Author: Robby Burns

Apple Report Card, with Will Kuhn

Check out the latest episode of Music Ed Tech Talk.

Websites are back! Robby redid his blog and Stream Deck setups. The Metallica concert in Vision Pro is awesome. AI tools for musicians have always been useful, and we do some music picks. Big topic: Will and I grade Apple.

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Chapters

00:00:28 – Thanks again, Molly!

00:00:52 – RobbyBurns.com, WordPress!

00:03:48 – Blog Highlights & Websites Are Back

00:13:19 – Ableton Updates

00:17:50 – Yamaha SEQTRAK

00:19:35 – Vision Pro + Metallica

00:24:36 – AI Tools for Musicians

00:34:03 – Automation Corner

00:43:15 – Apple Report Card

00:58:37 – Music Picks and Media Recs

Show Notes

Intro

Thanks to our supporters and a special shoutout to Molly.

News and Mini Topics

AI

Automation Corner

Big Topics

Music Picks

Where to Find Us

Please don’t forget to rate the show and share it with others!

Sessions | Audio Unit (AU) Plug-in Host for Studio and Stage

This a pretty cool tool I was recently turned on to. I’m looking forward to giving it a try.

Sessions | Audio Unit (AU) Plug-in Host for Studio and Stage:

Sessions is a performance-oriented plug-in host that puts all your virtual instruments and effects at your fingertips. With powerful features and a streamlined workflow, musicians can enjoy ultimate freedom to explore, create, play and perform without a DAW.
Keep reading here…

From the Creators of Shortcuts, Sky Extends AI Integration and Automation to Your Entire Mac – MacStories

All I can say is “wow!” It’s rare and thrilling to see an app that quickly demonstrates how immediately it could transform the way I use my computer.

This is, to me, a demonstration of where learning language models should fit into computing.

From the Creators of Shortcuts, Sky Extends AI Integration and Automation to Your Entire Mac – MacStories:

For the past two weeks, I’ve been able to use Sky, the new app from the people behind Shortcuts who left Apple two years ago. As soon as I saw a demo, I felt the same way I did about Editorial, Workflow, and Shortcuts: I knew Sky was going to fundamentally change how I think about my macOS workflow and the role of automation in my everyday tasks.
Keep reading here…

harmony-cloud-app — Stefon Harris

Edit: I have been informed that this page is very old and that the iOS version of this app has been out since 2015 and has not received updates since. Hard to recommend a 10 dollar app with that in mind.

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A colleague turned me on to Harmony Cloud earlier in the month. It’s a new ear training tool from vibraphonist Stefon Harris, and it seems really neat.

I attended a masterclass featuring Stefon Harris back in the early 2000s, and something I distinctly remember about his teaching was how well he could communicate complex harmonic ideas in jazz through much more musical and emotive language. For example, he described the sound of a dominant chord with a b9 and 13 in it was like “a warm hug” or “rocking a baby to sleep.” He perfectly bridged the complexity of improv with concepts any listener can relate to. I’m really curious to see how his musicianship and teaching skill translate into this app.

harmony-cloud-app — Stefon Harris:

Harmony Cloud™ helps you hear, practice, and create music in ways you never thought possible. Harmony Cloud™ is a revolutionary step forward in the world of ear training, created by world-renowned jazz musician and educator Stefon Harris. The app is designed to help serious musicians at all levels expand their understanding of harmony, feel music on a deeper level, and fearlessly explore the world of improvisation. Its underlying (patent-pending) algorithm stitches together chords you select into an unending source of unpredictable, yet musical, chord progressions. Try our Beta Version today! Be on the lookout for an official iOS release coming soon!
Keep reading here…

Logic Pro amplifies beat making on Mac and iPad with advanced new capabilities – Apple

Logic Pro has some new updates. Some of them are novel and cool, but a new feature that captures performance data before the user presses record is exactly the kind of iterative workflow improvement that I love to see.

Logic Pro amplifies beat making on Mac and iPad with advanced new capabilities – Apple:

Flashback Capture allows artists to recover unforgettable performances, even if they forgot to hit record.2 Users can quickly restore MIDI and audio performances using a key command or a custom control bar button. By enabling Cycle mode, musicians can improvise multiple takes, and Flashback Capture will automatically organize each pass into a take folder.
Keep reading here…

DaVinci Resolve 20 for iPad: Features & AI Enhancements

On the recent episode of Music Ed Tech Talk, Will and I were discussing how rare it is that iPad apps function similarly to their desktop counterparts. DaVinci Resolve is an exception to this standard, and it only seems to get more powerful with every new release.

DaVinci Resolve 20 for iPad: Features & AI Enhancements:

Alongside the release of DaVinci Resolve 20 for Windows and macOS, version 20 of DaVinci Resolve has now been released for iPadOS as well. Similar to the desktop release, this update adds a number of new AI features across the application.
Keep reading here…

Retreating to Safety – Marco.org

Though I’m not a developer, I do watch Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference keynote every year with lots of enthusiasm.

Given how increasingly sour I have become about Apple recently, I can say that I identify quite a lot with Marco Arment’s feelings in this post.

Retreating to Safety – Marco.org:

This will be the first WWDC I’m not attending since 2009 (excluding the remote 2020 one, of course). Given my realizations about my relationship with Apple and how they view developers, I’ve decided that it’s best for me to take a break this year, gain some perspective, and decide what my future relationship should look like.

Maybe Apple’s leaders are doing that, too.
Keep reading here…

Sam and Jony and skepticism – Six Colors

If you haven’t heard, OpenAI is merging with Jony Ive’s company io, and they have announced that they are working on a hardware product. They are very jazzed about it. Probably a past version of myself would be too, but given my mixed feelings about where AI sits in our culture right now, I couldn’t help but throw up in my mouth several times while watching the announcement video.

Still, I admit I am very curious what they are cooking up.

I think Jason Snell over at Six Colors has the take on this news that I most closely identify with.

Sam and Jony and skepticism – Six Colors:

But right now, all we have are words and an awkward video of Sam and Jony drinking espresso. The words are all vague. I’ll believe whatever they’re going to release when I see it. Until then, like so much in the AI world in particular and the tech world in general, it’s meaningless hype, signifying nothing.
Keep reading here…

TI:ME at Maryland MMEA 25/26 – TI:ME

TI:ME at Maryland MMEA 25/26 – TI:ME:

TI:ME is excited to partner with Maryland MMEA for the upcoming season of PD events. Apply to speak at either or both events today!

The deadline for the Call for Proposals and Performance Applications is June 4, 2025.

This process will be for consideration of sessions/performances for all conference events in the 2025-2026 year.
Keep reading here…

Please join TI:ME and put in proposals for the MMEA conferences. We’d love to have you come present!

Dorico 6 is now available

Dorico 6 is out today and it is full of really great stuff.

Dorico 6 is now available: Perfect scores, faster – Dorico:

We’re delighted to announce the immediate availability of Dorico 6, the brand new generation of our family of music notation and composition software for macOS, Windows, and iPadOS. This version is absolutely packed with new features, with a particular focus on engraving and workflow, though there are improvements throughout the application, and we hope that every Dorico user will find several things to be excited about.

If you’re an existing Dorico user, you can update or upgrade to Dorico 6 right now, or if you want to try before you buy, a completely free 60-day trial version is also available from today.

Before we begin, check out the introductory video beautifully produced by my colleague Anthony, with music of his own composition, performed by cellist Cristina Munoz Caamano, who also appears in the video and on our web site. We hope it’ll put you in the mood to find out more about what we’ve been working on, and why.
Keep reading here…

As usual, the Scoring Notes blog has a really detailed post reviewing all of the new features, which I encourage you to check out.

Dorico 6 review: Proof positive – Scoring Notes:

Every major Dorico update affects all areas of the application, but if the Dorico 5 cycle could be characterized as full of audio goodies, Dorico 6 is brimming with delights in the areas of engraving and workflow. Cutaway scores and proofreading are two of the headline features, but there are robust advancements in chord symbols, text, playing techniques, and more — they’re all either new or more robust than ever.
Keep reading here…

There’s never been a better time to try Dorico, especially if you’re still considering alternatives to Finale. With a bit of time spent learning the popovers and jump bar, Dorico can deliver better-looking scores with more power and ease than any alternative.