What time is it?

Yep it's early in the AM. I've been doing some recording and mixing on a couple of commercial spots for Brian, as well as some other editing projects. Got to play guitar as well as drums on them.

Having updated to Logic 9, I finally got the opportunity to see what it could do. It's really a great piece of software. I really prefer it over Pro Tools. Though I've not yet tried Pro Tools 8, it appears to be mostly a Logic rip off.

Other engineers I have spoken with have noticed that Logic is being used more and more in major studios. Maybe soon Pro Tools (along with Microsoft Word) will cease to be industry standards. One can only hope.

The projects this week turned out well. Looking forward to some more work in the coming months, fingers crossed.

I think I just heard a rooster's crow, better get bed.

Keep on keeping on

It has been quite a busy month. Lots of drumming mostly. A few audio gigs here and there.

The past two weeks I have had a gig in NYC almost every evening. Not sure which is most difficult, all of that playing or all of that driving. No complaints though as I will be eager for next weeks paycheck; which I will need as I finally have a new computer to pay for. It is something I should have purchased long ago, but it finally took the fire wire ports crapping out in my other computer to make me break down and get a new one.

I will say it makes working much easier. Logic and Pro Tools simply purr along rather than come to grinding halts as they had in the past.

Two more episodes of Cell should be on the way soon. I am eager to mix one from scratch with the new computer.

Here again is the link to the latest Cell episodes if you have not seen them:

http://lovablevarmint.com/cell/episodes/episode-nine/

Busy as the Bees

Been crazy the past couple of weeks with gigs and with audio work.

I am working each week on mixing for the Cell series. A new episode is due each Monday so that keeps me on my toes. Also I have been mixing some trailers for Brian. Looks like he has a good film coming that I will talk more about later. And I also did a quick Foley job for a nice short film called "Return Address". The work on the film that I did turned out nice and the director seemed pleased. I hope to have more information and links to the film soon.

I will also be starting on another Foley job next week as well as working on a book and another episode of Cell.

Now I am going to embarrass myself with a joke. This was sent to me by a friend of mine and I thought it so funny that I had to share. It is of course a drummer joke. The real funny part though is the picture following the joke. It is clearly time that I stay away from Ebay.

In the summer of 1969, a mail sorter at a New York post office received a letter addressed "To The Greatest Drummer in the World." There was no address or return address and the sorter wasn't sure what to do.

Fortunately, there was a former drummer who worked the front counter of the Post Office who promptly found Max Roach's address and forwarded the letter. Max Roach received the letter and said, "Oh no, I'm not the greatest drummer in the world." Max then promptly forwarded the letter to Gene Krupa, who said "Somebody must've made a mistake." Gene then forwarded the letter on to Buddy Rich (known for his incredible ego and abuse of his band members for every little mistake they made).

Of course, Buddy had been waiting his entire life for that moment. He read the words "To The Greatest Drummer in the World" and smiled from ear-to-ear as he ripped open the envelope.

He began to read the letter, "Dear Ringo...."

"And you are..?"

Last night I had the privilege of attending a VIP screening of the film “Man on a Mission”. It is the latest film in which I mixed another of Brian’s great scores. I can officially say “great” now that I have seen the film. After spending all those hours critically listening and EQing and mixing, the music tends to fall into a category of, “Okay, lets just get this done so I can listen to something else for awhile”. But after finally getting to see the images that all of that music was meant to accompany, relay emotion, and bring further significance to, I can now place the score into the category of greatness.

What a treat it really was. The film's star and creator Richard Garriott, is truly a remarkable person as an entrepreneur, explorer and astronaut. The images that he captured were not only amazing but some were first glimpses of space travel that many have never seen. And to now see what I had spent those few weeks listening to, I feel that I am basking in the glow of a thousand light bulbs that seem to flicker: “Ooooohhh, now I get it.”

When working on a large project such as this, with all of the cues to mix and perform on, I often second-guess my work. Those final moments of hitting send on the last file to be turned in is always followed by a gulp and heavy sigh of both relief and worry. “I sure hope I didn’t miss anything”, I always find myself saying.

Thankfully, last night all of my fears were laid to rest. I was truly pleased at the quality of the final mixes, and as well, my drumming on some of the cues. Everything seemed to fall right into place and the audience was very pleased with what they had seen and heard.

Everyone in attendance was invited for a purpose, as either possible distributors or investors for the film or as close friends and VIP’s of Richard Garriott. I had the good fortune of having my name put on the guest list by one of the films directors who knew I was in NY and that I would enjoy seeing the film. It was an interesting feeling to be that guy in the room that no one knew why he was there or more even, what he was up to. Kind of a, “And how do you know the bride?” feeling, though no one asked me that question or really spoke to me at all. But as the lights came up and everyone was applauding, I couldn’t help but to sit there grinning like a cat full of canary, enjoying being the only one in the room who knew of the tiny basement studio from which those drums and those mixes came.

And then I turned in to a bat and screeched away into the night.

Through rain, snow or dead of night...

Whew! That’s about all I can say. Finished up a few projects these last couple of weeks. Had a book to edit, a couple of gigs, and three scores were mixed. I am glad to have the work, but a couple days off would be nice too.

Brian and I logged a lot of hours on iChat. We finished the score to Man on a Mission, which is a space documentary that I am looking forward to seeing. It was mostly an electronic score but there were a few live instruments thrown in. I played drums on a few cues, and there were also live strings, and a good friend of mine Justin Mathews played guitar on some tracks.

I think it turned out nice and I am looking forward to posting some of the cues soon. For now here is the film trailer:



We also finished mixing the score to another film, The Club, as well as an internet TV series titled Cell. You can watch episodes at http://www.koldcast.tv/

Also getting closer to wrapping up the Lady Luck demo, as well as drumming on a couple of new projects.

2010 is starting off as a busy year. Here’s hoping that it stays that way!