1.After deciding that your kick could be beefed up, the first thing to do is create a new mono aux track next to the kick drum track.

2. Next, insert the Signal Generator plug in that comes with Pro Tools. (Warning: when you place it on the track, it will be generating a 1k tone out of its output)

3. Adjust the frequency that is being generated so something lower in the frequency spectrum. Say 40 to 50Hz.

4. On the Insert space below the signal generator, place the Expander/ Gate Dyn 3 plug in.

5. Select the “Simple Gate” preset.

6. Adjust the “Attack” setting to 1.2 ms. Adjust the “Release” setting to 516.7 ms. And adjust the “Threshold” setting to -26.5 dB.

7. After adjusting the settings on the noise gate, go to your kick track and send it to an available bus. (For me, Bus 30)

8. Bring the input to the bus to Unity (0) by Option+Clicking the fader.

9. On the noise gate, select the bussed kick drum output (for me Bus 30) as the “Key Input”

10. Then press the key button in SIDE-CHAIN section of the gate plug in. (By clicking the button you are selecting the input for the gate to be the key input rather than the output of the signal generator. This allows the gate to act independently and use the tempo of the kick drum to open and close itself)

11. Press play and mix the output of the Aux track with the kick drum to create a bigger, fuller sound.

KEEP YOUR SESSION NAMES SHORT- One of the most common causes of trouble for any computer program, is file naming errors. HERE is a link to a page that describes characters particular Operating Systems do not want you to have in any file name. But Protools session files and folders seem to be even more sensitive to names than other files (especially when considering how much time and effort can be put in to a session, any chance for error seems to be magnified exponentially) So you must also take in to account the amount of characters used in the names. My personal experience has found that any name over 18 characters is crossing over into the danger zone. Come up with a naming scheme that you are comfortable with and can reduce the number of characters used for naming. My naming scheme is the first letters of words in the title, and a version number. Example: “Take the Money and Run” mix version 2 would be “TMRv2″. With this scheme, it eliminates both length issues and unwanted characters.

WHEN TRANSFERRING SESSIONS, GO ONE AT A TIME- This is something that I have picked up from working with multiple recording sessions. It may be an unnecessary step (like the “Tweak-Head” export option in PT) but I have found it to be quite effective, especially when transferring multiple sessions at once had failed.

Hopefully these two steps will help keep your sessions working properly.

EXTRA TIP- If you do find yourself with a session that is not opening, but have the time to go back to the station where you last edited (and possibly corrupted) the file and do a “Save Copy In.” This will save all of your session data, audio files, and everything else associated with the session in a new self contained folder. This has worked many times for recovering sessions that I thought were doomed to only be edited on one workstation.

EXTRA TIP 2- If you can not break away from where you are, a way of effectively getting to the information in the corrupted session is creating a new session. Then opening up the import session data dialogue window and import all the data from the corrupted session. NOTE: You will loose your automation and pan information.

Comment if you have any tricks or tips you might want to share regarding this topic also!

I have had two previous iPods, a 10 gig 3rd generation iPod and a 30 gig 4th generation color display iPod, and both hit the 18 month mark, and hit it hard.  The 3rd generation iPod’s battery died almost instantly upon the device turning a year and a half.  The color display iPod’s battery did not drop off as heavily as the 3rd gen, but it did fall a noticeable amount. That coupled with the click wheel becoming very unresponsive, made me deem the device broken.

Now, I am not implying that Apple programs their iPods to self destruct on day 486 of ownership, I think it has been pretty well documented that the batteries in the first few ipod models were not the greatest and I am willing to concede that perhaps I just got a “bad” one in a bunch for my 2nd iPod (color display), but when Apple released iOS4 and made it available for download, I feel like they handed my iPod Touch a crippling computer virus. Previously to installing iOS4, my ipod was a device that worked, and worked very very well. Now, with iOS4 installed, I would estimate that 15% of my apps are broken, 35% crash upon start up, and it feels like 100% of apps will crash if you stay in the program longer than 3 minutes. Sometimes when I am using the iPod now I feel I could do it faster with my HTC Sprint Hero (and I am not implying the Hero is a responsive device).

I do understand Apple’s situation however, imagine releasing a software update and having to tell owners of a device one generation removed that they can not have it? there would have been a huge riot, much worse than “Antennagate.” Apple had to release the update, so what they did was strip out features that would require more power and work from an already underpowered processor. Most notably was the lack of multi-tasking and (to some) the option for a custom background, and thats fine. It would have been nice to have those abilities, but if they are going to hurt the performance of my iPod, please leave them out. Instead what I got was an iPod acting like an unprotected Windows machine. It feels as if I got all of the side affects that Apple was afraid of for (with the exception of Folders) no real device changing features!

So with that being said, I am now preparing to upgrade by downgrading to 3.1.3 on my iPod today

…It feels like im dealing with Windows Vista and going back to XP (I’m sure thats what Apple likes to hear)

Tracey Bones, out of Danville California, is a band with a raw, rock n roll sound and energy, and that is very evident in this recording.  This track is called “Thumper.”  More information as well as a link to other songs by this band will be posted here shortly.

After getting a couple cool shots in the dark, I began looking through other pictures I had taken recently but had not posted.  This Miscellaneous post is the result.  Enjoy.

Plants vs Zombies was one of, if not the, most addicting game I had ever played on a PC. It is a fantastic tower defense game and it’s premise is that you must defend your house from an attack of zombies by planting different plants to shoot, slow down, eat and blow up all the zombies. Sounds strange eh? trust me, its a load of fun!

Now keep in mind I am not a hardcore gamer, but I have had my tilts with games like Gizmos and Gadgets, Myst, and Roller-Coaster Tycoon on the PC side, and then the ultimate time vampire called Fieldrunners on the iPhone side. Plants vs Zombies (or PvZ for short) on the iPhone maintains its addictiveness perfectly from the PC side, and yes, that is a very good thing. There have been quite a few games that have been brought to the iPhone platform and really have not translated well like Madden 10,  Assassin’s Creed, and pretty much every first player shooter game out there.

The guys at PopCap Games did another fantastic job on a game and PvZ joins the great line up of well done games they already have in Bejeweled 2, Chuzzle, Bookworm and Peggle. What I feel makes all these games so great is the size and GUI of each. Some games on the iPhone and iPod Touch feel like it is a game that has been shrunken, or stripped of a lot of its core as a game, but not PvZ. It feels like it was created solely for the iPhone with the redesign of the UI, especially during game play. Everything fits and is within “thumbs reach”.

The best thing about the game, besides its quirky plot is the ability it has to overwhelm you (in a good, exciting way).  I can get quite worked up when the “Final wave” of zombies is approaching my house, especially if there are no more lawn mowers! As you play the game more and more, like any tower defense game, you start to develop a strategy on how to place your plants, and what plants are best for what kind of zombies. Ah yes, there is not just one kind of zombie, oh no, there are many including your standard zombie, football pad wearing zombie, pole vaulting zombie, Michael Jackson “Thriller” zombie, and even a team of bobsledding zombies so you must be on your toes at all time!

This game is so much fun and I can’t recommend it enough. I am going to have to actively keep my self from playing it, so I can have some new levels later down the road instead of beating it in one, very long sitting.

5/5

I see the iPad as a device that will live within a home (and most homes have Wi-fi now so the need to spend extra on the 3G option is not an important one), shared by a family, just the way a television in the living room is shared. The device will live in a room or two of the household, all family members can input data into the calendar or contacts apps and having a centralized note system for the entire family is another thing the iPad could do. Personally, I cant wait to surf the web with the iPad while I watch TV, a task I currently do with my 14.9 inch HP laptop.

I have heard a lot of people say “The iPad sucks, it’s just a big iPod Touch!” well, that may be true in both design and functionality but, thats just about the perfect base to start with for a tablet computer isn’t it? Think about it, the iPod and iPhone both have incredible text rendering, an easy and simple interface and 140,000 apps an app store to easily customize your home screens. The iPad has taken that awesome formula and boosted it with the iBook Store, a faster processor, and the upgrading of all of the original apps that come with the 3.2 software.

As a musician, I see a lot of potential with the iPad. Essentially what it is, is a sheet of electronics that can be made to do anything you’d like and a few things I’d love to see are some apps that would easily integrate with DAW’s through midi for live performances. Imagine being on stage with an iPad, the screen is able to be arranged how you wish, faders on the bottom with any values set that you would like, in the top corner, a transport control for live loop recording to your DAW, and in the other corner a midi trigger pad with samples loaded and sortable by the iPad. Now thats something I would love to see and use.

All in all, I think the iPad is quite a neat toy at a very nice price (starting at $499) but nothing I have seen yet can give me any idea on whether or not I will want to buy it. I feel it is all going to come down to how it feels in my hands. It’s a beautiful device, and I don’t expect anything else from Apple, but it is a whole new category of a hardware so I really have no idea what to expect until I hold it in my hands.

On a side note, it was really fun to listen and watch the live coverage of the event from places like TWIT and Engadget, a lot of people would like to see Apple stream the events live on the web but I think its fun going to all the different site finding feeds, then watching them get shut down then moving on to the next site, its part of the fun I think.

Also, it was great seeing Steve Jobs back up there on stage. I really admire him for doing it his way, and I really believe the company and the products they have put out since his return have been so great because of him and his attention to the user experience. It was fun watching him up there on stage playing with his new toy, and you can tell he feels that way, that this is his and he wanted to share it with the world. Maybe it as just me, but out of all the events and keynotes I have seen where Steve Jobs demoed a new product, this was the first time I could see him really get lost in the moment. A few times I swear he forgot he was giving a Keynote and felt that he was at home playing around on his latest creation.