#Audio Technology for Musicians

[soundgale]

In our review, we talk about the ADAM Audio D3V - Active Desktop Monitoring System. The ADAM Audio D3V is a compact, active desktop monitoring system engineered to deliver professional-grade audio performance in a small form factor.

[ourmindonmusicpodcast]

Transforming Music Education: Samuel Wright’s Innovative Approach

[techalertr]

How to make LOFI Songs | Slow & Reverb music without copyright | 8D Audio | Audio Editing Watch video on TECH ALERT yt https://youtu.be/du03EHJojHA

#techalert #howto #windows #technology #technical #Microsoft #tipsandtricks #tricks #free #love #audio #video #instagram #fbreels #reelsfb #installation #virals #trend #trendingreels #lofi #musician #8daudio #lofimusic #lofiedits #sadsongs

[brevemusicstudios]

Popular Music Industry Careers (2023)

Looking for an overview about roles in the music industry? Here it is!

IntroductionUnderstanding the Music IndustryThe Music Industry LandscapeThe Songwriters and ComposersThe PerformersMusic ProducersSound EngineersMusic Agents and ManagersMusic DistributorsRecording Industry Job ProfilesRecord Producers: The Musical Conductor Behind the ScenesAll About Sound EngineersMeet the Music MixersMusic Promotion and Management JobsJobs in Music Promotion and…

[vyva-melinkolya]

we all agree that the push towards short form, vertical video (tiktok/reels/shorts) is ruining fucking everything right? Tiktok has been useful for the dissemination of political information (e.g Gaza) i’ll give it that, but that feels moreso a result of meta and twitters algorithms being just a little *more*’evil and censor happy. And i want to make it very clear that my hatred for tiktok has nothing to do with the fact that it was a product of a Chinese company, because i see a lot of critiques relying on some sort of sinophobic conspiracy. On the contrary, it’s what tiktok has become in the vacuum of western popular culture and marketing that makes me fearful.

I know that every generation faces a new, polarizing technology and inevitably, there are those among said generation who will critique it. That is the nature of things. However, there is also something to be said about how, with the acceleration of technology (running parallel to the acceleration of capitalism, acceleration towards collapse etc), each coming generation faces an increasingly more malevolent “advancement”. TLDR, i’m going to talk my shit.

I’m going to speak on the aspect that is most relavent to me, as a musician. I am petrified by what short form video is doing to music and to musicians. I think that tiktok provides the illusion of making music and being a musician more “accessible” while actually pouring gasoline on the fire that the pop music machine had already started. Standards for what popular culture “expects” from music are being doubled and tripled. Let’s talk about song length. Success and marketability favoring shorter songs is not something new, it has been the trend for decades. But with short form video, it goes even further. You’re not just hearing the same song over and over on the radio, you’re hearing the same 15-30 seconds of the same song over and over again. This in-turn, starts to influence the way people write music, persuading people to make songs that *could* have that 15 second appeal. There is an art to pop music, there is an art to writing a catchy hook—this is something else. We weren’t meant to hear or understand music like that. There are so many songs from reels that i found annoying, until i heard them in their full context. It’s insidious. It makes everything feel like a fucking commercial, even if nothing is being advertised.

I’m going to pull directly from someone else’s experiences, someone who’s music seems to be everywhere on short form videos. The ambient musician My Head Is Empty has a hundred million streams on the song “i was only temporary”. Despite that exposure, they experience “never ending copywrite issues” and have “received death threats” by people who refuse to credit them when using their song. Pulling a quote here, from a comment on their own post

“vyva_melinkolya unfortunately it just gets worse. i saw a bot content page that steals pod cast footage and spams dozens of videos with my song stolen, comment on a "motivation" spam content , who actually made a post telling people the name of my song, and the previous page i mentioned, the pod cast spam commented on that video saying "Bro stop don't give out the sauce. this audio helps me pull numbers brooo" - so people are actively INTENTIONALLY stealing it and telling people to not credit me. like. u can't make this stuff up”

Beyond this, My Head Is Empty feels frustrated that despite all this exposure, the rest of their work (nine albums) as a musician remains under appreciated, and i think that frustration is 100% valid. People cannot fully appreciate music, or even understand it as a work of art created by another human, when it’s taken so far out of its context. Again, the soul being sucked out of art by “the machine” isn’t anything new but, this is a whole other level. Being a musician is more expensive than ever, streaming earns you fractions of a cent etc, it all feeds into itself.

When a song or a musician i love deeply finds its way on to tiktok (let’s use Duster’s “Stars Will Fall”, one of my favorite songs ever as an example)I am not upset that i cant “gatekeep” it anymore. I’m not upset by the idea of something I love and hold dearly finding a larger audience. I AM upset in the manner in which it is being disseminated. I’m upset with art I hold dear to me being chopped up and used as “trending audio”. When I saw Duster in concert recently, lStars Will Fall” was the song I was most looking forward to hearing. It was the last song they played, and it was the song seemly everyone chose to talk loudly over. The audience was mostly people my age and younger. This complaint might come off as petty or pretentious or cliche, i frankly do not give a shit.

Let’s talk about how musicians are expected to promote music on tiktok/reels. This is a matter of opinion, at the risk of sounding very pretentious: the “POV we are x band from x” “My label says i need x followers before x” “posting this video until c musician notices me”. I understand that some of it is in jest but, what the fuck? When did this become the norm? I do not blame anyone for promoting their music like this, but we should want more for ourselves. I’ve always said being a musician is deeply embarassing, inherently. If being a musician is inherently embarassing then what is this? I dont have a solution for this, and the music industry has always been ugly and bloodthirsty and seldom fruitful— but i feel like the very small amount of dignity we had as artists is now lost and I cant fucking stand it. Artists seem to promote the same single with dozens of reels over the course of months, hoping that something sticks. I dont want to sound like i’m shaming or, again, sound like i can provide a solution. I’m just very fucking sorry that it seems like this is “the way”. And personally, i’m scared that if i dont “get with the program”, im going to fail.

Again, all of this speaks to larger trends in entertainment industry and even larger trends in capitalism. But i’m just airing specifics right now because frankly? I cant take it anymore.

[everywherestrs]

⋆.˚✮🎧✮˚.⋆You are in the band⋆.˚✮🎧✮˚.

Xavier

•He knows how to play piano. So there is a big chance that at some point he will be part of your band.

•If not then you'll definitely play a duet at least at home where the only audience you have is each other.

•Definitely has multiple playlists of your songs. One where's more calm songs for when he naps. Another more intense and fast one for when he's training. I really think that at least 80% of the music he listens to will be made by you.

•Against you ever having a fan meeting. He keeps on saying it's too dangerous to surround yourself with strangers and tells you about accidents that happened during other people’s fan meetings.

•The previous he does, not to scare you, but because he's jealous (He will never tell you this). On these events fans always try to touch their idol and Xavier is totally not happy with it. Even if it's just a handshake — nuh huh, Xavier disapproves. But so you know if your band actually holds a fan meeting then Xavier will be glued to your side and will keep watch of anyone who will try to do anything suspicious in his opinion (which can be just a person being too “close” to you. So really for everyone’s health and wellbeing, don't hold this type of event🙏)

•Usually you perform in regular clothes. The ones you are comfortable in and rarely you wear something flashy. But one time when you decide to dress up: stocking reaching up to your mid thigh and meeting the hem of your skirt, and a crop top, the last one’s one of the laces just had to tear right before your performance. When you frantically started to think what to do your eyes found Xavier’s hoodie which he forgot in the dressing room behind the stage. You quickly snatched it and put it on. That's how you finished your performance, wearing his hoodie. When everyone left you came up to him and explained what happened he just nodded but even in the dim light you could see how the apples of his cheeks were dusted in pink. From then on you always performed with at least one piece of his clothes. When asked what brought this on, you always say that you think it'll bring you luck since that one time it really saved the day.

Zayne

•He already told you that when he was a child his parents hired a piano teacher for him, but as they said he won't go far, he didn't feel that disappointed. But he's actually impressed and proud of you when he finds out you write music.

•One time your band appeared on a cover of a magazine and as you can already guess Zayne bought not one, but multiple copies. He really acts the same when it comes to your achievements as a hunter or as a musician.

•He has a personal office in the house and would totally make one for you, but was actually more than happy when you suggested merging both of your offices. Technology in our century is advanced so all you had to do was buy an audio interface and now you could practice playing without disturbing Zayne. And both of you can say that each other’s presence comforts you and working is becoming easier if you're in the same space.

•Zayne would love to visit all your concerts, but unfortunately his job sometimes eats his free time. Each time you saw his disappointed face when his phone rang and made him go back to the hospital something struck you right in the heart. For this sole reason you came up with this — “Special for Dr.Zayne♡ behind stage footage”. You would record mostly yourself and how you're preparing to go to the stage. During recording you would mostly goof around and talk about everything that you could lay your eyes at. Right before going on stage, you would yourself or ask someone from your band to place your phone right to the edge of your stage, camera to the performance. Like this you would send a video to Zayne with footage about you getting ready and the concert itself.

•I believe it became a tradition for you and Zayne after each of your concerts to go to any confectionery and buy a small cake. At home both of you would sit down and eat it together without even cutting it, just with forks while talking about how the concert went.

•Greyson and Yvonne can confirm that Zayne never listened to music between work, or at least they didn't see it with their own eyes. But now during breaks they can see him wearing headphones and once Greyson caught a glimpse of the name of the song he was listening to and searched the internet for it. To his and Yvonne’s surprise when they played the song they heard your voice. The next time when you visited Akso hospital you caught Yvonne humming a familiar tune, but you snapped yourself and said that it's impossible and continued to walk towards Zayne’s office.

Rafayel

•He would call himself the true number one fan and that was at the very beginning of your band career.

•Despite multiple times telling him that no, you are not quitting your hunter job and that the band is not even a job it's just for yourself he still insists that it's super important and that he needs to do all the stuff he does for the band.

•He asks, then later it turns in a demand, to be the first one to listen to your new songs, even if it's just a small part that you wrote or a short verse and the song is far away from being finished.

•For every song that you released he definitely wrote at least one painting. They actually turned out so good that when Thomas first saw one of them he couldn't contain his joy thinking of how the price for this piece would keep rising on auction only for a wave of disappointment wash over him when Rafayel refused to sell any of those paintings saying that they are priceless.

•From the previous point you can already imagine, that if you ever get serious about your band and actually will release an album you won't need to order a cover for it because Rafayel will happily make one for you. He will actually be so offended and baffled if you go to the other artist for it. He will insist that no other artist but himself will be able to fully grasp the meaning of your songs and paint it on the canvas.

•You get a special thank you from Thomas. As you already know Rafayel hates to go to his own exhibition. Talking with potential buyers and just visitors tires him out and he usually leaves, more like escapes, the place before the official ending. After Thomas found out that you play music now he just needs to turn on one of your songs, on a low volume, in the hall where the exhibition is going and magically Rafayel stays in place until the very end. Maybe other visitors don't pay attention to music, but Rafayel feels toothed and gets more relaxed just by hearing your voice and he won't be himself if he leaves without you finishing your song.

Sylus

•As when he gifted you the new model of a gun insisting that the one the association gives you is very old and so “cumbersome” so he made you a new one the same happened when he found out your hobby. But this time it didn't end on one instrument for you, no. He bought everything, instruments, equipment and a lot more. You found this out when each of your bandmates texted you their thanks for them.

•Onychinus's base is very spacious and some might say even empty if you count that only a handful of people live there. So of course no one of the residents was against Sylus making one of the rooms a private music room for you. At first you were embarrassed to use it, but slowly, with time you started to find yourself practicing one of your new songs in that room.

•For the revenge of all the embarrassment you felt from your bandmates’ teasing about your “rich and caring” boyfriend you decide to make Sylus taste the same, if he even knows what embarrassment is. You wrote a song about scandalous love between a girl and a boy, who was in a gang, and how the boy kept trying to make the girl turn on his side, but she was still insisting on being a good girl. It was the first song where you ever added a suggesting lyrics, but it was only to see what emotion it’ll awaken in Sylus, you kept telling yourself. When the time came you were on the stage in one of the N109 zone’s bars. Sylus was right in the corner, away from the crowd cheering right before the stage. And when you sung every lyric with a double meaning your eyes would stare right into his and on one of them you actually sent a coy smile at him which only made Sylus raise a brow. When you finished performing and got off the stage you went up to him and asked what he thought of your new song. He only smiled and said that he likes it, but judging by that smile you could already predict what was awaiting you when you both will reach the door of your bedroom.

•We know how Sylus has a record player and he has a large collection of records. So I'm sure he will find a master who will transfer each of your songs to a record and Sylus will start a separate shelf for those. And when you’ll be away for a hunter mission he’ll turn it on and while listening to the song will read a book or something.

•If you think that you have only one fan in Onychinus then you're wrong. You have two more human fans and a bird fan. Luke and Kieran would jokingly ask for your autograph saying when you’ll get more popular they will resell it with a high price (They keep saying it, but I actually think they won't ever do it and they have this piece of paper framed and somewhere hidden in their things. About Mephisto… he won't annoy you when you're playing or focused on writing, maybe he'll actually perch on some furniture and just watch and listen to you practicing.

Caleb

•Your band first debuted in high school and partly you can say that Caleb was behind it. You wanted to play behind the closed door, only for yourself because you were not so confident, but Caleb kept insisting that you did amazing and you should at least give it a try and if something bad happens he’ll always be there for you.

•Everyone in the band knows Caleb because he always helped you out. You need to fix something? Call Caleb. You can't find the right venue? Call Caleb. And it's not like you exploit him, no, he is actually really happy when you ask for help especially if it's about your band.

•You jokingly once called him your own-personal-manager and he kindly played along. But really. From other people's point of view it really looks as if he's your manager. You go to him if you want to review your lyrics and he always gives you his honest opinion. He’s present at all your concerts and is allowed backstage. Gosh, sometimes you forget about your own deadlines and rehearsals and he’s the one to remind you.

•I believe that one day when he was helping clean your room he found a crumpled piece of paper. When he unfurled it he found the lyrics written in your handwriting, but he didn't recognise at first to what song was for until he fully read them. When Caleb “died” you were depressed and the only way you knew how to get the pain off your chest is to write music. So you wrote what you felt when he left your side. Of course you never thought about making it a whole song, because the words you wrote were too personal for others to hear. When Caleb finished reading he tucked away the paper in one of his pants’ pockets. That day he was extra clingy, in your opinion, but you allowed it because you were feeling the same way because Caleb finally got back from his Deepspace mission.

A/n: hiii! I actually didn't write author notes in the previous post bc I didn't believe that anyone would actually see it🥲 But I'm really happy that so much people liked it!

This night inspiration came to me with two ideas, this is one of them the second I'll try to write this weekend and post it at the same day. (This post I wrote in one day which is like a miracle for me, well what can i say? Beautiful man can make me do things)

[adafruit]

🎄💾🗓️ Day 18: Retrocomputing Advent Calendar - Commodore 64🎄💾🗓️

The Commodore 64, released in 1982, is one of the ones we keep hearing got many people their start in their own computing history. Powered by a MOS Technology 6510 processor at 1.02 MHz and featuring 64 KB of RAM, it became the best-selling single computer model of all time, with an estimated 12.5–17 million units sold. Its graphics were driven by the VIC-II chip, capable of 16 colors, hardware sprites, and smooth scrolling, while the SID (Sound Interface Device) chip delivered advanced audio, supporting three voices with waveforms and filters, making it a lot of fun for gaming and music.

Featured a built-in BASIC interpreter, allowing users to write their own programs out-of-the-box. The C64’s affordability, large software library, lots of games, productivity, and educational applications made it a household name. It connected to TVs as monitors and supported peripherals like the 1541 floppy disk drive, datasette, and various joysticks. With over 10,000 commercial software titles and a thriving homebrew scene, the C64 helped define a generation of computer enthusiasts.

Its impact on gaming was gigantic, iconic titles like The Last Ninja, Maniac Mansion, and Impossible Mission. The C64 also inspired a demoscene, where programmers pushed its hardware for visual and audio effects. The Commodore 64 remains a symbol of computing for the masses and creative innovation, still loved by retrocomputing fans today.

Check out the National Museum of American History, and Wikipedia. https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_334636 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64

And…! An excellent story from Jepler -

== While I started on the VIC 20, the Commodore 64 was my computer for a lot longer. Its SID sound chip was a headline feature, and many of my memories of it center around music. Starting with Ultima III, each game in the series had a different soundtrack for each environment (though each one was on a pretty short loop, it probably drove my folks nuts when I would play for hours). There were music editors floating around, so I tried my hand at arranging music for its 3 independent voices, though I can't say I was any good or that I have any of the music now. You could also download "SID tunes" on the local BBSes, where people with hopefully a bit more skill had arranged everything from classical to Beatles to 80s music.

Folks are still creating cool new music on the Commodore 64. One current creator that I like a great deal is Linus Åkesson. Two videos from 2024 using the Commodore 64 that really impressed me were were a "Making 8-bit Music From Scratch at the Commodore 64 BASIC Prompt", a live coding session (http://www.linusakesson.net/programming/music-from-scratch/index.php) and Bach Forever (http://www.linusakesson.net/scene/bach-forever/index.php) a piece played by Åkesson on two Commodore 64s.

Like so many things, you can also recreate the experience online. Here's the overworld music for Ultima III: https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/MUSICIANS/A/Arnold_Kenneth/Ultima_III-Exodus.sid&subtune=1 -- the site has hundreds or thousands of other SIDs available to play right in the browser.

Have first computer memories? Post’em up in the comments, or post yours on socialz’ and tag them #firstcomputer #retrocomputing – See you back here tomorrow!

[elviraaxen]

Two questions!

1. In felt world, do they have their own felt-made technology since they would be at risk of getting electrocuted if they had actual devices like TV's or phones? Or would they only have simple things such as radios?

2. Can felt people still get bruises?

Very good questions!!

1. In Felt world, they never discovered nor want to use electricity as a source of energy. They have music (magic) that functions practically the same but without the risks of electrocution and thusly never felt inclined to discover the possibilities of electricity. Because of this their technological advancements look different from ours, they have gotten very far in terms of audio technology, "electric" instruments, radio, and vehicles, anything that has to do with music and the traveling musician lifestyle. TVs and phone lines exist (no cell phones), but they're a bit different due to satellites not being invented.

2. They cannot! They don't have blood, but their skin can scuff and tare and it hurts just as much as when we are wounded.

[thecoleopterawithana]

Eras: The Beatles | Episode 6 - Now and Then

In the final episode of Eras: The Beatles, we hear the story behind The Beatles' final single Now and Then, including new interviews with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Narrated by Martin Freeman, the episode also features insight on the new track from Sean Ono Lennon, Olivia Harrison and Peter Jackson.

.

[This episode features more complete audio from the soundbites included in the 'Now and Then' short film/documentary. Under the cut are transcriptions of some of my favorite sections. Including Paul's interpretation of the meaning of 'Now and Then' (bonus points if you guess his answer!)]

PAUL: And then 'Now and Then' just kind of languished in a cupboard and we didn't do anything with it. I kept saying, "You know, maybe we should do something with this, seems a bit—" "Hm, I don't know..." There wasn't a great desire to do anything with it. So it hung around for a while. Years! And every so often, I'd kind of go to the cupboard and think, "There's a new song in there! We should do it! We gotta do it!" But it'd go back in the cupboard.

[...]

PAUL: Peter [Jackson] had sent me a text while he was doing the 'Get Back' thing. He said, "Here's a piece of dialogue of John's that I'd like to use, but George is rehearsing in the background," and you could hear George's guitar and you couldn't really make out quite what John was saying because it was distracting. He said, "But we've got this new technology: Machine Assisted Learning. M.A.L., so we're calling it MAL." Which was like— that was really cool! Because our old road manager and dear friend was Mal [Evans].

[...]

PETER JACKSON: I'd had this idea for two or three years about him [Paul] singing a duet with John. And the fact that we'd developed this software now allows us to separate the voices and the music meant that I could take a song that John and Paul were singing on, just separate John's vocal only, and Paul could have that for playing on stage. And then his band and himself could do the vocals and the playing for the rest of the song. So he could do a duet with John. He didn't even blink, he just said, "That's a fantastic idea, I love it! Let's do it!" And so we quickly turned that around and got that underway. So Paul was now touring with a John Lennon duet on 'I Got a Feeling'.

[...]

PETER JACKSON: I got a phone call from Paul saying, "Is it possible to use that technology for another project I've been thinking about? [...] Would it be possible to take John's vocal and clean it up and get rid of everything else? Because that would allow us to finish this Beatles song." And absolutely, it didn't take me more than about a second to get back to him and say, "Of course we can do it!"

[...]

PETER JACKSON: We assumed that the copy of 'Now and Then' that they were working to in the studio in 1995, where the vocals were coming from, was probably not a first-generation copy. [...] So we though, well this is probably a third generation [tape copy]. [...] And so we contacted Sean Lennon and he was very helpful. And sure enough, we got a digital copy of the original. Which is the same demo, same performance, but two generations better.

[...]

RINGO: I'm sitting there thinking, "I don't remember George doing that solo?" It was just like practicing, maybe. Cus it sounds like George! Then Paul said, "No, it's me." [laughs] But Paul did a great job. I mean, he's very good, you know, Paul. He's a very good musician.

[...]

RINGO: Giles [Martin] had to fly out to LA one day to listen to a four-hour string session that Paul wanted, and then fly back to England! [laughs] There's no string sections in England!

[...]

PAUL: Eventually, when we got to mix number 7 it was, "Wow, this is it! Now it's a Beatle record!" And we played it to various people, some of whom cried. Some of whom said, "Jesus Christ! It's a Beatles record!" But the reaction was very favorable.

[...]

RINGO: The difference from the two tracks of John, the old track of John— you know, we have to thank Sean as well, because he found the original tape. So that's the one you can really hear John, not the copy-copy-copies. And... it's like John's there, you know. It's far out. It's so clear now you know it's him. Cus on the original one we were working to I couldn't tell if it was Paul or John singing half the time. But now you know it's John! [chuckles]

[...]

PAUL: I think it just means 'now and then'. "Now and then, I have a cup of tea". I'm not sure it means an awful lot more than that. But, looking at it from today's perspective, now and then. Then you can start to get all sorts of meanings in. The modern-day, the historical past of the Beatles. It lines up with all of that. But we were always very happy to let people make their own minds up. "Here it is, it's a song. Now, the minute we deliver it to you, it's up to you. You can do anything you want with it." And people do!

[...]

RINGO: And that was what it was like for the three of us when we started this role in the 90s. We had to pretend— it always makes me laugh when I think of it— we had to pretend that he'd gone for a cup of tea or his lunch. But that he was still around. Because it was very strange when we started there's only three of us, after all those years, and all that life, that there were four of us. And I still miss him, man!

[...]

SEAN LENNON: It feels very synchronous that the lyric speaks about time and that it's taken so much time. That it sort of fuses the past and the present. It's like a time capsule. And it all feels very meant to be — or fated, or something — in the nicest sense.

[...]

PAUL: When I remember the Beatles, I remember the joy, the talent, the humor, the love. And I think, if people remembered us for that — for those things — I'd be very happy.

[thealogie]

q&a report q&a report (late but better than never) q&a report i didn't catch quiiiite everything in detail but i did my very best

we got: dt ros watt (malcolm) jatinder singh randhawa (porter) cal macaninch (banquo) casper knopf (fleance, the kid actor) alasdair macrae (musician, murderer) annie grace (gentlewoman, musician) and i think? kathleen macinnes (singer)

the last three people all shuffled in a bit apart from each other after the round of everyone introducing themselves by name and character was already over so i'm not sure i caught them all accurately. i'll refer to people by first names

during the introduction round i think casper started introducing himself and got kid applause so the audience ended up giving every single person a sped up little round of applause like a cute lil call and response rhythm between introduction - applause of very specific short length which was kind of funny. the cast joined in for each others as well and everyone made funny faces while applauding.

most questions were asked by the moderator

question: What did you think about the production when they first heard about it? cal was confused but intrigued. a lot of "not sure how it was going to work or feel like". when david and cush got on it the binaural audio wasn't yet firmly part of the concept but he was intrigued by the approach through trauma and how that affects the macbeths' relationship.

question: Wow was it for them with the binaural audio knowing the experience is different for the audience? what do they think? dt: we don't quite now how it comes together. the sounds are all cued off us actors, not the other way around. all i know is without Laura we would be fucked! (Laura = live sound mixing person) ros: we never quite know how it sounds for the audience, we were able to put on headphones and experience scenes we're not in in rehearsal, but i want to watch the whole thing! the cue speakers have some stripped down sounds and music that are relevant for the actors. but the audio choices enabled us to create intimacy jatinder: i think it makes the audience better able to relate to mental health struggles and trauma, giving what happens in the characters heads into your heads and relate it to your own experience. i think everyone here in the room has some of their own experiences with mental health and… voices in their head

question to the musicians: how does your work add to the concept and experience? kathleen (i think mostly, but the other musicians might also have weighed in): music enables us to place the text in a very Scottish place, but without getting in the way of the text. The headphones make it possible that it mixes with all the layers, balancing between music, sounds and lines is possible thanks to the technology. you can have loudly, energetically played music but then mix it at a level where it doesn't interfere with lines, when usually you would have to play quietly to let the text come through, which creates a different atmosphere. kathleen: i was advised to sing when nobody is speaking and turn that to humming when somebody is. so it was also very useful to have the glass box and always see what is happening on stage.

question about the porter scene: how did that come to pass, especially making a more modern version out of it? jatinder: decided together with max to just play it and see where it goes, starting with improvisation and then fleshing it out. there was an interest in finding a modern equivalent to the original jokes that audiences would perceive in a similar way as audiences back then would have related to the original jokes. the scene purposefully takes a bit of the intensity out - basically an emotional intermission in the middle of this really intense and dark journey. but my job was also in the end of the scene to bring the audience back into it.

question to david: What makes you come back to the big parts? dt: Well, Max had a good idea and I like Max. I liked the idea of the themes of PTSD and child loss and I like the donmar warehouse. i performed here 20 years ago, which is remarkable because i'm in my mid twenties right now! (laughs all around). there's something a bit magical about this space and doing an olympic event of a part like this one in this intimate of a space.

audience member question to Casper (kid): What is your favorite bit of the play? casper: my favorite bits are the murdering… or the attempt to murder. (laughs all around) But no, seriously. I like scenes where I'm not being killed and I'm having a conversation with someone that's not about death. different cast member (not sure who): -Is- there even a scene like that? (everyone laughs) dt, turning to Casper kind of conspiratorially: My favorite bit every night is the audience's reaction to your neck getting broken. (raised eyebrows, nodding to the audience with a wide grin) That's always something.

audience member question: Do you notice the audience being different in any way with the headphones compared to your experiences in other plays? different cast members answer in bits and pieces (sometimes i have a vague memory who it was…) ros: with the headphones sometimes people are louder, sometimes i feel like you are more connected and zoned in on us! maybe because you don't have the opportunity to talk to your neighbor maybe… somebody else: i feel like it's very quiet and there is somehow less coughing than usual. (laughs around) i don't know why that is!!

audience member question: What other productions of macbeth influenced this one: [here be the the answer part with david's ian mckellen impression, see the other post] musicians (i think annie): we came straight, literally no break, from the RSC's macbeth production so we really had to empty our brains. there was no break in between, but the music is very different and Max's vision also very different, so we really had to unlearn parts

audience member question: The physical theatre stuff, the witch swarm, how did that come about? ros: We really tried to think more of what would be a physical representation of the voices in somebody's head. Everybody in Macbeth's life is watching, taunting, staring at him. It was always more about the intention of the movement, what these voices want to do to him and less what the movement itself is.

THANK YOU for transcribing all of this. I love getting an explanation for what the swarm of witches were meant to represent! It really did feel like a dance/feeling more than a literal scene and it’s fun to know that was sort of the intent. (Also the neck snapping bit - I also loved the audience’s reaction to that every night.)

[burlveneer-music]

ContaQt + Evan Ziporyn + Friends - Poppy 88 - Terry Riley's "Poppy Nogood and the Phantom Band" interpreted in real-time by "88 individuals, spread across 60 locations in 23 countries and 6 continents" for his 88th birthday last year

(And I hate that usage of 88 for purely numeric purposes requires an explanation/disclaimer)

On June 24th, 2023, to celebrate Terry Riley's 88th birthday, ContaQt and MIT Sounding presented a global telematic event that resonated – literally - worldwide. At the stroke of midnight EDT, a diverse community of 88 individuals, spread across 60 locations in 23 countries and 6 continents came together online to play music with one another, live and in real-time. With no pre-recorded material, no click tracks, no safety nets or contingency plans, together they performed Poppy 88, a collective composition arranged by Evan Ziporyn, inspired by - and based on - Riley's 1968 recording, Poppy Nogood and the Phantom Band The livestreamed concert pushed the boundaries of virtual telematic performance, showcasing the transformative power of artistic collaboration combined with smart technology to transcend structural and geographical barriers. While previous live telematic performances have involved larger ensembles, with groups of musicians clustered in 2-12 transmitting stations, this performance distinguished itself by originating from a significantly larger number of locations, 60 in all. This creative repurposing of technology is very much in the spirit of Terry Riley’s original piece. In the 1960’s, Riley utilized tape loops – originally a DIY ‘hack’ of reel-to-reel - to create distant canonic layers of melody: his ‘Phantom Band.’ For this performance, in 2023, the ensemble similarly repurposed the inherent limitations of streaming audio – i.e., physical distance and varying data rates – to conjure similarly complex layered textures. This global virtual event brought together musicians from Athens, Berlin, Brussels, Dublin, Istanbul, New York City, Pretoria, São Paulo, San Francisco, Tokyo, Toronto, Warsaw, and more. From Mallacoota, in southeast Australia, to Raufarhöfn, in northeast Iceland, and 58 other locations in between, musicians from a wide range of genres and backgrounds used Audiomovers’ ListenTo to stream their sound to Wawken, Saskatchewan, where Canadian composer/sound artist Jeff Morton mixed and retransmitted their sounds back to them – and the world – in real time. After watching the performance from Mito, Japan, Terry Riley himself joined the livestream to greet the musicians, expressing his profound appreciation: "It felt like the earth itself were singing. You are my community." Listening to the recording almost a year later, he added: “A year has gone by since I last heard it. It is an amazing journey through the sonic ethers of planet Earth. So many awesome musicians were involved. Also, the technical support was amazing without which it could never have happened.I am deeply honored and moved by the efforts of all my music brothers and sisters who contributed their efforts and artistry to make this almost impossible dream a success! ”  Directed by Evan Ziporyn and Jerry Pergolesi Technical Production by Jeff Morton, Wawken Studio Additional Technical Assistance by Andrew Noseworthy

[magicalgirlsirin]

an oral history of vocaloid

ive seen a lot of (very misguided) discussion about vocaloid/vsynth in regards to AI voices discourse, so i thought it would be a good idea to sit down and explore vocaloid as a software, as well as mentioning other software of the same genre, to give people who dont really know much a better understanding

first and foremost: i dislike AI voices that are in unregulated spaces right now. actors who are finding their hard work end up on some website for anyone to use without compensation is devastating, and shows a lack of respect for the effort it takes in the field.

however, vocaloid has a much longer history that pre-dates these aggregate sites. vocaloid software was first released in 2004, and was initially marketed towards professional musicians. vocaloid's second version of the engine, however, decided to broaden the market towards general consumers, pitching it as helpful software to those who wanted to produce music, but didn't have the personal skill or ability to have someone else sing for their music (range, note holding, etc). amateur musicians wouldn't know how to direct someone to tackle a lyric persay, but using software would be easy to learn and they would learn the terminology associated with certain performance decisions.

in vocaloid 2's era, miku was released. miku's voice provider is Saki Fujita, a well respected voice actress who actually does a lot of work in anime as well as video games! the popularity of miku is its own separate post of history, but the explosive nature of it, i would argue, is the reason that vocaloid and other commercial voice synthesizer software ultimately ended up geared towards all consumers instead of just professional musicians. (crypton and yamaha did absolutely still cater to professional musicians, having private or non released banks only for certain companies/contractors to use though).

flash forward, and technology has developed way further. in 2013, cevio released, and in 2017, synthV debuted. by this point, vocal synthing has expanded from just singing software to also include software intended for just speaking (voiceroid by AHS software) and the idea of an AI bank to improve the quality and clarity of voice banks is becoming more feasible.

however, i wouldnt say the developments in AI voices came strictly from this side of things. in fact, i distinctly remember back in the early 2010s, people were using websites with voice models of characters like glados (portal) and spongebob. these audio posts were seen as novelties, and admittedly theyre fun just to mess around with (and people often find the spongebob rap music that yourboysponge makes to be pretty well done!), they do lead the way to better developed technology that doesnt compensate the artist...

so back to vocaloid. the thing about vocaloid (and all vocal synthesizers) is that contracts are in place to give appropriate time and compensation, along with permission to even use the person's voice. saki fujita continues to update miku's voicebank because she is being paid well to do so. this can be said for all vocal synth products. because these companies (crypton, ahs software, internet co, etc) specialize in making these tools and products for it, they have the appropriate knowledge on what proper compensation looks like. a random person grabbing a "raiden shogun genshin ai voice" model has none of those things. the voice actress doesnt get money off of that. its stolen work. AI can be used ethically, but it has to be done with regulation.

im leaving out specifics on certain vocaloids/vsynthesizers since its tangential to this post at best, but im making this so people have a better understanding of the history and intended usage of vocal synthesizer software. thank youuuuu

[chiimeramanticore]

Outside of animatronics, do you have any other niche interests?

depends what you qualify as niche tbh lol . my other big fixation rn is fallout new vegas ofc, which i dont rly think counts as niche unless you arent really a video games person. my other main video game related interest is shovel knight which is Also kinda a famous game but its way more niche than fallout at least lol. it's been like 6 years and you can still get me to write you an essay about specter knight at any time

i also have a lot of interest and passion in specific music artists/genres but i dont rly talk abt that online for some reason?? i feel like it's harder to discuss an audio only format that well online lol. my music taste is fairly eclectic but if u ever wanna talk music ask me about numetal or classic country or classic rock. or hyperpop. or most other genres but those are my current favs lol

and i guess as far as like, really specific things go- i dont rly consider these Interests as much as like. Hobbies i guess lol but me and packtion are always trying out some new thing together. we dip into linguistics and trying to learn languages often (which rarely goes far lol), occasionally technology in general (though thats slightly more their thing), and them being a musician has def contributed to my appreciation for ability to talk abt music lol. most recently we've started learning gregg notehand, which is a form of shorthand (packtion had previously tried out stenography) and it's made my notebook which i usually draw in look insane lmao

[musicandetc]

Want to start music as a career?🤔

Absolutely you can pursue a career in music, and there are numerous paths to gainful employment once you've honed your skills. Music, like any art form, offers a wide range of opportunities across different sectors, from performance to education, production, composition, and more. The key is to identify the area of music that most excites you and to build a skill set that aligns with it. Here are a few potential career avenues:  Performance: You could perform as a solo artist, in a band, orchestra, or ensemble, whether in live settings, recording studios, or on tour. This could include classical, jazz, pop, or any genre that resonates with you.  Music Education: Teaching music at various levels (from private lessons to school or university settings) is a stable and rewarding career. Many music teachers also supplement their income through performances or private tutoring.  Music Production and Sound Engineering: Working behind the scenes, you could produce music, mix and master tracks, or work in sound engineering for film, television, or live events. The digital age has opened up even more opportunities in music production, where many people work remotely or as freelancers.  Composition and Songwriting: If you have a flair for creating original music, composing for films, video games, commercials, or even writing songs for other artists is a viable career. Composers often have multiple income streams from licensing and royalties.  Music Therapy: This is an emerging field where you can use music to support mental health, rehabilitation, and emotional well-being. It’s a rewarding way to blend music with a desire to help others.  Music Business and Management: If you're interested in the industry side, you could manage artists, work in music marketing, music publishing, or help run record labels or music venues.

 Session Musician or Producer: Many musicians find work as session artists, contributing to recording projects for other musicians or film soundtracks.  Music Technology: With the rise of music software and apps, there are growing opportunities in developing new tools for musicians, working in audio programming, or creating virtual instruments. While a career in music may not always follow a traditional 9-to-5 path, it can definitely be financially sustainable and creatively fulfilling. Success often comes with dedication, networking, a strong portfolio, and an entrepreneurial mindset. The music industry is diverse, and many musicians build hybrid careers—performing, teaching, composing, and producing at the same time. In short, yes, you can absolutely make a living in music, but it often requires passion, persistence, and versatility. You may also note that music not only provides financial stability but also provides peace of mind and comfort that is the most important requirement in one’s life.

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