i bought it with high hopes but it really didn't suit me at all so now its on ebay. The pads are no where near as sensitive as i would have liked, plus I thought you could change samples in real time as the music was playing.. well you can but it turns off all effects while you do so, so it doesn't...

Unfortunately I think the only way to retrieve that file was by using TimeMachine or some other backup software if it really is overwritten. TimeMachine really is a lifesaver, you should turn it on immediately ;) I once lost over 400gb of data because I didn't want to make backups and then my HDD di...

Well if you just want to create beats and you don't mind an extra controller, I'd suggest Native Instruments Maschine. It's a bit pricy, but since the 1.6 update I'm having loads of fun with it. You can sample with it like an MPC and use it's own sequencer or use it as a plugin in Live. You can cont...

The first link has a sample that can be found on one of the (very old) Magix soundpool CD's. Most of the samples are pretty lame on those sample libraries, but some of them are actually usable. I think it's Hiphop v2, because I used to own that CD a few years ago ;) I honestly thought nobody ever us...

I recently listened to an interview with James Blake (dubstep producer). He is very fond of incorporating silence into his tracks. One of his 'hits' today on Dutch radio is 'Limit to your love'. There is a very awkward silence halfway through the song, and it baffles me that Dutch radio puts this in...

If you are looking for a typical 80's sound, also look at the Yamaha DX-7 (or TX-7 for the desktop variant). It is the inspiration for Native Instruments FM-7 (it could also load DX-7 sounds). My father has a DX-7, and everytime I hear a 80's track or see a 80's movie there's always a sound that I r...

Haven't MIDI guitars been around for a while now? I know my father still uses a hybrid guitar (you can use it as a midi controller or just guitar)... I think Line-6 also has a MIDI guitar, but I'm not sure. The guitar my father uses has been around for a few years now (probably > 10 years) and even ...

Steve Vai and Joe Satriani were always gonna suck because they have crappy taste, the theory only allowed them to suck more elaborately. I need to comment on this (though it will probably be offtopic), but if you listen to songs of both guitarists, the songs themselves are not that great. However, ...