Turning Noise Into Music With Ableton Live

July 30 2008

This tutorial, from Andreas Wetterberg (The Covert Operators), demonstrates a number of really cool sound design techniques with Ableton live and white noise. In addition to this cool tutorial they have a wealth of useful and "stuff" on their website, check them out.

Ableton Live - Uses for White Noise from Andreas Wetterberg on Vimeo.

Smooth Cross Fade Plug-in for Ableton Live

July 30 2008

If you're a DJ or live performer that requires a smooth cross fader and Live's cross fader doesn't do it for you; then basement_crossfade may be the solution you're looking for.

Smooth crossfade plugin for Ableton Live from basementhum on Vimeo.

Paul van Dyk interview

July 30 2008

Few DJs can electrify a crowd like Paul van Dyk. That connection was originally analog all of his grooves were etched into a few tons of vinyl. But for about three years now van Dyk has been strictly digital. Today he conjures his sets on a pair of MacBook Pros using Logic Studio and Ableton Live. In fact, it probably isn't accurate to call him a DJ anymore. Van Dyk weaves his own music real-time, like any live musician. He uses his dance-floor sixth sense and his skills as a renowned producer to create new tracks during every performance.

I've developed the same passion I have for making music as I have for DJing over the last 15 years, he says. It's the ultimate thing to be able to combine both. I can use my production skills as well as my skills as a DJ together to create new things live. The whole experience of me playing music is much more intense because it fits the atmosphere of the moment, of the set, of the venue, and of the crowd.

Paul Van Dyk

Of course, van Dyk is also a renowned producer. He's considered one of the pioneers of electronic dance music. His songs have smashed the dance charts, soared on the pop charts and even invaded video game soundtracks. He has made remixes with Depeche Mode, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and many others. Today he makes all his music with Macs running Logic Studio and Ableton Live. Ever since I basically began making music, I've worked with Macs, he says. They're in the studio as well as on the road. I've always had my Macs with me. They're an essential part of my music.

In the Lab

When he's not on the road, van Dyk turns out tracks at his Berlin studio. The electronic music laboratory is packed with old analog gear and the latest Macs running Logic Studio. Logic Pro 8 is at the heart of his setup. The application is his blank page, studio recorder, mixer and effects processor rolled into one. It also plays nice with the legacy gear that van Dyk has used throughout the years. My music production starts in Logic, he says. I usually nail down a speed, then get a nice drum loop going for some rhythm. Then I lay down chords or a bass line or some piano some stuff like that. When I feel the musical idea I have is coming across, and I can feel it, I get to properly blowing it up and doing drum programming and better bass line sequences.

Van Dyk grabs sounds from the Logic Studio library and records riffs from his old gear. Most of the stuff is not samples, he says. It's all tweaked synthesizer. In Logic I use the ES1, ES2, EVP88 and the like. Great instruments are important, but finding the right ones for a song is key. Again, Logic Studio has the solution. It provides the perfect surrounding for searching for the right sound, says van Dyk. It's great how you can dive into the synthesizers, grab those different sort of resonances and look through the library to find exactly what you need. And once you've found what you're looking for, there are a lot of possibilities to produce a unique song. You can use filters put a gate on it or use the envelope or compression to make it crisp and shine through whatever else is going on.

Logic gives the producer the flexibility he needs to make his music come to life. That's the cool thing about Logic, he says. You can make it easy for yourself and use all the presets and settings, or you can go into it and create something that sounds unique and special. It's flexible and you can use it to do exactly what you want.

Real-time Remixing

For the most part, van Dyk's music making process was a mystery to his fans, until he put his studio on stage. On tour for his latest album, In Between, the producer uses two 17-inch MacBook Pros running Logic Studio and Ableton Live. One computer is for the audio library, the other computer is where the software synthesizers are for sequencing, he says. The computers are connected through an interface and an Allen & Heath 3D mixer, which is also a MIDI controller. I have 19 software synths installed and I have two MIDI keyboards, so I play a lot of things live. I also have a UC-33 controller, an Akai controller and some other things that I can play with when I'm up there. With all these things I'm able to do some crazy stuff.

Van Dyk essentially creates remixes of his tracks live, tweaking them to suit the vibe. I could play your favorite tune and it sounds completely different—different bass line, different drums, he says, but it would sound so much better at that particular moment of the set.

New remixes are often born out of that spontaneous intensity. Some of the remixes I've done in the last few years are basically the outcome of me playing a certain track live, he says. Then I just redid exactly what I did live in the studio and it was a remix. The live performance is influencing the production work and vice versa. When you go to the studio to do a remix you think about it a lot. When you create it in front of people, it's part of the set, an element of the journey. You don't really think so much about it, you're just influenced by the vibe. You may do things that you never come up with [in the studio] because you're in the flow. It's very inspiring.

It's a far cry from the days of vinyl. I'm so busy when I play now, says van Dyk. The other day I was wondering, what did I actually do once the record was playing? Wait for eight minutes to mix in the next one? How boring.

Compelling Clash

Van Dyk is always looking for a challenge. Lately, that means working with pop superstars to create intriguing remixes that appeal to his hardcore fans and the masses alike. Making a remix on the scale of Depeche Mode, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, it's a difficult thing, he says. The fact is, the fans of Justin Timberlake aren't necessarily enjoying the elements that I'm putting in my remix. At the same time, my fans aren't too excited about the sounds that come from Justin Timberlake's music because they're not used to them. What you're trying to do is combine those two worlds to make a compromise that's not exactly a compromise. It's a real challenge, but I enjoyed it tremendously.

The producer recently remixed The Wombats' single Moving to New York. At first glance it seems like an unlikely clash of musical genres. But van Dyk was entranced by the band's sound. It's very difficult to translate what The Wombats do into my field of music, he says. It was one of the biggest challenges I've ever faced in terms of making a remix, but I really wanted to do it because I love the band so much.

Paul Van Dyk

For van Dyk, remixing is all about fusing different musical styles to create compelling sounds. It's a process that inspires producers and artists in every genre. You always have people who are open to and interested in new things, as well as being inspired by them, he says. And if you look back in the past two or three years, a lot of pop artists have started to involve sounds that traditionally come from my musical field in their production. People realize that there is so much potential for being creative with electronic music. I think it's fantastic.

Fast Forward

Van Dyk's In Between tour is still going strong and he has no plans to abandon his club schedule. Still, he has managed to make four new songs during all the chaos. I don't have the mindset yet to go back and make a full album, but I'm still coming up with new tracks, he says. My Macs and the live setup allows me to explore new things while I'm on tour and that means I can make more music. When I get back to my studio in Berlin, I have a lot to work on.

He'll also have a lot to work on when he's on stage. The musician's live setup continues to evolve, giving him more flexibility and a greater degree of creative freedom. It's always changing, he says. To be honest, if you would've asked me five years ago if I would be on stage with computers and software synthesizers, playing live with a custom-made mixer and MIDI mapping and all that stuff, I would have said probably not. We keep getting better software and tools. The future of electronic music is very exciting to me and my Macs will be a part of it.

One of my Ableton Live secrets revealed

July 29 2008

I'm an enormous Ableton Live fan. I've been a user for quite some time and I truly believe it's one of the best software programs ever written. If you asked me in order of importance the devices or software that have changed my life, I would respond in the following order:

Blackberry

Ableton Live

Mac

Photoshop

When you've used Ableton Live for as long as I have it's difficult not to learn a thing or two about the program that few others have discovered. Whether it be improvements in efficiency or work flows that allow you to achieve some genre bending effects. I've managed to become quite proficient in using the software to achieve my musical and live performance goals.

My live performances are all about consistency. Building a night, twisting and turning my set along a beat or some other medium for continuity. Frequently incorporating elements from other songs, other genres and anything else I can think of, sometimes even recording what's going on in the booth or what's going on in the crowd and incorporating that into my set. I layer my sound throughout the night and attempt to present a unique performance each time I play. Ableton makes almost anything that's possible in the studio, possible when I play live.

One way I maintain consistency is to utilize effects both standard and non standard mastering and production effects to bring elements in and out of the mix. This morphing of sound allows me to slowly and precisely change my sound throughout the night at whatever pace suits the performance best. Even performing live remixes.

Quite a number of the effects I've created have been perfected or changed over the years based on the sound I'm playing or the mood I'm in. Some of the effects I use garner quite a lot of attention. I'm frequently asked what effects I use to create the unique sounds on my albums, my productions or when playing live. The answer is almost always (90% of the time) ...my live performances are largely based on the native plugins in Ableton Live. Sorry to disappoint but there is no magic formula. Sound design and unique effects take time and effort to create and personalize otherwise you'll end up sounding like everyone else. Unique requires effort and experimentation both in the studio, prior to the show or by taking risks during the show. Things don't always go as you planned or as you expected but sometimes you can have happy accidents which lead you to a new level of creativity and discovery. Even today, I'm still learning and making changes based on chances I take when performing live.

In short, I utilize Ableton Live's effects in creative ways by either combining multiple effects or individual effects to give me a unique sound that's tweakable at the show.

One such effect that I've started to use lately is what people frequently describe to me as the chopper effect. The chopper effect is quite a destructive effect and can have a devastating effect on a sound when the amount or Dry/Wet of the effect applied to the sound is almost 100%. However, every effect has its place and time and when used in the proper context, it can be quite amazing.

So, I thought it would be cool to share my secrets on how I create this affect using Ableton's standard plugins. The screen shot below demonstrates what I believe to be the optimal or maximum settings when using the effect.

The screen shot below conveys how the preset is used in my setup and the two tweakable knobs are the ‘Amount' and ‘Rate'. Amount is obviously controlling the Dry/Wet of the effect and the Rate is controlling the phrase length. I frequently use an AutoPan on every Audio channel and will assign midi knobs to these two parameters so I can have as much control over the sound during my live set.

A picture is a thousand words and that's all there is to it. Simply tweak away and be creative until you create the sound you're looking for. Create sounds that work for you and your live performance and that are unique and instantly identifiable as "your sound".

Armin van Buuren, Imagine. What's on your stereo?

July 29 2008

If you're a frequent reader of the Blog then you'll know I've answered the question before, "What are you currently listening to?". From time to time I take a snapshot of what's on my iPod or simply share the music I'm currently listening to. So, without further ado, let me share the short list of artists and albums that are exciting me right now. Let's start with Armin van Buuren, Imagine. In a separate post I'll discuss some other albums.

Armin van Buuren, Imagine. This is an album I procured a short while ago. This album was a grower and is not instantly obvious which is probably why I ended up liking it so much. Even though it took some time, I'm glad I took the extra time to become acquainted with this long player. The album is truly fabulous. It's predominantly vocal journey is thoroughly enjoyable. The stand out tracks for me are first and foremost, Going Wrong. Going Wrong debuted on Armin Van Buuren's A State Of Trance radio show. The single is a collaboration between Armin, DJ Shah and Chris Jones. Near as I can tell, the song is about a break up (aren't all the best songs?) and resonates with me from a melodic perspective (we all know I don't listen to the lyrics even though I can sing along with this one).

In and Out of Love is one of those typical vocal trance tracks that I'm surprised I'm drawn to. In this particular case believe it or not, it's the lyrics that attracted me the most. It's about, cheating, break ups etc. The melodies are incredible throughout the entire song but in particular the last minute takes the song to new heights.

Fine Without You is a track that's perfect for Power FM in Florida. I spent some time in Florida and whenever I go there I make a point to drown myself in this fantastic radio station that's dedicated to playing house music. I bet they're playing this song on repeat as the hot mid afternoon sun showers the geckos.

Basically, this entire album is awesome and I recommend it!

The pocket video market just got more competitive

July 29 2008

If you're fan of the pocket video market then you'll be happy to know that Kodak are not offering the ability to pre-order the Kodak Zi6 HD Pocket Video Camera. It's being touted as a "Super simple HD video, right in your pocket" and is currently available for pre-order from Amazon.com.

If you don't feel like waiting for the Kodak model you can rush out and purchase the Flip Video Mino Series Camcorder.

Sometimes it's difficult to be objective, especially when it comes to yourself ...

July 29 2008

It would appear that I'm not near as sore from Sunday's race as I thought I would be. I do appear to have some odd pain, not a good pain, in my right leg caused by some poor or sloppy pedaling form. Probably due in part to the length of the race and also the sprinting up hill on the final climb.

With that one single injury aside and some minor nagging pains yesterday, I feel great today and am ready to get back on my bike tonight. Which totally blows me away. First of all, I was at the front of the race for most of the day and wasn't that far from the finish in the end but yet I'm not that sore. I think that's a pretty major achievement for my first major race this year. It also makes me smile to think back to Sunday morning and recall riding up the hill in the front row of the race for a number of the laps. I did good :)

I'm nervous to ride tonight fearing I'll uncover some injury or make a hidden injury worse. I've been stretching and doing all the right things so with luck, tonight will go well. It's important that I get back to hard training though as I've started to increase my weight and that's not a good thing. My body fat, according to my body fat meter, is still the same which would mean I've added more muscle but the "Brian Meter" knows I've put on some body fat these past few weeks based on how I look and the thickness of my skin. For the first time this year I can actually pinch some fat so I know I've added some pounds. I plan to do some low intensity riding this week every day at fat burning range to resolve this issue. I'll also modify my diet slightly to exclude the extraneous crap I've been eating.

I'll keep you all posted on how it's going...

Western Digital Passport drives no longer working? I may have the solution ...

July 29 2008

If like me you're a huge fan of Western Digital hard drives but suddenly find they're no longer working then I may have a solution for you.

Recently almost all of my Western Digital Passport drives suddenly stopped working for no apparent reason. So I set off in earnest to find a solution. If you know anything about external hard drives then you'll know of their power consumption/requirements. In the Passport's case it requires 1000mA of power to spin up. Most computer systems only supply 500mA of power through USB ports. Obviously this poses a problem if you intend to continue using your hard disks. In short, the Passport was not being supplied with sufficient power in my case.

Luckily there is a solution provided by the company and they're acutely aware of the problem. The solution is a double ended USB power supply which leverages two USB ports in an attempt to provide enough power.

This was the solution to my problems I hope this helps if you've experienced similar issues.

Hunting Witches in Salem

July 28 2008

In my last post I alluded to the fact that I'd probably ride the Witches Cup in Salem on August 13. I can tell you all that I am now CONFIRMED/Registered for this race and will absolutely be riding barring any major injuries or set backs of course. The race itself is a Cat 4/5 race so I expect it to be more difficult than previous race's. Below is an excerpt from the promoter's website:

"Hosted by Salem Cycle and Comprehensive Racing, The Witches Cup ran for over 15 years as a top-level national event with such cyclists as Eric Hayden, Leonard Nitz and Frankie Andreau.

This year, the Witches Cup will feature racing at all levels for both men and women around historic Salem Common, concluding with a professional race. A free kids' race on soft grass will also be held for children, ages five to 12. The day's events will begin at 4 p.m. with the professional race at 6:45 p.m.

The Witches Cup is a criterium -- a short fast bicycle race requiring a mix of power, speed and technical skills. Those skills include the ability to corner rapidly and sharply, all while riding safely with a large group on a short circuit, requiring exceptional fitness to attack other riders and repeatedly accelerate around corners. These races are 45-60 minutes of very fast cycling, with racers averaging 25-35 mph and reaching speeds of up to 45 mph during sprints and attacks."

As you can see, the promoters of the event are advising speeds anywhere from 25-35mph with finishing speeds up to 45mph. Needless to say my training between now and August 13 will be geared towards building a base for the race. Averaging 25-35mph for 45 minutes isn't going to be a great deal of fun if you're not ready for it.

As was the case last Sunday, I don't expect to be mixing it in the finish of this race. Criteriums are by their very nature fast. My results at Wells have been spectacular but not indicative of how I expect to place in other races. For this reason I expect this to be more difficult and I expect to get more 'training' rather than racing in. Nevertheless, this is my first season racing at this level and the objective is to gain as much experience and exercise as possible while having fun.

You can read more about the race at the Witches Cup website where they feature pictures and race history.

It wasn't as bad as I had expected and I even stayed with the leaders right until the final climb

July 26 2008

My big race is finally behind me and I did a lot better than I had expected. It also wasn't as tough as I thought it would be.

The day started out with lots of rain. The ground was wet but there wasn't too much pooling. Arriving to the race shortly after 8am for registration there was already a lot of guys warming up. At first glance it was clear this was a real race, with team cars, neutral service vehicles and an army of staff at the event. We were permitted to ride the race course even though we were told we could not and it was clear just from warming up that my power was good but unfortunately my additional weight would be an issue next to the smaller guys on the climb.

Rolling out during the neutral zone the rain started to come down. We were no sooner on the course out of the neutral zone when we heard the sound of riders crashing and hitting the ground. It's a pretty horrible sound if you're a bike rider but it's even worse when you hear it happening in the neutral zone and you know you have 10 more laps to go in the rain and some pretty nasty inclines.

Right from the beginning I made my way to the front of the race and managed to stay there until the final turn onto the finishing climb. I knew this would cause me to blow up sooner and have almost nothing in the end but I wanted to remain at the front to be safe. I wasn't able to accelerate up the climbs at the same speed the smaller lighter guys were but I was easily able to hold them insight and lose only a yard at most by the top.

I felt good until the second lap when the attacks went off the front and then I knew the day wouldn't be much fun. Thankfully we allowed the breaks to go and slowly die on the course in front of us as we clawed them back slowly. When you have a break up front that you're not chasing usually neutralizes the race and makes it easier.

Lap 4 was the low point for me as we brought back all the breaks. Coming up that climb my legs really started to hurt and feel heavy but I soldiered on. Like all races this Summer, I simply need 20-30 seconds of respite before I felt good again.

There were several more crashes in the race. I stayed in the first 5 places the entire time. Coming into the final lap I was 3rd and waited there until an attack happened on the climb. Andrew from Back Bay went with it and I tried but didn't manage to nail it back. I was told we were riding the final climb at approximately 28mph, I don't know as I wasn't looking down. I managed to claw my way back to the leading riders but by now I was already deep in the red.

Rounding the final corner up the hill I knew any possibility of placing was out of the question but I fought my way up the climb as hard as I could. I made it to the top and had been passed by 22 riders but managed to bring back that original break off the front. Right at the top of the climb I stopped my bike, unclipped and focused on breathing. My heart rate monitor now said 183. I hurt up that last climb but fought hard all day today. My 23rd place is not at all indicative of how I was doing throughout the entire race because lap 4 was for me the low point, after that I felt good. I had secretly hoped in chasing the break that everyone else was tired behind me and I could steal something on the final climb but unfortunately that wasn't the case.

I do want to make mention of Andy from NEBC who finished in 10th place after being on the ground, behind the field, making his way back and then attacking off the front. He rode a faultless race today. Perhaps his only mistake was being caught too far back and getting mixed in a crash but it's difficult to prevent that! He rode on the front for quite a lot of the race and was for me the most aggressive rider in the race. Nice job Andy! It was clear, even if the finish were to come down to he and I, his significantly less body mass meant he would easily beat me on the final climb as his power to weight ratio is superior to mine. Nice job Andy!

Overall, I was terrified going into the race. Terrified by the climbs and worried I'd get dropped off the back. That wasn't the case at all today. I hung with the leaders the entire way and even managed to find the power necessary to climb with the big men. I was never going to win nor place and we all knew that because I'm not built for climbing. From here on I endure a day off the bike (not my favorite thing) and some rest until I can get back to training for next Sunday at Wells. After that I look forward to the Witches Cup race which I am almost certain of committing to.

Hours after the race I'm still pretty sore. My lungs and chest hurt really bad from the all out effort but knowing I left it all out there on the course makes me feel really good. My knees are also sore along with my butt and lower back. I hope for a quick recovery and then back on the bike for next weekend.

Tomorrow's race will be one for the big men - or little men ... if you know what I mean ...

July 25 2008

I do not feel good today. Lethargic and slow with a horrible head ache but I decided to train on the race course so I know what to expect for tomorrow. Sometimes it's better not knowing I think. Due to limitations by the organizers it wont be possible to pre-ride the race route tomorrow morning. That means bringing the trainer and warming up in the parking lot (not my favorite thing to do) but it will give me a more focused and precise warm-up. I need to provide a report of the route today for my team before tomorrow morning and thought I'd share my thoughts on the course with you all also.

Today I rode the course 4 or 5 times averaging 21mph for approximately 28 minutes. My general perception is, I don't expect to look back on this race as one of my favorites. There's not a flat section in the entire race. It's either climbing consistently, sharply or going down hill sharply before it enters abruptly into another up hill. There were a few sections where I managed to exceed 32mph so I expect the race to be fast despite the climbs. And what about those climbs ...

The start line is on Circuit Street and from there it swings sharp right onto Forest Street. Forest street is poorly paved and isn't flat. It gradually climbs upwards at first at a 1% gradient then to 3% and finally to 4% before you approach a sharp right turn (similar to the switch backs in the Alps) and then the road kicks right up to 7 and then 9%. Allegedly this is where the finish line is going to be. Half way up this climb the gradient levels out slightly to 6% before it gradually falls off over the top.

This climb is absolutely going to be decisive. I can foresee riders not being able to make it up the climb on the first lap and major breaks in the pack early on. There is no question that it will play a roll in the finish. This is less like a sprint finish and more like a mountain top finish given the gradient and the sharp switch back.

To put it in perspective, it's different to the hills in Belmont, but it's not easier and I can't put my finger on why I think this. The hills in Belmont are longer and harder but for some reason I have less of an issue getting over those and can even get over them pretty fast. Today my top speed over the climb was 11mph. Either I have no power or it's a steep climb that might prove to be too steep for me on the day.

There's no question I'm going to suffer tomorrow and suffer really badly. Positioning is going to be crucial but the energy and power it will take to stay at the front might end up being my demise. I definitely believe that if any riders are dropped tomorrow and the pace of the lead riders doesn't drop that there will be no way to make it back on.

My expectation is that tomorrow wont be fun. That I'll hurt more in this race than any other. I DO NOT expect to win and I will be making that clear to the team. The power required to get up those climbs will be significant and it will certainly detract from my final sprint power.

UGH! I should have ridden this course before I signed up! I really wish now I had completed a hard hill interval training workout this week! I was in the red training on the course today ... :(

Cadel cracks - Carlos in Yellow to Paris

July 25 2008

Cadel Evans did not pull back the 1'34 he expected to coming out of today's time trial which means Sastre will take Yellow to Paris tomorrow and with more than 1 minute separating them in the overall standings the race will be uncontested. Congratulations Carlos on winning the 2008 Tour de France, I'm delighted!

Sunday's hilly race in Norwell has been confirmed

July 25 2008

I'm pleased to say I just received confirmation from the race organizers that the race will go ahead as planned on Sunday morning. At this point in the weekend I feel quite rested having worked out minimally this week. I've been doing trainer work outs and have been focusing on sprinting form. Unfortunately that might not help me on Sunday as I've been told the hills in the race take their toll and the race may come down to survival of the fittest in the end.

I'm looking forward to a tough race and a hard workout. I have not managed to do a really hard workout this week and am in dire need to blow the cob webs out. Let's hope I'm capable of hanging on during Sunday's race and won't end up hurting too badly. If I feel good I'll certainly be there in the end and normally if you can manage to hang on until the end you have a shot at the finish. After all, when you go through that much pain what's a little more right?

Needless to say, I didn't ride the race route yet this week. I plan to drive there tomorrow and do some training on the course itself. Then I plan to head to the Blue Hills early next week for some climbing training.

Next Sunday I'll return to Wells Ave not to contest the win but more to get into race shape on a flat course before I compete in the Witches Cup race in Salem that's taking place on August 13th. That should be a pretty tough race. Any criterium this deep into the season is going to be fast and very tough. My plan going into that race is to stay with the team for as long as possible and then stay with the leaders for as long as I can. If I make the selection and can hang with the leaders when the hammer is down coming into the finale I'll have a go.

For now the focus is Norwell on Sunday and getting my climbing legs and endurance where it needs to be. I plan to ride easy tomorrow resting as much as I can and hydrating. Sunday looks set to be 82 degrees so all signs are pointing to a very tough race. More from me tomorrow as I post some final updates before the race ...

Brian Roche Music

July 24 2008

Brian Roche Music gets a much needed face lift. While it's fair to say the site re-design is not yet complete, there's certainly enough content in place to warrant a visit. As always, share your thoughts on the new look and feel.

Curtains for Cadel?

July 24 2008

Is it curtains for Cadel Evans or will he regain the yellow jersey at the end of Saturday's final time trial?

The 2008 Tour de France is more than 2/3 of the way through and I haven't posted a single comment in either the lead up to the tour or during the tour. This is not due to the fact that I've been ignoring the tour, quite the opposite, I've been watching this race as intently I've watched all the others this season. I have some less than complimentary things to say about the tour this year however.

Although I've been watching the tour, to be frank, I'm pretty disgusted with the organization's decision to disallow the Astana team to compete in this year's race. For this reason I've decided to give the tour as little coverage as possible and instead have decided to focus on the races I find more enjoyable not just because of the Tour's decision to disallow Astana this year but because I simply enjoy them more. For example, the Giro d'Italia was a terrific race this year. Exciting races with fantastic back drops as the race wound its way around Italy. The last minute addition of the Astana team and the surprise win of the best cyclist in the world Alberto Contador, was perhaps the biggest and most pleasant surprise of the season. In addition to the Giro I also look forward to the Spring Classics. I've already started dreaming of February when racing starts again in Europe with the one day classics. It was down hill to next season after the Giro.

With all that being said, I feel somewhat compelled to comment or make some predictions on how I think the tour is going to turn out. Mainly because people have not stopped bugging me for not commenting on the tour. It shouldn't be a surprise that I do not think the best riders are in the tour this year after my comments previously in this post about Alberto. The exclusion of Contador has hurt the race and decreased its excitement and appeal in my opinion. The three recent drug scandals have also hurt the sport even further but I do applaud how the organization is now approaching drug testing. This year they've finally teamed up with drug companies. Roche for example, have added a special coded molecule to their EPO that's easily detectable in drug tests. Now the organizers spend less energy on the seemingly hit or miss testing for EPO and focus some of their attention on the detection of this new molecule. In the process catching several riders in this year's tour with this newly introduced method. Finally, they're getting a handle on how to make races fair by keeping drug takers out. Note, I didn't say cheaters. It's not cheating if everyone is taking drugs. And no! I didn't say everyone was taking drugs either. Let's leave it there ...

I'm not a huge fan of Evans. I dislike his riding style and various other aspects of his personality. The person that wins the tour is the icon of cycling for that year. I don't think Evans is the type of cycling icon I'd like for our sport. That's just my opinion. I shouldn't just pick on Evans, the other racers aren't much better either. The only reasonable personality is Frank Schleck but he's not going to win despite the fact he carried the yellow jersey yesterday.

This year's race will certainly go down to the final time trial where I think Cadel will manage to regain the yellow jersey leaving Sastre a close second. I will certainly be cheering for Sastre and I hope for his sake he wins. But, it's highly likely Cadel will crack on the last day. Which is another reason why I dislike him. You can never be sure of his performance and he quite frankly has not looked that strong throughout the tour. At times he was simply surviving. Oh wait, but so were the rest of the GC riders in the race, must be something to do with the fact that we don't have the best cyclists in the world in the race this year? The only riders that looked strong are the Schleck brothers but rumor has it their stellar performances are drug fueled. Let's hope not as I'm a big fan of each.

Anyway, here are your standings after today's stage. The next few days will be boring flat stages where we'll see the typical break away merchants that currently stand outside the top 100 trying to win a stage and the GC men riding defensively saving themselves for the final time trial. An exciting (ahem) last few days to what has been an uneventful Tour de France.

Go Sastre!

1.SASTRE C. CSC 79h 16' 14"
2.SCHLECK F. CSC01' 24"
3.KOHL B. GST 01' 33"
4.EVANS C. SIL 01' 34"
5.MENCHOV D. RAB 02' 39"
6.VANDEVELDE C. TSL 04' 41"

Despite everything I've said in this Blog entry, I want you all to know that I view cycling as perhaps THE most difficult sport in the world. What these athletes go through is incredible. Any rider that simply makes it through the tour is incredible in my opinion. I'm simply jaded with drug scandals and the ridiculous infighting that's destroying cycling. It's time cycling got it's act together by letting the best riders compete.

Colors in harmony

July 24 2008

If, like me, you're color coordinatively helpless but you love to design websites then it's time to stop worrying. Start relaxing because there are a few great sites on the web that will help you find colors that work harmoniously together or simply find color schemes that work. Below are some examples of some sites and applications I use to help me when picking colors that work well together.

WebsiteTips.com has a great Color Blender JavaScript application online that will allow you to input two color values and will automatically identify shades from color a to b. Excellent!

ColorSchemer Studio is a professional color matching application for anyone from hobbyists to advanced professionals. Work with a dynamic visual color wheel, instantly explore harmony relationships and even let ColorSchemer Studio intelligently suggest color schemes for you! It's not free but it works quite well.

GetaBlitch Jr - A Free Glitch App For Mac & PC

July 24 2008

BetabugsAudio has released a Universal Binary version of GetaBlitch Jr., a freeware sequenced gate effect plug-in. GetaBlitchJR - GetaBlitch Jr. is a sequenced gate effect that is different from traditional "trance gates" in two significant ways: first, it uses MIDI to sequence the gate, rather than a built-in step sequencer; second, it gates the left and right channels of a stereo signal independently and potentially simultaneously. Check it out!

Does anyone else think it feels like Fall?

July 24 2008

Rain, low cloud ceiling and periods of the day that are so dark it looks like the world is going to end! Not to mention the Thunder storms throughout the afternoon and the storms at night. Global warming? Could be, who knows? I just hope it clears up before the weekend so I can race my bike. Shoot me an email if you agree that it's starting to feel like Fall.

The Circuit Street Circuit Race in Norwell, sponsored by the Mass Bay Road

July 22 2008

This weekend I'll be taking on perhaps my biggest challenge this year. Certainly, this will be my first uphill finish of the year so tactics and energy conservation throughout the race will be imperative to placing high on the Podium. The course description reads as follows, 2.3 mile course with an uphill finish. I'm not positive how many laps the race will be but I do recall reading somewhere that it was approximately 15-20 miles. It looks like it's going to be a tough race so I'm looking forward to gaining the experience.

Tonight I drove down to recon the course but unfortunately couldn't find the route. I did notice quite a number of non trivial climbs and all routes appeared to be consistent 5% grades. Sometime this week I'll plan to do some training on the actual course itself in order to prepare for the race on Sunday. Preferably I'd like to train on the course several times before Sunday, weather permitting of course.

I'll keep you all posted ...

Inner Dialog

July 22 2008

An excellent new site for you guys to keep your eye on from a very good/close friend of mine, Inner Dialog

Mechanically it's more comfortable and powerful for me...

July 22 2008

This morning I worked out for 45 minutes on the trainer and not having utilized the trainer for a little while I had forgotten just how painful and different a workout the trainer can be. I had also forgotten how painful and stressful it can be on your knees. The primary reason for this is the minimal 'give' in the trainer. When riding on the road the frame of your bike flexes and reacts to the stresses being placed on it depending how much power your putting out. This is probably one reason why many people shy away from riding the trainer as it's less comfortable and more difficult in many ways than riding on the road. That being said, it's a terrific way to continue training when the weather doesn't cooperate which is what's happening this week. High humidity and frequent rain has forced me into the sweat pit that is trainer workouts.

This morning I spent time working on my base power and sprinting form. Which actually reminds me of a question I've been asked a lot lately, "How did you improve your sprints and your power so quickly?". This question is usually asked by other cyclists in the Peloton and it's usually a longer less rewarding answer than I know most people are looking for. In short though, I've always had the power, I simply could never channel it or stay healthy long enough to actually demonstrate it.

In my honest opinion cycling is first and foremost about form. Maintaining consistent proper form is crucial if you want to ride day in and day out. Any minor issues in form can cause a myriad of problems both in your knees and your performance but rest assured, sooner or later if you continue your poor form you're going to become injured. To avoid this, I recommend frequent bike fittings, workouts in front of a mirror, video recorded workouts, flexibility and strength training to make sure there are no weak points in your form. Even today, I measure my bike up and down to make sure everything fits in the way that it should. I stretch several times a day, holding each stretch for at least one minute and I focus on my form constantly! I finally focus on my form almost subconsciously at this point. I know how and where my knees should be and I know how they should glide past the center bar.

So, my sprint training secret number one is probably not a secret anymore because I'm going to tell you that sprint training is also first and foremost about form! You must work on your form constantly if you're going to improve your sprints. To be a good sprinter, you need to focus on one thing, sprinting form and sprinting. Some ways in which I have improved my form are, to ALWAYS grasp the lower bars when getting out of the saddle, especially when climbing. I take every opportunity to pedal in my sprint position slowly, even when riding on the flats. It may appear to those riding with me or behind me that I'm planning to sprint out of the saddle and drop them but that's not the case. I'm simply working on my form. The rationale here is, how can you expect to sprint with power and speed if you can't perform the motion slowly? If I could, I'd ride one legged to improve my sprint just like I did my in the saddle form, but that's not possible. In short, I take every chance to improve by mimicking the sprinting movement whenever I can.

The second thing I do, or rather don't do, is mash a huge gear every single time I practice my sprints. If you read books describing how to improve your sprint they will prescribe sprint drills that involve picking off a spot up the road, finding your biggest gear and mashing it all the way to the desired point. REALLY? That's ridiculous and a recipe for disaster if you perform these several times per session and several times per week in my opinion. Sprinting to win isn't always about mashing the biggest gear you can. Further more, if you're not taking drugs with cortisone or some serious pain killers I can't see how your body and your knees will not revolt against this work load? It's too much stress on my body but if it works for you, go for it!

Instead, I focus on sprinting in smaller gears. I do three types of sprint workouts, the first I described above where I take every chance to ride on the drops, in my position and practice with small gears. Mechanically it's more comfortable and powerful for me to ride out of the saddle in the drops. It's also a lot more powerful. The second approach I employ is to get into sprint position and ride in medium gears. This time I ride harder than when I'm simply in the position. The goal here is to be able to sprint for 30 seconds longer than I normally would in a race to build up the muscles in my legs in that position for a longer period of time. The purpose of these drills is to strengthen my quads and lower hamstrings. It's very important to do these medium drills because if you have any weakness in your quads it will more than likely be uncovered now rather than when you're going all out in a sprint and at greater risk of becoming injured. I'm acutely aware of how I feel when doing these drills. If there is pain or weakness in this movement then I will not advance to the third set of drills. Instead I'll focus on strength training until these feel good.

The final drill is designed to simulate race sprinting. These will be performed in the biggest gear I have and will be my maximum effort. I will only do this all out effort during one or two workouts each week and will only do them maximally 3 times per workout. These final drills are the hardest because they are designed to simulate and condition my body for how I will feel and performance when it really counts in a race. I will do everything I can to simulate race pace, this will include tiring myself out before the sprint to simulate a fast finish in the Peloton and then attempt a fast long kick to the line. Just like when you race, when you go, you go hard and you commit to the end. This means oxygen death, screaming lungs and legs. You go as hard as you possibly can while maintaining good or proper form. During these drills you should absolutely look for and track your top end sustained speed and power. This is your indication of how fast you're getting. This, by the way, should be going up each week. If these measurements are not, then you're simply not getting stronger, you're not going hard enough, or you're training your sprint too often or too hard. Or of course, all of the above :)

The bottom line is, I do not take drugs, nor have I ever taken anything to enhance my cycling. Nor would I! I simply employ training techniques that are designed to work with and for my body. I leverage the massive strength I have gained while being a bodybuilder and through regular visits to my chiropractor, years of learning how to take care of my body and recover, I gently work on mechanics, strength and most important base endurance.

The major reason for my ability to race this season can be attributed to rest, proper nutrition and months of hard work during the winter on the trainer. Quite simply, hours and hours spent riding and training. Consistent progressive resistance training both on the bike and off for my legs to encourage strength and muscle mass development has been the key. As always, to race, to sprint or to be the best in any endeavor you simply need to put the hard work in. Cycling takes pain, large doses frequently in order to succeed. If you don't improve and you're not injured, it's probably because you're unwilling to go through the pain it takes to get better.

Sometimes the only thing worse than losing, is winning

July 21, 2008

Phew, did those words just come out of my mouth? Well not exactly but they did land on the page, or screen, whatever. Later I can deny writing them and say they were typos :)

Seriously though, I am very relieved that I didn't win last Sunday. Delighted to be 2nd and to be consistently placing on the Podium but relieved not to have won again. Let me try to explain ...

Winning is a package deal. It comes with a great deal of pressure. The winning is easy but continuing to win is pressure. When I won last week I could feel all of those same sensations I felt when I competed in Bodybuilding all those years ago. The same feelings of obsession to be the best; the maniacal feelings of needing to win. I've learned so much about myself since those early days as Mr. Ireland. I don't have that same fire to win anymore.

I believe to win, at least in my case, you need a fire, a hunger, an almost obsession inside that drives you to win at the expense of everything else in your life. Winning requires a reckless abandon for the relationships and responsibilities in your life and a willingness to do whatever it takes to be the best.

In my case there was something to run from and an attractive goal to run to. In winning there's some validation you require that you're not getting from your life. I've learned I don't have that inside anymore. In a way, that's a good thing. I'm healthy and happy and for once I've removed most of the things that are unhealthy from my life. The need to win in this way, for me, is also unhealthy.

So for now, I'll still train very hard. Very hard indeed but to beat myself. To improve my form from one week to the next. To reach a better physical condition. I wont compete to beat anyone else because there's no satisfaction in that. I know I can sprint, I know I can race and I know I can consistently do well. If I race and win, then it means I was better than everyone else on that day and if I race and place then I'll know I beat myself and gave it my all and be happy that I beat me and improved myself.

I know now that I do not receive the same satisfaction from winning. In fact, winning now is almost disappointing. I know I can win and in doing it each week I'm left with nothing to shoot and train for. I've learned that the lessons learned in the journey and the chasing of the goal is far more rewarding than the winning itself.

This morning for the first time in a while I woke up and couldn't wait to get on my bike. I couldn't wait to go for a ride. Not to be the best, but to beat the Brian from yesterday.

What is posterous?

July 21, 2008

Posterous lets you post things online fast using email. You email posterous at post@posterous.com and they reply instantly with your new posterous blog. Awesome.

CamStudio - Free Screen Recording Software

July 21, 2008

CamStudio is able to record all screen and audio activity on your computer and create industry-standard AVI video files and using its built-in SWF Producer can turn those AVIs into lean, mean, bandwidth-friendly Streaming Flash videos (SWFs). You can use it to create demonstration videos for your web application.

CamStudio can also add high-quality, anti-aliased (no jagged edges) screen captions to your recordings in seconds and with the unique Video Annotation feature you can even personalise your videos by including a webcam movie of yourself "picture-in-picture" over your desktop. You can download and use it completely free for your personal and commercial projects.

If I had a favorite website ...

July 21, 2008

... right now, then this would be it!

Not only is it an awesome design but in this tutorial you even learn how to create it yourself! Enjoy.

"It's not always about winning."

July 20, 2008

I stepped on the podium once again, not on the top spot but second place this time. Today I returned to defend my first place win from last week but unfortunately lack of sleep, horrific humidity, heat and frankly, zero drive, prevented me from making it to the top spot.

I have not slept properly for the past 3 days and this morning I could feel it. My body still hurt from my chiropractor appointment and overall I felt not exhausted but tired, badly in need of a good night's sleep. The race itself was fast and I spent some time chatting and laughing but not feeling comfortable pushing myself into the red. I had no teammates to work for me which made covering the Back Bay moves difficult as they attacked and attacked. They had a squad of 5 riders once again and I had no one! If you know anything about cycling then you know it's a team sport and when you have no team, it's difficult to win easily. I'm not making excuses simply stating the facts.

I felt good in the sprint, I even felt like I had more effort in reserve despite the fact that I was riding the biggest gear I've ever pedaled! Once again I've managed to increase my strength considerably in just one week. I'm extremely happy with my performance and very happy with my tactics in the race and my sprint at the finish. I waited patiently and started my kick to the line just a little too late, one more meter and I had it! I learned a great deal and maintained excellent form during the sprint. All in all it was a very productive day and if I look at what could have happened, a crash, injury, top 10 placing ... I'm very happy.

Next week I give Wells a break and head to Norwell for my first road race of the season where I'm not sure what to expect. This week I'll recon the course and train there several times in order to be fully prepared for the race. I'll keep you all posted on my training. I still have not decided if I'm going to do the mountain race in Bow but I'll need to decide shortly ...

Second place finish today and I'm proud. It's not always about winning. Sometimes your best isn't the best on the day but in the end, your best is all that counts. Bri ...

The calm before the storm ...

July 19, 2008

Crossing the finish line in first place is never easy. Returning to defend a win makes it even more difficult. There is now less than 24 hours to go before the race tomorrow. I've already started my pre-race preparation which largely involves resting and nutrition. Yesterday my chiropractor put all the pieces back together but has found yet more ways to hurt me. Today, I'm still sore but know I'll feel good tomorrow when I start my long warmup.

Today feels like the calm before the storm because I know what I'm going to go through tomorrow morning before breakfast. I'm mentally prepared to cover the moves and to go with the breaks if they go. I also know when the hammer goes down tomorrow the pressure will be on for me to go with it. I fully expect to go through pain like never before to defend. But I do have a VERY corny motto when it comes to training and racing that I repeat in my head every time I train and race. It's a one liner that I can keep repeating over and over in my head when it becomes difficult to maintain the pace, or hard to train and it goes something like this, I train insane, so I can race with my brain! That's what I'm going to do tomorrow. I have the power, my form is the best it's ever been and my kick to the line has improved albeit marginally from last week.

I've had two very hard training sessions this week and while there's still more I'd like to do, practice changing gears while sprinting, work on my sprinting form some more, I know I'm ready!

As always, I'll keep you all posted on how tomorrow goes. I'll also decide later today if I plan to spin. If I do, it will be on the trainer and a very light spinning at that ...

Are you nervous? :)

40 miles, F-A-S-T!

July 15, 2008

For the first time in 6 weeks I was actually able to recover quickly enough from racing on Sunday to be able to complete a tough long ride on a Tuesday just 2 days after the race.

Tonight I did 40 miles very fast and am very happy. The ride consisted of quite a number of spirited attacks and quite a lot of pulling. My lungs, legs, shoulders all hurt but I feel good and know I'll recover to workout again on Thursday except Thursday and Friday will both probably be trainer rides, or easy rides outside (don't I have problems with those?:)

Anyway, that's the training update for today. All is going well and I'm formulating my race tactics for Sunday in an attempt to defend my win. I'm very excited to go back to the race knowing I'll be defending my win. I had expected returning as the winner would place additional stress on my preparation and race day riding but I'm looking forward to the challenge and have adapted the intensity of my training, recovery and diet to ensure I'm on a good glide path for Sunday. I'm also making no secret that I intend to go into Sunday and win once again. I don't expect, need or want to blow the field away but I do expect and intend to win. (my intentions are clear now right? :)

Having reviewed my training diary from last year, I'm somewhat nervous to note that August was where things started to go wrong. I became tired and the season had taken its toll. I had quite a number of tough rides and experienced a great deal of cramping. This year I seem to be coping better with the heat, refueling and re-hydrating (recently!) sufficiently to compensate for the stress I'm putting on my body. My goal is to race until the end of the season this year and I'm hoping for no issues or burnout.

As always I'll keep you all posted on how both training and the races are going but for now, that's the news ...

1st place victory from a bunch sprint

July 13, 2008

What a great day it was today. It started early, rising at 6:30 am and ingesting my pre-race meal. Which always consists of Granola cereal. No change from my usual breakfast on any other day.

Getting out of bed I had my usual stiff ankle, read the beginning of getting older. In all seriousness, I have weak feet and some times I think weak quads, hamstrings etc ... Seriously, I've been working hard with my chiropractor to resolve my lower leg and feet weakness issues. Resolution consists of a lot of one legged standing ...

Anyway, I made it to the race on time and feeling quite relaxed. On my way I saw one of my teammates (Chris) who confirmed he'd be working for me to win my first race. I'm hugely appreciative of anyone that works for me and it places so much extra pressure on me to do well knowing that other guys are burying themselves for my win.

I arrived to the race and did my full stretching routine, something I normally complete prior to even getting in the car. Pumped the tires, few adjustments to the breaks, signed in, warmed up and got on the start line approximately half way down the pack divided from the rest of my team.

People were joking in the pack, "He's the one we gotta watch." It was kind of cool but also added a little extra pressure. I'm usually the one joking around and having fun but today I was a little more serious. Right before roll out I took a few seconds to compose myself and get focused.

I spent the first few laps in the pack and eventually moved my way to the first few places where I stayed for the majority of the race. There were quite a number of younger riders in the pack and quite a number of inexperienced people. At one point I even saw one rider ride side ways into another, thankfully neither fell off as I was right behind them.

I stayed in the first few places for the rest of the race. Covering the breaks that went off the front. 5 laps to go a serious break went off the front and this Sunday I went hard and nailed it back. The rider, Mike, put in a very serious attempt to drop the pack and I needed to bridge to a total of 3 riders who were spread at different distances in front of the pack. I hopped to one, jumped on his wheel, then hopped to the next and so on before making my way into the break. I sat on Mike's wheel for half a lap to recover, meanwhile we had been joined by a few more riders. A break was truly forming and this time I read the move, committed and stayed in it.

I kept thinking that I was crazy to put in so much energy this close to the finish but I figured I had nothing to lose by getting into the break and not doing too much work. If we got caught I was on the front and if I had 30 seconds I could recovery and compose for the final sprint. As luck (ahem) would have it, one of the younger riders on my team (yea!) carried the entire Peloton to my wheel and brought back the break on the final lap. I was furious! I made sure he knew!

Coming through the finish line for the penultimate time I sat on this idiots wheel making him do all the work. Really, I'm not sure what he was thinking!? As we went through the finish line 1 rider went off the front, then another, then another. Three riders now off the front. UGH!

We came into the 4th last corner at 29 mph. At this point I was pushing really hard and digging really deep to get on the wheels, not even keep up. Half mile to go we came back together and then BOOM, another break off the front. This rider took 10 yards and held it. I sat in took the final corner and kept sitting there.

Rounding the last corner in my sprinting gear (third biggest one I have) I slowly positioned my hands on the drops, looked at my computer to see how fast we were going so I knew just how much I'd have left in the sprint.

The rider up front was 300 yards from the finish when I started my sprint. 3 other riders from the pack went with me, close in the beginning but then slowly fell away. I felt tired, felt sore and didn't feel good but I dug deep. I could see the rider off the front getting closer and closer, this gave me incentive to keep pushing hard. I was now coming like a freight train with no intention of slowing. I finally kicked it into my top end sprint and caught the break, passing him ... and all I can remember at this point was the race moved in slow motion. The finish line moved slowly towards me, I now KNEW for certain I had one. I could see 4 riders behind me at varying distances but too far back and with not enough impetus to catch me. The WIN was here!

Out of the corner of my eye and looking down/back through my arms and legs I could see no one close to me, I looked straight ahead saw the finish line less than 3 feet in front of me and then thrust both my fists into the air arms above my head in joy. I remember feeling over joyed. The same feeling I felt when I won Mr. Ireland. All I could think was I did it. Finally, I did it! I thrust my right fist into the air a few more times before I eventually navigated into the first corner shaking hands with riders around me.

I shut down my tempo and dropped into my low gears for my usual s-l-o-w lap back to the finish. I was a little dizzy from the oxygen death but felt as good as you can possibly feel doing an intense sprint.

The finish was great, seeing my teammates, chatting to everyone about the win, exchanging stories. Behind me as the sprint wound up there was a mass pile up in the Peloton. The younger riders who had proven dangerous in the early portion of the race brought down 4 or 5 guys. It sounded horrible but I didn't have a chance to look back as I was just starting my bid for the win.

It was a great day. I owe a great deal to my teammates and in particular Chris who worked hard whenever he could to keep me out of the wind and safe.

Winning feels good and for at least this one day, I can look back on my training and say, "I did it. I don't need to get better today, because today I am the best and it feels good." And so, I relaxed and will continue to relax and sleep tonight with a smile on my face until I wake tomorrow morning and start planning my bid to defend my win again next Sunday morning ...

Until next time,
Yours Truly Euphoric and Content, Brian ...

PS Winning really does feel good. What great memories I now have! I may still be smiling next Sunday when I line up at the start line.

PPS Can you think back to a day when you were really, really happy? If you're Type A like me, they're few and far between because you put yourself under so much pressure to succeed. Well, to all those people that say I'm "never happy", today I'm "truly happy".

I won! I won! I won!
First place, - FINALLY!

July 13, 2008

At long last I finally won my first race of this season! No more second place, at least not for today. I feel great, no injuries and not even that tired. I'll have a full report later on today which will include a blow by blow of the race. I'm extremely happy and it feels extremely good to win again!

The old vs. the new

July 12, 2008

Short term memory everyone? It seems difficult for some of you to remember what the old site looked like; so I've included links to the old and the new below.

The missing posts have returned ...

July 12, 2008

Thanks to a combination of multiple browser windows and tabs I managed to relocate the missing posts from Friday. You can find them both below. Rather than messing up the chronological order and add them to the top I decided to retain order in the universe and add them chronologically. So, keep scrolling to catch up ...

The preparation ride, didn't exactly go to plan

July 12, 2008

If someone could teach me how to ride easy I'd be really appreciative. Even though I knew I'd be going out hard tomorrow I still worked hard today. I think I needed a little confidence booster to know that I could sprint and could push a hard gear. I went slightly harder than I had anticipated for part of the ride. The wind didn't help me keep the speed or the effort to a minimum so I wasn't all to blame :)

Anyway, here we are, massaging and relaxing and getting the bike ready for tomorrow. Minor tune ups to the breaks, gears and a little wipe down (just to make sure it looks pristine for the race) and I'll be ready.

As always, I'll post results as they come in.

... and on the 12 day ...

July 12, 2008

Phew! The new site layout is finally complete. It only took about a day to complete the redesign. I posted a design last night that I subsequently hated today so I made some major changes throughout the day. The look and feel is now obviously different and the next step, the stuff you don't see, is the revamp of all the HTML that's become slightly outdated. Even though I've worked hard to keep the site simple it's starting to become more complicated than I'm comfortable with. Perhaps I should look into a hosting company or Word Press or one of those other sites that will do all the hard work for me :)

Please let me know what you guys think of the new redesign.

Stomping on previous changes and getting ready for my recovery ride before the big race

July 12, 2008

Well, if you happened to check the website yesterday you will have noticed a few minor changes between yesterday and today. I'm not talking about the new layout and look, although I did update the look of the site last night. Rather, I'm talking about overwriting my updates from yesterday. Apologies for this. I had two pretty good posts, one about Quivver's new album and the other a discussion of Criteriums in North America. I'll be sure to restore both of those in the next day or so. In the mean time I'll continue posting updates.

I confirmed this morning that racing is on tomorrow so today will be a full on recovery day with a slower paced hour long ride. Just like my warm-up for the race tomorrow morning today I'll do one or two all out maximum efforts to get the buffering agents and lactic acid flowing prior to tomorrow's race.

Right now I'm not feeling so great. My hamstrings are still hurting from the heavy workload of climbs I placed on my legs from Wednesday night. My recovery ride on Thursday did a little to help me recovery by removing some of the by products but overall I'm treating my legs with kid gloves right now as they're feeling heavy and sore.

I didn't manage to sleep too well last night which breaks my model of sleeping REALLY well the second to last night before a race. The thinking is that the night before you're usually nervous and anxious and wont sleep too well. So, at least if you sleep well two nights before the race you wont be missing out on two night's sleep. So, tonight I'll need to focus on rest and recovery.

I'm not going into tomorrow fully rested and feeling vibrant but I've been here before and still pulled out great performances. My tactics for the race tomorrow are very clear. I'm planning to tear my bike apart as I wait and wait and then wait some more in the final sprint. No more early launches and kicking hard to the line for half a mile. Tomorrow is going to be about letting everyone else get some distance, wind up the sprint, tire themselves out and then for me to pounce. To date, it's the only thing I have not tried and tomorrow I'm going to employ that technic. Normally I don't divulge my tactics the night before a race but I'm not worried - NO ONE can beat my top end speed in the final few meters. To date, no one has the explosive power to drop the entire peloton.

So, I'll post more tomorrow but for now, wish me luck!

Quivver - Dirty Nails & Vapour Trails. Quivver's new artist album. I've been waiting years for this!

July 11, 2008

For the past 15 years, John Graham has been at the forefront of the dance music genre. Perhaps you'll know him better through his numerous alter ego's including Quivver, Space Manoeuvres, Stoneproof, Skanna, and Tilt, as each of these projects produced numerous hit singles and had a heavy hand in shaping the global dance music scene. Now, fresh off a recent move from his native UK to Los Angeles, Graham resurfaces on July 7th with his monstrous debut Quivver album, Dirty Nails And Vapour Trails.

While it's true that Graham, in his many forms has long been associated with the progressive house genre, Dirty Nails And Vapour Trails travels down many different paths. Whereas recent Beatport and Juno chart topping single Surin offers a classic 4/4 progressive vibe, the remarkable drum n bass sizzle of Chasin A Feelin is making jaws drop worldwide. Yes, you read that right this is a gorgeous pure drum n' bass track, a hark back to his original Skanna sound.. Chasin A Feelin is so hot right now that Sasha was playing this one out all around WMC and finished most of his delta heavy tour shows with the track (in addition to other Quivver tracks Tick Tick and 2 Notes N' A Beat.) Pete Tong also dropped it for the first time on April 11 edition of The Essential Selection on BBC Radio One.

"I've always listened to and have been influenced by a lot of different stuff and I think it's sad that the scene is so divided these days. It's like there's a new genre every other week and people jump on that bandwagon until the next one comes along and forget where they came from. I also wanted the album to be something people could really listen to and that would still be relevant in a few years so I didn't want to do a bunch of 4 to the floor bangin' club tracks - that's what mix comps are for," Graham says.

A multidimensional artist, Graham is known not only for his cache of hot productions, but also for his dynamic singing voice. Graham starred as a feature voice on Hybrid's fantastic 2006 artist CD I Choose Noise and lays down each vocal on Dirty Nails And Vapour Trails. It's simply one of those voices that finds a way to work like magic whether applied to progressive house, drum n' bass and even spaced out breaks. In 2003, Graham founded his own label Boz Boz recordings which is still going strong today and provides a comfy independent home for Dirty Nails And Vapour Trails. In addition to releasing hits as a producer (Tilt's top 20 hit Invisible comes to mind), Graham is also an accomplished DJ who in 2001 became a resident DJ at Twilo, showcased his skills on an entry in the Tranceport mix CD series, and is currently ranked 43 in the world by the dj list out of 200,000 DJ's worldwide.

North American Criterium racing explained

July 11, 2008

I frequently post about my racing and realize that many people don't understand some of the terms or even the type of racing I do. So, I thought I would take some time to explain Criterium racing and also share some of my experiences and best practices.

Criterium racing is extremely popular in North America. Europe and the rest of the world focus more on road races and time trials but cyclists in North America partake in Criteriums more frequently than any other type of racing.

A Criterium race is not entirely unlike a regular road race but there are some notable and important differences. Criteriums usually take place on closed city blocks or parks. Typically the course is one large circle with a minimum of four corners and almost no hills. If there are any minor climbs or inclines they're usually not substantial enough to split up the pack. Criteriums usually have an average speed higher than a regular road race and are best suited to very aggressive riders that have a strong foundation and a very strong sprint. The strongest sprinter usually wins Criteriums.

Unlike regular road races, Criteriums are usually all out from the gun. Staying in the first few places is important in most bike races but it is imperative to your success to be in the first few places of a Criterium at all times, especially if you want to have any chance of winning. Staying in the front or in the first few places of a Criterium can be extremely difficult and can require a great deal of energy. Even though staying in the first few places requires a great deal of energy and strength it's still more beneficial than riding closer to the back. Imagine the field is an accordion that expands when the field approaches a corner. The pack morphs into one long line as riders pick their way safely around the corner. If you're close to the back it's conceivable that you could lose up to 30 places in the field and watch the front of the pack enter the second corner before you've even made it around the first. If you're caught this far back, particularly in the final few laps you will have almost no chance of winning unless you're extremely strong and can ride in the wind to the front of the race. This is unlikely and I highly recommend spending the energy to be in the front at all times, ensuring you're never more than tenth place from the front.

As I mentioned earlier, Criteriums almost always have a faster average speed than most road races. The need for riders to stay in the front and maintain their position is critical in a Criterium and for this reason riders will keep the pace high at the front to ensure weaker riders cannot come to the front. Occasionally though the pace will slow at the front as riders refuse to work to drive the pace or the pack forward and can make a Criterium dangerous as slower, weaker riders come to the front in an effort to gain a good position. Like most races, if you're not following the forward rotation in a race you'll soon find yourself sitting at the back and probably dropped from the race. Next time you ride a Criterium, watch as there is a noticeable line of riders moving up and a constant line of riders falling back.

Maintaining your position in the pack is critical and most of the time requires you to fight hard to disallow riders to get in and steal your place. Remember, if you worked hard to be in the fourth place of the line and suddenly someone lets 4 riders in, you've now wasted all of your energy to be in the front and are suddenly eight places and need to somehow make your way back to the front. This is where your experience will come into play and your observational skills. Watch the pattern of the race, after a few laps, when all of the nervous energy is gone and the pace finally slows to a horrible pace rather than unbearable you can start to observe how the race is shaping up. Weaker riders will often shoot up on the outside on the straights and make their way to the front. Take every opportunity to use their effort to benefit you. Immediately grab their wheel and follow them to the front, then tuck yourself safely into the pace line. These riders are usually going much faster than the pack and if you're strong enough it shouldn't be too difficult to grab their wheel as weaker riders simply will be unable to match their pace.

Did I mention that Criteriums are FAST! Very FAST! You should expect a great deal of excitement early as inexperienced riders burn themselves out in the first 3 or 4 laps. Often times the pace in the first few laps is both exhilarating and exhausting. You should expect frequent accelerations and expect the average speed to be extremely high, depending on the level you race at; it's not uncommon for the pace to be close to an average 30mph for the first few laps. Making sure you warm up and pre-ride the course is crucial. You need to study the course, finding all the pot holes and unlike when you train, ride over them. When you train you avoid pot holes and other impediments like the plague when you race you learn to ride over them. In a Criterium you can easily bring down the entire field by not maintaining your line, so learn to ride over any pot holes or other deformities on the course. Most importantly, ensure you're fully warmed doing several maximal efforts prior to the start. Practice taking each corner at full speed and practice accelerating out of the corners. If there is a hill expect riders to use this to gain an advantage and expect riders to attempt a break away at these parts of the course. Practice riding up these at full speed and practice getting in an out of the saddle on these inclines.

I recommend conserving energy in any race at all times and at all costs! If you're trying to win a race the acceleration or second longer you spend in the wind is a second of energy you will not have when it comes down to the final sprint. Normally conserving energy means riding smaller gears but if anyone knows how to do this successfully in a Criterium please let me know. Most of the time the pace is so fast in a Criterium you'll be in your big gears the ENTIRE time even when you're in the pace line surviving (yes, they are THAT fast!). However, be smart, if you can sit behind a few riders and draft, do so. Occasionally you'll find yourself blocked by 5 or 6 riders as the pace slows and people scramble to reorganize. This is a potentially dangerous situation if you're in the final few laps. If this situation occurs in the middle of the race don't panic, enjoy the warm dead air that accompanies riders in the middle of the pack and watch for the line of riders that is moving forward and join it. This will likely be one of the very few times you'll get to rest and almost not pedal in a Criterium and wont last for very long. Enjoy it but make sure you're attentive and when the wheels start aggressively moving forward make sure you're on one.

I've mentioned positioning and speed many times in this article and will emphasize that at no time is your positioning more important than in the final few laps of the race. You MUST be in the front group or first few riders in a Criterium if you expect to have any chance of winning. Typically the final few laps of a Criterium will be raced at a blistering pace. Expect the speed to increase by anywhere from 10 – 30% as riders go all out to maintain their position and form lead out lines for their sprinters. Strong teams and riders will dominate the race at this point and if there hasn't already been a sorting out in the main field there certainly will be now. Only the strongest riders will be able to maintain a pace close to the front and if you're in the front few places don't expect to see the rest of the pack until after the race is over.

Sitting in the first few places in the final 3 or 4 laps of a Criterium is exhilarating and scary as the Sprinters jockey for position and the lead out. Everyone is at or near their maximum and the speed at this point is nothing short of maniacal. Sprinters have a reputation of being crazy and if you expect to hang with them you need to be equally crazy and aggressive about your position and speed and to some degree you need to throw caution to the wind at this point. Let me time out as its probably worthwhile for me to take the chance to explain how you should be feeling and what you should be thinking or how you should be approaching the race at this point.

You should expect the race to be dominated by the teams of the sprinters. The race will likely be extremely organized and the pace extremely high. The entire pack should be spread out into a thin line with riders behind each other. Even though the pace will be extremely high and you may be giving it your all you need to dig deep into your reserves to ensure you keep the wheel in front of you. If you expect you're a candidate for the win in the final sprint you may be debating whether or not you should be expending the energy required to stay with the pace line or the field, the answer is YES! You should do everything and anything to stay with the rider in front of you. DO NOT lose that wheel! Losing the wheel in front of you means the race and the chance of winning is gone. The race will not slow down at this point, in fact if anything, it will only get faster. You must do everything you can to stay with the first few riders or the sprinters you expect to mix it with in the finishing sprint. I can't stress this enough. So many riders dream of winning a sprint but fail to maintain contact and spend the energy required at this point in the race to be at the front. If you're not at the front of a Criterium you will NOT win!

Some people have told me they can't maintain the speed and power it takes to ride in the front at this point, my answer to you is go back and train harder. If you cannot maintain the pace at this point you were never going to win in the first place. If you were too afraid to battle to maintain your position or didn't have the jump required to bridge a gap of a few feet at this point then go back to training, you were never going to win. This part of the race is the most critical part! More critical than the sprint? Yes! If you're not in the front or close to the front rounding the last corner into the finishing straight you're not going to win. So even if you're the fastest sprinter if you can't make it to the finish with the leaders it doesn't matter. This time is critical because it will ‘sort out' the riders that will contest the sprint.

One advantage of the fast pace and exhilaration at this point is that you start to enter what I poorly describe as a state of numbness. You start to allow the pain to take over and you're instincts kick in. You stop thinking and you race. This part of the race allows you to relax that one last time before the final sprint.

Assuming you round the final corner into the finishing straight in the first few places you should know that you are now in with a slim chance of winning and one of the strongest riders in the race. Your attention to detail, the race and your state is crucial. Watch how the race is morphing. Riders in the pace line will be pealing off, spent from pulling the entire race this far so fast. It will become slightly disorganized and there will potentially be just a slight slowing in pace as the sprinters wait for that perfect moment. At this point you need to be in excellent position and have a vantage point where you can see all of the other sprinters. Your reaction now depends largely on the energy you have left on the day. If you're strong and think you can power to the line, go for it. If you're spent trying to just get to the finish you may want to wait, surf the sprint a little then open up your assault to the line.

That's about all I can say at this point to help explain Criterium racing. I do hope this gives you all a good sense of what it's like to race one of these horribly tough, exciting races. Even though I've mentioned Sprinting I have not gone into much detail. That's probably best discussed in a separate Blog entry.

Good Luck and I hope to see you far behind me in the final Sprint to the line!? : )

Training for first place

July 9, 2008

It's now Wednesday and I've just completed what will be my only solid and very hard workout for this week. I've listened to my body over the past four weeks and adapted my training now that I've managed to recover and reach top form once again. Rather than performing two full hard workouts each week I've backed off to one full hard workout in an attempt to not tax my body too much this early in the season in the hopes that it will lead to a victory this Sunday.

Tonight's workout featured many steep climbs at speed. I used every opportunity to get an interval in and was going extremely well despite the more than 90 degree heat and horrible humidity. My calves felt sore and tight early on but soon loosened up as I powered my way up hills. I managed to get my heart rate higher than normal and still feel good tonight despite the tough workout which means my body is starting to adapt to the hard work. Tonight's workout was certainly different and certainly harder than Sunday's race and my hope is that I'll be in tip top condition for Sunday.

I also managed to get 6 or 7 hard sprints in tonight at a sustained 35 mph so I'm very happy with my top end speed. Most of the sprints took place towards the last portion of the workout so I'm demonstrating great sprint speed later in the workout which is perfect for racing.

I'm already feeling the nervous excitement for Sunday. I'm hoping the speed will be high for the finish as this is what suits me best. If we can keep the speed around 30 - 32mph coming into the final few laps I will almost certainly win as I have the top end speed to accelerate out of the pack and win. I am very close now, I can feel it!

I have only two more long workouts left this week one of those a warmup for Sunday. I'm really gearing myself and readying for a win on Sunday. I'm hoping I'll have some strong teammates that can power me to the line and help keep the speed high. My training is going great, now I need to focus my attention on tactics and making sure I'm part of a break that goes off the front. My plan is to sit in the break and do no work. If it survives I'll be in great position, if it's brought back then I'll counter to win. Either way, everyone else will burn their matches and I'll remain fresh. Worst case scenario is no one wants to work and I miss the break and need to contribute to a long chase like last week. As always, we'll see what happens on Sunday morning!

Just one follow-up note; I don't think I could have imagined, based on what happened to me last year, that I could have come into this season and already be talking about winning. In three races I've managed to make it onto the podium and won sprints in the first race. I feel very lucky to be here despite all my talk of needing to win. My performance has been so consistent and I feel lucky that I'm placing high on the podium with each race.

Sasha Announces New CD, Invol2ver

July 7, 2008

It's not a secret that I've been a Sasha and Digweed fan for many years. In fact, much of my musical identity comes from the teachings of each of them. It shouldn't come as a surprise then that I'm excited about the release of Sasha's new album, Invol2ver (part 2).

Involver 1 was an enormous step forward for Sasha. The first time a DJ took and non traditional approach to a traditional mix CD. Sasha mixed and remixed each of the songs on the album and although each song didn't receive an entire face lift they did receive the Sasha once over and are better for it.

The CD features twelve heavily worked-over tracks, including tunes from Radiohead's Thom Yorke, synth pop stars Ladytron, indie troubadour Ray La Montagne and Telefon Tel Aviv. Limited edition copies will include a second CD of Sasha remix exclusives.

Tracks:

01. Intro - Sasha

02. Telefon Tel Aviv - You Are the Worst Thing in the World

03. Rone - Flesh

04. Sasha - Untitled (with Ray LaMontagne vocal sample)

05. Sasha - Lowlife (with Adam Parker Vocal sample)

06. Sasha - Midnight (with Adam Parker vocal sample)

07. Apparat - Arcadia

08. Home Video - That You Might

09. Ladytron - Destroy Everything You Touch

10. M83 - Couleurs

11. Thom Yorke - The Eraser

12. Sasha - 3 Little Pigs

13. Engineers - Sometime I Realise

Sasha releases Involver2 on Global Underground on September 8th 2008.

2nd place finish - first place continues to elude me but this finish was the one I had to work for the hardest.

July 6, 2008

It was an 80 degree day with a few breaks of sunshine. A field of over 40 riders assembled eagerly on the start line. With teammates present and there to support me, I felt good about the possible outcome. After a brief warm-up I knew I didn't feel 100%. My legs felt heavy and I was still tired from getting no sleep the night before. Nerves, anxiousness, this was an important weekend and I had high hopes of winning.

Pulling away from the start line in the wrong gear wasn't the best start and I quickly found myself more than half way down the field on the very first lap. The entire field went hard, from the gun. Not something that's a surprise in a Criterium but it certainly answered my question about how hard the day would be.

I spent 1 and a half laps narrowly escaping crash due to the inexperienced and somewhat dangerous riders in the field. The pack is always excited in the first few laps until we get through the first sprint so on the approach into the finish line I used some power to shoot up on the outside while the rest of the pack practiced their nervous cornering. On lap 3 I shot off the front into the finish and was surprised no one chased me down, I even placed 3rd (accidentally) in the first sprint. I sat up and waited for the pack to catch me and tucked myself back into the slip stream.

There were constant attacks up until this point and they only ended when a break finally went off the front. I covered 4 attacks and even went with the break that would eventually make the day impossibly hard. When I saw the break go, I grabbed the wheels and got dropped because these guys went clear with conviction. I caught them on the climb and held the wheels but they were going so hard I didn't feel like burning myself out on lap 4. So I sat up and went back to the pack. I really felt the break wouldn't survive and felt I could use my teammates to the finish so didn't want to take the risk. I had such fears of working too hard, blowing up and being dropped and today was my day to win. I've thought about this tactical move and still don't know if this was a mistake.

So, 4 laps later the break was still off the front and gaining even more time. They showed no signs of slowing and were pushing hard to stay away. So, my team took the race into our own hands and started the chase. We chased hard, really HARD until we got them barely in sight in the final 2 laps. I bridged the gap as part of a 2 man break off the front of the pack only to see a break go off the front with one lap to go.

I started the 2nd to last lap in 15th place, at the back of the break away, and fought hard all the way to the finish. One lone rider rode off the front of the break and as we entered the final lap I knew the legs of everyone in the break had had it and so I needed to close the final distance alone if I were to get close to a win. I went all out for half a mile and got within half a bike length of the break away rider (Andrew, same guy that beat me last week) as we crossed the line. Another 2nd place but I had to work for this one harder than any of the rest.

The day was impossibly hard. Our average speed was 25mph and the second half of the race was faster than 28mph with the final few laps in excess of 29mph!!! Throughout the entire sprint I had something left but didn't continue to kick because of fear of getting injured. I topped out at 34mph and ordinarily this would have felt horrible but it was indicative of the day. We went so hard the entire way.

The reality is it was an extremely hard race. Bringing the break back took all we had and the entire field was wasted. Fear and panic set in as we knew the break wouldn't blow up and we weren't bringing them back. Perhaps I was the only one in the field in fear and panic because I was the only one that knew his day was going to be ruined. It was incredible to come into the final lap knowing everyone was wasted and I was still strong enough to power off the front and catch the lone break away. It was the kind of power break away I had dreamed of all week long a half lap power to the finish line. Unfortunately I start from 15th place and it was positively required. It is bitter sweet to know I rode the best I've ridden yet still only placed 2nd. I learned a lot and probably got even fitter today. I look forward to good training this week and am excited to go back next week TO WIN!

PS I even won a prize for my second place!!!

Why is there so much crap music?

July 2, 2008

I've had this discussion with my friends more times than I care to remember. The conversation usually contains statements like, "There is absolutely nothing new out there worth playing!", "I'm basically still playing the same songs I was playing more than a year ago." or "Anything new out?" to which the answer is almost always "NO!". I'm sure you've listened to the radio and wondered why there is so much crap out there or why the radio is so repetitive?

So the obvious questions ensue, has music gotten worse? Are there no new ideas? Has the art of writing and producing gone down the drain? This might help shed some light on the subject, Waxy's Andy Baio has taken a statistical look at how the record industry has changed in the last fifty years, and it looks like there's a good reason why you hate so much mainstream pop music: the variety of pop music is less than half of what it was in the sixties:

According to Billboard, the late 1960s were the peak of musical diversity in popular music, with 743 different songs appearing on the 1966 Billboard Top 100 chart. It's fallen consistently since, hitting an all-time low in 2002 with only 295 songs.

Since 2002, it's improved only slightly, with 351 unique songs appearing on last year's Top 100.

Is it any wonder that people are listening to less radio, buying less music and, instead, turning to blogs and podcasts to find new music?

Now here's something that IS useful, High Resolution Vinyl-To-CD Turntable

July 2, 2008

You know the scenario, you have all this priceless vinyl sitting around in your garage or cellar or whatever other the damp, lonely barely weather proof place is you keep all your precious, 'old stuff' :). Seriously though, at the 2008 Summer NAMM Show, Numark introduced LP 2 CD,a professional tool for fine-quality conversion of vinyl recordings to CD, WAV or MP3, with or without a computer.

LP 2 CD is an all-in-one system with internal flash memory, so no computer is required to make digital recordings from vinyl or any other analog source using the RCA line inputs. Because that's what you want, a 320kps audio file that was recorded from vinyl or some other analog source through cheap RCA cables. (LOL) Sorry, I digress ...

Because it is built around 1GB of flash memory, you can make multiple copies of your albums, make custom mix CDs or export music via the integrated USB audio interface. Neat idea though!

NUMark DDS80 "Future-Proof" CD Player

July 2, 2008

Now here's something that makes absolutely no sense to me; the introduction of a new CD player (rack mount) that has a go to market message that reads, "Future Proof CD players!". I need to ask the question, does anyone view CD players as the future of DJing or live performance? The fact that manufacturers are still coming out with new units for physical media, vinyl included, is beyond me! The ship has already sailed on this one, those DJs that are still using CDs or Vinyl will, eventually, move away from this media. If manufacturers don't spend their time trying to get a jump on this market they're going to be left behind. Here's an idea for those manufacturers who's bread and butter business was CD players and Turntables, why not come up with a really cool tactical midi controller?

That being said, to play devils advocate, I don't know that many DJs that are DJing from a computer. The majority of people I know that don't play from computer either don't have the intelligence to do so, the forward thinking, or ability/means to do so. I could also make the arguement that these are also the people that are in this business just for the easy buck you make being a DJ and usually these individuals can't mix anyway. Let me go one step further, if you cannot mix, YOU'RE NOT A DJ, so stop calling yourself one!. So, perhaps there is a market for this stuff afterall as I know plenty of wedding DJs and bar DJs that still play CDs?

Summer NAMM Update:Yamaha Intros AUDIOGRAM Computer Recording Systems

July 2, 2008

2008 Summer NAMM Show Update: Yamaha announced Audiogram 6 and Audiogram 3, two new Computer Recording Systems (aka digital mixers) designed to easily turn your computer into a tool for recording and editing audio from virtually any microphone, instrument or audio device. I actually use one of these quite often in my live setup. They're a really handy little unit to bring to a gig that help you boost the audio from your DAW, or whatever you happen to be using, and also allow you to connect additional 'things'. I also use the headphones output to record my live sets. This is useful when you're simply setting up on a stage that has no mixers or other such audio interfaces to plug into and you're going directly into the sound system. Typically this is the setup when you play festivals and other live events. It's a small little unit and I only wish I needed a new one so I could get it in white :)

The Audiogram Series bundle together a hardware interface with audio inputs and outputs, software for recording and producing music, and a USB cable for connection to a computer.

"The Audiogram Series has been carefully designed to make everything from set-up to recording as easy as possible," said Yamaha's Athan Billias.

The Audiogram Series will be available in August, 2008 for $139.99 retail (Audiogram 3) and $199.99 retail (Audiogram 6).

The Audiogram 6 features 2 XLR combo inputs with preamps and one-knob compression for dialing in the desired sound from microphones and instruments. One of these inputs has switchable phantom power for using high-quality condenser microphones. Two stereo inputs, stereo and headphone outputs, and a USB jack complete the unit's connections. The Audiogram 6 includes separate controls for audio inputs and computer playback for complete control while recording.

With a focus on simplicity, the Audiogram 3 features one phantom powered combo input switchable for microphones or instrument recording, a stereo input, a stereo and headphone output as well as a USB jack for connection to the computer.