My New Project

Well one of them anyway. Oh no I haven’t changed that much. I still try and juggle about a million different ideas at once. However the 3 Minute Masterclass, as this project is called is different because it has the energy and enthusiasm of two cool guys, not just one.

It’s great to meet people who let you talk for hours about things like microphones, guitar strings and music software without telling you to shut up. I know a couple of people like that now, which means I’m lucky. I can go off on one without them getting bored. Well maybe they do wish I’d shut up, but they don’t tell me. Anyway…

The cool guy I’m working with on this is Gary Crause, who runs Legend Music in Phuket. He’s a really great producer form South Africa who’s made several hit records.

This new project is a podcast that provides quick tips on recording and mixing, so you can improve your skills in producing your own records (if that’s the kind of thing you actually want to do in the first place). Each episode – a video will contain a golden nugget of information or technique that can be applied right away to provide a positive contribution to your music productions. Explained and presented within 3 minutes.

Who wants to spend too long watching tutorials all the time? Tutorials are useful if you actually have the time or desire to spend the time studying, but sometimes you just want to find out how to achieve something when you are in the middle of the creative flow and that is not a good time to then start downloading a 10 or 20 minute video.

That is the thinking behind the 3 Minute Masterclass and I hope it’s something you’re looking for. There is also free membership available at the website, where you can benefit from extra content with show episodes and exclusive, member-only pages if you register.

The podcast is filmed at Legend Music Studios in Phuket, which is a damn fine studio and it rocks. It’s about time there was a real recording studio around here. Now there is and it’s just down the road!

So please check out our first video, which you could have watched already in the time it’s taken you to read this post!

All-Important Pre-Production

The studio at Boy@Heart Media is pretty much defined in terms of what is planned and the next step is to start putting it all together. At the same time I feel it is also time to start production on the next Boy at Heart record.

What I am faced with right now are various dilemmas. Do I start tracking now or do I wait until I have the first stages of the new studio setup? I’m itching to get started, but I am also relishing the thought of exploiting the superior sonic benefits of the new system if I start with that from the beginning. Of course the reason there is an element of waiting is due to the availability of equipment where I am and having to find ways to get the various pieces of gear here in the smoothest possible fashion!

So I suppose the best thing to do is spend some time at least in pre-production. I need to decide on what songs I am going to develop for the album and the overall vibe I want to create. I’ll also see about refining the compositions that make the short list to make them as good as they can possibly be.

So this leads me to more difficult choices. Which songs do I choose for the album? Well that would be easier to decide if I had some feedback from people who are interested as to which songs they want to hear, but I’m well aware of the fact that not many people comment on this blog, so I’m not holding my breath. All the same, if you do feel compelled to contribute with your opinions and suggestions then please leave a comment on this post.

If you want to hear the potential songs you can visit The Weekly Songcast and have a listen. Be warned though, there are nearly one hundred songs over there, but I would really appreciate suggestions at least regarding the style or the feel of the album.

I am currently thinking a rock production influenced fairly heavy by Neil Young and Crazy Horse, but if there’s an overwhelming voice for something else, like my more acoustic or quieter songs then I’ll comply!

You can also listen to my debut, solo album as well as my second, mini album too, which you can download and share. You may find that gives you a taste for my music and you’ll be inspired to comment here and tell me what you want to hear next!

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.