MI7®

Well, what a harrowing week it's been. Having the time to sit down and actually get it all togther and create something has got to be a gift at the best of times. A month just to write, a collection of internet collaboraters to help speed the process along, and long days dfirting off into the creative ether. Nothing could be better right ?

Now, nothing at all is suppossed to go to plan, and with no agenda, the pressure should be off, to just go with the flow and let the mind have a mental splurge. That is, until internet collaborater No1 comes up with some lyrics, a great tune, and a great voice to sing the tune, to a musical piece first visited a couple of months previous.

So, it's into the dark recesses of the computer, to pull up the track, and see how it sounds with a new melody line. Sounds great, and everything is flowing along well. So, it's a quick mixdown, and onto the internet for peer review.

First comment : "There is something very wrong sonically like the music is playing from a separate source than the vocals. I have never heard you have this sound before, is something off on the set up? 

Second comment : " ...but the vox sound like they are recorded in a room quite different than where the music is taking place "

Third comment : ".....had the same sense of something off, so I'll look forward to the next one? "

And so they went on . OK, check and recheck, and yep, there is a phasing issue, and yep, those vocals are sounding really different to the backing track, so what's the problem ? The problem was, that the backing tracks were recorded months ago, built up one by one, with various effects being added to the tracks. Sometimes 2 or 3 units per track, as it was a bit thin at the time and needed some "oomph" After adding a total of thirty five tracks, each with it's own clutter of little gizmos to make it sound "better" the whole thing ends up a sonic cosmic slop, spinning around in the phones like a demented cat in a clothes drier.

Only solution. Back to basics. Back to square one. Back to kindy school and back to the simplicity of the sandpit. Like a child scribbling with crayons, the plugins are unceremoniously detatched and thrown out the virtual window hopefully to be shattered on the ground into a million little bits never to return. Replaced with just an EQ, a bit of reverb, a smidgeon of compression, and a big dash of ears, all is well in sonic land.

We live, we learn, and try to remember that "better" does not always mean "burden me down with gadgets" So the next time you consider brewing up a batch of sonic soup, just remember....... unplug the plugins.

cheers, niteshift 

Well, what a week it’s been. Ups and downs, swings and roundabouts.

As anyone will tell you, the masterly art of entering song contests is not for the faint hearted. The expectations, the desires, the wants and the needs of the fragile at heart, are intertwined in the madness of the rush of the moment and the expectation that one’s works are simply the best thing since sliced bread. And tasty to boot.

So off the songs went last month, to Ourstage.com to try their luck in the pot pori which is the song contest. Each perfectly matched to their genre, and each with a suitable graphic to catch the eye of the musical beholder. Unlike most of the usual suspects, Ourstage.com really does have a very easy system. Put up the material, and let others judge your works of utter brilliance on a challenge basis, one on one. Sure, there’s a simple registration process, but that’s the price we pay to the digital gatekeepers.

Now, if you think you can get a whole bunch of your cronies to rock up and just click a few buttons, then think again. If you wish to judge a music channel, then two unsuspecting musical numbers that have been hiding in the depths of the digital realm, suddenly appear before you , and you are asked which is best ? Make your choice, and you’re on to the next battle. Couldn’t be easier, and fairer to the musically and socially dispossessed, who don’t own a mobile phone, let alone have the social network in which to use it. You just can’t say “Vote for me !” A MySpace or email mail out ? Forget it, there are far too many random combinations hidden in the depths to even attempt to bring up the desired result. It gets easier in the Top 20, but still a random selection of 190 combinations makes the play just that much fairer.

 So what is the result ? Well, after not really paying much attention for the last month, in pops an email into the In-box saying “Hey, congrats, you’ve made it into the Top 20” This happens twice as 2 songs were entered in 2 different genre channels. What happens next, 48 hrs later ? Another 2 emails saying “Hey, congrats, you’ve made it into the Top 10” Now, usually such things would be treated with the utmost distain, and avoided like the plague. There is a slight problem here though, in that the winner of the Top 10 receives a nice little $100 gift voucher, and proceeds to the grand final for the Grand Prize of $5,000. Not too bad for sitting on ones butt, and clicking a few buttons.

So, the temperature is rising, the heart is a-beating, and the unused adrenalin finally has a purpose. So, its crunch time, time to say “Vote for me!” , let me win that grand prize, and buy that mobile phone that will give the social status and text-thumb so long desired. Either that or a nice couple of pints at the local. Ahh, the dreams of the dreamers. Forever in hope. Later…..

 cheers, niteshift

Note ; Niteshift has no affiliation with Ourstage.com. Heck, he didn’t even remember he was in a contest until a few days ago.

 Niteshifts web page at Ourstage.com is ourstage.com/fanclub/niteshift Please drop by and have a listen.

OK, OK, after fruitlessly trying over and over to plug in the acoustic guitar, and getting a sound resembling a sitar in a train tunnel, the time had come to dig deep, bite the bullet and go in search of the infamous, and these days well regarded loops from the masters. Now, I don't mind a good loop. They're great for those repetitive bits that really aren't worth hiring a drummer or bass player for when fleshing out a song, and exceptionally good if they're a sound effect and you happen to slip off the mouse and send the things spiralling out of time control. Talk about originality.

Not being a guitarist, I've never really worried about the guitar tracks. Just phone up a guitarist friend, send an email to an anonymous web server, pay a few bucks or scratch a few backs, and said track miraculously appears in the in box ready to be fitted seamlessly into the music of the moment. This was not the case in this case. Friends on holidays, unanswered emails and a dirge of new possibilities simply add to the confusion of how to get the damn backing track finished without the most important bits resembling a wobbly wind chime shaking in a junkyard breeze. There are a number of considerations here however. Patience and persistence simply don't work in regard to Brilliant Idea No1 on account of the musician in question having no idea that his musical abilities on acoustic guitar are far from brilliant.

So off we go on a musical odyssey, in search of the perfect guitar loop to complement the perfect but erratic accompliment . And what a host of material to choose from.  Music sites abounding with the latest offers and discounts, all conveniently packaged and shipped to the door within a manner of days. A small thought creeps in here, that if it takes a couple of days to arrive, what about finding that unfindable riff on an internet site of dubious repute ? A quick look provides a simple answer. With URL's resembling the length of a Beijing telephone book, and a whole host of options ending in the domain name .ru, it's quite obvious this line of questioning will result in  the immediate and systematic destruction of one or more hard drives, and a locking of the Windows which will require expert intervention. Best left alone.

After careful consideration of the viable alternatives, and not being a student, pensioner or other worthy individual of society in order to receive the maximum discount,  ( Oh, that's right I'm a  musician, which says it all really ) the appropriate title is selected and it's time to fill out the form. The little padlock arrives on the lower corner of the screen and provides great assurance to the one who is about to send his credit card details and entire financial viability into the abyss of the digital realm. At least the web site does not end in .ru.

Now it's time to sit back, and over the next couple of days, watch the little parcel make it's way through the twists and turns of Fedex, thanks to the helpful little tracking programme that has been sent via email. Oh good, it's got to Dallas, yippee it's passed through Hawaii, and what do you know? , it's landed at Sydney airport and is clearing through customs. It's always great to deal with a company that knows the difference between Australia and Austria. Ok, it's now the afternoon and it hasn't arrived. The little tracking programme said it would be here by this afternoon and it's nearly 4.30. Time to take the kids to their swimming lessons. It wouldn't arrive while I was away for an hour would it ?  You bet it would. Upon our return, there is a white card at the doorstep stating "We called with your parcel, but you weren't in." . NO BLOODY KIDDING !

OK, calm down. Just leave the signed card at the door, and they will leave the package next time they come around. Hopefully tomorrow.

Tomorrow arrives, and there, in the morning, sitting in the gleaming sun, is the little package. But wait. It looks a bit strange. The glee of receiving such a wonderful new toy is replaced by the horror, that upon opening, the case has bent up at the edges, on account that it has been sitting on the hottest part of the porch and has been quietly baking, hotter than a Bondi blonde. Never mind, the disk might be all right, and upon examination seems to be flat to the naked eye. Right, lets test it. Waiting, waiting........loaded ! Yippee, the little package has come to the rescue, and it's contents are just what is needed to satisfy the composer who is without guitarist. A quick mix, and email off to the collaborator, and all is well in music land.

Well, that wasn't so bad. Time to lean over the computer monitor and have a beer in a dark and cold room. That just doesn't sound right. It should be a beer hunched over an acoustic guitar on the porch in the sun. Oh well, never mind, the lead probably wouldn't stretch this far anyway, and the little disc has had more than enough sun for both of us. Thank goodness for modern miracles, it's a bloody miracle they happen at all.

So what's it about the Green Room. Is it really green or is it just the color of the nausea it inflicts on the impending artist?

Sure, they come in all shade of grey, and reflect all the hyperactivity and solidity of the pumped up artist in his divide between giving a great performance and tripping over the leads and falling face first into the "most important person" on set. A virtual world of crazy and somewhat unbelievable antics which hide the nervousness of the soul beneath.

Will it go OK, or will there be wardrobe malfunction and a wetting of the pants, right in the middle of the most needed stepping stone of the career to date ?

It's sometimes nice to be an observer, to sit quietly and have nothing riding on the ventures of the "one who is before the alter" and the plethora of various persons whose job I haven't quite yet figured out.. To sit and reflect, and quietly amuse oneself with the variety of little snacky things which drop crumbs down your shirt, and an array of alcoholic beverages  which, lit together, could be used to provide light to the third world. Of course there is not only one artist, but several, each providing conviviality and mutual support to the next sacrificial lamb to be torn apart by the bottom feeders of the entertainment media in tomorrow's early edition.  But it's OK....just breath.

With the performances over, and the usual hospitality, it is now time to kick back and dissect the whole deal for artistic creativity and badly needed support to the ego. The hangers on now seem to have grown, and are milling around the chosen ones, chasing them from one corner to the other, spitting crumbs on them as they share some of the glowing in the lamplight. As the one who is sitting down, contemplating the ritual which resembles a bad mating season, it is amusing to be confronted by a pretty young thing who sits down with the question "Are you OK,?" The answer must be, having just realized that it's not the done thing to sit down and relax in a room of hyperactivity, is "Oh sure, long day" This pleases her sense of community spirit and with a smile she wanders off to interact with the next interesting person on the agenda.

Another beer ? No, it's time to find the dearly beloved, go home and take a vitamin pill with lots of water, and shake the crumbs from the underpants.............

Well, the week ended pretty much OK. With a case of writers' block eventually fading into the ether, and the prospect of a couple of interesting projects in the pipeline, life was looking only dull rather than bleak. It was time to head off to an industry party.

As one who rarely attends such events, I find them refreshing in their total honesty towards a field whose greatest endeavour is to put a brave face on a plight, which for most, is one endless round of ups and downs, swings and roundabouts, obstructions and frustrations. The sound engineer who comments that those computer nerds are ruining business for everyone by providing cheap and accessible technology, although the average punter has no idea how to use it and over compresses everything to an ear bleeding zero. The television studio producer who laments the fact that he will no longer have a studio to work in, on the account that the real estate on which it stands is to be sold to the highest bidder, and the programmes and the building in which they were made will be outsourced, himself not included. The budding director maxing out the credit card to provide interim funding until such times as the "big finance" guys will fling themselves at his latest project of utter brilliance, and rescue the tortured soul of a true artist. The musician who can't sell any CD's because his music can be found on the internet for free, and most of the venues around town have stopped hiring musicians, having replaced them with the appropriate hippest and hottest knob twiddlers of the minute.

You would think that it would be easy to become depressed under such conditions.

But this is not the case. With a smile and a shrug of the shoulders to indicate that this is always the way it has been, all involved merrily laugh off such minor setbacks as trivial afterthought, and carry on forward. It has been this way for millennia and will probably be so for millennia to come. From the time of the first rock art ( that's the caves, not the music scene ) when Adam first slung mud at something and made it stick, the humble artist is the one who inspires both looks of admiration and total pity, all rolled up in a feeling usually reserved for the feeble minded.

But it's OK ! We're tough, we're resilient, and it is because of it that the latest compositions of the angst ridden soul are born. Without angst and without a reason to bemoan, we would have no art to create. So please keep putting out cheaper and cheaper computers, please keep selling the real estate in which we work, please keep providing endless finance to those who can't afford it, and please keep stealing the music for which we are trying to make a living.

For without all of that, we would be well off, middle class, boring, fashion conscious, media guzzling, consumeristic, uncaring dullards with nothing to moan about at industry parties. And with no angst, there would be no art to create. Now that really would be bleak......

You would think that after recently awakening from an eight year musical sleep, sound would sound vibrant, melodies would sing, beats would groove and the whole of the spectrum of music would neatly fit into place, each element where it should be, each little breath of life adding to the next current brilliant composition destined for greatness.

Not so.

With an array of  sounds to deafen a blind man, and a bank of synthetics to rival Pamela Anderson, sometimes the creative muse just refuses to come out and play. What about a new beat to inspire ? Since the song is only half finished anyway, what harm could it do ? OK, that was just wrong. Totally messed up the groove and now the track sounds like a reject from a pipe band convention. How about some sweeping orchestral fills ? Nope, that just makes it sound like the Lion King VII. Elton would not be pleased.

OK then, how about sending the entire  lyrics, consisting of two full lines, off to  Ace Collaborator No1 and see what he comes up with ? A simple reply......"Don't know if I can write to that music.........." Translation ; "I have no idea what you want to achieve or how to help you achieve it"

That only leaves one option - play it to the kids and watch the reaction.   Reaction 1 ; "Daaaaaaaad, do you always have write weird music ? Reaction 2 ; "That's really cool".

I like playing my music to 7 yr olds, especially ones who are tone deaf and your biggest fan. They  make up the melody which has yet to be written , as they skip happily around the house, playing a triangle,  thinking that their Dad is the most famous of composers to grace the earth.  Ah.....if only all the audience was like that. Hang on, half my audience is like that.....

Oh well, the screen keeps freezing, the USB port decides to work when it wants to, and the cans keep flicking into mono whenever the feeling takes them. There's only one course of action. Switch it all off and have a beer. Beer is great, beer is your friend. It always sounds great...psssst.....always looks good in its amber hue through the neon blinking of the monitor, and best of all  it doesn't  talk back. Well, only sometimes, when it wants you to dance around the house at 3 A.M. making up a melody that is yet to be written, playing a triangle and singing out of tune. Now there's an idea.........

Yep, I know we  all stand on our heads down this way, it helps the blood to circulate.

So what's this forum all about ? Any and any genre ? any and all opinions ? any main style of music ? Am looking foward to getting around and checking out the music,

cheers, niteshift