Bill Putnam

Bill Putnam describes a successful audio engineer:

 

The qualifications of a successful sound mixer represent a unique and rare combination of skills. He must be adequately, technically oriented, understand and evaluate the performance of the various electronic and acoustical devices with which he works. He must have sufficient musical aptitude to interpret the wishes of the arranger/ conductor. He must be creatively artistic, imaginative, have a flair for showmanship, be willing to try the impossible, and have the ambidexterity of an octopus. He must have the unique talent of being able to communicate with artists and directors at any artistic level and to perform his functions deftly under extreme pressure. Above all, he must have the patience of Job.

P2H

I tried to see Places to Hide at the Drunken Unicorn tonight but the line went all the way to Ponce.

What the hell?! I’ve never before seen such a line there, crazy. I got in the door just after their last song. I sent Kyle a text just before that point: “Jesus Christ, still outside!”
I heard him say over the mic “oh, I just got a text from Ben: ‘Jesus Christ, still outside!’ To cheers. Ha!

Kyle handed me a package with their record, a limited edition record AND a test pressing. So cool, I can’t thank them enough for thinking of me!

So great to see the band after what seems like a great set!

Hi Kyle, Deb and Brad!

!

adverts

“People are taking the piss out of you everyday. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you’re not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere else. They are on TV making your girlfriend feel inadequate. They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it. They are The Advertisers and they are laughing at you.

You, however, are forbidden to touch them. Trademarks, intellectual property rights and copyright law mean advertisers can say what they like wherever they like with total impunity.

Fuck that. Any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It’s yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head.

You owe the companies nothing. Less than nothing, you especially don’t owe them any courtesy. They owe you. They have re-arranged the world to put themselves in front of you. They never asked for your permission, don’t even start asking for theirs.”
– Banksy

“It’s basically a cure- for axe wielding homicidal maniacs.”
– The Young Ones

french horn practice begins

I’ve just wrapped up my first french horn practice in years. I got a solid 45 minutes in- the first half hour I ran through scales and intervals followed by 15 minutes of practicing a short solo piece. Then my phone blew up- back to the real world. By far the best 45 minutes I’ve spent by self in a while.

DOPPLER