Plans within plans within...

So, the school year at NPHS started with a BANG and I just looked up to see that it is November. And what have we been doing? Let's see...

For Kaleidoscope this year, we are producing a lip dub video based on the Billy Idol song "Dancing With Myself." We've been in pre-production since September and it has taken a long time to get organized. For those that don't know, a lip dub is a music video that is lip synced in one take and taped backwards. Also, in the last week, we decided that we are going to produce an original science fiction movie. That is being written at this point and we don't expect to be in production until February. I am looking forward to writing the score for this one, so let's see how that goes.

My big project for 2011 is going to be to create a video documentary about the Lighthouses of Florida. I plan on visiting all the lighthouses in the state while I am on a bike tour. Well, actually a trike tour since I've purchased a Terra Trike Path 8 recumbent (see the picture? Isn't it cute? Like the Tibetan prayer flag?) So, in between planning that trip and looking for corporate sponsors and training for the ride...could be busy.

Musically, I'm still working on songs for The Brislin Bros. project and that's about all. Sales for Pacific Radio Fire haven't been bad at all; got a royalty check from cdBaby!! Income is always good, ya know?

An Inert Summer, of sorts

One would think that if one has a recording studio that one would be in it constantly. Well...not this year. After practically living in The Barn last summer mastering Pacific Radio Fire, and then spending a lot of time recording stuff for Kaleidoscope this year, and working on the music and producing 8 self-hypnosis projects...it was time to cool the jets a bit.

So far this summer I've been editing a short book by Cor Mulhern and I reconfigured the equipment in The Barn to make it easier to work. But, other than that, I haven't done much music. My brother and I have worked on three songs for The Brislin Brothers CD, but not much else. It has been feet up, go visit relatives...and chill.

Kaleidoscope, The Beatles, and other random stuff

OK, as usual it has been awhile since I've updated this, but that doesn't mean that it hasn't been busy. The North Port High School Performing Arts SLC annual performance, Kaleidoscope, was last week. We had two days of rehearsals and two days of performances. Everything went very well this year. The theme was The Beatles, so we had thirteen different songs being performed by Dance, Concert Band, String Orchestra, TV Production, Chorus, and Theatre. We had our largest audience yet on the last night and had a great time with them. All in all, one of our more successful shows.

(The picture above shows us during the video taping of "Dig A Pony" on the roof of North Port High School as we recreate the roof top concert from the movie "Let It Be".)

To prepare for the final editions of the three songs my TV Production classes created videos for, we spent a large amount of time in The Barn recording studio mixing the final tracks. Of the three songs (If I Fell, Help, and Dig A Pony), the latter was the most successful as a mix. Students Christian Beam (lead guitar) and Brittany White (rhythm and bass guitars) were outstanding on the recording; I played drums and did the vocals. Eventually it will make it out somwhere to be heard, just not here.

In other areas, Dr. George Kenney dropped by The Barn to record three additional self-hypnosis scripts related to sports performance. His original series of self-hypnosis CD's (which I produced and created the background music for) are available at amazon.com. This is a great project, one that I've enjoyed being involved with immensely.

And, in other areas of music, I've (oddly and sadly) begun work on the music for the fourth release by now that they're here. There are certain songs that I came across that I forgot about in the last year while working on Pacific Radio Fire. When reviewing them, I really liked them...and realized they'd be perfect for the next CD. So, while I didn't exactly expect to immediately be working on the next CD...looks like I am.

Review in Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Dawn Scire from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune interviewed me last week about the release of Pacific Radio Fire. It was a great conversation since Dawn is articulate and funny.

You can read the review here - http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100311/ARTICLE/3111031.

BTW, the fish is just a random shot we took in Jamaica last year. I love koi.

Adventures in The Barn

Happy New Year!!!

Since I'm out of school for a few more days for break, I decided to try to fix some problems that I was having in the studio...and, again, had it cosmically pointed out to me that some solutions just lead to more questions.

Like trying to get the dbx 386 tube pre-amp to work with the Digi003 interface. I was sending the digital out signal from the dbx (SPDIF) to the 003...and it wasn't being recognized. After spending too much time swapping out cables and testing every component, the only thing it could be was some setting in ProTools. So, just on a whim, I changed the digital setting from SPDIF to ADAT...and it suddenly started working. I have no idea why since I'm going from an SPDIF out to an SPDIF in, but I'm not going to argue with success. It works...next problem?

I have been having issues with my KAT DK10 drum pads...three of the pads are dead and to have the sensor array replaced (again) just isn't going to happen. Last year I bought a cheapy little Ion electronic drum set. It works in the studio pretty well, but I wanted to have more than the five pads it came with. After a lot of trial and error, I've been able to integrate the DK10 through MIDI into my venerable Alesis D4 drum brain, then plug the Ion pads into the trigger inputs of the D4 to supplement (and replace) the pads on the DK10. By doing this, I now have a 14-pad electronic drum system and I can ignore the Alesis SR16 knockoff that Ion included with the pads (it doesn't have a MIDI-In port, which was essential to integrating the two systems.) For now, it all works and serves my needs, although I needed to buy 1/8" TS to 1/4" TS cables for it to work elegantly. (Thanks Sweetwater Sound for the help, as always!)

The other problem I was having was with playing audio through the Digi003 to the monitors. You can't do it unless you are in ProTools...no other application (like iTunes) will work. After verifying this on the Internet in about five different places, I was left with the yucky solution of taking audio out of the side of my 13" MacBook to the Aux. Input of the Digi003...thereby adding another source of coloration by having to do another D/A conversion. Oh well, at least I can now switch between ProTools and other audio fairly quickly, which I could not do before.

I also hung a few more pictures in the studio, filed away some CD's (copies of my first two releases that I still haven't sold...c'mon people, Papa needs some more closet space!), and generally tried to make The Barn a bit more comfortable for me and the clients.

All in all, a fairly productive time in The Barn.