Feed Your Doggiebox
I had heard about Doggiebox some months ago from a friend, 
and at the time I had the intention of finding more about it, but after a couple of days, I forgot to do so. Until a week ago…
Doggiebox is a drum machine application for Mac OS X that lets you create and manipulate percussion-based songs. What I really like about it is that all sounds are fully customizable. This means that you can create or record your own kits. For example, you can record your friend’s drumset (or your own if you have one) and create a kit with each of those sounds in Doggiebox. You can even create kits of “non-instrument” sounds (for example kits created with your voice, your kitchen pots, etc.). There are three things that make Doggiebox to me a very successful drum machine application. One (in no particular order), it’s only $39 dollars. Two, its ease of use. I was able to create a simple beat after minutes of installation. And three, you can create drum parts that sound pretty real.
This last thing is done by having different versions of the same instrument or variants within a kit:
“Some instruments in a drum kit can be played in several ways, or have their characteristics altered by the drummer, in order to produce different sounds. For example, a hi-hat can be played open or closed; a ride cymbal may be hit on the edge, or on the bell, or stricken like a crash; a snare drum might be hit with a rimshot. Such distinct sounds associated with the same instrument are referred to as variants.”
And by being able to change drum velocity:
“To give texture and realism to your percussion it is usually desirable to perform hits at different volume levels, as a human player would do in real life. Fortunately this is easy to control on a sound-by-sound basis.”
Doggiebox is a MAC only application. Songs of unlimited length can be edited in any number of tempos and time signatures. When you feel the drum part is ready, you can export it to one of a dozen file formats including AIFF and WAV, for use in other audio programs, or play back in realtime to a MIDI device. I’ve had Doggiebox for a week, so I’m sure I’m missing other features (so feel free to comment about your experience with it, good or bad). I still believe there is nothing like having a good drummer available to record your songs. Unfortunately and for various reasons, this is not always possible. Feed your Doggiebox when you can’t get one.
[audio:doggiebag.mp3]
(I called that one “Doggie Bag”, a short beat I created with Doggiebox so you can get an idea of what you can do. I used GarageBand afterwards to add a little reverb and a bit of echo).
Music Composition Directory
We are very excited to introduce Composersnewpencil’s music composition link directory. 
If you are a composer, songwriter, etc., please feel free to submit your site(s) or your favorite music composition related website(s). Our intention is to build a targeted and quality content directory. All links will be personally reviewed for consideration. The main categories include: classical composition, electronic art music, film scoring, jazz composition & arranging, songwriting, experimental pop & rock, music technology and finally stores & products. Subcategories include: composer and artist sites, resources, communities and organizations among others. New categories can also be suggested.
The directory is brand new, so some categories do not contain links yet. All feedback is welcome.
Zappa - Does Humor Belong in Music?
Performance / Video:
Frank Zappa. The Purple Lagoon. Saturday Night Live NBC, 11 December 1976. Featuring John Belushi as Samurai “Be-Bop” Futaba on saxophone, Ruth Underwood on marimba, Patrick O’Hearn on bass and Terry Bozzio on drums. Born in Baltimore, Maryland on December 21, 1940, Frank Zappa was a counter-culture icon. Leading a life devoted to composition, he worked in almost every musical genre. He wrote for pop, rock and jazz ensembles (producing more than fifty albums) as well as for classical chamber ensembles and orchestras. “What do you do for a living, Dad?” If any of my kids ever asked me that question, Zappa said, the answer would have to be: “What I do is composition. I love putting little black dots on music paper…I’d sit for sixteen hours at a time, hunched over a chair with a bottle of India ink, and draw beams and dots. Read more
Thom Yorke’s The Eraser
Rock Album Release: 
Thom Yorke is the lead singer and songwriter of the band Radiohead, the English rock band that has been often been praised as one of the most distinct bands of this generation. OK Computer (1997), pushed them to greater attention, and has been acclaimed as a milestone record of the 90’s. With their albums Kid A (2000), and Amnesiac (2001), the band reached their peak global popularity, even as their music (with influences ranging from electronic music to jazz) became less conventional. The band has even had an impact in the contemporary jazz world scene, where musicians like Brad Mehldau and Chris Potter have incorporated Radiohead’s songs into their standard repertoire. Read more