this situation. The reality is we humans are really bad at estimating.

Reuters:

Already known to television audiences in Britain and the United States as the acerbic judge on hit talent shows like “American Idol”, “The X Factor” and “Britain’s Got Talent”, the 52-year-old is looking to expand his empire.

“DJ’s are the new rock stars, it feels like the right time to make this show,” he said in a statement.

The new format will be co-produced by SYCO, Cowell’s joint venture with Sony Music, and Overbrook Entertainment, a U.S. entertainment company founded by Hollywood star Will Smith.

It’s about time we have a show like that.

@BT:

If @SimonCowell asked me to be a judge on that show I’d say yes. I think I’d be a good fit :) (And sounds like a lot of fun)

If BT was to co-judge the show I’d definitely watch it.

I had an interesting tweet exchange with Mr. Prydz a few days ago.

Eric Prydz:

Making music is like writing a story. Why tell other peoples stories when you can tell your very own!

Nikolozi:

@ericprydz true, however, it’s hard to tell your own stories when you don’t speak the language well yet. ‘Copying’ can be a starting point.

Eric Prydz:

@Nikolozi very true! But if you want to get people’s attention then you need a sound of your own!

Moral of the story - if you haven’t mastered the art of producing music try and copy pros, once you become good at it evolve your sound into something unique.

What’s New in Version 1.1:

• Added keyboard layout options
• Added MPC style drum pads layout
• UI improvements

Get it from the Mac App Store.

Rob Schlette:

The music production process usually produces a minimum of 3 sets of master recordings:

• Multitrack Masters – the complete, edited multitrack recordings that fed the mixing process, e.g. Pro Tools sessions, 2-inch 24-track tapes, etc.;

• Mix Masters – the various 2-tracks and bounces that fed the mastering process, e.g. stereo audio files, ½-inch 2-tracks, etc.;

• Replication/Distribution Masters – the media that came out of the mastering process to facilitate distribution, e.g. CD replication master(s), file sets for upload, etc.

My project/session files from early 2000s are no longer compatible with my current DAW setup. Mostly due to the fact that I’ve changed my primary DAWs multiple times and I switched to Mac. In addition, plug-ins I have installed on my system that I use these days are very different to what I used to use in 2005. And now, all new cool iPad DAW apps give us even more project file types.

Since there is no universal session file format and project files (and their assets) are binary, the best way to archive your sessions files is to bounce down individual tracks (pre and post channel strip) store them along with your mix masters. Basically what Schlette says with one addition, I would archive important MIDI files too.

I like these Matt Gemmell’s iBooks Ideas:

Your portfolio. Designers, developers, musicians, video editors… the list goes on. An interactive portfolio, showing your best work in the most effective way, complete with contact information and links to your online presence (or web portfolio pieces). For iOS developers, particularly, this would be powerful marketing.

Band biographies. History, trivia, music, live performance videos, photos and interviews.

I’ve been thinking about this myself the last few days and I think iBooks Arthur is an awesome way to create interactive music albums. You can listen to the songs of your favourite band while reading lyrics or enjoying looking at cover art visuals. Throw in band interviews and footage from their live performances and you’ll have a sexiest album out there. I’m pretty sure bands and artists are working on this sort of stuff already. It’s no-brainer.

Hello.