Camera Surgery

August 25th, 2006: John Mayer concert at SPAC. I was so excited not only because of said concert (again, that subjectwould require multiple posts), but I had my brand new camera finally. I got my Canon SD450 on eBay for a Buy It Now. Easy right? Nope. I was foolish enough to pay with a check via snail mail. So that took forever. Then the payment would not clear for the longest time. Finally it cleard about two weeks later and I thought I was close to getting it shipped. No. I called the seller again, who was only about 150 miles away downstate, and they said they hadn't gotten my payment, great. Well, a few days later it turned up and they said they would get it out as soon as possible. Woohoo. Then came nothing, for another week or two. So I called again, asking where my camera was. Turns out they forgot again, and had lost my payment, and filed a did not pay complaint against me on eBay. So I finally got that straightened out, it was their obvious mistake. So they felt badly enough after a month, and I was upgraded to the SD450 (I had wanted the SD 400) for no charge. Cool. Then two weeks later they sent the rest of the acessories, but that wasn't soon enough for the conert. So I bought a 1G card at RadioShack and went off to the show somewhat happy. After being there no more than half an hour, I felt an uncomfortable pain in my pocket as I rolled over on my stomach. So I took out the camera, and turned it on- cracked LCD screen. Ugh, this couldn't be worse. (Mind you I broke two cell phone screens and used them blindly for a while). So whatever, John was awesome and it took the camera dilemma off my mind. At school however, I really missed taking pictures, I photograph anything remotely cool or useful of artistic. It still functioned with the cracked screen, but it was impossible to change the settings, and the pictures were set on a bluish-tint filter, so every picture looks like people are drowning in them. So not too long ago I remembered about seeing spare LCD screens on- you guessed it- eBay and searched for the 450. Yes, buy it now, $70. So that came today, and I was left with the masterful art of replacing this screen, with a precious ribbon cable that went from the back to the front board of the camera. It was very surgical, and meticulous, but I got it done, and now I am happy once again. Just in time for the DJ gigs and Louisiana? (More to come on that)

One of the Best Music Videos of All Time

I don't stand alone when I say that this video is epic in nature. From who else? U2. "Window In The Skies" is their newest and latest single, featured on their U218 Singles compilation album. It is a collection of all their singles, including their new duo with Green Day for the New Orleans Music Benefit "The Saints Are Coming." This video however, is one of the most innovative approaches to directing a video I've ever witnessed. The entire song shows other famous artists, from the Beatles to Kanye West singing and playing to the exact beat and melody of "Window In The Skies." There are well over 100 different groups in the music video; I have not found a conclusive list of all the artists shown. I think the song is a culmination of their own contribution to the history of modern music, but who is it to say that this is the end of U2? The lyrics prove themselves to be powerful and noteworthy in their own right:

Oh can't you see what love has done to every broken heart/
Oh can't you see what love has done for every heart that cries/
Love left a window in the skies/
And to love I rhapsodize

So how can you measure the greatness of a group? Here's a foolproof way. Look at their music videos. If the things in the video actually happened, and are shown in their true context, the band is probably great. All those live concerts and broadcasts happened just as they are seen to the viewer, nothing was added or taken from them. Another thing great artists don't do is shameless self-promotion in their videos. For a few seconds towards the end of the video you can see Bono, The Edge, Adam and Larry scattered amongst the crowd, showing their true appreciation and respect for those who came before them. It is videos like this that provide the inspiration for future generations of artists. Enjoy.

Band Scene V: From The Makers Of...

...Panic! At The Disco comes what may be one of the most soon-to-make-it bands I have ever seen or heard. From the suburbs of Providence in a town called Cranston, RI came Monty Are I. Since high school, they have been making some of the most creative post-punk/screamo out there. Already they have been featured on Van's Warped Tour, and are currently on their own nationwide tour. Driven by their first major release Wall Of People produced by Matt Squire which hit stores and iTunes in summer 2006, they have been spreading their influence around the nation. Featuring transcending vocals, solo wailing guitars along with exceptionally tight drumming and synths (even some keytar) and horns, Monty combines a plethora of soudns into something known as "action rock." They have won nationwide battle of the band contests and were voted "Band To Watch Out For" in 2005 by the Alternative Press. Their influence is mainly spread by a massive street team of groupies spread around the world. This is one show I would definately like to see live, and it turns out they just came by Hartford...two weeks ago. Summertime then, the season for shows. The on defining aspect of Monty Are I is that as soon as you start to compare them to say, AFI, New Found Glory, or even Shadows Fall, they instantly change your mind with then next track. Their inital single "Between the Sheets" is an explosive rock anthem that gives off the energy of what they are capcable on stage. Honestly, i do not have a favorite track off the entire album. One of the coolest album tricks I've seen is from "Island City" to "Metropolis": the song ends with a fading minimal piano melody, and then the same exact meoldy is the fade in to the nex track- at a differnt tempo, and completely different direction. The first dozen or so times, I didn't even know it was two separate songs. Wow great engineering, as you could expect. So, blah blah blah buy this album.

I have been looking forward to this.

Prerequisite for this post: read

I don't want this to be just another attention-getting anti-DRM rant. I do want to offer my opinion and some possible solutions that may have been overlooked or left on the drawing board. I will also mention I have read countless blogs on the subject, and have written a research paper on copyright protection in the music industry, so I have a bit of know-how in that aspect.

The root of the DRM issue is the often seen dilemma of the hardware/software mix. Since the beginning of modern day computing, there hasn't been a time without constant conflict and misunderstanding between the operating system and the application. Same with iTunes (DRM) and the iPod. Yes, they seemingly go together in a Utopian society where illegal P2P networks don't exist, but this is not the case in reality. On average according to Jobs' research 3% of all songs on iPods are DRM-protected (AAC's most likely). So, either artists are giving out 97% of their music for no charge, or people are finding another way to get music on their iPod. First of all, did jobs really think that by putting the words "Don't Steal Music" on every iPod packaging that he could rid the world of P2P networks like Kazaa and Morpheus? No matter his reasoning, I believe he now finds himself somewhat responsible for correcting the situation. All the Mac lovers look up to him in a cult-like fashion so it's no surprise he can garner attention easily. I can imagine him thinking, "Let me just write this essay on how to solve all the problems of DRM and not-so-subtly place it on the Apple home page." Writing this was only the first step, and Jobs knows that, but what comes next? Will he lobby against the "big four" for no DRM? Will he team up with Microsoft and Sony to create a universal-format media player? First thing he will do is think. I cannot tell you what he will or won't do, but he'll have some help. Maybe even funding for a new, format confounding music sharing hardware/software package. Can this be done with traditional Apple hardware and software? One would like to hope so for the R&D's sake. What I can tell is that this is an enormous issue, and the major labels are scramming to: 1) Figure out what a DRM is. 2) Why 20% of the music market share has been slipping away from them to online store sales. 3) How to compromise. (Is the latter even possible?)

The concept of illegally downloading and sharing music is widespread, and will continue to grow as more people gain internet access and as long as retail stores sell CDs for $18. For these so called law-breakers, the real issue here is the material vs. virtual products. Do you think all the culprits who steal music via P2P would walk into FYE and grab their favorite albums and walk out? No, but that is because they truly understand the concept of stealing when there is a tangible object for them to hold and be responsible for. With downloading there's nothing there to touch or look at. Just MP3 files. It's about as bad as having a guilty conscience. All you can do is think about what you have stolen, because you can't actually see it. Now if Jobs could conjure up some physical representation for media sold through iTunes, then I bet the sales would skyrocket- not only because such an innovation would be cool, but because the value of music, and videos would go up. Then again, this would sort of contradict the point of digital downloads: convenience; no impossible-to-open CD packaging. So a traditional object would of course not be practical. Perhaps this is why an sort of physical representation for every piece of downloaded media is not a good idea. What the end user needs is some incentive to purchase their songs instead of stealing them. For example, Indie artists probably have a higher percentage of purchased music because the consumers know that all the profits are going to them, not the label. So these users have an incentive to buy knowing they are supporting the artists (the same logic is applied to fund raising, and giving to charity). How can listeners and watchers have an incentive to buy from the four major labels? One idea would be to give out samplers of genre specific music free to those people who have bought a lot of music. Creation of a point system (redeemable for songs) could motivate people. The points could be obtained from reviewing songs/albums/movies, refering friends to buy from the online store, or even purchases at other participating sponsor stores (virtual or not). I think that's the best idea that's coming out of my head. It is practical and gives incentive to buyers to purchase their music online.

Onto the hardware and formatting for this new music "marketplace", as Jobs likes to think of it. I think it would be a very diplomatic gesture if Apple teamed with Microsoft (ironic, is it not?) and Sony, maybe even Dell, Rio and SanDisk as well to create a format that spans across different manufacturers. Where would the competition come from if they all had the same format? In the player design. Especially now with the announcement of the iPhone (which is another post in itself) phone/media/PDA/hybrid devices are being scrambled together to compete with Apple's June release. So this takes the format out of the picture, making the decision easy for the average consumer- What suits me? How much space do I need? What will I use it for? All the basic questions. The Microsoft Zune created a revolutionary music sharing system between users, why not extend that technology to these new universal devices. Include the ability to transfer playlists, instant messaging features, or maybe even live video streaming (on higher end models). it would be cool to be able to send out a podcast, where other users could "tune in" and listen to not only what is playing on your device, but to add in the users voice to the broadcast mix. The range of these connections? Who knows. 802.11n is now being utilized in products such as the iPhone. This would be a tremendous incentive to share media in a community unlike any other. of course, the player would not be able to transfer or share MP3s, rendering them "not so cool", or 'overrated" in the new virtual media marketplace. Now, if only I had about $10 million for R&D, manufacturing, advertising and prototyping, I would take this idea to the world. (Steve, if you read this I would like to be credited by having a link to my blog from the apple website.)

Seriously, if anyone has any comments or ideas on this feel free to post a comment- this is the most climactic issue in the music industry in terms of copyright law so people should know about these issues that affect their daily lives.

Guaranteed the best $20 you'll ever spend.

Today I had a realization that most often does not come to musicians, especially those who are rough on their gear. My headphones have taken an unreal beating throughout their years. Flashback: to my early days of DJ'ing in the basement, yearning for some quality cans to monitor the mixes with. One trip to Best Buy solved that. As soon as I laid eyes on the Sony MDR V150's, I knew I was about to attain sonic bliss. Better yet, they were only $20, an entry level price seemingly unsuitable for such a high quality product. Now, let me explain how these headphones are so well constructed to withstand a 4 year beating. First of all, the cord is long, about 6 feet from jack to the split. Not only does that allow a lot of freedom, but it makes it less likely to be in the way or get caught on something in the DJ booth. Also, the cord is straight, unlike those curled cords. As far as I know those were designed for phones, but it's just too distracting and tangle-prone for a DJ. Next, the headphone speakers themselves. Perfect amount of padding, with the right angle to fit nicely on the ears. These are neither completely over the ear or on the ear style. The reason this style works so well for DJs is that the music can be heard at extremely loud levels in a loud room, but you can still intereact with your surroundings, and talk to people with them on, and no music playing, therefore saving the time of carefully taking the headphones off and putting them back on. Believe me, this is a lifesaver. The sides offer the right amount of adjustability and can be changed without taking them off your head. The main reason these have lasted so long is that fact that they are destructable-the two adjustable sides can come all the way when pulled. The first time I stepped on the cord and yanked the 150's on, I thought I had ruined a perfect pair of headphones. Then I saw the two speakers on the floor, and snapped them back in; genious (Maybe this is where Apple stole their MagSafe power adapter idea from). Eventually I bought a second pair, which was recently sent into repair by some jack that ripped the plastic molding and most of the inner wiring apart. Guess I can't have too much of a good thing.







The duct tape? One of the sides suffered a slight fracture, now its not noticable with the tape. The padding is wearing away around the edges, but I think it adds wisdom.

Mac Music

Ever come upon a webste that is flawless in it's content, value and effectiveness? Check out Mac-Music.org, an invaluable resource for all music gear and production based on Macs. It has been extremely helpful for me, especially in finding rare and unique software from independent developers. Besides that, there are thousands of threads in the knowledgable forums where one could talk about anything Mac, or music related. Perhaps the most attractive for those intellectually-inclined are the articles- software reviews, interviews and of course how to guides.


Granted, there are some non-intrusive ads, but not an annoying amount, or in the middle of the text. So if you have a Mac (or plan on getting one) and are into all things music-related, give it a click and I'm sure there's something that will catch your interest.

Band Scene IV: A Protege on the Rise

Meet Matt Wertz. Guitarist/Singer/Songwriter from Missouri. Last year he released his third (not exactly a newcomer to the industry) full length album, Everything In Between. I recenty took a listen, and was impressed by his diverse style of play. Some of his tracks are 100% pop, much like John Mayer's first two albums (but that's another story). Others are jazz/funk infused with his thin, crisp vocals, bouncing bass and even organ fills. Definately one to lookout for making it huge soon. He started out playing church retreats across the country, and has since toured with the likes of Gavin Degraw. All his albums are self produced with band members and friends. I have noticed a lot of young singer/songwrites almost make it lately-Kyle Riabko, and Tyler Hilton etc. I hope he finds the right path to success, he's got a lot of untapped talent.

I am now happy...

Since the early days of my time in the music industry, I have longer for my own multitrack rig. Granted it did not come easy, and I started out with analog gear (Behringer UB1202FX) and then added the FCA202 2-track firewire interface. However, I knew this was not good enough. Obviously I was going to need a decent sized system to record any number of things. So after years of borrowing systems and making do with "only two", I set it upon myself to go on a massive gear spree after my first semester of college. One word: eBay. It's as close to a treasure chest of gear as one could get in the virtual world. Quickly I found everythign I needed (or so I thought)- Firewire interface (8+ channels), preamps, power conditioner, small portable rack, and a compressor. And as many condenser mics I feel like adding. After little debate I went strictly for the MOTU 828. It had everything I neede-and lot's of people had them for sale for under $250 on eBay. 8 channels of analog bliss. Sweet. No LCD, paired volume knobs, but hey, I was on a budget. Well after several near outbids on this piece, I had to rethink my gameplan. Did I really want a 6 year olf piece of technology? Why not spring a few more dollars for the newer 828MKII? Decision made- and perfect timing. I found a like new for a should-be-illegal buy it now price. I happily paid and could not wait. Along the way I picked up a dbx 266XL, the little brother of the 166XL we have here in the analog studio at Hartford. Sweet. Then I found a great deal on a...Nady (I know, not so good, but does it for me) 8 channel preamp. Followed by a $50 Furman power conditioner (I will accept no other), and the oh so cool and highly contested Behri ADA8000. Wow, hard to find at a good price, but definately worth it. That would be used via ADAT optical audio for the 828MKII as an 8 channel add-on. Oh yeah, then the 8 space rack (shallow, but still kinda bulky), as well as a pair of entry level AT condensers.


Total price= About half as much as it would have been had I bought everything "new" from stores. You wouldnt be able to tell looking, or using my gear that it was used at all. Very very sweet.



Basically, this pile of metal kicks it- 18in/20out (all analog right there, thats not counting word clock, MIDI, S/PDIF of SMPTE i/o- like some audio manufacturers do). Oh yeah, and it works will all non-Pro Tools DAWs. I use Live 5.2, along with the included MOTU AudioDesk 2 software (which is basically just the audio functions in Digital Performer 5). Overall I am very pleased. I don't need it yet, but ill be looking for maybe an outboard reverb, and a two channel tube compressor and a patchbay to fill out the rack. Woohoo. Here's a slight video of the front and back of the beast.

Band Scene III: British Re-Invasion

I honestly had no idea what to think of this British alt/rock group. Actually, the first time I listened through the entire ablum, I had no specific feeling or vibe of this bands' sound. Ok, so I took a second listen a few days later. Wow. It's like I was woke up in 1967 in some London Suburb, and tweed jackets were the norm. The Kooks are incredibly dynamic and edgy, much like the Fab Four. The similarities are most easily heard in the drumming, (and how the drums sound thin and bright), and the catchy and simple guitar riffs, often played with acoustic and then bringing in a heavier rythmn on electric. Although don't confuse them with some knock off impersonator band you might see at some hokey-fundraiser. They have brought their 60's sound to a new, impressive level with soaring lead vocals. On "See The World", a fast paced song with tight drumming and crunchy guitars, you can tell they have unique talent in playing and also songwriting, with deep, sensible lyrics. "She Moves In Her Own Way" is very reminiscent of the 60's sound, complete with harmonizing vocals throughout and that accent anyone could identify. Pick up their debut Inside In Inside Out for that lifelong Beatles fan, they won't be disappointed.

Coke, what were you thinking?

I was wandering around the brand new CVS in town looking for nothin in particular, except a coaxial cable, and saw this mystery-of-a-drink. Well, upon further inspection, it really dosent say much of what it is, or what's in it or what is tastes like. Technically, it is a Carbonated Fusion Beverage. I was so curious I went for it. The initial woft was mystical, if not as unlike soda as you could possibly get. The taste is equally dark and lurking, leaving a what-was-that carbonated taste in your mouth. That ain't no regular Coca-Cola. It is Coke mixed with...with...coffee?

Wow, what were they thinking- combine two highly contrasting, highly caffinated liquids, and it should by default taste good. No. Not in the least. People drink coffee in the morning to wake up. People drink soda when they watch sports. So the million dollar question is, what do you eat with this concoction to make it look the least bit justifiable? If anyone has found any food that goes well with this drink, seriously I would like to know. Until then I am going to painfully down the rest of this bottle, and eventually sell the bottle on eBay, as the drink is being phased out in the next few months. I would rather chug motor oil with my meal than quench my thirst with this.

Band Scene II: A New Era

Anberlin first caught my attention off the iTunes music sampler for the Apple Facebook group. (By the way, if you're looking for a way to make it huge, this is one great way). Ok, so granted my method of discovery wasn't exactly genius, I instantly became hooked on their pop/screamo single "Paper-Thin Hymn." So, my first question was, are they a Christian group? Or should I be more politically correct and call then "religiously-affiliated"? Well, turns out they a rock band "comprised of" Christian members. Well last time a quasi-religious band made it big, such as Creed, they broke up. Maybe not becuase of religious pr spiritual differences, but for other reasons as well. (I realize there are a ton of other bands that could be labeled as Christian such as U2, but let's focus on those that have been truly affiliated with some religious signifigance.)


Onto their music. Within the emo/punk genre, they span the entire spectrum from dark instrumental to vocal harmonizing anthems. However in a genre with an insane amount of compression, their dynamics may overshadow their true sonic abilities. On their newest release Never Take Friendship Personal, "A Day Late" exemplifies their vocal strengths. The short instrumental entitled "A Heavy Hearted Work of Staggering Genius", assumingly after the Dave Eggers book-turned-way-of-life is more of their alternative side. The guitarist seems to have southern influences with a lot of slides. Be sure to give them a listen and watch for them on tour.

AudioPad has a competitor!

(So if you haven't already check out the AudioPad post a while back.)



I got the link to this extraordinary interface through the eMusician Xtra e-newsletter. Had it not been for the AudioPad several months ago this would have blown my socks off. Called the Reactable this is a revolutionary interface that could change music production as we know it. Both surfaces are just so far ahead of current consumer-level technology it is insane. Yet, that's what makes them so cool. Who knows, in 20 years all music programming and synthesis will be in this form. In short, this is a table top, projected, virtual music synthesis program. Using several different blocks placed on the table, sounds can be created and manipulated with other blocks or with the adjustable controls around each block projected onto the table. I wish more information was available about the manipulation and programming of these systems, but it seems simmilar in some aspects to smartboards used in schools. Watch the video, you'll understand.