Monthly guitar riff video challenge … the May edition

It’s only been a month and I’ve already uploaded a new monthly riff video. That shouldn’t be as amazing as it seems to be to me. Why? Because the initial challenge I’d set myself at the beginning of this year was to create and share a monthly guitar riff video. It’s not that difficult.

I stumbled at first, but I’m now on track to continue to deliver on a regular, monthly basis. Who knows … I may even end up writing about other things one day. Things beyond this monthly challenge! I’ve done it before. I know it’s possible. Monthly guitar riff video challenge … the May edition

The monthly guitar video challenge (with two entries once again)

The monthly guitar challenge … surely by May I’ll work out how to make these videos on a monthly basis. Still, with today’s video I’ve kept some form of consistency—back-to-back videos that feature the combined riffs from two individual month’s guitar riffs. I’ve also managed to create content in two consecutive months. That’s almost a win. Still, next month will hopefully be only partially consistent—monthly video and blog post, but one riff. Hopefully it will still be interesting enough to warrant the blog post it is posted in. The monthly guitar video challenge (with two entries once again)

A monthly video challenge (with a late start)

Earlier this year I thought I’d set myself a monthly video challenge. It was an idea I had with the best of intentions. It’s also an idea I wish I’d had actual time to dedicate to earlier this year. Still, I think I’ve managed to find the time and the motivation to get cracking now. I’m filled with so much faith now that I’ve decided to play catch-up by releasing my first video that includes what could technically be classified as the first two months of challenge results in the one recording. Could be. But really it’s just a poor attempt at playing catch-up.

Anyhow, read on for the concept and the first result. Hopefully I can keep this one going. I’m more inspired to play guitar than I have been in ages. A monthly video challenge (with a late start)

AmpliTube Acoustic—it rocks (in a cool unplugged kind of way)

It’s been a while since I got stuck into the awesomeness that is iOS guitar playing and recording. Truth be told, it’s been a while since I did anything decent that was guitar related. I perhaps needed something to rekindle my interest. Luckily and coincidentally, IK Multimedia recently released AmpliTube Acoustic and a new interface called iRig Acoustic. The interface I can’t write about—on account of me not having one of them—but AmpliTube Acoustic I can write about—because I do have the free version of that.

So write about it I shall! AmpliTube Acoustic—it rocks (in a cool unplugged kind of way)

2014 … Instagram style

Back in 2011 when I decided to shift the focus of my website to my guitar fascination (prior to 2011 I used this site for my graphic design fascination), I had a small obsession with the wonders of iOS. Today I still do. I’m not currently writing about it as much, but I realised today that last year—2014—I continued to use iOS for my social media usage and monitoring, content discovery, video editing, guitar recording, photography and a whole lot more. So as I look back on the year that was, I thought I’d use iOS to put together a homage to my version of 2014.

It’s a 15 second video. It’s going to take me longer than that to explain how it was created though. 2014 … Instagram style

52 Amplifier Heads, week 40—ENGL Gigmaster 15 Head E315

This week’s amplifier has a lot of hard edges on it. In fact some of those edges seem to be at 90 degrees to each other. That would make them right ENGLs. That’s a terrible joke and I’m not sorry. I’m also not sorry that I am wishing the ENGL Gigmaster 15 head was mine this week. It appears to be the perfect combination of appropriate wattage, metal and blackness. I may be in love with an inanimate object. There may be medication for that. I don’t want it. 52 Amplifier Heads, week 40—ENGL Gigmaster 15 Head E315

52 Amplifier Heads, week 33—Carvin V3M

Week 33 already. Wow, we’re carvin’ through this year. I feel this week’s amplifier head needs to pack more punch than usual. Perhaps I should allow an amplifier into the series that is way over the usual wattage I’m looking for. But it has to still be suitable for my home playing/recording needs. I know … the Carvin V3M. OK, I may have hinted at what the amplifier would be with the intro sentences to this article and the article/page title does give it away week after week, but I enjoy putting these introductions together all the same.

Sometimes I surprise myself. 52 Amplifier Heads, week 33—Carvin V3M

AmpliToon … My AmpliTube ‘How to’ graphic novel

I love graphic novels. I’ve always found them to be one of the greatest story telling mechanisms available to man. I also happen to love playing guitar through my iPad. I’ve found the iPad to be an incredible tool for people such as me, to improve their skillset and experiment with tone, recording, sharing and constructive criticism on a global scale. All of this got me thinking. What is surely going to be the best way of reminding myself how to use some of my favourite iOS software and possibly help others do the same?

Well, because I’m a giver, I made AmpliToon … An almost graphic novel about IK Multimedia‘s AmpliTube application for the iPad. AmpliToon … My AmpliTube ‘How to’ graphic novel

Recording in the AmpliTube MultiTrack Recorder on an iPhone

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. Recording in the AmpliTube MultiTrack Recorder on an iPhone

Amplitube for iPhone

AmpliTube for iPhone is one of the most complete amplifier emulator packages on the market. It’s also one of the packages out there with a great number of variations for you to choose from. There is AmpliTube FREE, AmpliTube LE and the full version of AmpliTube. There are also free and full versions of AmpliTube Fender. If you start with the free version and decide you like what you’ve got, you should decide at that point if you’re likely to want to purchase in-app or if you’re better off upgrading to LE or the full version. Whatever you do, stick with one. In-app purchases don’t transfer between apps. This isn’t a fault of AmpliTube, it’s just the iOS app way.

Me? I ended up going with AmpliTube LE. Then I bought big. Let’s see what you can end up with … using my usual black and white imagery (below). Amplitube for iPhone