So many things learned about mixing, refining my aural perception of the elements of a song, and gaining a better understanding of the "feeling" side of things... all in one night. And having someone willing to educate me.
Priceless.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
You Belong With Me
by Taylor Swift...
The more I listen to it, the more I analyze the song's arrangement, instrumentation, the musicians' playing and mixing decisions, I realize that it's such a brilliant song... brilliant production.
There's something about the arrangement and instrumentation that supports the song so nicely, complements it, sounds so complete, and yet never for one moment steals the limelight from Taylor Swift's vocals. Even the guitar solo played never grabbed the star status of Taylor Swift within the same song.
No matter what the musicians played, somehow my ears kept tuned in on Taylor Swift's vocals... following the performance dynamics as the song progresses. I had to force myself to block out her voice and try to listen to what the musicians were playing exactly. It was hard not to want to listen to her sing.
And Taylor Swift's delivery of the emotions of the lyrics is amazing too. I would probably think it was the producer's music direction, so all credits to him for drawing out the best performance out of her. You'd hear from song's first verse, it sounded as if you heard her thinking to herself... then it progresses to her venting her frustrations aloud, as the sounds and vocal performance gets more intense in the chorus.
Is it any wonder that her album went platinum?
Her voice isn't as bad as what some music critics made it out to be. Most pop album productions these days are heavily processed anyway. If you want to listen to good singing talent, without the use of Autotune or Melodyne, go listen to audiophile CDs instead.
Just my 2 cents of this song.
Friday, October 30, 2009
I learned today that no matter what we do or say, we'd invariably piss people off along the way. Ah well.
As much as I don't like pissing people off, if I did, it was totally unintentional... and I was probably oblivious to it. I'd just apologize, and move on. Frankly, it doesn't really bother me.
What happened today was a reminder to myself that I should be patient and tolerant with others, just as others have been patient and tolerant with me.
As much as I don't like pissing people off, if I did, it was totally unintentional... and I was probably oblivious to it. I'd just apologize, and move on. Frankly, it doesn't really bother me.
What happened today was a reminder to myself that I should be patient and tolerant with others, just as others have been patient and tolerant with me.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
I believe that I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. My search for the escape route may finally come to an end.
I can only hope.
Cute
This is the actual size (click on image to enlarge). It may look like a toy piano, but I find its usability very appealing - perfect for MIDI data entry for my music work. Priced at RM300 and I'm really contemplating on buying it.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Rant Of The Day
Have you ever met someone who only can manage to reply "Oh I see", "Ooooo" and "LOL" to every single thing you say? I know I have, and still do.
Could it be, that I'm having a myopic view on this? Maybe I'm THE boring conversationalist.
And to those people who chat on MSN, who perpetually OVERUSE the term "LOL" after every sentence, and use it as the one and only reply they could think of. I mean, is everything so funny that you're "laughing out loud?"
"I had McDonald's for lunch today. LOL"
"I was late for class again. LOL"
"I just got back. LOL"
That is so retarded!
Ahem. At least, say something that's genuinely funny before throwing out the proverbial "LOL."
Let me share a joke with you to end this post.
"A doctor of psychology was doing his normal morning rounds when he entered a patient's room. He found Patient #1 sitting on the floor, pretending to saw a piece of wood in half.
Patient #2 was hanging from the ceiling, by his feet.
The doctor asked patient number 1 what he was doing. The patient replied, "Can't you see I'm sawing this piece of wood in half?" The doctor inquired of Patient #1 what Patient #2 was doing. Patient #1 replied, "Oh. He's my friend, but he's a little crazy. He thinks he's a lightbulb." The doctor looks up and notices Patient #2's face is going all red.
The doctor asks Patient #1, "If he's your friend, you should get him down from there before he hurts himself"
Patient #1 replies, "What? And work in the dark?"
LOL!
Could it be, that I'm having a myopic view on this? Maybe I'm THE boring conversationalist.
And to those people who chat on MSN, who perpetually OVERUSE the term "LOL" after every sentence, and use it as the one and only reply they could think of. I mean, is everything so funny that you're "laughing out loud?"
"I had McDonald's for lunch today. LOL"
"I was late for class again. LOL"
"I just got back. LOL"
That is so retarded!
Ahem. At least, say something that's genuinely funny before throwing out the proverbial "LOL."
Let me share a joke with you to end this post.
"A doctor of psychology was doing his normal morning rounds when he entered a patient's room. He found Patient #1 sitting on the floor, pretending to saw a piece of wood in half.
Patient #2 was hanging from the ceiling, by his feet.
The doctor asked patient number 1 what he was doing. The patient replied, "Can't you see I'm sawing this piece of wood in half?" The doctor inquired of Patient #1 what Patient #2 was doing. Patient #1 replied, "Oh. He's my friend, but he's a little crazy. He thinks he's a lightbulb." The doctor looks up and notices Patient #2's face is going all red.
The doctor asks Patient #1, "If he's your friend, you should get him down from there before he hurts himself"
Patient #1 replies, "What? And work in the dark?"
LOL!
Those Were The Days
Come to think of it, I kinda miss the playing experience... and what more with some of the best musicians in SIB KL like Weng Onn, Esther Gong, Chris Wee, Rudy and Chris Chew. And the singers? These guys are the best - the people who made up the E06 Conference band.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Music Notation
This week, I had to notate my composition for copyrighting purposes, and it's my first time writing music notes in 13 years... Took me a blardy looooong time to get it down.
That's the equivalent of putting your speech into writing for the first time in 13 years.
Fail la, like that.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
GASP
Mannnnn, I wannit!
http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?navid=48&langid=100&itemid=39631&INTCMP=DD-BN-11R11
http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?navid=48&langid=100&itemid=39631&INTCMP=DD-BN-11R11
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
How to Avoid Sounding Immature
Here is something I read which I found to be quite amusing, and I have to share it with you.
I beg your indulgence while I get a personal gripe off my chest. Once done, I won't, like, mention it again in, like, this whole book. Can you, like, guess what I'm talking about?
Yes - the ubiquitous, overused, distressing, hackneyed, cliched "like." To me, the word sounds like fingernails on a blackboard or a cat in the blender.
Just a few days ago, I was in the mall waiting in line to buy a DVD. Two girls behind me were gabbing away like squirrels on speed. Practically every word they said was like. Sadistically, I decided to count them. I looked at my watch. It was 5.25 on the nose. I heard one girl say, "I was, like, bummed out. I, like, actually saw him with Cierra."
"How? Where were you?"
"Right here, I was, like, having my nails done at that salon over there."
"Oh no, Tina, I would have been, like, totally destroyed."
"I know, it was soooo weird. She's, like, the last girl I'd expect to see him with."
The likes were flying at me so fast and furiously I couldn't continue to count. My watch said 5:25:20. I did the math: in one minute, I would hear their favorite word twenty-five times. I calculated if I were sentenced to listening to them for an hour, I would hear "like" fifteen hundred times!
What Were They Really Saying?
Everyone knows several synonyms for "like," such as "similar", "resembling," and "comparable." As I drove home, I sarcastically asked myself:
Was Tina bummed out or just something similar to being bummed out? Did she actually see her boyfriend with Cierra or something akin to seeing him with Cierra? Was she really having her nails done at the salon or just doing something comparable to having her nails done? Was Cierra really the last girls she expected to see with him or just someone resembling the last girl she would expect to see him with? In other words, she really wasn't saying anything real.
Reflect for a moment upon our valiant leaders in the twentieth century who have stirred the hearts and upheld great ideals in the face of grave challenges - the figureheads who have led nations to new frontiers. What if they had spoken like Tina?
Imagine John Fitzgerald Kennedy's inaugural speech, January 20, 1961:
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can, like, do for you. Ask what you can, like, do for your country.... With, like, a good conscience our only sure reward, with history, like, the final judge of our deed, let us go forth to, like, lead the land we love.
Enough said?
Incidentally, Tina might not feel so cool and au courant when she learns that the slang use of like originated in the 1930s - along with "hepcat" and twenty-three skidoo." Don't let your vocabulary be, like, whoa...whatever.
*Taken from Leil's Lowndes's book, How to Instantly Connect With Anyone.
I beg your indulgence while I get a personal gripe off my chest. Once done, I won't, like, mention it again in, like, this whole book. Can you, like, guess what I'm talking about?
Yes - the ubiquitous, overused, distressing, hackneyed, cliched "like." To me, the word sounds like fingernails on a blackboard or a cat in the blender.
Just a few days ago, I was in the mall waiting in line to buy a DVD. Two girls behind me were gabbing away like squirrels on speed. Practically every word they said was like. Sadistically, I decided to count them. I looked at my watch. It was 5.25 on the nose. I heard one girl say, "I was, like, bummed out. I, like, actually saw him with Cierra."
"How? Where were you?"
"Right here, I was, like, having my nails done at that salon over there."
"Oh no, Tina, I would have been, like, totally destroyed."
"I know, it was soooo weird. She's, like, the last girl I'd expect to see him with."
The likes were flying at me so fast and furiously I couldn't continue to count. My watch said 5:25:20. I did the math: in one minute, I would hear their favorite word twenty-five times. I calculated if I were sentenced to listening to them for an hour, I would hear "like" fifteen hundred times!
What Were They Really Saying?
Everyone knows several synonyms for "like," such as "similar", "resembling," and "comparable." As I drove home, I sarcastically asked myself:
Was Tina bummed out or just something similar to being bummed out? Did she actually see her boyfriend with Cierra or something akin to seeing him with Cierra? Was she really having her nails done at the salon or just doing something comparable to having her nails done? Was Cierra really the last girls she expected to see with him or just someone resembling the last girl she would expect to see him with? In other words, she really wasn't saying anything real.
Reflect for a moment upon our valiant leaders in the twentieth century who have stirred the hearts and upheld great ideals in the face of grave challenges - the figureheads who have led nations to new frontiers. What if they had spoken like Tina?
Imagine John Fitzgerald Kennedy's inaugural speech, January 20, 1961:
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can, like, do for you. Ask what you can, like, do for your country.... With, like, a good conscience our only sure reward, with history, like, the final judge of our deed, let us go forth to, like, lead the land we love.
Enough said?
Incidentally, Tina might not feel so cool and au courant when she learns that the slang use of like originated in the 1930s - along with "hepcat" and twenty-three skidoo." Don't let your vocabulary be, like, whoa...whatever.
*Taken from Leil's Lowndes's book, How to Instantly Connect With Anyone.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Friday Evening Fun
Caution: Sound geek talk ahead.
For the first time yesterday, I got to use a Neve Portico preamp and Lavry converters/mic pres. The sound quality of these units are wayyyy AMAZING! I fell in love with the sound when I first heard it. And I got to try out Pro Tools HD 8 too. Mannn, I'm missing out on A LOT of features compared to Pro Tools LE.
The particular Lavry unit I got to try.
Neve Portico preamp. Sounds huge and warm!
Pro Tools HD 8
Had fun miking a grand piano, jamming around with the producer/engineer and artist, trying out his expensive gear, listening on a real fine set of speakers... Solitaire speakers btw... wow, they just sound so good!
For the first time yesterday, I got to use a Neve Portico preamp and Lavry converters/mic pres. The sound quality of these units are wayyyy AMAZING! I fell in love with the sound when I first heard it. And I got to try out Pro Tools HD 8 too. Mannn, I'm missing out on A LOT of features compared to Pro Tools LE.
The particular Lavry unit I got to try.
Neve Portico preamp. Sounds huge and warm!
Pro Tools HD 8
Had fun miking a grand piano, jamming around with the producer/engineer and artist, trying out his expensive gear, listening on a real fine set of speakers... Solitaire speakers btw... wow, they just sound so good!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Church Service
I've been serving in church all my life, since 12 years of age, playing music and being responsible for live sound mixing mostly. And really, it was the most enjoyable thing ever.
But for the first time, I'm currently not attached to any form of church ministry and the feeling is just great! Lemme list some of the things I enjoy about not being attached. Pun intended, of course.
1. Not having anyone to report to.
2. No responsibilities.
3. Not having to worry whether my team members scheduled for the weekend will turn up, and turn up on time.
4. No meetings.
5. Not having to worry about recruitment, training, volunteer turnover and continuity of the team.
6. Not spending countless hours in church.
7. Not having to meet expectations, personal and from others.
Hence, having more time to myself.
Being responsible for a group of people, a team, is tough stuff... if you wanna do a good job. I didn't shy away from responsibilities, but rather, work took up considerable time on my schedule. So for now, it's "either-or", not "both-and."
Don't get me wrong, I'm eternally gratefully for every single opportunity God provided for me to serve in His House. The experience gained, skills honed, lessons learned, and friendships made are priceless.
Just that, not having to do any of the items above is a nice and welcomed change indeed.
But for the first time, I'm currently not attached to any form of church ministry and the feeling is just great! Lemme list some of the things I enjoy about not being attached. Pun intended, of course.
1. Not having anyone to report to.
2. No responsibilities.
3. Not having to worry whether my team members scheduled for the weekend will turn up, and turn up on time.
4. No meetings.
5. Not having to worry about recruitment, training, volunteer turnover and continuity of the team.
6. Not spending countless hours in church.
7. Not having to meet expectations, personal and from others.
Hence, having more time to myself.
Being responsible for a group of people, a team, is tough stuff... if you wanna do a good job. I didn't shy away from responsibilities, but rather, work took up considerable time on my schedule. So for now, it's "either-or", not "both-and."
Don't get me wrong, I'm eternally gratefully for every single opportunity God provided for me to serve in His House. The experience gained, skills honed, lessons learned, and friendships made are priceless.
Just that, not having to do any of the items above is a nice and welcomed change indeed.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
What?
How is it possible to produce an EP of 5 songs for Rm1800? Totally unheard of. Unless everything used in the production is super lousy.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Bands: Casiopea
Just gotta love their brand of jazz fusion music. I'm so hooked to it. Btw, check out Galactic Funk, the first vid... there's some real funny stage act during the keyboard solo!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Frustration
I somehow feel like ranting a lot these days.... feeling a great deal of frustration lately. Sigh.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Smaart Live 6
Smaart Live 6 training and certification is coming to Singapore! I really want to go for it, but it'll cost SGD350 for the 3 day course. Still contemplating about it....
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