Entering the Ensemble world of 96kHz

Ordered and got my Ensemble last week. Now I'll have to find time to give Serge back his 828. The one he sold to me several years ago but never cashed my check. I'm excited about the prospects. Not so much because of the new interface itself (even though it's a cool unit and really lights up the room in the middle of the night) but because the new interface is motivating me to go about a newer way of recording than I usually do. I've realized that I'm the Ed Wood of recording. I usually go with that awful first take and when it comes to post-processing, I mix at a frentic, fast pace because I guess... deep down... mixing makes me feel uneasy. But I've really got to sit down and really take these things to care. I've been reading and re-reading those books, sites on recording. On recording techniques, on mixing techniques, EQ'ing, properties of instruments. Stuff like in what frequency range does the snare drum sound muddy. And this time I'm really going to try to create something carefully, meticulously. I know it will drive me crazy initially and maybe throughout the entire process but I've got to at least try.

On a different subject my wife is looking at me a lot differently these days. It's a good thing. She can finally get up in the middle of the night and walk into the other room without first searching for her glasses, putting them on, and then walking into the other room. Last Thursday was one of the scariest moments of my life. I saw the whole thing - especially on that big TV screen. The steady hand of the surgeon. The top layer of eye. The other stuff... All went well and I'm happy and I can tell she's going to be really euphoric - once it really hits her.

Owning a house is fun

No... really, it's fun. Builds character. Helps the blood flow when the arteries are clogged. You learn things. You find out things after the fact. Like why the compressor unit for the A/C isn't on a concrete slab... instead it's on grass. Makes a lot of sense when you think about it in the present.

On a different subject, saw "That Thing You Do" again on TV. The Jazz guy said in the movie "Bands are a dime a dozen... they come and go... Only thing you got to do is keep playing... No matter with who..." Yeah... I'm there already. I've started forming ideas for the next Self Parody album (prematurely titled "Thank You, Captain Obvious"). But can't record yet because my computer gets too hot and you know... why get the house hotter when there's no cold air coming in.

Kurt Vonnegut is dead

I would say it's a sad day. Raining. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. dead. But then that wouldn't make any sense, wouldn't it?

You Can't Kill Me

There are some days when you just feel like a kid again. You know... when you used to have good 'ole innocent fun. Yesterday was sort of like those old days. Except I was all by myself. I started video-taping myself to be used for a music video for the Self Parody song "In Lieu of Our Special Murder". I recorded one take of me with the camera under my face so that you can see my double chin. This was the singing/vocal take. I recorded another take with Melissa's coat hood on while playing guitar. The third and last take I recorded yesterday was me playing bass with the long black wig on (given to me by Karen a while ago) and shirtless. (Melissa doesn't like this take... because of the shirtless thing). Looking back at the footage of the three takes made me laugh. Silly stuff... especially the "guitar" and "bass" takes. My plan next is to do three more takes of just me:

1. Playing real drums
2. Overhead camera with me singing the "Murder is murder" parts
3. Second guitar take... I have to be creative with this one

Then I'll need help with other takes of me being tied in a chair. Me slapping somebody (hopefully Serge who I will want to be the slap-ee). Someone driving a car. Running in the woods. Different people crawling on the ground over each other. Milky white breasts, etc.

Then I'll get footage of G.W. Bush, soldiers and other stuff.

Whoo! Lot of work devising a music video. Plus I know the editing is going to take a long time to do. But it's all in fun. I tried doing a mini-edit yesterday of the three takes I had and it was hellish in iMovie. I did buy Final Cut Express for this purpose but have yet to really get into it and understand it. I did buy the book about F.C.E. but haven't read it yet. I need to.

I'm pretty excited about doing this video project. At least it keeps me occupied when I'm away from work. (And I'm never really away from work... I'm always checking things... doing work things... even when I'm home.)

Braktung.

Immigrants

Now I'm understanding the fire that Ted Chernishuk felt more than 10 years ago. He was the first Third Frequency drummer. That guy was crazy on those drums. One complaint we sometimes got was that he was too loud but it was just a matter of him being in his own stratosphere. He really got into what he was playing and that's the thing that sets apart the amateur from the true professional.

I've been bleeding to play with people again. But no one seems interested. Or maybe I'm being negative. I just don't feel the vibe. I've been writing and recording a bunch of songs that I think... well... if I so dare to say... are Third Frequency-esque. Think it's just a matter of missing the band. Or a matter of just missing that feeling I got when playing on stage with people I generally like.

Back to Ted... He was a huge Led Zeppelin fan. I wasn't a fan. Don't really like Led Zeppelin. But that song "Immigrant Song" really kicks serious arse. I recorded my version of it recently. I so want to cover that song. The only thing, though, is that I'm sort of a beginning drummer now and that song is just way too fast and a bit advanced for me now. I know... it's actually a simple drum beat. But my feet and hands can't keep up. Guess it's all about practice.

Wow, this was a pretty random posting, wasn't it?

Sir Ian McKellen and Ricky Gervais = Funniest Moment on TV

"Extras" is a great show. Very underrated in my opinion. A few weeks back there was this episode where Andy's character lands a position in a play directed by Sir Ian McKellen. My favourite part of that episode - in fact in the entire series is here. Way too funny.

EZDrummer vs. BFD

The world of computer music is like a drug to me. There's so many avenues, it's pretty awesome. Very addictive. I've got a Mac and record all my stuff in Logic Pro. I don't consider myself much of musician but more of songwriter. If I could sing, play piano, and play drums then I'd go the "musician" route. In any regard, I've been recording a lot of my material using the GarageBand "Rock Kit" drum samples. The samples are OK. You can tell it's fake drums though (and I do play them live on an electronic drum set). So I'm looking at some virtual drums. Choice is sometimes a bitch but whatever.

EZDrummer seems geared to me. Very simple setup and I heard someone mention that it is a "songwriter's" virtual drum set. But everything's pre-processed. BFD I've heard good things about. But it involves a lot of tweaking with a lot of parameters just to get it started and it costs twice as much as EZDrummer. And I'm biased towards the EZDrummer's interface. But... I'm a programmer so I'm actually more intrigued by BFD...

My wife's okay with the purchase. Just have to make a decision.

Very exciting stuff.