ICI/PRO member Bob Blatz informed me he's having trouble with MixMeister and the new Mac operating software.
Hi John,
I know you are a big advocate of MixMeister Express for the creation of IDC playlist, but you and other instructors should know that the product does not work with the Lion version of the MAC OS.
When I contacted MixMeister support folks about the constant crashes they told me that their products didn't work with the the two most current OS releases and that there were no refunds on software purchased. I was able to get a refund after contacting “customer services”.
Just thought you and and any MAC users should be aware of this.
Bob Blatz
I don't have a Mac, but didn't MixMeister only recently begin offering a Mac compatible version of MixMeister Express? That they don't offer an update isn't all that surprising, but certainly not excusable. I've not had very good responses from them when I've had troubles in the past.
This forum thread at Community.MixMeister.com discusses how the problem has been going on for a year or more.
Bob offers a good lesson – if you're not satisfied with a companies response, keep pushing until until you are 🙂
I suppose that this still isn't a reason to give up on Mac and switch to a PC, is it?
Thanks to John, and his great mid-week surprise release for us to use in the beginning of our classes, the pressure is off me. However, we still need a great Friday Favorite, so here is something a little different to try for a quick and dirty climb at 63 rpm’s. I have been interjecting this as a change from fast intense climbing at 72-76 rpm’s, as a bit of a “break”. This American alternative rock duo is due to release a new album next month and I am looking forward to it. In the meantime, this 3:33 tune from Helio Sequence has their trademark ethereal sound with a nice strong beat. Enjoy “Can’t Say No” from the Keep Your Eyes Ahead album and keep your eyes open for their new album, out September 11, 2012.
“I'm trained as an Instructor. I've earned multiple certifications, spent thousands of dollars and invested hundreds of hours, all with the purpose of delivering a great class to you today.”
“But many of you will probably judge me by my skills as a DJ… the one part of this class for which I have no formal education.”
It had to be the funniest thing I've ever heard said by another Instructor… well I thought it was funny, and I laughed out-loud when she said it during her opening of class. What made this humorous was a combination of her deadpan delivery and the unexpected honesty of her statement.
Could anything be more true about teaching an Indoor Cycling class?
To paraphrase the memorable line from a TV and radio commercial from Verbal Advantage; People judge you by the music you play…
In past surveys I've done, Instructors have said that they spend more time on music than any other aspect of their classes. I'm not sure this dependency on a great playlist, as the foundation of you class, is entirely healthy. But I can understand how it can become the focus of your class preparations.
So what's my suggestion for ensuring your class will enjoy your music selections?
Steal music ideas from others 😉
Here are a few places you can start:
Rolling Stone's Top 500 Songs of all Time. Especially if you have an older demographic, you can't go wrong with these past favorites. Most are so memorable that you could start a sing-a-long. Here's a link to the list and there's a partial list (385) you can find in Spotify.
Grab our list of the Top 404 Indoor Cycling Songs. These have been hand picked by other instructors and a class playlist created from them is a nearly guaranteed hit.
Subscribe to ICI/PRO where we have over 50 class playlists, created by experienced Instructors. Each playlist is tied to an easy to follow class profile that explains exactly how to teach the class; cues, timing – everything 🙂
Get the Shazam app for your iPhone or Droid and bring it to a popular Instructor's class. Shazam each song they play and the app will keep a list for you to “appropriate” into your playlist. Don't be surprised to catch an Instructor in your class doing this if you've followed suggestion #3
Consider a mixed class music service like indoorcyclingmusic.com A good DJ doesn't have gaps between songs – it wrecks the mood you want to create. If you don't have the hours to spend with MixMeister, this could really simplify your life 🙂
Amy says:
An angelic acapella voice. We coach tenacity, consistency and persistence for 1:15 until slight instrumentals enter to support our rpm’s of 75. At 2:08, the guessing is gone and full instrumentals hit in mighty force to take us up the hill. This cover of Bryan Ferry/Tangerine Dream’s “Is Your Love Strong Enough?” is from The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Soundtrack and is by How to Destroy Angels. You may prefer the original, like John, or the cover like I do. (I like the acapella for a change of pace, although Bryan Ferry is always good). 4:30 of climbing goodness awaits. Enjoy!
John Says:
I agree that this cover is very powerful and could easily see using it in class. I prefer the original version because I instantly loved it the first time I heard it, during the closing credits of the movie Legend. If you haven't seen this cult classic, featuring a very young Tom Cruise and Tim Curry of Rocky Horror fame. it's worth renting 🙂 Bryan Ferry — Is Your Love Strong Enough?
Every now and then you come across a track out of the blue that just grabs you with it's energy and power that you makes it one you have to use in your next class, and Frank Eddie's (the new project from Lemon Jelly) Bite That is just that.
This 134bpm track clocks in just under 4 minutes but if you are versatile using MixMeister you can easily lengthen it out to 4 minutes.
This song is an aural recharge for tired legs and maybe flagging spirits of your riders on a long climbs as you use the energy and drive of the track to get them to kick the hills behind to show it who is the boss.
I love how this track first starts of building up just like calling down to the legs to keep it going and maybe even pick the pace up or get the class to take it out of the saddle as we all charge for the top.
