Wk 1: Audio something or what I wasn't here here it is

Demo production plan Band: The Ocean Uprising Type of recording: demo Time: endless Cost: Nothing Instruments: mics Drumkit: kick – b52 Snare – 2 * SM 57 above and below Toms – 3 * b56 Cymbals and hats – pencil mics Guitar: SM57 Bass: 414 and DI Vocals: Nuemann Session 1 – standard kit micing in live space, drum tracks laid down (guitarist playing scratch track in control room) Session 2 – bass, guitar respectively played in live space and picked up with a 414.SM57 Session 3 – guitar solos (SM 57), vocals, backing vocals in live space using Neumann and pop filter Session 4 – EQ kits with band, get a rough mix Session 5 – assess rough mix, refine, mix down Session 6 - master

On the surface, this appeared to be a forum about collaboration. Out of 6 speakers only 1 managed to tie in her shameless product plugging with any real advice…and anyway, I don’t think we were there to learn about collaboration at all, I think we just wanted to hear Mr Audiomulch speak his bit (and to witness awesome robot origami flowers).

Our Audio Mulch man was attempting to collaborate music and technology (not really such a radical idea really as instrument makers have been doing this since the first musical bows *footnote 1*). He wanted to create software that could augment sound in real time (IE a live performance orientated synthesizor)…the result…Audiomulch (a project which, incidentally, required collaborative efforts with 30 software engineers to get off the ground).

After the AudioMulch project, he became a collaborator in a much more ambitious music tech instrument design project….The ReacTable (apparently these won’t be
released for the mainstream any time soon because there is no market for them. PFFFFFFT!)

This instrument is a collaborative effort realised by people with a diverse range of skills. It is essentially a synthesizor but, every parametre is controlled by placing/removing and manipulating specialized objects on a big, flat, blue, round thing (I later found out that the ReacTable (probably) “sees” the objects courtesy of a scanner *footnote 2*). Even in it’s finalised form, used as a live performance instrument, the music produced by ReacTable benefits from team work.


1) David Moss – 2001 Victor Folk Festival
2) My mate Luc about 2 weeks ago

lisa wants a reactable (or, the blog we didn't need)

On the surface, this appeared to be a forum about collaboration. Out of 6 speakers only 1 managed to tie in her shameless product plugging with any real advice…and anyway, I don’t think we were there to learn about collaboration at all, I think we just wanted to hear Mr Audiomulch speak his bit (and to witness awesome robot origami flowers). Our Audio Mulch man was attempting to collaborate music and technology (not really such a radical idea really as instrument makers have been doing this since the first musical bows). He wanted to create software that could augment sound in real time (IE a live performance orientated synthesizor)…the result…Audiomulch (a project which, incidentally, required collaborative efforts with 30 software engineers to get off the ground). After the AudioMulch project, he became a collaborator in a much more ambitious music tech instrument design project….The ReacTable (apparently these won’t be released for the mainstream any time soon because there is no market for them. PFFFFFFT!) This instrument is a collaborative effort realised by people with a diverse range of skills. It is essentially a synthesizor but, every parametre is controlled by placing/removing and manipulating specialized objects on a big, flat, blue, round thing (I later found out that the ReacTable (probably) “sees” the objects courtesy of a scanner ). Even in it’s finalised form, used as a live performance instrument, the music produced by ReacTable benefits from team work.

Sound Engineering Studio (B) - Project

This assignment afforded me with a diverse range of experiences. The first recording was of a piece of music composed for a dance routine. The instrumentation was all acoustic. Recording the musicians commissioned to perform the piece was an absolute pleasure. They possessed a level of skill and professionalism I have yet to see amongst commercial acts and needed only one take to nail the piece. With the post production, at first I was reluctant to use things like compression or reverb on the signal. However, it became apparent that some things needed refining (like the double bass) and in the end, the whole thing was compressed comparatively heavily. Recording the Classic Metal act was in my opinion, a good practice at efficiency. It is the first time I have allowed myself time to arrive at the studio before the musicians to set up the microphones and ProTools sessions. Unlike the Classical piece, I intended to attempt a degree of refinement akin to the likes of Rick Rubin on the recorded audio going heavy on the compression. When it came to mastering, I tried a couple of different degrees of compression. The track on which the signal was pretty much square waved seemed to be the preferred track. If I am to continue on this path of heavy compression, I would like to find the loudest sound before the signal becomes squarewaved (out of consideration for people’s ears and speakers). Presenting: the MP3s and documentation for both recordings J.A.C. Documentation J.A.C. MP3 Hero Documentation Hero MP3

Portfolio Presentation: Pick me, Pick ME!

Presenting, Lisa’s sales pitch.

I started my presentation by saying who I am, describing my backing in music (practical and theoretical) and more recently, my experiences in sound engineering. I mentioned how I like to use ideas and techniques learnt from investigating the more obscure varieties of music in my own work. An interest that translates easily into
the realms of sound engineering (after all, there is no point in re inventing the wheel).

I touched in this a bit in my presentation but think that it should be one of the main things I emphasise in the pursuit of work. Yes, I have only been studying/practicing sound engineering since the beginning of this year but, in that time, I have developed a passion for it and an eagerness to learn more and better myself. This passion translates into an enthusiasm to work in this field (enough enthusiasm to put furthering my career in sound at the top of my list of priorities.

The rest of my presentation covered my skill set at this point in time, my experiences in recording and creation of music/sound using MIDI or audio samples or both. I think this straight forward list of skills (using the term lightly) will prove an asset. In all honesty, I have not yet perfected any of these skills but I have a basis competence and in a niche market such as engineering, I think it is important to leave no room for potential employers to fear you are inexperienced.

At this point, I am glad I have a repertoire of work (no matter how small it may be). I am able to list recordings and compositions and hopefuilly, give an impression that I am an established engineer. I also have (and forgot to mention in much detail during my presentation that) spent considerable energy in my own time, trying to make connections in the local, live music scene. These efforts are a good example of initiative taking and demonstrate my enthusiasm for working in this field.

My plans for the immediate future are to practice recording by finding small, local bands and offering to do them demos for cheap or for nothing. While I have access to the facilities at uni, I shall certainly use them, when I have not, I have a couple of friends with the rudimentary elements of a recording studio (ie, they have a computer, recording program, mics and a mixing desk). Getting a good recording out of basic materials would surely be a credit to my developing skills. I am also going to continue attempting to break into live mixing on a local level. I have a few work experience opportunities I can take up, a couple of mates bands who I can offer to mix for free (and practice on) and I intend to ring around the live music venues asking if they will accept my resume (I am inclined to think that there is a sufficient surplus of sound engineers for venues to not ever really place adds for jobs online or in the paper), the first venue I contact is Fowlers as I hear their resident engineer is quite unreliable.

As suggested, I have supported this overview of my skills, experiences and ambitions with a demo CD.

Cover art:

the front cover




















inside left




















the disc itself





















behind the disc




















and the back cover





















And here are links (it looks like you are going to have to paste them in the address bar, the insert link option in blogger appears to dissappear link from the face of the earth) to all tracks on the disc bar one (which, despite my most painstaking efforts, came home as an aiff file and therefore, could not be converted to mp3 for online hosting.)

My fantasmigorical mega mix
La La Megamix

Of Traffic Lights and Drum Beats
(DAT and protools based sequencing exercise)
Of Traffic Lights and Drum Beats

AfroCelt Sound System - My Secret Bliss: Loop it La La remix
missing courtesy of the existance of aiff files

Mini Moose (yes, from Invader Zim, "I am ZIMMM")
An attempt at techno using MIDI in Logic (much fun automating synth parameters was had :-D ) Disclaimer: The levels of the different elements still need a little fine tuning,I know this.
Mini Moose

5 10 - C.I.A.
The local anti establishment punk group, these lyrics are wicked. They had two bassists you know, one of the bassists played with so much distortion though he may as well have been a second guitar, I certainly ended up treating him as such)
5 10 - C.I.A.

J.A.C.
The minute long intro of saxophone noise aside, this is an excerpt from an 8 minute long, rambling Classical/minimalist piece of work by an Adelaide Jazz student (I used to work with him at McDonalds in Victor Harbour, "I am Ned SeaGoon" generally known as Traeger. Apparently, people at the arts tafe danced to it at some point.
J.A.C.

Mini Resume

Lisa Lane-Collins


PERSONAL DETAILS:

Name: Lisa Lane-Collins

Address: 41 Marden Road
Marden SA 5070

Telephone: (08) 8362 6024
0438 847 438

Health: Excellent

EDUCATION:

Secondary: Victor Harbour High School
2004: Completed Year 12

Tertiary:

2007: Diploma of Sound Engineering (Almost Completed.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:

31/8/07
Employer: The Greens

Position: Sound engineer (for the Green the Night
fund raising gig)

Duties: Set up, monitor/manage sound, pack up

REFEREES:

Peter Fiebig
Greens member
Telephone: 0438 883 104


For the full resume, click this link...

My Resume

Week 11 - almost there

This week featured the first round of presentations (something I avoided). I know that people who presented this week had less time to organise their thing but never the less, I expected…something different. Lauren went first disguised as The Electro Kitten. She is already well on the way to being identifiable on the local scene, she has her alias well figured out and a simple logo of a cat printed on everything she works with (including business cards). To the end of being a techno artist, her portfolio is excellent. The thought that struck me (being perhaps not so directed in my endeavours) was that she repeatedly was able to demonstrate her skills in her chosen field but didn’t demonstrate any other skills (something that I think this year’s study is perfect for). I would prefer to go for a portfolio that shows a diversity of productions. No one had really managed much with their demo track (ideally, I would like to do a mega mix not unlike the tracks that Nick Skitz creates for the beginning of each Skitzmix CD though the short time frame probably didn’t help this. A couple of people had thought about creating web pages for their business. I’m thinking a Myspace will be sufficient. I could reinvent myself…Sound Engineer Sam (nothing like a bit of alliteration). There is a lowly recording business (in Adelaide) who sends messages to bands over Myspace offering to record demos for cheapish. From what I have heard though, he is not very good.

WEEK TEN can i have a yiros please

Well, Shawn Timm of Timm’s tunes definitely has a different outlook to anyone else we have met this semester. Summing it up nicely I think would be his stating that he regards himself as a part of the advertising industry, not the recording industry. To begin our tour, we were shown into Shawn’s studio, sat down, given a very brief overview of what equipment he has and given a long pep talk on starting from the bottom. His equipment is minimal, he uses Protools and MIDI synths and not a lot else. As he is not really a sound engineer, he has no objections to using digital plug ins (makes life a whole lot easier for him), there isn’t even a mixing desk attached to this system. He does have the power to record (mostly voice overs) and a really shmick vocal mic but that is all. He also has supplied himself with a fine collection of instruments. This way, he can guarantee that whichever session musician he brings into record will have a good instrument to play. I was most intrigued by the presence of a Koto on his desk. Shawn owns and runs his business and gets paid twice because usually, he hasn’t just engineered the song he is recording/creating but composed it as well. Financially speaking this affirms in my mind just how much of a cash cow the marketing industry is though I’m not sure if I want to be a part of that process. In addition to Shawn’s workspace we were shown a second studio, which seemed to be used for communicating with clients interstate or overseas. We were treated to a nightmare story of the 3rd studio breaking down and the impatience of clients awaiting the transfer of information from the malfunctioning studio to a functioning one. This of course is a very bad thing to have happen in a professional context. The third studio seemed to be the best one, the employee who inhabited it worked for Shawn but also, rented the space and did his own thing there too. In terms of making money from having knowledge of sound engineering, Timm’s tunes definitely seems to be the ticket. However, it does not seem like a place where a career/art could be forged.