Sunday, April 02, 2006
When the Rubber Hits The Road
OK. This is it.
We are going to start blogging about different programs and how to use them.
The first program I would like to talk about is Sound Forge which as many of you might know is from the Sony Family of Products (which includes Vegas 6.0, Acid Pro 6.0, and CD Architect 5.2)
Sound Forge is primarily known as an audio editing program. But here is a neat trick you can use to alter a song from a CD. This will create a vocal less track for whatever purposes you have in mind.
One you have Sound Forge open go to FILE and select EXTRACT AUDIO FROM CD. A box will pop up which show all the tracks on the CD contains.
Click on the song you want and then click OK. Pretty easy so far.
Soon the track will appear on the screen and you can push the play button to listen to it first (Play uses the universal right arrow as it appears on every CD player or DVD machine).
Next look for PROCESS and from the pull down menu click CHANNEL CONVERTER.
In the Preset box click down to the last line and select STEREO TO STEREO - VOCAL CUT (REMOVE CENTER MATERIAL). Once you click OK it will process the track.
Depending on how the song was mixed and background vocals, you can have anything from a totally clean track to a hint of vocals than can be sung over or used for other purposes.
If you have other favorite uses for Sound Forge be sure to include them here :)
For more info on Sound Forge visit
elvistech.com or Sony Media Software
We are going to start blogging about different programs and how to use them.
The first program I would like to talk about is Sound Forge which as many of you might know is from the Sony Family of Products (which includes Vegas 6.0, Acid Pro 6.0, and CD Architect 5.2)
Sound Forge is primarily known as an audio editing program. But here is a neat trick you can use to alter a song from a CD. This will create a vocal less track for whatever purposes you have in mind.
One you have Sound Forge open go to FILE and select EXTRACT AUDIO FROM CD. A box will pop up which show all the tracks on the CD contains.
Click on the song you want and then click OK. Pretty easy so far.
Soon the track will appear on the screen and you can push the play button to listen to it first (Play uses the universal right arrow as it appears on every CD player or DVD machine).
Next look for PROCESS and from the pull down menu click CHANNEL CONVERTER.
In the Preset box click down to the last line and select STEREO TO STEREO - VOCAL CUT (REMOVE CENTER MATERIAL). Once you click OK it will process the track.
Depending on how the song was mixed and background vocals, you can have anything from a totally clean track to a hint of vocals than can be sung over or used for other purposes.
If you have other favorite uses for Sound Forge be sure to include them here :)
For more info on Sound Forge visit
elvistech.com or Sony Media Software
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Desert Island Disks
For years and years I would read BAM Magazine (courtesy of Tower Records) and see what people chose as their top 10 CD's (or possibly records) they would bring to a deserted island. Since none of the selections ever came ballpark close to mine, the wonderful world of blogs can now help to rectify the situation. So in no particular order, here are my ten :)
1) Chris Isaak - Chris Issak. I call it the Green Album (because the cover is green). Way before Wicked Game made him famous, this album combined Rockabilly with some cool guitar effects. Listenable all the way through.
2) Rank and File - Sundown. In the early 80's when Country and Punk was very hot, these guys were the Kings of the Roost. Rank and File (the song not the band) is probably the best attempt at creating "Cowboy Punk." Should be hot once again now that Johny Cash is every where.
3) Undercover - God Rules! One of the first bands to make Christian music sound like what you heard on the radio. Christian Punk, New Wave, and Ska at a time when each were plentiful. Title song God Rules... well...definitely rules!
4) Camper Van Beethoven - Telephone Free Landslide Victory. First band to incorporate humor into music in a non-novelty type of way. Basic style is either Ska or Atonal. Definitely not the last but probably the first.
5) Plimsouls - Everywhere at Once. If I could bring only one album this would probably be it. Kind of like the Beatles. Definitely rock with a pop influence. Eveywhere at Once, Oldest Story, Million Miles Away... too many good songs to mention here.
6) Pre-Army Elvis - I would either go with "I Was The One" (no longer in print) or "Elvis 56".
7) Stray Cats - Can't pick just one. Maybe the first album or Rant and Rave.
8) The Beatles - Even worse. Did the Beatles ever make a bad album? Their chemistry together was 100 times stronger than it was apart.
9) Travis - The Man Who - My only selection from the last five years. Something to listen to when you want to hear something completely different.
10) Number Ten -I guess this is the one where I would sneak some extra CD's in my suitcase. Some days it would be U2 (Unforgettable Fire), Elvis Costello (I'll go with Spike) or maybe a movie soundtrack or greatest hits package.
If a stronger candidate comes along I can always bump the last one from my blog :)
1) Chris Isaak - Chris Issak. I call it the Green Album (because the cover is green). Way before Wicked Game made him famous, this album combined Rockabilly with some cool guitar effects. Listenable all the way through.
2) Rank and File - Sundown. In the early 80's when Country and Punk was very hot, these guys were the Kings of the Roost. Rank and File (the song not the band) is probably the best attempt at creating "Cowboy Punk." Should be hot once again now that Johny Cash is every where.
3) Undercover - God Rules! One of the first bands to make Christian music sound like what you heard on the radio. Christian Punk, New Wave, and Ska at a time when each were plentiful. Title song God Rules... well...definitely rules!
4) Camper Van Beethoven - Telephone Free Landslide Victory. First band to incorporate humor into music in a non-novelty type of way. Basic style is either Ska or Atonal. Definitely not the last but probably the first.
5) Plimsouls - Everywhere at Once. If I could bring only one album this would probably be it. Kind of like the Beatles. Definitely rock with a pop influence. Eveywhere at Once, Oldest Story, Million Miles Away... too many good songs to mention here.
6) Pre-Army Elvis - I would either go with "I Was The One" (no longer in print) or "Elvis 56".
7) Stray Cats - Can't pick just one. Maybe the first album or Rant and Rave.
8) The Beatles - Even worse. Did the Beatles ever make a bad album? Their chemistry together was 100 times stronger than it was apart.
9) Travis - The Man Who - My only selection from the last five years. Something to listen to when you want to hear something completely different.
10) Number Ten -I guess this is the one where I would sneak some extra CD's in my suitcase. Some days it would be U2 (Unforgettable Fire), Elvis Costello (I'll go with Spike) or maybe a movie soundtrack or greatest hits package.
If a stronger candidate comes along I can always bump the last one from my blog :)
Sunday, January 08, 2006
NAMM Show
This year they decided to cut back on the number of passes issued and it showed (pardon the pun). The first year I drove out to Anaheim for the show (2003) the streets were covered with musicians. Mainly of the punk rock and heavy metal variety.
How did I know that they were musicians? Mainly because most vendors wear bowling shirts (ala Hot Topic) and buyers normally wear a suit and tie or a variety on that same theme.
The show itself wasn't that different from years past. Most manufacturers were in the same spots as before. I think the biggest difference I have seen in the last few years is the proliferation of software and hardware for recording on your computer.
As you may have guessed Apple had a presence there, but they were hardly alone. Sony, Cakewalk, and Native Instruments were among dozens of companies leading the way.
Only time will tell if they become a standard part of our music lives, but the days of just a guitar and amp may soon be over.
How did I know that they were musicians? Mainly because most vendors wear bowling shirts (ala Hot Topic) and buyers normally wear a suit and tie or a variety on that same theme.
The show itself wasn't that different from years past. Most manufacturers were in the same spots as before. I think the biggest difference I have seen in the last few years is the proliferation of software and hardware for recording on your computer.
As you may have guessed Apple had a presence there, but they were hardly alone. Sony, Cakewalk, and Native Instruments were among dozens of companies leading the way.
Only time will tell if they become a standard part of our music lives, but the days of just a guitar and amp may soon be over.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
When two worlds collide
For the second time in less than a year, something close and personal was on CNN.com (a space mainly reserved for national and international concerns).
The last time I found something, I sent Billy Zoom an e-mail. "Did you know you were on CNN this morning?" "No, where?"
This time it concerned a place I had played at on more than one occasion.
Most people outside of California would have probably never heard of it. People in town (non-musicians) probably never gave it a second glance. Just a stone's throw away from UCLA, it competed with dozens of local attractions including Westwood itself.
A part of the excerpt read like this:
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Esther Wong, who booked a who's who of punk rock and new wave bands at her popular Madame Wong's clubs in the 1970s and '80s, has died. She was 88.
She died Sunday at her Los Angeles home, her daughter, Melinda Braun, said Wednesday. She had suffered from emphysema and cancer.
Wong, who earned the nickname the "godmother of punk," showcased such popular groups as the Police, X, the Go-Gos, Oingo Boingo, the Motels, the Knack, the Textones and Plane English early in their careers, giving many groups their first major break.
The native of China originally booked Polynesian bands to play at her restaurant, but when hardly anyone showed up to hear them she decided to take a chance on rock acts. Almost overnight in 1978, hundreds of people began showing up at her Chinatown restaurant to hear the new sounds, and she opened a Madame Wong's West in Santa Monica that same year.
The first time I ever walked into Madame Wong's was on a busy Saturday night. I don't remember much about that first visit except that it was crowded. On two other occasions I saw Brian Wilson's ex wife's band (woo hoo) and a post rockabilly band where the guitarist played a left handed Strat not strung to facilitate easy playing.
The last band I saw there was the Red Devils (that was cool).
At this point in time all the new wave bands had already made it and were playing the Universal, Pacific or the Greek. The remainder of my visits were constituted of the dates that I played with various bands.
One one or two occasions we had a good turn out. Because most of these nights were Sundays, turn outs were usually small. I don't remember other bands or even much of an audience. Even the sound man was nameless and faceless (usually disappearing somewhere in the middle of your set).
Remember the Peanuts cartoons where you never see the adults and they usually sound like trumpets? That pretty much sums it up for me.
I read an article once where Mrs. Wong said they usually gave the bands free beer and wondered why they never came back. Maybe because they never got paid (or was that just me?)
The last time I found something, I sent Billy Zoom an e-mail. "Did you know you were on CNN this morning?" "No, where?"
This time it concerned a place I had played at on more than one occasion.
Most people outside of California would have probably never heard of it. People in town (non-musicians) probably never gave it a second glance. Just a stone's throw away from UCLA, it competed with dozens of local attractions including Westwood itself.
A part of the excerpt read like this:
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Esther Wong, who booked a who's who of punk rock and new wave bands at her popular Madame Wong's clubs in the 1970s and '80s, has died. She was 88.
She died Sunday at her Los Angeles home, her daughter, Melinda Braun, said Wednesday. She had suffered from emphysema and cancer.
Wong, who earned the nickname the "godmother of punk," showcased such popular groups as the Police, X, the Go-Gos, Oingo Boingo, the Motels, the Knack, the Textones and Plane English early in their careers, giving many groups their first major break.
The native of China originally booked Polynesian bands to play at her restaurant, but when hardly anyone showed up to hear them she decided to take a chance on rock acts. Almost overnight in 1978, hundreds of people began showing up at her Chinatown restaurant to hear the new sounds, and she opened a Madame Wong's West in Santa Monica that same year.
The first time I ever walked into Madame Wong's was on a busy Saturday night. I don't remember much about that first visit except that it was crowded. On two other occasions I saw Brian Wilson's ex wife's band (woo hoo) and a post rockabilly band where the guitarist played a left handed Strat not strung to facilitate easy playing.
The last band I saw there was the Red Devils (that was cool).
At this point in time all the new wave bands had already made it and were playing the Universal, Pacific or the Greek. The remainder of my visits were constituted of the dates that I played with various bands.
One one or two occasions we had a good turn out. Because most of these nights were Sundays, turn outs were usually small. I don't remember other bands or even much of an audience. Even the sound man was nameless and faceless (usually disappearing somewhere in the middle of your set).
Remember the Peanuts cartoons where you never see the adults and they usually sound like trumpets? That pretty much sums it up for me.
I read an article once where Mrs. Wong said they usually gave the bands free beer and wondered why they never came back. Maybe because they never got paid (or was that just me?)
Friday, May 20, 2005
E3 versus NAMM show
For some strange reason, my life now consists of a series of trade shows where past work experience dictated being stuck in an office 8 hours a day. Which is to say getting out every once in a while is a good thing.
In some ways E3 and NAMM are the same, in other ways, completely different. E3 is a trade show completely devoted to video games and the people that play them. Although it is not open to the general public, you would never guess it by the attire of the average attendee. T-shirts and jeans are just as popular as shorts and flip flops. You would have a hard time picking out retail employees from the average college student (maybe the same thing).
NAMM show has a slightly different flair as there plenty of suits mixed in with the rockers and docker crowd.
NAMM just by its nature covers a wider spectrum of products. Manufacturers are slightly more accessible. E3 limits it's face to face time by appointment only. That means Microsoft, Nintendo, and some parts of Sony are more or less off limits.
Parking is $20.00 at Staple's Center (ouch) but Disney manages to keep the parking for NAMM show under $10.00
I made lots of contacts at NAMM, something that proved to be more elusive at E3. It also seemed like freebies were non existent at E3 where at least at NAMM you might leave with a T-shirt or a few guitar picks.
While both shows are fun, only time will tell which one is more profitable.
In some ways E3 and NAMM are the same, in other ways, completely different. E3 is a trade show completely devoted to video games and the people that play them. Although it is not open to the general public, you would never guess it by the attire of the average attendee. T-shirts and jeans are just as popular as shorts and flip flops. You would have a hard time picking out retail employees from the average college student (maybe the same thing).
NAMM show has a slightly different flair as there plenty of suits mixed in with the rockers and docker crowd.
NAMM just by its nature covers a wider spectrum of products. Manufacturers are slightly more accessible. E3 limits it's face to face time by appointment only. That means Microsoft, Nintendo, and some parts of Sony are more or less off limits.
Parking is $20.00 at Staple's Center (ouch) but Disney manages to keep the parking for NAMM show under $10.00
I made lots of contacts at NAMM, something that proved to be more elusive at E3. It also seemed like freebies were non existent at E3 where at least at NAMM you might leave with a T-shirt or a few guitar picks.
While both shows are fun, only time will tell which one is more profitable.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Use the Force Luke
Besides giving away free items at the Star Wars line at the Big Newport theater (yes you heard right, free Star Wars Items) elvistech.com has some very cool items for sale on their website.
Pretty much everything that Sony offers for audio and video recording (Acid Pro 5.0 and Sony Vegas to name a few).
They also offer Line 6, Dean Markley, EDIROL, Cakewalk, and other major players in the home recording industry.
That's not to mention the books, CD's, DVD's and other wide assortment of items that they offer.
You'll probably get a kick out of their website too www.elvistech.com
So go see Star Wars and May the Force Be with You!
Pretty much everything that Sony offers for audio and video recording (Acid Pro 5.0 and Sony Vegas to name a few).
They also offer Line 6, Dean Markley, EDIROL, Cakewalk, and other major players in the home recording industry.
That's not to mention the books, CD's, DVD's and other wide assortment of items that they offer.
You'll probably get a kick out of their website too www.elvistech.com
So go see Star Wars and May the Force Be with You!
Saturday, May 14, 2005
POD XT versus Boss GS-10
Kind of through luck of the draw, I ended up with both of these wonderful devices. What do they do (you might ask)? Essentially they give you a platform for recording guitar on your computer, but the way in which they do that is really neat.
Both of these devices give you unlimited guitar sounds. The GS-10 is the bigger of the two, reminiscent of those first generation laptop computers. It's sturdiness would be a plus when recording as you wouldn't have to worry about any sudden movements sending it flying.
The POD XT is the smaller of the two but much more intuitive as far as creating new sounds and making connections.
It seems like GS-10 focuses more on the recording end where the POD seems to be built more as an all around device (recording, playing, etc.)
The GS-10 came with Cakewalk Music Creator. Since it was bundled free Cakewalk would not support it. The POD did not come up with extra software, but there are plenty of plug ins and downloads on their website.
I have a feeling that using it with a feature rich program like Sony ACID PRO would be no problem.
To date I haven't mastered the full capabilities of either device. Until I do I am sticking with the PODXT because of it's easy use and portability which is perfect for my needs.
Both of these devices give you unlimited guitar sounds. The GS-10 is the bigger of the two, reminiscent of those first generation laptop computers. It's sturdiness would be a plus when recording as you wouldn't have to worry about any sudden movements sending it flying.
The POD XT is the smaller of the two but much more intuitive as far as creating new sounds and making connections.
It seems like GS-10 focuses more on the recording end where the POD seems to be built more as an all around device (recording, playing, etc.)
The GS-10 came with Cakewalk Music Creator. Since it was bundled free Cakewalk would not support it. The POD did not come up with extra software, but there are plenty of plug ins and downloads on their website.
I have a feeling that using it with a feature rich program like Sony ACID PRO would be no problem.
To date I haven't mastered the full capabilities of either device. Until I do I am sticking with the PODXT because of it's easy use and portability which is perfect for my needs.
