Bill Gates' Plan To Destroy Music, Note By Note 659
theodp writes "Remember Mr. Microphone? If you thought music couldn't get worse, think again. Perhaps with the help of R&D tax credits, Microsoft Research has spawned Songsmith, software that automatically creates a tinny, childish background track for your singing. And as bad as the pseudo-infomercial was, the use of the product in the wild is likely to be even scarier, as evidenced by these Songsmith'ed remakes of music by The Beatles, The Police, and The Notorious B.I.G.."
This is just awful. (Score:5, Funny)
I checked the links. Now I feel so dirty.
Hey Microsoft, will you please stick with the business that you are good at? You know, Operating Systems?
Oh, nevermind.
Microsoft Sucks Checklist (Score:3, Funny)
Music Software - check
Portable Music Players - check
Gaming Consoles - CHECK
Search - check
Online portals - check
Commercials - check
Mobile Phone OSes - check
Re:Microsoft Sucks Checklist (Score:5, Funny)
Microsoft Bob -- Checkmate!
Re:Microsoft Sucks Checklist (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Microsoft Sucks Checklist (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Microsoft Sucks Checklist (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Microsoft Sucks Checklist (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Microsoft Sucks Checklist (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Microsoft Sucks Checklist (Score:4, Insightful)
Red Ring of Death.
Yes, it's been fixed in newer consoles. But would you buy a product from a company that knew about the issue and continued to sell the product anyway?
Re:Microsoft Sucks Checklist (Score:5, Insightful)
"But would you buy a product from a company that knew about the issue and continued to sell the product anyway?"
Yeah, I'm still looking for a car manufacturer that knows their cars won't break down after years of use too. They all know what how and hy things will break, and they do nothing to fix it. Bastards.
Re:Microsoft Sucks Checklist (Score:4, Insightful)
If you can find a car manufacturer which regularly replaces 4-6 power trains while the car is still under 3-year warranty, I'll buy you a shot.
Re:Microsoft Sucks Checklist (Score:5, Insightful)
I think its that to Microsoft its just another way to lock people into Windows.
The Xbox could be a refridgerator if Microsoft felt that would help lock-in Windows users.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
It was a move to intercept the consoles' advance on the Windows gaming stronghold and make sure MS remains a player in the gaming platform market.
Or.... (Score:3, Insightful)
Doesn't the Xbox by giving us a cheap alternative to upgrading to Vista and buying a new graphics card free us from the need to keep windows on the desktop?
Or, you could see the X-Box as a way to trojan a machine running DirectX, some derivative of Windows and the oh-so-addicting games into home of married-to-penguins-monogamous-nerds.
Ka-Ching ! Manage to milk Microsoft-money out of people who would never install any Microsoft software on their machines !
Re:Microsoft Sucks Checklist (Score:5, Insightful)
Not only does it run cooler, but it's the same size as the X-Box and the power brick is INSIDE the case! The power plug on the back is literally a standard computer power cable.
There is also the fact that they do not try to lock you out of anything (other than the GPU). With X-Box, you need to hack the HD in order to run any other software. With the PS3, you simply go into the system menu and select (install other OS).
Re:Microsoft Sucks Checklist (Score:5, Informative)
My father in law owns a PS3 that he had to put onto a wire frame so that it would circulate the air underneath the console. It was getting so hot it would stop working, so that was his solution to being able to use it to watch a whole movie (which is what my in-laws mostly do with their console).
So, anecdotally speaking, I'd have to say that my experience has been almost the polar opposite of what yours has been.
Sony not as benevolent as you'd believe. (Score:5, Informative)
With X-Box, you need to hack the HD in order to run any other software. With the PS3, you simply go into the system menu and select (install other OS).
Sony's just as evil [wikipedia.org] as the next company. From what I understand, they declared the PS3 to be a "computer system [1up.com]" as a means of avoiding tariffs in Europe, and to do this they needed to offer access to the OS. Plain and simple. They tried this with the PS2, but it didn't offer access to the OS, and thus failed the test [bbc.co.uk] (as I am led to believe).
How is that evil in the long run? (Score:5, Insightful)
If Sony is circumventing the tariffs by being "forced" into making the PS3 more open (and I use that term guardedly), then we still benefit a LOT more than by owning an Xbox360.
Re:Microsoft Sucks Checklist (Score:5, Funny)
Half-decent? The Zune is brown. It's like they hired product designers from Canonical.
Re:Microsoft Sucks Checklist (Score:5, Informative)
Actually, the iPod Shuffle has a considerably better built-in amplifier than the 'vanilla' iPod models. (This can be measured [home.comcast.net] objectively)
Unfortunately, I haven't seen similar tests for more recent models. nor am I sure if Apple ever bothered to implement the Shuffle's push-pull design in other models.
Re:Microsoft Sucks Checklist (Score:5, Informative)
That article is ancient. It's analysis is a hair off (mis-describing how blocking caps work). And most of all the difference between the shuffle and a regular iPod is not that the shuffle is "push-pull". All the devices in that test are push-pull. Single-ended (class A) is not power effective enough to use in a device like that.
The difference between the two is that a regular iPod has blocking caps to remove the DC component from the output. The shuffle at that time did not. Blocking caps create a high-pass filter with the impedance of the headphones, so low frequencies are rolled off. The capacitors need to be large enough that the roll off frequency is low enough that you get the bass notes through. At the time, the regular iPods didn't have high enough capacity blocking caps. However, this was changed shortly thereafter on the regular iPods and there has not been a noticeable difference between the two since then.
A couple other things:
The lack of blocking caps meant that the iPod shuffle was outputting a DC value even when playing complete silence instead of being at ground. Thus it was very susceptible to making ground loops. In fact, if you plugged the shuffle into a charger and a computer at the same time, you were guaranteed to get a ground loop and usually the buzz that goes with it.
If you used higher impedance headphones or connected the iPod to line in, the rolloff frequency went down so low that there never was an issue anyway. So the effect was only noticeable with headphones and most headphones cannot reproduce bass that low anyway. So only owners of high end headphones could even notice it.
The iPod Shuffle in question used integrated amps on the main chip in the Shuffle. This chip was changed years ago when the Shuffle was put into a metal case. So there's no reason to believe any newer shuffle had the same characteristics anyway.
Re:Microsoft Sucks Checklist (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Microsoft Sucks Checklist (Score:5, Funny)
You tell them! There's nothing wrong with the Zune or Xbox! They're PERFECT products produced by a PERFECT company!
Damn you Slashbots. WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE MICROSOFT ALONE?!
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm a huge Xbox360 fan, and really think Microsoft has turned a leaf recently. However, I am also a musician, and can't help but absolutely hate SongSmith, as hilarious as it is.
I completely agree. It's not a perfect console (I've yet to see one) but it's actually very, very good and is a case of MS doing pretty much what we always wanted them to do: they gave consumers more of what they wanted (more hardware, a low-cost option, more generic USB stuff, built-in DVD decoding), actually started catering to developers (there's loads of good third party titles and many studios will tell you what a great job MS does with its SDK and other tools/support to make a game), extended the ex
Re:Microsoft Sucks Checklist (Score:5, Funny)
Vacuum cleaners - finally something Microsoft can make that won't suck!
Re:Microsoft Sucks Checklist (Score:4, Funny)
Re:This is just awful. (Score:4, Informative)
It gets worse - the article references a previous link here: http://gawker.com/5130701/microsoft-ad-and-product-advertised-could-both-conceivably-make-you-want-to-kill-your-family [gawker.com]
Funny how a microoft ad for a vista-only product shows it running on a mac ... (check out the window decorations on the dialog it's eithr a mac or linux with the osx look-n-feel).
This product should be on EVERYONE's Christmas shopping list - give it to the kids of people you hate.
Anyone remember "Band-in-a-Box" back from the DOS days? It was better. This is so cheezy Kraft is suing for damage to their Cheeze Whiz brand.
Re:This is just awful. (Score:5, Funny)
That ad makes me think the only one making any money from MS research is the crack dealer...
Re:This is just awful. (Score:5, Funny)
This is just grate! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:This is just awful. (Score:5, Insightful)
There's a public demo up at Microsoft Research
MS Research does a lot of good research, and this is no exception. Stuff like this allows us (humanity) to explore what makes something musical, why we enjoy musing, and so on. This is all good stuff. The problem really is when research organizations are burdened with a requirement for projects to result in marketable products and revenue pull; that's when you get silly products like this. Clearly this would be best off open sourced and shared, it likely has no future as a proprietary product. I'm sure the researchers themselves would totally agree, they just can't openly express this sentiment for political reasons.
Re:This is just awful. (Score:5, Informative)
Look, they do some sort of Hidden Markov Model estimations to find the most likely chord progression to fit the vocals. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hidden_Markov_model [wikipedia.org] It's an impressive piece of work, but it WON'T WORK IF THE SINGER CAN'T SING WORTH A DAMN. And sadly, folks, most singers (in the consumer market) can only jingle if they have a backing track to start with.
Trust Microsoft to invent the chicken before the egg. Or was it the other way round? Meh.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
That being
Re:This is just awful. (Score:5, Funny)
Songsmith is to music as:
(a) Goatse is to erotica
(b) Professional wrestling is to sports
(c) Darl McBride is to humanity
(d) Ants are to a picnic
(e) No, it's worse
That laptop in the infomercial... (Score:5, Interesting)
Plausible deniability?
Re:That laptop in the infomercial... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:That laptop in the infomercial... (Score:5, Informative)
...it looks like an older generation MacBook Pro with a sticker over its logo.
Yes, it is a MacBook. Techcrunch had a Story [techcrunch.com] on this last week.
It's inconceivable to me out they could let something like that slip thru.
Re:That laptop in the infomercial... (Score:5, Insightful)
Its running Vista under Bootcamp.
Just saying...
Techncially, Microsoft is not in the hardware business for laptops so its not such a big faux pas and might even be their silly attempt to play nice with Apple, or to show that they aren't threatened by it.
Re:That laptop in the infomercial... (Score:5, Insightful)
more likely the production company hired to make the commercial had an old Macbook for a prop and thought it looked better than any other notebook they had.
Re:That laptop in the infomercial... (Score:5, Interesting)
I work in the only department that uses PCs (the program we use doesn't run well under bootcamp). Our towers get hidden under the desk and we're outfitted with unnecessarily expensive mac branded monitors. (Which of course aren't PC Plug and Play and require daily fucking arounds with to make work on bootup)
It really has little to do with performance or compatibility issues. It has to do with image. When clients see your design studio you don't want them to see cubicles and generic pcs and off-white walls. You want the workspace to reflect the creativity and design in your work, even if is impractical.
Re:That laptop in the infomercial... (Score:5, Funny)
It's inconceivable to me out they could let something like that slip thru.
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
Sadly, I guess I was reading /. (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
You could actually try to feed the lyrics into the software. It just might interpret the text correctly and go on deleting itself from the harddisk permanently. That song I'd like to watch.
No! No! No! (Score:5, Funny)
What is needed is to do some of the worst songs ever like those were done and see if improves the worst ones.
drew
Re:No! No! No! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:No! No! No! (Score:4, Funny)
I don't think even this could make Shatner sound good...
Aaargh! No! Now someone's going to go and do it!
(I'll see your Songsmith Shatner, and raise you a Songsmith Ballad of Bilbo Baggins.)
Bill Hicks Nailed It (Score:5, Insightful)
This is what I think music would sound like without drugs [youtube.com]. (NSFW, but WTF, it's Sunday...)
Oh lord (Score:5, Funny)
And I quote from the demo video...
"Now I'm gonna sing a demo song, it wont be short and it won't be long! Ohhh I'm gonna sing a demo song for youuuu hoooo"
Please don't listen to it, you won't be able to unhear it. It's like audio goatse!
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Plainly not directly, but by some musical flanking maneuver -- like using the sounds from a Speak and Spell, or other electronics (circuit bending), to make something entirely new and unforeseen.
I suspect it would be difficult or impossible to get this software to go outside of its boundaries.
I haven't tried it myself, but from the demo video it seems like an evolved version of the auto-accompaniment systems that have been in consumer musical keyboards for something like two decades.
Those work more or less
As an enabler for children's creativity (Score:5, Insightful)
They're really just toys. They won't "destroy music" any more than karaoke destroyed singing as an art or profession.
The way other Slashdot readers scream "Oh No No No No Oh God No!", I came up with some theories:
I think the technology/products are enablers - for children to start experiment with writing their own songs. It's not about the quality of songs, it's the jump-start of children's creativity.
Once children realize how easy it is to create music, they'll have a huge bonfire lit within them.
What do you think?
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Won't somebody please think of the children?!
Come on (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Come on (Score:5, Insightful)
Humor?
Re:Come on (Score:5, Funny)
This is supposed to be a news site. Is there any purpose to this article other than blatant Microsoft bashing?
Um ... should there be?
This actually comes at a good time... (Score:5, Funny)
... with President Obama's executive orders banning torture by US forces and requiring the closure of Guantánamo Bay, there's a dire need for alternative interrogation tools.
2 hours of those absolutely inhuman renditions of 'Roxanne' and 'Sgt Peppers', together with the MS infomercial, would be enough to break even the staunchest jihadist.
"Please, PLEASE NOOOO!! I'll give you current GPS coordinates for Osama bin Laden! Just turn it off PLEASE!!!"
Re:This actually comes at a good time... (Score:5, Funny)
> 2 hours of those absolutely inhuman renditions of 'Roxanne' and 'Sgt Peppers', together
> with the MS infomercial, would be enough to break even the staunchest jihadist.
And if that didn't work you could threaten him with the originals.
Re:This actually comes at a good time... (Score:4, Interesting)
Funny you should mention Obama... (Score:4, Funny)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN9pGgg8YlQ [youtube.com]
Great headline! (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
> ...he would probably call it the dumbest fucking idea he's ever heard.
He'd be wrong. It's going to sell like hotcakes.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
The target market doesn't have the smarts to pirate.
I have to post this anonymously... (Score:2, Interesting)
(But I kinda liked the biggie remix) /just a little. //ashamed
Roxanne - the calypso version (Score:3, Interesting)
That version is just so horribly wrong (a depressed love song to a happy calypso tune) that it's pretty much impossible not to laugh or at least chuckle and shake your head at the results
Roxanne - The Calypso Version [youtube.com]
Re: (Score:2)
Better than the original, which hasn't aged so well.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
While odd and strange as it is not what we are used to. Songsmith seems like an interesting idea. Perhaps people rip on it and because of what they are used to.
Put aside your notions of what the original songs are. The music oddly *FITS* the lyrics. The Calypso version of roxanne made me chuckle then realize it FITS. To me it fits.
That it is making coherent MUSIC at all is an interesting feat... Im sorry but even though the quality is 'odd' at this point that it works at all is amazing.
Which makes me
Hey good lookin'... (Score:3, Informative)
Coltrane + Songsmith = ??? (Score:4, Funny)
"Good" Music is subjective (Score:5, Insightful)
There seems to be a lot of flaming here for how the songs sucked etc. , but...
1. Goodness of music is a subjective issue. There may be people who actually like the sound, or the ease of karaoke-ing through it. Kids, perhaps who can be thrilled at the substantial quality of their renditions.
2. I suspect a lot of people are complaining about the examples there because they are comparing it to the originals. Think about how new songs or tunes can be arranged by budding composers using this. Songsmith might offer a lot more customisability making it an important tool.
We should try to look at the bright side once in a while.
Good music is not subjective. (Score:3, Interesting)
There are technical matters that any musician can spot immediately as the markers of good music.
The problem is that the major labels, by means of marketing mostly, have convinced most people that what passes for popular is good and in order to revive part of their backlog catalogue they contend that bad music from the past is in reality full of invaluable classics.
Good popular music for has normally its roots firmly established in knowledge about previous musical styles, knowledge about modern techniques a
I don't get the hate... (Score:2, Interesting)
A friend of mine makes music, and whereas the tunes coming out from Songsmith are quite corny, it has helped him in getting some nice chords together.
Of course he is not literally using the music output from Songsmith, but I can see how it might help a lot more (amateur) music makers out there to see what chords can be used underneath their singing.
It's just a tool people: Don't think that the next Britney is going to use this... Come to think of it, her songs might
Vocaloid is better (Score:5, Informative)
And yet, the Japanese have virtual singers. Witness Vocalioid 2 (three is better, but there aren't many videos on YouTube):
Clearly, we've lost the digital song war.
Re:Vocaloid is better (Score:5, Funny)
Latest in a list of bad ads (Score:4, Interesting)
This is actually pretty cool (Score:5, Insightful)
Note that I specifically decided not to post this as AC so hopefully I won't be flagged as a troll...
But I think this is actually really cool.
Is it going to make any musical masterpieces? Probably not.
Does it sound like a fun little toy to mess with? Yes, yes it does.
Incidentally, I've never heard Sergeant Pepper before (yeah yeah, go ahead and -1 me for cultural illiteracy), and I thought the music worked rather well with the lyrics, even if it didn't sound particularly interesting.
Re:This is actually pretty cool (Score:5, Interesting)
I don't know how good you are at listening to a monophonic sound source and deriving the key and related chords - but I suck at it. This software is a toy, but it doesn't mean you wont get something useful out of it!
Bill Gates Microsoft (Score:5, Insightful)
Bill Gates has not been actively involved with day-to-day Microsoft decision for at least a year. He is now involved with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation [gatesfoundation.org]. This foundation has relatively little to do with music, although a number of musicians do work with the foundation.
The equivalent to ./ stories like this would be to refer to Apple as "Steve Jobs made music 30% more expensive" (do the math).
And besides the headline was a serious troll.
whoa. that's REALLY good for automated songwriting (Score:5, Insightful)
Just listen to those demos, they're freaking amazing (not that I liked any of them, but just looking at the queues and matchings of everything, this is impressive beyond words). Specifically (and unsurprisingly) the rap song at the end was the clear winner, sounding eerily well-matched to the vocals. (Disclaimer: perhaps I'm impressed because I'm intimately familiar with the first two while I don't know the third song's original intended sound, but I do expect something with less acoustic range/complexity is easier to adapt.)
This gets negative vibe because it comes from our favorite enemy (at least while we transfer our hate to somebody more worthy of it these days), but I think this could be the start of something great, even if it means we have to listen to some crap on the way. Isn't that the big benefit to Creative Commons? Isn't that why we eat up Lessig's remix [lessig.org] argument?
This is a good first step. Sad that it's not Free Software, as the next step is incorporating remix and a larger (user-submitted) library of base music to the system (see the intro video on the microsoft.com article link), and perhaps the step after that is in getting the system to automatically figure out things like tempo and an optimized list of suggested music stylings.
To Microsoft (if you're actually reading this) or perhaps otherwise those who wish to re-implement the idea: even as a closed-source solution, if you create a system that would allow (advanced) users to create their own base music, you will start a music revolution.
Who knew that Men Without Hats saw this coming (Score:5, Funny)
Have a look here:
http://www.menwithouthats.com/micro.html [menwithouthats.com]
Men Without Hats knew this was coming.
Pop goes the world!
Viral Marketing (Score:5, Interesting)
On a side note, that was filmed in the Microsoft Research building, and many people there run OSX. Interestingly enough, you are allowed to use any platform you want as a Microsoft employee (I've even met Linux users who work there), but the Gates Foundation mandates you use only Microsoft products (source: friend who works for the foundation).
Too critical (Score:5, Interesting)
I think the Slashdot crowd is showing too much of its human side here, and not enough of the geeky analytics that bring me here.
As the old saying goes, it's not how well the bear dances, but that it dances at all. I watched the demo and thought that Songsmith must have some *very* interesting algorithms behind it. Sure, the music sounds trite to the human ear, but aren't you kind of amazed at how much is done?
To analogize, think of recognition technology. I can't tell one raccoon (or orangutang or giraffe or shrew) from another. Anyone who makes software that *can* do so has some mad skillz in my book, regardless of the human utility.
OMG... (Score:4, Insightful)
It's a freaking toy for christ's sake. The sky is not falling.
Microsoft "innovation" (Score:3, Informative)
So Microsoft Research reinvents Band-in-a-Box [pgmusic.com] which has been around for years and already lets you feed it an MP3 and it'll tell you the chord changes [pgmusic.com]. Then you can use that to have Band-in-a-Box generate a song in any style you choose. Nothing new here. Move along.
MS concepts applied to music instead of software (Score:3, Funny)
Microsoft gained fame and fortune by putting office automation software into the hands of inexperienced users. In theory, anyone can learn to use MS Office. Having no talent is not that much of a drawback. The product does a pretty good job of concealing the cluelessness of the user. Life is good when your target market is dummies.
Then they put development tools into the hands of inexperienced people. No talent? No English? No problem! If you can click a mouse, you can be a database designer or network admin (well, kind of). Find cheap people, put them through a few classes and BAMMO! A fresh batch of Mouse Clicking Solutions Experts ready to work for anyone who pays more than Walmart.
As the IT industry has been dumbed down, outsourced, and off-shored, it became inevitable that these concepts would be applied to something other than IT. Like music. And who else to do it but the company who specializes in enabling people to use computers to try something for which they have no talent?
I can't wait to go out and get a copy of Songsmith. I hear they have a whole genre of this stuff in R&D: Flightsmith, Medsmith, Boatsmith, CEOsmith, not to mention the beta version of PresSmith (Obama has had the country fooled for months!)
MS Rocks! WhoooHooo!
Dad is pornstar (Score:4, Funny)
Clack. The sound of ones Jaw hitting the Floor. (Score:3, Funny)
With stunned disbelief in what I just saw I have suffered serious injury.
It appears my jaw has become unhinged and smacked the tilled floor in my flat.
I am grateful for this tragic injury as it is now impossible for me to even be forced to use this product.
Randy Newman... (Score:5, Funny)
I love how.... (Score:3, Insightful)
the slashdot crowd takes what is obviously supposed to be a toy, and can't look at it for what it is. A toy. It has to be some world-ending apocalyptic program written specifically to put someone out of work, or monopolize a market, or some such dark thing.
Because, you know, it won't be someone who isn't a professional vocalist having a little fun in the privacy of their own home. It's going to be the next endless batch of 1-hit wonders! Microsoft is going to be the demon lurking in the shadows attempting to gain a foothold on the lucrative music industry by replacing every singer and band on the market with it's own software and outsourced "musicians"! World ending I tell you! WORLD ENDING!
This is nonsense (Score:5, Interesting)
This product is obviously not intended for the average Slashdot user, but rather to children, parties and whatnot. Furthermore, this tool has the potential of helping people understand how music is built up.
Personally, I think this is a really interesting idea and I wonder what the reception would look like if this was an iSongsmith product.
You don't get it. This will destroy the RIAA. (Score:5, Insightful)
You don't get it. This is how Microsoft will destroy the RIAA.
This isn't even version 1.0. It's maybe 0.5 (sounds open source, doesn't it.) Of course it sucks. Most new Microsoft products suck at version 1.0. By version 3.0, they rule the world.
Remember how US music law works. Anybody can parody anybody else for free (hence the legions of Elvis impersonators) and anybody can make a new recording of an old song by paying a fixed royalty limited by law. That royalty goes to composers and songwriters, not the RIAA. The maker and user of this program owe nothing to the RIAA.
That's the key to this. As this technology gets better, there will be programs that listen to the repertory of a musician or a singer and build vocal tract and style models. There will be programs that take in a song recording and extract the music, lyrics, and expression, reducing it to something like MIDI with more annotations. Then the synthesis program will put them together, perhaps producing a "cover recording" indistinguishable from the original, at least when heard in a car. Plus you can have fun running combining different songs and musicians.
At that point, musicianship has been automated. Microsoft can dictate terms to the RIAA.
Don't laugh. I'll bet that in a few years, most videogame soundtracks will come from something like this. Then commercial soundtracks. Actual musical recordings will take longer, because there's a heavy "branding" factor. But it will come.
Re:you think that's bad...... (Score:5, Funny)
I have. She's not that bad
Re:Oh... who gives a fuck?! (Score:5, Funny)
You will not besmirch the mighty Shiva from Accounts Receivable!
Re:Haha yeah. (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:It couldn't be worse (oh, yes it can) (Score:3, Funny)
I usually RTFA, but that was heinous. 44 of the worst seconds of my life, and I blame you.
Re: (Score:2)
(un)inspirational.
Inspiration... that's it! Let's use songbird to do Christian Rock!
Re:Can't Possibly Be Worse Than Wii Music (Score:5, Funny)
It is far worse!
If you have no strong heart, do not try watching the Songsmith Infomercial.
I REPEAT: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO WATCH THE SONGSMITH INFOMERCIAL!
It does something like this... (Score:5, Informative)
But what does it do do if you don't (or like me, can't) sing?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN9pGgg8YlQ [youtube.com]
What if you just talk or make random hooting noises?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7qyjLuWVU8 [youtube.com]
Let me fix that for you... (Score:5, Funny)
1. Come up with something better than that chintzy MIDI backup.
2. Build a few songsmith boxes
3. Profit from your new crap music empire
4. ????
5. Die in remorse
??? part goes BEFORE "profit" part.
There is no step 5.
It is all sex and coke parties after the profit part.
Rainier: My new movie is me, standing in front of a brick wall for 90 minutes. It cost 80 million dollars to make.
Jay Sherman: how do you sleep at night?
Rainier: On top of a pile of money, with many beautiful ladies.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Anyone who's been around a while knows what a first-rate hypester and arrogant bastard Steve Jobs has been. For him to make statements like that, in particular, is really meaningless. He's anything but an impartial observer looking out for the interests of the consumer. He's been looking out for Number One his entire career.
Now the orchard boys will commence modding me down for being truthy.