Music

Some people take up music only to realize they do not possess the natural inclination towards music and give it up quickly after a brief stint. When it comes to music, we can divide people into 3 categories, broadly:

1. 1. Those who like to listen to music (98+% of people fall into this category because it is the easiest thing to do) - this is just a mere interest (not a hobby)

   2. Those who like to sing or play musical instruments as a hobby (that's me)

   3. Those who like to take it to the next level and become a professional musician

I possess the natural inclination towards music with knowledge of melody, rhythm and harmony and fall in the 2nd category (hobbyist). Because IT has become my primary interest, I have no plans of making music as my profession. If computers did not exist, I would have probably ended up as a Music Producer/Composer or a Martial Arts instructor. I've been a musician for over 3 decades and bought my first hollow Guitar with savings of my pocket money when I was in elementary school. I'm a Mac and my hobbies include coding, playing/creating music on my iPad, Synthesizer, developing and using music and business apps. I'm a DIE-HARD fan of Electronic Dance Music (EDM - Trance, Vocal Trance, Euro Dance, Hi-NRG, Electronica, etc), Soft Rock, Pop, Fusion and it is but natural for me to be inclined and interested in Synthesizers, Sequencers, Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) apps, etc.

What's life without music, anyway? Music - it's in my DNA ! :)

• My music - MobileMusic.us

• NEW - youtube.com/MobileMusic

• Old - youtube.com/ShekarReddyC [personal stuff and some work-in-progress, unfinished projects]

YOUTUBE/SOUNDCLOUD MUSIC CHANNELS

• Photo slideshow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NNaytiknEs (music by me)

My playlist of award-winning, chart-busting, best songs -

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng4P6FWVdcE&list=PLbsLF5Dbh3-kx-Plb5KBhoYrxqzL3ItoP

My quick Trance tune composed on Roland JD-Xi digital/analog crossover synthesizer and Logic Pro X DAW:

https://soundcloud.com/powerobject/trance-roland-jd-xi-logicprox

A few other songs I composed on iPad music/DAW apps (work-in-progress):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vltpeoc65oI - Cubasis - Indian Fusion Music - FX - Stereo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqoGTFX6yvA - Electronica - GarageBand on iPad - Trance with FX

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwGknz7oh28 - Magnificent Bodyguards - Auxy Studio - Trance'd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pTFMZNpW44 - Shine On You Crazy Diamond - Pink Floyd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYjFCdGCIqE - Christmas Cannon - Trans-Siberian Orchestra

https://soundcloud.com/powerobject/mere-sapne-mere-apne-mitr - NanoStudio DAW app on iPad Air 2

https://soundcloud.com/powerobject/guitarism - Guitarism app on iPad mini

https://soundcloud.com/powerobject/stuck-in-traffic - Animoog DAW app on iPad mini

https://soundcloud.com/powerobject/the-walking-dead - GarageBand on iPad mini

https://soundcloud.com/powerobject/raindrops-by-shekar - Raindrops on GarageBand on MacBook

https://soundcloud.com/powerobject/shine-on-you-crazy-diamond - NanoStudio, Music Studio, Sunrizer

https://soundcloud.com/powerobject/raindrops-by-shekar - GarageBand on MacBook Pro with some FX

NOTE: These songs are work-in-progress projects and some are incomplete. For instance, some songs do not have the drums track and those that have drums track may be out of sync and need editing/re-recording of the drums track.

HINT: Use Headphones and see their Descriptions while playing them for more info and references to original work.

SPOTIFY PLAYLISTS

(Headphones, please...)

Spotify is FREE on desktops, laptops and tablets – you can play any individual song anytime (on demand) and also play any playlist in the same order. It’s free on mobile phones too using playlists but they shuffle the playlist (not on-demand). Also, Spotify has the best human-curated playlists for any kind of events – workouts, luncheons, cookouts, birthdays, weddings, ceremonies, parties, holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Halloween, by genre, etc.

Here are my curated playlists on Spotify you can just kick them off for any events. They’re work-in-progress with over 150 songs – mostly modern EDM, Trance, Vocal Trance and some Hi-NRG/Rock genre based. These links display partial lists and play songs for only 30 seconds each. For complete lists and to play full songs, use Spotify app on Desktop or on Mobile. I don’t play good music – only the best!

EXTRME PARTY - https://open.spotify.com/user/1261878327/playlist/28bnIhOvRQpGO3WOfBTuVR

BEST TRANCE - https://open.spotify.com/user/1261878327/playlist/0U5CHgvKZVLJq7KAz6jmn7

Hardware instruments I play

• • The Guitar

  • The Flute & Bansuri

  • The Keyboard / Synthesizer / Sequencer

  • The Piano

  • The Banjo

  • The Drums & Drum Machines

TIP: A concert with Guitar, Flute, Tabla and Vocoder would be a rare and unique combination!

Software instruments I play: ALL - on iPad using Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) apps

Tablets were initially meant for content consumption (browsing, reading, playing, watching) than content creation. However, mobile apps have evolved and come a long way to facilitate content creation on tablets (Documents, Music, Art, etc) easier than on computers. For instance, NanoStudio, Caustic, etc re FREE on desktops but are paid versions on iPad/iPhone - even though the desktop versions can be used to create any kind of music that can be created on the mobile versions - but it is fairly easier to produce music on mobile versions than on desktop versions. Plus, mobile DAW apps come at a fraction of the price of their desktop counterparts - mostly for the price of a plugin for the desktop app.

Once upon a time, to own a room-full of hardware instruments, it used to cost north of 20+K - and a big ROOM! - but now, we can have all of those instruments and more right in our pocket at ALL times for FREE or just a few bucks!! How COOL is that?! Most of these apps support plugging in our own hardware instruments (Guitar, Keyboard, Microphone, etc) and support Audiobus app (the "missing audio cable" between iOS Music Apps that lets you connect them together - digitally), Apple's Inter-App Audio (IAA), etc. Most of these DAW apps support multi-track, multi-session recording and editing.

• CUBASIS - This is the cool, new kid on the DAW-app block from Steinberg and the BEST DAW app on iOS. Period! A very slick, beautiful, modern, elegant, powerful, new, fresh, clean, streamlined, USABLE, FUN app with EVERYTHING on one screen using split screen views, popups, etc (no switching back-n-forth between keyboard, instrument, editor, pattern, song, etc) and a highly user-friendly interface - easier than everything you have ever known in the past. The user-interface of Cubasis was meticulously designed by expert user experience (UI/UX) designers to offer a great workflow and tested on a test group at a German university to ensure the best iPad DAW experience. It supports multi-track, multi-session, SIMULTANEOUS  recording of up to 24 tracks and editing. UNLIMITED TRACKS - its limitations are dictated only by the device it is used on. For instance, there are some limitations on older model iPad 1 and 2. On the contrary, GarageBand supports only 32 tracks and NanoStudio supports only 16 tracks. Cubasis comes with sounds of Micro Sonic (a condensed version of Steinberg's premier VST workstation - HALion Sonic) and MicroLogue (their award-winning virtual synthesizer VST instrument - RetroLogue), MIDI loops, drum kits including those from Allen Morgan. Its Audiobus integration and Inter-App Audio implementation are the BEST - both as input and output - to communicate with other music apps and stream audio back and forth. For instance, we can play GarageBand from within Cubasis or can send the output to another FX (effects) app, have FX applied to it and receive the enhanced sound as input back into Cubasis. It's implementation of recording, editing, mixing, sharing, AUTOMATION, etc are second to none and it's built-in Help system with interactive search function is just TERRIFIC and helpful in getting started. We can Automate Cubasis to Mute a part of a track - the only way to mute a part of a track in most other DAW apps is to delete the part while playing back which is not intuitive. Cubasis is VERY RESPONSIVE with NO LAG and should be awarded the BEST-designed DAW app on iOS. It is a BLISS!! It goes to show what a large, structured company (Steinberg.net) with a long track record and passion for music can accomplish by having people with specialized skill-set work on each aspect of the app (layout, design, UI/UX, quality, graphics, documentation, steady releases, quick bug fixes, support, etc) as opposed to apps from one-man teams listed below (NanoStudio, Caustic, Auria, etc). Cubasis is the YOUNGEST infant of all the DAW apps - released fairly recently - but it is already the BEST DAW app on the iOS with its integrated components! Cubasis keyboard with a miniature keyboard to scroll, expand, shrink, etc is really COOL! Watch when you add tracks how they attain colors with a RAINBOW transition automagically - a very pleasing eye-candy! Cubasis includes everything and doesn't resort to "nickel-n-dime" you with In-App Purchases (IAP) of plugins, etc and still costs a fraction of the price of its paid Cubase desktop app, less than many other apps that have IAPs, worth every penny and integrates with its desktop big-brother edition (Cubase). This app packs a heck of a punch and actually is worth over $100 for its features and quality. Steinberg NAILED it and every aspect about this app is SIMPLY - AWESOME!!  It is very similar to their CUBASE desktop DAW and if you already know one of these siblings, you'll find the other one familiar and can use it right away without any learning curve. You can use project files between these two editions using iTunes or Wi-Fi sync - making Cubasis, the BEST DAW app on iOS to sketch your ideas and compositions on-the-go - and work on them later on the desktop edition. Record tracks in DVD audio quality with sample rates of 44.1/48/96 kHz and 16/24 bit rates by connecting plug-n-play MIDI, audio devices, built-in microphone or virtual software instruments/drum-pads and polish your songs to perfection with the included Audio Effects, Mixer, Automation, etc. Since this is created by a company, it has more frequent/steady updates, an ambitious roadmap and a promising future of features. Supports Automation, Inter-App Audio (IAA), Audio, MIDI, etc. Steinberg invented the VST standard, have been around for decades and know what they are doing. Cubasis comes with an Audio Sampler. Unlike GarageBand whose songs are limited to a max of 320 bars, songs in Cubasis can have unlimited bars!! Works on iPad. I've used almost all the DAW apps out there on iOS - if you want to learn music or get into a DAW app, just get Cubasis... It's OK to have multiple DAW apps.

• • • Click here for -> CUBASIS ONLINE MANUAL

    • Cubasis Tutorial 1

    • Cubasis Tutorial 2

    • Cubasis Tutorial 3

    • Cubasis intro

    • Automation sneak preview - this beautiful ad goes to show how powerful Cubasis is!

    • Cubasis Automation

    • Cubasis Automation 2

    • Cubasis: Syncing audio with virtual midi and Audiobus - with BeatMaker 2 & iMS-20

    • Cubasis > iPolysix > Audiobus > LoopyHD > Cubasis - using Audiobus

    • Cubasis Effects Review - the default factory presets are not professional until you apply these effects

    • Factory Presets (Micrologue) Showcase

    • Cubasis FX Pack One and Two Full Demo - these 12 effects cost around just a dollar per effect

    • Cubasis FX Pack 1 & 2 - now you know why they are amazingly worth it and so affordable

    • All Hell Breaks Loops - workflow and integration between desktop and mobile app versions

    • Recording Clean Guitar DI's in Cubasis Part 1: Setup and Routing

    • Recording Clean Guitar DI's in Cubasis Part 2: Setup and Routing

    • Recording Clean Guitar DI's in Cubasis Part 3: Setup and Routing

    • Micrologue Tutorial

    • Micrologue

    • Send Effects

    • Ride of the Valkyrie

    • On And On - the default demo song of Cubasis - listen to Allen Morgan's deadly drums on headphones

    • AUFX DUB for iPad Demo with Drums, Cubasis and Audiobus

    • Sayonara

    • Best Cubasis Beat - made on a plane

    • Rusian Bounce

    • Fly Me To The Moon

• NanoStudio (iOS, Mac OS X, Windows) - is a solid recording studio with multi-track, multi-session recording, editing, patterns, songs, automation, etc and FREE on Mac/Windows! It integrates with its free desktop app using its NanoSync app. You can use project files between these two versions. It has virtual analogue synths, sample trigger pads, a comprehensive sequencer, sample editor, mixer, multiple effects - all integrated into a single app. This was created by one-man team. One-man projects are powerful because the developer has a very good knowledge and skills but their apps don't have good looks or consistent updates of major releases because they work at their own pace. For instance, this app is in v1 for a couple of years, not updated to v2 and looks retro and very dated - even though it requires iOS 7 now. Works on iPad and iPhone. You would find more NanoStudio projects uploaded on SoundCloud.com.

  • • Use headphones to listen to these amazing demos on NanoStudio:

    • Download the FREE NanoStudio & NanoSync Desktop versions

    • An AMAZING Demo of NanoStudio from its creator (all performed on iPhone!!)

    • Getting Started

    • NanoStudio Tutorials (8)

    • Tutorial

    • Creating An Advanced Drum Loop - Part 1

    • Creating An Advanced Drum Loop - Part 2

    • Open Road Dubstep/Trance (brilliantly performed on Desktop version by a KID - drawing automation)

    • Lightbound - Mid Tempo Dubstep song

    • Direlect - Downtempo song

    • Improv (on iPhone!)

    • Jam (on iPad)

    • Techno

    • Electro

    • Ambient - Eden on iPhone version

    • Nano Sessions - Trance

    • Another song

    • Synth Garden 1 - on Desktop version

    • Synth Garden 2 - on Desktop version

    • Searching - on iPhone version

    • Synthetik Drums - Demo

    • Churchbells of Konevista - on iPhone

    • I Need A Dollar

    • All NanoStudio videos

    • Shine On You Crazy Diamond (my own demo on NanoStudio, Alchemy, GarageBand, Music Studio, AudioBus, etc apps) - work in progress and incomplete with out of sync drums - needs re-recording

• KORG Gadget - A polished and complete music production platform from Korg. It has a range of virtual instruments – synths, drum machines and sample-playback devices – all of which can be combined in a production system built around a very slick pattern-based sequencing environment with song sections that allow you to create a full musical arrangement and topped off with a straightforward mixer system including effects. Works on iPad. Korg created many revolutionary hardware musical synthesizers, drum machines, etc in 90's and now they are replicating their hardware gadgets into iOS apps. For those who have used their hardware before, these new-generation apps are very exciting. Most of Korg's apps are re-creation and simulation of their hardware and also hardware that did not exist in their product portfolio. Korg Gadget is a collection of their several synths into a single, usable app.

  • • Introduction - Korg

    • Introduction 2 - Korg

    • New Features - Korg

    • Detailed Review & Demo

    • Korg Gadget iPad app Overview

    • How To Make A Complete Song

    • Korg Gadget demo - SweeetWater

    • Overview - Sonic Touch

    • Building A Song - Mee Zanook

    • First Look

    • First Look - Part 1

    • First Look - Part 2

    • A Deeper Investigation

    • Detailed Review

    • Shape Down - demo

    • Maximum Velocity - demo (Hi-NRG/80's style & electronic)

    • Minimal Dub Techno

    • First Hour With Korg Gadget

    • Miami Synth

    • Miami Synth 2

    • Brussels Synth

    • Chicago Synth

    • Kiev Synth

    • Wolfsburg Synth

    • London Synth

    • Jam

    • Synth Review - 10 synths

    • Korg Gadget automation tutorial how to record and edit automation

    • Setting Up & Getting Started

• Caustic - A rack-mount simulation that uses synthesizers and samplers to create pattern-based, sequenced music. It is FREE on Mac/Windows. Create your rack by adding up to 14 machines from a choice of Subsynth, PCMSynth, BassLine, BeatBox, PadSynth, 8BitSynth, Modular, Organ, Vocoder, FMSynth and KSSynth. The app also includes Effects rack, Mixer desk, Master section and Song sequencer. Caustic is a complete music production system - very powerful indeed - created by a one-man team. Supports multi-track, multi-session recording, editing, patterns, songs, automation, inter-app, etc. At $9.99 (the price of a sandwich!), this app packs a heck of a punch and actually is worth over $100 for its features. For instance, we could marry Cubasis (as MIDI sequencer) and Caustic (as a set of virtual instruments) and the result is a powerful combo for an electronic musician! The developer has produced several massive, informative, explanatory and awesome tutorial videos to quickly get started on Caustic - he understands video is the future. Works on iPad and iPhone.

  • • Download the FREE Caustic Desktop version

    • Overview

    • All Tutorials - over 40 videos

    • Videos 

    • Sneak Peek

    • Marketing Ad

    • Promo (Google Play)

• Medly - Similar to Korg Gadget, this is an easy to use Editor's Choice app with some slick filing capabilities. It is free with some very cheap in-app purchases.

• Auxy Studio - Similar to Medly but not as powerful. This is an Apple Design Award winner app. It is free.

• GarageBand (iPad/MacBook) - This FREE, FUN-FILLED app with up to 32-track, multi-session audio, MIDI, Live Loops recording (worth over $100!!) will please all age groups - especially KIDS - to get started with and oriented into music. Even though its UI is not highly "usable" and does not have all the "pro-DAW" features, it has the cool, classic Apple quality and allows you Edit, Share and Export your recordings directly to YouTube, SoundCloud, Facebook, iTunes, Email, Ring-Tones, etc - from within the app - it is simply Apple-easy!! Further, GarageBand for iOS is the most responsive app compared to other apps - there is no lag between the time you tap an instrument and the sound output. Sure - people have used GarageBand for

• pod-casting, voice recording saying its sound quality is very high. You can do a full song recording on GarageBand including instruments (MIDI), vocals (Audio) in multi-track/multi-session and upload it to YouTube as well from within the app. You can plug-in your Guitar or a MIDI keyboard into your iPad and play it on GB applying some FX too. You can join a JAM-session with others using multiple iPads and record onto one GB instance. Some people commented this app is meant for kids who just "re-arrange" loops and sounds, publish to YouTube, Facebook, Email, etc (directly from within the app) and claim as their own work :) but as you can see from the demos listed below, GarageBand is capable of recording and churning out some really pretty serious and COOL stuff - all you need is a natural inclination towards music and some fertile imagination (use your headphones). GarageBand comes with an Audio Sampler. A GarageBand song can be up to 320 bars long. Works on iPad and iPhone.

TUTORIALS

• • • GarageBand - Demo at Apple Keynote - there is MORE to GarageBand than what many people know - Smart Instruments, Multi-track/Multi-session recording, Editing canvas, Mixing board, Dynamics, Share...

    • Jam Session - Apple Demo - Up to 4 iOS devices over Wi-Fi can join and create a new song together!!

    • Jam Session - Tutorial for multi-player recording using separate devices - a great way to have group fun

    • GarageBand Jam Session demos

    • How Do I Use GarageBand? - tutorials

    • GarageBand Tutorial

    • How To Play Drums on iPad in GarageBand?

    • GarageBand Tutorials - PLAY LIST - brief and exhaustive!!

    • GarageBand 1.1 Tutorial - Getting The Most From The KeyBoard

    • GarageBand 1.0 Tutorial - Drum Techniques 2

    • GarageBand 1.0 Tutorial - Drum Techniques 3

    • GarageBand 1.1 Tutorial - Advanced Drums

    • GarageBand 1.1 Tutorial - Advanced Drums - Making Drums Sound Better

    • GarageBand 1.1 Tutorial - Mixing & Panning For Studio Quality Sound

    • GarageBand 1.1 Tutorial - Create Ringtones & Alert-tones

    • GarageBand 1.1 Tutorial - Advanced Smart Drums

    • GarageBand 1.1 Tutorial - Advanced Smart Drums 2

    • How To Make A Quick Song In GarageBand?

    • *** Recording a complete song - shows how to use Smart Instruments - Smart Drums, add Smart BASS for "melody", Smart Guitar chords, Smart Guitar lead, etc for a complete, orchestrated song using multi-track, multi-session recording. Simply smart and brilliant!!

    • *** Making Music with an iPad - shows iCloud integration of mobile GarageBand with desktop GB and Logic Pro to use mobile GB to sketch your ideas on-the-go and import them into desktop apps later to work on. Shows how to use Drums > Drum Machine, add a Baseline, add Loops, add Pads, Quantization, Swing, Mixer, etc. Simply amazing!!

    • How to use GarageBand for Pod-Casting?

    • How To Record A Song? - GarageBand 101

    • How To Record Unlimited Tracks?

SONGS

• • • *** Curtain Call - Probably the BEST real demo song (including Vocal track) from Apple that comes packaged with GarageBand app for iOS - this modified video has some keyboard playing over the original

    • Children - Trance song - Seeing is BELIEVING!!

    • Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd - Seeing is BELIEVING!

    • *** Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd - incredible! Here is the original work - Comfortably Numb

    • *** Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd - great!

    • *** Hey You - Pink Floyd - awesome! All performed on GarageBand. Video recording is as GOOD as the music playing showing up to 9 tracks!! Amazing Bass, Guitars, Drums and Vocals. Watch/listen to the original song here -=> *** Hey You ***

    • Carol Of The Bells - state orchestra by a band using only iPads!!

    • Carol Of The Bells - another stage performance using only iPads!!

    • I Got A Feeling - another stage performance using only iPads and iPhones!!

    • In The Hall Of Mountain King - all played on iPads in the Apple Store by customers

    • A Thousand Miles - Venessa Carlton

    • Nothing Else Matters - Metallica. Here is the original work -=> Nothing Else Matters

    • Street Spirit - 9 track song by one man band

    • Viva la Vida - Coldplay

    • Enter Sandman - Metallica

    • *** Blue Monday (New Order) - Everything performed on iPad - AWESOME!

    • iPad mini song - GREAT!

    • Trance & Dance

    • Crockett's Theme

    • Rolling In The Deep - Adele

    • Move Like Jagger - Catchy

    • Grenade - Bruno Mars

    • It's My Life - Bon Jovi - iPad Drums cover

    • Green Day - Drum cover - awesome!

    • iPad Drum Solo

    • Sing me, Like me, Love me, Leave me - Live recording!

    • Obscured By Clouds - Pink Floyd - GarageBand & Animoog

    • Thunderstruck - AC/DC

    • Grenade cover - Bruno Mars

    • Angry Birds - Theme song on Mac app :)

    • Fairy Tale - Beautiful

    • Street Spirit - One-Man iPad Band

    • Guitar Jam

    • Skyfall - Adele

    • Conscience

    • Creare Conzoni

Use headphones to listen to these mesmerizing demos:

• • • iPhone/iPod touch demo

    • iPad demo

    • Pro Upgrade

    • Dual device demo

    • Gradual progression

    • Christmas Canon (my own demo on Alchemy Mobile, GarageBand, AudioBus, etc apps) - work in progress. Stay tuned - should be edited by this Christmas

• DJay 2 - The BEST DJ app and winner of Apple's Best Design Award, this a beautifully crafted app with no lag and worthy of iOS. You can mix your music on the go as a Mobile DJ, at a gathering as a Party DJ, if you own a radio station be a Radio DJ and any other occasion and amuse others. This app is tightly integrated with Spotify as well as iTunes library and so, you don't need to own any music to start DJ'ing - just find songs of your choice from the 30+ million songs from Spotify's library (any language/country) or use your own songs from your iTunes library and start scratching the turn-tables or the wave forms, apply FX (effects), speed up, slow down, whatever... using its Mixer, Tempo, Pitch-Bend, Filter, EQ, Looping, Cue points, Sync, Sampler for drums and sounds, etc and even a hardware controller. You can mix 2 similar songs to create a remix. DJ'ing is fun with Trance, Vocal Trance, Euro Dance, Electronica, Hi-NRG!

  • DJay 2 for iPad - a beautiful web page

• • First DJ mix demo

  • Review & Walkthrough

  • Spotify Walkthrough

  • Introducing djay 2

Wanna become a DJ?

• • DJ Hardwell (best DJ of 2013 & 2014) - Everybody Is In The Place

  • DJ Darude - Sandstorm

  • DJ Armin van Buuren Live - Ultra Europe

  • DJ Armin van Buuren Live - Amsterdam

  • DJ Armin van Buuren Live - Tomorrowland

• • Top 100 DJ's Live

  • Best DJ's In The World

  • Top 10 Highest Paid DJ's In The World - 2015 (yeah, that's right - 66 million!)

  • DJ Armin van Buuren - DJ Setup Explained (DJ'ing live with visuals and sync'ing)

  • DJ Armin van Buuren - In The Studio

  • Wanna become a DJ?

NOTE: Needless to say, there isn't much electronic/Trance/dance music in some parts of the world that you would find in the rest of the world. People do not like trance music in some countries because unlike other forms of music there's not that much vocals and also electronic music is beyond them. I think people like to sing along to songs that they understand or know and that's how they get into that music. But most of the vocal music is dumbed down with no style or character to it and not even hummable in countries where Trance is absent. Trance on the other hand is electronic, stylish, contemporary and futuristic - you must feel the music and really listen into what the beats and melody are trying to tell you and thus make it your own. Trance is a very expressive form of music with limited lyrics or mostly brief vocals. Some people love this aspect about Trance. For Trance with vocals, listen to Vocal Trance; however, most pure Trance music has vocals as well. Trance/Vocal Trance is mostly electronic/dance music sung by female singers at 125-140 BPM with extensive modulations, effects, repeating melodic phrases that distinctively build up and down, mid-song climax followed by a soft breakdown disposing of beats and percussion entirely and leaving the melody and/or atmospherics to stand alone for an extended period before gradually building up again - all of which make it attractive.

Trance is especially popular in Europe:

• • Netherlands (trance, vocal trance, hardcore) - Amsterdam is the Dance-Capital of the World

  • Holland, Germany (techno), Belgium (jump), England, Scandinavia, Sweden, UK (hard trance), Spain, Ibiza, France (lounge), Cyprus, Hungary, Ireland, Poland, Israel (psy trance), Italy (hard trance), Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Columbia, Asia, Russia, Romania, Macedonia, Ukraine, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan...

  • USA -> only in some cities such as NYC (KTU), Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami, Las Vegas

  • Canada -> Toronto

HINT: For Trance, Vocal Trance, Classic Trance, Classic Vocal Trance, Hard Dance, EuroDance, Club Hits, DJ Mixes, Deep House, Electronica, Main Stage, Techno Trance, etc go to di.fm, trance.fm, radiotuna.com, etc.

• KORG iMS-20 - A high-quality, unique and monophonic DAW from Korg. I like its charcoal/STEALTH theme which is breath-taking and deadly!! Wanna see the screenshots? Head over to Korg or Google. Korg created many revolutionary hardware musical synthesizers in 90's and now they are replicating their hardware gadgets into iOS apps. For those who have used their hardware before, these new-generation apps are very exciting. iMS-20 is a complete recreation and replication of every aspect of their legendary MS-20 analog synth from 1978!

  • Detailed Review

  • Tutorials - 20 videos

  • Sings

  • Dubstep

• • Beat Maker 2

  • iMaschine - Compared to Beat Maker, iMachine is limited and easier to learn quickly

  • *** Making a Trance Beat - amazing way using slow Tempo and Mixer to control actual record/playback speed & volume

  • Beat Making 03

  • Trance Mix - Beautiful, Emotional, Uplifting

  • Beat-making Tutorial

  • Native Instruments - User Guide

  • Beat-making Tutorial 2

• Drums XD - demo

• Music Studio

• Loopy HD - Create music by layering looped recordings of singing, beat-boxing or playing an instrument with a savvy, sophisticated, tactile looper. Supports multi-track recording, over-dubbing, track-muting, merging, panning, volume control, Audiobus, etc.

HINT: Use head-phones while recording to prevent other loops from getting re-recorded.

• • Loopy Intro

  • Loopy HD - demo of old version

  • Multi-Track Recording techniques

  • Multi-Track Recording Techniques - shows how to use merge, mute, etc.

  • A Simple Multi-Track Loop

  • Multi-Track Recording on iPhone

  • Beatbox - Multi-Track Recording on iPad Mini

• Audiobus - the "missing audio cable" between iOS Music Apps - this is a MUST for any DAW enthusiast! It turns iOS into a Recording Studio!!

• • • A Beginner's Guide

• AudioShare - An audio document manager - organize all your sound-files and midi-files on your device. Record, playback, trim, convert, normalize, upload, download, export, import, zip, unzip, folders, transfer files between apps, devices, computer, Dropbox, SoundCloud, email, AudioCopy, AudioPaste, download from Web, etc with Audiobus support.

  • • Walk-through

• Sunrizer

  • • 7 Minutes with Sunrizer

    • Video Preview

    • High-quality sound demo

    • Synth Song

    • Shine On You Crazy Diamond - Pink Floyd

• Magellan -> This DAW comes with dual synths with individual keyboards and 3 oscillators for each synth (total 6 oscillators) and 4 filters. It supports synth-coupling, enhanced touchpad, touch-sensitive keys for velocity, etc.

• • • Magellan - Demo 1 - Professional Analog Modeling Synthesizer

    • Magellan - Demo 2 - What's new in version 2?

    • Magellan - Dual Synths, Synth-Coupling, etc.

    • Magellan - Sequencer

    • Magellan - MIDI Capabilities

    • Magellan - Review

• Animoog - This is an Anisotropic Synth/wave-table Engine (ASE) with timbre, polyphonic modulation, path, orbit, legato, etc modules and supports changing the root note. With its individual and polyphonic note articulation and key modulation, it sounds heavenly - rendering fluid music with some growl and bite. You can customize its keyboard layout to match your key scale with adjustable key spacing (similar to Cubasis). I use this app for its unique sound effects and route its output into other DAW apps using Audiobus app or Inter-App Audio. It has a 4-track recorder (no track editor), Audiobus compatibility and ability to import/export projects from/to iTunes and upload to SoundCloud. Obviously, it's sounds and effects are more beautiful than the app itself which looks like a microwave.

• • • Getting Started Tutorial 1

    • Advanced Tutorial 2

    • Getting Started Tutorial

    • Official Demo - v2 - Expanded, upgraded, integrated

    • Official Demo - Expressive control

    • Official Demo - Animoog - the 1st Pro Synth for iPad

    • Animoog - Timbres

    • Animoog for iPhone & iTouch

    • A Tour of Animoog

    • Tutorial on Envelopes (ADSR, Filter, Legato, etc)

    • Animoog - Understanding Wavetable Synthesis

    • Moog Animoog iPad / iOS Sound Design Tutorial Pt 1: How to Get Started

    • Moog Animoog iPad / iOS Sound Design Video Tutorial Pt 2: Advanced Modulation + Routing

    • Using Moog Animoog w/ Ableton Live - iPad / iOS Sound Design Tutorial Pt 3

    • Animoog Full Review - by Mark Jenkin

    • Base pack for Animoog - so personal, you can SMELL them!!

    • Happy Halloween - presets

    • Shine On You Crazy Diamond - Animoog & Sunrizer

    • Seasons of Change (Animoog)

    • Abhija - Hindi song

    • Jo Wada Kiya Wo - Hindi song

    • Magellan, Animoog, Addictive Synth, Alchemy

• Auria - This app does not have built-in MIDI and hence no software instruments inside it like GarageBand and other apps do. It is good for only audio recording. Its UI is dated, UGLY, screams that is is NOT an iOS app (very, very dated - nothing about this app looks like an iOS app) and it costs a fortune - $225 with all the In-App Purchases of plugins! Plus, it uses huge resources and needs to close all other apps for it to work and even needs freezing its tracks to release memory so it can work. It goes to show how horrible an app developed by a one-man team can be - I wouldn't buy it even for free! However, their upcoming Auria Pro is said to have MIDI support and a revamped UI but obviously, it still may not be as good as CUBASIS when it comes to the UI, UX, usability, quality, beauty, performance, latency, memory usage, etc - because it needs to be redesigned and re-written from ground up to achieve that level of elegancy and performance.

• • • Guitarism - an amazing demo!

    • Tutorials & Demos - a collection of 24 videos

• Real Guitar

• GuitarPad

• Guitarist

• ClearTune

• etc.

DEVICE (TABLET) BUYING GUIDE

Tablet or SmartPhone?

There isn't much you can do on a stupid smart phone anyway due to its size and availability of apps. Tablet-optimized apps are superior, offer far better user-experience and more usable than mobile apps or scaled-up mobile apps. Further, some of the best apps such as Cubasis, Gadget, iMS-20, Magellan, Procreate, etc. are developed ONLY for the iPad. Also learn why Procreate refused to create an Android version of their tablet app. My technique is to use the latest and the greatest iPad and keep the phone outdated. In other words, I buy a new iPad when I run out of room or when it becomes too slow or when the current iOS/hardware does not support the newer apps made for the newer iOS/hardware - or every 3-4 years. I consider a smart phone is good for just making calls, checking email, weather, calendar, texting, photos, etc - that's all - which is why I have a 128 GB AT&T Cellular iPad Air 2 but still have a 5-year old 32 GB iPhone 4 and don't plan on upgrading it any time soon. Go for a tablet.

If the above is not convincing enough, I'll give you 2 more bigger reasons to go for a tablet (iPad):

• Spotify which is the BEST music streaming service is FREE on desktops/laptops and tablets (on-demand) - you can play any song at any time. It is free on smartphones as well but it it is shuffle-based which means it plays random songs from the album (not on-demand). Spotify has over 30+ million songs in every language covering every country. Other good streaming services are Google Music All Access, Pandora & iTunes Radio.

• FREE: Radio Tuna is great as well and iHeartRadio is for terrestrial/land-line radio stations.

• DJay 2 app is integrated with Spotify - you don't need a music collection to mix like a Pro-DJ and amuse others.

iOS, Android or Windows tablet?

It all boils down to who was the pioneer in the game with more apps. It is analogous to traffic to a website - most websites are alive today because of their traffic due to being the pioneers and most of them would not have been as successful as they are if they were launched now. Apple started the apps, AppStore, smart phones, tablets (well, they improvised the competing products, made them better and more usable). Consequently, the iOS AppStore has more than a million apps and the most tablet-optimized apps giving you that unique tablet-experience as opposed to scaled-up mobile apps you find on Android. Most developers create the iOS version of their apps first before considering porting them to other platforms. Some developers refuse to create Android versions of their apps and some developers quit making apps for Windows saying, "You cannot make money on Windows apps". iOS has the most number of tablet-optimized apps, family-sharing of apps, etc. Android has fewer tablet-optimized apps and fragmentation issues, malware, latency issues from being one-size-fits-all bloat-ware, open-source model and not all users get the latest and greatest due to being at the mercy of several vendors. Well, whatever - I'm not starting a war. You get what you pay for. When you want to accomplish something and you found a perfect app for that, you have found your platform. Go for iOS - if you can.

iPad Pro or iPad Air or iPad mini?

I simply loved the mini when I had one for 2 years - it is a small wonder and always went wherever I went. Before the mini, I had an iPad 2 and it always used to stay home because of its heft. I got the MOST use out of the mini. Mini was PERFECT for everything - email, browsing, watching videos, playing games, reading books, etc - I never had any issues with any of these activities because the apps made for the bigger iPad work the exact, same way on the mini without any changes and they give you the same full tablet-experience unlike the scaled-up mobile apps we find on Android. However, I found that the keyboard on the software musical instruments in the DAW apps I use was a bit tiny for my adult fingers and had issues playing faster without making hiccups. Finally, when I purchased a much lighter iPad Air 2, it was a BLISS - the issues of keyboard size and playing software instruments was gone, gone! I can still carry my new iPad Air everywhere because of it its light weight and also due to its side bezels that were trimmed by Apple making it less wide - all these changes made the difference in size between the full size iPad and the mini negligible. What the heck? Apple even made iPad Air 2 thinner than iPhone 6 !! Honestly, I still like the mini as it fits in my jacket pocket - not so much with the full-size iPad Air. So, here is my suggestion - if you are an adult and wanna play DAW apps, just buy the full-size iPad - preferably the Black one. If not into music or if you are a kid, go for the mini. Mini is such a PERFECT match for kids!!

• • If you are an artist, graphic designer, developer, musician, film producer, YouTuber, vlogger, blogger, want to play graphic-intensive games, simulation apps such as Aerofly, Infinite Fly, etc - go for iPad Pro.

  • If you are a child or a female - go for iPad mini.

  • Otherwise, go for iPad Air.

Black iPad or White iPad?

Black iPad gives an immersive experience while watching videos, playing games, etc as its black sides/bezels blend with the black background of the app/game. If you are into playing games or watching videos, go for the Black iPad. Black iPad is recommended if you intend to use music/DAW apps as well. A black leather case does not fade or discolor.

White iPad blends with the background color of browser, web sites, books and productivity tools such as email, calendar, word processors, spreadsheets, presentations, etc. Having a black border for apps that have a white theme is a bit of a distraction. If you wanna use the iPad just for productivity tools/apps, reading, browsing, etc go for the White iPad. Light-colored leather cases fade or discolor over a period of time.

HINT: Get a black face-plated iPad and a white face-plated iPhone (you use iPhone mostly for productivity tools, right - that have white themes?)

Cellular or Wi-Fi edition?

Cellular edition sets you off by about $130. If you plan on getting a data plan for your iPad, always go for the Cellular edition because it costs just $10 a month to add it as a device to your data plan. Remember, it costs $30 a month to add a Wi-Fi iPad to a data plan. So the extra cost of $130 pays for itself in about 6 months and after that it is a savings of $20 every month. Cellular edition is a teeny bit heavier (by a few grams) and the battery drains a bit faster when you add a data plan to it (just like an iPhone with a plan). However, iPad Air works with a blazing performance and has such a great battery - it lasts for days on a single charge even with a data plan on it.

AT&T, Verizon or other carriers?

AT&T hands down - I found their network, coverage, signal strength and reception far superior to outdated technologies/networks other carriers use. With Verizon and other carriers, you enjoy their latest technologies only in some areas and once you are out of those areas, you are back on their outdated, 3G or even inferior networks. Plus, AT&T's customer service is FANATIC!!

Storage

Since iPad does not come with external storage, more is always better. 16 GB is long-outdated and maybe OK for folks who use it for just productivity tools (remember, White iPad?). You should go for a minimum of 32 GB. If you are a gamer or deal with lots of apps, music files, photos, videos, etc, you should go for the maximum storage. Apple products can be used for at least 5-10 years or more without issues (I still use a 5-year old iPhone without any issues but I have the latest iPad) and they have a good resale value and so, cost should not be your concern. You buy it, you use it, you enjoy it - you get returns out of it! So simple. The last thing you want is run out of room and repent for not having bought more storage. Do not skimp on storage capacity. I found the iPad Air 2 with 2 GB RAM is blazing fast even with the latest, memory-hungry, badly written apps (such as Auria) that use humungous resources.

HINT: If you want to buy both iPad and an iPhone, consider buying a White/Rose-Gold iPhone with the white face-plate (for productivity apps) and a Black/Space-Gray iPad (for apps, games, video watching, etc).

Peripherals

If you plan on buying auxiliary items such as microphone, keyboard, etc - buy the ones that connect to your tablet through the power socket and not through headphone jack because the ones that connect through the power socket offer full features, quality and power compared to the ones that connect through headphone jack. Always buy Apple peripherals, kits, etc because 3rd-party stuff does not work properly and renders inferior output.

Eg: Camera Connection Kit - buy the Apple brand and you'll have not issues with it.

Headphones, Microphone, Filter, Audio-Interface, Amplifier, etc.

DAC: Digital to Analog Converter. Computers and devices cannot understand analog sounds - they need to save analog sounds as digital data (Eg: MP3, AAC, WAV, etc). Humans cannot understand digital data - we need analog signals to hear them. A DAC takes the digital information on your computer and translates it into analog sound you can hear through your headphones and speakers. All computers and devices have DAC built into them but they are very basic and crappy. Not all DACs are created equal and you need a high-quality DAC to hear the subtlety, detail and dimension of music you listen to - regardless of what headphones or speakers you use.

The stock Headphones (earbuds) and the built-in Mic and DAC that come with iPad and iPhone (or any other device or computer) are very basic, crappy and tinny. For high-quality sound recording and output, use pro-grade mic, headphones and audio-interface/amp. Here are some recommendations of the best peripherals:

Headphones

There are many types to consider: On-ear, over-ear, in-ear, closed-back, open-back, noise-canceling, noise-isolating, studio-monitors, regular headphones, etc. Over-ear and in-ear with closed-back are meant for noise-canceling and noise-isolation in public places. External noise-cancellation/isolation are meant for listening to your music at lower volumes without impairing your hearing - but beware, you may not hear what others are saying to you or a even a fire-alarm because of the sealing - make sure you are able to hear all sounds from the outside.

HINT: Remember, you will hear a good bass when you seal the ear with the right/tight fitting tips/cups.

Regular Headphones have enhanced sound quality with added extra bass for extended listening pleasure.

Open-back Headphones - these are meant for listening to music in private places. These offer soundstage (the amount of 3-dimensional space the headphones can create and classical music needs a lot of that space).

Studio-monitor Headphones are flat, accurate with tight, controlled bass and crisp highs and not meant for listening pleasure - but you will hear every subtle sound and every instrument in the songs clearly as how the music producer intended it to be as they are not drowned in heavy bass. Studio-monitors are chiefly meant for studio tracking & mixing and DJ monitoring.  If you listen to bass-heavy music, these are probably not for you.

• KOSS KSC35 Ear-clip Headphones - $45 - These are the BEST-sounding open-back headphones with a great BASS, warmer and richer sound with soundstage for the price. Discontinued briefly by Koss, they brought them back again due to popular demand. Reviewed highly as the headphones that sound as good as the ones that are in the $300-$400 price range, these are thin, small, not bulky, very portable, comfortable and highly durable, do not fall off your ears (great for workouts), do not break, last for decades (people have used them for since 1990's and some have eve run through their washer/dryer through oversight and they still work as good as new!) and due to lifetime warranty, Koss replaces them with a set of new headphones for just shipping cost. With only 32 ohms of resistance, they will be driven easily from any portable, including MP3/MD players, the wimpiest portable CD player, etc. with low output strength and do not need any headphone amplifier. You could spend days researching for better headphones in this price-range but you will not find any!! Period. Look no further.

• HINT: Buy this for extended music-listening pleasure without fatigue.

• Klipsch R6i in-ear Headphones - $99 - raved and reviewed for good bass and awesome sound.

• R - is for the same acoustic engineering, voice and design of Klipsch's legendary Reference Home-Theater Speakers for pure performance and designed to be the best sounding, most comfortable headphones with the ergonomic remote control, tangle-free cord and patented contour ear tips for extended periods of listening enjoyment without fatigue, stress or pain. As these are in-ear headphones, you will hear cord microphonics.

• i - is for compatibility with iDevices (iPad, iPhone, iPod, Mac, etc). Not all its controls (remote, volume, mic, etc) work on other devices such as Kindle, Galaxy, etc (look for an Android version instead).

• HINT: Buy this for extended music-listening pleasure.

• Beats Studio Wireless Headphones - It is one of the best-sounding and most fun headphones with a very good base and rich rendering of sound. Great for listening to electronic music - Trance, Vocal Trance, Dubstep, Hip-Hop, etc. This is a very high-quality headphones from Apple. It takes about an hour to charge and gives 20-hour of fatigue-free listening time. Wireless offers you the freedom to wander anywhere without being wired. Volume, Play/Pause, Skip and other controls are very intuitive and form the part of the design - not visible obviously. Very comfortable even with sun/eyeglasses.

• Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBL Professional Studio Monitor Headphones - $175 - crystal-clear sound as how the music-producer intended it to be but with added bass compared to its predecessor: ATH-M50. With ATH-M50x, you will hear all the subtle and little sounds in your songs - in all their pure glory - that you NEVER heard using other headphones. Due to the added bass, these ATH-M50x headphones can be used for extended listening pleasure, too - but Klipsch R6i in-ear Headphones mentioned above are better for maximum listening pleasure due to extra bass. M50x are not highly commuter-friendly.

• M - is for studio-monitor.

• BL - is for Limited Edition Blue (copper/blue) - it looks like a luxury car!

• HINT: Buy this for music-production, synthesis, sequencing, mixing, mastering, sampling, editing, etc. or if you prefer accurate, crystal-clear/crisp sound or for listening pleasure.

However, if you want just earbuds for composing music, consider Klipsch in-ear X4i Headphones - $130 - (the most professional-looking with metal body that does not protrude outside your ears but beware - they are flat and accurate without much bass).

Klipsch Reference on-ear Headphones - $199

Microphone

• Blue Yeti USB Microphone

• Audio-Technica AT2020, AT2020USB, AT2035 or ATR2500

• Rode smartLav+ Lavalier Mic

Pop-Filter

• Auphonix 6-Inch Blue Yeti Pop Filter

Audio-Interface

• Apogee One for iPad & Mac (also works as a Headphone Amplifier)

• Apogee Duet for iPad & Mac

• Focusrite iTrack Professional Dock for Recording on iPad

• Focusrite iTrack Pocket Portable Stereo Microphone & Guitar Input for iPhone Video Creation & Sharing

• Focusrite Scarlett Solo, 2i2, 18i8, etc.

• PreSonus AudioBox

• Roland Duo / Quad / Studio Capture

Headphone & Speaker Amplifier

• Apogee GROOVE Portable USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier

  • [NOTE: If you have the Apogee One audio-interface/amp outlined above, you don't need this amp]

HINT: If you are buying Klipsch, try to buy directly from their site or one of their Authorized Dealers because Klipsch does not honor their 2-year warranty if purchased outside their network. They would replace any defective product within 2 years if purchased from them or their dealers. Here are their unauthorized dealers you should stay away from.

HINT: While using these high-grade headphones, make sure that the music collection you listen to are of high resolution (320 bitrate) or lossless (recommended) AAC or FLAC or uncompressed (not recommended) WAV formats so all the instruments are audible (do not use the lossy formats such as MP3 or OGG).

MIDI Keyboard/Synthesizer with Sequencer/Vocoder/Mixer/etc.

Roland JD-Xi (2015) - a Powerful, Interactive, Digital/Analog Crossover/Hybrid Synthesizer, 4-track on-board Pattern Sequencer, 4-track Mixer, 4 simultaneous effects per sound, Arpeggiator, Pitch Bend/Modulation wheels, USB for Audio/MIDI, 256 on-board sounds & patterns, 256 user-programs, 16 favorite sounds and Vocoder with gooseneck Mic, Auto Pitch, Auto Note for Vocal FX - is the new, cool kid on the block from Roland. JD-Xi is a compact/portable, streamlined, sub-37 (3-octave) synth with velocity-sensitive mini keys but you can play all the 88 notes of a Grand Piano (7 octaves) by switching the octaves on the panel. JD-Xi is an Analog and Digital synths in one keyboard!! It has 4 parts - 2 Digital Synths, Drums Analog Synth - and comes with Roland’s famous SuperNATURAL Digital Synth Tones, Analog Synth Tone and PCM Drum Kits. It is so light weight you can lift it with just 2 fingers - but don't be fooled by its weight - it is MIGHTY and very attractively priced for all its features. You can even plug in your Guitar or digital music player into it and record and you can apply digital effects to its analog tones! If you are looking for a Professional, all-in-one, easy-to-use keyboard to create Electronic Dance Music (EDM), look no further. You can create great music on JD-Xi with just a few button taps - even if you are not a keyboard player! Further, you can use its 4-part Pattern Sequencer as a DJ to bring parts in and out, apply effects, mix, etc in a live, DJ setting. It has a built-in Audio Interface and so, you don't need any external audio interface to connect to your PC/Mac to record its sounds, effects, etc in your favorite DAW app - just use the USB cable. It can connect to an iPad with Camera Connection kit but it records in MIDI. To record JD-Xi sounds into an iPad DAW app, you need an external audio interface. What more can you say about a synthesizer that has only rave reviews for all its features and its price?

This is sick!

Width: 22-11/16", Height: 3-6/16", Depth: 9-11/16", Weight: 4 LBS (2.2 KGS)

Maximum Polyphony: 129 voices (Digital Synth/Drum Kit: 128, Analog Synth: 1)

• Roland JD-Xi Demo from NAMM 2015 Show Private Room by Scott Tibbs

• NAMM 2015: Roland JD-Xi First Look

• Roland JD-Xi Analog/Digital Crossover Synthesizer

• Roland JD-Xi Synthesizer - Building a Track From Scratch (easy to create music)

• Roland JD-Xi Hybrid Synthesizer Demo

• Roland JD-Xi Crossover Synthesizer with Scott Tibbs

• Roland JD-Xi Ambient Jam by Roland

• Dorian Concept - Impression of the JD-Xi

• Dorian Concept Performance Featuring the JD-Xi Synthesizer

• For more demos ==> https://plus.google.com/+ShekarReddyC/posts

Looking for a full-size? Wait for its big-brother, flagship synthesizer - JD-Xa - or why not just buy both? :)

• • Roland JD-XA - http://amzn.to/2ftF2dT

  • The Monster Unleashed - https://youtu.be/ApVWXqxiWi8

Axial is the official Roland Tone Library - axial.roland.com - where you can download new sounds for your Roland synthesizer that have been specially designed by top programmers. From recreations of vintage analog classics to modern, cutting-edge tones that are perfect for the latest music styles and beyond, Axial is your home for an ever-expanding selection of unique and exciting new sounds for your Roland instruments

NOTE: You get much better results from using a dedicated, hardware keyboard with real/physical keys and pads to record/perform than software DAW apps with touch screen keyboards and drum pads. Use DAW apps for recording your performance, mixing and mastering.

BLUETOOTH SPEAKERS

Even though Bluetooth can connect to your computer or device without needing an internet connection, these speakers have a few issues:

• The sound quality degrades by the time it reaches the Bluetooth speaker and gets reproduced

• These are being designed ultra-compact for portability and not for performance. As a result, they are getting smaller and smaller and so, their sound quality is tinny & dry

• At higher volumes, they tend to crackle. Watch how Bose SoundLink Mini sounds good even at higher volumes (video)

• If you plan on playing/recording your music/DAW apps over Bluetooth speakers, there is an obvious LAG - it's not realtime recording/playback. This lag is similar to lightning-thunder thing > we see lightning first and thunder sound later even though they both happen at the same time in the skies. So, lightning is when you tap the key on iPad and thunder is when you hear the sound in the Bluetooth speaker with wireless connection - about a half or one second delay. Due to this lag, you will get confused and go out of sync with the Metronome or beat as the output is not realtime. It is difficult to play a DAW app using Bluetooth speakers wirelessly with accuracy due to this horrible lag. To play/record music/DAW apps, simply plug your iPad into Bose Mini's AUX socket using an audio cord for realtime playing/recording without any lag - don't use its wireless/Bluetooth connection for playing/recording. However, to playback a recording or streaming music you can use wired/wireless connection to the Bluetooth speakers - this is similar to playing back/streaming a song off the internet for which there is still a lag but it is not noticeable because it is consistent.

I have a Logitech Squeezebox Boom (video) internet radio which is highly reviewed for its rich sound quality and everyone I know couldn't believe its sound quality for its size. One guy even asked me, "Where are your speakers??" - he thought I was having a 5.1 stereo system at my place. When I pointed him to my Boom (an enhanced clock-radio), he was literally shocked! Bluetooth speakers cannot offer that level of sound quality.

If you are wanting to get a wireless Bluetooth speaker, consider buying the Logitech Bluetooth Audio Adapter for a fraction of the cost - about $40 (instead of Bluetooth speakers which are more expensive and less expansive) - which will instantly turn any speaker (even a legacy/vintage/antique speaker) into a wireless Bluetooth speaker!! In other words, you can use the adapter with any speakers. Of all the Bluetooth audio adapters reviewed, Logitech was found to be the BEST.

If you are wanting to get a standalone Bluetooth speaker with battery, ease-of-use and portability, consider Bose SoundLink Mini (video) for its construction, engineering, technology and solid/durable/high quality. Mini's sound quality is reviewed as better than and superior to other competing speakers such as Beats Pill and it's own big brothers - Bose SoundLink II and Bose SoundLink III. This small wonder is solid, heavy and sounds like huge speakers - it could go wherever you go - bedroom, bathroom, car, work, party - you could do an orchestra on it inside your car with an iPad!!

CAUTION: Beware of the FAKE Bose Mini's! Scary, huh?

HINTS:

• • Place your speakers in room corners for a surround stereo sound effect! For the base effect, there needs to be a wall behind the speaker with some space (not too close).

  • If you buy Bose Mini, consider buying the Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth Speaker Soft Cover for it that is always on it and protects it. Do not buy just a travel-bag/case because once you take it out of the bag, it is naked and vulnerable to damages but remember - it's quality is very solid. A soft cover is always on and does not obstruct its sound in any way. Further, the soft-cover gives it nice grip points from its cutouts.

  • Bose Mini is similar to iPad mini in portability - they both are small wonders and made for each other! Alike iPad mini, Bose Mini wants to go wherever you go (kitchen, bathroom, car, office, stores - you name it). For maximum returns, just slip it into your jacket pocket, take it with you wherever you go and have PORTABLE FUN with it :) You can do orchestra with it in your car with DAW apps on your iPad!

  • VOLUME CONTROL: Do you set volume high on the device/computer or on the Bluetooth speaker? Here is the tip - turn up the volume on the connected computer/device to near-maximum and then use Bose Mini's volume buttons to adjust the volume level. This technique maximizes output from your computer but keeps the output from your speaker as low as you want giving you optimal sound output without crackling (however, there is no crackling on Bose Mini even at maximum volume - unlike other competing speakers).

DESIRABLE FEATURES: Nothing is perfect and Bose Mini is not an exception - even though it is near-perfect and second to none! I wish Bose Mini had a Remote Control along with a flip-up LCD display showing the following info - even if it meant costing another $50:

• Track title

• Volume level - highly desirable as it is not known without actually playing a song

• Battery level - highly desirable to know precisely when to recharge (green/orange/red are not adequate). However, in the new version, they introduced voice alerts that announce battery level when you turn it on.

• Bluetooth connection status

• Connected device name

• Mute status

• Aux status

• Skip, Pause, Stop, Play, Disconnect, etc (?)

• Progress bar of the currently playing song (?)

All Bluetooth speakers currently scream the above features are missing in them. Maybe, in next version?

SPOTIFY - the BEST streaming music service

For some time, I did not like the name "SPOTIFY" which has nothing to do with music and did not use their service. I thought - why couldn't they find a better name for their service? Are they just out there to make $$? But boy, was I wrong? They chose that name (click> while brainstorming for one <click) because it was not used by any other business and was available including the domain name with no legal conflicts. They were so embarrassed with their business name selection - they had to start explaining it as "SPOT and IDENTIFY" (still does not make any sense with "music", does it?). It goes to show that you can coin any (irrelevant) name or word and make it a success if you work hard on building a brand around it (eg: TravelZoo - what has travel got to do with zoo?? MailChimp - a fancy name with a funny/cartoon Chimp character). Even if you own a cool word and you don't work hard on making it popular - it remains nothing.

And Spotify's service - simply amazing!!

Spotify made their service on-demand FREE on desktops/laptops and tablets which means you can play any song from their collection of over 30+ million songs and curated play lists in any language covering any country - anytime - on demand. It is free on smartphones as well but it is shuffle-based which means they may play some song from the same album of the artist of the song you requested - still better than Pandora which plays some song from some artist that we did not request for. The free plan plays a few adds occasionally but you can sign up for their paid service for ad-free playing. Compare that to competing services - they don't have a free plan which means they need your credit card. If you are not a heavy music listener all day, a free service is better even if it plays a few ads.

Get the BEAUTIFUL and PRETTY Spotify app of your choice and enjoy hours and hours of non-stop, melodious music of your choice (no fine print). If you want free, on-demand service, you need to go for the desktop, web or tablet edition:

• • Download Spotiy desktop app - spotify.com/download

  • Smartphone/Tablet app - itunes.apple.com/app/id324684580

  • Play Spotiy on the web - play.spotify.com

HINT: While signing up for a service such as Spotify, etc. do not use your Facebook account to quickly register - if your Facebook account gets suspended, you cannot log into Spotify. Instead, sign up directly on Spotify.com. Also, signing up through Facebook could have other issues such as setting up a device (see below under SUPPORT), changing email address without affecting your email address on Facebook, etc.

SUPPORT: Spotiy's offers FANATIC support - even to free accounts which is unheard of. If you contact them using their Contact form, they will acknowledge receipt of the message, follow up with a detailed resolution to the issue and also a Survey to monitor and improve their service. I contacted them for a solution as I could not setup my Logitech Squeezebox Boom with their service because I signed up through Facebook which does not login using the device. They replied immediately acknowledging the issue and offering me to cancel my account and re-signup for a new account (directly at Spotify.com this time and not through Facebook) and also offering to retain my same Email address for the new account and - there is one more... - they offered to transfer all my Songs, Favorites, Playlists, Contacts, etc over to the new account so I don't have to re-create them all over! In other words, I would not lose ANYTHING in the process - same Email address, all my Favorites, Playlists, Contacts, etc - INTACT and as-is. Also, the above HINT about registering through Facebook was given by them. All that support level for guess what - for my FREE account - that does not make them any money. Can you believe that? How cool is that? They know exactly how to do BUSINESS. The last time I found fanatical support was from AT&T and Rackspace.

GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC

The Standard plan is FREE and you can upload up to 50,000 of your own songs at no cost! This is similar to Google Photos which is free for Unlimited photos if you prefer to upload in 2400 pixel resolution. The $9.99 plan gives you All Access to all their music and also ad-free YouTube. Both Google Play Music and Google Photos come with desktop apps to sync up your music and photos.

Here are various services and their business models:

• • Spotify/Google => Play by song

  • Pandora/Apple => Play by artist

  • iHeartRadio => Terrestrial (real) Radio stations

  • TuneIn/RadioTuna/etc => Internet radio stations

MY FAVORITE GENRES (sound great with headphones)

Trance music is from Europe and my favorite for over 15 years. Trance is Heaven on Earth! My most favorite genres:

• • Trance from Digitally Imported (what is Trance music?) - mostly instrumental and some vocal too. Futuristic.

  • Vocal Trance from Digitally Imported (what is Vocal Trance?) - mostly vocal. Full of life.

  • Hi-NRG (pronounced "High Energy") (what is Hi-NRG?) - very stylish.

  • EuroDance from Digitally Imported (what is EuroDance?)

  • 80's, 90's, 00's music - evergreen.

  • Soft Rock

  • Rock

  • Pop (Popular)

  • Heavy Metal - loud distorted guitars, dense bass-and-drum sounds, vigorous vocals, masculine and aggressive.

  • Light Classical Indian (filmi) music

  • Modern and contemporary music

My Online Radio Player combining the best of the genres - Trance, Hi-NRG and Soft Rock:

• • Shekar's Online Radio Station

www.di.fm (Digitally Imported) has over 80 FREE channels in a wide variety of genres.

Try the above on KOSS KSC35 Ear Clip Headphones! These $45 headphones are highly reviewed with sound quality on par with other headphones that cost in the $300-$400 range.

MY SPOTIFY PLAYLISTS (use Headphones)

Spotify is FREE on desktops, laptops and tablets – you can play any individual song anytime (on demand) and also play any playlist in the same order. It’s free on mobile phones too using playlists but they shuffle the playlist (not on-demand). Also, Spotify has the best human-curated playlists for any kind of events – workouts, luncheons, cookouts, birthdays, weddings, ceremonies, parties, holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Halloween, by genre, etc.

Here are my curated playlists on Spotify you can just kick them off for any events. They’re work-in-progress with over 150 songs – mostly modern EDM, Trance, Vocal Trance and some Hi-NRG/Rock genre based. These links display partial lists and play songs for only 30 seconds each. For complete lists and to play full songs, use Spotify app on Desktop or on Mobile. I don’t play good music – only the best!

• • EXTRME PARTY - https://open.spotify.com/user/1261878327/playlist/28bnIhOvRQpGO3WOfBTuVR

  • BEST TRANCE - https://open.spotify.com/user/1261878327/playlist/0U5CHgvKZVLJq7KAz6jmn7

MY FAVORITE SINGERS/BANDS/MUSIC DIRECTORS (sound great with headphones)

I'm a musician myself and can state, these are some of the BEST songs I compiled for you - painstakingly. I published the links of the best-sounding and clear audio/video songs so you don't have to hunt for them. When you search for a song, you get a plenty of hits - so, which one would you watch/listen to? That's what I did for you. Most of these songs are Grammy Award Winners and album CHART-TOPPERS reaching MULTI-PLATINUM STATUS. Caution - the more you listen to these songs, the more they will HAUNT you - all day long. Guaranteed!

Below, I placed more than 200+ links to the artist's all songs (in Artist/Band Name heading) and select individual songs too. I'm a musician and qualified to say - most of these songs are unique, VERY STYLISH and FUTURISTIC - they suit even to these modern times after decades of their creation. This is by no means a complete list of all the greatest music produced so far.

PLAY ALL, NON-STOP:  I've created a unique PLAYLIST so you can watch'em all (except non-YouTube stuff). If the songs are repeated below for lyrics, official video, live performance, etc versions - only one song with the best-sound quality is included in this playlist (even if it is lyrics version only and not an official music video or live performance) so they are unique. Generally, most Live performance versions have poor sound quality. Official music videos are the best of both worlds - video and audio - but again their quality depends on how they were saved and uploaded which could impact their video quality, sound quality, volume, etc. Audio songs with/without lyrics mostly have the BEST audio quality and volume because they were ripped off the CDs (but no video) with studio-quality sound - good if you are just listening to them in the background. So, if you would like to watch the Live Performance or the Official Music Video version of a song instead and if it is not included in this playlist due to poor/non-studio sound quality/volume, scroll down this page and click those links - each version has its own value (lyrics, video, live):

• >> PLAYLIST OF ALL

  • [Out-dated and does not include all the songs below]

  • -------------------------------------------------

PLUS: Also, do explore my Google+ profile for more songs and Music App reviews:

• • Google+ - http://plus.google.com/+ShekarReddyC

HARDWARE: Earphones offer mediocre experience. I recommend KOSS KSC35 Ear Clip Headphones - these $45 headphones are highly reviewed with sound quality on par with other headphones that cost in the $300-$400 range.

Are your headphones on?

Are you prepared to be HAUNTED?

Enjoy!!

LEGEND (ratings for music and sound quality)

• • Green - BEST

  • Red / Maroon - Better

  • Orange - Good

  • Purple - My work, my music rendition on iPad