The Doppler Effect

In acoustics class today we talked about the doppler effect, and it reminded me of Sheldon’s costume.  If any of you haven’t seen The Big Bang Theory, I highly recommend you watch it because it’s simply hilarious. 

If any of you are going to major in music technology and do a concentration in recording and production, listen up.  Sheldon’s definition of the doppler effect sounds confusing, but the definition in our acoustics class was a lot easier to understand.  Basically, the doppler effect is a phenomenon that takes place when a source moving towards an observer has its frequency shifted up (such as a race car moving toward you) or when a source moving away from an observer has its frequency shifted down (the race car moving away).  So if you end up having to take this class, present this information and impress your professor, who will most likely be the amazing Mark Everetts.  Even if you aren’t majoring in music tech, I hope you had fun watching Sheldon dress up as the doppler effect and maybe learned something new.

Logic 101

In my audio II class we have been learning how to use Logic Express.  Although the industry standard is ProTools, Logic is also used frequently in a professional setting, especially for producers and engineers that are more compositionally minded.  Although learning yet another program initially was a little frustrating, I have found that I prefer this program over ProTools and the MIDI capabilities and virtual instruments over those in Reason.

Perhaps the thing I like about Logic the most is the versatility of the program.  You are able to record audio and use virtual instruments and loops in a very easy way.  You don’t have to go through the hassle of rewire like you do in ProTools, and the synths and virtual instruments are higher quality than the ones in Reason.  It is very easy to change time signatures and tempos on the grid if the song you are doing calls for that.  Comping, which is using the best part of each take on a track, is easy to do as well.  Each time you record an audio track, a “take folder” is created.  With this folder, you can actually highlight which part of the take you want to use so you can get the best sounding track.

The only criticism I have for the program is some of the editing capabilities.  The layout of the tools is not as practical as in ProTools, and some of the edits that you can do easily in ProTools take a few extra steps to do in Logic.  I guess it depends on the person using the program in order to judge which is a better fit.  I’m glad that I got to learn a new program, and I will definitely be doing a lot of my projects with Logic.

If the World Were 100 People

Since I’ve added a sociology minor, I decided to take an interesting class with the awesome professor I had for Intro to Sociology.  The class is called Inequality, Class, and Social Justice.  It explores the various inequalities that exist in the United States and the rest of the world and possible solutions for the future.  On the first day of class my professor showed an awesome video that makes the startling statistics we constantly hear in the media easier to grasp and visualize.

I found this to be a very reflective and thought-provoking video.  I have a feeling I am really going to enjoy this class.

Dan Lornitis: Hypnotist

One thing that is great about USF is that they have weekly events for students, and many of these are live entertainment such as concerts or comedians.  But last night was a unique experience for me.  For the first time in my life, I saw a hypnotist.  His name is Dan Lornitist, and his performance was simply hilarious.  He has opened for top acts such as Adam Sandler and Wierd Al Yankovic.  Here is is website: http://danlornitis.com/  

On the stage there was a row of about 15 chairs.  Dan picked students to fill these chairs to be hypnotised, but this was not a problem at all because many more were willing to volunteer.  The process that it took to hypnotise the volunteers was not the stereotypically imagined method of showing someone a rotating swirl or dangling a metal ball in front of them.  Dan simply played relaxing music and talked the volunteers through the process.  Eventually, every student on stage was in a hypnotised state, although some were definitely more than others.

Dan created many funny scenarios for the volunteers.  He made someone think they lost their belly button, had someone interpret another’s alien language, and had two guys dance to All the Single Ladies.  And that was not all.  He also created scenarios for the volunteers to participate in.  Among the funniest were the air plane scenario, cow milking contest, and five-year-old movie experience. 

I definitely learned new things from this experience.  People can talk when they are hypnotised, and it is possible to make them forget their name and remember their middle and last name (another funny thing someone did while hypnotised).  This truly was a hilarious event, and I hope USF has him back again before I graduate.

Music Technology Part 2

In Music Technology Part 1 I talked about the basics of the Music Technology program here at USF.  Now I’m going to talk about some of the projects I’ve had in Audio, Recording, and Production 1, a class required for all concentrations in music technology.  All of the pictures of equipment are in Studio B, a studio that was just added last semester.  This studio is great for Freshmen and Sophomores but also holds the equipment to do a variety of more advanced projects.

The first project we did was a project using ProTools 9.  We did basic ProTools operations such as using effects, EQ, inserts, bussing, and editing using a song given to us by our instructor.  It is important to note that ProTools 9 LE (Light Edition) is found on all computers in Studio B and the MIDI Lab, and ProTools 9 HD is in Studio A.

Project #2 got us into Studio B.  This was a live to 2-track project recorded using a minidisk recorder and a Mackie 24-8 mixer.  Our songs had to have at least 1 chordal instrument, 1 melody line instrument or vocals, and 1 percussive instrument.

*This is the rack of equipment and mixer used on projects 2 and 4.

Project #3 was a voice-over bio project on a producer/engineer that interested us.  I did mine over Eddie Kramer.  We were required to have a least 5 music samples of work our person did.  We also had to use automation to adjust the volume and balance of the voice-over and music samples.

 *This is the main ProTools workstation in Studio B.

Project #4 was the most intense project to date.  In this project we had to record a full length song using an 8-track ADAT tape machine.  The song had to at least have drums, a chordal instrument, bass, and a melody or vocals.  The song then had to be mixed, panned out, and bounced to a minidisc.

We still have 2 more projects to go in Audio 1, and the final one is in the main studio, Studio A.  When I get to that project I’ll post more pictures.  I hope this gives you a better idea of what to expect as a sophomore in the music technology program.

Scottish Rite Center Purchase

What I’m about to tell you is HUGE news for the music technology department and SOCA in general.  A few days ago, University of Saint Francis purchased the Scottish Rite Center in downtown Fort Wayne.  The campus is expanding, and this will provide huge opportunities for students in music technology, communications, graphic design, business, theatre, and other departments and activities.

 

Although the full plans for use of the building will not be revealed until the press release on November 10, I did hear last night at the music tech meeting by one of the professors that there are plans to move the music technology department downtown to the Scottish Rite Center.  There will also be other opportunities for other departments as well.  Although there isn’t a lot of information yet, it is still exciting that USF is expanding.  Plus, this 2,000 seat theatre would be a great place to hold events.  More information is to come in the future.  Stay tuned!

 

 

 

Music Technology Program Part 1

When I give tours, especially to prospective music technology students, I always get a handful of questions.  Most times I tell people I am a music tech major they ask a ton of questions about the program.  In light of all this, I feel that I should provide a brief explanation of the music technology program here.  Hopefully this will give the prospective students reading this a good idea of what to expect.

The first question I often get is, “What is music technology?”  This question can be answered in a variety of ways.  Music technology involves the processes of recording and live sound as well as the creative and performance aspects.  Here at USF, our program is a Bachelor of Science in Music Technology.  This simply means that most of the classes focus on the recording, production, or sales versus music theory or performance.  You still have to take music theory classes and perform in ensembles to get the degree, but the emphasis is shifted to the technology aspect instead of a performance degree with a concentration in music technology.  Focusing more class time on the technology aspect is often practical because jobs in music technology are growing and technology is always changing.

Speaking of concentrations, there are 3 for the music technology program at USF.  It is also possible to do more than one concentration:

Recording and production: This concentration involves the processes of recording music, mixing, editing, and mastering.  Students in this concentration take all 4 Audio, Recording, and Production classes as well as Live Audio, Mastering, and Acoustics.  This concentration prepares students to work in a variety of roles in studios or jobs that involve live sound or audio for the media.

Music technology sales: This concentration focuses more on the business aspect of the music industry.  Students must at least take the first 2 Audio, Recording, and Production classes and classes such as Mass Media Law, Macroeconomics, and other business and marketing related classes.  This concentration prepares students for jobs in music distribution and the business aspect of the music industry.

Audio for the creative arts: This concentration balances the recording and creative aspects of the music industry.  Students must take all 4 Audio, Recording, and Production classes as well as Audio for Film and Animation, Film Scoring, and Synthesis.  This concentration prepares students for jobs in music for a variety of media including film, video games, theatre, or advertising.

A further explanation on concentrations can be found here: http://www.sf.edu/sf/art/undergrad/music-tech

The music technology program at USF allows students to be very versatile and hone their skills.  If your passions fall on the creative side of music technology, I highly recommend that you do a double concentration in Recording and Production and Audio for the Creative Arts.  This combination is the most compatible because they both share 9 credit hours: Audio 3&4 and MIDI.  If you’re curious, this is the option I’ve chosen.  Other students I know have chosen the double concentration combination of Music technology sales and Recording and Production.  I recommend you choose whichever concentration fits your passion, but just know that a double (or even triple) concentration is possible if you are up to it.  You also could do a minor with any concentration as well.

I hope this somewhat long-winded explanation answers any questions you might have.  In Part 2 I’ll talk about projects I’ve been working on and post pictures of the studio.  Stay tuned and have an awesome weekend!

Fright Night Pictures

As promised, here are some pictures of the zombie invasion that took place last Saturday.  Enjoy!

The Zombies gathered in front of the Allen County Public Library

There was even an awesome zombie jazz band!

 

WARNING: If you are afraid of clowns, DO NOT look at the next picture, because it will scare you.

 

I wonder what happened to her groom…

This is not the kind of nurse USF offers a major in.

Ghostbusters even came to join in!  Although the ghosts didn’t show up until a little later…

This picture pretty much sums up the zombie experience.

Chucky has returned!

Zombies weren’t the only ones present at the invasion..

A nice zombie acoustic duo ended the epic invasion.

 

That was definitely a cool experience.  I am definitely going back next year, and hopefully as a zombie.  If you do end up going, I suggest that you apply your zombie attire and makeup BEFORE you get there because the line for the zombie machine is really, really long.  If you just go to watch, it still is really fun because most of the zombies are hilarious, and some of them even interact with the crowd.  They are really friendly and will often pose for you if you take pictures.  It was a great event to get me pumped for Halloween.

Tonight I’m going to the SOCA Halloween party as the infamous Bellatrix Lestrange.  Pictures will definitely be taken.  Stay tuned!  And happy early Halloween everyone! 

Fright Night

Nothing against other holidays, but I think Halloween just might be my new favorite.  What other time of the year do you get to dress up in costumes not related to theatre, go to haunted houses, and participate in a little mischief?  If any of you want to start celebrating a little early and just so happen to be in the Fort Wayne , I have an excellent event for you..

This was the zombie walk portion of an event called Fright night.  It takes place tomorrow, October 22, from 12-midnight in various locations around Fort Wayne.  What’s even more awesome is that most of the events are FREE.  That is music to every broke college student’s ears.  Here is the event website for times and locations: http://frightnightdowntown.com/ 

For those of you who can’t make it, I’ll try to get plenty of pictures and post them next week.  This will be my first time going to this, so I’ll let you all know how it is. 

Have fun with all of your pre-Halloween activities!

Blue Like Jazz

    

     Pretty cool cover right?  For those of you that judge books by their covers, although I don’t agree with your method of choosing books, your assumptions are correct this time.  Blue Like Jazz is a great book that I highly recommend anyone read.  Last week I finished re-reading it, and it was even better the second time.  I first read this book at the Jefferson Point Barnes and Noble in 2 sittings.  I had the luck of finding it for a decent price at half-price books, so I had to get it and read it again. 

     For anyone who is unfamiliar with the book, Blue Like Jazz is a book that was written in 2003 by Donald Miller.  The subtitle pretty much explains what the book is about: non-religious thoughts on Christian spirituality.  It is a memoir that is in the format of reflection essays on faith and everyday topics.  One of the most interesting sections is when Miller talks about his experiences at Reed College and how he deals with being one of the only Christians on campus.  For those of you that are freaking out about the Christian aspect of the book, please don’t make those assumptions.  This book is by no means preachy.  It is more of a thought-provoking book of reflections, and people of all faiths can learn something by reading it whether they agree or disagree with Christian doctrine.  You also just might learn a little about yourself along the way.

     Donald Miller’s writing style is simply phenomenal.  I especially love reading his books when I’m stressed or worried because they relax me and get me thinking in a more positive way.  It is the equivalent of listening to a meditation CD or doing yoga, but with words.  It took me a few chapters to get used to the format of the book, but it was never too difficult to understand.  You could honestly read one chapter and put it down for a while and continue later and it wouldn’t affect your understanding of the book.  This makes the non-linear style a huge plus, especially if you have a short attention span.

     If you’ve all ready read this book, they are making it into a movie!  I’m very excited about this and hope to see it when it comes out.  Here is a link to the movie website if you want to check it out: http://www.bluelikejazzthemovie.com/ 

     So if you can get your hands on this book, I highly recommend you give it a read.