Learning

Close call: Massive two-mile-wide asteroid will miss Earth, according to NASA #space

Those who were with me last week know that my laptop pretty much died. With my new, more powerful one here, it's time to my Lightroom catalog and all my settings to it from the old one....

Irene Ketikidi Ripping it up! James Richmond talks about the process of recording Irene Ketikidi's Martial Arts & Magic Tricks album for the new Pro Series. The article should give you some insight into the recording process and techniques used in production. Recording Irene Ketikidi's Martial Arts & Magic Tricks James Richmond: Martial Arts & Magic Tricks (MAMT) was an interesting album to make, mainly because people were rarely in the same place at the same time (in fact I've never once spoken to Darby Todd, the drummer, face to face). We chatted a lot on Facebook though. It took around a year all up I think, although there was a lot of work before that going on in the background. Irene Ketikidi made demos of all the tracks, using sequenced drums. Studio gear The rhythm section (Bass and Drums) were tracked together to Irene's rhythm and lead guitars demos. And this is the point where I came in - before that point, I didn't do much other than request a couple of things in terms of how the drums and bass were presented. Dave Marks did a great job tracking the rhythm section and it is much easier to mix a project when the performances were so good. He also did some great work with the hammond/electric piano parts. Very talented guy and Darby - man, what a drummer! Irene then re-tracked her guitar parts against this new rhythm section takes. The differences from her demos to the final copy were sometimes subtle but it was something we all agreed was necessary. Irene did this tracking on her laptop, completely dry - monitoring with Amp simulator plugins. I then took all of Irene's dry guitar tracks and re-amped them through the Axe FX. Some small parts were done here in my studio but the for bulk of it Irene did it solo. Because Irene is so diligent I received 3 takes of all the leads - most of the time I used the first take. One of the funny things about the record was Fractal Audio kept updating the firmware of the Axe FX so with each new firmware update I found I was going back to the early songs and reprocessing the guitars. That took a lot of time but I am glad we did - each firmware update got a little closer to the sound of an amp in a room and the album is better for it. The Axe FX is an amazing bit of kit! I do a lot of sound design and avant-garde music where I make the guitar sound like other things and it is perfect for that, as well as good old, balls-to-the-wall guitar tones. There are a few instances where what sounds like a synth is actually a guitar processed in the Axe FX using pitch and modulation effects. The end part of Distance for example. Part of the challenge of a record like this is getting it to sound like it was a band playing in a room together, because this didn't happen and some of the songs were worked on in different environments. The drums were augmented (but not necessarily replaced) with some samples - for instance I blended Darby's wonderful sounding Pork Pie snare with a multisampled DW Craviotto that I recorded some time ago. The mix of the two snares, one bright and one darker give a really nice snare sound - I spend a lot of time on the snare tone- it is really important to me to sound right and fit well. I then mix around that snare sound and I try to get the snare sounding consistent from track to track. Similar techniques are used on the toms and the kick - the stereo overhead signal and room mic is untouched. The former is lightly compressed and the room mic is crushed and mixed in at quite a low level. The compressed room mic gives weight to the drum sound, making it bigger and more powerful. in the studio In terms of the mix - I mix "in the box", meaning I don't use a console, but I do process audio in the analog domain and then re-record it into my DAW (I use a mix of Pro Tools and Logic, the mix was done in Logic 9). Plugins are a lot closer to the analog hardware

It’s been a really exciting week in the world of photography and Toad Hollow Photography has been searching everywhere for the very best links to share here.  This week’s comprehensive list contains some terrific tutorials, reviews, collections, special features, great photography and interesting blogs, enough to keep the avid enthusiast busy for quite some time!  The Toad hopes you dive right in and enjoy this list as much as he did in bringing it to you. Caznaeux Tree Flinders Ranges South Australia by Jacqui Barker, on Flickr TUTORIALS How to fix skin tone in Photoshop: Video tutorial – this 10 minute video tutorial takes the viewer through the process of using a curves adjustment layer and its associated making layer.  Lee Brown’s comprehensive tutorial shares techniques that can be used in many other ways during post-processing, expanding the horizons of those who view this presentation. Posing Tips: Expressions & Hats – a great article by Joe Farace that discusses the how’s and why’s of the importance of facial expression and props like hats for portrait photography.  This brief post shares some great insights into the topic, with the points being useful for a wide range of work. How to Get the Perfect Photo of a Steaming Cup of Coffee – this 5 ½ minute video tutorial shows the viewer how to stage, light, compose and capture that quintessential steamy cup of coffee shot.  Commercial photographer Robert Grant takes you on a detailed and entertaining journey through the entire process, with phenomenal results. Camera Settings for HDR Photography – this ten minute video presentation takes the viewer through the basic steps to get into HDR photography.  Richard Harrington and Abba Shapiro host this feature, both of them leaders in the field. REVIEWS Gitzo Series 1 Traveler 6x Carbon Fiber Tripod & Markins Q-Ball Q3 Traveler Ballhead – Edith Levy writes and delivers a completely comprehensive review of this tripod and ballhead combination, sharing some great insight into how versatile and stable these units are.  Use cases and features are discussed here, producing a well-rounded article that covers the topic. SPECIAL FEATURES The Body in Nature: Unusually Beautiful Photographs – the human body has been used as an art subject since the beginning of art itself, so it’s highly unusual to come across a body of work that takes on an entirely different perspective of how the body imitates the natural world through a composition focusing on the abstract.  The black-and-white photographs by Arno Rafael Minkkinen are just this, with many of the pieces leaving the viewer with many questions left unanswered. Silhouettes in a Giant Moonrise, Captured Using a 1200mm Lens – the compression effects introduced by lenses with super-long focal lengths are exploited in the creation of this picture.  As a full moon crests over a hill, Philipp Schmidli positions himself almost a mile away and has a bicycle and rider ride in front, producing a striking result.  This is an absolute must-see post in this week’s list. Camaro cruise in Cary – Jason Knight brings us along on an incredible adventure where we get to take in all the wonder and character of a car show dedicated to the notorious Chevrolet Camaro.  Jason’s incredibly large collection of photographs features broad views of the cars as they sit as well as a terrific series of detail shots focusing on some of the finer personal elements of the cars. The Wonder Stuff – Islington Academy – Mark Blundell works his magic behind the lens at a rock show in the UK.  Mark does a terrific job in creating this set of photographs, showcasing the musicians in their natural habitats and their incredible personalities as they go about the business of entertaining a energetic throng. Incredible High Speed Video of Lightning Captured at 11,000 Frames Per Second – super high frame rates produce incredible slow mo

Just got my 07 caravan back from an accident, they put new hood and stuff on front. i notice that the slightest rain lets water in on the sides and it puddles on top of the fuse panel (drivers side) Is there supposed to be a rubber seal along the fenders at the top or along the sides of the bottom of the hood? Mine only has a seal along the cowl and Im worried about that fuse panel getting wet.

Peace Lily III by Jeff Burton portrays a Peace Lily in full bloom #photography #photo #art #flower #photog #fineart

Stanislaw Lem's forgotten masterwork Summa Technologiae, now in English half a century after publication, is a heady mix of prescience, philosophy and irony

From 700 kilometres above Kansas, you can see how huge swathes of the state have been patterned by agriculture

If Germany can phase out nuclear power and still thrive, why would other nations pursue a uranium-fuelled future, wonders Jochen Flasbart

David Brent kicks off his new series of guitar tutorials with the song ‘Life On The Road’. “E, A, D, G, B, E. Who cares? What are you going to do with them? Whatever you like. Within reason.” The post Life On The Road | Learn Guitar With David Brent appeared first on Guitar Noize.