Tag: wtf

Teaching “Alternate” Fingerings

November 14, 2007December 3, 2007 ericdano 6 Comments

So, there is this guy who goes into local schools. He’s a “sax expert” or whatever. He also seems to be talking up a bunch of smack as well (directed towards your’s truly). Anyhow, he is telling all the kids to play middle D with the side palm D open. Huh? The reason, “The tone is better.” Ok, that is good and all, but shouldn’t they just get the basic fingering down first? Plus, it makes it even more of a technique problem for them. PLUS, it really does not sound good. I recorded a student playing a song where he was sometimes using this supposed “sax expert” fingering, and it sounds bad. It is out of tune, and the tone……is not good.

Keep it simple. Basics. Teaching them all three alternatives (or perhaps all four) for fingering Bb would be higher on my list than to require them to play all their middle D’s with the side D open. BTW, he seems totally against 1 and 1 Bb. And he plays flute too…….strange….

Loading ...

Articles

Won Stuff From SOS and M-Audio

October 25, 2007December 5, 2007 ericdano No Comments

You know, you think you never will win these contests that you enter online. Well….NA NA NA NA! I seem to have won one.

I subscribe to the great SOS magazine which has all kinds of invaluable tips and insights on……tons of stuff like recording, using programs like Logic or Digital Performer or Protools, micing techniques, how to make your mixes sound better, etc. I decided to get a subscription last year when I came across their site while researching some audio products. I have saved many, MANY of the articles for future reference.

Anyhow, they have these contests you can enter. And I try to enter them, but you know you never expect to win. Ha! Woohoo. Not quite sure exactly what I’ve won yet, but I’ll keep you all posted…….(I think it is like $4K worth of stuff, like an M-Audio keyboard, monitors, etc…..maybe a Project Mix I/O? I hope???)

*Dances* Funny thing is that I was getting ready to purchase a new Firewire interface…..but now……not sure I’m going to need to

Articles, News

Oboe Mouthpiece?!?!?

October 19, 2007 ericdano 1 Comment

I almost won this item on ebay. A Chedeville Oboe Mouthpiece.

Wow. It got to pricey for me. Plus I just had to shell out a lot of money to the IRS. Interesting discussion about it here. Seems it isn’t so great. Looks kind of cool though. Probably would help out some poor doubler out there than wanted to add oboe to his weaponry.

Here are some pictures taken off the auction

Articles

Tuning Nightmare

October 18, 2007November 25, 2007 ericdano No Comments

This is from Create Digital Music. A tuning nightmare for Van Halen. Seems that they had backgrounds recorded at 44.1Khz, and then played them back at 48Khz. Ouch. Heed this performance when using digital equipment and make sure you know what the heck you are doing.

Articles, Videos

Record Companies Finally Win One

October 5, 2007October 5, 2007 ericdano No Comments

After all the lawsuits they have started, they finally won one.

In a major win for record companies seeking to establish precedent for prosecuting those who trade copyrighted material on the Internet, a federal jury awarded six firms $222,000 in damages from a Minnesota woman who shared music online. Jammie Thomas, 30, was ordered to pay $9,250 for each of 24 songs that were part of the case. The complaint alleged that she had shared 1,702 copyright-violating songs online. The Associated Press quotes Richard Gabriel, lead attorney for the music companies: “This does send a message, I hope, that downloading and distributing our recordings is not OK.”

What does this mean? Good question…….

News

Nintendo + Logic =……..?

October 3, 2007October 3, 2007 ericdano No Comments

Create Digital Music has an interesting article about using your old Nintendo NES with Apple’s Logic Studio. Not sure exactly why you’d want it, other than maybe to get your geek on and add some Mario sounds to your next album.

If you want some more nutty things, check out Musicthing. They have things like making a mellotron out of 4 walkmen, and other strange things.

Articles

Gibson Launches Self Tuning Guitars

October 3, 2007October 3, 2007 ericdano No Comments

Engadget is reporting that Gibson has launched a line of self tuning guitars.

Gibson’s Powertune system has been in the works for quite awhile, and although there are other axes out there that claim to tune themselves, only a Gibson will do for some. Reportedly, the firm is readying a “new line of instruments” that are equipped with the system, which includes “an additional set of pickups mounted underneath the strings that are used specifically for the tuning process.”

Whoa. That is pretty neat stuff. Wonder if Steinway will do something like that with pianos….

Articles

SmartMusic 10 M.I.A.

March 25, 2007December 5, 2007 ericdano 4 Comments

For months, MakeMusic has been saying SmartMusic 10 is coming. The amount of hype they have been making is akin to Microsoft and it’s “new” Vista operating system. MakeMusic hasn’t even updated the current version of SmartMusic to handle files generated by Finale 2007 which was released way back in August. To create files, you need to have 2006 still installed on your computer.

The other day, I received a packet from MakeMusic. I was shocked. It looked like SmartMusic 10 had been release. Alas, it was not. Instead of spending money getting the stupid program out, they chose to spend quite a bit of money to continue the “hype” of the vaporware SmartMusic 10. This packet probably cost $10 to put together. Perhaps more.

Let us examine the contents of this “hype” package….

First