I have always enjoyed taking photographs.
Since buying a digital camera (Pentax Optio 750z), I have been taking way too many of them… they are now sitting on my harddrive…
So it’s time to share a few with you… (Also makes the blog look better; just text is a tad boring, wouldn’t you agree?)
All photographs are of of course © by yours truly. No reproduction without prior written consent!
Good books are always worth being read moren than once. It gives me a clear indication of how my perspective keeps changing as I am getting older.
Confucius “The Analects” is one of my all-time favourite collection of teachings.
I have been planning to review it for this blog, but have found it too difficult a task. What I will do instead is every now and then post some of my favourite quotes.
“One does not worry about the fact that other people do not appreciate one. One worries about not appreciating other people.”
© Patrice Schneider. No reproduction without prior written consent. / © (Confucius quote) Oxford University Press.
Technorati Tags: Confucius, The Analects, Confucius Analects, Food For Thought, Philosophy
Again I am recommending a track by a band that has been rocking my world for a few years now: “Without You I’m Nothing” by Placebo.
The Cure’s Robert Smith introduced me to Placebo, since he kept mentioning them in interviews.
While I always enjoyed the music, Brian Molko’s voice did take some time to get used to. On their latest album, "Meds"
Before "Without You I’m Nothing"
You will most likely receive some more Placebo recommendations in the future…. (They deserve it.)
© Patrice Schneider. No reproduction without prior written consent.
Technorati Tags: Placebo, David Bowie, Placebo Without You I’m Nothing, Brian Molko, Stefan Olsdal, Steve Hewitt
Lucky 13? Unlucky 13? Well - it’s already been 12 good recommendations, so very lucky 13… because another one is coming.
I was introduced to The Pixies relatively late, when their album "Bossanova"
As with all great bands: so much good stuff I can choose from. Since “Bossanova” was the first Pixies album that I bought, I am recommending “Velouria” - track 03 off this album. Great riff, great vocal line, great everything. Frank Black and Co. have in my opinion not recorded one bad song.
Again: do yourself a favour and check out the whole album. Tracks 1 (Cecila Ann) and 2 (Rock Music) build so nicely into Velouria, you got to hear it.
Good to see The Pixies back together.
© Patrice Schneider. No reproduction without prior written consent.
Technorati Tags: The Pixies, Pixies Bossanova, Frank Black
Today, I discovered a podcast on The Times Online website.
It is a very cool and entertaining interview with 80s electronic pop duo OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvers In The Dark).
They talk about their past, and their future: they will be touring again later this year (2007).
This is the direct download link (grab it while you can): Times Online OMD Podcast
Technorati Tags: OMD, Orchestral Manoeuvers In The Dark, Times Online, Times Podcast
I have received several reports from customers having problems with their Ableton Live music production software.
Without exception, their complaints were related to “Hard Disk Overload” error messages and/or the “CPU Load” exceeding 100 %, accompanied by that beautiful (not) distorted sound. (Make sure this will not happen to you at a live show.)
Let me explain
- how well Ableton Live works (1),
- how the CPU / harddrive issues are caused (2), and
- how you can work around those difficulties without investing money into a more powerful computer, more RAM, or a higher-capacity harddrive (3).
(1) Ableton Live was designed as a MIDI controller. Audio capabilities were added only in later versions, as far as I know.
On my Apple iBook G4 (1.33 GHz, with only 512 MB RAM), Ableton Live will work beautifully with up to twenty MIDI tracks (as long as they are not too complex), plus three short (ca. 3 minutes each) audio tracks.
(2) Problems do not start until MIDI and/or audio effects are added. Most built-in effects (especially the presets that are made up of several separate effects) will hit the computer’s CPU hard. Use one too many, and you will see 100 % in the “CPU Load” window.
Ableton Live loads Audio tracks into its virtual memory (for which it uses your harddrive), so the longer your audio tracks and the higher the number of them, the more likely you will run into harddrive space issues. (This is very important for those of you DJing with the software.)
(3) With a bit of imagination and common sense, however, it is still possible to produce music on your “outdated” computer.
This is how I do it:
Using Ableton Live’s internal MIDI sound bank, I create a rough version of my song. No effects on any of the tracks.
After I have finalized one (or all) of the instruments and the arrangement, I re-record each instrument (directly into Ableton Live) using Propellerheads’ Reason, which has a far superior soundbank anyway. (It will instantly make your track sound a lot better!)
What difference does this make, you ask? During playback, audio tracks (preferrably with all the effects you want on them recorded directly into them) use far less CPU power than (complex) MIDI tracks.
Do run some tests yourself and compare MIDI vs. audio - the difference is huge.
In future articles I will go further into Ableton Live, computer music production, and DJing with Ableton Live.
© Patrice Schneider. No reproduction without prior written consent.
Technorati Tags: Ableton Live, Propellerheads Reason, Music Production, Computer Music Production, Ableton Live CPU Load, Ableton Live Hard Disk Overload, Hard Disk Overload
Today’s Top Tune, Round 012.
I am a bit of a perfectionist, always doing my best to get my facts right whenever I write.
Since starting the “Today’s Top Tune” series, I consulted several online (as well as offline) sources to read up on certain artists. This bit of research has been fun and educating. Today’s choice presented itself while researching Tony Williams, one of my all-time favourite drummers.
I have to admit that I had almost forgotten that he played on the PiL (Public Image Limited) release "Album"
The line-up on “Rise” is incredible: Steve Vai (credited on Frank Zappa records as playing “stunt guitar”, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Bill Laswell, Nicky Skopelitis, Tony Williams, and Lakshminarayana Shankar.
Other musicians that appear on the album: Bernie Worrell, Ginger Baker, Jonas Hellborg, Malachi Favors, Bernard Fowler, Steve Turre.
There is an entry for this album on the Wikipedia website: PiL “Album”.
© Patrice Schneider. No reproduction without prior written consent.
Technorati Tags: PiL, Public Image Limited, Johnny Lydon, Tony Williams, PiL Album, PiL Rise, Steve Vai
“Television The Drug Of The Nation” is the title of a very good song by The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy.
“TV. Is it the reflector, or the director? Does it imitate us, or do we imitate it?” (© Michael Franti / Disposable Heroes)
As much as I am against censorship and against being told what to do, the current state of television is very worrying, and I am not sure I would oppose certain shows or even channels being prohibited.
Kids grow up watching series and talkshows that do not represent real life, thinking that they do - and grow into adults who cannot think properly. They continue to consume countless hours of television, further numbing their minds and their feelings, being more and more prone to manipulation by the media and the people in power.
I am occasionally exposed to daytime TV, and what I see saddens and depresses me.
As one good friend once said: “You have to be very careful about what you feed your mind with.” Amen.
© Patrice Schneider. No reproduction without prior written consent.
Technorati Tags: Food For Thought, TV, Television, Television Drug, Talkshows, Gameshows
