audiophillie

The Audiophillie Music Award winners write, perform, and record their tunes

Move over "American Idol," the Audiophillie Music Awards for Excellence in Recorded Sound contest winners are way more talented. They don't just sing--they play instruments, write, and record their own tunes.

Zachary LeFeber's band Magnet South entered "Move On," and I'm glad they did. Zach's the drummer and a very talented audio engineer. A nice fella by the name of Matthew Winner handled vocals and guitar. Magnet South has a blog, where you can see how the music takes shape. The band has been together for two and a half years, but they have real jobs so they haven't played around all that much. Zach recorded "Move On" in his house, using a Sonar digital workstation. He considers himself something of an audiophile, so I wasn't surprised to hear he's getting into vinyl.

Alan Carter wasn't planning on entering the contest, but he had just bought a new Woodpecker ribbon microphone and wanted to record something to try it out. He used the new mic to record everything but the lead vocal and guitar on "Georgia," which was written and sung by Phil Palma. Alan's studio partner Jake played electric guitar; Phil was on acoustic guitar; and Alan played bass.

Alan works for Sweetwater Sound and sells equipment to recording studios,--no wonder "Georgia" sounds so fine. The song was recorded to half-inch analog tape, and, obviously, I didn't know that when I first picked it as a winner. Alan feels that even the best digital recordings never sound as sweet as analog. That's not to say he avoids digital completely--"Georgia" was digitally mixed in Pro Tools, before bouncing it back to analog tape. He concedes there's a lot that you can't do in analog, so he takes a hybrid approach.… Read more

The 404 571: Where the winner of the Audiophillie is... (podcast)

Steve Guttenberg joins the show today to unveil the winners of the Audiophilliac awards, popularly known as the "Audiophillie Music Awards for Excellence in Recorded Sound"--started right here on The 404. The premise of the contest? Not the quality of the songs, but the quality of the song recordings. There's a reason Guttenberg's ears are insured for a million dollars.

The six winners of the Audiophillies receive Monster Turbine Pro Gold and Copper headphones. The strange thing about these headphones is that the Copper model are superior to the Gold, but both are supremely superior to the stock earbuds that come with most music players. Be sure to check out the winners--we've included links to the songs, and the winning submissions are not only musically impressive, but also sound great from a recording engineer's perspective. Congrats to all the winners, and thanks to everyone who took the time to make a recording!

"Move On" by Magnet South

"Georgia" by Alan Carter

"Gimmie Mine" by Anthony Ceravolo

"Robin Hall" by Robin Hall

"Car Commercial" by Jeff Montville

"Blood Sweat and Funk" by David Adkins

Also on today's show, Steve reveals that he may actually be the long lost half-brother to Steve Guttenberg, the actor of "Police Academy" fame. He also gives us a family history of his father's salesman days travelling around with transistor radios!

Be sure to send in your voicemails by calling us at 1-866-404-CNET (2638). The last couple of entries have been absolutely hilarious, so thanks for your input! You can also e-mail us anytime at the404 [at] cnet [dot] com.

Have a great weekend!

EPISODE 571 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Have a microphone? You could win Monster Turbine headphones

OK, maybe the name of the contest, "The Audiophillie Music Awards for Excellence in Recorded Sound" is a little intimidating. If that's what's holding you back, rest easy; record some tunes from an unsigned band, or your uncle playing Grateful Dead tunes on a banjo and you could win. A recording of a tuba playing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" might be a contender.

Lo-fi entries are welcome, so if you sing or play any instrument, you have a shot at winning a set of either Monster Turbine Pro Gold ($299) or Pro Copper ($399) … Read more

Audio Idol, where the sound is the thing

"American Idol" it's not, so instead of Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, Mary J. Blige, or Neil Patrick Harris, The Audiophiliac is the sole judge for The Audiophillie Music Awards For Excellence In Recorded Sound contest.

I keep hearing that every kid with a guitar or a mic can make a great recording. Bands record their own tunes all the time. Well, here's a chance to get your music heard and a buzz going on the Audiophiliac. Oh, and six winners will each receive a set of Monster Turbine Pro Gold ($299) or Pro Copper ($… Read more

The 404 Podcast 527: Where the sound is the thing

We have no idea what today's show title means, so we're happy to welcome Audiophiliac Steve Guttenberg back on the show to spell it out for us. He's also here to officially kick off "The Audiophillie Music Awards for Excellence in Recorded Sound" contest! Read Steve's blog on the contest here. Keep in mind that this is not "American Idol," so entries won't be judged by musical talent, but on the quality of the recording itself. This is your chance to prove your recording skills and promote your favorite unsigned band, so submit your entry on a CD and you'll be entered to win a pair of Monster Turbine Copper or Monster Turbine Gold in-ear headphones!

Click here for official rules and entry form (must complete and send along with CD). The contest ends on April 17, so good luck everyone!

The phrase "private Web browsing" has always been a bit of an oxymoron, but a new site called Have Your Friends Been There? threatens to broadcast your NSFW surfing to your closest friends and family. We're not exactly sure how it works, but the site works like this: you create a customized list of "naughty" Web sites, HYFBT generates a link that you can send to friends, and you wait for the results to come in, essentially catching your friends in the act. Think before you click on random URLs and don't forget to clear your history, people!

We've got plenty more to talk about in today's rundown, including a wrap-up of last night's spectacular hockey game, an update on the massive PSN meltdown and a segment we like to call, "What the hell did Justin do in his sleep last night?"

Finally, our hearts go out to the victims of the Chilean earthquake, and we urge all our listeners to join us in donating money to help. It's super easy; just text "Chile" to 25383 for Habitat for Humanity, 20222 for World Vision, 85944 for the International Medical Corp, or 52000 for the Salvation Army, and your $10 donation will automatically get added to your monthly phone bill.

EPISODE 527 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Enter the Audiophillie music contest for a chance at winning big prizes

There have always been good- and bad-sounding recordings, and advances in technology haven't really tilted the balance all that much, but they've changed the playing field. Musicians and bands no longer have to go into a high-priced studio to make a decent recording. If you fancy yourself as any kind of recording engineer here's your chance to strut your stuff.

The Audiophillie Music Awards For Excellence In Recorded Sound contest is hosted by The Audiophiliac and my friends Jeff Bakalar, Wilson Tang, and Justin Yu over at The 404 podcast. Winners will receive either a Monster Turbine Pro Gold or Pro Copper in-ear headphone, a review on this blog, and we'll play the winning songs on The 404. There will be six winners in all.

This isn't "American Idol"; we're not looking for the next Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood, it's all about the recordings' sound quality.

I like natural-sounding recordings, ones that sound as realistic as possible. Voices should sound like voices, guitars like guitars, etc. You could record your tunes in your bedroom or basement; low-tech, uncompressed, unprocessed sound quality is a plus. Or make yours in a great-sounding space like a church, concert hall, or club.

I wouldn't rule out recordings made on an analog cassette deck (but the entry must be on CD). Or use a portable digital recorder like the Zoom H2. Or your laptop.

Point is, you don't need a lot of expensive gear to make a credible entry, just skill and knowledge of what good sound sounds like.

But I also love recordings that don't bear any relationship to reality. The creative use of effects and processing that take the sound to another level are just as welcome. Go nuts and push the boundaries. Make a sound I've never heard before.

Music categories range from rock, blues, folk, soul, jazz, acoustic, and world music.

The Audiophillie Awards, selected solely by the Audiophiliac, will be reviewed in the Audiophilac blog, and winners will receive (1) set of Monster Turbine Pro Gold or Pro Copper in-ear headphones. Approximate retail value is $399 for the Turbine Pro Copper, and $299 for the Turbine Pro Gold in-ear headphones. I'll review the winners here, and we'll play the winning songs on The 404.

To enter this contest you need to (PDF link) download, print, and complete the contest entry form, which you can also get it from The 404 .

Read the full contest rules to enter after the jump.… Read more