Category: Blog

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One last visit. Not fun. The death of DMusic.com

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The death of a website

disjointed communications and shallow teasing in blinking little pictures.
Now, right there in the listing. Then, gone I don’t know where.

Rubbery threads, always pulling, drawing, joining.
Now immediate, strong, hovering.
Then, drawn, weary, snapping in the strain of distant almost but not quite strangers.

community of theme, of wish, of egos, of need.
Rarely fulfilled, frustrated inactive, bustling, telling, not doing. Hoping, not believeing.

tiptoeing through empty halls. around a corner. Wrong one. Try again. peek. hello?
Listening for the correct tone, the right timbre, a refreshing voice. hello?

Sudden laughter rings out through the surface of monotone.
Nervous vocalization of doubt, faking optimism, fearing activism.

unreliable homecomings of fading addicts.
Resent, accuse, point with a stick, thumbs up, shout a hug, a laugh, a flower.

this is we.
A core of wanters, of makers, of distant not quite friends.

Hello?

Written at the ongoing painful dying of DMusic.com, ——————————————————————————–May 7th, 2011 @ 9:39AM

Now?

Now it is truly dead, turned into a foreign bot network. Even the frantic desperate hope has been silenced.

R.I.P DMusic. Because this time I will not come back.

Chris, Spyed, dig a hole and drop DMusic into it. Then squat, crap, wipe your hands, and pretend to care. The difference to what you’ve done since taking over the site would be difficult to find.

JennyK March 6 2013
(DMember since Nov 2003).

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Audio production tidbit – Touching on Subtractive EQ

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Subtractive EQ — my 2012 revelation

Cutting frequencies you don’t like instead of boosting those you do. Seems perfectly obvious to me now, but not too long ago I didn’t have a clue.
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Once I figured it out, I totally overdid it. Probably still do. Actually, I most certainly still do. But years of not understanding why there was little clarity in my music created some sort of void that I’m trying to fill now. One other thing I’ve realized while changing the way I EQ, is that this method makes it all but useless to mix on headphones. At least that is my experience. I’m working with monitors now for the eqing, until I have a static mix. Then I go crazy on the three dimensions of the mix. At that point I use headphones as I feel I have control over panning and depth. And it’s what I’m comfortable with. I find it’s a good idea to not touch the equalizer as I do. So far it’s too risky for me as my ears are still not quite used to the new phones and gear.

JennyK

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Audio production tidbit – The compressor – Beginners, have no fear.

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Compression

Compression has always been the big mystery for me personally, and many others. It’s one of those magical things that can both make a horrid sound amazing, and any sound utterly useless if used badly.

There’s almost limitless resources these days to learn about it, and at times an article can make your head hurt. So I say it’s better to start with the basics. The controls. This I found today because I felt like I had no good understanding of the specific definition of compressor release. Read more about it on Humbucker music — Compression explained

Most compressors have pretty much the same controls:

1. Threshold sets the level where compression starts to take effect. Sounds below the threshold pass through unaltered and only sounds above the threshold
are compressed.

2. Ratio sets the degree of compression above the threshold level. A ratio of 2:1 represents mild compression and means that when the incoming level (that
is, the level above the threshold) rises by 10dB, the outgoing level will only rise by 5dB. Ratios of up to 5:1 are regularly used for vocals and other
instruments, and can pass by unnoticed by the listener if the other controls are set properly. Higher ratios are used for more serious limiting, where
the level needs more severe control. Ratios of 10:1 and higher are nearly always noticeable to the listener.

3. Attack is measured in milliseconds and determines the time taken for the compressor to start working once the signal has passed the threshold level. 
Why have Attack?  Because sometimes if you leave just a hint of attack (say, for instance, a snare drum hit, or a powerful downstroke on an acoustic guitar)
then it sounds a bit more realistic.  Removing too much attack can sound a touch fake.

4. Release sets the length of time it takes for the compressor to return to its normal state once the signal has gone back below the threshold.

5. Gain is provided because compression always reduces the peak level: the more compression, the lower the level of the outgoing signal. This control is
sometimes referred to as ‘make-up’ gain because it makes up the level that is inevitably lost during the compression process.

The best way to learn the compressor is to first understand the controls, find those places online where you can listen to examples. The effect is, and often should be subtle and is very difficult to hear when first starting out. Then experiment. One thing to remember is that a compressor is a compressor. There are hundreds, if not thousands of compressor plugins out there; free and far from free alike. In most cases, and as a beginner in particular, It’s not going to matter which one you use. You will never hear the difference between them. The controls are what they are and a top radio hit and a bedroom recording can use the same compressor and no one will ever know. It’s how it’s used that’s paramount, not the brand.

So, relax, have another beer. Learn how to do it, then do it. Use the compressor. It won’t bite.

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Audio production tidbit – archived – Session drummer 3 scripts and more

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Session Drummer 3

Scripts, instructions, and tips and tricks, in a nice bundle for Sonar 8.5 users:

Files are included for:
AUTOHOTKEY
Windoweyes
Jaws

Download the Session Drummer 3 scripts here.

Scripts brought to you by

Chris Bell

For all your audio production needs and technology training, visit us at
Affordable studio Services
Member of the midimag list.

Session Drummer 3 is a professional drum sampler and pattern player. It features Cakewalk’s patented Expression Engine technology, an anti-aliased, real-time sound production
system for multisample audio playback. Session Drummer 3 accurately replicates the sound of its real-world counterpart and features a highly-detailed user
interface as well as simple but powerful controls. You can load single samples (Wave or AIFF files), or multisamples (SFZ files) which already contain
key mapping and velocity switching assignments. You can load samples in any bit depth and sample rate, in mono or stereo, in looped or unlooped format.
Wave and AIFF files can be loaded directly, or as a sample inside an SFZ definition file.
Samples can be of any bit depth (8 to 32-bit), any sample rate, and either mono or stereo. Each
sample in a multisample can be a standard PCM Windows Wave file (.wav), an Apple audio format (.aiff) or a compressed file in the standard, high-quality,
open and royalty-free ogg-vorbis format (.ogg).
Alternatively, it is possible to open multisample definition files (.sfz) or individual samples by
dragging them to an instrument pad.

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Headstuckuparseia – What is it and do we all have it? Read this and realize that it’s pandemic, epidemic, kronic, and incurable.

Books, Sigmund Freud
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Headstuckuparseia

There are two types of Headstuckuparseia; type 1 and type 2
These two types are, however critically different, similar in the following:
1. A distorted persception of reality.
2. Heightened risk of alienation from society.

Type 1 headstuckuparseia is, from the society’s point of view, the most damaging for the patients external appearance. It is signified by a severe lack of concern for the fellow humans and their emotions and needs. (commonly known as empathy) This type is often combined with a severely enlarged ego. Type 1 Headstuckuparseia is with few exceptions contracted at early age, transmitted from a parent. It is also always asociated with the common IknowImalwaysrightia which adds to the lack of effective treatment for these patients as they will refuse treatment and deny that there is a problem.
The world revolves around a sufferer of Type 1 Headstuckuparseia and the desillusion leads to a smug contentedness and carefree non-interest in responsabilities and selfless action.

Type 2 Headstuckuparseia is in many ways the exact opposite of Type 1. A patient has heightened concern for opinions of society, family and friends. It is often asociated with
1. Hind-sightafobia which causes crippling fear of analyzing past actions and events leading to failure to clearly and matter a factly see the past and move beyond it. Much time is spent in avoiding thoughts that refuse to go away. (Commonly known as denial.)
2. Hind-sightomania on the other hand is signified by overexessive brooding and analyzing of the past. Details of conversation and actions play repeatedly in the mind. Common are thoughts of regret and fear over things that are insignificant or most likely forgotten by the other part of the conversation. A patient puts too much importance on his/her influence or lack of influence on people around which leads to a twisted perception of his/her importance. The imagined importance in other peoples lives is not at all intentional and is not connected to the type 1 ego-centricity although it can seem similar.
Type 1 is not compatible with Type 2 and although Type 2 with time and the wrong kind of therapy and misguidance can change from type 2 to type 1 it is exceedingly rare.

Are you suffering from headstuckuparseia?
You are not alone.
J K