EQ Magazine - August 2008 - (Page 4)

Talk Box THE REVENGE OF THE SINGLE Singles used to be the dominant pop music lifeform, starting with the 78. In the ’50s, the 45rpm single ruled; albums were often hastily-assembled groups of songs, with a couple hit singles and a bunch of filler. It was only in the ’60s that the idea of an album being a single, cohesive experience that you listened to from start to finish started to gel. Some theorize this was related to the drug culture—if people were going to be cemented to their couches and staring at lava lamps anyway, they had the time to listen to, say, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. But today, people digest their musical entertainment via portable music players, satellite radio, and Internet stations. Furthermore, we now have a media smorgasbord: The big three TV networks have proliferated into hundreds of cable channels, independent record labels (taken as a whole) have more market share than some of the giant record companies of yesteryear, and videogames have come back from their lull with a vengeance. People multitask among computers, cell phones, and game consoles. Does the album fit today’s lifestyle? I don’t think so, and I’m convinced the CD’s declining sales figures are not only about piracy, but also this lifestyle change. Consumers want to be able to pick their favorite tracks, assemble them in playlists, and listen to them based on their schedule—not that of an artist saying “Please sit down and listen to this for an hour.” Yet while some bemoan the waning influence of the CD, musicians who “think singles” can benefit. You no longer have to create something that holds someone’s attention for an hour; you just need to come up with one amazingly groovy, contemporary tune at a time, that can hold someone’s attention for a few minutes. Nor do you have to go through the hassle of releasing it as a physical product: There are plenty of online opportunities. Did you come up with a great track? It can be in the distribution pipeline tomorrow—no more waiting until you have enough material for a CD. And if you’re into video, coming up with a short video is a lot easier than coming up with an hour or so of material. Take advantage of this new world to put some spontaneity in your musical life. Get your music out there while it’s still fresh. Yes, the competition is stiffer, and the public more fickle, than ever. But you’re good enough to break through the noise with an original, catchy, infectious piece of music that will make you the talk of YouTube . . . right? www.eqmag.com Vol. 19 No. 8, August 2008 Executive Editor Craig Anderton, canderton@musicplayer.com Editor Matt Harper, mharper@musicplayer.com Managing Editor Debbie Greenberg, dgreenberg@musicplayer.com Contributors Jeff Anderson, Moses Avalon, Corey Bloom, Devine Evans, Paul Grundman, Michael Papatonis, Greg Reynolds, Will Romano, Michael Ross, Angelina Skowronski, Jonathan Stars Art Director Patrick Wong, pwong@musicplayer.com Staff Photographers Paul Haggard, phaggard@musicplayer.com, Craig Anderton, canderton@musicplayer.com Publisher John Pledger Group Publisher Joe Perry jperry@musicplayer.com, 770.343.9978 Advertising Director, West Coast & New Business Dev. Greg Sutton gsutton@musicplayer.com, 925.425.9967 Advertising Director, Midwest Jessica Sullivan jsullivan@musicplayer.com, 661.255.2719 Advertising Director, East Coast & Europe Grace Newman gnewman@musicplayer.com, 631.239.1460 Advertising Director, Southwest Albert Margolis amargolis@musicplayer.com, 949.582.2753 Specialty Sales Advertising Director Mike Montgomery mmontgomery@musicplayer.com, 650.238.0307 Specialty Sales Advertising, North Allison Smith asmith@musicplayer.com, 650.238.0296 Specialty Sales Advertising, South Will Sheng wsheng@musicplayer.com, 650.238.0325 Production Manager Amy Santana MUSIC PLAYER NETWORK Group Publisher/VP John Pledger Editorial Director Michael Molenda Senior Financial Analyst Bob Jenkins Production Department Manager Beatrice Kim Sales Operations Director Lauren Gerber Web Director Max Sidman Web Editor Lania Cortez Motion Graphics Designer Tim Tsuruda Marketing Director Christen Pocock McFarland Sales and Marketing Coordinator Molly Corman Marketing Designer Joelle Katcher Systems Engineer John Meneses Associate Circulation Director Cheri McElroy Associate Director, Subscription Marketing Christopher Dyson Fulfillment Manager Rosario Perez NEWBAY MEDIA CORPORATE President & CEO Steve Palm Chief Financial Officer Paul Mastronardi Vice President Web Development Joe Ferrick Circulation Director Denise Robbins HR Manager Ray Vollmer IT Director Greg Topf Controller Jack Liedke Please direct all advertising and editorial inquiries to: EQ, 1111 Bayhill Dr., Ste. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066 (650) 238-0300; Fax (650) 238-0262; eq@musicplayer.com Please direct all subscription orders, inquiries, and address changes to: 800-289-9919, outside the U.S. 978-667-0364, eqmag@computerfulfillment.com Back Issues: Back Issues are available for $10 each at 800-289-9919, 978-667-0364, eqmag@computerfulfillment.com EQ (ISSN 1050-7868) is published monthly by NewBay Media, LLC 1111 Bayhill Drive, Suite 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. EQ is a trademark of NewBay Media. All material published in EQ is copyrighted (©) 2008 by NewBay Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of material appearing in EQ is prohibited without written permission. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to EQ., P.O. Box 232, Lowell, MA 01853. Publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited manuscripts, photos, or artwork. All product information is subject to change; publisher assumes no responsibility for such changes. All listed model numbers and product names are manufacturers' registered trademarks. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. Canada Returns to be sent to Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2. Periodicals Postage Paid at San Bruno, CA, and at additional mailing offices. 4 EQ AUGUST 2008 www.eqmag.com http://www.eqmag.com http://www.eqmag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of EQ Magazine - August 2008

EQ Magazine - August 2008 Contents Talk Box Sounding Board Lyrics Born, Fink, David Kahne on Working with Paul McCartney, What a Future with no Record Industry looks like Tool Box ?uestlove Guitar Trax Bass Management Key Issues Drum Heads Vocal Cords Mix Bus Cheat Sheet Cakewalk Sonar 7 Apple Logic Pro 8 USM Mic Round-Up USB Mics Chameleon Labs 7720 Sounds Room with a Vu

EQ Magazine - August 2008

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