“…like losing the biggest game of your life…”

It’s a known fact, blogging consistently has NEVER been my thing. Strangely, I felt compelled to blog today. Must be the coffee.

A lot has happened since I last posted anything into this blog. Frankly, I’ve been so cooped up with whatever that I was facing that even remembering my blog became a chore. How a month can change 3 years of your life (although I haven’t been blogging in months).

The last 2 days have been interesting, to say the least. It doesn’t take much to create a shitstorm for yourself, I realize. Where to begin? Well, to summarize, in the span of 2 days, the results of good intentions have been the following:

1. Early retirement from Sony (Yes, I quit and I’ve been pushed to quit earlier, don’t ask me why)
2. Cancellation of a project that I spent 3 years of my life to build and continue. If you must know, they cancelled the Alpha Convention this year. Seriously.
3. I caused some careers to be halted, others to shift to a direction that they didn’t really want.

Although in principal, I guess I stood up for what I felt was right and I fought a battle for everyone else. However, the outcome is just… depressing to say the least. If I were a professional soccer player, it is akin to losing the biggest game of my life. You gave it your all and yet still came out losing in the end. Not only you but your teammates along with you. Such, is the pain that I am feeling at the moment.

To top it off, the one I truly need to see the most at the moment currently is traveling with friends in locations where mobile phone signals and free WIFI towers are scarce, to say the least. Not knowing what to do, I plunge myself into whatever work I can find in hopes of keeping my mind off the obvious. However, as the night draws to its peak, sleep eludes me.

Life is short & complicated at that.

“…is it…REALLY…worth it…?”

I’ve been working in my industry for the past 3 years. Or rather, I’ve been involved in the photography industry for the past FOUR years, if I include my time in CHIP Photo Video where I was a Technical Editor. Photography was not something planned in my life but through a not-so-strange turn of events, I’m here where I am today, having done everything related to the art of photography except being a photographer.

I guess it was an early choice in my career. When I just started getting serious into photography, the natural thought was to be a photographer. However, due to my understanding of the business and its nature, I realize that probably venturing full steam ahead into the world of photographic professionalism wasn’t such a prudent choice at that point in time. Being a photographer wasn’t just about taking good pictures but also having good credibility and good sense of self-marketing. I was neither experienced nor that proud of my capabilities to do either then.

In spite of these realistic realizations, I still very much wanted to be a part of this art which I held so close to my heart. Taking what I knew best (marketing & product knowledge), I entered the world of Sony in charge of the Sony Alpha range in Malaysia. Through the years I spent in Sony (so far), two notable things I have achieved thus far: Malaysia’s first photography convention for end users (not dealers) and Malaysia’s first reality TV show for photography. In between, I’ve conducted and arranged for more than a hundred workshops, trainings & seminars and even conducted many of them by myself. I’ve held dealer trainings in Langkawi, Penang, Taiwan, Thailand & Vietnam, educating dealers & their staff on DSLR technology & photography. I’ve created forums & run websites. I’ve played a role in the development of Alpha DSLR cameras for the global market. I’ve done more than the average person for this industry in Malaysia and for this, I am proud of my achievements. I wish I can do more but I guess I have maximized my capabilities at this point.

Throughout these fruitful 3 years, many have mentioned to me that I am wasting my efforts in a job that pays too little for too much work. But to see the smiles and gratitude from the people who benefit most from these type of activities, I have to wonder if those people actually knew the meaning of ‘wasted effort’. Deep down, I know that my time in this role will not last forever as I opt to progress in the next stage of life, but I’ll look back on these days and say, “Yes, it was worth it”.

“…need…hardware…”

After a long break from the blogosphere, I’m back with an inane post of everyday life. Well, not really but more of an update on my personal audio studio development project.

To share with you my project, I started out looking to acquire these items to make me my own mini home recording ’studio’, so to speak:

1. Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) where I will record, edit and store all my audio work = PowerMac MDD G4 I had lying around. Price = Free, something I picked up along the way in life.
2. Professional Audio Software = Logic Studio. No brainer for me really as I’ll be working off a Mac and this pack not only comes with Logic Pro (which is great) but also integration software with Final Cut Pro if I’ll ever want to work on video as well as 5 Jam Packs for additional sounds & effects. Price = RM2000 from any Apple store.
3. Audio Interface Device + Mixer Combo = Mackie Onyx 1220 with Firewire I/O . The Mackie Onyx comes with built-in Onyx preamps, eliminating the need for a separate mic preamp. Price = About RM6000 if I got it from Singapore.
4. Microphones for vocals = Shure 55SH Series II Dynamic Mics x 2. Initially I started out looking for condenser mics but ended up deciding on the Shure dynamic mics because they just looked so cool in their classic retro design. Price = RM800 for the both of em, also from Singapore.
5. Studio Monitors = Mackie MR5 x 2. Based on my research, Mackie monitors are the best and the MR5 was the only one within my budget. Price = RM1600 for a pair.
6. Monitor headphones = AKG K271 Studio. Nice and award winning. Price = RM400.
7. Hard drives = 250GB Hitachi Deskstar 8MB 7200rpm 3.5-inch IDE x 4. I needed these hard drives for my PowerMac to store all my large files from my edits. The limitations of this system is that it can only support 250GB IDE hard disks so hence the weird configuration. Price = RM650 for all 4.
8. Graphics card = ATI Radeon 9600 Pro Mac & PC Edition. Necessary if I want to use a larger monitor and get that little extra performance out of my machine and it has to be this specific version for it to work on a Mac and it has been discontinued 4 years ago. Price = RM400 if found.
9. Wireless = Airport card & Bluetooth dongle. Unfortunately, the Airport card is almost impossible to find in Malaysia, it was discontinued 4 years ago I think. Price = RM250 for both, if found.
10. DVD burner = Any Mac compatible one, I wasn’t too picky. Price = RM200
11. USB 2.0 PCI card = Any Mac compatible one as well. Price = RM15
12. SATA PCI card = PCI SATA card from Sonnettech in case I wanted to upgrade to faster & larger SATA hard drives. Price = RM480.

In the end, this is what I ended up with till today:

1. Logic Studio with some minor discount from my Machines membership. On target for this one.
2. Apogee Duet instead of the Onyx 1220. Cheaper, cooler looking and integrates perfectly with a Mac. But I have to work with digital dials which suck but the compactness of this baby is pure gear lust. It even has mic preamps which work amazingly well for such a small unit! A bit off tangent for this one but heck, I’m actually happier.
3. Shure 55SH Series II Dynamic Mics x 2. Success for this.
4. Mackie MR5 x 2. Success for this as well, I’m just waiting for it’s arrival really.
5. AKG K271 Studio. It’s as good as they say. 
6. 3 x Hitachi Deskstar Hard Drives. Short by one cuz the guy at the shop only had 3 left. 750GB ain’t bad at all.
7. Belkin WIFI N dongle & el cheapo Bluetooth dongle. I hate cables but it did the work and I didn’t have to worry about compatibility issues. I love USB 2.0.
8. Sony External DVD Burner. I ended up getting this because I couldn’t find an internal drive which would work with a Mac. Also, I can use the external burnr for other devices like netbooks which I am experimenting with at the moment. Messy but useful.
9. USB 2.0 PCI card. I must have found the only Mac compatible card left in PJ. Lucky purchase really.
10. ESI Maya44 PCI card. This was an impulse purchase which I decided to honor even though I didn’t really need it. Worked well with my Mac and it records rather decent audio.
11. Existing graphics card. A compatible graphics card for a Mac is really TOO hard to find. Even Mac retailers don’t carry them due to the lack of demand. I’m guessing Malaysian Mac users aren’t really the heavy duty type if they can live with the stock graphics card for their work.

And the best part…

.

.

.

12. A broken PowerMac MDD G4. Of all things, the heart of my investment relied on a 6 year old machine, which never failed to function with due diligence onver the years, chose to die on me AFTER I have amassed everything needed to really get going. I just bought myself a VAIO TP2 during my office clearance sales (brand new @ half price!) to console myself over this matter. NOW, I have to start looking for a new Mac desktop to make use of all the equipment that I have invested in.

Time to buy an iMac.

PS. Anyone want to buy the parts from my PowerMac MDD G4? If you’re a Mac user, you’ll be assured it works. I believe all my PCI cards, RAM, USB dongles & hard drives are for sale….

“…I went for a long walk…”

…when I was in Taiwan about a week back. It wasn’t my first time I visiting Taiwan, the first being a tour with the dealer Alpha evangelist about a year ago. This time however, I went alone on the basis of work, missing Christmas in the process. Now walking probably isn’t the most exciting topic in the world but when I’m going through a rough patch, a good walk helps more than any intoxicating alcoholic substance you can find. 

Since I’ve already been to most touristy locations on my previous trip, I decided to find a place where the locals go to relax. Opening up my guidebook (which I promptly lost along this walk), I found a place called ‘Dahu Lake’ which seems a pretty strange name considering ‘Dahu’ itself means ‘Big Lake’. Living at Neihu Road, it took me a good 2 hours of walking to reach the lake.

I didn’t see very much along the way and I was thankful (or angry, being 2 solid hours of walking) when I finally reached Dahu Lake. Regardless of what I felt upon arriving, seeing the beautiful landscape completely made everything worth it. The air was chilly, the environment such a contrast with the city where I was at and the smiles and laughter of people made The Joker out of me.

Apparently I wasn’t the only one taking the sights in as many locals would park their cars along the highway (Dahu Lake is situated right next to a highway) and eat their ‘bento’ lunch boxes over coffee. I can’t blame them really, it’s the best mental escape from the hustle and bustle of city life.

The first thing you’ll notice at Dahu Lake is that there are loads of people fishing. Even though it’s peak noon but due to the beautiful weather, it doesn’t matter what time it is. Try Malaysia at the same time and you’ll see sweating pigs running for the nearest shade. And I noticed, most of them don’t really care if they catch any fish (nobody caught a thing while I was there) but you can see that it was just a reason for them to be there, oftentimes with family as well. I guess I can relate. The experience of being there far outweighs why I wanted to go there in the first place (to take pictures). 

Such an environment cannot be without some love in the air and in Dahu Lake, it’s all over the place. Couples walking hand in hand, talking, laughing, gazing at each other, it seems almost fairy tale-like. Somehow, I think this aspect is missing in Malaysians which are too cooped up drinking, belching and vomiting their nights away instead of looking for decent conversation. Can’t we just talk anymore?

For me though at that time, I felt like I was facing one of the toughest emotional task and hence the last picture says it all really. My personal favorite although it won’t be winning any awards.

All along the way, I had my music with me which helped to set the mood. My advice is, never forget your music, that’s what makes life an epic movie. I sat in the middle of the lake for an hour, reading and listening to my music before heading out to my next destination. The morale of this post? Nothing really, just that I like big lakes. Do you?

Guarding 7-11

Burning ‘money’ for the dead

Stupid place damn far

It’s beautifully huge

*Munch* *Munch*

Seems to be a favorite past time here

I guess it can get pretty boring fishing alone

Fish anywhere, even in drains

Special moments with the family

People frequently visit for dates

A common sight, couples talking & laughing together

Guess what is she doing?

Hopes & dreams, etched in concrete forever

Too bad I missed their expression at that time

Another natural picture of the couple

Yeah yeah, it’s me

Me against the mountains

PS. Pictures all shot with the Sony A700 + SAL18250. Compositionally nothing really special as I was just going to relax and these were the snapshots from that day.

“…this the season to be jolly…”

Happy New Year. Hope you all had a great one.

“…and people thought it was easy…”

For the last few months, I’ve been investing my time to learn how to actually create music. Most might think that it’s as simple as pressing the record button but after reading tons of online and offline material, I have a newfound respect for sound engineers. Unlike most visual media, audio requires a keen sense of listening which probably isn’t the most common human activity to begin with. Unfortunately, most people prefer to impose their opinions rather than to listen first but heck, I’m deviating.

One of the first few things I learned about was the gear needed to create your own home studio. Unlike other wallet-draining hobbies, audio production can be rather affordable or highly expensive and the options are literally limitless. Let me give you some insight.

 

Here are the few general components needed to create your own tracks:

1. Source. You can’t have any music without something to make music right? This refers anything from your voice to musical instruments. There’s also another very important but bloody confusing element which is the MIDI controller.

2. Input. You’re gonna need a medium to transfer everything to your recording device. This refers to microphones & cabling such as XLR cables & 1/4″ guitar jacks.

3. Mic Preamp. Microphones create a very ‘weak’ signal (so to speak) and will require a mic preamp to boost the signal to bring it up to recordable levels.

4. Mixer. A mixer in a nutshell ‘mixes’ all your sources together into one output. Imagine taking all your sources (instruments, mic for vocals, MIDI controller, etc) and putting them together and you get the basic idea. Nowadays, these aren’t so necessary as it can be replicated digitally through software (usually provided, refer to #5) but most still use dedicated mixers for their work.

5. Digital Audio Workstation. Or DAW in short, this refers to the system utilized to record, edit & playback the audio. Specifically, this refers to the audio hardware to transfer the music digitally and the audio software used to record and edit all the inputs. Audio hardware can be anything from a sound card in your PC (not your regular kind but the type meant for recording) to a full fledged external audio interface usually linking to the PC or Mac via USB or Firewire. Naturally, like all things, faster is better and Firewire is the defacto standard. Some mixers also come with USB or Firewire transfer removing the need for a separate audio interface. Audio software is pretty self explanatory and both PC and Mac have great software and most credible mixers & audio interface units will also come with packaged software. Generally inferior to mainstream software but they work well for beginners.

6. Studio Monitors. These do not mean your laptop screen but rather the speakers or headphones used to monitor the output or sound quality. Now a thing to note about studio monitors: You have to throw conventional wisdom out the window. Unlike your regular headphones which was created to improve sound quality, studio monitors are designed to be as FLAT (or unimproved) as possible. Now the simple rationale is this: If you use sound improved headphones or speakers when you’re producing your audio, you’re literally being lied to. The source might be terrible but because of your ‘great’ headphones, they might end up sounding amazing! So basically, although what you’re hearing is amazing, what’s being recorded is actually terrible to begin with and when played back on inferior sound systems, you’re literally going to get crap. Hence, studio monitors are designed to be as accurate as possible. If the source is good, you’ll be getting good sound, not better sound. Ok, now re-read everything again to get a better grip of this. 

 

Now, due to the current economic situation, I’ll share with you the minimum you need in order to record something decent. Here’s a list:

1. 1x microphone + XLR cable. (RM500 – RM1000)

2. 1x Firewire audio interface. (RM700 – RM1500)

3. 1x good headphone. (RM200 – RM300)

4. 1x USB MIDI controller (RM2500 – RM3500)

5. 1x PC or Mac with Firewire

6. Add whatever instruments that you may want or forego instruments altogether.

 

Now this might seem a tad expensive for some people but if you went barebones minimum, you can spend less than RM2000 (minus the PC/Mac and MIDI controller) to get started. At this current moment in time, I have yet to learn how to use a MIDI controller so for me, I’m sticking to vocals and instruments for recording.

My biggest weakness is that I have no musical background to speak of and I am unable to read notes or play an instrument. This will prove to be my biggest challenge and I’ve started guitar lessons recently to offset this problem. However, do follow me on my learning path and I’ll share whatever I’ve learned here in months to come. If I do come up with any content, I’ll be sure to share it here as well.

For my next audio post, I’ll go into a little more detail about each element stated above.

“…nothing looks more revolting than shit hitting the fan really…”

I have a habit of starting new blogs whenever the shit hits the fan. This must be like the 6th blog I’ve started over the years since the Internet was invented. Not a lot by most usual standpoints but then again, neither do I keep them well and any effort in writing eventually becomes wasted.

I thought of ranting a lot, expressing my inner most demons to the World Wide Web but when I come to think about it, it’s not like I’ll be opening this blog up to anyone anyway. I write for my own pleasure, if that makes any sense to the everyday human being. I’m still not sure why this exercise will help me anyway, hmm…

Well, it’s at moments like this when music means so much more. As some people might say, music represents and we can fully relate to this representation. A song can evoke differing emotions depending on a person’s current state of mind. It’s all about perspective really because usually our own problems or emotions are the most important in the world, no?

As a teenager wanting to be different (don’t we all), I harbored a secret and very much immature desire. A desire… to be a singer in Japan. It wasn’t because I was in love with Japan or anything but the thought of being lost in translation (damn, I use this statement a lot) appealed to me very much and I loved the way music there went against the grain, so to speak. There was also something magical about the strange unknown akin to explorers of old (or Star Trek, whichever way you flow). I even went to the extent of studying full-time Japanese for a whole year! That’s 6 hours a day, 5 days a week and I even have the certificate to prove it. However, my Japanese has since diminished to kindergarden levels unfortunately.

Needless to say, such feelings have since long gone but that relation to music has yet to diminish within me. But then I guess, such feelings aren’t so different for so many people out there as well. However, this emotion led me to create this blog. Hopefully, as all my equipment is obtained, I can upload some little bits of creativity. Till then, stay tuned.

But yeah, back to ranting. I guess I’ve changed much over the years. I remember when such a post would have stretched pages and pages of opinions, comments and generally being a pathetic fuck about life in general. I have since decided that life doesn’t suck all that much and have even begun to ‘live’ life, shockingly. So instead, I’ll leave you with a playlist for you to kinda ‘feel’ me (stop thinking dirty, you horny porn dog):

 

‘Home’ by Micheal Buble

‘ここにいるね’ by SoulJa Feat.青山テルマ (YouTube this ok?)

‘You Don’t Know Me’ by Ray Charles

Pick out a slow number from Jay Chow or Sam Lee, just get the whole ‘Tell me why???’ kinda feel

‘Always Be My Baby’ by David Cook (Knocks Mariah off her feet, this version)

‘I’m Yours’ by Jason Mraz.

 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.