An Impressive Display of Tech!

Did you see the live U2 webcast of their concert at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena California? I only found out about it an hour before it was due to start from a tweet I saw in my twitter stream and I’m glad I did.

Now before anyone rolls their eyes and starts saying "U2 are boring" or whatever, this is not about how great U2 are although I do like them. In my opinion it was not as impeccable a performance as their classic Boston gig from the Elevation tour, immortalized on DVD, but it was just as impressive for a completely different reason as far as I see it.

If you have seen U2 Elevation 2001 – Live from Boston (Amazon.com), (Amazon.co.uk), then you will know just what a premium job Hamish Hamilton did as director. That concert looked like a movie, which I guess it was really, but what Hamilton managed to draw out of the U2 performance was a tangible link between the images on screen and the space occupied by the viewer, making it feel like you were closer to being right there.

Now of course, if you don’t like U2 then none of this is going to make any difference to you and that’s OK, but hopefully this next bit will.

A Round of Applause for the Production Team

The live webcast contained all the factors that the Boston DVD had. It was obviously directed and produced, there was obviously an army of technicians, workers and ass kickers to keep everything in check so we, the viewers could experience what appeared to be an exhilarating show, effortlessly delivered from it’s origin to our computer screens. It did look pretty effortless didn’t it?

Producing a DVD is easy compared to this. If it’s a lack-lustre night or there is a technical hitch then the crew can have another go on the next night and the best gig gets edited, the music mixed to sound the best it possibly can and it’s all put onto disc.

The U2 webcast was live, which added another dimension to the experience. Although I was about 8,000 miles away it felt more like being there than watching the DVD regardless of the performance of the band.

I want to say that again because in our super fast, super-taken-for-granted world, we can forget this. IT WAS LIVE! No post production, no remixing of audio, true to the source, as it was captured and it still looked and sounded like a full-blown production. Did you notice the sound and picture quality? Even on my less than reliable internet connection it was an almost uninterrupted stream. Not only that, it was free!

I’m very interested to know exactly what systems and technology they were using to aggregate all that data because, as expensive as I’m sure it is right now, this is the technology that will in the not-too-distant future be accessible to you and I.

If we see more of this from other artists, including independent ones, like me then I’ll be pretty happy. I don’t like watching television and where I live it is vary rare to get the chance to go to a big gig, so this is something I love.

I’m impressed with this production because it was not really about U2 as far as I’m concerned. It showed a glimpse into some very exciting future possibilities for the internet and the way we experience the content. The concept of a live webcast may not be new, but at this level of quality I think it breaks new ground.

I would like to thank everyone who was involved with making the delivery of that experience possible because it made me feel good. You all did a great job that goes much further than simply putting on a show.

Thanks very much.

You can watch the Youtube video recording of the webcast in the box on the right. It’s 2 hours long. Enjoy!

Telefunky Got Soul!

I’m getting really excited! Very soon I will have my new microphone: A Telefunken M 80 Handheld Vocal Microphone, which I will refer to from now on as the Telefunky (I’m not the first one to use that term).

To those that are familiar with recording and audio production, this may not sound like a particularly exciting microphone and compared to several others that I desire, it is pretty ordinary actually, but it is not simply the object that I am excited about, it is the process of using it. I recently decided to try recording my vocals using a hand-held mic and it worked really well. Using my trusty SM57 mic was great, but in search for something with a better sound for recording vocals in this way at a reasonable price I came across the Telefunky.

It should be great for recording electric guitar too, so once I get more organized with my projects I should be able to provide more details about that and recording/mixing in general.

I have also decided to focus even more on my passion for creating music, which means spending less time on the internet. I recently assessed my day-to-day activities and realized that a very large chunk of my time is spent online without being productive. I have also been spending more time interacting with people face to face than in recent years too, which is really inspiring me and giving me some great ideas to realize many of my intentions.

Taking some time out with this microphone will provide a welcome, real-life distraction for my work, along with enjoying the time I spend with my new daughter, Lilla.