Ronan’s Daily Blog

For those unfamiliar with the term, Murphy’s Law states that “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong”

You can see where this is going.

I got in today intending to record the final clip for the tutorial. Leo and I headed down to the studio and set up.

Then, the mic didn’t work. So went spent some time fixing that.

Then the headphones didn’t work. More time.

Then, we recorded it and the piece sounded horribly out of place so we re-recorded it.

Then, I set up the clip to have spaces where needed for the tracks.

After that I began the process of filming in Camtasia. This process has to be done in as close to one take as possible. This meant that it was like trying to set up a Rube Goldberg machine. For those of you that don’t know what this is like, try and find the Mythbusters christmas special where they do one of these things… and check out how many takes they do. I would have equalled that at the very least… both before AND after lunch.

Today’s lunchtime topics: Relationship age gaps, really difficult to cut pork crackling and John Mayer

Then it was back to the  spamming out of recording takes.

Eventually I got the first tutorial’s video done… and then we found out that audio in camtasia doesn’t like working properly. So I had to re-allign all my audio again in Vegas.

And there went my day.

I know it doesn’t sound as bad as I’m making it out to be, but I’m cutting out A LOT of the repetition here. Trust me, you’re better off for it.

I recorded more voice over, wrote more scripts we had a lunch break:

Today’s Lunch Time Topics: Backhanded compliments about noses, Walking pets other than dogs (Namely cats and snakes).

Then I went back, edited the sound a bit and then helped install pro tools on a computer.

Yeah… exciting.

I get in to the final day of those freakishly good composer kids. They play their pieces, my composing skill is embarrassed and I continue helping Josh set up for the next session: MYM (Melbourne Youth Music) Studio, where basically teens get to learn how to record stuff. The rest of the group paid $200. I did it for free.

VICTORY IS MINE!!!

So we get informed about the different types of microphones and cables before finishing the set up. Then, we go learn about all the other equipment you need to record stuff.

Then it’s a lunch break.

Today’s lunchtime topics: Josh’s daughter, parents, child psychology.

Then we’re back in the studio. This time we’re recording. There’s one of us on the desk, one of us on the compy and one of us playing their instrument. We try and focus on getting the best possible sound for everyone. My instrument: Beatboxing. Oh yeah! Everyone else’s instruments… normal. Uh… okay. Not sure how it’ll fit and not really caring anyway, we went through and recorded everyone and everyone got a shot at everything which is nice. Emma, the only girl and only Flute player, kicked some serious ass and put the rest of us to shame but whatever. Oh and an aside note: I am the first beatbox to ever be recorded at alfred brash sound house.

Then we break again and fix up the room before everyone returned. Then we go about editing the tracks, adding FX and rearranging the parts until things sound the way we want.

Then we head off.

All in all a good, repetitive task free day.

So I get there in the morning and those whizz kids are composing better then I could ever hope to. After the session finishes, we set up to record my voice overs.

In order to do this, we grabbed two walls of carpet and set them up on an angle to each other to absorb all background noise. Then we set up the mic stand, which had a funky carpeted shield thingy to absorb all the other sounds and to cut off any potential echo of the room/my voice.

Then I got to stand there and read lines… that I wrote… and yet, I still managed to make myself sound like a tool. Seriously, “I went for the keyboards”? Who talks like that? Anyway, we get the recording done and then I have to go through and cut out all the unwanted sounds like my lips clicking or me inhaling. Apparently there’s a difference between silence and nothing. Who knew?

This results in me hearing myself speak the same words over and over and over and over and over and over until I want to kill myself for sounding so annoying. If I didn’t hate the sound of my own voice before today, I do now.

Then, once I’ve got it all set up, I get shown how to use Camtasia, a program that records videos of the contents of your screen. Then, I go about recording the actions to go along with the words. Yes, that does mean hearing my voice more. Yay…

Then I get about halfway through and realise… I missed a line.

So I now have more to record… and I’m probably going to have to re-record the camtasia too.

Fun times.

So I’m up and 7  again, only noting this time as leaving this early made me miss out on my younger brother getting his gifts for his birthday.

Oh and I missed out on pancakes.

So I get in and I’m told they FINALLY worked out exactly what I’m supposed to be doing and have a project for me to do. But first, I get to sit in and help teach some kids Sibelius. This takes a while, during which I’m reminded of my lack of composing skill. Then I go back to the office to get briefed on my project:

I am to make a series of video tutorials for the program Sony ACID Pro. These are (assuming that they’re good enough) going to be sent around to teach people how to use ACID. So if you get a video from ABSH teaching you how to use ACID, it’s probably me talking.

So first I become awesome at ACID. ACID is a loop based program that is VERY similar to Garage Band (for all you Mac users out there). Kinda like it’s evil twin brother. I go about this right up until my lunch break.

Today’s Lunchtime Topics: Leo’s Cert 4 in teaching, My Friend Diacos playing the Final Countdown on Ukelele and Kazoo.

Then I begin writing the scripts for the videos. This takes me an hour or so and then Amy comes in to check the first one. Cue some full on script editing until she goes off to a meeting. I take a break and beatbox then work on the second script before then she returns. More editing takes us up to home time and my Brother’s birthday celebrations.

I was back up at seven today heading off for day two of my placement at ABSH.

I arrived to get let in by Joshua, another person I had not met before. He starts me off on my first repetitive task of the day: logging in all the computers. Then we headed off to collect laptop boxes from a storage room in the basement parking.

On the way we bump into Adrian Alexander, who is the only one of us that knows where he’s going. He’s also the boss of the Soundhouse (not the arts centre though). We get all the boxes out and then find some other boxes that Adrian and Josh like (all for microphones) before heading back.

I was carrying a really big box of microphone cases, it was light but still pretty wide. How wide you ask? Well its the width of a doorway minus whatever space it takes to scrape some flesh off my finger. It’s not that deep a cut and didn’t even bleed that much, but it still stings like hell. This was injury one for today.

Oh yes… there will be more blood.

So we start packing laptop’s into their boxes by serial number. It’s a simple system: all the first digits were 5100 and then you match the last four. I know, real technical. What makes this at all worth mentioning is that the last four digits were almost all years and mostly in the 70’s and 80’s. This led to some amusing anecdotes from Leo and Amy. Oh and randomly one of my fingers started to bleed, go figure. I actually have no idea why. We get the laptops sorted out and then it’s a lunch break.

Today’s lunch time topics:  I had stayed back because I’d brought my own lunch. So once I’d finished it, I decided to muck around with Ableton. Like last time I was messing around with my own voice. But for some reason, the recording was really quiet. I started messing around with nobs and dials but to no avail. This lasted for at least 10 minutes but it could have gone on for up to about 15 to 20. Then I worked out why I couldn’t hear anything loud enough:

I WASN’T WEARING THE HEADPHONES!!!!

This is what the IT world refers to as a PICNIC: Problem In Chair, Not In Computer.

Then everyone came back and we watched a really funny youtube clip. I have actually been told not to repeat this, or more specifically to not post a link to the youtube video. However if you type “In My” into youtube and select the strangest option you’ll find it. It’s hilarious (and not recommended for the easily offended… actually just make that those that get offended).

Then it was back to the laptops. We were labelling and plugging into power all the new laptops. Leo went around installing a little program that made a folder act like a virtual drive on all the computers. This meant I heard the windows startup sound 20 times in rapid succession.

We then went to put all the boxes in the storage space. We went down to level two and searched around for the storage room… and couldn’t find it. Then Josh got the security key to allow the elevator to go down another floor to the floor we were SUPPOSED to be on and we found it quite easily.

So in order to get to this store room we had to: Go down an elevator, get a security key, go down the elevator again, open a cage with barbed wire on the top (which was indoors, I was impressed) and then open another hidden away door. I joked that we’d have to go down a spiral staircase. Guess what?

THERE WAS A SPIRAL STAIRCASE!!!!! (not through that door, but we could have gone down it).

It is now the most awesome flight of stairs in the known universe.

Back upstairs where I started editing those film clips again. This time doing them in blocks so as to not drive myself insane with video clips of Melbourne. Finishing all the Fly Overs, I was then tasked with boxing up some headphones and splitters to be sent over to some conference…

…Which I stopped doing halfway through so Josh could show me where all the offices are. We then stood around and chatted with some peeps for a while about neighbours; and how one of them was a cast member/writer; before heading back with Dan (the resident Hip-Hop guru) to the Technical Lab.

Josh and I checked Sibelius worked on all of the computers for tomorrow (where I might actually get to do something non-repetitive and help teach a class) while Dan worked on a few of his tracks (one of which involved some disney samples and was “off the hook” if I do say so myself). We’re gonna have a jam session (hopefully) before my time here is up.

Then it was heading off time when I nearly forgot my headphones… but I didn’t so it was all good.

This morning I got up at 7am.

This is not just a big deal, it’s huge. So far these holidays I’ve been sleeping in on average until oh, I dunno 2pm.

This morning I got up at 7am.

Now why would I do this? Well, today was the first day of my placement at Alfred Brash Soundhouse.

Let’s be honest here, I took my sweet time getting this organised. Basically I had a lot of stuff happen and never wound up having time. And forgot to call the place… A LOT.

So I get off the train and start walking to the Art Centre. For those who have never seen melbourne, the arts centre is huge… and I’ve got no idea exactly where Alfred Brash Soundhouse (henceforth referred to as ABSH… because I’m lazy) is. Conveniently there are signs facing the street directing me to… doors that don’t open. I call and after Allison (I think that’s her name, I honestly don’t know for sure, sorry, I’m horrible with names and didn’t see you enough to commit you to memory) opens the door for me.

And so I sat around for a while. Peter Wakefield; the guy that’s in charge of what I’m doing; is on leave (is… was… well he is at the time of writing this… I’m going with that) so they have no idea what to do with me. Leo gives me the tour and then sets me up with a computer to muck around with some programs until someone can work out something else for me to do. I make some drum and bass thing out of loops in Acid and then Amy arrives.

Cue repetitive tasks.

I have to go through a bunch of clips and cut off any brief periods of blank frames as well as remove any frustrating borders. Over, and over, and over, and over. I have seen enough clips of Melbourne to know essentially the content of those “That’s Melbourne” commercials before their directors do. I break from the clips and play around on an electric drum kit… then I remember I’m kinda bad at drumming and get back to the hellish repetition. I do this for two hours and then we break for lunch.

Today’s lunch time topics (that I can remember): Mickey Rourke, Watchmen and GPS guidance systems on phones.

Then I get back to the clips. I eventually work out keyboard shortcuts and the job becomes easier. I finish and get rewarded with a break (from Leo… the nice lady… woot in-jokes!) and go outside… then get bored and come back in before we start installing Band in a Box (which rather fittingly came in a box) and copying the clips onto computers in the lab.

Let’s just say installation takes a while. It’s four DVD’s worth of just plain annoying. So I’m in charge of this and start going from compy to compy. While this is going on, Leo is trying to fix the annoyingly blurry projector (800×600 resolution being huge and yet the only working option.

Then disk 2 decides it doesn’t want to work.

So here we are with a stupidly large projector and a disk that doesn’t want to work. Leo caves and just accepts the projector’s gonna look stupid and start trying to get Ableton to work. I’m exicited about this because Ableton’s a DJ’ing program and I wanna learn how to DJ. I get to muck around for a bit mixing up some of my beatboxing while Amy and Leo are copying files onto the computers…

And then Leo deletes all my edited clips…

And there’s no backup…

So I know EXACTLY what I’m doing for most of tomorrow.

Fun times.