Friday, December 28, 2012

Logic EXPRESS - discontinued!!!???


thanks apple! thanks for giving us a discount to upgrade from logic express to logic pro... NOT! i can't believe they did this!!! i guess you could argue that it doesn't work like that because if i buy a mac and then a new mac comes out i shouldn't get a new one for cheaper because i already paid for the old one. but this is software and updates are free. if i update my r.a.m i don't expect that to be free because it's hardware... it's cowboy moves like this that makes me realise how much they simply don't give a damn about their clients. i wonder if cubase and sonar would do this? i think not!!

Friday, November 23, 2012

Tuesday, May 1, 2012


not sure if you've been reading my blog since the first post... if not, then see this post - my first actually - about the headphones that i own. mmm... no; that's half the truth! in the meantime i bought a pair of Sennheiser EH 250's to replace my HD 202's that broke during a recording session. anyway! back to the post!!

when i bought the AKG K601's i was disappointed because it simply didn't compare to my Sennheisers (HD 202's at the time) so i thought i'd have to buy a headphone amp to bring out their real potential.

WRONG!!!!!!!! they still sound thin :(

yesterday i finally bought a dedicated headphone amp (a Little Dot MK III) to drive the AKG K601 headphones. boy was i disappointed!  i have to admit they are louder. BUT - they still do not come close to the (fraction of the price) Sennheisers! i guess i'll "shtick" to "Zem" Sennnheiser headphones - JAWOHL!

ps: i still need to add those posts of how i've built the guitar, the house move with new studio layout, the Fender Mustang amp compared to software amps, Little Dot MK III headphone amp, all the new stuff i bought software/hardware etc etc... i'm very busy at the moment running my own web design/development company (chapter5 interactive) and contracting to other companies as Johan Pienaar, so i'll do it as soon as i get a moment ;) have a good one! LIFE IS SHORT! now there's a thought!!!! life is short... i don't know about you but i'm already one-quarter through my life (and you're probably too). Are you satisfied...?

Friday, January 20, 2012

software drum panning vs. drum panning on recordings


it sounds to that the panning in drum software like EZDrummer is by far wider than drumming that I hear on recordings. for example if you open EZDrummer > load any set > select a groove and press play. Or just click on random drums and cymbals... notice how wide they are panned?

now listen to this - notice how the toms, cymbals and sometimes even the room mics are all pretty much close to mono
"No One Loves Me & Neither Do I - Them Crooked Vultures"
"Hardened Sole - Firebird"
"Druganaut - Black Mountain" (this one have the hats on the left but everything else is very centre.)
"The Day I Tried To Live - Soundgarden"


Thursday, January 12, 2012

happy new year!

if this is not an overdub then i need to know how they did it! i don't even think it's possible because wouldn't the guy's strings be muted by the girls chord changes?