Scarebear

The beginnings of my next guitar

2012-12-18T22:19:00.000+10:00

I'm lucky enough to own a few different guitars. I've tried to add a new guitar to my little collection every other year for the last 10 years or so. With each new purchase I try and get something new. Not new in the sense of the guitar not being second hand, but in the sense of the guitar having features my previous guitars didn't have. For example, I purchased my Fender Stratocaster so I could experience the three single coil pickup scenario (plus I just wanted to own a Fender Stratocaster). I purchased my Epiphone Les Paul so I could experience the twin humbucker scenario with independent volume and control knobs. With all my current guitars, I have most scenarios covered. I guess that's why this year I wasn't really looking for a new guitar.

That all changed when I discovered Derek Buddemeyer on Twitter and noticed the guitar he plays on all his recordings and in all his YouTube videos. I discovered quickly through Derek's Blogger website that this guitar was something he'd built himself. This was a one-of-a-kind electric guitar. Luckily for me, Derek was going to be building replicas (including some in an alternate colour range). I knew that I needed to be a part of that experience.

The main features of the Buddemeyer Hangnail Pro guitar that drew me in are as follows:

Twin humbuckers (the neck humbucker looks like a single coil).
Floyd Rose licensed tremolo bridge that doesn't require the strings ends to be cut off.
Reversed headstock.
No tone control.
Push/pull volume control that doubles as a pickup selector.
A smoke coloured option with all black accessories.

I don't have any of those features in the guitars I currently own. That's also a lot of new features for one guitar. Add to that the fact that this guitar will be shipped from the USA with a hard case for less than most decent guitars I can purchase here in Australia and this is an easy sell.

I'm getting a Buddemeyer Hangnail Pro guitar of my own.

I am of course taking a risk here. I only know what I've seen, heard and read online. For example, I researched the accessories and components that are used in the build of the Buddemeyer Hangnail Pro guitar. I liked what I read. The pickups get some good reviews. The bridge gets some good reviews as well. But as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. That's a lot of words per picture when you think about it. For example, I haven't even made it to 500 words in this article yet!

Luckily for you all, you don't have to read much more because recently Derek posted pictures on his Facebook site of one of the new Buddemeyer Hangnail Pro guitars (smoke model). A model exactly the same as one I've ordered. This therefore is a collection of pictures that show what I can hopefully expect to receive sometime soon. I couldn't be happier with how these look. I now wait for my own model to be built and shipped from the USA to Australia. Waiting ... Patience is not my strong suit.

Body (unstrung)

Guitar in case (unstrung)

Headstock (strung)

Neck (strung)

My Pro Tone Pedals Skumstortion settings

2012-12-17T22:29:00.000+10:00

Recently I wrote about the Skumstortion pedal I purchased from Pro Tone Pedals. It's a wicked sounding (and looking) pedal. I knew that. I'd written about it. I just hadn't been able to share the auditory coolness with people ... Until now.

Now I have the power of video. View (and listen) to the awesome sounds of my Skumstortion pedal!

I received some great advice from the cool people at Pro Tone Pedals in regards to recording crystal clear audio by plugging the Skumstortion pedal into the iPad and using AmpKit as the clean amplifier sound. For me, it worked a treat. I was actually very surprised at how clear the signal was from pedal to iPad app.

I used the Colonel 900 amplifier head and cabinet for my recordings. I found the preset I'd created sounded almost identical to my own amplifier settings at home (in the real world). Thanks to technology (and the clever people at Pro Tone Pedals) I was able to record the sounds I hear when I play directly into my own amplifier. This was clearer than my attempts at recording from the amplifier to the iPad. My amplifier doesn't do quiet very well.

And so the power of technology allows me to now share it all with you. Just not directly on this site. Why? The video contains colour. And I don't allow that here.

Schecter amplification coming in 2013

2012-11-21T21:06:00.001+10:00

Twice now I've received a little sneak peak in my email that has implied something awesome is coming from the people at Schecter. I have to say the imagery that comes with each email has made me say "Dear God! That looks to be awesome!" The imagery looks like this.

Schecter amplification

Looks like ... The original version has more colour. But that's not allowed here.

Some people say that a picture is worth a thousand words and I don't plan on writing a thousand words here today to prove (or disprove) that point. I will say however that I love the Schecter brand. I have a Schecter myself (in my current website header it's the seconds guitar from the left) and it looks and sounds perfect. Seeing that logo in some speaker cabinets makes me want one of these amplifiers bad (in the good way). They look like they're going to rock. I am as sure as I can be that they will.

I hope I'm right. I really look forward to seeing and hearing these in 2013!

Skumstortion by Pro Tone Pedals

2012-11-11T10:49:00.001+10:00

Recently Pro Tone Pedals had a Flash Sale of the Skumstortion pedal which allowed me to pick it up for just $50.00 plus postage. I'd been watching Pro Tone Pedals for a while on the likes of Twitter and YouTube and always liked the look (and sound) of what I'd seen so I jumped at the opportunity. Having now received my pedal in the mail, I'm glad I did. This pedal rocks.

I might try to make my own video one day soon—this would be a first for me on this kind of thing—so you can see and hear the tonal varieties this pedal has to offer. For now, check out what I got in the mail.

My pedal box arrived safe and sound to Australia all the way from the USA with its box intact and none the worse for wear after days at sea (figuratively speaking). Knowing how the American date system differs from my own in Australia (we use the day/month/year method) I thought it was cool that my pedal was tested on 09/10/11 and I received it on 11/11/12. Awesome continuity!

Pro Tone Pedals packaging

When I got my package I felt like I was receiving a custom car part. Something truly rustic, metal and cool. I was partially right and the experience just got better.

Yes, I am talking/writing about the opening of a box.

Pro Tone Pedals promotional flyer/card

At first I opened the box and saw the promotional card for Pro Tone Pedals and thought I'd received a different pedal to the one I'd ordered. Then I realised I'm an idiot and that I was looking at a promotional card. I removed the promotional card to then discover ...

Pro Tone Pedals protective cloth

Awesome! Once again I felt like I was receiving a custom part for an old hot rod I was building. The packaging for this pedal is just brilliant. But wait ... What is that hidden at the back of the box there?

Pro Tone Pedals stickers

Why they're just some awesome stickers. I was loving this process way too much considering I hadn't made it to the reason I'd made a purchase in the first place yet. So, what was hiding under that fancy cloth?

Pro Tone Pedals Skumstortion pedal

My very own Pro Tone Pedals Skumstortion pedal. Sitting there proudly in its own protective cloth all safe and sound. Ready to be released from the confines of its cardboard containment chamber and plugged into the power and amplification it will now call home in my guitar room.

Pro Tone Pedals Skumstortion pedal

There you have it.

This pedal has one of the best designed interfaces I've seen on a guitar pedal in regards to knob/button placement and overall pedal design. That is one of the reasons I decided to make the purchase in the first place. The other reason was the tones I was hearing when watching the videos on youTube.

Having played the pedal myself for a day so far, I'm beyond happy with the purchase. I don't believe I've used a tone knob on anything as much as I have on this pedal. It seems to have such great effect on the sound possibilities. I love it. As mentioned at the beginning of the article, I'll do my best to put together a video one day soon so you can hear the sounds I now hear. Until then, enjoy the colour images from this article on my Tumblr site.

Rock on.

Photography on the iPhone—RetroCamera FREE

2012-10-17T14:46:00.002+10:00

This is one of the photography apps I have on my iPhone with the label of RetroCamera. More on that in a future article perhaps. RetroCamera FREE is fairly simple and provides features that the app's name alludes to. Your enhanced images are going to look like they were taken with an old retro camera.

Speaking of old, the image I took for this article are weeks old and they were posted on my Tumblr site many a day ago. Everything is old!

The images I took using the RetroCamera FREE app were all of my Magnum semi-acoustic guitar. There will be a black and white sample at the end of this article. Until then, let's see how you get from plain to retro.

RetroCamera FREE main screen

Once you're in the app you need to get an image to edit. You can do this by taking a new photograph from within the app or by selecting one from the iPhone camera gallery. Once that is sorted, the on-screen menu shows you the many areas you have to make changes to your image. Exiting the app and returning to it can make this screen reappear as well.

This on-screen display is placed here to let you know what the menu items at the bottom of the screen are for. Clicking the Load/Save Image button for example will take you to a screen like the one below.

RetroCamera FREE Load/Save Image

You can select a photo from your camera roll, take a new image or save your enhanced image from this screen. You are able to select from several saving options as well—camera roll, sharing service or other apps.

For the purposes of this article let's assume an image was selected or taken. That image would have looked like this.

RetroCamera FREE imported image

With a selected image it's now easy to enhance the image by applying some of the built in effects of RetroCamera FREE. This is done by applying some of the app's templates.

RetroCamera FREE Template screen

Clicking the Apply/Add/Edit button takes you to the following screen. This is where the magic happens.

RetroCamera FREE Apply Template

Each thumbnail is a preview of the template style that you can apply to your own image. You can favourite the templates you like the most from this screen as well. In case you're wondering, there are more than three templates to choose from. You can scroll through quite a few at the bottom of the screen. Click the one you want and watch the steps get applied as your image is transformed.

RetroCamera FREE enhanced

The app now shows you the image with the template applied. If you recall the first screen in this article the buttons beside the Template button were for Edit Picture and Adjust Picture. The Edit Picture screen has more features similar to those found in the Template screen. The Adjust Picture screen allows you to adjust the image's brightness, colour and contrast (as well as applying Bokeh).

So ... Plenty to play with here.

All that's left to do is save the image. One feature I've not seen in many other apps is the one on the following screen (seen after you decide to save to your camera gallery).

RetroCamera FREE Orientation screen

Orientation. It's a handy thing to be asked. Generally I sort that out when I take my shot, but it's a good feature all the same.

Clearly this is an advertising supported app (there is another version that you can pay for which removes the advertising). The features are pretty impressive and the effects are very easy to apply. I wonder what they look like in the paid version (I believe the resolution is better in the paid version). I found the results to be not as impressive as some of the other apps I've tried in recent months.

But you decide for yourself. Take a look at the images I created or try the app for yourself. It is free after all.

Magnum Semi-Acoustic Enhanced

Photography on the iPhone—Plastic Bullet

2012-10-06T07:07:00.000+10:00

I haven't written here in a month. That's terrible. So I'll get straight to it with the speed of a bullet. A Plastic Bullet in fact. Because that's the name of the app I am writing about today in my ongoing series of articles that focuses on stylising the photographs one* takes with an iPhone.

* One is me.

The subject matter of this series of images (which can be seen in full colour on my Tumblr site) is my Schecter Omen 6. It's an awesome guitar. It's one of my no-nonsense guitars. Pick it up and play. Simple. Very much like Plastic Bullet really. That's what I love about the app to be honest.

With Plastic Bullet, the process to getting an awesome stylised image is simple. Open the app, choose an image from your Camera Roll (or shoot a new photograph) and wait for Plastic Bullet to create four different stylised images for you to choose from.

Plastic Bullet stylised images screen

If you don't like those images you simply hit the Refresh button in the top-right of the screen. Instantly you're provided with four new stylised images to choose from. You can do this all day until you find the image you like the most. When you find that image, just click it. You'll be presented with a full-screen version of that image just like the one below.

Plastic Bullet stylised image screen

If you look at your full-screen image and think "Om my, I got that wrong", you can either hit the Back button in the top-left of the screen or you can refresh using the Refresh button (still in the top-right corner) to refresh the one image. Simple.

Once you have the image you love, hit the Save (or Love) button. I imagine it's a Love button because it looks like a heart. You're now looking at the Save and Share screen. It's once again, simple.

Plastic Bullet Save and Share screen

As you can see you can save the image to your Camera Roll or you can share it on several social media networks. When you start the saving process you are taken to a screen that shows you the saving progress. That screen allows you to edit the size your image is saved at. Handy.

Plastic Bullet saving screen

That is pretty much it. As I've said a few times already, simple. That's honestly one of the best features of this little app. There are some overly complicated photographic apps on the market today. Sometimes you just want to open your image, have an effect applied to it and share it with your friends. Plastic Bullet does just that. It also provides you with images like the one below and the full colour versions I linked to at the beginning of my article. Simple.

Image stylised by Plastic Bullet

Photography on the iPhone—PhotoToaster Jr

2012-09-04T22:10:00.001+10:00

If you're going to do a review on an app called PhotoToaster Jr (which I am obviously in the process of doing right now) then you need to select the subject matter carefully. For me that involved making sure the subject had something to link it to heat generated in a toaster. I went for my C Giant acoustic guitar. It has a nice golden touch to it. That didn't seem to be enough though. Luckily I remembered that I purchased my C Giant at Aldi (home of all good musical instruments ... and groceries).

Perfect!

PhotoToaster Jr is the ad-supported version of PhotoToaster. It's free, but it's still pretty damn impressive. And tricky. It has quite a lot to offer after all. Let's look and see how much fun there is to have in this warm and friendly little photography app.

PhotoToaster Jr imported image screen

At first the icons in PhotoToaster Jr can be daunting. It's not easy to work out what button does what. But once you know your way around you begin to understand just how useful this app can be. So, the top-left button is the one you press to access the menu screen of the app. You can select an image from your Camera Roll, choose to shoot a new photograph, paste from your iPhone's clipboard or interact with the developer (for news, updates and/or help). Once you've done all of that though, you end up with an image something like the one above.

From there, it's editing time.

PhotoToaster Jr effects screen

The button on the bottom-left of the main screen makes the effect previews appear below your main image just as they do in the screenshot above. From here you can scroll through the various presets or you can click the shiny wheel in the bottom-left of the screen to move to the next set of presets. So many presets. But it's not all about the presets.

PhotoToaster Jr lighting screen

As you move through the icons at the bottom of the app you discover you have the ability to adjust the lighting of your enhanced image using the presets (as seen in the image above) or by clicking the tiny icon at the top of the preset previews. That little icon allows you to manually manipulate the lighting of your image. That's very awesome.

PhotoToaster Jr effects screen

The same system applies to the effects screen. You can either scroll through the presets or you can manually adjust your settings using the little icon at the top-left of the tiny effect preview screen.

PhotoToaster Jr Vignette screen

Surprisingly, the vignette screen uses the same system as the two screens that precede it. As does the borders screen. Ingenious!

PhotoToaster Jr border screen

With all these options and buttons it must surely be difficult to export or save your image. Pfft ... No! It's easy. That's why that big export button sits in the top-right of the app screen. From there you get taken to the export options screen. That screen has plenty of export options in it. Which makes sense ...

PhotoToaster Jr export screen

Personally I like to export to my Camera Roll. It allows me to quickly show people (real people) the awesome photos I've taken and enhanced. One handy little feature in PhotoToaster Jr is that it allows you to save your image to your Camera Roll and to a specially created directory in your photo albums dedicated to your PhotoToaster Jr creations.

PhotoToaster Jr save screen

It also allows you to save to other recognised folders it seems (see screenshot above). Or you can create your own folder name. I find that feature to be awesome. I hate having hundreds of random images in the one folder on the iPhone.

There you have it. There's more to the app than my review of course, but the million dollar question is of course "How good are the images that PhotoToaster Jr generates?" When someone sends me one million dollars I'll answer that question.

I'm kidding. You can see the results of my photographic experiments in the two posts I made on my Tumblr site. They can be found here and here. Of course I'll also supply my regular black and white teaser below. I trust you'll enjoy them all. Just like I enjoyed PhotoToaster Jr. Actually I enjoyed it so much that after the review, I purchased the full (add free) version.

C Giant edited by PhotoToaster Jr

Photography on the iPhone—Luminance

2012-09-03T21:48:00.000+10:00

I've been somewhat tardy in regards to my iPhone photography articles of late. Travelling to the USA and back threw me out of whack. And I was whacked to begin with. Today however I find myself back on track (and in whack). I've seen the light and basked in its luminance as I continue down the highway of useless article writing. That's coincidental actually as today's article focuses on my Boss ME-50 effects unit as seen through the eyes of the Luminance app.

Yay!

Luminance is incredibly easy to use. From the home screen you simply import an image from your Camera Roll or shoot a new image using your iPhone's camera. Both techniques result in your selected image being placed into the app's library.

Luminance start screen

With your image in the library, simply click and let the enhancing begin. That will take you to a screen like the one below (if you were taking a photograph of your own Boss ME-50).

Luminance effects screen

Applying your effects is rather simple. Scroll through the available options at the bottom of the app and watch as they're applied to your original image. Once you have your effects applied you can save/export or move on to the other settings. I'll move onto the other settings. Otherwise this would be the worst review ever.

Luminance manual effects settings screen

The next screen (as you go through them left-to-right) is one of the coolest in this (or any other) app. If you like the overall effect you've ended up with but feel it's lacking that little something, then this is the screen for you. From here you can manipulate the settings for the image's colours, hue, saturation, brightness, contrast, exposure, white balance, vignette and more. This level of manual manipulation is outstanding.

You can even click the little + button to add more effects to your image. There's hours of fun to be had here. We don't have hours to waste in this article though. So on to the next screen.

Luminance crop screen

From the crop screen you can change the shape of your image to any of the preset options (such as square, 4:3 or 16:9) or you can create a custom crop size. You can even change the image from portrait to landscape. Easy.

Luminance timeline screen

The final screen before the Share screen is the timeline screen. This screen shows you the stages you've taken to get the image you've ended up with. If you feel you had it right a few steps back, just click on that stage and the image reverts back to that stage. But don't worry, you can still revert to the last stage if you change your mind again. This is a great app for the indecisive. Or is it? No ... it is.

Luminance saving screen

That's pretty much it. Once you've created your masterpiece, hit the Share button and save your image to your Camera Roll, Twitter, Facebook or Email. It's easy and it creates awesome effects. Don't believe me? Well take a look at the regular black and white version provided below or view the full colour gallery on my obviously awesome Tumblr site. Bask in the coloured glory and have yourself a great day.

Boss ME-50—Luminance version B&W

Photography on the iPhone—Line Camera

2012-07-22T06:53:00.000+10:00

My previous article on the Leme Cam app featured my Ibanez RX-20. A pointy guitar built for shredding. Today I want to focus on a new iPhone photography app, but stay with the theme of metal. Of all the guitar effect pedals I own, nothing screams metal like my MXR Fullbore Metal pedal. It's simple, brutal and does its job with ease. Just like today's feature app, Line Camera.

\m/

When you first open the Line Camera app things appear similar to the default camera that comes with the iPhone. There are a few additional buttons that may get your attention though.

Line Camera main screen

Along the top of the app you have buttons for the iPhone's flash settings, front or back camera options, image orientation and timer options. The bottom row of menu items allows you to access the iPhone's Camera Roll, take a photo, access the brush settings or access the app's main settings.

The image orientation settings are impressive as they allow you alternate between 3:4 and 1:1 in camera mode plus 4:3 when choosing an image from your camera roll. Applying those settings to an image in your camera roll looks something like this ...

Line Camera 4:3 screen

Line Camera 1:1 screen

Once your image is selected or taken, the manipulation can begin. Manipulation is as simple as turning a dial on the mighty MXR Fullbore Metal pedal. Inside the app however there are no dials. Instead, the effects are displayed along the bottom of the screen for you to select from.

Line Camera effects screen

Clicking each effect displays the effect on your image in the main image area of the app. Once you're happy with your newly manipulated image you can move on to the framing area of the app.

Line Camera frame screen

The frames are selected in the same manner as the effects are. Scrolling through the available frames, you click on the options until you find the frame you'd like to stick with. Once you've done that, it's time to move on to the next section of the app. Generally my tastes take me straight to the Save button from the frames area, but I'll quickly explain one unique feature of the Line Camera app.

Line Camera stamps screen

Line Camera has stamps. Lots and lots of stamps. You can apply these stamps over your photograph in a way that turns them into something totally unique and cartoon like. I imagine these would be rather handy on Tumblr and Pinterest styled sites for people younger than me. I'm not someone younger than me though.

The brush screen allows you to draw over your image and the text screen allows you to type over your image. Both of these features of course allow for levels of creativity that many other apps in my articles can't compete with. As I'm not the right person to properly utilise these features though I'm leaving them alone. They're cool, I'm just not cool enough to do them justice.

Line Camera save screen

With my photograph sufficiently manipulated I saved it to my camera roll using the Save button. It's a simple process really. You hit the Save button and your image is in your iPhone's camera roll. At the end of the save process you get the Share screen with a great deal of options.

Line Camera share screen

You can send the image to Line (they make the Line Camera app), various social media networks or to another app on your iPhone. You can of course return to the camera mode and start the process all over again. With all the cool effects inside, it is hard to not do exactly that.

If you'd like to see the kinds of images I created using the Line Camera app, please visit the MXR Fullbore Metal gallery I created on my Tumblr site. As always, there's a free black and white sample below as well. The full colour files on Tumblr are also free by the way. Go have a look before someone beats you to it!

Enjoy.

MXR Fullbore Metal edited by Line Camera

Photography on the iPhone—Leme Cam

2012-07-21T09:46:00.000+10:00

If I was to get straight to the point it would require two things. One, someone else to write this post because I'm not a straight to the point kind of guy. Two, subject matter that was pointy to match the need for pointiness. That's where my Ibanez RX-20 comes in. It's one of my favourite pointy guitars. Actually, it's just one of my favourite guitars. Luckily the photographs I ended up taking of it with Leme Cam app are some of my favourite photographs from this series of photography on the iPhone yet. Awesome.

Another thing that is awesome is the ease of use Leme Cam has. It is one of the simplest apps I've tried. It also has some of the coolest end results. Let me show you how easy it is to use.

Leme Cam main screen

One thing I'll point out here is the screen will differ depending on the camera you choose. The basic premise is the same with each camera though. You have access to the CamBag (select the camera and lens you want to use), Album (your iPhone's Camera Roll), My Photos (photographs taken in Leme Cam) and the Shoot button. Some cameras like the one previewed above have more options for the tilt shift feature or similar and some have less.

Leme Cam Color Flash screen

Leme Cam Action 4 screen

The fun happens when you click the CamBag button. It's in this section that you get to select the camera you want to use, the lens and the frame. Making the choices is as simple as sliding the cameras, lenses and frames up and down until you've created your winning combination and then clicking the Finish button.

It's almost like creating your own winning slots machine combination.

Leme Cam CamBag screen 1

Leme Cam CamBag screen 2

The options are plentiful and limited only by your imagination. Once you've saved your setting, you can apply it to any image in your iPhone Camera Roll or to any new photograph you wish to take. The images can be shared with a large number of social media sites, exported to your Camera Roll or sent to Leme Cam's own social media network. This is all handled from within the My Photos section of the app.

Leme Cam My Photos

There is a lot more to this handy little app and I believe it's definitely worth looking into. Best part? It's free. Have a look at the gallery I created for the app on my Tumblr site or use the black and white sample image below. Enjoy.

Ibanez RX-20 edited by Leme Cam

Photography on the iPhone—Fotor

2012-07-16T22:32:00.000+10:00

My previous article mentions that HDR Foto has a built-in link to Fotor, so I feel it's fitting that this article has a built-in link to my article on HDR Foto. That makes sense right? It's important to maintain linkages. I've had three links in this article already and I haven't even got to the part where I show you the awesome photographs I took of my Joyo Digital Delay effects pedals using Fotor.

Let's make our way to those shall we?

Fotor is one of my favourite iPhone photography apps. There are just so many options to be found within it. From the main screen you have the options of adding effects and frames, creating a collage, editing an existing image, creating a HDR image (combining two separate images just as HDR Foto does), adjusting the aperture of an existing image, creating a colour splash image or using the 1-Tap Enhance feature.

Options!

Fotor main screen

Let's take a look at some of my favourite sections. First, the Big Aperture section. This app has some of the best tilt shift options you'll ever find. Look at the image below then read the text below it. Don't try and read the text and then look at the image below. That would just be confusing.

Fotor Big Aperture screen

As you can see there are options at the bottom of the screen for Portrait, Building, Nature and Micro. Each button will take you to some aperture settings specifically designed to match your image's content. Brilliant. Let's take a closer look at Micro.

I did that on purpose.

Fotor Micro screen

There are F settings along the bottom of the screen that allow you to edit the depth of field and the slider above the F settings allows you to adjust the width of the area the effects get applied to. Great control over your image manipulation.

Once you're happy with your manipulated image, you can click the big Tick button and save the image. You are also given options to further enhance the image by taking your image into the other areas of the app.

Fotor save or edit screen

For the purposes of this article, let's pretend I clicked the FX & Frame button (because I did). That's how I ended up with the screenshot below.

Fotor FX & Frame screen

There are new options at the bottom of the screen now. Simple, Styled, Classic, Analog and more. Clicking on any of those buttons takes you to a section with a series of effects ready for you to apply them to your image. See the Styled example below.

Fotor Styled screen

The rest is rather simple. Scroll through the options and apply the one you like the look of. Clicking any effect will bring it to the forefront of the app. If you don't like the effect you can use the arrows to scroll through to the next effect, click the Cross button to return to the previous screen or click the Tick button to apply your new effect.

Fotor applied filter screen

As soon as you're happy with your finished image, click the Save button at the top right of the screen and save your image. This saves the image to the app's album.

Fotor rendering & saving screen

From the app's album you can export the image, share it (to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr or E-mail) or process it further.

Fotor image options screen

The Export button saves the edited image to your iPhone's Camera Roll. It's a quick and painless experience.

Fotor export screen

I like that this app saves your images in its own album. That way you can always reopen the image and manipulate it further.

The effect quality and range is outstanding in this app. Ease of use is awesome and the end results speak for themselves. If I did have to speak for them though, I'd speak highly. I won't speak for them though as I have a gallery of full colour samples to show you (which I mentioned in this article's opening paragraph). so without further delay—that was intentional— here are the photographs I've placed on my Tumblr site. As usual though, there's a black and white sample to be found right here. Enjoy.

Joyo Digital Delay edited by Fotor

Photography on the iPhone—HDR Foto

2012-07-15T09:18:00.000+10:00

In the latest article from the Photography on the iPhone category I had to pick a new app to write about and I had to pick a new subject for the photography in the article. For the app, I chose HDR Foto. For the subject matter, I picked my guitar plectrums.

Pick. Plectrum ... I love my own Blog.

HDR Foto is almost a two-in-one app for me. Firstly, it allows you to capture two images (one focusing on the subject's highlights with the other focusing on the subject's shadows) and combine them into one high quality version that has clear definition throughout the image. Secondly your image can have filtered effects applied to it. The latter can also be applied to any image in your iPhone's Camera Roll.

HDR Foto main screen

The first aspect of the app that I mentioned can be accessed using the HDR Mode setting (as seen in the screenshot above). We'll be focusing on that section today. Before we do though, I can let you know that Normal Mode takes a single shot (like most camera apps), Albums allows you to select an image from your Camera Roll and the Fotor - CameraBag button will take you to the iTunes App Store page for Fotor. More on Fotor in my next article.

Let's see what HDR Mode looks like.

HDR Foto camera mode screen

The text that appears on screen lets you know what to do. Use one of the squares to pinpoint the image highlights and the other square to pinpoint the image's shadows. I strongly recommend using a tripod for these images as any movement will be picked up when the two images are merged. The two images are taken quickly, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

HDR Foto multiple shot screen

Once the two photographs have been taken you can view them and decide to either move on, or try again. My photographs are clearly awesome, so let's move on.

HDR Foto editing screen

Once the two photographs have been merged you are taken to the Edit Photo screen. From here you can save your HD image (using the Save/Share button we'll cover later) or you can further enhance the image. As you can see you can adjust the image's Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Detail and more using the on-screen slider. You can also use the buttons at the bottom of the screen to rotate the image, apply effects or apply a frame/border.

HDR Foto effects screen

Clicking the FX button brings the available effects to light. You can scroll through these effects and click on any that you wish to apply to your image. It's very simple to use.

HDR Foto frame screen

Adding an image frame/border is just as simple. Click the Frame button at the bottom of the screen, scroll through the options and click the frame/border you wish to apply. Simple. The only thing you need to do now is save/share your image using the Save/Share button I mentioned earlier.

HDR Foto save/share screen

As you can see in the screenshot above, HDR Foto allows you to save the image to your album (Camera Roll), email the image or share the image on Facebook or Flickr. All at the click of a few buttons.

One of the things I really like about HDR Foto is that you can create an image with perfect exposure in both light and dark before you then apply effects. Very few apps offer that feature. As usual, you can view the full colour results of my tests on my Tumblr site or you can view the black and white conversion in the image below. Enjoy.

Plectrums - enhanced by HDR Foto

Photography on the iPhone—Instagram

2012-07-14T12:51:00.000+10:00

Instagram. The small app very few people have heard of that allows a user to not only edit their photographs, but share them using the app's built-in social environment. It's tiny. You're probably reading about it here first asking yourself with your inside voice "Instagram?"

If it makes you feel any better, it was recently bought by Facebook. You've probably not heard of that site either though. That's OK, I am not going to be writing about the social side of this app. I'm going to continue to focus on the editing capabilities of the app and the guitar related subject matter I'm so fond of.

Focus ... That's still my favourite descriptor for a photography article.

Today we will be looking at my Boss Chorus pedal in the Instagram app. The Boss Chorus pedal is an awesome pedal. Say it with me ... "The Boss Chorus pedal is an awesome pedal". Chorus. Say it with me. Puns are great!

Anyhow ...

When you get into the photographic side of the Instagram app you are given the choice of shooting a new image or selecting an existing image from your Camera Roll. I chose the Camera Roll. Once I'd chosen my image I was taken to the screen below. From here I could crop and zoom to my heart's content (which is a requirement as Instagram outputs the popular square format image).

Instagram move and scale screen

Once the selected image is cropped, it's time to begin the editing process. Luckily that's a process which is much easier to follow than one of my articles.

Instagram unedited image screen

The basic process in Instagram is as follows. Scroll along the filters that appear on the bottom of the screen, click the effect you are interested in and then click the big green Tick button at the bottom of the app. Done. Thanks for reading.

Of course there's more to it than that though.

Instagram edited image screen

The buttons along the top of the screen allow you to turn the effect's border on or off (using the Border button in the top left of the screen), rotate the image (using the curved Arrow button), add or remove tilt-shift filters (using the Droplet button) or close the camera (using the Exit button in the top right of the screen).

Once all of the editing is done, it becomes time to save your image.

Instagram save image screen

Your image will be saved to your Instagram feed (that's the social network side of things I'm not writing about) and your Camera Roll (if you've set your app up to do that). You also have the opportunity to send your picture to your linked social network sites (Twitter, Facebook and more).

The filters in Instagram are among the best I've experienced in any iPhone camera app and the social networking side that I'm refusing to cover is actually an added bonus. It's just outside of the scope I'm sticking with for my articles.

You can see some full colour examples of Instagram edited images on my Tumblr site in this Boss Chorus pedal gallery and this Boss Distortion pedal gallery. Two for the price of one! Alternatively, there's this black and white converted image below. So many options. Enjoy.

Instagram edited image (filter and tilt shift)

Photography on the iPhone—HDR FX

2012-07-10T23:04:00.000+10:00

Sticking with my guitar related posts for Photography on the iPhone while also sticking with the trend—not really a trend—I started with my last article of not making everything about guitars, I bring you today's article that focuses on my Mahalo ukulele. I've probably also just provided you with the longest and most poorly structured sentence I've ever written. It's probably best I move straight into the article itself now.

I used the HDR FX iPhone app to capture the images of my ukulele that are posted on my Tumblr site. HDR FX is a very simple to use little app that allows you to preselect a recommended HDR effect for your photograph (taken from within the app itself or from your Camera Roll) or edit the settings to create an effect of your own. For this article, I chose to select an image from my Camera Roll.

HDR FX main screen

When you have selected your image you get to confirm your selection (Tick button), reselect an image (Cross button) or crop your selected image prior to loading it into the app for manipulation. The crop feature would be selected using the Scissor button as seen in the screenshot below.

HDR FX selected image screen

When you select your image, the app starts to analyse your image so it can present you with a series of manipulated images that you can accept or manipulate further. You can see the analysing process and the suggestion screens in the two screenshots below.

HDR FX analysing screen

HDR FX suggestions screen

The recommended settings have a small star in the right corner of their screenshot. You can select the style closest to your preferred end result at this stage. Once you've selected your preferred style you are taken to a screen that shows you your newly edited image. From here you can save your image using the Floppy Disk button in the top-right corner of the app or you can choose to click the Edit Photo button.

I'll focus on that feature for now.

HDR FX sky settings

The new buttons that appear at the base of the app allow you to edit the HDR settings of your photo (highlight, shadow and opacity), the sky settings (highlighted in the screenshot above), the ground settings (highlighted in the screenshot below), the curve settings (exposure and colours), the texture settings (overlaying the image) and the border settings.

HDR FX ground settings

In the border settings you also have the option of adding or editing a vignette. The vignette is very customisable (size, shape and location). It's one of the most complete vignette options I've seen in an app.

HDR FX vignetting screen

HDR FX border screen

Once you've made all of your setting changes, you can click the Save button at the top-right of the screen. The Save button allows you to save your enhanced image to your iPhone's Camera Roll, Instagram or other iPhone apps or to a selection of social media websites.

HDR FX save screen

And there you have it. Pretty simple really. With some very good end results. As mentioned earlier, I have full colour examples on my Through My Lenses website on Tumblr. Take a look and see the original images and the enhanced results. Or, stick around here and look at a converted black and white version below.

HDR FX has an option for black and white if you're interested.

Have fun.

Mahalo ukulele enhanced by HDR FX

Photography on the iPhone—FX Photo Studio

2012-07-09T05:48:00.000+10:00

There may be some people who have thought that the recent articles I've put together in my Photography on the iPhone series have been too guitar oriented. There may be some truth in that thought too. After all, this trend could put some people off my articles. There must be more to life than just guitars after all. Of course there is.

There are also amplifiers.

FX Photo Studio is a handy little application that I felt would do justice to another handy little item I have. That item would be the Marshall MS-4 Micro Amp. It does seem weird to put Marshall and little in the same sentence. Luckily the micro amp has huge tone. Which is another great linkage point as FX Photo Studio has a huge variety of filtering options.

And we come full circle.

FX Photo Studio main screen

FX Photo Studio has more than a few options from the main screen. If we go clockwise from the top-left we have the button that allows you to promote the app (via Twitter, Facebook, email and an official app store review), the button that shows you other apps you may be interested in from the same developer, the Options button, the Import Photo button (you can import from the Documents folder or from Facebook), the Camera Roll button and the Take Photo button. As I've done with all other reviews recently, I chose images already in my Camera Roll.

FX Photo Studio selected image screen

From here you can confirm the image selection, cancel the image selection or use the button in the middle to crop the image to the ever-popular square shape. Either way, when you're ready to progress, you'll end up on a screen somewhat like this ...

FX Photo Studio editing screen

This is the action screen. From here you can add effects, text or utilise the colour splash feature. I've never been a fan of the colour splash features in any iPhone app on account of my stupid fingers. I lack the finesse required for this feature. So let's focus on the large +FX button. My fingers can click it easily.

FX Photo Studio effects screen

You can scroll through all of the apps effects here and apply the ones you like with ease. You just need to click them. You can also add the filters you like the most to your Favourites. One of the things I love most about this app though is that you can apply filters on top of other filters. These collections can be saved as your own presets too.

All applied filters are displayed in the main screen area. The bottom of the screen has a small menu area that allows you to adjust the filter effects, accept or deny the effects or use the Brush icon to go to the FX Brush section. That section allows you to apply the selected effects only to the area you brush over the image with. Again, I have clumsy fingers, so I'll apply to the entire image.

FX Photo Studio applied effect screen

A small but cool feature in this app is the collection of Amazing Facts (that's their official name). When the effects are being added to your image these facts appear over the image. Fun!

FX Photo Studio Amazing Fact screen

Once you've applied the effect (or effects) that you want to apply to your image, you simply click the Save button in the top-right of the screen. This takes you to a page with links to your Camera Roll, Documents folder, Clipboard, social networks and more. You can even export to other apps. This is a very friendly little app.

FX Photo Studio Save screen

The effects in FX Photo Studio are numerous and the app itself is easy to use. I'm a big fan of the customised filter presets you can create that allow you to create a style of your own—a style you can apply to all of your images should you choose to.

I've included a couple of stylised images for your viewing pleasure below as well as some full colour images on my Tumblr site. I hope you enjoy them all.

Marshall MS-4 (effects by FX Photo Studio)

Photography on the iPhone—Format126

2012-07-08T14:24:00.002+10:00

I've been posting new galleries to my Tumblr site and not keeping up with the review articles on this website. I apologise to the three readers of this site who clearly care deeply for the content I post here. Fear not though, for this article about the photographs I took and then edited in Format126 will make you so happy you'll be both thanking me and wishing for an immediate follow-up article.

There's not much truth in my opening paragraph today. But from here on in, it's on!

Format126 is inspired by the 126 film format which was introduced by Kodak in 1963 (thank you Wikipedia and official App Store page for Format126). Something else that was around in 1963 was the Fender Telecaster. I don't own one, but I do have a Fender Squier Telecaster SSH. It's sexy and likes to be photographed, so I used it as the subject matter in the photographs you'll see below.

When you first load Format126 you see the main page with the folders and camera on it. Click the camera to take a new photograph or the folders to select an image from your Camera Roll.

Format126 main screen

I want to mention that by the time I took the screenshots, wrote and posted this article, the app itself has changed. No longer do you see the pretty little Twitter bird on the home screen. Now you see the link to the official Format126 Flickr group. That's unfortunate as I like Twitter.

Anyhow, I chose to select an image from my Camera Roll for this review. For me, the app always loads the image in the last setting I used. I no longer recall what the default setting is.

Format126 styled image

If you want to change the appearance of your image, you click on the menu at the top of the screen (in my screenshot below the menu is titled ColorPlus). This brings up the options that are included in the Format126 app.

Format126 menu screen

As you can see in the screenshot above, you can select the style you wish to apply to your photograph (ColorPlus, ColorHint, PolaColor, LOFI and more). You can also select to use vignetting, the square image format or an image border. Once you have finished stylising your photograph you click the main image area of the app to bring up the saving options.

Format126 Save menu screen

From there, you are done. Actually, if you click Done you will return to the app's main screen to begin the process all over again.

The app is very easy to use and creates some impressive photographs. To see what I created, please visit the small gallery I put together to complement this article. Or view a black and white sample below. It's your choice. Just remember I said please.

Fender Squier Telecaster—Format126 version

Photography on the iPhone—Camera360

2012-06-29T22:06:00.000+10:00

As I continue with my articles on photographing all things guitar related on the iPhone—using image enhancement apps—I find myself sharing some images of my Fender Stratocaster. Some of these images look rather ordinary. These lifeless images have been enhanced by the Camera360 app.

Thank goodness for technology.

Camera360 is a handy little app that allows you to enhance the photographs you take from within the app itself or the images from your camera's photo gallery/Camera Roll. One of the features I love with this app is that when you're taking photographs from within the app the effects are applied to what you see before you take the photograph. You therefore know pretty much what the end result will be.

Anyhow, let's look at some screenshots I've safely removed all harmful colour from.

Camera360 Photo Preview screen

The image above shows you what the app looks like when you're about to enhance an image from your camera's Camera Roll. I chose this method so I could show the difference between an unedited image and several edited versions of that image. To apply effects to your photograph, click the Effect button.

Camera360 Add Effect screen

Once you have clicked the Effect button you will end up in the section of the app represented in the screenshot above. Camera360 has four main buttons across the bottom of this screen. They are the Share, Save, Effect and Blur buttons.

The effects you see just above the icons in the bottom row are a small selection of those available in the Camera360 app. Clicking the Effect button on this screen takes you to a new page that displays all of the effect categories.

Camera360 Effect selection screen

As you can see there are quite a few categories to choose from. Selecting most categories will take you to a screen like the one mentioned earlier allowing you to apply an effect to your photograph. The effects are displayed in the large space above the effect options.

Camera360 Effect preview screen

Once you have applied the effect that you are happy with to your photograph you can either visit the Blur button section (which allows you to create a tilt-shift effect in your photograph) or you can share/export the new image. You do that by clicking the Save button.

Clicking the Save button takes you back to the screen you saw in this article's first screenshot (only this time your photograph has had effects applied to it). This allows you to click the Send button.

Camera360 Send screen

The Send screen allows you to send the enhanced image to your Weixin friends, QQ friends or your Camera Roll. I have no idea what Weixin or QQ are and I have no friends there. So I exported to my Camera Roll. You are given the option to save in High-definition, Medium-definition or Original formats.

If you've been paying attention to this article you'd also have noticed the Share button. This button takes you to a page that allows you to send your picture to your linked Facebook and/or Flickr accounts (or several other social networking options). Handy!

The effect options are wide and of a good quality in Camera360. You can see some full colour examples on my Tumblr site. Those of you who are like me and enjoy a good dose of Black & White can also view some sample images below.

Enjoy.

Fender Stratocaster headstock unedited

Fender Stratocaster headstock Lomo effect

Fender Stratocaster headstock sketch effect

Photography on the iPhone—Pixlr-o-matic PLUS

2012-06-26T21:31:00.001+10:00

I love photography. I also love the photography opportunities that exist with the iPhone and its large variety of photography apps. Even though I love these things, there is one thing I love even more. That is the wonderful world of the guitar. Imagine if I was able to combine all of those loves into one experiment!

Imagine no longer faithful reader. I'm about to combine guitars, photography and the iPhone with this very article. And the focus—that's a photography joke—of this article's iPhone app opportunity will be Pixlr-o-matic PLUS.

Read on (there's pictures to be had).

Pixlr-o-matic PLUS allows you to add a massive amount of effects, overlays and borders to your images. It works with photographs you take within the app or with images you select from your phone's Photo Gallery/Camera Roll.

Pixlr-o-matic PLUS home screen

Once you've selected or taken your photograph it is time to apply the effects, overlays and borders. As mentioned earlier, I love guitars. The subject matter of this article will be my Epiphone Les Paul Tribute 2010. It's a beautiful guitar. Luckily Pixlr-o-matic PLUS made my photographs look beautiful too. Here's my original photograph.

Epiphone Les Paul Tribute 2010

Let's see how you enhance that image in Pixlr-o-matic using the power of imagery (and some descriptive words).

Pixlr-o-matic PLUS Effects

As you can see down the bottom the screen there are several icons to choose from. The first icon on the left takes you back to the home screen so you can shoot or choose another photograph. The next icon (selected in this screenshot) is the Effects screen. Just above this row of icons you see a series of stylised preview shots of your photograph. You simply scroll through these previews until you see the style you wish to apply.

Pixlr-o-matic PLUS Overlay

The next icon in the bottom row of the app (now selected) is for the Overlay screen. Overlays are selected the same way the effects are on the previous screen.

Pixlr-o-matic PLUS Borders

The next icon (now selected) is for the Borders screen. As you can hopefully see, the border selection uses the same simple process as the previous two screens. By now you've created a stylised version of your original photograph. To see your completed image, click the final icon in the bottom row. This will take you to the gallery screen where your completed image is hanging on the line waiting for you to export it.

Pixlr-o-matic PLUS Gallery

When you're as happy with your image as I was with the image in the screenshot above you hit the Export button (it's the one third from the left ... first from the right). You're now ready to select your destination.

Pixlr-o-matic PLUS Choose Destination

There are plenty of file sharing options from within Pixlr-o-matic PLUS. I'd like to see a Tumblr option, but what can you do?

Pixlr-o-matic PLUS Choose Size

Once you've selected your destination you need to choose the size you want your image to be saved at. I prefer Original as I like to make the iPhone work. I also sometimes wish this option was named Freakin' Large.

Pixlr-o-matic PLUS Saved image

Success! From there you can go back and start the process all over again with another image from your Camera Roll or with a new photograph that you take from within the app itself.

Now if you're a stickler for details and have been wondering what the icons at the top of the editing screens were for, fear not. Here's a quick rundown.

Top left icon allows you crop your image into the popular square image format.
Top right icon allows the app to randomly select image enhancements for you.
The icon to the left of that icon (it looks like a roll of film) allows you to access the app's internal store for additional enhancement purchases and more.

I don't use any of those icons much.

If you've enjoyed this article but you're wondering what the images might actually look like on a website that allowed colour to grace its pages then you're in luck. I have this link to a collection of images I'd uploaded earlier to my Tumblr site. Colour. I hope you enjoy it.

Otherwise, here's the stylised photograph from this article. Have fun.

Epiphone Les Paul Tribute 2010 styled by Pixlr-o-matic PLUS

Recording in the AmpliTube MultiTrack Recorder on an iPhone

2012-06-24T11:39:00.001+10:00

A few things have changed since I wrote my last article about AmpliTube on the iPhone. Enhancements have been made, new features have been added and the awesome new Slash range of effects and amps has been released. I purchased the pack within my instance of AmpliTube and haven't looked back since. The tone is awesome.

Let me share some of that tone in a rundown I'll call Recording from within AmpliTube on the iPhone.

When you are recording within AmpliTube, you have the option of recording to a metronome (which doesn't end up in the recordings thankfully) or you can import a backing track to then play your guitar parts over. I chose the latter. For this article I put together a very quick and easy drum track in InstantDrummer. I then exported the WAV file from InstantDrummer so I could open it in the Song screen of AmpliTube.

AmpliTube Song screen

From this screen I chose the To Rec option which imported my drum track into the AmpliTube recorder. One of the things I like about the recorder section of AmpliTube is how the editing and playback components are separated from the mixing and effect placement screens.

The main editing screen looks like an old-school cassette tape. It reminds me of the first time I recorded myself (with friends on bass and drums) in the garage on a basic cassette recorder. Ah ... the 80s.

This screen allows you to rename your track, scroll back and forth through the song and a whole lot more. I use this screen to start recording (using the Record button) and to stop recording (using the Play button).

AmpliTube Recorder Edit screen

The recording I put together consists of six individual guitar tracks and the initially imported drum track. Sorting all of these out is done in the Mixer screen.

The Mixer screen allows you to pan each individual track from left to right, adjust track volume, individualise track reverb levels and more. You arm the track you wish to record on (using one of the four numbered buttons towards the bottom of the screen) and turn the effects on or off using the FX button at the top of the screen.

AmpliTube Recorder Mixer screen

If you don't commit the effects to a recorded track (this is a permanent change) the effects will only be heard on the track that has the FX button activated. When you are certain you want the effects that are currently in use to be applied to the active track, press and hold the FX button. This track now has effects permanently applied to it.

AmpliTube Apply FX screen

As I mentioned earlier, my song has six guitar parts in it. There are two parts (left and right speakers) for the introductory clean arpeggio piece, two parts (left and right speakers again) for the introductory clean chord piece and two parts (you guessed it ... left and right speakers) for the final distorted piece. Add the drum track and you can see that there are more tracks than the AmpliTube 4-Track recorder can handle. That would be true if not for the awesome Bounce feature.

Clicking the Bounce button allows you to merge all of the open tracks into one mixed track leaving three empty tracks for you continue recording in. It is of course important to ensure you have your effects, volumes and playing skills at levels you're happy with before bouncing.

AmpliTube Bounce screen

Once you have recorded and mixed all of your tracks you can apply the inbuilt Master Effects to clean up and/or perfect your sound. The Reverb, Equalizer (American spelling) and Compressor add some pretty awesome finishing touches to your recording.

AmpliTube Master Effects screen

When you are finished, it's a simple process to export your track so you can share it via Email, FTP, File Sharing (via iTunes) or through your SoundCloud account. The export feature is located on the recorder's main editing screen (the cassette tape screen). Click the Edit button to the right of your song title, ensure your track is selected and click the Export button.

AmpliTube Track Selection screen

AmpliTube Export screen

You now have a track that can be shared with the world. You can listen to the track I exported for sharing at the end of this article. If you like the song and/or the tone used in the guitar parts you'll need the Slash effects and amps in AmpliTube.

Below are some screenshots of the settings I used. Enjoy.

Slash amp setting (clean sound)

Slash chorus setting (clean sound)

Slash delay setting (clean sound)

Slash gate setting (clean sound)

Slash amp setting (distortion sound)

Slash chorus setting (distortion sound)

Slash delay setting (distortion sound)

Slash gate setting (distortion sound)

JamUp Pro, InstantDrummer, StudioTrack and me

2012-06-11T15:55:00.002+10:00

I've written a few Blog posts now about recording your guitar on the iPhone. Much of this information is of course easily transferable to the iPad. Now that I've experienced the iPad though I have to share how much easier it is.

Whoever said size doesn't count is a liar.

I am of course referring to the fact that StudioTrack by Sonoma Wire Works allows you to mix eight tracks where their app for the iPhone (FourTrack) only allows for four tracks. I also found StudioTrack easier to use. It may be that I've had some time in FourTrack and it may be that the larger interface allows for a more intuitive layout of features such as the timeline settings. It may be both of those things.

I believe it's both of those things.

Whatever the case, the fact that Positive Grid decided to host a video competition for their JamUp apps gave me the incentive to do a few things. I'll list them for convenience.

Shoot a video with the iPhone
Work with JamUp Pro, JamUp Plug, InstantDrummer and StudioTrack on the iPad
Put together something close to the resemblance of a song
Share the results in video and audio

I prefer to start by setting up the StudioTrack app first. And the first thing you should do is set the BPM you'll be using in all of the apps. Changing the BPM after the fact didn't work too well for me. So, once StudioTrack is ready to import, it's time to create something worth exporting. I always count on JamUp Pro to make me sound better than I am for that part.

JamUp Pro works as well in an iPad as it does in an iPhone. It is of course easier to hit those buttons and dials with my clumsy man-fingers on the iPad. The routine for recording and exporting is pretty much the same as it was when I wrote my iPhone review of JamUp Pro. So no need for screenshots in this article as the only difference is the size of everything. I will however share with you the preset I created for my metal tones in the song I created. More about that track later.

Metal of Sorts JamUp Pro Preset

So once I'd recorded my six guitar tracks (two using an existing JamUp Pro clean sound and four using my own metal preset) and pasted them into StudioTrack it was time to create the drum track using InstantDrummer.

I'll be honest and say that InstantDrummer does work on the iPad but it's essentially an iPhone app sitting inside an iPad. I can live with that. An iPad specific version would be cooler though.

InstantDrummer for the iPad

The trick to laying out a multi-part song in StudioTrack is to use your timeline in Beats or Bars and not Seconds. That worked best for me anyhow. Especially when using JamUp Pro to lay down your guitar tracks.

I've always wanted to say "lay down your guitar tracks!"

One of the things I've always thought JamUp Pro did better than any other amplifier/effect emulator app was cut your recordings into bars. Add to that the lead-in you get with each recording and this app is a clear winner in this regard.

Anyhow, it took me a while to get the guitar parts right (as you can see with the numbers assigned to each track in my song).

StudioTrack Main Song Screen

Tracks 1 and 2 are the clean guitar tracks at the beginning of the song. I record each part twice and assign one to the left speaker and the other to the right speaker. Tracks 9 and 13 are the main metal guitar parts (also split between the left and right speakers). They come in just before the end of the 16th bar. The drum tracks comes in at that same time and are assigned to tracks 10 and 11. The drum tracks are automatically split between left and right speaker when they are imported. The last two tracks are for the mini-riffs that come in towards the end of the song (because I can't solo).

I applied some EQ effects to the final guitar parts to make them seem slightly different to the other guitar parts they overlay. They use the same JamUp Pro metal preset though.

Once I was happy with the sound of the entire track, I went to the Mix Tools to export the song.

StudioTrack Mix Tools

As you can see from this menu, you can mix the song down (combine all tracks to the one audio file), copy it for further inputting to another app, bounce (blend all tracks freeing up space to include more tracks in StudioTrack), paste items from the clipboard or share the tracks over wifi. I chose to Mixdown.

StudioTrack Mix the song

You can mix the song down or Wifi share the previous version of the track (if one was created). I used the Wifi to send the audio track to my PC as I was using that machine to put together my video for the Positive Grid competition. And there you have it. Full circle.

What was the video? How did the audio sound? Both of those questions and no others can be answered by viewing the video I uploaded to YouTube or by listening to the track I shared on SoundCloud. But let me save you at least one trip. Please enjoy the audio track in its embedded glory below (I won't embed the video because it contains colour).

Enjoy.

My current collection of AmpKit Presets

2012-05-24T23:12:00.000+10:00

Last night I had a blast playing guitar on an iPad through AmpKit. I've mentioned AmpKit before on more than one occasion (once for a review of sorts and another time to document how I experimented with AmpKit and GuitarJack).

That's some pretty clever linking right there.

Anyhow, since writing those articles my whole iOS world has changed on account of my iPhone 3GS dying—it was a faithful device that in the end brought me much joy—which has seen me enter the world of the iPhone 4S and the iPad 3. I'm somewhat lucky and I am fairly aware of that. Fairly aware, not fully aware. I don't get as much sleep as I should.

Once I've got my work out of the way—that's why I have these devices—I like to unwind with some good old fashioned iOS guitar playing/recording. Actually it wouldn't be old fashioned as this kind of technology is rather recent when you think about it. New fashioned guitar playing/recording is what I like. Last night I liked it so much it left me with an urge to share (images and free AmpKit presets).

Today I'll do that sharing.

I've created one very basic preset on the iPhone which I've called Remediate Metal. It uses a Peavey amplifier, Rocktron HUSH pedal and the EQ Monster pedal.

Remediate Metal preset (iPhone)

I've also created a basic preset on the iPad which I've called Rocktron Noiseless Metal. It uses a Taos amplifier, Rocktron HUSH pedal and the Rocktron Metal Planet Distortion pedal.

Rocktron Noiseless Metal preset (iPad)

If you haven't looked at the Rocktron pedals, make sure you check out the videos on their website. They look like seriously wicked pedals. I can (and will) say that in AmpKit they're simply awesome. But why take my written word for it? Listen for yourself and make up your own mind using your ears (which I believe are somehow linked to your mind).

Below is a simple riff I came up with when putting together my Rocktron Noiseless Metal preset. Remember, focus on the sound, not the skill. Skill is not being judged here. I do that enough on my own.

If you happened to like that sound, or if you're curious about the Remediate Metal preset I've also mentioned, you're welcome to download the presets to your own instance of AmpKit. You'll require the appropriate pedals (Rocktron) of course, but if you don't have them chances are you're already regretting that.

Enjoy.

Rocktron Noiseless Metal preset
Remediate Metal preset

While I'm sharing, here are the other presets I've shared in previous articles on this Blog. The Blog you'll now spend some time going through. You know you want to ...

Scary New Metal
Scary Reverb Chorus
Sultan of Sting

Last day in California—Last chance for root beer

2012-04-29T03:23:00.000+10:00

Tonight I fly out of Los Angeles, California as I depart for home (Australia). I can't say that the breaking news of the morning is making my pre-flight jitters any better (earthquake measuring 4.1 hits just east of Los angeles). Luckily for me, I've already been outside and picked up my last three American root beer varieties for the trip. All up, I've managed to taste seven different root beers on this trip. I'm pleased with that effort. Especially as the purpose of this trip wasn't root beer tasting.

How cool would that be though?!

The final three root beers I've tasted on this trip are Oogave, Blue Sky Free and Henry Weinhard's Root Beer (not that I can find the root beer on their website). They're all good (they're root beer!)

Henry Weinhard's, Blue Sky Free and Oogave

If I had to pick a favourite, I'd pick the Henry Weinhard's Root Beer. Of course I don't have to pick anything because this is my website and I can do what I want. All the same, Henry Weinhard's Root Beer is awesome. Of the seven root beers I tasted on this short visit to San Diego, I'd say Henry Weinhard's Root Beer and Stewart's Root Beer were the best. Equal best.

So, the seven root beers from this visit were:

Henry Weinhard's Root Beer
Stewart's Root Beer
IBC Root Beer (I forgot to mention it in my previous post)
Barq's Root Beer
Blue Sky Free Root Beer
Virgil's Root Beer
Oogave Root Beer

I'm going to say that list is in order of preference (because it is). I could have used a numbered list, but I don't like them.

In just over 24 hours, I'll be back in the land of Root Beer's distant and tasty relative, Sarsaparilla. And I'll be a little bit sad. Root beer and the variety available in the USA is awesome. I'll miss that.

Here are some shots of the other four root beers I tasted on this trip. Enjoy. I did.

Stewart's and Virgil's

Barq's

IBC

Taylor Guitar factory tour and root beer

2012-04-26T02:54:00.000+10:00

Yesterday I had a day that will be hard to top. I visited the Taylor Guitars factory tour and I had three root beer varieties I'd never experienced before. For me, that's a pretty awesome day. You know what? For anyone that should be a pretty awesome day. I mean, how often to you get to do all of this in one day?

Visit the manufacturing location of an iconic guitar brand
Take a free working factory tour of an iconic guitar brand
Play as many of those iconic guitars as you can at the end of a free factory tour
Purchase heavily discounted guitars direct from the manufacturer (I didn't do this, but I could have)
Purchase awesome promotional items (this I did)
Unwind with a selection of your favourite beverages (for me ... root beer)

My answer? Probably once. I lapped it up! I even took pictures.

Coolest directional sign ever

Once you've arrived at the Taylor Visitor Center (I've got to say as an Australian I struggle to write Center and not Centre) you check in for the tour. Just make sure you get there at tour time. You can't just rock up whenever it suits you. This is a working factory after all.

The tour involves safety glasses, a visitor lanyard/badge and headphones so you can always hear your tour group leader. The last part is incredibly handy in a factory environment. It also means that even if you can't see the tour group leader, you can still hear what is being explained as you take in the sights of the guitar factory.

The tour itself is incredibly informative. I'd say it was exciting, but non-guitar-lovers might not understand that. To heck with it ... it was exciting! You are taken through the various stages of guitar manufacture and you are educated in the woods used, the processes used and the technology used in the manufacture of a Taylor Guitar. I was personally impressed with the way the tour openly shared information regarding the unique features of a Taylor Guitar.

At the end of the tour you can play any of the guitars that are hanging on the walls in the Visitor Center and you can even purchase selected items from the store area. I was so tempted to buy a Baby Taylor. I just couldn't work out how I'd get it home (international flight) and how I'd survive once I'd made it home (wife).

What did I take away from the tour experience? Physically I took away some T-shirts, plectrums and promotional magazines. Mentally I discovered I love the Taylor Guitars T3 and the Taylor Guitars T5-X. They're sexy guitars.

If you like colour photos (which you'll never see on this website) I did take a few and they're located here and here on my photography website.

So for me, the tour was awesome, but it had to end. Luckily, when I returned to my hotel room I discovered there was a bucket of root beer on ice waiting for me. My bucket had some Virgil's Root Beer and some Stewart's Root Beer in it. I'd never tried these brands before, but they're both awesome. They are root beer after all.

Root Beer!

I did also have a Barq's Root Beer during the day with my lunch. It doesn't get to be in the photo above though (because I had already finished it).

There you have it. A perfect ending to an almost perfect day. If you're in San Diego or El Cajon one day, I suggest you attempt to have an equally impressive day. No ... I challenge you!

JamUp Pro and Guitar World ... Rock!

2012-03-22T22:52:00.000+10:00

I love playing guitar on my iPhone. I also love that with the right apps I can play along with some songs on my guitar. What I was only smart enough to work out recently was that by using the right apps and the pedal and amp suggestions that the awesome Guitar World magazine provides, I can play along sounding somewhat like the song I'm playing along with. Handy!

Many people have figured this out before me no doubt, but I'm going to share my screenshots of presets all the same to show how you too can setup your sounds before you play along with your favourite tracks.

Going through old issues of Guitar World, I noticed that the pedal and amp suggestions that Paul Hanson provides include diagrams of pedals and amplifiers. These make it incredibly easy to match with your pedals and amps in apps like JamUp Pro (and depending on the settings required, JamUp Lite). Here are some of the settings that I created in JamUp Pro based on the suggestions in Guitar World magazine.

I'm not a Vampire

I'm not a Vampire (Falling in Reverse) was featured in Guitar World in January 2012. The settings I created are not exactly as those suggested in the magazine, but they're close enough for my liking.

Little Wing

Little Wing (Jimi Hendrix Experience) was featured in Guitar World in December 2011. Again, not an exact replica of the suggested settings, but a close enough setting if you want to play along with the song in the JamUp Pro app.

Shout at the Devil

Shout at the Devil (Mötley Crüe) was featured in Guitar World in December 2011. This is another close representation of the sound as suggested in the magazine.

There are of course many more you could try and save as presets. Knowing this does of course make me wish JamUp Pro allowed for the saving of more presets [cough ... suggestion]

Give it a go. Get a copy of Guitar World, check out the pedal and amp suggestions and see how close you can replicate them on your iPhone. It's great fun.

Tip: The Women in Love settings from the January 2012 issue of Guitar World are easy to replicate in JamUp Pro and they sound awesome!

Guitar themed dock for RocketDock

2012-03-18T07:30:00.000+10:00

Both of my PCs run with docks (like you'd see on most Macs). One PC is running the Ubuntu operating system (OS) while the other runs the Windows OS. The Windows machine is using the customisable RocketDock to create its dock. Customisable is good. This allows me to create my own dock themes from time to time. You can see my attemps at RocketDock theming on my webWICKED website.

So why would I mention this on my Scarebear website? The answer ... I have created a guitar based dock theme for RocketDock.

Plank—Guitar theme for RocketDock

The theme can be downloaded from the Plank for RocketDock page at deviantART (where you can also view the theme in living colour). The theme works when sitting at the top or bottom of your desktop screen. It does not lend itself to the left or right desktop locations.

Most themes have an area in the middle that can be stretched without visible design change. Because I wanted the theme to include the six strings of a guitar, the resizing of the theme is not as flexible as many themes out there. If you set the dock icon size to 50 pixels (or thereabouts) you should end up with a dock that looks just like mine in the screenshot above.

If you use Windows and want a guitar based dock, you now can thanks to RocketDock (and me :))