Don't over look a cheaper guitar as a backup. As we know you should always take a backup guitar to a gig, in case of any number of posible problem scenarios (most usually string breakage and tunage issues), so rather than taking your prized strat or Les Paul etc out, look at cheaper but reasonable guitars to gig with. You never know when some drunken reveller will get up and do untold damage!Top Tip 2 - Take a cheap guitar as a back upPeaceNeil
Google Alerts for social media marketing
Here is a little note about Google Alerts in relation to social media and marketing as it is a fantastic tool. Google Alerts enables you to filter search results in line with topics of interest to you and then email them to your inbox. This means you can constant be analysing what is happening in the blogsphere, news and other sites. It is very a time saving tool. Many years ago I worked for a company offering this kind of news aggregating functionality for considerable investment, and as is common place now, Google are offering it now for free. I would recommended signing up, and tracking topics related to your business!EnjoyPeaceNeil
Solution to 4 Channel Method (4 CM) using TC Nova System
The TC Nova System is a simply awesome pedal. I love it to bits, you can read my review here, TC Nova System review.
One of the criticisms is that you can't do it 4cm, I mentioned this factor in the review "Whilst I totally understand the reason that you can’t to 4CM (4 Channel Method) with the Nova System (i.e. stump up and buy a G-System), it is a real sadness that the drive pedal (and also technically the compressor too) are lost if you decided to run it in the effects loop.”
It really is such a shame to have to lose the drive pedals (and compressor!) if you want to run the unit in the loop, where it technically should be if you are using a distorted amp, as that method also means that you are also loosing an amp channel if you run the Nova System straight into the front end of your clean amp.
This is a real shame as the Nova Drive/Distortion are fantastic, and one of the best things about the Nova System, and usually most amps are two channel and you end up loosing what I am guessing is a fantastic amp sound too.
I have to say though that it makes some sense not to have the 4 CM method on the Nova System, because TC would want you to buy a full on G-system at three times the amount! If they allowed you to run the Nova System in 4 CM, I am guessing most people wouldn't buy a G-System!But then I had a thought.....yes I do have them sometimes.....you could actually buy another Nova System....maybe even second hand...to run in the loop....this would still cost considerably less than a G-System, or even if you wanted to go 'Rack' for the loop, the G-Major 2 is still more than a Nova System.
So what are some other plus points?
You can link the two Nova Systems via midi, meaning you could create a very interesting midi setup
Because the Nova System only allows you to insert one controller (that is either a G-Switch or Expression Pedal), by having two units, you get back the preset control in one and the modulation control in the other!
It would look cool!
You get two of each effect block (one in front of the amp and one in the loop), so you can double up on some of the effects....that is use, for example, an Octaver and pitch shifter or use chorus and flanger together for example!
I think i might start saving up!
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Neil
Interesting article on the creative composing process
I came across this article about film composing, and it is certainly a very prevalent article about all things related to working in the creative industry. I think it applies equally to those working in film production as well. Well worth a read.http://www.musiccomposerblog.com/playing-well-with-other-kids-in-the-sandbox.htmlEnjoyPeaceNeil
The effects of expectation on the perception of soundscapes - Abstract
Here is the abstract to my PhD thesis entitled "The effects of expectation on the perception of soundscapes", if you would like more information, please contact me directly. I will shortly be posting the introduction chapter.Abstract This thesis discusses how expectation is a contributory factor in the perception of soundscapes. “Soundscape” is a term attributed to R.Murray Schafer to define the acoustic environment, a recent ISO workgroup has proposed a formal definition as the “perception and understanding of an acoustic environment, in context, by the individual, or by a society” As such there is a move away from traditional acoustic methods of understanding environmental sound towards a more holistic, and interdisciplinary, approach to the sound environment. Previous soundscape research has identified the importance of semantic meaning attributed to soundscapes focusing on investigating linguistic and textual approaches of how people describe the soundscape. This thesis aims to extend the concept of meaning to give an insight into what particular soundscapes mean to people, and if this related to a predefined expectation based on context. This work expands Truax‟s notion of soundscape competence, and investigates how people perceive the soundscape. In particular how expectation of a particular space impacts on the perception of that space. This in turn addresses the issue of defining a context for a space and understanding how the soundscape is of importance to perception of spaces.The research which forms this work uses a number of interdisciplinary methods, from the fields of acoustics, social science and psychology, with the aim of developing a new qualitative and quantitative methodology for soundscape research. The work consists of qualitative fieldwork, and the development of a soundscape simulator in the laboratory. Through the use of an enhanced version of soundwalking, participants were asked questions aimed to analyse their pre-determined environmental expectation and their actual experience of a number of different spaces, and how this impacts on their perception and evaluation of the soundscape. The soundscape simulator was a tool by which participants could control and design their own soundscapes, whilst providing useful quantitative and qualitative data about choices made in the design process. Soundscape expectation is shown to relate not only to competence in perceiving the components of the soundscape but also to attitudes towards safety, social norms, accepted behaviour, visual aesthetics and control attributed to the space. Expectation based on competence forms the basis of place expectation or context, and relates to the overall perception of the soundscape for each space. When one or more of these factors conflict with a perceived place expectation, then perception of the soundscape becomes more important and impacts on the perception of the space. This work concludes that the meaning of a soundscape and its perception is related to an individual‟s expectation of the context of a space.Keywords : Soundscape, sound design, urban planning, expectation, competence, content, sound scapeCopyright 2011 Dr Neil Bruce - University of Salford
So...
...it's been a while since my last post and a fair amount has happened. Primarily, I am living and fighting against a lot of the things I talk about in the blog. I have been made redundant from a job which I loved, and I have been going through the totally insane process of leaving. It just goes to show that you shouldn't perhaps think that it can't happen to you. For me it was yet another wake up call in the realisation I had many years ago...the sacrifice for the constant paycheck probably isn't worth it. There is no loyalty, no matter how much you might give to the job. You are better of breaking free and doing your own thing. I think now more than ever it is the best time to go it alone, try a portfolio career and most of all ENJOY Life!!
How did 'work' work in the days before computers?
Well for a start I wouldn't be doing this (well I would except in a journal and a guess no one would every read it!). I also wouldn't have this job (or most of the jobs I have done in my accidental IT career....yeah the money was good, but boy do I hate it!) I would probably be building some mechanical tool of some description I guess (trying to find a suitable analogy between a computer program and another old school type of job). Also I imagine that conditions in bygone offices were not as nice as ours today, and I am sure working conditions were appalling in most situations.But the point is, I am in an office and everyone is in silence staring at their screens, typing endlessly away on their keyboards. But what is actually happening? what is the this feeding? a huge data bank of what? What did these people do before this?I am guessing not sit in silence in a office. (but I a maybe wrong). I just feel like that we are becoming more like robots. Instead of asking a question of a colleague we ask google. I guess some of that comes from that fact that 'asking a question' shows that we don't know something....therefore can'tbe any good at our job and should therefore be sacked....or replaced by someone who knows everything in the world. This was certainly the feeling I got at my recent interviews, where I had to perform a number of IT tests.They basically prove that unless you know every single thing about a language (I know some people out there do...full credit to you), you aren't worthy of the job, because lo and behold would you ask someone...or look in a book.Instead of having free thought and discussing ideas we search the Internet. Is this because it is a sin to talk in some offices? Or you managed to scrape through the interview test and know you got lucky so you can't ask anyone a simple question otherwise you will be shown to be no good....and replaced.Everyone in fear of failure, you can see it everywhere.....must work later than everyone else and get in earlier asthat is what a good employee does. Even if I don't produce good results, as long as I am here and head down that is key. I mustn't take a lunch break, as they are for losers. I must just be at my desk, tapping away into the endless void of the digital world.I was once fortunate to work for some one who had the best attitude of all...I don't care how you do it, who you ask, what time you come in, when you come in as long as the work is done and the work is good. That is the best motivation in the world!! and isn't that all the matters really? getting the job done? What does sitting at a desk at precisely 8am prove? ....oops I have gone off on a tangent!So back to the topic....Don't get me wrong, I love the Internet and think it is one of the greatest human achievements ever, but I am not so much talking about the Internet as I am about machines and the jobs we now do/have.The computer is basically a tool to make our lives easier, it is a huge big calculator, Which can perform amazing feats. But is it stealing our humanity? I mean the hammer is a tool, so is a drill. But most people do not spend 10 hours constantly banging with a hammer without taking a break, or lookingup from their task....or are afraid to stop hammering (even though the nail is in the wall) because not hammering is a bad sign that they aren't working hard enough.I guess what i am trying to say is that how come pretty much every office job these days involves a machine and sitting at a desk. Was writing a letter by hand a creative work? is that creativity killed off by typing at a machine. What did a secretary do in bygone days? answer the phone/arrange things etc. Now what would they do without a computer? Now everyone has to be typing reports of some description, or logging things, accounting for things,working with complex inventory tools....all off which produce more reports. We are being inundated with reports for this and for that, and know what everything is doing all of the time...blah blah blah. Information is power, but do we all need to know all the information all the time? The stationary department, is it easier to walk across the room to check to see if you have any pencils rather than access a database, scroll through x number of screens to be told you have 6 left. Will this constant sitting down/working at a machine posture affect our evolution? We sit dormant at machines all day, filling our faces full of treats to make the day go faster and then wonder why we need to go to gyms/exercise classes. If our job involved movement and we liked it, I guess most of us (myself included) would be in much better shape. What examples are we setting for the next generation? 'Listen Jimmy you should aim to be stuck in an office as that is the best career move for you...you will hate it and it will destroy your soul, damage your health and ruin your humanity'.Will we lose the ability to craft things with our hands as they become metamorphosed via evolution into the shape of a mouse or playstation keypad. Will we lose our 180 degree vision because we stare so intently at a screen. Will we think the sounds of the outside are alien as we are now accustomed to the hum of computer fans.The Internet is the great source of information, but we are constantly feeding it new information, adding to the vast data banks. I mean I am doing it now, why am I doing this on a machine instead of writing it on paper? Why should anyone be interested in this drivel?Yes the Internet allows me to communicate like never before, at anytime of the day and night, with my close friends across continents. But being at a computer all day is sucking away the basic human skills of discussion with fellow humans. Why go to a shop now and ask the assistant about an item? Well itis easier to do it on line, plus you can view opinions of people you have never met on the item you want to buy (the fact that sales assistants these daysgenerally....I said generally...know nothing about what they are selling is another matter.....don't believe me...go into any pro audio shop...especially one in Central London...no names mentioned....any ask them anything more probing that the price and be met with a blank face...or them telling you about something you should buy as it is on special offer....rant over!).In days gone by, you would ask your friends about the items, or go to a shop and talk with someone who knew the product. Phone the company perhaps, ask for testimonials. Now that has all changed....who do we really talk to these days? We are so busy typing into machines, that the basic joy of communication seems to be becoming a dying art....or maybe just where i work! =@)Is it time to start talking again?PeaceN