Science!! Wood Density DOES Affect Sound Performance in String Instrument

If you’ve ever looked through guitar community forum posts you’ll come across the topic of which wood sounds better. A lot of people have been saying that it makes no difference, while expert ears stand by their claim that the type of wood does. Well a new study has shown that wood density does affect the sound quality! Since the study was done on the violin, an instrument with a resonating cavity, it could be applied to acoustic guitar. I’m willing to take the leap forward and say it does have some affect on the sound quality of a solid body electric guitar. So density does affect sound performance!

The Secret of the Sweet-Sounding Stradivarius Link

Ariel Pink

I just love this video. Ariel Pink is hilarious.
A reminder: The auction on this website ends in 4 days. Link.

Boycott Phonica Records

Music is either supposed to be for fun or creativity. But Phonica is a cultural sewer drain for music. Phonica Records supports artists who blatantly rip works from lesser known acts. Phonica keeps the money without crediting the original artist. 40% or more of their music are just “re-edits” and are sold for profit, states this article in The Guardian. Put quite blatantly, Phonica sucks.

What can you do??? Get the word out and say “Boycott Phonica” on your blog. You can check their database, and also Search Youtube to see if someone posted a re-edit of your mix, which Phonica could be selling. Report content abuse on Myspace to get your content removed if necessary. You might be getting ripped off $$$ and not know it yet.

If you felt like you have been wronged by Phonica, or know anyone else who has, please post in the comments with your artist & song details. I will repost your story and let the world know. Chip Collection is fighting back for the recognition of original creators. With your help the right artists can make a stand. WE are the fame and money in the new internet age of music, not these edit-posers.

Get the word out and Boycott Phonica! Only dick holes play their music nowadays.

Roland Releases the Juno Stage & GW-8 Workstations

Finally, full size keys on the Juno Stage Synthesizer! I think they fixed a fatal flaw that concerned people on the Juno-G (short keys). But wait, does it have record-in anymore??? The pianos sound nice.

Also the GW-8, another workstation, that is probably lower priced than the fantoms, closer to the incredibly boring Korg TR series.

I’m not sure what the big difference is between these two. Ones is supposed to be a cool synth, and the other is a “standard” workstation, but they are probably just slightly different sound set chips?

Anyways, both look pretty interesting so far!! Its always nice to see new workstations.

Chip Collection for Sale?

I haven’t posted news in the blog as often as I’d originally envisioned. I’ve let the site run on autopilot the whole time, with minimal updates, mostly whenever I really felt like speaking my mind. If there is someone out there that wants control of The Chip Collection Blog & its attached online sample store, then this auction is for you. The bid is set below what I had it valued, and for something I’d be comfortable letting it go for. Even If no one is really interested, the site will go on like I normal!! I’m still into music/synths and I love this website. So I will continue if nothing happens. Thanks!

Click below to view details at the Site Point Auction:

Update:

Min Bid lowered to $8,000. Buy it Now for $14k.

Korg Nano Contollers

The controllers have a transport section. Nice!!!

All USB, theres a 9 channel fader, and a drum machine / XY pad. Seem to be priced very well, but then again, its not like it has actual keys there.

Video from Sonic State. Nice to check out.

Tesla Coil Plays Jean Michel Jarre. What?!

You can file this under waste of time, or awesomeness.
I didn’t know you could tune electricity to play music!

By ArcAttack, an AV-DJ group:

As seen on Flickr…

Nastee Samplin’: Stealing from chip artists.

Over on the 8-bit people’s site, word is that:

Crystal Castles, a Toronto-based band, has been heavily sampling music from several chip music artists without obtaining permission or crediting them.

Artist’s like Lo-bat have been affected. This is not the first case of this sort of thing happening, I think I remember and incident with a hip hop artist. Ouch? Or who cares? YOU DECIDE. Actually you don’t get to decide. Creative Commons sucks so do whatever you want.

Also check out FREAKuencies, an 8-bit peoples release that sounds really good.
Quick Mp3

Go check out their site if your hungry for more chip music or the Full FREAKuencies release by Yerzmyey

The Declining Quality of Apple, Synthmania 4 Year Anniversary

Many laptop-based Mac OS X users are experiencing significant audio issues on Mac OS X Tiger and Leopard. On Tiger, the culprit appears to be the AirPort Extreme Update 2008-001 released earlier this spring. One workaround on Tiger is to simply turn off AirPort.

From CDM

Do you think that Apple’s software and hardware quality have gone way down?? Every update they release seems untested nowadays. Programs also seem to crash more often, even with an increased overall stability of the system. Airport giving audio problems is insane, and evidence that they aren’t paying attention.

Link From Emusic

Beat Bearing!!!

Controlling a TR-808 with ball bearings! Looks like alot of people saw this one already. Eh, I’m slow.

Keytars and Controllerism From Lx7

Come Celebrate Synthmania’s 4 year anniversary with a Visit to their page on the Electrix Filter Factory!!
Mp3 Demo

Do you need a kick start in your garden?

Features 5 encoders (with button), an additional button and a display. Software is customizable (by me, hahahaha)…..But I use it to command my machinedrum effects over sysex

RuinWesen Midi Command Link @ EM411

Stupid Front Page Promotions on Myspace

Here is a new feature on Chip Collection where I make commentary on current bands that shelled out tons of money to put their face on the front of myspace. They all have a common thread: I can’t remember them the next day AND they sound like the mid 90s in a bad way.

Mates of State

This band is making some type of attempt to be cool and original, but the only thing I will ever remember about them is their promo photos. In five seconds from now I will not remember their band’s name, fortunately.

Why I hate them:

1. They sound like Dido meets the Olsen Twins and Alanis Morisette screaming, trapped under a rusty buick regal.
2. They wear eyeglasses in their pictures, which means they are dickholes in real life.

Positives: The girl looks ilke a dried up version of Pamela Anderson.

Check them out if you dare. Link

A Fine Frenzy

This would be innovative in the 90s, but not now.

Come On, Come Out

Why I hate them:

1. The girl has no idea what she is doing or where she is. I think she has a touch of Alzheimer’s early.
2. The video takes place in a car.
3. The video takes place in Pete N Pete’s neigborhood.

Well I have no idea what I’m listening to in her video. I just see her red hair.
Rip off-ville-city.

And for my last stupid myspace front page act:

BEN JELEN

Have you ben jelen? HAVE YOU??? Do you own a steam punk type-writer? Do you sound like shit?

Ben Jelen is the type of music I would listen to on the radio if I was too tired to change the station while driving home. Hopefully you won’t start to drift out of your lane like me.

Click the Link

Okay, thats it for now. I will likely find more crap on the myspace front page soon.

Jesus Christ, stick to making music for Subway commercials.

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