Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Staying In Tune
The Pano Tuner for iOS and Android is a free chromatic tuner that uses the microphone on your smart phone to let you know what pitch you're playing (both note name and Hz). You'll always have a tuner with you as long as you've got your phone.
There's a paid version ($1.99) but I couldn't find any info on what the "upgrade" adds. My wife uses the app dozens of times a day to keep her ukulele in tune. It works better than the clip on tuner she used before the Pano Tuner app.
The app works on any instrument. If a band has someone playing a non-tuneable instrument (for example, a xylophone or an old piano with old strings) that is not tuned to A-440, You can record the xylophone/piano playing what should be an A-440 and the app will set its A to the same freq as the xylophone/piano. Then the rest of the band can use the tuner to tune their instruments to match the xylophone/piano.
Pretty cool app!
Friday, January 2, 2015
Here's to Future Sound Effects Designers
You have been around at a time when sound effects cannot get any louder. If you look at a waveform of many modern sound effects, the waveform covers the screen. When working on the sound for the pistol in Wrack, I decided to use a part of numerous gunshot effects I had. But first, this ....
Do you like to travel? Are you interested in creating sound effects? OK. Start travelling for the purpose of collecting raw sounds for your own sound effects library. Check with your tax expert, but you should be able to deduct the cost of these trips off of your Schedule C "Sound Designer" business taxes. The trip has to be for the purpose of collecting your sound effects. As I understand it, if you do anything as a tourist, you cannot write that off.
But, if you open your ears, there are worlds of sound effects waiting to be captured. Say you go to the Eiffel Tower. There are plenty of environmental sounds to be recorded. Has anyone ever recorded the sound of the tower using a contact mike? I'll bet there are some "unworldy" sounds there. Could you capture the same sound from some other tower? I doubt it. It certainly wouldn't have the same frequencies. Plus it wouldn't have the same "bragging rights."
Making something you love to do a business is not a secret, but lots of people don't yet know about it.
Check out the possibilities!
.... Back to the Wrack pistol. What I did was take my own and stock recordings of guns firing (not just pistols). There are twenty-one different pistol sounds layered into the one effect. There's one lightning effect (recorded during a Florida thunderstorm). There's a bit of cannon fire, too. I used no compression and was careful not to add too much of any single sound. The waveform is recognizable if you look at typical single pistol audio waveforms.
Sometimes you have to use compression, but I prefer not to if I can get away with it.
Now, take a trip for the purpose of recording some new raw material for your sound effects.
Do you like to travel? Are you interested in creating sound effects? OK. Start travelling for the purpose of collecting raw sounds for your own sound effects library. Check with your tax expert, but you should be able to deduct the cost of these trips off of your Schedule C "Sound Designer" business taxes. The trip has to be for the purpose of collecting your sound effects. As I understand it, if you do anything as a tourist, you cannot write that off.
But, if you open your ears, there are worlds of sound effects waiting to be captured. Say you go to the Eiffel Tower. There are plenty of environmental sounds to be recorded. Has anyone ever recorded the sound of the tower using a contact mike? I'll bet there are some "unworldy" sounds there. Could you capture the same sound from some other tower? I doubt it. It certainly wouldn't have the same frequencies. Plus it wouldn't have the same "bragging rights."
Making something you love to do a business is not a secret, but lots of people don't yet know about it.
Check out the possibilities!
.... Back to the Wrack pistol. What I did was take my own and stock recordings of guns firing (not just pistols). There are twenty-one different pistol sounds layered into the one effect. There's one lightning effect (recorded during a Florida thunderstorm). There's a bit of cannon fire, too. I used no compression and was careful not to add too much of any single sound. The waveform is recognizable if you look at typical single pistol audio waveforms.
Sometimes you have to use compression, but I prefer not to if I can get away with it.
Now, take a trip for the purpose of recording some new raw material for your sound effects.
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Moog EP-3 Universal Pedal
This pedal came today and I like it a lot. The only problem is it has no documentation.
The pedal has smooth output throughout the pedal's travel. I tried an FC-7 (Yamaha) before this pedal and it didn't have linear output throughout the pedal's travel. It was difficult to make smooth volume/expression changes.
The EP-3 has a "scalable output knob." I thought that would be a way to require less pedal travel to go from 0-127. Not so. I'm not sure what good this knob will do.
I ran some tests. FWIW.
Setting the knob all the way counterclockwise, my keyboard reflects that setting is data equal to zero. Moving the pedal results in no data. It's zero no matter where the pedal is set.
The position of the pedal is somewhat important to the results you'll see below. I set the knob with the pedal all the way up (heel all the way down). This is the low value position.
Most of the time, the knob changed the setting by two's, but it would also sometimes jump by one -- sometimes even numbered, sometimes odd. I moved the knob clockwise until there was a change in data.
Knob value Low High
002 002 004
004 004 010
006 006 012
008 008 019
012 012 027
013 013 028
014 014 030
017 017 039
The pedal has smooth output throughout the pedal's travel. I tried an FC-7 (Yamaha) before this pedal and it didn't have linear output throughout the pedal's travel. It was difficult to make smooth volume/expression changes.
The EP-3 has a "scalable output knob." I thought that would be a way to require less pedal travel to go from 0-127. Not so. I'm not sure what good this knob will do.
I ran some tests. FWIW.
Setting the knob all the way counterclockwise, my keyboard reflects that setting is data equal to zero. Moving the pedal results in no data. It's zero no matter where the pedal is set.
The position of the pedal is somewhat important to the results you'll see below. I set the knob with the pedal all the way up (heel all the way down). This is the low value position.
Most of the time, the knob changed the setting by two's, but it would also sometimes jump by one -- sometimes even numbered, sometimes odd. I moved the knob clockwise until there was a change in data.
Knob value Low High
002 002 004
004 004 010
006 006 012
008 008 019
012 012 027
013 013 028
014 014 030
017 017 039
018 018 039
019 019 045
019 019 045
022 022 054
024 024 057
026 028 081
Here's where things get strange. The low number starts decreasing while the high number increases. And I'm still turning the knob clockwise.
024 024 095
021 021 102
020 020 104
018 018 107
017 017 110
014 014 113
013 013 115
011 011 118
010 010 117
008 008 121
006 006 122
005 005 123
003 003 127
002 002 125
000 000 127
Does anyone know the logic behind this?
As for the pedal, it feels expensive. There is a pneumatic kind of feel to pedal movement. That will probably change over time, but it's nice now. The base is metal. The working parts look like they're metal. The upper case/pedal is plastic, but it seems to be tough. It's heavy enough not to slide when you're trying to use it. It's comfortable when used seated or standing up. The pedal travel is sufficient to enable accuracy in volume/expression changes.
I hope this helps someone out there.
024 024 095
021 021 102
020 020 104
018 018 107
017 017 110
014 014 113
013 013 115
011 011 118
010 010 117
008 008 121
006 006 122
005 005 123
003 003 127
002 002 125
000 000 127
Does anyone know the logic behind this?
As for the pedal, it feels expensive. There is a pneumatic kind of feel to pedal movement. That will probably change over time, but it's nice now. The base is metal. The working parts look like they're metal. The upper case/pedal is plastic, but it seems to be tough. It's heavy enough not to slide when you're trying to use it. It's comfortable when used seated or standing up. The pedal travel is sufficient to enable accuracy in volume/expression changes.
I hope this helps someone out there.
Monday, December 22, 2014
Wrack Official Soundtrack Released
The Wrack Official Soundtrack (26 tracks) has been released on Steam as DLC. It will be on iTunes after Apple's seasonal vacation, which ends December 29. It's will also soon be available on Amazon, Beats, Deezer, Google, Rdio, Spotify and YouTube.
Spotify: https://play.spotify.com/album/2JztVwteK04P5P5hnzvXsp
Spotify: https://play.spotify.com/album/2JztVwteK04P5P5hnzvXsp
Music You Remember From The First Hearing
The earliest music I pretty much memorized from my first hearing was off the radio. But lots of it was from the old television serials. For me, some of the best music was the background music for the Lone Ranger. That series has been rerun many times over the years. Episodes were run during many of the local TV station Saturday "kiddie shows" back in the day.
Here's the cut from the Lone Ranger that has haunted me ever since I first heard it. I wish I knew who wrote it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrr0IT2-utM#t=148
More of this piece is played in other episodes, but this is the most of it I could find right now.
The music from the Lone Ranger got used over and over, from one episode to another. It gets so familiar that after a while you realize the music is often a hint as to what's about to happen in the episode.
There are a lot of good lessons in this "old" music.
Here's the cut from the Lone Ranger that has haunted me ever since I first heard it. I wish I knew who wrote it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrr0IT2-utM#t=148
More of this piece is played in other episodes, but this is the most of it I could find right now.
The music from the Lone Ranger got used over and over, from one episode to another. It gets so familiar that after a while you realize the music is often a hint as to what's about to happen in the episode.
There are a lot of good lessons in this "old" music.
Sound Effects Can Live Forever
For those of you interested in sound effects, this is a fascinating article written back in 2007 and republished at this link: http://www.damninteresting.com/the-wilhelm-scream/
After posting this a friend sent this YouTube link with a sampling of movies using the Wilhelm Scream. It's hilarious: http://youtu.be/cdbYsoEasio
After posting this a friend sent this YouTube link with a sampling of movies using the Wilhelm Scream. It's hilarious: http://youtu.be/cdbYsoEasio
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