Hello!

Today has been really fun! Recently, I had requested a mail-in ballot for the upcoming election. It arrived earlier this week, and this morning I sat down in front of the computer, did as much research as I could regarding absolutely every person and topic covered in the election, and made my choices. Obviously, I had already formed opinions on the bigger issues- President, ballot initiatives, you get the idea- but today I was able to look at all the judges up for re-election, look at all the people who want something to do with our school board, and make as informed a selection as possible. It's maybe a sad reflection upon myself that I'm so thrilled with doing what could reasonably be considered the bare minimum, but I nevertheless felt very empowered today. After nearly two years of presidential-campaign-season politics, finally being able to take control and vote for somebody made me feel more liberated than I have in a long time. So, yes. When the time comes around, if you are eligible to do so, vote. Vote vote vote. It feels good.

Other, completely unrelated news: we got a new microphone yesterday. I had a project where I was doing the accompanying music for a studio logo clip (think like the MGM Lion roaring, or like the shot of the stars swirling around Artesonraju at the beginning of a Paramount film, but thematically very different). This logo involves a very particular sound: the scratching of a quill pen, in a specific pattern. This presented some difficulty, because there was this faint white noise that became entirely too present when we turned the mic levels up high enough to record our own quill pen. The specific pattern needed meant that we had to record it ourselves, and couldn't go online and simply buy a pre-existing sample of a pen scratch. But that noise! We did some research and it turns out that Macs apparently have a white noise problem when you use the internal mic port.

So, what to do? There were a few options we explored: First, we could simulate the quill scratch with a different, louder (and therefore easier to record with the levels down) noise, I could fake it with some creative mouth noises edited together, we could buy an external digital recorder, or we could try and find a mic which would have good sound but wouldn't use a microphone port. We did some research into USB microphones and settled on option 4.

Though I can't remember the name of the mic we were looking at, I do remember the following conversation. I called Guitar Center to see if they had the mic we wanted in stock. The guy on the other hand said, "no, we don't, but how do you feel about a Blue Snowball?" OK. So, I have never heard of this, and I thought that this guy had to be setting me up for a joke, and so I said, "uh, I don't know. How do I feel about a Blue Snowball?" "Well, I like them." "That's very nice. What are you talking about, specifically?" "It's a microphone." "Oh! OK. Is it a USB microphone?" "Yep!" "...do I like a Blue Snowball?" "You will!"

So we had the guy hold one for us (apparently they're popular? Shows what I know!), and we went and picked it up. Hooray, it was cheaper than the one we were looking to buy. And look at it!


It's a sphere! Obviously, I'm never going to make it as a rocket scientist, because the concept of a white spherical microphone being named "Snowball" struck me as being "I just came down from this mountain with a unifying equation that explains everything in the universe"-level genius.

This mic is awesome. I don't think I can do it proper justice here, but needless to say we were able to get a sharp, amazing recording of our quill pen with no white noise, we're thrilled with the voice-recording quality, and can't wait to use it on future projects. The fact that it looks like something out of a 1960s sci-fi movie doesn't hurt, either.

If you're looking for a microphone, I encourage you to check them out.

That's all I've got for now. Let me go back to the first part of my blog and repeat my very important message. If you can vote, vote. Vote, vote, vote. It's the best salve for the campaign-shattered mind.

Later!

Labels: Shiny New Toy, Vote vote vote

This was a lovely weekend. Dark Heart- the folks behind Wentworth and Buxbury- is actually a much larger group of people than I had first come to understand (this, for the record, is a good thing). This weekend, we entertained David, who has been a Key Grip on some of their films. Obviously, since there aren't any cameras in the traditional sense- and therefore, no Key Grips- on Wentworth and Buxbury, he wasn't at the NYTVF, but his enthusiasm for the project was tangible, which is wonderful. He's wanting to move to the US and get work as a Grip here, so hey! If you know anybody...

His trip took him to Arizona for three days, where he was left to fend for himself for a few days, so we got to hang out a bit, which was wonderful. Most of the time, to be certain, was spent in restaurants, and I am ashamed to admit that I didn't take him to any of the more fun Phoenician institutions, instead opting for safer territory, but good times were had nevertheless.

On a whim on Friday evening, I suggested that we might want to take a quick trip up north to the Oak Creek Canyon. I'm almost certain that I have taken every single person who visits with any more than a few days' time to Oak Creek Canyon, but it's worth it every time, in my mind. If nothing else, the trip from Phoenix to the general Sedona/Flagstaff area shows how biologically diverse Arizona is as a state. You go from the heat of the low desert, the landscape peppered with saguaro, to the chill of the high mountains, everything covered in pine and, frequently, snow.

I took some pictures on my cell phone, so here, for your enjoyment, is a stop along the Oak Creek Canyon. Truly, if I intend to keep traveling as I have been lucky enough to do lately, I need to get myself a better camera. Anyhow, on to the photos:







This last photo makes me chuckle a bit: Something about the juxtaposition of a giant garbage can before the splendour of the vista behind it seems off, somehow.



It's entirely likely that sometime in the not-too-distant future, I will finally have to leave Arizona behind. The changes of the state in the past few years have been remarkable. Phoenix, especially, is making great strides towards a more metropolitan existence. The changes are exciting, and I will happily milk out every last minute I've got here, but at the same time, I think what I'll miss most are places like Oak Creek Canyon, which make giant statements by simply saying nothing.

Not much to report on the music front, today. Entertaining means that you get to spend your time gathering inspiration but not necessarily putting fingers to keys. I hope to resolve that in the coming days. The feel of one of the projects I'm juggling at the moment requires music that involves the wonderful crystalline snap that autumn and winter best provide. The weather has started to chill, and the trip up north has shifted my head in the right direction. Time to take advantage of the surroundings.

Labels: Inspiration, Oak Creek Canyon may be Heaven on Earth

The pilot to Wentworth and Buxbury is online at YouTube.



Enjoy!

Other news: Unfortunately, I've been doing some damage to myself over the past couple of days. I've been battling pneumonia and recently broke my toe. Nothing much to report there, except to say that both are getting better with time.

It's not been all bad, though. I'm happy to report that I've recently bought a new MIDI controller: the M-Audio Keystation 8es. It's very nice. My primary workstation up until this point has been an eleven-year-old Korg SG Pro X, which is a wonderful instrument, but an old one, and to be certain a cumbersome one. The new piano is a little under half the weight, takes a third less space on the z-axis, and has lighter key action. The weight of the action (this being, essentially, the amount of resistance you get when you press down on a key, combined with how long it takes the key to come back up) on the Korg was remarkably realistic, but sometimes a bit heavy and could occasionally end up tying my fingers while trying to navigate a particularly complex section of music. The new equipment has been better in terms of sheer ease, though the action is maybe a bit too light and slightly unrealistic as a result, though it has its own benefits. I'll be keeping both pianos around, as I am certain that I'll need to swap them out or use both simultaneously, at some point.

In other music news: We're going forward with production on Wentworth and Buxbury, so I've been doing some work on that: a full piece for the title screen, some incidental music, and so on from there. There's a project I'm working on with a friend, which I'll tell you more about as it progresses, (kind of similar, in terms of core concept, but not in terms of core content, to 5ideways). Another friend hopes to plant the seeds of another idea in my head in a couple of weeks and see what sprouts forth.

Beyond that, it's relatively quiet on my end, though it may not sound much like it. I'm pondering a project where I make cover versions of video game pieces, both to keep my creative mind active and just for fun. If I do go forward with that, Ill post the files here for everybody to enjoy.

Alright, that's what I've got going on here! I hope you enjoy the cartoon!


-Pete

Labels: NYTVF, Shiny New Toy, Wentworth and Buxbury