Pour some port, find a comfy spot on the couch, and fire up the YouTubes. A surprisingly-rich raft of terrific documentary video for synth and electronic music enthusiasts has been making the rounds.

In our queue: Analog Suicide interviews a legendary vintage synth spot in Berlin, an hourlong documentary features not only Richie Hawtin but a range of techno pioneers, as well as other shorts from T-Mobile (yes, the phone company), and the BBC scores more history of the British side of the synth revolution in music. Sit down and get ready, because here we go.

From Detroit to Berlin and Back: In-depth Interviews with Pioneering Artists

At top: an hour-plus documentary produced for T-Mobile’s Electronic Beats series follows the rise of techno legend Richie Hawtin, including some terrific Detroit footage with artists like Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson, and of course Magda. Love him or hate him, Richie’s impact on electronic music is formidable, and it’s great to see coverage finally return to a tale of his roots. It seems the perfect way to get ready for Detroit’s Movement Festival, starting May 28. Via the astute music coverage on the XLR8R blog, here by Ken Taylor.

There’s quite a lot more Electronic Beats TV on the YouTube page:
http://www.youtube.com/user/ElectronicBeatsVideo

Here are a few of my favorites. Kangding Ray of Raster-Noton is framed by signature, hypnotic minimal visuals. He has some wonderful things to say about the beauty of materials in sampling. Then there’s some beautiful footage of TESSEL, a morphing architectural form which really deserves some separate coverage here. Have a look:

Thomas Heckmann looks at machines, vintage and circuit bent, and talks about working with their idiosyncrasies in musical production.

From the role of machines to the role of humans, Moderat talk about collaboration as therapy, and what it does for them … and then go parachute jumping. I think people falling from a plane makes the perfect soundtrack.

Conversations for Synth Lovers, via AnalogSuicide

AnalogSuicide’s Tara Busch is one of our favorite journalists covering synthesis, and a great artist to boot. This week, she visits the legendary vintage synth destination Schneiders Beuro in Berlin. Via Synthtopia, who, like MatrixSynth, I think has an alarm that goes off when videos hit YouTube with certain keywords – incredible.

On the producer side, massively-accomplished producer Gareth Jones (Depeche Mode, Wire, Erasure) makes an appearance, too:

Lots more where that came from:
http://www.youtube.com/user/tarabusch

Synth Brittania

Via our friend and Chicago producer/nerd fashionista/writer Liz McLean Knight comes a BBC Four documentary that covers British synth artists in the late 70s and early 80s, including Joy Division, Human League, Kraftwerk, Cabaret Voltaire, and Gary Numan.

There’s just too much goodness here. I want to sit down with the past and present staff of Keyboard and watch this one. Watch it while the Beeb lets you.

I’m personally gratified in that I believe technically and artistically, we’re entering another of these sorts of ages. Who knows what the cultural impact may be, but at least for those passionate artists and technologists who are involved, something’s happening. And these videos are a great place to begin for inspiration.

So, now that you have those to watch, I guess I really need not write until Monday! See you then! (joke … sort of.)

The one thing you probably aren’t thinking while watching the Grammys is “wow, look at this amazing showcase for independent music.” (Last night, I expect you were thinking something more along the lines of, “I was supposed to get 3D glasses for this? Augh! I’m dizzy! Switch it off!”)

But keep score, and independent artists and labels are a huge part of the Grammy Award-winning roster. And with indies invading even the most mainstream of music events, that’s a strong indication of how big a part of the industry independent music is becoming. (Side note: yes, I’m aware that the definition of “indie” is murky at best. But looking at the broad trend, there’s still something here. There’s a difference between an artist self-releasing and being on RCA; examples below. In short, this may not be what most of us would call “indie,” but it’s a big shift away from the traditional role of the “major.”)

Want an example? How about “Album of the Year” Taylor Swift’s Fearless? And it’s not incidental that Taylor Swift thanked said label for allowing her to write all her own songs. (My own personal fandom of Taylor Swift ranks up there somewhere with Kanye West’s, but I think that’s worth noting.)

One of the groups keeping score at the Grammy Awards is A2IM, a not-for-profit that represents the independent music community. This year, says A2IM, some 43 awards can be considered “indie,” including the categories Pop, Rock, Alternative, Country, New Age, Jazz, Gospel, Tropical Latin, Tejano, Norteno, Bando, Americana, Bluegrass, Blues, Folk, Hawaiian, Native American, Zydeco/Cajun, World, Spoken Word, Comedy, Surround Sound, & Classical genres, and also scored for Best Recording Package.

Artists (aside from Taylor Swift) include PHOENIX, Steve Earle, and one of my long-time personal favorites, Buckwheat Zydeco. Looking over the list, I see quite a few indie selections. Rounder Records alone won Best Pop Instrumental Performance (Béla Fleck), Best Bluegrass Album (winner Steve Martin — yes, that Steve Martin — and nominee Rhonda Vincent), and two nominations for a Woody Guthrie re-issue. Rounder last year won best album of 2009 for “Raising Sand.”

Electronic music gets just one category, and that was won by Lady Gaga. (Interscope, her label, is part of Universal so, erm, definitely not indie.) But nominee The Crystal Method went their own way with Divided by Night, releasing on their own Tiny E Records. When I talked to the duo in the spring, they talked about how important it was to focus on their own creative muse rather than the demands of a major label.

Being an independent artist isn’t necessarily the right decision for every artist. Imogen Heap is signed to RCA. But being an artist who’s independently-minded, too, can be important.

I think it’s a really powerful statement that Imogen Heap won a Grammy for “Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical” for her record Ellipse. It’s rare for artists engineering their own albums to win, period, and this is a profoundly dude-dominated category, to boot. Whoever you’re signed to, you know it’s the artists who are motivated who can achieve the most. Imogen Heap’s savvy use of Twitter, her connection with her fans, and her ability to manage her own career must make the folks at RCA and Megaphonic Records very, very happy. And incidentally, even this demonstrates the way the majors themselves have changed: a lot of the majors have gone to small imprints that operate with the agility of the indie labels.

Discussion of Imogen Heap’s win on her fan forums

It’s a new world out there – even if we still have those dorky 3D glasses from the 50s.

The full list:
http://www.grammy.com/nominees

*Disclaimer: I can’t actually stand the Grammys, generally speaking. But that’s why I looked for something interesting to pull out of it, which this, to me, was. It means even at the awards ceremony that’s the greatest expression of major label power, major label power is waning. I’m sure I won’t be misunderstood, of course, that each commenter will read with great care all the nuances of what I’m saying.

Henny makes beat on iPhone 3G using Beatmaker!!! from Henny on Vimeo.

Thanks to Mr. Get It Poppin, Kapo, and everyone else who pointed us to this. I’ve gone from being jealous of the iPhone to being jealous of the producer’s insanely rapid skills. Nice.

Back on the technical side, Mathieu from Intua writes to say that the software is making rapid progress. PDF documentation is up now. A beta of the file synchronization tool, BeatPack, is available, so you can start transferring files to and from your Mac or PC. The 1.0.1 update is very close, with small feature improvements and bug fixes. And we anticipate MIDI export of patterns not long after that. I don’t normally cover incremental updates, but I know this is big for you as I’ve gotten lots of reader emails. Stay tuned!

Downloads available, including BeatPack for OS X 10.4 and later and XP/Vista:

Intua Shop

BeatMaker page

Shocklee describes his role with Public Enemy as a kind of teacher, helping Chuck D, poet, meet digital production technology. In the years since, he’s expanded that teaching role to include young people around the world, and he’s got some strong opinions about the importance of learning the craft of recording and music in general.

Fittingly, we sat down for a few moments in a classroom.

Interview: Hank Shocklee, Pt. I – On music making from cdm tv on Vimeo.

What a lot of people may not know about Hank Shocklee is that beyond being a Public Enemy veteran, he’s also been deeply involved in the music industry. Unlike so many armchair industry quarterbacks, Shocklee has worked with the major artists (from Madonna to Peter Gabriel) and had a significant stint as Senior Vice President for Universal MCA Records. That means when Shocklee criticizes the industry as musically illiterate, he speaks from the perspective of someone who’s been on both the inside and outside of the majors. (He’s now producing and scoring music independently, and drove his entrepreneurial spirit into his own Shocklee Entertainment.)

Criticizing is one thing — but Shocklee had advice for how artists can guide the direction of their own career. He talks about the limitations of the industry, how the music community can grow beyond it, and how visual media could finally become a serious domain for musicians. (We agree with that.)

Interview: Hank Shocklee, Pt. II – On music business from cdm tv on Vimeo.

We see all kinds of novel controllers and input devices for music on CDM, but don’t always get the chance to see how these are used in actual music making. Uraguay-based Gustavo Bravetti is a master of live laptop performance with alternative controllers. (See previous video of him from Colombia.) He talks to Liz (aka Quantazelle, a laptop virtuoso herself) about the scene on the other side of the Americas and how he’s able to fire up crowds with unusual performance techniques, via three-axis light control and the P5 interactive glove. And, really, we didn’t put him up to all the plugs for this site — I’m much more excited to find out how people are able to use some of these resources in front of an audience! So, Gustavo, we’re thrilled to learn about what you’re doing. Take it away, Liz. -PK

What’s the scene like in Montevideo / Uruguay? How does it compare to other locations? Is it conducive for you to work?

Uruguay is a very small country, we have just 4 million people, and the electronic scene is growing and getting smarter. I think that thanks to the internet, we are updated in what concerns to music and technology, we also are well informed on the global scene, that wouldn’t be possible without the invaluable tool that is the internet. Anyway, the Internet is a double sided weapon, and must be handled with care.

I’m a very positive person. I think that any scene is conductive for my work, especially in “your own city’s scene.” I mean, if they know you from the neighborhood, they will be harder to impress, and therefore will be more people that will criticize you, but if you take the good part of this, it would be positive for your work.
Tell me about your “alternative controllers.” Which are your favorites? What inspired you to make them?

I don’t have a favorite one, it depends on the moment and what I want to achieve.

What did inspire me to start working with them was my morning journal, the one that I read with my morning coffee, yes… it was “Create Digital Music” who inspired me for that.

For many years, I used to work with my MC-505’s d-Beam. This device converts your hand’s vertical movement over the MC505 in a value that you can use to drive a synthesizer parameter, etc. People love that because it is more visual than rotating a knob with your fingers, so I was trying to buy or build more d-Beams for my setup to be able to handle more parameters at the same time, and/or use both hands to drive parameters. I was searching the web for an alternative when I reached “Create Digital Music,” and after reading many great articles I found one about PMIDIC from Ben X Tan.

Immediately I thought “This is great! An “almost free” three axis wireless MIDI controller that you can drive with a light and people will love it.” But I didn’t stop there, I continued researching and searching, then I found some article about the P5 Glove. In that moment I decided to use both the PMIDIC and P5 Glove on my studio and live performances. Ben X Tan is a talented programmer from Australia. He helps me a lot doing some modifications to the original PMIDIC to fit some of my Live PA needs. Now I’m kind of like Ben’s advisor, and if we have time, we discuss new features, improvements, etc., and about the weather and furniture too.

The electronic drum is one of the favorites of the crowd, I guess because besides being very visual, it is easy for the crowd to associate what they see with what they hear. It’s not truly an alternative controller, but after ten years of using it in a traditional way I decided to give it an alternative approach, so I started playing melodies and doing unusual stuff, like, for example, driving the frequency of a bandpass filter applied to a white noise… things like that.

For that kind of thing it is good to have as many pads as possible– I use a TrapKat from Alternate Mode, it has 24 pads.

So what about that glove-controller? How does it work?

The Glove is a very interesting piece of hardware. It allows me to manipulate 8 independent parameters at the same time in the simplest configuration. If you want to do that with knobs you need a lot of thumbs, I have only two that’s why the glove is great for me.

From the technical side, the glove is a standard “P5 glove” from “Essential Reality”. Ed.: you may be on your own on eBay, etc., finding one, but I think there are some still floating around. After trying the software that was around for converting P5 data on MIDI, I decided to create my own way.

Basically I use “GlovePIE” for the initial data, then I use a complex algorithm that I created in Synthmaker and Reaktor to transform that data. In that way I can do whatever I want with the P5. I can, for example, trigger different clips in Live using a finger, or play a musical scale with my thumb, and bend the pinky to rise a noise, then open a gate when it is bended over the 50% and launch the next scene when it is 80% bended, I can perform complex actions, like for example: launch “that” scene only when I bend all my fingers over 80%.

I try not to use hand position tracking with the P5, I prefer to use PMIDIC since PMIDIC is pretty fast.

Which of these get the best reactions from the audience?

I think the best reactions come when I play some well known melodies on my TrapKat. People also love PMIDIC and the blue light–I do very explicit effects with PMIDIC, and the blue led has its charms too. The P5 glove is a bit more complex to understand unless you perform very simple things with it, but always there will be some guys in the crowd, who knows about synthesis and music production and get fascinated with the glove, because they realize what I’m doing with it.

How did you make them? What other software / drivers / plugins did you need to write to get them to work? Around how much did they cost to make?

As I explained before I didn’t construct the hardware by itself with exception of the “Led handler” to be used with PMIDIC. I’m very proud of it. I had to figured how to have a led light in my fingers that wont bother me if I have to play a controller or move a slider, plus a mechanical system that allows me to turn it on and off in a fast and easily way. After a few hours I designed a compact and functional “led handler.” I will upload soon on Youtube a step by step guide so you can make your own. This “led handler” is very cheap, less than 4 USD, that’s why I said that PMIDIC is an “almost free three axis wireless MIDI controller”.

For PMIDIC you need a PC video camera with a good VGA for a faster response, the middle and high end models from Logitech do the job. You need also a light source that can be a standard led with a coin battery. PMIDIC is 100% free so you have a great three axis wireless MIDI controller and more, with less than 4 USD! (if you already have a good PC video camera).
The glove as I said is a standard P5 glove from Essential Reality, I got one from about 120 USD. I use GlovePIE to convert P5 data to MIDI data. GlovePIE is 100% free too. If you don’t want to write your own script on “GlovePIE”, there are other free software alternatives that convert P5 data on MIDI.
The electronic drum is a TrapKat from Alternate Mode, I bought it more than ten years ago, and I’d paid 1,200 USD, I’m very happy now because it costs 1,500 USD. It is the only electronic thing I’d buy that doesn’t lower its price a half (or more) each year. It was a very good investment– it has a lot of pads, and outstanding sensibility, I can play it with sticks, with my hands or even with spoons.

Basically all this gear generates MIDI that is handled by middleware software, and then goes to Ableton’s Live.

What always happens at some point is that I want to do something that by default is not possible, so I have to create that kind of tools or extensions as I call them, to add extra features and new possibilities to my studio/live setup. For that I use Synthmaker, CPS and Reaktor among others, in this way I can convert MIDI messages in real time, from anything to anything.

For example: I can smooth a series of MIDI CCs produced by the light’s movement, or quantize those MIDI CCs to a scale or even to the music. I cangenerate MIDI CCs with my drum, MIDI notes with the P5 glove, and SYS EX with a light through PMIDIC to control external gear.

What is CPS? I’m not familiar with it.

CPS is a usefull tool to develop synthesis algorithms and or audio applications, is like Reaktor, but it exports a C++ code that with the appropriate SDK your project can be compiled on a stand alone executable file ,I mostly do MIDI transforms there, but is a powerful developer tool, even I’m developing a video game audio engine wth CPS. You can get more info here: http://cps.bonneville.nl/

I also have a Remote 25SL from Novation, I think that is the best controller for Live PA of its kind. Now I’m focusing on not being reliant on my laptop’s mouse and keyboard”?] For that I’m creating functions that allow me to navigate, copy, paste, etc.,by using the Remote 25SL and middleware software.

Which middleware do you use for this? This seems like a very ambitious project! Can you tell me more?

The middleware consist of little algorithms that I programmed for this purpose. I have plans to release these tools soon so I prefer to not enter on technical details for now.

Fair enough. Tell me about Pushandpull–how did you make it? What inspired it?

I created Pushandpull to encourage a friend to use Live in his DJ sets. I’d had the idea running around in my head but when a friend told me that he won’t use Live just because he loves to play with vinyl, and it was too hard for him to beat-match from vinyl to Live, I decided to program Pushandpull.

Pushandpull makes it easier to beat-match Live with an external music source.Pushandpull does to Live’s master TEMPO, what we do to a turntable’s RPM when we slightly push or pull the vinyl.

With Pushandpull you can use two keys/buttons to temporary nudge Live’s master TEMPO by +-5% (gradually) from the actual tempo, like the + and – “pitchbend” buttons on any standard CDJ, also it allows you to change Live’s master TEMPO in little steps to do fine adjustments, using another two keys/buttons.

I programmed Pushandpull using Synthmaker by Outsim. Synthmaker is a great developer tool for audio/MIDI related applications. The workflow is like in Reaktor but you can compile your work to a VST or a stand alone .exe, plus you have many elements to give a professional look to your application without the needs to type any code or deal with compilers etc. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t type some code in there!

After testing it with success, I decided to create the Smartextensions company and then release Pushandpull for free through Smartextensions for Live’s users.

Today almost all my live performance is generated in Live so I use Pushandpull mostly to interact with other DJs.

What’s next for your software company, Smartextensions?

The first in the list for Smartextensions is the new Pushandpull version. Pushandpull has been a great success, with about 3000 downloads and very good feedback from the users, but there is a problem with Pushandpull, it runs only on MS Windows based systems and many OS X users are constantly reminding me of that.

So the next Pushandpull version beside the new exiting features, has to run on OS X based systems. The problem is that with my gigs, music production, and the time I spend teaching, I haven’t enough time to get in the OS X programming world. I have the new Pushandpull algorithms ready; I’m just waiting for a partner that takes care of the OS X GUI.

My problem is that I want to keep it free or at least donationware and that makes it a bit harder, but I hope to find my partner soon.

In other matters I have many ideas that at some time will be released through Smartextensions.They range from useful extensions that will add new features and extra power to your actual hardware/software, to innovative audio effects and virtual instruments, and even I have planned educational software for DJs/producers.The idea with Smartextensions is not to create a better version of things that already exist, but create completely new and innovative software.

Also I will unveil my personal record label in the next two months, and I will do a pre-release of my new musical productions through www.djvox.com.

What do you think about the Live PA scene in general? What do you think is in store for the future?The LivePA scene is growing and going mad and I love it. There are many people getting their hands dirty creating crazy alternative controllers like interactive tables, circuit bending, and stuff like that. I think that using a new hardware that lets you create sounds or modulate music in a different approach than the existent ones, is very positive in regards to to music composition and/or live performance. I’m using PMIDIC and P5 even in my studio because I can drive many parameters at the same time. Yes it is true that you can drive many parameters programming the correspondent envelopes, but the musical results won’t be the same. It is like programming a melody using your mouse and PC’s keyboard compared to recording a melody with a sensitive MIDI controller. I’m not saying that one is better than the other; just that different approaches lead to different results and that gives you a wide palette to paint your music. I wishI had more time to get on hardware too, but not all is possible so I will stay on the programming side, at least for now.

When I started to create music in the early nineties, hardware was a must. If you want to make music then you had to spend a lot of money in synthesizers, samplers, and sequencers. Years have passed and technology gets better and cheaper every day (with the exception of my TrapKat). Today you can produce quality stuff with a single computer, which is great; today you have not to be rich to produce electronic music.

I think that soon they will become very common and I think they will be a better and flexible alternative, to the Monome and similar interfaces that are gaining a lot of popularity these days .

A demo is short for “demonstration,” and its purpose is to show others what you can do, musically. In the past, a band with major-label aspirations would scrape together a bit of cash for a few hours in a studio and crank out a few copies of their best songs on a tape or a record and then send it off to various A&R departments, hoping for a record deal and a contract with a fat advance. These days, technology has made the concept of a demo and its applications somewhat different, but we’ll always need to share what we’re capable of with others.

If you’re in Chicago this Tuesday… During my time at Modsquare a few years back, I organized a Demo Swap at a club in Chicago, where guests would get in free if they showed up with a stack of 10 or more or their demos on CDR. Not only did I discover talented local acts who I featured on our free online compilations, I met artists that I would later book at events, and learned that fellow attendees who had met at the night ended up collaborating on projects. Since I had so many people asking me to do another one, we’ve reincarnated the night at Ramp Chicago. So if you’re close to Chicago, show up at Sonotheque on Tuesday, July 17, 2007 at 9pm with a stack of demos or promotional material, get in for a reduced cover, and start meeting your fellow musicians and industry types (Peter Kirn of CDM will be there!). Read more about it here: Demo Swap July 17 at Ramp Chicago.

Where’s it going?

Figure out your intentions with the demo. Is it to get signed to a label? To book gigs? To find like-minded potential collaborators? To get work scoring a film? Similarly, determine the audience. Is it the A & R people at a label? The talent buyer at a club? Other musicians? Each of these requires a different approach.

Getting signed

If you’re trying to get signed to a record label you have to take into consideration the sort of label. Most thriving independent labels focus on staying within a particular niche or “sound,” especially in the fields of electronic music and indie labels. If those are the types of labels you are hoping to release with you should make a demo that will fit within those niches.

First, find out if unsolicited demos are accepted at the labels you’re considering. You don’t want to waste time and money on something that won’t even be listened to. Then make sure you’ll fit there. Don’t submit psychedelic folk to a minimal techno label and dark drum and bass likely won’t fly at an indie-emo label in the Midwest. While you don’t need to bend your style to fit in with a particular label, you should look at the rest of their releases and consider whether or not you think you would fit alongside the other artists. With my own label, subVariant, I focused on IDM and melodic, glitchy 4/4 tracks, and I was always surprised (and a little annoyed) when I would get trance, folk, and hip-hop demos.

Include a short bio along with a brief description of what you sound like, and feel free to name-drop musicians you’ve played with or acts that you’re similar to. Faced with an unfamiliar situation (you, the unknown artist), humans look for a familiar point of entry, and more well-known names will help them get to know you better.

If you create wildly divergent styles of music, perhaps you should consider setting up one or a few side projects so that you can package your sound appropriately to each label. This also depends on the label type. Some are far more eclectic and open to different styles while others have a laser-sharp focus on one particular sub-genre.

After about a month or so, drop a note via email and pleasantly ask what they think of your demo. If you don’t hear anything back, or you get a “no,” suck it up and move on to the next label. Or, if you think their criticism was constructive, go back and rework your songs and have a fresh demo made.

And if you’ve only got one or two labels in mind that you’re absolutely in love with, make a jaw-dropping first impression by sending your demo overnight via FedEx, DHL, or UPS (or if it’s a PO box, then USPS Express) in the States or the international equivalent. Telefon Tel Aviv did this and got booked to Hefty records.

Getting booked

If you are trying to book a gig at a club or other event, it’s best to provide a short (20 or 30 minutes, tops) overview of what you do live, either as a live PA or a DJ set. An actual live recording would be best, and if you can hear an exuberant crowd reacting to your music, even better! You’re trying to convince the talent buyer that crowds love you when you play out, and that you’ve got a solid act. Myself, I’ve got links to differently-themed DJ mixes on my website and as CDRs that are appropriate for different types of gigs (ie: 4/4 mix, IDM / chill mix). Make sure you include a one-sheet with an overview of who you are, why you’re interesting, and what you sound like.

For more on this, check out my other article, Getting Booked: Ten basic tips for getting live electronic music gigs.

Getting a partner

If you’re looking for potential collaborators, create a short demo showcasing the kind of tracks you would like to work on with someone else. Make notes on the kind of things you’re hoping to get help with for each track. So if , say, you’re trying to find a vocalist, but have no idea of the melody or lyrics, just put up the instrumental track with a note that says something to that effect. But if you’ve got the melody and lyrics down but just need someone to perform it, you can sing it yourself and mention that the current vocals are just one interpretation. Here’s a list of online places where you can find like-minded musicians:

• Splice Music http://www.splicemusic.com
• Kompoz http://www.kompoz.com/compose-collaborate/home.music
• EM411 http://www.em411.com

Getting jobs

If you’re looking for commercial work, then you should present a spectrum of the sort of thing you’re capable of, be it emotive washes of sound, or rocking party music. If you’ve previously scored a film, include a three or four-minute clip of the tune (provided you have permission to do so) and briefly describe the scene it was used in. You should also include a one-sheet and bio that present your unique talents as a musician and suggests that you’ll be professional and easy to work with. Testimonials from happy former clients are also a great idea.

The demo itself

Don’t waste money on getting your demo professionally mastered or mixed, especially if you’re sending it to record labels. Try to find a set of flat response speakers or a friend’s professional studio monitors and try to mix it so it sounds pretty much the same on any sound system. Remember to keep a non-hard-limited or non-compressed version of your demo somewhere so that when the time comes, a professional audio engineer has “room” to work their magic.

For all types of demos, keep it simple & short. Put your best track first, followed by two or three in descending order of perceived strength. While an album may have a real winner at the end to leave a positive impression, often times people who are pressed for time will stop at the first or second track, and skip through perceived “filler.” Make sure you grab them with the first song, and keep them hooked with the ones that follow. Unless you’re submitting to an ambient / noise or abstract label, leave off the tracks that have five minutes of building sound or slowly extinguishing outros, or make edited versions of those songs.

Plan on having it in multiple formats to accommodate the preferences of the recipients. Chocolate Industries only accepts CDR demos, but Archipel accepts links to online tracks but not as email attachments. At the night I help book, Ramp Chicago, we ask that any local act who wants to be booked show up at one of our nights and hand us a demo. This gives us a chance to meet in person as well shows us that the act is serious about wanting to play and will make the effort to come see what we do. Here’s a list of formats your demo can be in:

• CDR / DVD-R (here’s some nice packaging)
• Online, zipped or archived as one file
• Online, separate files to download
• Online, streaming
• On a 16 MB flash drive
• On a 16 MB SD card
• On a social networking site like Myspace
• A business card, flier or postcard with a link to a URL where people can grab your stuff (here’s a printer)

No matter what the medium, always make sure your contact info is on the disk, card, or page where your files are. And don’t just put it on a sleeve with a blank CDR inside, since the two pieces will invariably become separated.

For all demo applications except for commercial work, don’t waste time and money by creating elaborate artwork for your demo. A record label will come up with its own artwork and concept (sometimes with your input, sometimes not), a talent buyer isn’t interested in the underlying themes of your music, and a potential collaborator is focusing on the music.

One thing you can do is to make the packaging of the disk or the postcard with the URL stand out in a singular way so that it will be easy for you to follow up later and reference your demo in a stack on the recipient’s desk. For instance, you could glue a sheet of bubble wrap on the back of your business card if you make pop music, make a CD case out of purple satin if you make lounge-y tracks, or (as one demo I received) create your business card in the shape of an flash memory stick from a Play Station Portable.

Success with your demo

Having a polished demo (or multiple versions thereof), while important, is just one of the steps in achieving success with your music. Networking can help you get a personal recommendation to the head honcho of a record label—start asking your friends and contacts if they know anyone at the label you’re considering and ask for an introduction. Checking out events and clubs in your city and introducing yourself to the talent buyers will be the first step to getting booked for local gigs. Taking advantage of the opportunities provided by social networking tools and online communities will help you find other musicians with whom to create stellar tracks you couldn’t do on your own. Being professional, doing excellent work, and going the extra mile for your clients will thrill them and they’ll refer you without you needing to ask for it. Your demo will change over time to reflect your current work, but keeping a professional attitude and commitment to your music will always help you get where you want to go. Good luck!

Do you have a favorite medium for demo creation? Is there one social networking site that you consider superior to others? Do you have any success stories with creating a demo that you’d like to share? Let’s hear it!

Make no mistake: when it becomes part of the soul of music making, software gets under your skin and into your blood. So while Josh Mobley has his Reason tattoo, Jo writes us to let us know she’s got Reaktor permanently embedded on her wrist.

Lest you think Jo’s some random fan, she’s not: she’s a veteran of Reaktor’s creator, Native Instruments, and Waxploitation, an experienced sound designer/editor/engineer, and founded the software developer – A&R – business development/consulting – community FixedNoise.com. In other words, a Reaktor tattoo really does mean to Jo what a Harley-Davidson logo or “Mom” might mean to someone else. Check out her MySpace page for more. (I actually was already familiar with some of Jo’s terrific sound designs for software; she’s done some great work.)

And as you can see in the photo below, she really does sport the Reaktor love while playing — and she’s also an Ableton user, presumably making another power user of the Live/Reaktor combo. (Hmm — meaning there’s also a candidate for her right wrist?)

Jo’s not alone in wrist-branding land. In case you haven’t been watching the CDM Flickr Pool, happiness is the Monome, Korg kontrolPAD, and Atari:

So, we’ve got Reason and Reaktor. And Atari. (Technically, they’re a music maker — think Atari ST. Or chiptune, for that matter.) Any suggestions on the ultimate Ableton or Max/MSP tattoo, which would seem to follow next? (Let’s see, Max/MSP — loadbang? Or actually a whole patch? Ouch.)