1/09/2009

WHAT'S HAPPENING


Been a few days since I last posted. But I've been busy....

1) Had two recording sessions (Monday and Wednesday) at Maximus Media on the seemingly-interminable CD project (at last count, 11 'songs' with transitional instrumental material and much audio manipulation). Was kind of proud of the first session: I took a very short loop of some female background singers previously recorded and then run through an amp simulator back home, extended the loop, then used the Roland Vari-Pitch to gradually lower the fundamental of the distorted, harmonic-rich chord from 'G' to 'D', in the process turning it into something very much like a civil defense siren. Imagine a pop song influence by Varese's 'Ionisation', and you'll have the general idea.


We then transferred various versions of this audio concept to locations back in Pro Tools. My engineer complemented me on how well it had gone off, and having worked with him for some time, I felt it was pretty high praise. We also created audio montages for various points in the projects: a boxing scene, an evolving and effected Steve Reich-ish treatment of a tenement fire, various 'robot' sounds from popular culture. It's coming along. Now if I can just get that Ives fragment I'm looking for to set 'OK' in side one of the instrumental mixes.....


2) Transitioning into new role at church, giving up the traditional choir director job (and taking a cut in pay) in order to free up more time on weeknights and focus more on the 'Imagine' (contemporary, with a band) service. This will allow me to spend more time working with groups in the community, such as the Interfaith Alliance of Central California, Central Valley Cafe Scientifique and The Academy. I'll have more 'flex time' to do science education and finish my CD project, and (last but not least) more time to find a new house and attack the various 'honey-do's' associated with married life!


3) Continuing to work on my new room at Bullard, finding new storage, reconfiguring the classroom environment, writing a new syllabus, and in general doing long-range planning for the new semester. It's been very difficult to maintain the desired pace of instruction this year due to the various delays and handicaps incurred by 'modernization.' I would like to believe that the general decline in student work ethic has been produced by the same process, but my colleagues paint a different picture: the unwillingness of the average student to do any work outside of the classroom setting appears to have increased generally. It's a systemic problem. You can get an idea of my frame of mind by reading this note on my class blog.


4) Assisted my colleague Charlie Oliver on Thursday with Bullard's Academic Decathlon Team. The Super Quiz topic this year, you see, is Evolutionary Biology. Right up my alley!


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Do you have any audio clips of this stuff anywhere? Sounds interesting. Good luck dude!

Anonymous said...

Is there some reason why people ignore me like that? Is it like, ome kind of nighmare or something like that?

Your music proabaly stinks anyway. Get freakin lost.

CarlaCarlaCarlaCarla said...

Poor Bunny, maybe he ended up here after he got freakin lost.