This is an amazing song. Still.



Yesterday, I stopped by the apple store. I was demoing a JBL dock and speakers with my iPhone and I was playing the above song..."Fireflies" by Owl City. This song is currently one of my favorites. I tear up about everytime I hear it. This guy who was in buying a MacBook for his wife stopped by and said how much he loved the song. He then proceeded to purchase it right there in the store with his iPhone.

To me, it is amazing how all of us are different, but the way music impacts us...and how we can all enjoy just a great song is very reassuring.

Ken

Labels: music, music video

One of my buddies posted this video to Facebook...




I have head this song before on the satellite radio, and to be honest, I had never really listened to the message that it tells. When you play it and really focus on it, there are many truths we can apply to our lives from this song. One that stood out the most was "Sometimes goodbye is a second chance."

If you think about that, in order for change to occur, you have to say "goodbye" to one way, and "hello" to another. An example I want to speak about real quick is a child. A child grown up and becomes a teenager. The clock is ticking before that teenager needs to get out and be his own person. In order to do that, he must say goodbye to family life at home and therefore say hello to his new life ahead of him. It is more than likely a major emotional step for both parties involved, but it is what is best for the teen and his future.

Is there something else that stood out to you in this song?

-Ken

Labels: change, Change in my Life, future, goodbye, growth, hello, maturity, music, music video, radio

Each and every sound engineer has their own tricks to help make their mix sound the best. Whether it be a specific EQ for an instrument or voice, a specific mic or placement or using all of the above and effects at their disposal for the best optimization.

The base of every mix with a drum kit are both the kick drum and base guitar...if the specific genre of music allows. I have found a priceless tool that is built into the Digidesign series of consoles that allows you to make your kick drum sound the best it can...all with the help of some Plug-Ins that the console has built in.

First and foremost, proper mic placement within the kick drum is always the first step in obtaining a good overall mix. I would always recommend double mic'ing the kick if you have the necessary equipment. Secondly, proper EQ and compression (Smack compressor is my favorite for vocals and kick) on the channel will allow your kick drum to "pop" and not sound like a soggy noodle. Third...the Digidesign consoles have a built in "Signal Generator" within the Plug-Ins that ship by default with the board. Place this Plug-In on the Direct-Input of an unused channel at about 50Hz. Add a gate to that, and key it to the kick drum channel. Configure the gate accordingly, and mix the key and the drum together for a solid and impactful "kick" impact for your mix.

Again, Digi always amazes me with their top of the line products. I love their stuff. What tips can you share for others to use? Would love to hear them. If you have any questions with this process, send me questions. I love this stuff, so maybe we can learn something together. Hope you find this useful.

-Ken

Labels: art, audio, digidesign, drums, effects, enginnering, foh, front of house, kick, mix, mix down, multi-track, music, oscillator, plugins, profile, protools, sc48, venue

As most of you are aware...and for those that do not, nothing is more fun and relaxing as mixing audio. I would consider mixing audio one of my most favorite jobs to do. It is a creative art form and the operator is always learning something new! You can always learn factors by listening to music and the mixes of others. Yes, there are theories and practices that go into play, but at the end of the day you mix what sounds good to you. Everyone has a different technique to their mix.

I want to focus on a jewel that I have discovered recently...Digidesign. Digi, a division of Avid Technology, is in no way new to the audio world. They have been top of the industry for multi-track recording for many years, since their introduction of ProTools. ProTools leads the industry in editing digital audio tracks. The engineers at Digi released their live sound reinforcement console in the spring of 2005. They called it the VENUE. The VENUE is not just limited to a front-of-house console. Many have used the Venue for monitors, broadcast, recording and Post-production.

Since the debut of the original Venue series, they have had a couple of different releases of specific desks. First and most is the most popular which is the D-Show. This is primarily my favorite console to work with...not only from Digi, but from all console manufactures. It mimmicks a full spectrum analog console the best that I have seen. Since then, they have released other models within the Venue family, such as the Profile system and SC48. Both are of high quality, and it is giving other manufactures a run for their money.

The fact that the D-Show is backwards compatible with ProTools is a major plus. This means you can record a session from the desk then instantly play it back and remix it with complete control through the desk. They have a few varieties in rack units for your specific need.

Digidesign is hands down doing great things, and I believe are basically reinventing how digital consoles play within our industry, while setting a standard that others have not. I love the ease of use their systems have. It makes sense. The plug in effects are great...even the ones that are shipped from the factory. Of course, you can purchase additional ones. The effects that are state-of-the-art in ProTools are available for the digital desks. Digi has worked hard to engineer effects that function close to the outboard analog classic gear that many engineers have come to love. All available on the Venue systems. Above all, the effects are also easy to manage and configure. These desks are very common. In fact, many of my favorite artists are using this consoles for their front of house mix. These include John Mayer and Dave Matthews Band.

My apologies for the nerdy post. I just get all excited about toys that I play with. Feel free to leave feedback on what you think. Would love to hear back from you!

-Ken

Labels: art, audio, avid, digidesign, effects, front of house, mix, mix down, multi-track, music, plugins, protools, venue, Yamaha

One of my most favorite things about Satellite radio, is they tend to play a different variety of music . . . among many other good things.

Last night, "Beautiful One" by Jeremy Camp (video above) came on the radio. Now, I have not heard this wonderful song in years it seems! The song sounds beautiful (no phun intended), has a great message and for me is one of those all-time favorite songs. This song is what opened my eyes to the amazing artist, Jeremy Camp. He has an incredible story. If you are not familiar with it, I would recommend that you go and read it here. I promise that you will be blessed by it. Enjoy!

-Ken

Labels: CCM, favorites, gospel, Jeremy Camp, music, Sirius, story

Ever get that annoying song stuck in your head? One that if it isn't just plain annoying you would be embarrassed to tell anyone about?

Try this: Completely play a song by Journey. Focus on the words and sing it. I will bet that you will no longer be singing that annoying or embarrassing song! It works every time! Just try it!

-Ken

Labels: annoying, journey, music