TekMonki, Now With More Reason (v8, and 400+ tracks)!

Reason Logo

First of all . . .  Happy New Year!  Hope this finds all of you well.

In the midst of trying to re-mix and re-master some old tracks of mine (http://smarturl.it/tekmonki-saudade) to make them sound better, I came to remember that I did a lot of that stuff in Reason, the software I cut my “in the box” teeth on (and Cubase, but another story there), and as such, I needed to open them up in Reason to really get them to sound right and up-to-date.

So, I finally got my hands on Reason 8 and . . .wow.  First, let’s just say I have a TON of old song files to finish (over 400 it looks like)!  But beyond that, a whole new DAW to re-familiarize myself with – and lot of new stuff with it to learn.

Anyway, I opened just one of my old tracks at random and . . . let’s just say it was inspiring, to get off my ass and start being more prolific.

Look forward to some new stuff in the new year!

 

What should I know about buying a dog?

Missy, such a poser!

Missy, such a poser!

Never truer, please read (and heed)!!

Source here: http://www.quora.com/What-should-I-know-about-buying-a-dog

A dog can be a loving companion, a goofy buddy, an exercise partner, and more, but dog ownership is also a lot of work. Training and caring for your pup requires time and money, and adopting a dog is a big decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

I’ll focus on the negative aspects since most people looking for a dog are already aware of the positives. This is a pretty broad question, so let’s assume you’ve already found a breed, demeanor, age, etc., that will work for you.

 

 Time Commitment

Puppies are about twenty times more difficult for the first 1-2 years than an adopted dog. If you don’t spend the time, you’ll pay in other ways (like lost shoes, noise complaints from neighbors, aggressive behavior, and more). It will take multiple hours each day to train and exercise your puppy, but it will really pay off in the long run. You know those really cool dogs that happily wait outside of stores without a leash, or sit quietly at an outdoors restaurant even when other dogs are present? That didn’t happen by accident. Adopting an older dog is a great shortcut to a wonderful companion but there are things you still need to do to make sure your new dog is compatible with your life.

 

Grooming and Fur

Nails need to be clipped, fur needs to be brushed, and they need to be bathed. Professional dog grooming runs from $50-$90 and you’ll need to do it every couple of months for a dog with long fur.

And speaking of fur, it will be everywhere. It will be on your clothes, in your baby’s mouth, and occasionally in your food. Lint rollers are nice, but you’ll never achieve pre-dog levels again. I find my dog’s fur at friend’s houses that my dog has never visited. It’s a plague.

You also need to be mindful of allergies—are you allergic? Is anyone that’s going to be around the dog allergic?

 

Healthcare

We spent $6000 in vet bills during the first two years of our dog’s life (our very active dog had a couple of serious injuries, so this is a high estimate, but not unheard of). There are health insurance options out there, but be sure to get one without lots of exclusions. Expect to pay $30-40 per month for insurance, which doesn’t cover normal vet visits.

Major medical issues are pretty common over the lifespan of a dog so be prepared to make difficult decisions. If you needed to spend $10,000 to preserve a high quality of life for your dog or put him or her to sleep, what would you do? Where do you draw the line? This will be an inevitable question that you’ll have to face.

 

Socialization

If you live somewhere where leash laws are strictly enforced (or somewhere that lacks open areas where dogs can play unleashed with each other), you’ll probably need to pay for dog daycare or a dog walker. Without this, your dog will likely form aggressive behaviors toward other dogs, which can be very dangerous. Dogs are inherently social and isolating them can be very damaging.

 

Other Factors to Consider

Dealing with Wild Animals

Do you have skunks, raccoons, penguins, or other potentially dangerous or inconvenient animals in your area that your dog will encounter? What will you do to avoid confrontations?

 

Your Freedom Will Be Limited

You’re committing to coming home directly after work for the next 10-15 years of your life. What will you do when you travel? Are you going to ensure your dog is socialized well enough that you can leave her with another dog owner or dog daycare facility?

 

Remember to Neuter or Spay

Unless you intend to seriously breed dogs, you’ll need to neuter or spay your pet. Not only do you avoid surprise puppies, but it reduces aggressive and bizarre behaviors (by yours as well as other dogs).

 

Maintaining Discipline

You’ll need to learn how to discipline your dog and set boundaries, and you’ll need to be honest with yourself about your ability to enforce them. Even if they’re arbitrary, boundaries are important to help keep your dog comfortable with you being in charge. With larger dogs, if you fail to create boundaries and maintain disciplined behavior, they could become a very serious problem.

 

Training Dogs around Children

It can be very hard to train a dog if you have young children. Our dog was extremely well-behaved around food before we had our son, but now he’ll steal food from plates near the floor (a mortal sin in my house). Getting this under control with a baby that throws food as a sport is challenging.

 

Dealing with Death

As sad as it is, your dog will die and you’ll probably be the one to decide when that will be. You’ll also probably be there during the final moments. I’ve had nightmares about this myself. I prefer the terminology of “adopting a dog” to “buying a dog” because this is more about family and love than it is about a possession. This is a lifetime—your dog’s life—commitment and I know I didn’t fully grasp what that meant until I had a dog of my own.

I think the theme of what I’m saying is go into it expecting it to be hard. If you’re ready for a challenge, you’ll be far more prepared to deal with it and you’ll be appreciative of the parts that go well.

I don’t always agree with his style, but the Dog Whisperer show on the National Geographic Channel is a great way learn about dogs. It shows the behavioral problems you can create if you don’t go into dog ownership prepared. Watch it and ask yourself how you would deal with the situations the dog owners encounter. You’ll notice that a common theme is that the owners—not the dogs—are typically the problem.

GarageBand “Female Basic” Chain and Settings?

GarageBand Icon 1024x1024Hey all!

Hope you’re well.

I’ve been working with a friend recently and she initially sent me some stuff that she recorded via GarageBand with a “Female Basic” instrument setting. We then later re-recorded into Live, but we’re finding that we actually like the versions she sent me. Now part of it is that I’m a mix/recording noob, and if I weren’t could easily emulate the sound in Live in about 5 minutes, but in the effort of just moving our sessions along, anyone know the chain and settings for the “Female Basic” Instrument in GarageBand?

I tried checking on the GarageBand in my iPad v1, but no such Instrument and it’s all up to date. Worst case she can drag her Mac over or I can go over and write down every last setting I suppose, but figured one of you savvy peoples may know.

Thanks!

Random: Bridges of Music County. Today’s? @erasureinfo (for even extra random!) La La La!

erasure-l2hu

 

 

 

 

 

Though as maddening as it can be sometimes, one of the many things I love about music is how it presents itself randomly to my brain.  Today?  (Or one of many today already rather?)  One of my top 10, or maybe even top 5 bridge/middle-eights – from an old Erasure b-side – “La La La” – It’s on the “Love To Hate You” maxi-cd single.  Heh, maxi-cd’s.  Look it up kids!

There has to be a little passion in your life.

You’ve got to put the world to rights,

Before too long. (before too long)

When I was young i thought that everything was good,

But how it slowly fades away…

I’ll be going away soon,

For the warm,

Whoa ooh… (going away soon)

To the warm.

Whoa ooh…

Don’t be naive,

Don’t deny what you see.

Where lies the truth?

Hidden deep, in-between.

Lyrics aren’t something I much focus on in general, but these coupled with those chords resonate with me.  Too. True.

Just as I’m finally getting into @beatsmusic . . .

Apple slowly starts to devour it’s acquisition and do who knows exactly what with it.

Interesting:

http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/22/6828899/apple-plans-to-phase-out-beats-music-brand-report-says

especially this:

“All of which suggests that while the Beats Music brand may be going away, on-demand streaming from Apple could easily take another form. If iTunes is remade as a kind of celestial jukebox that combines your MP3s and on-demand streaming into a single place . . .”

something Google Play Music has been doing for some time now with a pretty amazing “radio” feature to boot.

Radio as in “yeah, this track’s cool, I’m too lazy or busy to DJ right now, play me some similar shit please!”

Sussudio was a 909?!?

“For his hit single “Sussudio”, Phil Collins processed a 909 beat with his signature gated-reverb effect:”

Whaaaaat?

“The Rise and Fall of MP3” over at @AskAudioMag

Napster

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting article over at Ask Audio about MP3’s short and waning history.  I won’t miss the crap quality when it’s gone, that’s for sure.  If only I could get everyone I know on one streaming service (spotify, beats, soundcloud, etc) for easier in the moment sharing though.  That or they finally come up with a universal standard that cross-links between services.

Hmmm . . . brb, brushing up on my coding.  🙂

http://askaudiomag.com/articles/the-rise-and-fall-of-mp3

New Zero 7 (@zero7official) EP – “Simple Science”!

zero7

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve been asleep at the  apparently – new Zero 7 (@zero7official) EP – “Simple Science”!  Out today/tomorrow I believe, unless the music industry at large has changed everything to a global release date.

Check it out below – I need to give it a proper listen on proper speakers, but I’m feelin’ tracks 3 & 4 out the gate for sure!

 

Integral Knowledge for Producers/Noob Mix Engineers

reason8-screenshot-4

 

 

 

 

 

Came across this a bit ago, and been meaning to share.  Definitely one of those “oh, WOW” lightning bolt moments in my brain that come too rarely (jokes as you like on that one).

THE 3 BASS ZONES, THE EASY WAY TO NAIL YOUR LOW END

The hardest part I feel for producers is getting the low end SOLID. You listen to your favorite tracks, which just sound so clean so full…beautiful ( if your a production nerd like me, this can be the case) .  You want to get your low end to sound the same, you want it to PUNCH through the mix and have power. More often then not, your left with a rumbling mess of 50hz noise that doesn’t sound punchy or powerful. It just sounds like a wall of shit. I had this problem for years, I’d think ” ( pro’s ) bass range sounds SO simple, so clean….the funny part was, the answer was in my question the entire time.