I just got my hands on the new version of AAS’ VST, Strum GS-2, and I’m in love! I love how it makes playing realistic acoustic guitar sounds so easy! Read on for my impressions.
Technology
Computer Music Also Does Free/Alchemy and SFZ
If you can’t read Japanese, and you’re still interested in free plugins for your DAW, then have a look at the March issue of Computer Music Magazine. They’re also doing a big issue on free VSTs and samples. Also, if you have the Alchemy player, it’s also a good way to play those SFZ format samples I talked about a few posts back.
Lots of Free VSTs in the March DTM Magazine
The March issue of DTM Magazine, a Japanese electronic music magazine, boasts 122 free VSTs. They do a good job breaking them down by 32/64-bit, plugin type, and OS. BUT! You need to know how to read Japanese. If you can do that, click on to the rest of the article.
Live School
There’s a really good Intro to Ableton Live course going on right now on Coursera, taught by Erin Barra of the Berklee College of Music. It’s only three weeks long, but it’s a good way to meet a bunch of different people who are into Live, make some music, and pick up some tips.
Free Orchestra Sounds and Free Sample Players
Here are some links to some free samples and sample players using the SFZ format. I was primarily interested in Sonatina Symphonic Orchestra to expand my symphonic sound pallette. (And I don’t have $2,000 to burn on orchestral samples!)
Figure Drawing Challenge
I use art and photography to feed off of each other. So that one helps the other. Art helps me be creative with photography, and photography helps with art. Pencil Kings rebooted their Figure Drawing Challenge this January, and I had a blast. It was just enough work to learn some useful stuff and make … Continue reading
The Best $50 Lens Ever.
I found a great gently-used manual focus 70-210 zoom + macro for a steal at a local camera shop. Now my A7 lens setup is pretty much complete. Don’t overlook old lenses!
Sony A7 Mark II
I got the new Sony A7 Mark II recently, and here are some of my initial thoughts about it. I’m not going to go too much into specs, more into “Do I like using this as a camera?” Short Answer: Oh, hell yeah.
The Cheap Guide to Making Music, Part 3: Why Are You Paying Full Price??
Paying full price is for Suckers. Ouch, that’s harsh, isn’t it? But it’s true. When it comes to music production software and hardware, just about everything software (and some hardware) goes on sale 2-3 times a year. There are a few products that never go on sale, but those products are a minority. A small … Continue reading
Ya Big MOOC.
Just a MOOC update. I’m finishing up some stuff on Udacity and Coursera. Took a look at edX, but for a non-profit, it was even more expensive than the two for-profit programs. What gives?
Kindle Paperwhite: Powerful for Japanese Study
I finally bit the bullet and bought a second Kindle Paperwhite, this time for my Japanese language library. And I don’t regret it one bit. It has become an incredibly powerful tool for improving my Japanese, because I read more books, faster, with the Paperwhite than I have with any other reading platform.
And I’ve tried a bunch of different ways to read Japanese books.
The Cintiq 13HD
I finally bit the bullet and got a Cintiq 13HD. So far, it’s a delight to use for creating graphics. I saved a few hundred bucks by getting a refurbished model.
Answer for Juan (Formatting Anki Cards for the A+ Test)
Juan had a question about how I did the Anki cards for the A+ exam. I started to write a reply, and it turned into a book. So I figured I’d post the reply as a blog post instead.
Snowmageddon Round Two? (Random Stuff Post)
As I’m waiting for a ton of snow to fall, I figured I might as well summarize what’s going on these days. I’m taking more music classes at Coursera; Bitwig Studio is coming out in a couple of months; I found an easy way to ReWire the Yamaha Vocaloid Editor into Live and Cubase; Piapro Studio now accepts non-Crypton voicebanks; the monitor stand works; and finally, my slide duplicating project is taking off as soon as some parts show up.
Great Support
Isn’t it great when you get great support? I got great support recently from Arctic Cooling, when my CPU fan’s bearing went bad. Also, my USB extension cable showed up.
More Coursera Fun
I love Prof. Hornstein’s lectures. If you’re interested in Environmental Law, he’s teaching on Coursera right now. I’m also taking a music composition class there that follows the rules in Mozart’s time. Also, Paddy may be one of the coolest Lightroom plugins, ever!
All-in Ableton, Reaktor, New Graphics Tablet
I went ahead and upgraded to Ableton Live Suite while it was still on sale. I did a bunch of Reaktor tutorials on building synthesizers in Reaktor while I downloaded Live. Also, my Intuos 2 finally died, so I had to get a new graphics tablet. I went with an Intuos Pro. It’s a nice tablet.
Monitor Stand is Done!
I finished the monitor stand! It took a few days to get the finish right, but it looks smashing. Now it’s off-gassing in the garage for a few days, so the fumes don’t kill me.
Push or “What Happened to Today?”
Push, I choose you! I chose it over Maschine because I think it’ll work better with the way I like to write music. Maschine has a lot of strong points, too. I lost track of the majority of a day messing around with Live and Push. It’s fun stuff. Also, the monitor stand is almost done! It just needs finishing.
Reason Book and Other Stuff
I’m turning the corner on the cold. My Reason book showed up. It’s awesome~! I’m also agonizing over getting Push or Maschine.
Push Off to Asheville
Ableton Push looks damn sexy as a composition tool. I love how scales are laid out on the device. I need to do more research to make sure. Also, I’m headed to the mountains for Christmas. I’m going early to help the folks out a bit.
You Komplete Me
Komplete showed up today. Installing took a while, but just skimming the surface, it looks like a ton of fun. I also picked up SynthMaster and Chromaphone, which are also on sale, as well as a second monitor for photo and audio editing work.
Thanksgiving, Black Friday, N1 Coming
We had a nice Thanksgiving. Then I went deal hunting on Friday, all while getting ready for the N1 on Sunday. I’m leaving for DC on Saturday.
Music Composition // Bargain Hunting
I finished my second musical doodle the other day. I’m also starting to scope out some potential deals coming up next weekend. It’s a great time to pick up audio-related software. (And a lot of other things.)
Lots of Yellow and Red…Made it to Boston Anyway.
It was a long, frustrating drive up to Boston from Delaware. I wound up fighting with Google Maps a lot. I don’t like not being able to choose an alternate route at all.
Nexus 5 Arrived
The Nexus 5 showed up today. It’s a good improvement over my old Galaxy Nexus. Like anything, nothing it going to be 100% perfect, but it’s a good phone. I’ll write a longer review later. I have to pack!
Kindle // Nexus 5
I finally caved in and bought a Kindle Paperwhite, and a new Nexus 5. I’m still waiting on the N5. I’ll give a review of it when I can.
A+ Certified (Part Two: Pass!)
Man, that was nerve-wracking. Part two of the A+ exam was trickier than I thought it would be. I know a lot of this stuff just because I’ve been messing around with computers all my life. I’ve built every computer I’ve used for the last 20 years. (Except for laptops.) But if you ask me … Continue reading
A+ Part One: Pass!
Passed the first part of my A+ Certification. Woot. Now I have to get ready for my sis and nephew’s visit this weekend. Part two is in ten days. Gotta hustle!
Glass in Durham
I got to see what all the fuss about Google Glass was about. It’s pretty cool. I’m also cramming like crazy for part one of my A+ certification test next Friday.
Miku In The House // New Computer // Glass Coming to the RTP
Tenso delivers my software in one piece. The new Miku v3 software installs/runs just fine. The new computer is up and running. I upgraded to Cubase 7.0 full version, and Google Glass is coming to Durham on Saturday. I’ll check it out.
Getting Stuff Done Music
The hunt for good ambient sounds/music never seems to end. I heard from Tenso that my Vocaloid software showed up safely. I may use them more often for shipping stuff from Japan. Also, my desktop is dying, so it’s time to build a new one: one with the best airflow ever. (And an SSD!)
Miku 3.0 Bundle
Crypton announced a great deal for people who own previous version of one of their Vocaloid sound banks, but getting it at that attractive price took a few extra steps. Still, it’s a great deal, and using a forwarding service, it’s pretty easy to get. (If you know Japanese!)
Anki Assault / Piano Practice
I’m dumping tons of new content into Anki now, which I’ve finally upgraded to 2.0. The upgrade wasn’t that bad. And I’ll need it for the N1 and A+ exams. Greenshot and e.Typist are making my exam prep a lot easier, too, helping me OCR stuff and dump it into Anki. Also, the piano class is a lot of fun.
Music School
This fall is going to be hectic. I’m going to take a couple of music classes at UNC’s new Community Music School. I’ll also be preparing for the N1, and getting ready for the Boston Career Forum by getting my A+ certification. Somewhere in there, I’m going to need time to breathe!
Enter Samsung
My Motorola Xoom is dying, so I replaced it with a Samsung Note 8.0, because I thought I would really dig the stylus made by Wacom. I like the stylus a lot–I just wish Samsung would let me remove the preinstalled software I don’t want. Otherwise, it’s a great little 8-inch tablet.
Fahrenheit 451 or What Do I Do With These Things You Call “Books?”
It seems like everyone is getting rid of paper copies of books these days, and I’m joining the herd. I’ve donated 8 boxes of old books so far, and I probably have another 8 or so I can get rid of. Companies like O’Reilly that let you get DRM-free e-books make the transition a lot smoother.
Progress Report
I bring up a lot of ideas for personal projects… so what’s going on with them? Well, some are moving forward, and some are on the shelf for now. GTD helps me figure out what I have the energy and time to work on, and what I don’t.
Learning Lightroom 5 with George
I just went through George Jardine’s latest video series on the develop functions of Lightroom 5, and I recommend it. Even if you’re just upgrading from 4 to 5, it has a lot of useful info. I also recommend his library/cataloging videos, too, if you have trouble organizing your digital photos. I love his approach. Very straightforward.
Grabbing the N1 Bull by the Horns
My calligraphy class in Raleigh has ended for good, unfortunately. So to fill that gap, I’m going to try taking some online classes at the Japanese Online Institute, which has an online speech/chat/whiteboard way of group learning for pretty reasonable prices.
Done with Intro to Music Production
I finished the Berklee intro to music production class on Coursera. It was educational and fun. I wish they had more free offerings that went into more depth, but that’s all we get.
3D and 2D Resources for Blender, Metasequoia, Inkscape, and Sketchbook
I picked up some Japanese books on using Blender and Metasequoia to help me get a better handle on those two programs. I also started working on improving my 2D drawing skills, because the 3D stuff was looking somewhat “bleh.” I tried Autodesk’s Sketchbook, and it’s okay. I fell in love with the open-source vector graphics program Inkscape.
Digital Sound Design Class
The sound design class on Coursera is over, and it went well. Now I’m starting up an introduction to music production class being taught by a guy from the Berklee College of Music. Should be fun!
Support Your Local Hackerspace (Blender and Metasequoia)
I traveled to my local hackerspace, Splat Space, to learn about Blender. Then I spent the next couple of days messing around with it and Metasequoia. It’s interesting stuff.
FM Synthesis
My copy of “FM Theory and Applications by Musicians for Musicians” showed up at the library today. I’m hoping it will give me better insights into how FM synthesis works. Also, I’m really enjoying the Sound Design Class on Coursera so far.
Snow and NEX BIOS Update
It snowed long enough to take pictures, but not so long that it stuck too much. Also, Sony released a new BIOS for the Nex 5N with a proper +/- 3.0 EV auto-bracketing function!
Coursera-sera // Nektar Panorama P4
I’m trying out an Intro to Sound Design class in Coursera. It looks pretty interesting. I’m really getting more and more into music production (as a hobby for now), and I want to learn more how to do it. Having a MOOC teach it makes it easier than wading through thousands of YouTube videos. Also, my Edirol MIDI controller finally gave up, so I replaced it with a Nektar Panorama P4. I love it.
Flick(r) on the Forehead
Getting Lightroom to publish to Flickr takes a bit of setting up, but it’s worth it for the improvement in workflow speed. I have listed a bunch of resources for figuring this stuff out, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
Lighting up Lightroom
I have finally seen the Light-room. With the right set of training videos and a freshly calibrated monitor, my photo life is good.
Penciling Some Notes
I dug out my old Edirol keyboard yesterday, and surprise, surprise, a large number of keys didn’t work. Apparently over time, the contacts will lose the graphite they need to make the keys work properly, and according to this video, you can just fix it with a mechanical pencil and a 2H (not 2B) lead. … Continue reading
Buying Japanese Software Online
There are a lot of really useful online software stores you can legally buy Japanese software from, and it’s a lot cheaper than importing and shipping it all. They can be tricky to use sometimes, but if you already know Japanese, it’s a good way to go.
Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas Anymore…
Got my own washlet now. Installing it wasn’t too bad. Viva technology.
Washed Out.
Dead washing machine and dead water heater. Happy new year!
They Got the Computer Store, Too!
Mid-week shopping to get supplies for class, something surprising happened to the computer store, and I heard some mysterious warning sirens.
Gettin’ Busy.
Classes are heating up. Things are getting more intense and busier, with full weeks of regular class, JBPP, and electives. Also, I learned something interesting about how to deal with big electronics stores in Japan. And we learned how to answer phones politely.
Dumb Things in the Rain
It’s Sunday, and I didn’t do much today. I mostly rested. But in the evening, I started to go stir crazy. So I decided to go on a search for a store that doesn’t exist!
ã”ã‚ã”ã‚ and é›»å辞書 (Gorogoro and Denshi Jisho)
It’s Saturday, and for once it’s not raining. It’s not really sunny, but it’s not raining. I’ll take what I can get. My electronic dictionary is dying, so I’m off to Nagoya to buy a new one, among other things.
Through the Trip Prep Looking Glass
Note: This is about stuff I did before the trip, but I’m actually writing it about 10 days into the trip, but I’m going to put this chronologically before it anyway, so that it makes sense. Because It’s There. Before this 3-month trip to Japan, I decided to do what I did before I came … Continue reading
London School of Economics (Lessons Learned from London)
Whenever I travel, I learn some new lessons about what works, and what doesn’t. Here’s my list for the London trip. Now watch me totally over-analyze everything I packed. The Best Camera Bag That Isn’t a Camera Bag Camera Non-Bag: The Mountainsmith Kit Cube is very clever, and very useful. But, it comes with a … Continue reading
Paddington Bares All
First a word about where I’m staying. It’s a hotel called Base2Stay in Kensington, about 5 minutes’ walk from the Earls Court Tube station. London hotels are ungodly expensive, and when researching a place to stay, I came upon horror story after horror story about cheap hotels that had terrible service, or no air conditioning, … Continue reading
More Stupid Anki Tricks– Using the G15 Keyboard.
I don’t know how many Anki users are out there with Logitech G15 series gaming keyboards (mine is one of the older ones), but yes, they do work with Anki. And by that I mean that you can program the G-keys to do all the answering dirty work for you, just as you would with … Continue reading
Xoom Xoom Xoom-a Xoom
iPad, iSchmad. I picked up a Motorola Xoom the other day, because I like the way Honeycomb looks, and I’m excited about the prospect of Android on a tablet. Okay, I’ll admit it. Me and 4 other nerds camped out for it at our local Best Buy on its release day. It’s no iPhone event, … Continue reading
Stupid Anki Tricks — Using a Gamepad
This is something I stumbled upon last fall while trying to find an easier way to go through a ton of Anki reviews in a short period of time. I mentioned it on the Reviewing the Kanji forums somewhere, but I never posted it here. Well, here it is for posterity’s sake. Problem: Using the … Continue reading
Android Apps For Japanese Learners
If you’re going to go Android for Japanese first you need a keyboard. I like Simeji. It’s ugly, but very useful… and really, the only good choice out there, to be honest: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.adamrocker.android.input.simeji Also, if you like to add Japanese-style emoticons, then Kaomoji List is a great add-on to Simeji. It’s activated through the “mushroom … Continue reading
I Have Joined the Robot Army.
The main reason for the switch was that AT&T said that Apple won’t let me unlock the iPhone I spent 2 years paying for on contract. Okay, fine. I can’t fight you, but I can never buy your stupid phones again. Then AT&T told me “unlimited” wasn’t in their vocabulary anymore. Okay. So now I’m … Continue reading
Updates on Learning Japanese, Word Lists, and iPhone stuff
Things have been hectic. I decided to start taking JLPT exam prep classes offered at the NC Japan Center, and I find that that has been helping me to focus on acquiring new vocabulary and grammar. For some reason or another, I had gotten a bit bogged down doing the self-study thing. Maybe it’s just … Continue reading
Turning Your iPhone Into a é›»å辞書 (Denshi Jisho)
So what’s a é›»å辞書 (denshi jisho)? Japanese for “electronic dictionary,” it’s a gizmo that’s really handy if you’re learning Japanese. They’re usually full of all different kinds of dictionaries, and now they have things like a drawing pad where you can draw a kanji on the pad, and they will (usually) recognize the kanji you … Continue reading
Great iPhone Japanese Dictionary
I was looking for a good portable dictionary for my iPhone, and I’ve found a couple of programs. One is great, one is free. If you’re going to use either one of these, make sure you install the Japanese keyboard and the Chinese Traditional “draw the kanji” keyboard on your iPhone, and take the time … Continue reading
PS3
Forgot to post this, but anyway, I picked up a PS3 when the new version came out. Dear Sony, I’ll tell you what it took to make me finally buy a PS3: For starters, you had to cut the price in half, from $600 to $300. You had to increase the hard drive size to … Continue reading
A Few Days With the Epson 1400
I got my Epson 1400 on Monday, so I’ve had a few days to play with it. Here are my initial impressions. It’s big. No, I mean it’s menacingly huge. That’s no moon… okay, I’ll stop now. It’s large enough to create problems about “Where do I put this… thing?” The extendable feed trays and … Continue reading
The Squeaky Feed Roller Gets the Grease
Straying ever further from the main point of this blog, I recently had to delve into the world of printers for the first time in a long time. My 14-year-old HP LaserJet 5 scares me with a foul odor and even fouler-looking pages now, and my 8-year-old HP DeskJet 940c can’t stay in register to … Continue reading
Fight Travel Gizmo Clutter. (Or, Travel Less Dumb!)
I carried a lot of useless stuff with me to Japan. It’s the sort of stuff you see in a catalog, and think, “Wow, that looks really useful!†when in reality you may use it once the whole trip, if you’re lucky, and end up having to lug it all over the place. “But it’s … Continue reading