Reverb

Ah, what fun it is to work in the digital domain! Some effects that used to be reserved for only the richest producers are now available for all. Let me give you an example. In the year 1983 two channels (i.e. Stereo) of Lexicon Reverb cost about $15,000-30,000. In the mid nineties two channels of TC reverb were around $5,000. Only a few were able to afford multiple reverb units in order to give the lead voice or lead instrument its own reverb completely seperate from the rest of the music. Some people had 4 or 5 such units which as you can see would be an investment of over $100,000!!

Nowadays the software versions of Lexicon and TC cost under $1,000 each and they are MORE versatile and programable than the old units…..and each has multiple channels – not just stereo……

And it is a lot of FUN to play with these reverbs…..pick a room shape….pick a size for this room…pick the height of the room…decide on the surface of the walls…etc. etc…

On the album Little Wing we used dozes of different reverbs which actually makes the album sound clearer and cleaner……and we have come up with some great new sounds for the upcoming lullaby album!!

Fear

I think the SUV is the result of fear.

It’s the escalation of traffic war + road rage.

Give me a tank so I feel safer on the streets. Give me something that protects me from all of the bad drivers out there! Give me something that makes me FEEL safe – even if the SUV sucks gas like no car….even if it cannot break as quickly because of its enormous weight…..even if the safety standarts of SUVs are in reality below car standarts. The Lincoln Navigator is the Urban Assault Vehicle – announced the advertisement on TV. SUVs are NOT fun to drive. I used to own one and I have driven quite a few of them, from the Ford Explorer to the Toyota Landcruiser, from the Range Rover to the Mercedes G-wagen and M class.

Sure, some people need an SUV because of their profession, but most people seems to own one because it makes them feel safer, or they like the elevated view from an SUV. In Santa Fe one sees many SUVs and most of them carry a single person… and when Winter comes SUV drivers feel invincible…..snow and ice won’t bother them…and since nobody reminds them that the weight of the vehicle will make it slide on ice no matter how good the breakes are supposed to be they drive faster than anyone else on the road…..probably driving one handed because they are making a cell phone call……

Maybe a better solution would be better education for drivers. Or maybe one could learn to drive better by taking an evasive driving course for example……

Scanning

I scan Everything. At last I don’t have to save all those pages torn from magazines. Places to go, art, architecture, design, ideas, recipes. Now I scan them all and can search for them on my harddrive. I also scan blossoms from my orchids + fall leaves I like. I love my scanner…

Music Video

This is a quote from an interview I read with British artist Aphex Twin (Ambient Music) regarding Music Videos:

If I had a criticism it would be that it’s wrong to tie the music down to a single visual image like that.
End of quote.

Exactly!