cloud2_icon‘Is the cloud mature? It’s been around for so long – way before people started calling it the cloud. I, personally, can’t wait for people to stop calling it the cloud.’

And there we were, ready to get excited about yet another 21st century technical revolution. So much for this ‘cloud’ thing that’s all lined up to change the way we work and play… 

Free PressI used to drink in a pub in Cambridge called the Free Press. I liked it.

In trade publishing, an ‘ad rich’ environment equates to a more free editorial agenda than an impoverished one. When ads are scarce, magazines may be afraid to publish critical or conflicting stories – from editorial comment and product reviews to advertisers’ competitors’ press releases – for fear of losing essential revenue. The question here is: who needs who the most?

Studer A800‘It was one of the greatest experiences of my life – we’d throw little vocal challenges at each other, and this game of one-upmanship resulted in some beautiful vocal renditions. We are really proud of the results. I wish people could see how much fun we had.’

You couldn’t ask for a better commendation for live studio recording. But how many of today’s recording studios are able to support a live session?

GeniusHired by Lord Doberman, the richest man in the world, Anode Enzyme moves into Mollusc Hall as resident genius. Here he discovers the formula for worldly success – mediocrity.

If it was meant to be an entertaining contention when cartoonist John Glashan penned it in his Genius cartoon strip in the late 1970s, it has become a truism for the majority of today’s music charts.

ChainI owe a debt to conversations I have had with recording studio designers.

Their work requires them to be expert in an unusually wide number of fields – from the obvious areas of acoustics and equipment, to interior design and psychology. Add music biz anecdotes, and many would make great after-dinner speakers. It was a studio designer who put me wise to the problem of a ‘good enough’ audio chain.

Ideas PoliceIt was all so good... then suddenly it became a first class, impedence matched, wi-fi enabled, 192kHz nightmare.

I was on the verge of the idea that would become the talk of my generation. Then the shadowy figure of the Health N Safety Sheriff busted in and ruined everything. It’s all going horribly wrong (I think Jeremy Clarkson is in here somewhere) then an alarm rings...

fadersMixing anecdote with hard-won wisdom is something Robbie McGrath does as effortlessly as mixing the biggest bands of the past 40 years.

Today his audience is a group of students that he is encouraging to become the next generation of live sound engineers. But where McGrath is upfront about getting into the business by being in the right place at the right time, they don't yet realise how lucky they are...

idecksA recent Facebook discussion on the state of popular music making threw out an interesting benchmark – the ratio between ‘shit’ and ‘the shit’. Let’s call it S/TS. If that’s reminiscent of signal-to-noise (S/N), it’s no accident.

Much of the blame for the swing towards the ‘S’ end of the scale was assigned to major record labels. The rest came technology’s way.

Bubble ChamberWhen did you first meet Kevlar? Think carefully, your answer may betray a lot about your past.

If it was sometime around 1976, you were either enjoying the finer points of cutting-edge reference loudspeaker performance or reading spec sheets in the hope that you soon would be. If you were five years ahead of the audio boys, you were more likely risking your life for country or cash.

CloudsLook up! Clouds are gathering over the internet. Some may have silver linings. Others are most certainly storm clouds.

These clouds are computing clouds – cloud computing. If it’s a new term to you now, it won’t be for long. These clouds will change the way you use your computer and the way you use your music, video and photo libraries. Forever.

Killing MusicThe characteristic noises of death and destruction are contrived by nature to be unpleasant. If their cause is indifferent to their creation, then our ears ensure that we read them as alarming, even terrifying.

Certainly, this was the case with many of the records released in the wake of the introduction of CD. The sound of corporate exploitation, combined with artistic apathy, was as excruciating as it was depressing. 

TwitterGoogle BookmarksRedditLinkedIn Pin It

Fast-and-Wide Blog

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
Fast-and-Wide.com An independent news site and blog for professional audio and related businesses, Fast-and-Wide.com provides a platform for discussion and information exchange in one of the world's fastest-moving technology-based industries.
Fast Touch:
Author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 
Fast Thinking:Marketing:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: Latitude Hosting