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December 23, 2009

I’m the destroyer of electrical appliances

Filed under: Audio & Music,Books,Computers & Gadgets,Film/TV/Animation,My Life/Musings,Video Games — Rob @ 6:09 pm

WEBLOG:
It’s been a pleasure using Camtasia Studio to record and edit the videos for my upcoming workshop. It’s got just enough features to be useful, and does not allow very deep editing, which is fine because for video tutorials and demonstrations, too many features will just make it harder to use. I’ve searched around for other commercial and freeware alternatives just to see what’s out there, but none can match the features or the intuitive design of Camtasia Studio.

While making the videos, it struck me how often I see people making videos for tutorials or demonstrations that really should not be in the video format, and should instead be simple text and images. I know some people prefer watching videos to reading, but to me, the only time videos should be made is if the instruction/demonstration must be captured by video in order to be understood clearly (such as demonstrating drawing/painting technique, or how to play a musical instrument). I guess as a society we’ve become too lazy, and prefer to have information spoon-fed to us. Well, not me, and that’s why I will not make unnecessary videos for my workshop–only contents that really should be in the video format.

…

Amazon.com now operates in China, and Elena just bought a whole box of books–mostly on philosophers and classic literature–all western books translated into simplified Chinese. Books in China cost a lot less than in the States, so she’s getting a great deal on those nice hardback books. I have a hard time reading simplified Chinese since it’s quite different from traditional Chinese, so I usually don’t venture into her book collection, except for those printed in traditional Chinese (published in Taiwan or Hong Kong). She can’t read my books since her English is not good enough, and the few Chinese books I have she’s already read them by now. Maybe I should force myself to get more used to reading simplified Chinese so I can raid her collection (we have about six large bookshelves in our home, and her books take up one shelf while mine take up five shelves).

Elena’s books are more on the academic, lifestyle, and fiction side, covering philosophy, history, science, the arts, classic literature, modern fiction, health, gardening, cooking, travel, beauty, and learning English. My collection is more on the creative side, covering fine art, illustration, graphic novels, music, fiction (classic literature, modern fiction, sci-fi/fantasy/horror/mystery), photography, film, architecture, interior design, instructional books on various creative endeavors (drawing/painting, anatomy/figure, sequential art, animation, 3D, screenwriting, fiction writing and editing, music theory, music composition and orchestration, recording/mixing/mastering, drums/percussion, guitar, bass, piano/keyboard, harmonica, voice, synthesis, music sheets/scores, film scoring, photography and lighting). My non-fiction books are mostly on war history/special forces, science, psychology and social issues.

The sad thing about China is that most people we know around us don’t read and don’t keep books at home. The average person in China seems to feel that once a person is no longer in school, reading is unnecessary, and buying books is a waste of money and a waste of space. When acquaintances come over, they usually think it’s very odd that we have so many books. Not that there aren’t book lovers here–just that they are a tiny minority compared to the States, where we have large bookstores everywhere and most people have a book collection of some sort at home. It’s ironic that one of the countries with the oldest cultures on the planet is now one of the least cultured. (But this is only in China–Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore…etc are very different).

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I’ve been using the Victor SU-DH1 Dolby Headphone device for a while now, and I have to say, although I was skeptical at first, after getting used to its unique interpretation of surround sound as two-channel stereo via headphones, I feel it really does work very well for gaming. You have to take a little bit of time to learn its sonic signature for the simulation of rear speakers, and once you do, you can reliably tell when something is behind you. I think it makes sense that we should be able to simulate true surround sound with just two channels–after all, human beings only have two ears, right? So if the digital processing can replicate the sonic signature of how a pair of rear speakers sound to our ears, then why can’t we hear true surround with just a pair of headphones and two channels?

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One of the worst things about living in China is that your neighbors are always doing construction all year long, and probably for your entire life. You might get lucky if the building/house you live in has no new neighbors moving in or no one is selling their home for a long stretch of time, but as soon as there is, you’ll have to live with construction noises. There is no law governing this problem like there is in the States, where you’d have to get approval of your local government and neighbors before doing any kind of construction. In China, “reconstructing” a home when buying old or new is extremely common because labor is cheap, and most people like to feel they are “renewing” an older home or changing what they don’t like about the real estate development company’s design of interior structure. I don’t even know why real estate development companies even bother with constructing the interior of their buildings anyway, since 90% of the buyers will just knock it all down and reconstruct according to their own preference anyway (and of course, the fact there’s no law governing this is part of the problem. If there were strict laws about it, then we’d see a lot less frivolous reconstruction of building interior).

The side-effect of this rampant problem is I have to wear earplugs in the morning in order to get enough sleep (the constructions start at 8:00AM), and I can’t do any serious recording or mixing or monitoring from 8:00AM to noon, and from 2:00pm to 6:30pm. It’s absolutely ridiculous that there is not law governing this problem, because it’s actually possible you could be listening to construction noises for your entire life when living in China. For example, you buy a unit in a newly constructed apartment building, and your neighbors don’t all just move in at once–they slowly trickle in over the years. Let’s say there are 12 floors in the building, and four units per floor–that’s 48 units of neighbors. Typically, 90% of them will want to redo the interior construction to their own preference, and each reconstruction can take anywhere from two to six months or more (some people run out of money and rest for a stretch of time before continuing). So let’s say four months is the average construction time for each unit, at Approximately 43 units, you’re looking at about 14 years of construction time. Even though in reality, they won’t all trickle in precisely one after another and would very likely trickle in by waves, this isn’t any comfort because that’s just your building–the surrounding buildings also have 43 units that will be doing construction throughout the years, and some of them will be selling their units during those years. When Chinese people buy a used home, they almost always tear down the interior to reconstruct. So, adding up hundreds of units in all the buildings within earshot of yours, you could very possibly be living among construction noise for all of your life, until you die or go insane. I don’t know why this isn’t talked about as much as it should be, but it’s one of the worst things about living in China.

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Since I mentioned earplugs, I want to share some information here about them. I have been using the disposal foams for a while now, but they aren’t meant to be reused for a long time, so they lose their effectiveness after a while. I started to shop around for reusable ones, but apparently their noise reduction capabilities pale next to the disposable foam ones. I thought I had found the ultimate solution when I saw the SilentEar, especially when the store selling them hyped them up so much. After ordering them and trying them out (I got the sample package which contains all three sizes), I was disappointed that they did not match the performance of the disposable foam ones. I had some free ones from an airline and also a brand called Flents I got at Safeway, and they both were much more effective. I emailed Earplugstore and they told me some people have ear canals that aren’t as round in shape so the seal is not ideal using the reusable pre-molded earplugs. I was told to stick with the disposable foams since they conform to unique ear canal shapes much better, and offer the best noise reduction performance anyway. I don’t mind the foam ones too much, except it’s a bit annoying that you have to roll them up first before inserting, and you have to hold them in place until they have fully expanded–not exactly convenient when one’s barely awake and trying to go back to sleep.

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One of my Samson C-Control monitor controllers kicked the bucket recently, and I decided to replace it with the cheaper Behringer Mini Mon800 Monitor Matrix Mixer. I’m not one of those people who automatically assume that all cheap gears are inherently bad, especially when some well-known cheap gears have proven to be every bit as reliable as their high-end counterparts, and often even sounding as good–this includes even some Behringer products. While the Mini Mon800 is definitely cheap plastic, so far the signal’s been clean with no sign of degradation. I use it to patch in gear I rarely use, so I almost never turn it on anyway, but it’s one of those things where if I needed to patch something in, it’s super-convenient.

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I’ve had my TC Electronic Konnekt Live firewire audio interface for a few months now, but I ever had a chance to really put the mic preamps on it through their paces. Since I’ve been recording videos for my upcoming workshop, I’ve compared the Konnekt Live’s mic pre’s to the Line 6 Toneport UX2‘s, and there’s just no contest–the Konnekt Live’s preamps are definitely better–less noise when maxed out, better clarity, and a cleaner sound overall (and at double the price, the Konnekt Live better kick the Tonport UX2′s ass). I’ve been recording the sound with the Shure SM7A, and being one of the harder to drive dynamic mics out there, the UX2 could barely supply enough juice to get a decent signal (turning the preamp all the way up generates too much noise), and the Konnekt Live’s much quieter maxed out setting makes it possible to drive the SM7A’s with a low enough level of noise I could actually live with. I do like Podfarm’s mic pre models though, so perhaps I’ll use konnekt Live’s mic pre, route the audio to the Toneport’s line inputs, and then through Podfarm’s mic pre models. I’ll try that one of these days and report back on whether it worked.

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I have managed to destroy two Fantom external hard drives this year–one was a 2TB model that got fried when I plugged it into a USB hub (which wasn’t my fault, and I’d send it back for repairs except shipping from China back to the States is not worth it), and the other one was a 1TB model that I accidentally pulled off my desk and crashed onto the hard wood floor. The 2TB model’s USB interface shouldn’t have gotten fried from plugging into a USB hub, and wonder if it’s the hub that’s the problem. The drives in the casing are fine, so I plugged them into a Kingwin EZ-Dock 2 (so convenient–I love that thing), and they still work fine. The drives in the 1TB model are both completely dead, as both are making loud and strange noises when I try to power them up for testing. I even tried the freezer trick but it didn’t work (although I know the trick works because it’s worked before on a dead laptop drive). I have a few spare 200GB drives, so I thought maybe I should get a multi-drive external enclosure for them and turn them into a 1TB drive, but considering the cost of such an external enclosure, I might as well buy a new external 1TB drive (or internal drive and an external enclosure). Thinking back, the amount of money I’ve spent on hard drives in the last 10 years is just mind-boggling (I’d estimate about $5,000), and I look forward to the day when massive storage has become smaller in physical size, tough and durable, extremely reliable, with very long lifespan, and cheap. We’ve got the price down at this point for hard disk drives, and now we just need to get the capacity of solid state drives up and the price down.

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I finally finished playing Bioshock. I had first played it up to the Arcadia level a couple of years ago, and then gave up on it when it just didn’t compel to me go any further. Recently I decided to give it another shot, and restarted it all the way from the beginning. Now that I have finished it, its clear to me why I didn’t bother finishing it the first time around–I’ll get back to this later. First, what I liked about the game:

-Original and interesting premise
-Great atmosphere
-Fun gameplay
-Took the System Shock 2 mechanics and made it more accessible to a wider audience

Now, what I didn’t like about the game:

-The facial animation was horrible on the Little Sisters. This was especially glaring when you are taken to where they lived. There wasn’t even any eye blink animation! The characters just stared vacantly in front of them like soulless puppets. Considering how far game animation has come, this is unacceptable, especially when we’re supposed to emotionally connect with the little sisters.

-The skin shaders were terrible. Everyone’s skin looked like shiny plastic, and looked nothing like flesh. This is also unacceptable by today’s standards.

-The ending was too rushed and the pacing of the editing was terrible. This was especially annoying at the very end of the final cinematic–it cuts off abruptly and jumps right back to the start screen, jolting you out of the narrative clumsily. Why couldn’t then have faded out the final shot to black slowly, and then roll the credits? Why such a clumsy jolt? Also, they should have elaborated more on what happens to Tenenbaum, and what’s to become of Rapture and its insane population. It doesn’t matter what they plan to do for the sequel–they should have given some explanation or least convey some form of closure.

-There should have been more motivation designed into the first third of the game, so that we actually want to continue on. I stopped playing the game the first time because I saw no reason to continue. I didn’t care what happened to Atlas, because I didn’t know him, and he sure the hell didn’t seem like he cared about me. I had no reason to continue because it felt like I was doing the same thing over and over–killing the Big Daddies and dealing with Little Sisters, while fending off a bunch of insane splicers. There was no sense of the gravity of the situation and what my stake was in it all–I wasn’t even under the impression that I had to somehow escape from that insane place. I think they could’ve maybe woven some sane survivors who weren’t spliced up into the premise so that you meet some sympathetic and likable characters that you can actually relate to and care about. Maybe they’re barricaded somewhere and you go and try to help them escape Rapture, and you have to try to protect them from all the splicers. They could’ve also moved the part about becoming a Big Daddy and protecting the Little Sisters to much earilier, because that actually had real emotional resonance–to protect these little girls from the crazy splicers. When they got killed, I actually felt really bad. To make it even more emotionally involving, they could’ve injected more individuality into the Little Sisters–for example, when you meet them at their living quarters, Tenenbaum could introduce you to them one by one, telling you their names and tell some stories about them, and throughout the game earlier, the Little Sisters could also display distinctly different personalities so they seemed a lot more real. For example, one could be really shy, one could be really feisty, one could be bubbly and enthusiastic, one could be very witty…etc.

My general feeling about Bioshock is that it’s a great premise but the creator/writer did not do enough to make sure the actual game narrative lived up to the potential the premise provided. For all the talk about how games should be more emotional, I don’t think the creator/writer (Kevin Levine) did enough to push the medium in that direction–or maybe he tried but simply didn’t have it in him to do any better. Or, maybe what makes him tick is simply different from what makes me tick.

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Quickie film/TV reviews:

Friday Night Lights (Season Two & three) - I enjoyed season two and three almost as much as the first season, except that I the writers could’ve indulged in a bit of a John Hughes moment with Landry and Tyra, where Landry gets to bask in the glory of scoring one of the hottest girls in the entire school. I mean, let’s face it–guys who look like Landry would never get a girl like Tyra in real life, and it should have been a huge deal at Dillon High. Julie’s juvenile rebellious streak got a bit tiresome each time she butted heads with her mom, and it felt a bit out of character since she was portrayed as an intelligent and mature teenager in the first season. I liked the Smash storyline much more this time around since he finally did some maturing after facing defeat. It was nice to see Tim turning into a reliable guy too, especially when in real life, guys like that typically don’t really start to mature until they are much older. I have a feeling season four will be starting a lot of new storylines and introduce new characters to replace the ones that have graduated and moved on.

Prison Break (season four + The Final Break) - Season might be a bit better than season three, but still not nearly as good as the first two seasons. This is because the series was supposed to end in two seasons, and anything that came after was only because of popular demand. I think the creators should have refused to continue the series and instead pitched something new to the studio.

Entourage (season six) - I don’t think I could ever get tired of this show. It’s just such a feel-good show, with fast pacing, lighthearted fun, hot women, likable guys, and a hilarious parody of the entertainment industry. The fact that it’s also just half hour long also keeps the energy going so there’s never a dull moment.

Inglourious Basterds - The plot felt a bit too simple and doesn’t sell the excitement of the premise as well as it should, while the ending was anti-climatic as well. It’s almost as if Tarantino wrote the screenplay up to the point where the fire had started, and then ran of ideas. Up to that point the film was fairly enjoyable, although some scenes were more drawn out than necessary, and the plot progression felt too compartmentalized (breaking up the film into chapters didn’t help that either). There could’ve been multiple ways to make the ending a lot more exciting, but what we got was predictable and vanilla, which is odd coming from Tarantino. I always said that Pulp Fiction was a fluke, and with every single film he’s done since, I’ve remained correct, and that makes me sad. Being a huge fan of Pulp Fiction, I would love to see Tarantino pull off that magic again.

Moon – One of the best sci-fi films I’ve seen in a long time, and I might even say one of the best sci-fi films ever made. A cerebral and quiet sci-fi film with a philosophical core like Moon is such a rare gem in today’s world of entertainment, where the audience seems to be getting progressively more shallow and with shortening attention span. We need more films like this instead moronic films from Michael Bay and his clones.

Paranormal Activity - Some moments are genuinely scary, but it drags on a little in the middle. Part of me wanted to see the paranormal aspect escalate to another level, but when I really think about it, they made the right choice to not take things too far (for example, very concrete and visceral visual effects), as keeping everything vague worked for the vibe of the film, and that vagueness also matches what most of us have experienced when we thought something weird was going on in our homes. I do think the last day in the film was a bit idiotic though, since any rational and sane person would’ve dragged the girlfriend out of the house regardless of the pleading, and stayed with family or friends. But then again, it would’ve dragged more people into the mess, maybe even end up killing more people.

Annie Hall - I finally watched Annie Hall after hearing about it all these years. I actually have seen plenty of Woody Allen films in the past and enjoyed them all (some more than others), but for some reason I never got around to watching his most famous film. Now that I did, I could see why it was a big deal back then, and the influence it’s had on later films. I can’t say that I really liked it though, since I think Woody Allen has perfected that formula in later films, and when compared, Annie Hall is not as polished in terms of pacing and structure as his later films (which makes sense, as he had learned and improved more as a filmmaker later).

Planet B-Boy - I’m not really a fan of hip-hop (though I do listen to the more intelligent and socio-political rap sometimes), but I’ve always been fascinated by Battle of the Year. There’s something very intriguing about a bunch of street dancers coming together to compete as teams and representing their countries. It’s a very grassroots kind of a vibe, blown up onto the international stage, and many of these dancers come from extreme poverty in small cities and villages that we know nothing about. I also love the fact that it completely destroys any preconceived notions about race and culture. When you see Asians often dominating the competition, it just blows away all the Asian stereotypes.

Terminator: Salvation – Although for an action film, it was entertaining enough, I was disappointed by how the the writers portrayed John Connors as an adult. I always felt that John as an adult should still have that mischievous sense of humor, but he was totally one-dimensional in the film. I was also disappointed by the portrayal of the younger Kyle Reese as well–it did not feel like him at all. I wonder if the writers really understood those characters and what made them appealing in the first two films. They should never have continued the franchise without James Cameron.

17 Again - Careless writing with inconsistent focus and lots of missed opportunities. If the screenplay had gone through a few drafts of scrutiny, the film have ended up a lot better. But let’s face it–films like these are your standard Hollywood disposable entertainment–they were never meant to be great.

The Other Boleyn Girl - A decent period drama that is a bit too neatly packaged to have the impact it should have. Natalie Portman acts circles around Scarlett Johanson, and it’s a bad idea to have them compete on the screen because they’re not even in the same league in terms of talent.

Thirst – I was told this film is really good, especially if I loved Let the Right One In. I don’t know what other people are smoking, but this film was a big disappointment. It lacked a focused intent and meandered aimlessly, with a plot structure that felt random and arbitrary. The tone was also schizophrenic, going from wacky comedy to macabre drama. I don’t mind mixing genres or have a wide range of tones in a film, but it has to work and it has to still feel cohesive, and Thirst did not feel cohesive. This film is nowhere near as good as Let the Right One In.

Grace Is Gone – I liked the two daughters a lot more than the dad (played by John Cusack), and while I like Cusack in general, I thought this was the wrong role for him. The older daughter (played by Shelan O’Keefe) really stole the show for me–she was radiant, natural, and had the kind of “old soul” vibe that precocious children and teenagers exude.

Up – I always look forward to every Pixar film, confident in their track record of producing artistically and technically superior animated works. While I did enjoy Up (especially the first ten minutes), it was surprisingly very simple–in fact the simplest Pixar film thus far. I wish it had more character development and plot twists, but overall it’s still an enjoyable film.

Coraline – I found the film a bit random and lacking a solid emotional center. The theme is easily recognized–that one should appreciate one’s own life instead of being unsatisfied, but many of the details don’t really help support the theme and felt like gimmicks that don’t actually contribute to the overall story, thus end up lacking a satisfying emotional payoff.

Maria Full of Grace – A good film that perhaps could’ve been stronger if the direction was a bit more dynamic. Maybe it’s a good thing that it’s such a simply film, especially when today’s films tend to heavy on style instead of substance.

[REC] – I watched Quarantine, not too long ago, which is a shot-by-shot American remake of [REC]. Now that I have seen both films, I have things I prefer in each version. Overall, I think Quarantine benefits from taking an already good film and remaking it shot-by-shot, and because it’s supposed to be as close to the original as possible, there are very few differences in story, plot progression, or characters. Being the remake, the filmmakers have the benefit of distance and objectivity, and they’re able to improve upon the original–mainly more character development, more legible cinematography (without losing the intensity), and some additional scares not in the original. What I can’t figure out is why they changed the secret revealed at the end of the film to a scientific explanation instead of the super natural one of the original (big mistake IMO). Super natural will always be scarier because it’s not something we could understand, control, or fight against, and it’s much more mysterious, which amps up the scary factor. Also, I prefer the original’s version of Angela more, since she wasn’t as hysterical once everything goes to hell. The original’s actress, Manuela Velasco, played Angela to be a bit tougher, and only really started falling apart at the very end, which is totally understandable, because I think 99% of the population would fall apart under those conditions. Velasco is also much easier on the eyes (I always found Jennifer Carpenter to be quite strange looking, and in Dexter, when she was referred to by other characters as being “hot,” I had such a violent case of cognitive dissonance that my mind was reeling from the jolt), but Angela gets covered up in blood and bruises in most of the film anyway. The remake’s longer intro brought us closer to the main characters, which made us care a bit more about them, and it was also nice to actually see the guy behind the camera in the remake. If I had to pick one as my preferred version, it would be a really tough call. At gunpoint, I’d probably say Quarantine, since it’s overall more engrossing due to better character development and more scares.

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September 26, 2009

Canon VIXIA HF11 AVCHD camcorder

Filed under: Art & CG,Books,Computers & Gadgets,Film/TV/Animation,My Life/Musings,Photography,Video Games,Writing — Rob @ 4:36 pm

Weblog:
Recently when I was making videos about the Zendrum, I realized I really needed a dedicated camcorder instead of using the video recording feature on the Fujifilm F30. We’ve always used our cameras’ video recording feature whenever we needed to record videos, and we’ve always been fine with the inherent limitations. But now that I need to shoot more demanding videos where I need to exercise a lot more control over the shooting process, it was time to bite the bullet and get a camcorder. I did a lot of research and debated about whether to go with standard definition or high-definition, and finally decided that since the entire market is obviously moving towards HD, it would be kind of stubborn to stay in the SD world. I did think about whether I would need to burn DVD’s to share with other people, or the extra space and processing power required to work with HD footage. In the end, I decided that HD would be doable and SD would be taking a step back in technology.

Other than shooting the typical travel and home movies, I will be uploading to Youtube some music-making gear reviews and demonstrations. I might try to shoot some live-action stuff with it too–perhaps a short-film, but it’s unlikely to happen when I’m in China, since I don’t really have an interest in working with local Chinese actors or shooting anything in the Chinese language (unless I happen to write a screenplay that takes place in China).

The HD camcorder I ended up getting was the Canon VIXIA HF11 AVCHD :
Canon HF11

I was surprised by how tiny the thing is. My last memory of consumer camcorders was when they seemed at least two or three times bigger:
tiny Canon HF11

I also got the Canon VL-5 optional light for it:
Canon HF11 with VL-5 optional light

Other accessories I got includes a Sandisk 32GB class 2 and a Toshiba 32GB class 4 SDHC memory cards, a Pisen BP819D battery/charger, and I’ll also be getting a Canon WD-H37C II 37mm Wide Angle Conversion Lens soon, since the wide end of the HF11 is laughably NOT wide.

The VL-5 is 3,000 kelvin degrees halogen light, so it’s warmer than neutral. I think Canon designed it that way because they think the typical ambient lighting used in various places are warm tungsten lights, so the fill light would need to match the ambient light temperature. The small LED light that’s built into the camcorder itself is very cool in temperature, likely deviating from the standard 5,00k even more than the VL-5 (though on the cooler side). The LED light isn’t very bright and casts everything in a cool, bluish hue, so the VL-5 is good purchase if you want a usable fill-light.

After testing it out for a couple of days, I pretty much figured out the optimal settings for most of the shooting situations I’d encounter. The Cine mode gives the best detail in highlights and shadows, but the image is flatter than the other modes. Setting the Image Effects to Vivid will help, but it’s still not as vibrant as I’d like. There also seems to a cap on the ISO when in Cine mode, since the exposure never goes up in Cine mode after reaching a certain threshold, so if a scene is dark, it’ll stay dark instead of automatically going up in exposure or going down in shutter speed. The lack of high-ISO noise like in the other modes also tells me there must be a limit of how high the ISO will go in Cine mode. I have the frame rate set to 50i since the PF25 that’s recommended to use with the Cine mode is way too sluggish.

I’d love to have shelled out the bucks for a professional grade HD camcorder so I can have deeper manual control down to the last detail, but like I said, I have no interest in shooting live-action stuff while I’m in China, so it would’ve been money wasted. For casual use, the HF11 is perfectly fine, if you know how to adapt it to various lighting situations. Luckily I have already accumulated a lot of technical knowledge from photography over the years, and the main foundation knowledge is the same from photography to video. As long as you have a firm grasp of the main concepts behind how aperture, shutter speed, ISO, metering, white balance…etc work together to contribute to the final output, you already know all the most important technical stuff.

One annoying thing about the HF11 is the ImageMixer 3 SE software that comes with it–it refuses to install because the serial number from the HF11 is rejected. I may have to end up paying for another AVCHD capable video editor, but I’d rather not since I already have Adobe Premiere CS3 (though it can’t import AVCHD, unless you play for a third-party solution).

Although I’m still busy working on the course material for the workshop, I’ll try to find some time to remake the Zendrum video with the HF11 and get it up on Youtube.

…

Speaking of the workshop, one thing I’ve noticed is that I tend to spend a lot of time creating content that are rarely, if ever, readily available in the instructional books and DVD’s, or even art school classes. I try to not spend too much time on topics that already have tons of readily available free and commercial resources, since that’s not the point of the workshop. The whole point of the workshop is to teach both essential foundations and also critical advanced knowledge and techniques that’s very hard to learn due to lack of resources, or would require many years of experience and gradual evolution as an artist to grasp. My goals is to make those highly difficult aspects easy to understand, so the students can shave off many years from their struggles.

Some of the topics in the workshop that have very little available resources elsewhere are advanced theories like the complexities and principles of stylization–for example, the anatomy of visual vocabulary, and the way they combine to describes different visual styles–from culturally influenced styles (anime, American comic books), house styles of prolific studios and intellectual properties (well known franchises, animation studios), to personal styles. Stylization is something that even pros often don’t get right, and while it’s often a matter of taste, there are very important universal rules that artists must observe in order to create styles that are effective and appropriate for any given intellectual property. A related topic is the matter of aesthetics, and it’s a topic rarely ever taught in detail in art schools or in commercial “How To” books and videos. In the workshop, I try to help students learn to dissect the mysteries of aesthetic concerns, and also look at examples of how an artist might evolve aesthetically, but not always for the better.

There are so many other things in the workshop spanning all topics (composition, lighting, color, surface polish, stylization, aesthetics…etc) that I purposely designed so the students can learn things that they would not be able to learn from elsewhere–things that are often overlooked, insufficiently explained, or maybe beyond the understanding or insight of other teachers and authors. I’m not saying that as an artist or teacher I know more than others–what I’m saying is that I just happened to have given a lot more thought to all the vital knowledge that are missing from the instructional materials out there. I’m sure some of the artists and teachers out there also know this stuff, but for some reason it just never occurred to them to teach those complex and difficult topics (maybe the fact they are difficult is the main reason).

Anyway, I’m getting closer to finishing the course material–maybe about a couple more months away, and I can’t wait to pass on all those critical knowledge and techniques to the next generation of aspiring artists.

…

Although there’s truth to the advice that you should surround yourself with excellent creative works in order to learn from and be influenced by the best, it’s also true that we often need to experience the polar-opposite to really understand why the masters are so great. The reason why is because often the masters are so skilled that you often cannot figure out why something they did worked so beautifully–there is no trace of the string on the puppet, or any evidence of clumsy tempering. It’s like watching master magicians–you try as hard you could but you can never figure out how the magic is done. But if a bad magician tries to perform the same tricks, as soon as he fumbles, we can see exactly where he failed, and we get a glimpse of the secret to the tricks themselves. That is what happens when we try to learn from inferior creative works, and by becoming familiar with the various telltale signs of inferior works, we gain a deeper understanding of how superior creative works differ. This is the main reason why I force myself to sit through films that I already know are horrible–I need to be well-versed in both excellent and egregious examples to be a more well-rounded creative person. Of course, I don’t purposely go and seek out horrible films–I simply sometimes watch them when they happen to fall on my lap (on TV, friends with bad taste, given to me…etc). Sometimes I would not be able to sit through the whole thing–maybe just the first fifteen to twenty minutes before I eject the DVD out of disgust. Sometimes, a film that is mostly well-made but contains some glaring artistic and technical faults would be the most educational, because you get to witness and compare in the same film what worked and what didn’t.

So, for those of you who turn your noses up at what you consider inferior works of art–take a deep breath, and try and see if you can learn a few things from them. You might be surprised at how much you learn just by trying to analyze all the things that are wrong with bad works of art, and how exactly, down to the last tiny detail, you would’ve done things differently. The most valuable lessons you learn from bad works of art is to never repeat those same mistake in your own creative works.

…

It’s been a while since I got motion-sick from playing a video game, but when I tried to play The Darkness recently, it really messed me up bad. Just seconds into the game and I can already feel it happening. I wish I knew what the exact causes are, and all games would have different settings to help alleviate the problem. Some games allow you to change the Field Of View for that reason, but it’s actually rare that a game has that option available.

I’ve tried a few different games recently but so far none really made me want to continue further, except maybe Assassins Creed, but mostly because it’s got one of the best presentation I’ve seen in a game. Far Cry 2 so far is really disappointing, especially compared to the first game, which is on my list of favorite games of all time. The premise just isn’t very interesting and the storytelling is so unremarkable that you just have no reason to want to go on. Mirror’s Edge was fun at first, but after a while it just feels repetitive, and some of the jumping puzzles are incredibly frustrating. The storytelling also moves forward in a way that’s not very compelling, not to mention the cinematics have some of the worst art direction I’ve ever seen in my life. I wonder how they decided on such an idiotic looking style–one that has nothing to do with the awesome visual style of the game itself. I also tried Grand Theft Auto IV, and as much as I wanted to love it, I just don’t think I’m the type to be able to fall in love with a sandbox styled game. There are just some sensibility issues I can’t agree with. While I had a ton of fun with GTA: Vice City years ago, I never finished that game either because there just wasn’t any motivation in terms of the narrative. I think the sandbox genre needs to figure out a more compelling way to propel the storytelling forward–perhaps usage of scripted events sprinkled within the sandbox environment itself. As it is, it feels more often like stupid mindless fun instead of engaging storytelling.

…

I finished a couple of books recently. Here are some thoughts about them:

Inside Delta Force, by Eric Haney – I’ve heard all the negative opinions about Haney–that he embellished the truth, fabricated events, and made false claims–criticisms that came from his ex-squad mates and commanding officers who read or heard about his book. To make things worse, the TV show he helped co-create and write, The Unit, is a pretty unremarkable show because it contained some ridiculous situations that could never happen in real life (such as the season one finale)–which damages Haney’s reputation even more. So, even before reading the book, I already had some reservations, and I have to say, the book was quite good, with plenty of juicy detail that special forces enthusiasts like myself could chew on–from how they train inside the Kill Houses, how they train to do spy work, to how they take down terrorists in various environments like commercial airlines and trains. In the book, Haney didn’t exhibit any characteristics that you’d associate with the harsh criticism from his ex-squad mates and CO’s. But then again, most intelligent people know how to lie very well and pretend to be someone they’re not. Overall, I enjoyed the book more than I enjoyed Chuck Pfarrer’s Warrior Soul, since it was more detailed in the actual operations and more exciting as well.

Becoming A Synthesizer Wizard, by Simon Cann – I regret getting this book, and it’s not because it’s a bad book, but because I already own two similar books (How to Make a Noise and Cakewalk Synthesizers: From Presets to Power User) by the same author, and this one more or less feels redundant. I even contacted the author and asked him if I should get this book, considering I have his other books, and although he ultimately advised against it, the reasons he gave were never really about redundancy. I suppose from his perspective, the book contains enough unique information, but from my perspective, if you already have books that covers all the different synthesis techniques and how to operate some of the most prolific softsynths on the market, it’s pretty much pointless to get a book that focuses on software modular synthesizers, because you already know enough to be able to figure out any modular synth.

The book itself is good, and if you don’t already own books on synthesis, this would be a good book to get. But when push comes to shove, I would recommend Simon’s other book, How to Make a Noise, over this one, since it’s more in-depth on the stuff that really matter.

…

Quickie movie reviews:

Clean, Shaven - A very poignant and moving film, without ever being sentimental or contrived. It’s an unflinching look at a schizophrenic man trying to find his daughter, and what happens when he finds her. Elena couldn’t watch the film with me because the Chinese subtitles were horribly wrong (sometimes I would translate an entire film for her, dialog by dialog as we watch, but not on that day), so I watched it by myself. I later described the story to her and just listening to me describing the ending brought tears to her eyes.

The Reader – I liked the film, and I enjoyed the multi-layered complexities dealing with personal and cultural guilt. Kate Winslet was excellent in the film–probably her best performance to date.

An American Haunting – The idea behind the story itself isn’t bad (repressed memory shown as supernatural events), but the execution was ineffective. I’ve seen horror films with similar ideas that were much better executed. Avoid this film unless you have nothing else to watch.

Aftershock: Earthquake In New York – This was a made-for-TV film, and it wasn’t great, but pretty good for what it is. If you like Jennifer Garner, then you might watch it just for her.

Traitor - A strong film that’s executed very well, but I wished some of the character relationship developments could’ve been more in-depth, so we get a deeper insight into the inner conflicts of the terrorists-in-training. That would’ve been a different film though, since this one at its core is still an action thriller.

The Strangers – Perfect example of technique over substance. If the screenplay didn’t depict such moronic main characters, the film would’ve been amazing, but since most of the audience has better common sense than both of the main characters, the film falls flat on its face. Instead of being scared, the audience laughs at (or gets angry at) the main characters they’re supposed to identify and empathize with. This is what happens when filmmakers underestimate the audience.

I believe that the audience in general wants to see intelligent, resourceful, and courageous protagonists, instead of idiotic, chicken-shit, fumbling morons. Watching fools get offed because they are too stupid to know any better is not all that entertaining, but watching smart and resourceful protagonists battling it out with the antagonists is very satisfying, and even educational if the protagonists devised solutions and strategies that are plausible and realistic.

Blood Rayne – I couldn’t force myself to watch more than the first twenty minutes before I had to eject the DVD. I often force myself to watch movies that I know are really bad just so I can remind myself what bad films are like, and also to see if I can gain some new insights into all the little and big things that bad filmmakers don’t do right, in order to remind myself to never commit those same mistakes. But sometimes when a film is so bad you just can’t make it all the way through.

The level crassness really has to be seen and heard to be believed–horrible dialog that completely mixed syntax and cadence without any knowledge of how modern and period dialogs differ, ridiculous and laughably dorky costume designs (Michelle Rodriguez’s costume made me laugh hysterically–it was the worst unintentionally bad costume design I’ve ever seen in my life), cringe-worthy acting and directing (it’s Uwe Boll after all), and to top it off, seeing Ben Kingsley embarrass himself by being in that film.

Pride and Glory – A pretty good film about police corruption. Some of the character motivations seem a bit forced, but it’s technically and artistically well-executed, and I thought the ending was satisfying.

The Apocalypse – Avoid this abomination by the Christian production and distribution company called Faith Films. It’s so bad that even the Christian community wants to disown it. I couldn’t finish this one either–it was just too painful.

Flood – A pretty entertaining disaster film overall, but it’s not as gripping as some of the other well-known films in the disaster genre.

Man On Wire – I thought this documentary was overrated. Most of the critics loved it, but I found it to be a bit too stylized for a documentary. Also, the progression of the film was too slow, without enough intrigue to make you want to keep on watching. The film’s climax was also disappointing–no video footage, only a few still photos with narrations. They probably should’ve just had him plan a whole new project and then filmed that instead, so they’d at least be able to film the actual climax.

White Noise: The Light- It’s a little heartbreaking to see Captain Tight Pants (you know who he is if you’re a Browncoat) in this film. He really tried his best, but the writing, directing, and editing were just such clichéd drivel that I wished more than ever that Firefly didn’t get canceled. At least he’d still have some dignity left as an intergalactic petty thief.

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August 22, 2009

Living honestly

Filed under: Audio & Music,Books,Film/TV/Animation,My Life/Musings,Video Games,Writing — Rob @ 4:11 pm

WEBLOG:
I was reading an article about why people lie, and it said that most people lie to make their lives easier–to not have to tell unpleasant truths to others, to puff themselves up to appear better than they really are, or to engage in political maneuvers to get what they want.

The older I get, the more I prefer not having to lie about anything in life–even little white lies, because the energy it takes to tell one and keep one is just not worth it, and the possibility of becoming a habitual liar who lies without thinking about it is just too depressing and terrifying. I simply cannot see pathological and compulsive liars living a happier life than those who choose to live a honest life, but then again, if it’s a mental condition, I guess some people just can’t help themselves.

When I was a kid, I was like other children who would tell lies to avoid getting punished, but it never worked–my parents always knew somehow. Oddly, I never told lies to make myself appear better than I really was–I was confident that I was “good enough” without having to exaggerate or lie to make myself look better. Maybe having displayed artistic talent at a young age gave me a sense of personal pride, and I felt my artistic talent was enough to set me apart from other children that I didn’t have to lie to impress anyone–they were already impressed. That personal pride stayed with me and to date I have never lied about my abilities or accomplishments to anyone, because I never felt the need to.

I did, however, cheat on some ex-girlfriends. I didn’t like to be alone, but I was a perfectionist and kept on looking for “the one” while in the middle of relationships. It was not a good combination as it was selfish and cruel. When I met my wife, all of it stopped. She was the right one, and she’s such a wonderful person that I would never do anything to hurt her. Now that I’ve been very happy with Elena for eight years (we’ve been married for seven years), I always feel blessed whenever I see other people around my age still struggling in the dating pool, trying to find the right person to share their life with, or those in unhappy relationships and marriages always complaining and getting depressed. We really lucked out because the world is such a big place, and we met each other when we lived on opposite ends of the globe.

I don’t want to make it sound like I’d have been faithful to those ex’s had they been more wonderful–that would be unfair, because they all deserved honesty and loyalty (well, almost all), and in their own ways they would’ve been the perfect match for someone else. Even the ones who cheated on me–they probably wouldn’t have cheated with a different partner. Chemistry and timing is a tricky thing. People often behave differently with different partners or at different time periods in their lives, as different personality matches and personal growth can result in different relationship dynamics. For example, in some relationships a person would be very dominant, while in other relationships just totally wrapped around the other person’s little finger, but at a different time in that person’s life, the situations might haven been reversed. Even libido changes from relationship to relationship, or sense of humor, level of patience, method and frequency of communication, romantic gestures, speech patterns, and so on. Of course, some people are so dead set in their ways that they’d behave the same with anyone, and depending on the person, that could be a blessing or a tragedy. I know people who were big time players but settled down as soon as they got married, but I also know people who just can’t seem to learn and grow with experience, and they would make the same mistakes over and over, probably until the day they die.

As far as white lies to make others feel better, I think I would be doing the person more of a favor by being honest, so they can benefit from my honesty as opposed to never knowing how I really feel. If they ask, then they should be prepared for both positive and negative answers, and if the answer was negative and they agree, then I would try to help them find ways to improve things. I think ultimately that’s far more productive than simply telling a white lie. Life is not always supposed to be easy, so I’d rather be helpful and productive than take the easy way out.

The one area where lies are necessary would be very serious matters that could destroy our lives, such as dealing with shady characters wanting to harm us. Those are times when we have to lie in order to protect ourselves and loved ones. I count that more as common sense–to not tell strangers certain things, or to use some creative thinking in order to get out of dangerous situations. If any noble idiot decides to tell the truth in those dire situations, then he pretty much deserves to die, but I would feel bad for the people he drags down with him and failed to protect. And if we find ourselves on the wrong side of the law by accident, it’s probably best to own up to it because the consequences of getting caught would most likely be far worse than telling the truth. This heavily depends on where you live though, because in some countries the only way to survive is to break some of the inhumane laws, as the governments are completely corrupt.

As for business negotiations and political maneuvers for one’s career, I try to stay away from them as much as possible because I have a tendency to say exactly what’s on my mind and tell it like it is. I can be a self-righteous ass sometimes, and I tend to feel like I should express what I believe in and what I stand for. That is precisely why I’d never be a good businessman or a politician. I guess it’s fitting that I’ve devoted my life to the arts, otherwise I’d get into all kinds of trouble.

…

After getting my Zendrum back, I’ve been having a blast practicing on it. I did spend a couple of days trying to make videos comparing it to other MIDI drum triggering devices, but I wasn’t happy with my ability on the Zendrum overall and I decided to give myself a bit more time on the Zendrum before I make another attempt. In order to show off the true capabilities of the Zendrum, I’d have to really master it, and mastering any new instrument is a long process. Luckily as a drummer, I already have enough of a foundation, so it’s more of a matter of getting used to the Zendrum’s idiosyncrasies, so it shouldn’t take that long before I make another attempt.

…

I finally finished Mass Effect. Overall I liked it, although it didn’t quite live up to my expectations in terms of story. I was hoping the ship’s crew would be more involved in the story, like how it was with Star Wars: The Knights of the Old Republic, where the crew’s background stories were part of the overall story arc, and it made you feel closer to them and care about them more. I thought the way Bioware streamlined and simplified their games made them not as compelling as their previous games (but I could say that about all the developers who used to be PC-based and moved on to the console space), although some of changes in the mechanics were welcomed, such as not having to search every single corpse for loot. I was disappointed by the fact that the different endings don’t really feel all that much different, but I could understand why because if they allowed drastically different endings, it would be nearly impossible for them to create the sequel. Also missing were the humor I loved in some of the previous Bioware games. Joker’s character provided a bit of comedic relief, but I had hoped for a character as funny as HK-47, because it added so much to the fun of the KOTOR experience.

…

I hate reading bad books more than I hate watching bad films, because with bad films at least you can tell by the first ten minutes if it was bad, and at the most you’ll waste an hour and a half of your life. With bad books, you usually have to invest a lot more time before you decide the book is just not worth any more of your time. A recent bad book I read was Dead Tide by Stephen A. North.
I bought the book based on all the positive reviews at amazon.com, and I was horribly disappointed. I couldn’t even make it through the first 3rd of the book because it was a big confusing mess. The author jumped around from character to character, and there are way too many of them. By the time he revisited the same character again, you’d already have forgotten who that character was, and would have to really remember hard to be able to pick up on that character’s story again. That is a horrible way to tell a narrative because he doesn’t spend enough time following any particular characters around, then jumps to the next character too quick and too often. The author also neglects to identify who is talking to who in many of the scenes–just dialogs stacking on top of one another without any hint of who spoke which dialog. The only time it was possible to guess was if “she” or “he” was used as identifiers, but even then, if there are more than one female or one male character in the group that’s having the conversation, you’d have a hard time guessing.

I really hate to sound harsh, but the author needs to revisit to the basics of fiction writing before he makes another attempt to write a book again.

Luckily, the other book I read recently was far better. The book was Warrior Soul by chuck Pfarrer, and while it’s an autobiography about his experiences as a Navy SEAL, it’s not really the kind of testosterone drenched macho chest beating one would expect–in fact there is very little combat in the book. Chuck is actually a very humble person and he’s also a very good writer (he did write a few well-known feature films after all). I didn’t realize he was an operator in Team SEAL Six when I bought the book, since the description only mentioned he was a SEAL. For those of you that don’t know the significance, Team SEAL Six is the most elite SEAL team–they take the most accomplished operators from other SEAL teams and then put them through grueling testing, washing out those not good enough and only keeping those that pass with flying colors. So they are pretty much SUPER SEALs and the best of the very best, on par with the equally elite DELTA Force. This makes Chuck’s lack of macho posturing even more endearing, because a few of the other famous ex-special forces authors are famous for their obnoxiously macho and self-serving behavior–to the point of endangering the lives of those still serving by giving away details of their operational procedures and tactics–all for monetary gain. I find that very distasteful, and I suppose just because they were physically and mentally very capable doesn’t mean they had character as well. In contrast, Chuck comes across as the kind of guy you’d want to befriend, and he was very forthcoming about his own mistakes and faults in the book, and often stressed that he was just average among other amazingly brave and skilled operators. IMO, having been part of Team SEAL Six, he couldn’t have been average even if he tried. The book also didn’t give away any details he felt would endanger the lives of those still serving, and I applaud him for that.

…

Quickie film reviews:

The Hurt Locker - I really liked this film, and I have always liked Kathryn Bigelow’s direction. Part of me will always be fascinated by the fact that her sensibilities are very masculine and can direct action and intensity better than most male directors, but I try not to think along those lines about her because I think that’s selling her short. In some ways, The Hurt Locker was a bit like Jarhead–an unconventional war film. In some ways I think these modern unconventional war films are the way filmmakers will go for a while, as the old conventional approach to war films would feel very dated and out of place today, especially when the recent wars are nothing like the previous wars. The trend appears to be rubbing off on films being made about past wars too, sort of mirroring how the Jason Bourne series have modernized and changed the action genre, these modern war films have changed the way war films are made.

Valkyrie – I enjoyed the film, but it wasn’t as tense as I had hoped. I’ve seen some war time thrillers that had put me at the edge of my seat and make my heart stop in the really tense scenes, but Valkyrie didn’t quite do that for me.

W. – I enjoyed this film, and I think it’s a return to form for Oliver Stone after the very disappointing last few films he’s made. I think the film both humanized Bush Jr. while showing how he inherently lacks most of the qualities we treasure in the kind of idealized heroes we favor.

Ground Hog Day – I’ve seen the ending to this film on TV many years ago, but never saw the whole thing. Now that I have, I wish I had much sooner. I was thoroughly entertained while the spiritual aspect of the film really struck home. It made me think about what I would’ve done in the shoes of the main character, and what my actions would say about me as a human being.

In the Valley of Elah - I didn’t dislike the film, but I really wish the film had showed how the murder went down instead of telling it to us. I have no idea why the writer and director thought an oral retelling of the event would be cinematically satisfying. Tommy Lee Jones was very good though, and I think it was worth the time to watch the film just for his performance.

Four Brothers – The tone of the film was a bit inconsistent, often going from deadly serious to comedy. While that combination can work, the balance would have to be carefully maintained, and I think Spike Lee often went for the wrong tone at the wrong moment. I was never fully convinced of the four actor’s chemistry to believe they are brothers either–it felt forced and a bit awkward. The music used in the soundtrack were excellent though.

Milk – I’m embarrassed to say that although I grew up in the Bay Area and lived in San Francisco for six years, I really didn’t know much about the history of the gay rights movement. My gay friends never talked about it and I suspect they didn’t know its history either. I always just took it for granted that San Francisco had always been friendly towards homosexuals. I was really impressed by Sean Penn’s performance, and I think it was the best performance of his career thus far. He’s best known for playing the silent strong type with a violent edge, and I was so tired of seeing him in those roles. I found it absolutely delightful to actually see that man smile and laugh so heartily throughout the film.

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May 22, 2009

Kitty Cat passed the test!

Filed under: Audio & Music,Books,Computers & Gadgets,Film/TV/Animation,My Life/Musings,Video Games,Writing — Rob @ 10:03 pm

WEBLOG:
Yesterday was the big day–the reason why we’re back in the States, and Elena passed her citizenship test! She’s been studying so hard for it non-stop and it all paid off, but of course she had to fulfill all the citizenship requirements in the first place to even get to take the test. To be honest, we really only had about 70% confidence that she would pass, since she’s still so behind on her English, and the American history, government, and reading/writing tests are so extensive (to the point that most Americans would probably fail if they took the tests). She was so relieved and ecstatic–laughing and smiling from ear-to-ear the whole day yesterday, and she’s still giddy now. I love seeing her so happy–it makes me feel like the world is in a perfect state. Now, we just wait for the letter that tells her to go take her citizenship oath, and then the passport would be on its way. We miss our beautiful and cozy home in China, but we also love being in the States. In a perfect world we’d be able to transport our home in China to the Bay Area and the cost of living would resemble something saner.

…

I have wanted a Zendrum for years, and always felt that it was too expensive, but after struggling with programming drum tracks on keyboards and rubber pads since 1998, I’ve finally decided to take the plunge and join the tribe of Zendrummers. To my delight, they have updated their circuit board this year, so my Zendrum will be the most sensitive version ever made, making even snare buzz rolls possible on a single trigger–that is something impossible to do on keyboards or rubber pads. I’ve picked the LT model since I’ll using it sitting down a lot, but it could still be worn on the body with a strap, and I’ve ordered the Honey Rock Maple, which I think is the best looking one of all the colors they offer (although some of the more natural wood finishes are quite nice too):
Zendrum LT

I did think about maybe ordering a custom color (which costs $50 more), but the more I think about it, the more it seems it’d be hard to top that yellow and black combination, which has that high tech sports car vibe. All black would be pretty cool too but playing it with dark lighting might make it hard to make out the triggers.

…

So the Kensington Laptop Riser arrived, and I’m happy to say that it lived up to my expectations. Not only does it raise the laptop to a comfortable eye-level, it is also quite sturdy and does not wobble when typing. When I stack a few books under the front side (for more ergonomic typing without adding an external keyboard), it remains sturdy. Here how I’ve set it up:
Kensington in use

What I also love about it is that it’s adjustable and very portable–folds up nicely so you can just slip it into your laptop bag:
Kensington

With all the other more expensive and bulky laptop stands/risers out there, this one by comparison is so simple and portable. The only thing I wish it had is an adjustable front riser so I don’t have to prop the front up.

…

I have completed my Korg Nano series collection. I must say, I’m liking them more than I thought I would. Here they are in my mobile setup:
Zoom MRS-8 and Korg Nanos

Temp Workspace

I originally got the white versions of the Korg Nanos because that’s all they had in stock, but I really wanted the black ones and Elena didn’t like the look of the white and blue at all–she said they look like the kind of cheap fake products sold on the sidewalks in China. While I do think the color scheme of the white versions is part of the charm and are supposed to look a little toy like in order to charm the pants off of laptop geek musicians, I have to agree with Elena that the black versions just look like higher quality products.

After testing them out, here are my thoughts:

-I mainly got them because I’m in the middle of traveling and I think they are the perfect size for traveling with a laptop and audio interface. They make even the smallest normal sized keys MIDI controller keyboards look huge and clumsy.

-I initially only got the NanoPAD because I wanted the X/Y pad and the roll button for programming fast repeating glitchy beats–there is just no easy way to do that otherwise. But then I realized adding the other two wouldn’t be redundant (considering I already have a full-blown rig at home), since when not using them while traveling, they can simply expand the range of my Novation ReMOTE 25 SL on the desk–for example, I don’t have to hit the octave buttons as much because the NanoKEY adds two more octaves on the desk (and I don’t have to turn on the big 61 and 88-keys keyboards just to try out some ideas or test a synth patch).

-After having all three and using them in conjunction with each other, I realized that to me, they really are made to be used together (unless you are integrating them into an existing rig that’s already got MIDI controllers). For example, the NanoKEY cannot do smooth/slow modwheel or pitchbend rides, but if you pair it up with the NanoPAD, you can use the X/y pad on it to do mod/pitch smoothly/slowly, or if you paired it up with the NanoKontrol, you could assign the knobs/sliders on it to do them.

-One interesting thing I discovered is that if you have both the NanoPAD and NanoKEY, don’t bother using the clumsy rubber pads on the NanoPAD to program/play drums–they are practically useless for that. The rubber pads are very insensitive and cannot handle fast repeating notes or fast alternating dynamics well. Unexpectedly, the NanoKEY is far superior as a drum programming/playing tool because the velocity sensitive keys are way more sensitive and playable than the rubber pads on NanoPAD–I can even do very fast sustained snare rolls on the same key, which is impossible to do on the rubber pads. UNFORTUNATELY, you cannot play drums on the NanoKEY and still use the roll button + X/Y pad on the NanoPAD at the same time, since the roll button only responds to the rubber pads and not to other MIDI controllers.

-You cannot play the NanoKEY like you would any typical keyboard. There have been keyboards with tiny keys before, but this is a whole different problem, since the white keys only extend up to 50% of what should’ve been the whole length of the keys, and do not exist between the black keys–that makes it impossible to play any kind of chords where your fingers must go between the black keys at the upper 50% of the key length. The only way to play those chords now is to use two hands, or do very awkward finger bending and use your fingernails to play some keys. In general, you must think of NanoKEY as a totally different instrument and approach it with a different playing strategy, or you’ll be miserable trying to play it like a traditional keyboard.

Overall I think it’s a really neat set of toys that can be used to do some pretty interesting things, and can even handle full-blown music production if you know how to use them right. The NanoKEY is probably the most awkward one of the series, and it’ll never replace full-sized keys, or even miniature keys like those on the Korg Kontrol or microKORG, but it’s still far better than using qwerty or a mouse, and the portability is unbeatable. The velocity sensitivity is actually quite good, but sometimes pressing away from the center may not register the intended velocity, which isn’t too much of a problem since the keys are so small it’s hard to really hit off center.

My verdict–I like them, and they are exactly as advertised–fun, cute, very portable, and surprisingly usable for serious music production.

…

Also in the photo above is the Zoom MRS-8 8-track digital recorder (right above the Nanos). Originally I picked up the Boss BR-600 8-track digital recorder because the MRS-8 has been discontinued. But after trying the BR-6 out for a few days I decided I rather try my luck and hunt down a used MRS-8 on the internet than to be stuck with the BR-600. It’s not that the BR-600 is bad–it’s actually quite good–it’s just that the MRS-8 kicks its ass in a few important areas. Some of the key differences that are important to me were:

-MRS-8 can have 100 markers per project, while the BR-600 only allows one. WTF, you know? ONE marker for an entire project? Were the designers at Boss smoking crack?

-The MRS-8 is visually better designed upon first glance, with better layout and visual clarity of each section, not to mention more information in its LCD display (although to be fair, once you have read the manul for the BR-600 and have used it for a little bit, its interface becomes very clear and easy to use).

-The MRS-8 has MIDI out, which means it can control other sound modules, which greatly expands its sonic palette.

-MRS-8′s lossy compression is not as aggressive as BR-600′s (I read that somewhere in one of the musician’s forums, but I’m not 100% sure if it’s true).

-The MRS-8 has 27 sounds in a drum kit (but 18 of them are the same for all the kits, while only the first 9 sound of each kit might be different–in fact sometimes only the bass and snare changes when you switch kits). BR-600 only has 9 sounds per kit, missing the 18 extra sounds of the MRS-8 have like splashl, hand percussion, tambourine…etc.

-The MRS-8 has bass sounds in additional to drum sounds, and you can play the bass with the drum pads and select different scales to play in.

The BR-600 does have some things over the MRS-8 though, such as being much lighter and thinner (only about 50% of the MRS-8), and the onboard mic is stereo instead of mono like the one on the MRS-8. The BR-600 also has USB connection, which is not a big deal to me since I have a card reader for the MRS-8′s SD cards. The one feature the BR-600 has that I wish the MRS-8 had is the ability to record/import custom drum sounds, but the MIDI out on the MRS-8 kind of makes up for it since I can just use an external drum module.

I never meant to use a mutitrack recorder to do finished tracks anyway though–it’s meant to be a sketch pad to get ideas down quickly without turning on the DAW computer (I don’t turn on that computer unless I know I have a big chunk of time to devote to making music, as that computer’s dedicated to music production only). More than likely all recorded material on the multitrack recorder will be re-recorded with the DAW sequencer anyway, so it’s not that important to have great sounding drums or effects during that phase. Another important reason I wanted to get a multitrack recorder is because I miss making music with simply my ears instead of being influenced by the visual representation of musical data in DAW sequencing software. I find that when I see visual data, my creative thinking gets influenced because I’m a highly visual person, and when I’m working without that visual aspect, I would often make different creative decisions, and I think it’s important to keep that aspect of myself alive.

…

I’ve been trying to narrow down my audio interface upgrade choices, and it’s quite interesting that the more you research, the more it seems like the vast range of choices out there all seem to be missing one important feature you need. I used to think it’s ridiculous how many audio interfaces are on the market, and now I wished there were more, just so that I can up my chances of finding the perfect one for me. I’m actually not asking for much, just an interface that’s reliable, has low latency, has good quality preamps (ideally 60db or more of clean and clear gain), has at least one pair of stereo inputs, and one pair of stereo outputs, and instrument inputs. If it has onboard DSP or some kind of direct monitoring effects front end (like the Gearbox/Pod Farm for Toneports from Line 6, which is what I have now, but can be unstable at times), all the better, since I would be able to add some light compression and monitor with reverb–all without any outboard gear. I could always do software direct monitoring in Sonar (and as far as I know, most DAW sequencers allow it), but it’s more taxing on the CPU and there’s always the problem of slight latency. At the moment, the interfaces I’ve narrowed down to are really just the TC Electronic Konnekt 24D and MOTU Ultralite MK3, but the Konnekt doesn’t have 64-bit driver yet (which is not a problem for my desktop DAW as that runs WinXP Pro in 32-bit, but is a problem for my new Sony VAIO, which is running Vista 64-bit), and the Ultralite is actually a bit of overkill for my needs. The Focusrite Saffire could’ve been a contender had Focusrite just given it one pair of dedicated stereo inputs, but for some reason they made the stupid mistake of only having a pair that doubles as instrument inputs. How the hell they came up with that configuration I will never understand, because it’s just stupid to think that people would want to pull out their input from a mixer or a keyboard just so they can plug in a guitar or bass.

On a related note, my Toneport UX2 is doing an OK job on the new Sony VAIO FW-390, even though I still sometimes get audio drop outs or the ASIO driver would fail to initialize, but in terms of latency it’s actually doing better than when I used the Toneport on other computers I have. Maybe it’s the latest drivers that’s improving things, and if that’s the case, perhaps I don’t need to upgrade, but until I get home to try the new drivers on my main desktop DAW computer, I can’t know for sure, and by then it’ll be too late since buying audio interfaces in China costs far more than buying them in the States.

…

My Creative Zen 32GB has returned from RMA, and apparently it was easier for Creative to just replace the unit, because that’s what I received–a brand new Zen. I can’t believe they didn’t even bother peeling off the screen protector I had on mine and send it back to me–now I have to use the new unit without a screen protector until I get home and install one, or waste money to buy another pack. I’m happy that the new unit appears to be problem-free, and after uploading the contents from the previous unit (I had the foresight to backup the unit before sending it in for the RMA), it’s working flawlessly. Count me as a happy customer.

…

I had high hopes for Eternal Sonata, but after playing it for a couple of hours I just got bored out of my mind. I can’t stand random battles since I see them as lazy game design, and I can’t stand the format of transporting the characters to a battle stage–all of it feels so dated and clumsy. I also can’t stand heavy-handed writing that doesn’t pay enough attention to the finer details of dialog and flow (which strangely enough, has the same clumsy vibe as bad writings in porno films, except without all the cheesy double entendre). I nearly lost it when the two young male characters faced battle with the rats for the first time, the younger boy turns to the older one and asks, “Uh, how do you fight battles again?” as I was presented with the choice of redoing the battle tutorial I had already done with the main female character in a previous chapter. No one talks like that–not even in a fantasy world. It’s the symptom of lazy writing and design. I don’t like it when the in-game story is mingled with the mechanics of the game because the designer/writer is too lazy come up with a better way (and there is always a better way), unless we’re talking about it being done on purpose, like in Conker’s Bad Fur Day where the game mechanics and the in-game story are intertwined in a clever and humorous way. Anyway, whenever a game makes me feel like I haven’t been presented with any compelling reasons to continue playing, I stop. In the two hours I played the game, at no time was I presented with any motivation to find out who the hell the characters were or why I should give a damn about any of them, or if there’s even a story or premise I should care about. The pacing was horrible, and the only interesting things I’ve found out about the game were through game review sites that talked about the premise. If a game fails to draw me in on its own merits after an hour or two, then I just assume the reviewers only played on because it’s their job, and even if the overall enjoyment derived from the entire game is positive, to a gamer who isn’t forced to play on and finish the game, it’s too little and too late. The number of hours it takes a badly designed game to shape into something enjoyable is time I could’ve spent doing a ton of other more interesting things. Another thing that kinda bugged me a little is the obsession that Japanese has with doe-eyed young characters. Don’t get me wrong, I grew up on anime/manga and they are a big influence on me as an artist, writer, composer, and director, but seriously, why the strange fascination with Lolita complex and bishonens? Why must every character look like big-eyed dolls and act like cringe-inducing burikos? Sure, we all know the Japanese love cute and adorable designs, but this fixation just becomes uncomfortable after a while. I guess they must wonder about America’s fascination with costumed superheroes and talking animals as well.

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I finished reading Let the Right One In, and I have to say that the book isn’t nearly as good as the film, as it has a lot of details that I’m glad was cut out of the film. I think the film picked the best elements from the book to concentrate on, and omitted or changed elements that weren’t conductive to the heart-warming yet morbid beauty of the film. If I had a choice I would choose to never had read the book, because it only taints my memory of the film.

…

Quickie film/TV reviews:

Star Trek (J.J. Abrams reboot) - The film was fun and disposable entertainment done right in the way that Iron Man was done right. I’ve never been a Trekkie, and while I did watch The Next Generation sometimes when its on, I wouldn’t really call myself a fan. This film didn’t change anything for me in general. The premise is a little forced since revenge stories are so trite, and the reason for this particular revenge is just silly. There are also some eye-brow raising coincidences that borders on jumping the shark, but I think most mainstream films have them these days. The film could’ve used another 30 minutes of character development for the supporting crew members, since we don’t really get to know them at all, with all the attention being focused on Kirk and Spock (but the film is already quite long in length, although it felt just right in the theater).

Mad Men (season two) – Mad Men is fast becoming one of my favorite TV shows. It’s a fine example of what a serious attempt to bring literary quality to television looks like. There are so many layers and unspoken moments that could only be described as visual equivalent of a great American novel. The characters are all fascinating, and it’s refreshing to have a main character that’s just a complete mystery. I mean after two seasons, I still barely know anything about Don/Dick–what makes him tick and who he really is. I’m looking forward to watching season three.

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April 22, 2009

New laptop on its way

Filed under: Art & CG,Audio & Music,Books,Computers & Gadgets,Film/TV/Animation,My Life/Musings,Video Games — Rob @ 10:51 am

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Elena and I are currently staying in Milpitas, California. She’s been studying hard for her citizenship test, which consists of reading, writing, oral exams centered around U.S. history, government structure, current officials in the government, American ideals…etc, and I think it’s ironic because a large portion of Americans you grab off the street will probably not pass the same test.

As for me, I’m still working on the course material for the workshop I’ll be teaching. It’s taking far longer than I could’ve imagined, and I’m just going to keep going one day at a time until it’s finally done. ETA? Ha! I’m not even going to try to guesstimate an ETA. I’m not even done with the text/images portion, so that means I haven’t even started on the video portion yet. One of my pet peeves is boring tutorial videos, so I’m going to have to make sure mine are fun and informative. I’m not much of a comedian so I guess my students will just have to settle for “not boring.”

…

The Toshiba Satellite laptop I got from ebay last year’s been freaking out on me–random shutoff’s and excessive CPU spikes, and I finally snapped and decided it’s time to replace it, and this time no ebay as there’s just no sense of security when buying something like a used computer–too many things could possibly be wrong, and you could never know what it’s prior history was. With new products, at least there’s a manufacturer’s warranty and no abuse from previous owner.

While shopping for a new laptop, I noticed that glossy displays have taken over the market. It’s nearly impossible to find options for matte displays anymore. A few models here and there may offer it, but if they’re not the models you want, you’re shit out of luck anyway. In the end, I had to give in. I’ll just buy one of those matte screen film protectors if I really can’t live with the glare on a glossy screen.

The laptop I ended up ordering is the Sony Vaio FW-390 series. The FW-390 had the best options for customization among other similar laptops from other companies, and when I went into one of the Sony Style stores, I liked the similar laptops they had on display. I personally think the Vaio’s give the Mac laptops some stiff competition in terms of both build and style, and PC’s are inherently cheaper. This is how I configure mine:

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40GHz)
Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium 64-bit
Black
4GB DDR2-SDRAM (DDR2-800, 2GBx2)
320GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [7200 rpm]
Blu-ray Disc™ Read Only Drive
ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3650 with 512MB vRAM
LCD 16.4″ (XBRITE-FullHD™)
Total = $1,229

I would have much preferred Windows XP, but it’s not really offered anymore these days except from esoteric boutique shops that cost an arm and a leg. I’ve read a lot of complaints about the ridiculous amount of bloatware that ships with all Sony computers, so I know I’ll have to deal with that when it arrives.

Overall I’m not thrilled that I had to get a new laptop, as I only really use laptops when I’m on extended trips like this current one, but at the same time I’m kind of glad because I’ve always picked really old and used laptops to buy when I needed one, and they always performed horribly compared to my desktops at home. This time, I’m finally allowing myself to splurge on a laptop that could be used as a desktop replacement when necessary. It’s not as beefy as my current default DAW machine (which is a quadcore 2.4Ghz with 4GB RAM), but it’s certainly faster than my current “internet and everything else except music and games” machine (which is a P4 2.8Ghz with 2GB RAM). I can even add it to my home setup as extra CPU/RAM muscle when composing large scale orchestral tracks by using MIDI over LAN or FXTeleport. Now with a more than decent laptop, my mobile music-making rig can finally run smoothly (where as before it was very limited and full of headaches). I’m going to test how it handles streaming large sample libraries off of an external hard drive–if it works, then my mobile music-making rig will rock pretty hard.

Speaking of mobile music-making, I returned the EMU Xboard 49-keys because I realized I just won’t have any time to work on music for the next few months, as the course material for the workshop just keeps bigger and bigger. By the time I’m done with the course material, we’d probably be on our way back to China. I really enjoyed having four octaves on the desk though, and once back home, it’ll be back to two octaves (Novation ReMOTE SL 25) on the desk and a 61-key (Korg Triton Le) and 88-key (Kurzweil PC2X) on my left. I really don’t like having to turn my body to the left when I need to access more octaves fast (as opposed to punching to octave up and down button on the ReMOTE SL). Maybe I’ll get another four octave to bring back with me and swap out the ReMote SL? I think I can fit a four octave keyboard in my current layout. I’d like to sell the ReMOTE SL 25, since after having it for a few years I realize I really just don’t use the knobs and sliders and buttons all that much–I still just use the mouse and keyboard hot-keys mostly.

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My brother Dennis urged me to try Gamefly while I’m back in the States, and I’ve been using it for a couple of weeks now. I like it thus far, although the wait time is kind of annoying. If in-store rentals for games had similar pricing packages I’d much prefer in-store instead.

I rented Dead Rising and Dead Or Alive 4 for my first round, and I didn’t bother finishing either. I’ve mentioned before how much I hate punishing save systems, and Dead Rising has one of the most punishing save systems ever–you only get one save. I could have lived with that had the various saving spots all been available to me right off the bat in the game, but all the restrooms in the damn mall needed keys to get into, and only the security office was available, so that means I had only one save, and only in one location in the entire game. I had no idea when I’d come across the keys to the damn restrooms, and while running around on the various missions, I’d get killed and have to start over again. If I’m on the opposite end of the mall, getting back to the security office to save is just much too far away–I’d probably get killed just trying to make my way back. There’s just no fucking way I’d allow myself to be punished like that. I play game to have fun, not to be frustrated to the point of wanting to throw the controller at the screen. I can’t say that the game itself lived up to my expectations either–it really wasn’t nearly as absorbing as I thought it would be, and this is coming for a huge fan of anything to do with zombies. Some of the NPC’s were just annoying–to the point of grating on my nerves. If I could kill those NPC’s, I would’ve done it. I’d probably have enjoyed killing those NPC’s more than killing the zombies!

DOA4 is really not that different from the previous DOA games. I guess if you liked the previous ones, you’d like this one as well, but I don’t know if the additional characters and features really is worth buying a whole new game for (I don’t play online anyway). I guess it’s kind of like software versions–sometimes if you skip a version or two you’d feel much better about upgrading. I personally feel that DOA3 and DOA Ultimate were really good, and DOA4 is not really worth it if you already have those other two games (unless you just absolutely must have online play)–just wait for DOA5. But now Itagaki is no longer with Tecmo, there’s a chance DOA5 might be missing some of his magic. One thing I hope the next version will change is the stupid juggling (A DOA tradition I hated since version 2), as I have very low tolerance for any kind of cheapness when it comes to gaming. When you get juggled by an opponent, there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it, and I think it’s a really bad design decision because it creates a feeling of helplessness and frustration, and gamers don’t usually play games to feel bad–they play to feel good. In real life, you could at least block or parry or do something to reverse the situation, and I don’t see why DOA doesn’t approach it from that angle. Well, it’s not like I play these fighting games for the gameplay anyway–I most just like the graphics and the fluid animations. I still remember vividly the first time I saw Virtua Fighter back in 1993 at the now-defunct arcade in the Fashion Island mall in Foster City, California. It was like a ton of rocks hit me–the smooth and realistic animation made all the 2D fighters such as Street Fighter II look quite low-tech and clumsy. No wonder 2D fighters never grew on me, while as soon as I saw my first 3D fighter, I fell in love instantly. I think to date the 3D fighters that I have the fondest memories of were Virtua Fighter 2, Soul Calibur, and Dead or Alive Ultimate (never really cared all that much for the Tekken series, though I always enjoyed the cinematics).

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I’m in the middle of two books right now–Warrior Soul by Chuck Pfarrer and Dead Reckoning: Dawning of the Dead by Anthony Giangregorio. Warrior Soul is a Navy SEALS memoir, and it’s a pretty good read so far. Some of the operational details can get a bit dry, but it IS a memoir and not fiction, so it’s not as if the author could just spice up the pacing as he pleases (which is something that other ex-special forces authors sometimes do, and they always get bashed publicly by the special forces community for fudging the truth). Pfarrer appears to be honest, as I didn’t see any negative criticism about his book by the special forces community. I also like the fact that he’s quite modest–not a show off like some of the other ex-special forces authors.

Dead Reckoning is essentially an unauthorized sequel to the classic Dawn of the Dead film by George Romero. The editing is terrible as there were glaring grammar and spelling mistakes–ones that even high school students could’ve spotted, had the author given his manuscript to a few family and friends to read (and if he did, I wonder why no one caught those mistakes). The book even apologized for the bad grammar and spelling, stating that he edited the book himself. I don’t understand why he didn’t just let some people read the finished manuscript to catch the mistakes–think of it as beta-testing a book (or proof-reading for free). The book itself is entertaining enough thus far, although the writing is very inconsistent. Sometimes there are awkward, unnecessary, and inappropriate usage of metaphors, and sometimes he’s spot on in his description of the various gory scenes. I hope the character development at least gets more interesting because so far they all are pretty one-dimensional and clichéd. To be perfectly honest, the writing in this book is what I’d consider the work of an aspiring writer who could’ve used a good editor to sort out all the awkwardness and technical mistakes.

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The Unit (season two) - I decided to give season two of The Unit a try, and I’m still in the middle of it. There are actually a few really good episodes in season two–far better than the ones in season one. It’s kind of easy to tell when an episode is based on authentic special forces knowledge/experience–those episodes are just so much more compelling–while the filler episodes just screams of both bland writing and improbable plot lines solely based on some writer’s runaway imagination (like the last episode in season one–what a fucking disgrace). I’m going to finish up season two and decide if I even want to bother with season three. It’s not like there aren’t a bunch of better TV shows available. We’re living in the golden age of television and there’s no shortage of good shows. Lost, Heroes, Breaking Bad, Dexter, Entourage, Mad Men, Prison Break, Battlestar Galactica–television has never been this compelling.

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