Key Of Grey

March 12th, 2010 - These days, producers write songs and songwriters produce their own songs. DAWs are so powerful, and with the great plug-ins out there to compliment them, a song written and produced in the basement can rival a commercial release with thousands of dollars into it. With people creating fantastic music on their own, many without any formal training, there are many different ways to go about building a track from scratch. Sometimes a synth line will set off my ideas, ... Read More

Photo courtesy of Aliph January 21st, 2010 - This month, the city started enforcing a Vancouver bylaw that bans the use of cell phones while driving. In order to be able to make calls legally, you must have a hands-free set. I, personally, applaud the law as I'm tired of being nearly run into when drivers can't make a corner without taking it two-lanes wide because they're turning with only one hand. However, many studies have questioned the effectiveness of handsfree sets as well. ... Read More

Photo courtesy of Thomas Mayer archive January 17th, 2009 - That fancy little log room in the picture above was designed by Piet Hein Eek for musician Hans Liberg. It's a tiny room on wheels that Hans can use to work on music, free from distractions. Whether it's in your bedroom, living room, or in a dedicated space, the area you work on music is quite important. Not only does it help to be organized with ergonomics in mind, but it must be ... Read More

Photo courtesy of Steven Snodgrass January 2nd, 2010 - For the new year, I've started writing an ebook on how to improve your songwriting. It will be a free ebook available to any who wants it and you can copy it, print it out, and send it to your friends. It won't be an epic thousand page tome, but it won't short either. I may post some of it as I'm writing to gauge the reaction to it as well. I plan on ... Read More

Photo courtesy of Grant MacDonald December 25th, 2009 - For those of you who celebrate Christmas, did you give or receive any cool music gear this year? Read More

December 1st, 2009 - Since I've added electro to the list of music genres I like, I've become much more interested in using Reason to produce music. Watching the various Reason tutorials on Youtube has gotten me hyped up to use Reason's built-in synthesizer Thor especially. There are so many great sounding presets that it's hard not to find a sound you'll like. As well, Reason's pattern-based effects are very powerful. The one part of Reason that's terrible, and I'm sure why Propellerhead ... Read More

Photo courtesy of Kufala November 3rd, 2009 - Many artists are choosing to release their music completely digitally these days, but there is still a case to be made for pressing physical CD's. For one, many fans want to have a physical object that represents their hard-earned dollars. As well, some people in the music industry aren't particularly internet savvy (you don't say!) and don't know how, or don't want, to visit the various sites you may have created an online EPK (electronic ... Read More

Photo courtesy of Steve Harris October 19th, 2009 - Yesterday, I was visiting Nijo-jo in Osaka which is a shogunate residence built in the 1600's. To alert the shogun to the presence of spies, the floors were constructed to be intentionally squeaky. As such, they are called "Nightingale Floors". I spent a good half an hour recording the sounds of tourists walking back and forth on the floors. People must have thought I was odd. I'm sure it's not even close to the oddest ... Read More

October 9th, 2009 - We're all adults here, but sometimes we still idolize those with talents we wish we had. Well maybe I shouldn't speak for everyone, but I still idolize, and am in awe of, people with extraordinary talent. I'll start off the fanboy-ism. I'm a Danny Elfman super fan. I haven't liked everything he's done, but he is capable of such a wide range of moods, and orchestrations, it's ridiculous. Who do you idolize? Read More

Photo courtesy of Taran Rampersad October 5th, 2009 - When I came here for vacation, I decided to bring my iTunes library which is housed in a semi-bulky external Firewire drive. Instead of bringing that drive however, I bought a small cheap USB-powered one. That got me thinking about how secure my song projects are. Although I have songs for clients that will probably never be used again, I'm still worried about losing them. I currently house them all on my local drive and ... Read More