Joi Ito invited me to be a speaker at the 2008 Ars Electronica Symposium and Festival, held each year in Linz, Austria. I chose to speak about Music, Software, and Sustainable Culture, tying together my free software and free culture sensibilities. But after discharging those responsibilities, and after meeting tons …
Seeds of Shakti grow in Durham
Page counts and advertising revenues may be down at our local newspaper, the News and Observer, but we still subscribe because it still brings us a lot of good news, reporting, and commentary. This morning I read a particularly inspiring article about John Heitzenrater, an expert in South Asian instruments. …
Music Producers Institute hosts Radney Foster (and invites you)
There are a growing number [1] [2] of stories lately about music studios opening up to a new way of doing things, namely the total integration of performance and experience that I call co-production. Here’s another story from the Music Producer’s Institute and their upcoming session with Radney Foster. They …
Peter Gabriel to adopt music co-producer model?
David Rose tipped me off to this story titled Peter Gabriel Considers Allowing Fans Into Recording Studio. The source for that story reports: “The Incredible String Band wrote to their fans on their website and sold admission to their recordings… and that gave them the budget to purchase the studio …
George Massenburg’s latest: live studio performances
George Massenburg is a legend in the recording industry. His innovations include the introduction of the parametric equalizer in 1972, and his work on preamplifier design, dynamic range controllers, and other engineering equipment has also led the field for years. His contributions to audio engineering go beyond mere tools: as …
NIN’s Alessandro Cortini On The Buchla 200e
In late 2005 I configured and ordered a Buchla 200e analog synthesizer, and after it was hand made by Don and Ezra Buchla, it was delivered in 2006. It is the most confounding hybrid of organic and electronic logic I have ever encountered. I spent a few months writing the …
The Music Lesson
Last week Lyle Estill was scheduled to give a reading at Quail Ridge Books and I was asked to introduce him. After his reading, which was excellent, and the questions, which were semi-interesting, he set himself to signing books for the 30+ people who came to hear him that evening. …
How would /you/ outfit the studio?
There are hundreds of posts on the various recording studio mailing lists and bulletin boards asking people to indulge in the fantasy of deciding how to spend large $$ on gear. And the most frequent response given is “FOR WHAT PURPOSE?” followed closely by “You have to match the gear …
Remembering a Dream: Queen’s Night at the Opera
Brian May re-visits Rockfield Studios and helps piece together the history behind Bohemian Rhapsody. What a great bit of history, and what a great motivation to do everything we can at Manifold Recording to capture everything that technology allows: HD (or better) video, high-rate 24-bit audio, the works. Enjoy![youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56LZZk7BfD0&rel=1]
Linda Ronstadt had her chance…but who’s going to get it now?
Growing up in the 1970s, Linda Ronstadt was one of the first female vocalists that made me want to spend more time on the Rock and Roll side of the FM dial and less time listening to classical music on our local NPR affiliate, WMHT. But a few weeks ago, …