Kindling

Thoughts of what was and will be
Are all but a distant memory
The fire that burned so bright and hot
Has turned to not but ash
No amount of kindling will restart
The desire to have and hold
The closeness of another soul
Loneliness in this bitter cold
The chill of pain will pass
Finding the truth thru it all
Will give me strength to carry on.

Fire

You say you love me now

You want me out of your life

We shared sweet moments of fire

Now is nothing but a memory

The deep hugs that brought us close

The space now is far apart

Friends I want to be

For pain to heal depart I must

To a hole of sorrow

Was it rue love

Was it just lust

Dreamworld

Laying my head down to rest

Thoughts of past haunt my peace

Drifting to sleep would be best

Yet dreams of you keep me awake.

Seeing your face from longtime past

The look of love as you gaze up at me

No words to be spoken of will it last

Just a twinkle of fire burning in your eyes

Your in my arms so close and warm

Thoughts of all others disappear

Enjoying the moment of feeling complete

Waking with a start to realize your gone

Never to have or to hold once again

Missing the moments we shared together

The romance so brief and short

Wanting to drift back to dreamland

Where the loneliness and pain

Drift far far away.......

Changin Plans

So, recently there was a situation that changed my financial standings. Totally freaked me out.  It made me realize how focused I was on making sure to pay bills. Going to the job punching in the clock. I even felt school starting to become laborious instead of exciting due to finances. Yet as the day progressed all things ironed themselves out. A need for worry is no longer, yet I still find the Grr of the situation to be very frustrating. In relation to my music I find it difficult to focus and create anything meaningful when situations arise that push the stress too far. Some stress helps the practice. Keeps an edge on my music. How do you deal with the wild cases? What are your coping methods to restart the artistic charge? Do you need a stress relief? This day and age we live in a modern day jungle, survival is by paying bills and not going bankrupt. Survival of the fittest. The music industry would be the amazon with crazy unknown beasts lurking in the waters. Yet I want to camp on its banks with a fire burning all night. Getting a foothold into the music scene will be a struggle. Yet with persistence and talent eventually there will be light at the end of the tunnel. A really bright light hopefully. Having an amazing support group helps the turnaround of a stressful situation. Sharing your worries helps relieve the thoughts of stress. When are you at your most creative moments? 

Alternative

Recently I have started asking some of my coworkers their favorite artist. One mentions a Christian rap artist, another Dj’s some of his own beats. So I gave some of the different music a try and well. Very interesting. I kept an open mind with the idea of different music but I guess that is why everyone has a favorite. So who is your Favorite artist? This possibly could turn into a tool of inspiration for me. Possibly. Like I could possible work for SuperCell. Yes it would be possible and fun. The small team groups working on projects opposed to a larger group where people try to take charge. A fun work environment geared towards creating awesome games that will be play for more than just a month or two. The objective of this company was to create a game or games that had repeat play-ability. The original idea coming from World of Warcraft. The amount of people that still to this day PAY for an online game is mind boggling. So yes I would love to become employed by an online gaming company. That is the direction of the market and if you want to pay bills follow the trends. I’d feel if you come up with a game with dragons and stuffed animals having powers DONE. Video game complete. Ha. If only that where true. The amount of programming and code that goes into video games is intense. Have you played any Indie games? The music is interest to the ones I've played. 

Gameboys Rock

The other evening I was channel surfing the TV and came across this show "Europe in 8 Bits".  I found it quite interesting. They have a web site Europein8bits.com that has a link to the video.  The video was about young musicians using old technology to create small sound. A pair of gentlemen created an actual cartridge that is a looper program for the Gameboy. The idea of using old technology as an instrument is incredible. Using the Pokémon sounds for a dubsteped beat.  In the documentary I enjoy the fact that the shows produced are music created live. Yes, it was a Dj setup and a dance club atmosphere but the audience was feeding off the energy of the live performance. The documentary also brought up how many artists sold their synthesizers and controllers to purchase old Nintendo systems and Gameboys to create new strange sounds. I personally thought it was awesome. Would you use this technology? Nanoloop is the name of one Gameboy cartridge. On eBay the price ranges from sixty dollars to a hundred sixty dollars. Some of the least expensive synthesizers are a couple hundred dollars. The other company brought up in the documentary is LsDj. Little sound Dj gives you a more technical approach with providing you the program that can be copied to a cartridge or system. A small donation of five dollars is requested. I tried to attach some of the video yet the link does not work so I have included a couple Mp3 clips that show what can be done with small sounds. Keep in mind all parts are created on the Gameboy.  

Edm DubSlide                                                     Edm Micro Mix



Both have there own personal twist. Let me know what you think. Would you jump around to this in the club?

Noise Reduction

So if you read my last post I mentioned the possibility of releasing my first piece created for my next post. Well not gonna happen. Sorry. But there will be one posted soon.  As I sat down to record my vocals, my next door neighbor has decided to play his music. Alright, play is putting it mildly, LOUDLY bump, yet not so loud to be heard outside in the hall. Only the bass line vibrates straight through the walls. Yes I even moved everything into the bedroom the furthest away from the wall that connects apartments and my microphone still pics it the low bumps. The problem is it doesn't pick up the sound just the wave. A professor of mine mentioned an air mattress but I would need to cover the entire wall? I'm going to create an isolation box for my microphone so I’m hoping that will help. I should get the schedule of my neighbors work hours so I know when to record and when not to. Lol. Of course Mixing at this time is no problem. I just wanted some voice to work with. How do you circumvent noise issues not noticed until mixing? Rerecord? Create a noise floor with instrumentation? I personally would rerecord the project in a clean environment. That is why a studio's with vault like walls are so nice. The low frequencies are contained within the building and reject all the outside interference. So I’m wondering with the abilities of home studios now why the mediocrity in the music industry?   You think that technology would help create better music because of the ease of the work load. But sadly I feel it hasn’t… 

ProTools

I got ProTools at the house! So much fun, I feel like a kid in the candy store. The ability to mix and record at the house on my own time is awesome. Now there where many different hoops that needed to be jumped through, copies of school documents and multiple programs downloaded. Loading ProTools sitting on my couch was incredible. Hopefully in the next post I will leave a sample of some works that I create. The advancement of technology has made it easier to access audio programs yet many components are still needed. Components needed would be a M-box, cables, microphones, quality speakers, quality headphones and a quite workspace. What is your workspace like? Do you enjoy having a DAW on your couch? Many components now can be purchased at resale shops, of course if you want quality you will have to pay for it. EBay and Amazon are online resources that have the ability to search for exactly what you need or want. I personally purchased an 88 key keyboard and had it shipped to my house.  Also, I researched the brand and the abilities of that brand before I made the purchase. Which is what I would always recommend, ALWAYS do your research before you finalize your purchase.  My next addition to my audio component collection would be a Multi-Port M-Box to be able to record with a quality microphone at the house.  I would then need to create an Isolation box but that shouldn’t be too difficult. What homemade recording devices do you use? 

Clash of Clans

Caustic 3 is a totally cool apps. It’s a simple little layout with easy to understand applications. I recently was able to have pro tools installed upon my computer. That made me feel like a kid in the candy store. So I was able to work on project at home, awesome. So as first I downloaded a simple beatbox looper, it was ok. I was wanting more. Caustic 3. When I first open the app it plays a silly demo song, I Immediately pressed stop. After that fiasco was settled I explored through each little piece and what it can do. It has a couple different delays and reverb effects that can be modulated into the mix. The beatbox portion has some interesting features to adjust the color of the drum voice. The multiple synths are totally wicked. Multiple nobs of all shapes and colors to adjust the sound into your own. I have found myself now on the L messing with that app instead of play Clash of Clans. The next portion I will explore is the recorded voice. I feel because the mic on the phone is poor at best the quality of the recording may be just a sample to warp. Is this the directions of future music to be created? Music created on the fly. I would even think of attending a concert where it was created on the fly. Would you use this app? Would you pay for this app? I paid ten bucks for it and I feel it was worth it. 

Flipping burgers

Many artist and musician fall into the trap of needing money to pay bills and when to practice or perform. Currently I am working two jobs and juggling school just to keep bills in the black. Yet I am struggling to keep up with practicing of my art. Time management would be a key factor to a successful music career. I remember growing up and mentioning to my step-dad I wanted to be a musician he chided back you'll be flipping burgers. Great, thanks for the support. So, finishing grade school was interesting, yet I wanted a career I enjoyed. The idea of corporate law sounded good because the money would be amazing yet the hours of study and memorization not going to happen. So I studied music theory, enjoying life and writing poetry. Years past and I am still paying bills, enjoying life. Over the years I have learned to not stress over bills, somehow it all works out. A career that encompasses all your mental faculties helps your stress level. If every time you go to sit and practice and your hungry the practice won't go as planned. The Zac Brown Band in Nashville purchased a studio. They started something I think is good. If you book a recording with a band there they will have a half or whole hog cooked for the band to eat. Keeping the creative atmosphere alive and full.  So, I hope that my life journey has brought me enough experience to be able to direct or help other having the same issues.

Groupies are fun

I have always wanted to be part of a group performing. The rush of blood to the face stepping out on stage. Where do you meet band members that care? I'm almost to the point of finding a really large house and only renting apartments to Musicians. To get everyone in a possible band within close practicing proximity. I'm sure there are numerous bands that where started as roommates. Yet as a single musician moving to an unknown city what resource is available to find a like musician? Craigslist? Facebook? Myspace? Now I have met a few musicians off craigslist. One sticks out more than others. I responded to this guy’s drummer post, said he was playing for 10 years, and listed good stuff about himself. So I figured I would test his knowledge and asked him to meet me at guitar center, he couldn't get past a simple 4/4 beat closed hat and crash. Needless to say the jam session never happened. So, if you want to start a band is it as simple as surfing the social media sites? Randomly I meet a guitarist that couldn't stay sober. So the jam sessions only lasted for about two hours if we we’re on a beer night. Lately I've decided to chase my own path, be the one man band with a bottle filled with rocks tied to my shoes, cymbals in between my knees, elbows armed with small tambourines and a harmonica on the shoulders.  I could play to a captive audience every day. 

Android

Android operating system is the most used in the world yet is very limited on the music applications. The amount of applications available in the Mac and IPhone world are incredible. Yet Apple still has a strong hold on the majority of music applications, partially due to the OS of the Androids. An IPhone has the ability to devote all its processing power to one specific app. In production terms it helps latency and quality. The Android platform only allows a portion of the processing power for an app. I personally checked the Play store for music applications the list is long and growing yet if you read any of the reviews latency and quality problems are littered throughout. Some of the negative comments are people trying to use a phone as a DAW. Seriously? What are they thinking? I downloaded Caustic for the android and it's pretty cool. I wouldn't seriously try to mix and master on it but to get a inspiring beat or synth a loop, no problem. In the convergence of technology, the ability to do everything on every device is a bit of a downfall. A smart phone or tablet only has so much processing power and memory. You could almost call a smart device an instrument creating a tone or loop of some sort. Will this be the way of the future? The sugar packet society wanting everything instantaneously stimulates growth in technology. So what is next? A hand held device that records and writes directly to cd?

Financing

Have you ever lost your artistic inspiration? In todays modern technological age money is a necessity.  The electric company will not take a well-mixed song for payment they want money. Housing companies will not accept a post dated check based on supposed sales. So what do you do? There are many avenues that can be used to finance the creation of art or record a album. Kickstarter, Indiegogo, Fundly and Crowdfunding would just be a few of the avenues that are fan based funding site.  The cost and requirements are individually different by the site of choice. I remember ten years age the only way to get funding was to have a friend at a major label or a bad ass beat. So I wonder, because more people have access to artistic funding is that helping the mediocre musical material being produced.  There isn’t a panel of musicians that approves or disproves music as being quality. If you have the money an album with very simple means can be produced. The convergence of technology allows most computers now days to do anything musically you can imagine. Some programs and effects actually try to digitally create a mechanical presence that older tube components created, bringing that sonic color into the twenty-first century. I sometimes find it difficult to focus on creating music with money on the mind. Finances are a huge part of any artist. Yes, I personally would love to sit at the house, practice all day long, and not have to clock into a job. Yet real world helps give you focus and perspective.