How to use iTrack Pocket

What you need to know about iTrack Pocket

iTrack Pocket is designed for YouTuber either your a presenter, a musician, a singer or someone who needed a decent audio quality for video recording that's done simultaneously. Like when I do most of my video recording, the audio is recorded separately. For example Im using Quicktime player for the video and Garageband for the audio, then put or mix it together using iMovie. The challenge is to make sure that the audio goes with the video and there's no noticeable delay. So the perfect solution for this is the iTrack Pocket. It so so portable that you can record anywhere, anytime.


Here are the list of questions to ask if you want iTrack Pocket:
1. Are you a singer who wants to record yourself or your ideas instantly and with decent audio/video quality?
2. Are you a musician who wants to record your instrument, your performance, your ideas?
3. Are you an iPhone user or planning to buy one? Because this gadget uses IOS platform. You will be needing either iPhones or iPad.
4. Do you want an easy setup, portable, and can be used almost anywhere?
5. Are you a vlogger, YouTuber, presenter?
6. Do you want a recording studio that fits in your pocket as well as your budget?

If you have two or more yeses to these questions, then iTrack Pocket is for you.

This mini gadget is an all-in-one solution that will do all the trick and save you time and money. No need to buy expensive condenser microphone, mic stand, camera, tripod for your camera, audio interface, recording software and loads of time and effort in editing. iTrack Pocket  is literally a studio in your pocket.

Where to buy? Loads to choose from online. I bought mine from Gear4Music and it was Black Friday that time so I got a good deal. It was only £14.99 plus £3.49 delivery.

What's included in the box? Just the iTrack Pocket itself, the lightning cable and the manual. The box itself contains the instruction on how to install, register, etc. So don't lose the box, you need it for the bundle code and serial number.


Is it easy to install or use? Well for me it was a bit tricky, because Im not an iPhone user. Im lucky because not only my other half bought me an iPhone for xmas, she's been using iPhone ever since so I got a private tutor on how to use iPhone. iTrack is sort of plug n play. It doesn't come with a CD or installer. All you have to do is download Impact by Focusrite from App Store and plug your iTrack using the lightning cable then connect it to your phone and open the app after you downloaded and install it. Don't forget to register your iTrack. Instructions are found on the box as well as your registration code, etc. You are all set. Just hit record.

              

What iPhone is it compatible? iPhone 5, 5S, 5C. Apple devices using iOS 6 or 7.

          

How to record instrument? You can either record using the built-in stereo mics or plug your instrument (guitar, bass, keyboards) using the 1/4" input. Then adjust the volume knob on the side. Make sure it doesn't clip. Then, you're ready to record.

How to add effects? You have the option to add effects either before recording or after you record your video. Just simply click/press the FX icon and swipe to choose what amp/effects to use.

How to edit/cut video? There's a strange looking icon on the bottom next to the FX icon, click that and then a film strip will appear on top of the screen. You can drag either ends to edit the length of your video.

How to delete or discard recording? I really struggled at first to remove or delete the test recordings that I did. It was because, I couldn't find the delete button. Being new to iPhone didn't help as well. Or perhaps, it was my eyesight. But eventually I found the icon. First, you need to go to file/recording library or folder. Then on the top right corner, you can see a word SELECT, press that one and then select a video or videos you want to remove. After you select or click the video/videos you want to delete, the margin or borders will become highlighted. Then at the right bottom corner or your phone, you will see the bin icon. Press it to delete.

How to upload recording? The upload icon is located on top, click it and select where you want to save or upload the video.

Southampton Ice Skate experience

Ice Skating Fun in West Quay

After going to church this Sunday, our family went to Southampton to have fun and guess what we did, Ice Skating. Mind you, we don't know how to skate how much more skating on ice. We grew up in a country where there's no snow and definitely no ice skating rink. But, no matter what the odds, we still went ahead.

First obstacle was getting a ticket, the day before we already went and check. But, we did not manage to get a slot because it was sold out that day. So, what we did was book online. Again, even booking online was difficult. Seems like everyone wants to go skating. We got the 2:30 PM session. No penguins available when we booked online.

Now going to Southampton was traffic that day and it was really horrendous. We opted to park in IKEA because it seems like everyone was parking in West Quay. But, even there, it was jam pack too. Straight away, we went to the ticket booth and showed our booking confirmation online. It was straight-forward. They will just give you token and direct you where to go or what to do. We enquired if there were penguins available and the lady at the ticket booth said there were two available. So we took those.

Went inside and there are bench and lockers plus loads of friendly staff to assist us. Again straightforward, shoes off and hand it to the staff and asking what for your shoe size. Then, they will give you your ice skates. You can ask for helmet and wrist support/guard, and it's free. We noticed that all the staff are jolly and you know that they really love what they're doing.

We waited for about 5 mins or so because they were cleaning the skating rink and making sure that it's good to go. Then, queue started to buildup and the excitement as well from the room was just going higher and higher. And, when they announced that the skating rink was open, every was just too keen to go.

Coming in was really difficult because apart from lots of people on queue and getting penguins, the ice was really slippery. After we got our penguins, we were just moving slowly and holding on the sides. We managed to go around counter-clockwise, following everyone. There were lots of people who fell and bump their bums on the ice but staff were there ready to help and also most of the people were helpful to assist each other. It was generally fun. Just be mindful because there were loads of people and kids, so you don't cause accident or if you are looking after a couple of kids or more, keep an eye always because there are really loads of people. The music was also added attraction. It makes it more energised and fun to skate.


I thought that we were only gonna go for one round and that's it but we managed to go about 4 or 5 rounds. It was tiring though because most of the time, I was holding on the rails and looking after my little boy. So, after the session was finished, we headed back and return the penguins and the skates. We were really exhausted and hungry. But that's not a problem because there are lots of restaurant/fastfood nearby. We went to Five Guys. There was a queue but it was not that bad. The peanuts there was free and it taste nice, just be careful and mindful of allergies. The serving was big. Because we ordered little burger and I don't think it was little. The chips was also delicious. Hotdog was lovely as well and tons of choices for your drink. Also it's drink all you can.

That completed our Ice Skating experience.

Review of Phillips Series 3000 Shaver

Phillips Series 3000 QG3332/23

This is a 4-in-1 men's grooming kit (beard, stubble trimmer, hair clipper). Waterproof, can be washed directly under the tap but make sure that the charger wires are not hooked.  Skin-friendly, high-performance blades for a gentle trim. Really soft and smooth to the skin. Up to 60 minutes use on a 10-hour charging. Really good wireless shaver.

Q7 Wireless Handheld KTV Karaoke Bluetooth Microphone Mic Speaker For Phone UK Review

Q7 Wireless Microphone and Hi-Fi Speakers

We love singing, and our family bonding would always be KARAOKE. Such a shame our next door neighbour is not a big fan of it and will bang our walls each time.  We can't do it even if it's only 3 in the afternoon or even on Christmas eve. Party will never be complete for Filipinos when there's no Karaoke or Videoke. Good thing I found this Q7 Wireless Handheld KTV karaoke bluetooth microphone when we went home in the Philippines. Saw it in the mall.  Actually, one of our friend already mentioned it to us that there's this bluetooth microphone that they are using and their neighbour now is not complaining because of this bluetooth mic. So, I looked online and bought one for my wifey through eBay. It's quite cheap but it did arrive and delivered on time and complete.

Unboxing: It came with a softcase. It was not as secured as I would expect. But I guess you get what you pay for. The unit is fine and it came with two leads. One USB lead for charging and the other one is the earphone lead for your phone so you can connect the microphone and sing and record using your Android or iPhone. You can operate this microphone even without reading the manual. But it's good to browse the manual so you got a better idea of what you can do about this microphone.

It is rechargeable, so when it came I had to recharge it first before I can use it. Also at the bottom of the microphone there's a USB input. I used my USB flash drive which has almost 1000 mp3 songs and it converted the microphone into a Hi-Fi speaker system. It is much louder than using the microphone speaker as your karaoke monitor. The USB option for flashdrive is amazing. I love it. The sound quality is a lot better than when you are singing through this mic.

The only downside that I can think of is that.... they could have put an earphones out. So you can connect your headset to it as your monitor. That way your speaker system can be private at times and also when you're singing, you can connect it to a portable recording device because it has an earphone line out.