Recently I had to transfer an old Cassette to MP3 files for my grandfather. This was because the tape was getting old and he wanted a CD of the music to play in his car. I had forgotten that cassette tapes still existed. To be honest I hardly buy CDs these days either, because I have an iPhone I buy digital downloads.

Having a MacBook I thought that burning the MP3 files to a CD would be as easy as everything else is on the MacBook, but I was mistaken. I thought that iTunes or GarageBand would be able to do it, but alas no.

My thoughts then turned to getting the files from the MacBook on to a USB Memory Stick and using a PC and Nero to burn the disc. But before I did that I decided to have a look on the internet to see what was available for the Mac. I found Roxio Toast 10.

Roxio Toast 10 was exactly what I was looking for. Roxio Toast 10 does cost more than your average software, but it was well worth it. PriceGrabber has Roxio Toast 10 Titanium for £56.47. Roxio Toast 10 is so easy to use too as you’d expect from any Mac software. It was simply a case of choosing what kind of disc I wanted to burn (in my case an Audio CD) and dragging the files over, then pressing a red button to burn. That was it, my CD was burned and ready to use within a few minutes.

So, if you’re looking for a solution to burning CDs and DVDs on your Mac, then I would suggest Roxio Toast 10. There are two versions available too, Roxio Toast 10 Titanium and Roxio Toast 10 Pro. The Pro version costs a bit more than the titanium version though.

I chanced upon this whilst browsing for an audio processor. I’m thinking that I may need an audio processor instead of relying on a software solution. Being able to adjust things with hardware is, in my opinion, better.

So what is the Wacom Nextbeat DJ Console? It’s exactly what it says on the tin: a DJ Console. But what makes it different to other consoles out there? Well the Wacom Nextbeat DJ Console is a wireless solution allowing the DJ to move away from the main unit to do his thing. According to the Wacom Nextbeat DJ Console’s website it allows performers to create “…more dynamic and energetic live performances.”

The Wacom Nextbeat DJ Console has unique touch sensitive controls that no other similar console has, which is always a good thing for the end user. Having an intuitive device cuts down on the time needed to learn how to use it. Unfortunately for all you budding DJ’s out there the Wacom Nextbeat DJ Console is not available to buy yet. So we’ll all have to stick to our turntables and laptops for now, but as soon as it does I’ll post links up on this blog for all of you to see.

I think that this could become an industry standard piece of kit for the entire top DJ’s out there given the right circumstances. A good advertising campaign would make a huge difference for the Wacom Nextbeat DJ Console. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

This is cool! The Lucky Voice Karaoke Party Box plugs in to your computer to turn it in to your very own karaoke machine. No more will you have to spend a fortune down your local karaoke bar when you want to have a fun night of singing. You can do it from the comfort of your own home with the Lucky Voice Karaoke Party Box.

In these difficult times we all know it’s cheaper to stay indoors than going out. We’ve all had to make sacrifices. But the Lucky Voice Karaoke Party Box changes all that. Get a group of friends round to yours and host your very own karaoke party. What could be better?

You’ll need access to the internet to use the Lucky Voice Karaoke Party Box because you create the playlist on the www.luckyvoice.com website. But don’t worry; they have a massive selection of songs available from Abba to Queen. With over 1000 free songs to choose from you shouldn’t run out of great songs to sing.

The Lucky Voice Karaoke Party Box can truly transform any great night in into a fantastic night in. Grab yours for only £49.95 from PriceGrabber today. You’ll not regret buying the Lucky Voice Karaoke Party Box.

I was watching the Welsh television channel S4C the other night, and they mentioned the Karaoke Party website. I didn’t think much about it until yesterday when I went to have a look for myself.

Basically, it’s a website where you can sing along to the hits online. I’ve had a go singing some of the tunes that are available but without a microphone. I’m not brave enough to plug one in and get myself rated on the site, but it can be done!

It’s a pretty new site but they do have a really large library of song available. If they don’t have a song that you’d like to sing along to, you can request it and they’ll get it added. Karaoke Party is definitely one of the websites to keep an eye on in 2009, I think it’s going to be a big hit, especially if you’ve got a group of friends round and a couple of bottles of wine in the fridge.

There’s always an appeal to sing once you’ve had a couple of glasses to calm your nerves, but kids will love it too. Children seem to love singing for some reason and this is the perfect opportunity for them to have some fun.

To be honest, I don’t know much about creating music from scratch. But I saw this nifty little gadget and thought about sharing it with you guys. So what is the Korg Kaossilator? Well, it is an exciting piece of kit to start with, but its main uses are to create music on the move.

The Korg Kaossilator, or to give it it’s full title, the Korg KAOSS KAOSSILATOR Dynamic Phrase Synthesizer, allows you to create music by simply tapping or sliding your finger across the Korg Kaossilator’s built in touch pad.

From what I have read anyone from a 5 year old to an 80 year old can use this gadget to create some fantastic music, and that’s a pretty big statement. We’ll have to wait and see about that won’t we. But, it does seem that the Korg Kaossilator is highly addictive. Once you start playing with it you’ll have trouble putting it down and doing anything else.

The Korg Kaossilator is battery operated which makes it even more desirable to people who really, really feel they need to be away from the home or studio to create their masterpiece. For those who don’t want to be out and about, it can also be plugged into a mains socket. It also has 2 phono outputs on the back so that you can hook it up to your amplifier or HiFi. Also included is a headphones socket, which is great for your neighbours.

The Korg Kaossilator is definitely a gadget to keep your eye on because there is a big buzz about it in the music industry at the moment. At a price that’s just shy of £140 you could be the next superstar DJ making it big.

This is a handy little tool for any budding musicians. The USB Guitar Link will help you get your masterpiece in to your computer without any need for any extra amplifiers. There can be no simpler solution to the problem of getting your music in to a digital form where you can edit it easily.

I’m not a musician although I do have an electric guitar and acoustic guitar I can play neither of them. The problem I found was being left handed. My acoustic guitar is left handed though.

Anyhow, you’re not here to read about my non existent guitar playing skills. The USB Guitar Link is simple to use, you plug it in to a spare USB port, install the supplied software and you’re ready to go. Obviously you’ll also need an electric guitar to plug in to the USB Guitar Link - This, unfortunately is not supplied. The software you get with this gadget is pretty impressive too. Audacity is a well known piece of software, as is the Kristal 16 track production software.

Getting your hands on a USB Guitar Link could save you an absolute fortune too because you don’t need to buy those expensive effects pedals - it can all be done within the computer. You’ve got a whole recording studio at your disposal, and it’s all within your computer.

If I could play the guitar, I would definitely get one of these because; let’s face it, who wants to spend a fortune on studio time? Cut out the middle man and do it yourself.

This is a real blast from the past. I never owned a Stylophone when I was a child but my sister did.

I remember Rolf Harris advertising the Stylophone on television many, many years ago. I also remember my sister used to hide hers so that we couldn’t play with it. Almost every household had a Stylophone. It was a must have gadget during the 70’s and early 80’s, and now you can have another shot at it. The Stylophone is back, and it’s much, much better than before. The improvements that have been made to this 40 year old classic are good ones. The Stylophone now has a headphone socket and an audio input socket. Both of these additions are welcome of course, firstly the headphone socket will prevent the people around you going berserk whilst you practice and fine tune your skills on the Stylophone. The audio input socket allows you to connect any MP3 play or iPod up to it so that you can play along to your favourite track.

If you do not know what a Stylophone is then let me explain, it is an electronic pocket organ that allows you to create music by tapping a stylus across a metal surface. They are really easy to use and a bit harder to master properly. But, you will have hours and hours of fun with it.

On Tuesday the 9th September, Apple had a special event. At this special event they unveiled a couple of new things. One of them was a new, redesigned Apple iPod Nano. As you can see from the picture they’re very sleek and shiny. So what exactly is new about them? Well, the new iPod Nanos come in nine vibrant colours from yellow to pink. Also there’s the Genius function. This function allows you to create a playlist by searching through your entire music collection and playing songs that go well together. Another new and quite frankly, pretty amazing addition that Apple demonstrated was the “shake to shuffle” feature. Just shake the iPod Nano and a random song from your collection will be played. This is all down to the new accelerometer that they’ve built right in. Having this new feature also lets you play games that have been specifically designed for the iPod Nano.

In addition to all these cool new features, there’s a high resolution, 2-inch widescreen display, so you can watch TV shows and videos on the new iPod Nano. This also means that you can view your favourite pictures too, whether they are landscape or portrait. Just rotate, the Nano will automatically display your picture in the correct format. The new Nano even has CoverFlow. This will allow you to scroll through and view all your album art.

What I haven’t mentioned yet is that the new iPod Nano is beautifully curved. This alone makes me want to go out and buy one.
The battery life is impressive too, with 24 hours for music playback and 4 hours for video. All this packed into a device that’s less than half an inch thick. It’s the thinnest iPod ever. The new Nano comes in 8Gb or 16Gb capacities and costs from £109

If you can’t wait for the new iPod to become available on PriceGrabber, then have a look at the existing range of Apple Nanos that are available to buy today.

In my opinion, the most sought after gadget at the moment is the iPhone 3G from Apple.

But what if you only want a portable music player?

Would you go for an iPod Touch, which has a load of extra features like internet browsing, email, downloadable apps and WiFi iTunes store, or would you go for an iPod Classic?

An iPod Classic gives better value for money if all you want to do is listen to music.
For an 80Gb version you’ll pay between £148 and £186 which is phenomenal value for the amount of storage you get.
80Gb will hold approximately 20,000 songs or 100 hours of video.
Yes, the iPod Classic also plays videos.
With a crisp and clear 2.5 inch backlit display, the iPod Classic is a must have gadget in anybody’s home.

Whether you’re going travelling or just want to listen to music on the move, it doesn’t get much better than an iPod Classic.
Sure there are other music players available, but not many can boast as much storage, battery life and style as an iPod.
And speaking of battery life, the iPod Classic comes in with an impressive 30 hours of music playback per charge and 5 hours of video playback.
To fully charge the battery takes 4 hours, but there’s a fast charge option which will charge 80% of the battery in 2 hours.

As I mentioned, if you’re going travelling and want a great music player that’s durable and robust, then you really shouldn’t look any further than an iPod Classic.
Planning on going to the beach this summer (when it arrives)? You’ll want to take some music with you right? What better way to carry your entire music library about?

At the end of the day, not only does the iPod Classic look good, but it feels good too.

Jamming until the wee small hours of the morning is one of the guitar players favourite hobbies but believe it or not the neighbours don’t take too kindly to having to put up with your take on Sweet Child Of Mine in the middle of the night. So what you need is to find a way where you can still practice your guitar riffs whenever you see fit without the folks next door calling the Old Bill. This terrific little gadget from Vox allows you just that.

The Vox amPlug is a cool little amp that plugs into your guitar and gives you all the benefits that your full-size amp gives you, only through a set of headphones and the best part is, it fits right into the palm of your hand so you can take absolutely anywhere. Two AAA batteries will give you around about 15 hours a battery life so you don’t have to worry about running out of charge mid-jam either.The Vox amPlug comes in three different sound styles, the VOX AC30, Classic Rock, and Metal which will all deliver different performance benefits depending on what kind of sounds you are into. A built in aux-in jack also gives you the chance to play along with your CD or MP3 player.

It may not give you quite the same satisfaction as belting out a big power riff that takes the roof off every house in the neighbourhood but for £30 you can’t go wrong and it may just save you a court order or two.