The Mod.

I anxiously look forward to returning home. I recorded some test videos and I want to see if the audio is in any way salvageable. It really was terrible on all my test recordings, as if you were standing in a wind tunnel. Sometimes you could not even hear the speaker. I figured that I could use Virtualdub to separate the video from audio and fix the sound quality in Sound Forge. A little more post-processing work in the end, but it if I can do it successfully it may deter the need for plan B: mods.

I didn't spend a lot on it, comparatively speaking, but I don't really want to loose the $43 bucks I did put down on it by doing a bad hack job. I was toying with the idea of installing a different mic before I left, but quickly dismissed the idea. This is a bit more complicated than my circuit-bent toys (which in the nature of circuit bending, you technically "break" the toys to make instruments . . .but I digress.) Yet the urge to attempt a mod and make it more useful is overwhelming.

So I did a search looking for any help at all and stumbled on a link for adding an external mic to a shit digital video camera. It's a mod for the Aiptek A-HD, but my camera is pretty similar to it. So much for not breaking my equipment. The idea to mod is back, but this time with detailed pictures. I would love to put a 1/4" jack in and run mics (because I love putting 1/4" jacks on just about anything) but my concern is that it will be to big for the casing. It is not the unsightliness that bothers me, it is the delicate nature of having wires hanging out as well as acquiring a static/pop sound when the external mic is moved. The guy in the demo instructions used a 3.5mm TRS jack (1/8") from an old cd player. It was even in a nice chassis to cut down on shock (unlike all my 1/4" jacks.) So I will just have to use a 1/8" to 1/4" jack-plug converter to run my mics. No big deal, it will be on a tripod anyway for music recording. And when it is not, I am pretty sure I have a tiny "spy" mic which I can tape to the top and plug in for little stuff that does not require the good mics.

If it comes down to it, that is what I will probably have to do. IF- the big if-my camera looks the same as his on the inside.

I also probably need to pick up a new soldering iron. The tutorial recommended 15 watt to prevent burning out the board. I generally use a 25 or 45 watt. In circuit bending burning out the board is not as big as a concern as in delicate electrical soldering. Look at me, getting all excited about modding without even knowing if my model of video camera can support it.

The Mod.

Dreams and drums.

I had a dream last night that my noise path led me back to Richmond, Va. In real life, there was no sound related reason for me to be there. I was seeking the guitarist (who in real life resides in Vermont.) In my dream I did not find him. I got distracted. But who I encountered in RVA was my friend, a bassist, who no longer plays due to a severed tendon in his hand.

I am seeking many people from my past and present, they just do not know it. Yet.

Currently, I have my eye on a very specific drummer with a unique skill set. In this project, it is important to lay down the percussion first- starting with the most complex piece and filling in the gaps with less complex parts. I am of the mindset that the rhythm section is the backbone. The best bands have a strong percussion and bass. These components are irreplaceable. Also, by laying out the drums first, it gives everyone a "beat" with which to sync their parts. (Consequently, I get along best with drummers and bassists, specifically bassists. Probably because in band situation, the rhythm section are generally the ones who seem to understand that the piece is not about their cock-rock solo. There has only been one guitarist ever with whom I have truly gotten along-- he thought like a bassist, choosing song form over vanity.)

Since the drummer and I were never more than acquaintances; I was afraid he would not know who I was outside of the context of my significant other. I am fairly reserved and tend to keep to myself. I don't go to bars and only seem to leave my house now when I have art modeling gigs (ie: work.) Due to this, I do not think people know who I am, regardless if I know who they are. Or that I am nameless, the designation "girlfriend of . . ." Which makes it difficult to ask some one if they would like to work with you on a project because they don't have an understanding of who you are or what you do. But thankfully, on my most recent visit to the house he shares with several others, he did.

Asking is another issue. How and when. I have (and always did have) an open invitation to their house. that being said, I am not one to drop by uninvited. Perhaps it is old-school manners drilled into me by my mother, but I feel intrusive entering another's space without specific permission. But it has to start somewhere, so it will have to start here. Unfortunately, I am currently stuck in NYC for two weeks. As much as I love this city, there is some place else I would rather be.

Dreams and drums.

I hope you (all) agree.

Edit: Seems I can't keep track of everyone. Delial's Sigil Mock-up attempt #2

I hope you (all) agree.

Tools of the trade P2.

My digital video recorder came today. The sound quality is kind of shit and it is easy to inadvertently put your thumb over the microphone. But like I said in a previous post, it was cheap. It came with a mini-tripod (which would be great if I was video recording ants.) But I can't complain because it came as a kit and maybe some day I'll need it. Who knows.



But I would like to point out the awesomeness of the pictures in the eBay listing. For some shots, the seller took to the default stock item pictures and pasted their pictures on the camera screen. (I obviously added any text.) They also included some of the stock pictures, unedited. Truth be told, I like the seller's pictures better and find them more interesting. Supposedly you cannot copy pictures hosted on Auctiva picture service by ye old right-click but I know a loop-hole and I did.

Here was the main picture, the thumbnail you see in the left-hand side while you browse the auction listings (AKA: "look at my new girlfriend!"):




Look at my tits, indeed. Silicone not included in the purchase of the camera.

This is me, doing the lawn work:



stock picture:




Have you noticed that quite a few camera/tv/printer ads use hot air balloons? Did some consumer test panel tell them that this is what buyers like or do they not have enough money to buy different stock pictures?

This is our dog:



stock picture:




Really, what is this, the wing of a plane? How big of a tourist must you be to record footage of yourself flying? I also love how the most stock product pictures have that shitty fake reflection to attempt to fool you that the picture wasn't taken against a plain white background.

Well, time to go make some pornos. Kidding! But I may take the video camera and the Tascam out for a test spin at Allentown Arts Festival.

Tools of the trade P2.

Tools of the trade P1.

My Tascam DR-1 arrived in the mail Tuesday. Light-weight, portable and easy to take on the road. (It is charging as I type this.)



I will admit I am slightly befuddled by the “adjustable mics”. They seem to be omni-directional due to the openings all around the microphone head, so unless I am doing it wrong; rolling them in one direction vs. another probably doesn't make a whole hell of a lot of difference. (My significant other suggested it might have something to do with where the diaphragm is located.)



Initially I was debating between the DR-1 and the DR-07, but what sold me was this comparison:





Nice it came with a warranty. However, Tascam can't make all dreams come true:

Tools of the trade P1.

The plan.

As I discussed in my previous post, I have difficulty relating to others on a collaborative musical level-- especially if I am required to get many of these people together in a room and do something besides converse about the weather. On the flip side, because technology enabled me to do virtually anything I want musically, including making whole melody lines based on alterations of one note sample I've recorded, sometimes I can be a bit of a musical control freak (AKA: Billy Corgan Syndrome.) A third problem is the members of my ideal band live far away. And probably would not be able to stand each other over a long period of time.

Well, I found a work-around for all three of these problems. The idea was sparked by something my friend Terry told me when I was first trying to pull together an ensemble. I found a viola player, but she just gave birth a month prior and it was difficult for her to leave the house for long periods of time. Terry suggested I bring her recordings of the band's sessions for her to use for practice purposes.

In the end, the band never materialized as I would have liked. But Terry's advice stuck with me and came back in a different manifestation. Why not record every instrument separately and put them together as I go along? I can even email the next player the tracks ahead of time so when I get there, the individual would have a basic idea of where to start. When I get done, I can do a final mix and master in Cakewalk Sonar. But I will need to keep myself in check and avoid the temptation of cutting, altering and editing parts outside of the basic effects (ie: reverb, noise reduction, pan, etc.) I want this to be as close as a collaborative effort as possible. Not just me doing what I have always done-- recording what I want and slapping it together however I deem fit.

For my audio recording, I ordered a Tascam DR-1. It is a pocket-sized audio recorder with an external mic input which can capture 24-bit 48/44.1kHz .wav files. I've also decided to document the process so I have also ordered a cheapo video camera (you know where my priorities lie), an SVP HDDV 2300 which can capture videos up to11MP and 640x480 in size.

The plan.

Sound Collector.

Did you ever watch the recording of Jim Morrison talking about the future of music? He said something to the effect of, “I can kind of envision one person with a lot of machines, tapes and electronic set-ups; singing or speaking and using machines.”

That was me for almost 15 years. The resulting effect is is I have been so autonomous musically, it has become increasingly difficult to relate to other people on a musical level. So I am going to try to do it the only way I know how- like Harry Everett Smith, a collector of sounds.

Sound Collector.