Eddiebingo Blog

Just Dropped the Note in the Snow EP

2010-08-26T23:28:00.001-07:00

Finally finished an "album", and it's just an EP. I had a talk with a friend who told me that I had a lot of shit that I should be putting out and not sitting on. I have a pretty bad habit of sitting on music after I make it. I always feel like I could tweak this, or add that, but in the end, it's all about getting the music out and not worrying about all the little details. I mean, it's not like I'm signed or anything.

So, I gathered a few songs that I thought were press-worthy - 4 of them - and threw a picture of the Fargo DVD into Photoshop for "A Note in the Snow". Hope you likes!

It was pretty simple, so hopefully I'll get to making some more. Using the Wordpress thing is kind of a pain in the ass, tho - each song has to be downloaded individually. It's either that, or host the songs twice.... once as mp3's, and once as a full zip file. And zip files suck anyway. I thought about putting the new shit up on bandcamp, but I don't think there's an original beat on it. Does it really matter? Who knows. Might have to fuck around and get banned.

You'll get to hear the High Knowledge Crew on it a lot, too.

Cleverbot Fun

2010-06-01T03:58:00.001-07:00

So my friend sends me over to Cleverbot.com, and i ask it what I should do:

Cleverbot: Tell me a story.
me: one time i had to take a shit in japan
Cleverbot: And then?
me: and so, i have a bad knee, right? and most of the toilets in japan are just a hole in the floor, basically.
Cleverbot: We're always arguing about what you say and didn't.
me: i'm not finished with my story yet
Cleverbot: What story?

Dammit!

The Vicious EP - Tha High Knowledge Crew

2010-02-19T03:40:00.001-08:00

You probably know I'm part of Tha High Knowledge Crew (HK). We've been making music for the past few years - experimenting, really. It started off with me making the beats, and we would make songs off of them, but I had no idea what I was doing, so I wasn't happy with the outcome on a lot of the songs (but a lot were good).

As time went by, we eventually hooked up with a couple of producers: DjiZ of France/Africa, and Dj_E-State of Russia... These two beatmakers hooked us up, and sent us the beats that eventually became our first solo endeavor, "The Vicious EP".

We have another album that is finished, but is sitting on the backburner, because we are waiting to put some professional quality beats to them. After this monumental leap (actually creating tangible product), this next album should come along quite nicely, as long as I step my Photoshop game up.

In the meantime, we've been uploading to CCMixter.org, and expect to hear a lot of good remixes soon.

Hell-Fest IV

2009-10-17T12:18:00.001-07:00

Gearing up for Hell-Fest IV this week! The annual Halloween show at my boy Jeff's house.

Expecting a big turnout this year! Every year it keeps getting bigger and bigger. This will be the 3rd annual eddiebingo appearance at Hell-Fest, and this year, Tha High Knowledge Crew will be there, too.

So, follow the link upstairs, and RSVP so we'll know to get an extra keg for you (not really, but there will be a "community keg" that you may drink from - and do kegstands on).

Site Construction

2009-10-11T14:30:00.000-07:00

There will be a few changes implemented in the eddiebingo.net website within the next few months.

There will soon be a link to "The Weekly Freeze" podcast, which will feature eddiebingo rapping about all kinds of shit. This will mean that the menu bar will have a link to the podcast that leads to the weekly podcast page.

A second news feed may be available from Poor and Angry, but that is still being considered.

Eddiebingo.net

2009-10-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

Finally "finished the website". You can check out music at eddiebingo.net by clicking the link. I say "finished" because while there is music and such, there are no videos yet, and there are still more things to add. But the Remix page from CCMixter alone should keep you busy!

The Poor Man's Studio

2009-10-02T20:15:00.000-07:00

Back in 2002, I had to sell my entire studio setup that I bought in '98. I was first learning recording then, but even though I had no clue how to use it all correctly, it was still fun. A lot of things learned, loved and lost with the old setup.

The Old Studio

In '04, I decided to step up to the next level, and go with a computer arrangement. When I first started, my friends laughed at the thought of a computer setup to record with. They thought the music would become less of an art, because back then we used a sampler to grab loops, and they would have to be triggered over and over again to create a track. It took a little skill to get the samples back-to-back, and it gave the underlying instrumental a more "human" feel. It also stayed closer to the essence of hip-hop - the homemade sound. I felt, though, that if moving up in technology was an abomination, then we should have just stuck to scratching records instead of sampling. Plus, I was always on the go; I moved from house to house and couch to couch all the time, and it was a hassle lugging all that shit around. A computer was the best choice.

It took a while to learn the basic functions, but I got a computer and set it up for recording. Over time, it's evolved, and now it's a pretty good situation that I'm looking at! The first setup was a plain-jane Compaq with a MiaMidi card and Fruity loops on it. It was fairly difficult to use, to say the least. No midi controller meant drawing notes in manually, and I had no clue about what I was doing. I managed, though.

The New Studio

After 7 years of running a new computer-based recording system, I've beefed it up considerably! I know it's not the top-of-the-line, but it works, and the sound quality that I can get is great. I ditched the old Compaq (giving it to a member of our group, Tha High Knowledge Crew), and bought a cheap barebones system at CompUsa.

With a few additions, it works like a champ. I am having a few problems now, however. I have a lot of space, but I know how fast it can disappear. For example, I have an 80G harddrive that I put all my music on. From the old computer, I put 20G of music on it, and in less than 6 months, it's almost full again. I have about 500G (from 750G) on the main drive, but I really only like putting necessary stuff on it. For this reason, I don't really like practicing vocals on the computer. It's a psychological thing, I guess. I feel like I'm wasting space. Do you know a good psychologist? Tell him I need help.

Old Flavor for New Studio

For this reason, I got on Craigslist and searched for a 4-track recorder. I really wanted to get a Tascam 488 MkII (cuz I recorded all that shit back in the day, remember?), but they're difficult to find (and when they are found, they are about $500 dollars). I found, instead, a Tascam MF-P01 that was pretty much brand new, with a Tascam mic, and a set of Tascam headphones - for 45 dollars. I ran to pick it up right away.

It's cool to be able to just make "throwaway" tapes that don't hog hard disk space. It's already allowed me to be more productive, exactly the same way that a small voice recorder does, or a pen and pad. We'll see what lies ahead.

I was also able to get a lot of the information from my old tapes into the computer. Of course, the 4-track can't separate all of the 8 tracks, but I think it is picking up some of the missing tracks, but with a weaker signal. The 488 also recorded audio at a faster rate, so putting the extracted audio into Goldwave allows me to "time-warp" them back to the right speed (or close to it). I'm loving it.

It's Not What They Want, It's What You Want

2009-09-26T04:03:00.000-07:00

Music is a stupid thing nowadays.

See, back in the day, people would make their music, show it to a lot of people, and if it got a great response, they would show it to their local radio DJ. If the DJ liked it, he/she (is that right? I don't think there were many female DJ's back then, but just to be PC...) would play it, and then the fans would decide.

Now, it's something completely different.

Companies have their hand in the DJ/radio game so much that it's not that simple anymore. DJ's aren't at liberty to play what they would like to anymore. There is a set playlist, and in order to get on that playlist, the company "running" the radio station needs to see that there is fiscal proof that there is enough backing for the track in question.

Let's put that in layman's (yours and my) terms. This means that an artist that comes up with a new song must have the financial backing to show to the radio station that there are fans (or at least money) in order to prove that the artist is/will be profitable in the near future.

Financial backing? Most artists are having trouble with their day-to-day lives, much less worry about financial backing. But this is the new way.

Instead of taking music, twisting it, and making someting new, artists are being forced to create cookie-cutter tracks in order to appease big business, who are completely clueless as to what is going on in the minds of the people that listen to music.

As Lady Gaga and Drake top the charts, one must wonder whatever happened to the real electronica or hip-hop music. They will tell you that the fans decide, but that is not the case. As shown in previous instances, record companies have been accused again and again of payola crimes - paying radio stations to play their music - and it seems that the trend is still continuing. Sony was fined over 3 million last year for such crimes.

For an artist, "playing the game" can be devastating! Take a look at Soulja Boy, Dem Franchise Boyz, or the GS Boyz, and you will see that none of these groups ever lasted more than 2 years on the charts, or otherwise. Their drab, consistent cadence and predictability have landed them in a place where they shouldn't have been in the first place. They took on a formula that made them a little money, and they went with it.

I'm glad they made a little money before falling off. In fact, I wish more of us could make a little cash and then just go off and retire. But - I'm a real musician. I look in the places that you don't. That's the reason why I don't do these things. It would be easy for me to say that I do this, and I do that - just to garner a few more record sales. I don't, and I'm glad.

I make music, because it's a part of my life. Not because my mom told me that I have to get it one way or another.

Increasing Overall Production in Music, Etc.

2009-09-16T01:24:00.001-07:00

Increasing Production in Music, Etc.

As a kid, I was interested in quite a few things. I liked drawing, comics, movies, computers and video games, a big dreamer-type, I suppose. These "indoor" activities, as I call them now, were very much a product of my social awkwardness. The problem with these, in my opinion, is that they'll never make you any money if you're not at least a little outgoing. If you're an artist, how can you be comfortable showing your work? I remember being shy about putting my portfolio in the main entrance of the school, but it was required. If you like films, and want to make them, how are you going to get out there and find new actors/actresses? Your friends can't be in everything. You might do OK in the computer programming world, if you have a high level of discipline, attention to detail, and money to get through schooling. I personally shunned art and took up music to learn to break away from shyness, but it seems like I'm right back in the room again, back at the "drawing board".

But it's alright - I just did a show last night, and it went great. It was very short, but it has been almost a year since I did a show, so it was good to know that I can still get out there and not freeze up in front of everyone. It's just getting out there the past few years that has really broke the chains of anxiety. Got another show at the end of October for a Halloween party in Tool, TX, and it's always fun to do that one.

I wrote earlier about some new books that I bought. I've been reading them a lot - I put Strunk & White's "Elements of Style" on top of the commode, and I hit that up once daily - lol. I keep the 126 Tips for Songwriting next to the bed, and read it when I'm bored. I was reading it right before I came over here to write this entry. Normally, I would be outside right now, swimming or something, but since I don't work or anything, a lot of my time lately has been spent in my dungeon, learning ways that I can push myself into that fabled Land of the Entrepreneur. That is my new dream, and building it is a bitch. Partying hard for a decade will wear you down fast, and when you come out of the haze, you'll find that you've fallen behind on a lot of things. That's where I'm at right now, and I'm trying to catch up. Going solo is tough, but I believe it's necessary at this point.

So, I go to school for audio engineering. That's great, I know how to mix albums to a certain degree. I know the compression, eq, and effects fundamentals, and I practice them every time I mix a song. That alone has enabled me to be able to make better songs, at a higher quality. However, once I finished an album with Tha High Knowledge Crew (aka HK), I started thinking about the artwork that needed to go with it. I had no clue about how to use Photoshop or Illustrator, much less about screen and print resolutions, RGB or CMYK. As an artist (kind of), I thought I could do all the stuff myself, and just have to worry about printing.

Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Flash and Illustrator

I was hella confused when I first started watching the Photoshop tutorials online. By the way, I think is awesome to be able to watch people show you how to do things online... it's like free classes! Anyway. I used Photoshop a long time ago, but I had no idea what really went along with it. All of the layers, masks, blending modes, vector options - it's quite an undertaking. I did learn a lot about both Illustrator and Photoshop over the course of 2 months, watching about 8 hours of video a day, and practicing here and there. I'm pretty uninspired as an artist lately, though, so it has a drastic effect on my motivation and inspiration.

I also had to learn a lot about HTML and CSS, even though i'm far from good at either one. There are so many options in Dreamweaver that I have no understanding of, much less understanding of how to implement them. I can put together a basic website, though, even if it's not the greatest graphically. I put up the first Poorandangry.com not too long ago, all done myself, besides the flash player on the side. I was happy I was able to do it, but generally unimpressed with the results. It looked like a sales page, and a weak one at that, with bad graphics, an inflexible setup, and horrible color scheme. I recently upgraded it to a Wordpress theme, which is the one up there in the link. I did the graphics for it with P-shop, but my skills are something to be desired.

I also dicked around with Flash for a minute, but it was taking too long to understand, so I pretty much abandoned it. I found a sample Flash site, reverse engineered it, and replaced graphics with my own. It was functional, but not very effective. Flash is fairly easy to use, but ActionScript has proven to be a motherfucker for my simple mind and lax work ethic. :)

Sales

My websites will be optimized for sales conversion eventually. This includes making great copy for products, catching graphics, and a layout that is pretty much a one-way ticket to a shopping cart. Since I want things like this, I've had to read and evaluate my own system of doing things. This will most likely be an ongoing learning process, as sales and business in general are constantly evolving. Somebody said that the hardest thing is making your first million. It's hit and miss. I think that was Kiyosaki, and I know it's misquoted. I also want to make sites that don't need all the fancy layouts and salescopy - just some revenue generators with the Adsense and affiliate products. This is another thing I've been learning about recently - SEO.

Search Engine Optimization

Here's a hot subject right now - search engine optimization. This is the practice of making your website recognized and ranked by importance by the search engines, mostly Google. I'm not gonna go into this here, but you can read about how to make money online over at Griz Brears blog. I have been a faithful reader and student of this guy, and he's the best authority on it, because he's making shittons of cash doing it. It's been hard to implement his techniques, because I don't have an army of people providing links, but the situation will be remedied after I join his link resources club. I'm on the ball and making blogs and sites that I can use to trade links with people. It took a lot of reading and learning to pick up some of this stuff, but it makes sense, and if you like writing and aren't scared to put yourself out there, it can be profitable (I've heard).

I actually used some of the techniques and gained the #1 spot on Google for some terms that are never really searched for, lol. But that experience showed me that it can be done, and now I have a couple of sites that I can use to link out to the new sites that I want to develop.

Songwriting and Production

I mentioned before the 126 Tips for Songwriting book that I just got. It's a great book, in my opinion. It tells ways to really start getting songs off the ground, out of the corners of your brain, and onto paper, then into audio form. I wish there were more books out there like this one - ones that show you where to start if you want to do something, and how to break old habits when you first start off. I know that one reason I haven't been productive is because most things that I do, I haven't been to school for, and there is no rhyme in the reason for the way that I proceed. My way of thinking goes something like this: "I want it to look/sound/behave like this. Where do I start?" It's been a dealbreaker for a lot of projects - musical, artistic, webdesign, etc. This book tells you exactly what your final project should be like (easy - just like everything on the radio, it's all about hits, not the songs that you made about your cat), how to create the theme for the song, how to begin brainstorming for your verses and hook, chord progressions that are always satisfying, and ways to make titles. A lot of this stuff is obvious, but that's where it's great - it reminds you that you don't have to make something so extremely different... you really are basing all of your music on something else. It's good, and I've already come up with 10 new song titles, and on my way to writing verses. Now if I can clear out some of this social anxiety. lol.

To Sum It Up - More Knowledge (and more practice) = More Productivity

I learned most of this within the past 6 months - very slowly and gradually I started picking up things here and there, just because I was interested in the things that could help increase my productivity. No one can do it all, but at least knowing the basics can lead me in the right direction, and knowing the terminology allows me to talk with others in the field, and that fosters even more learning.

It would be nice to make enough sites that make money by using SEO and then I could focus on other things. Time is our greatest asset, I've learned by reading Robert Kiyosaki, and I wish I had have started creating my "empire" when I was about 24 years old, instead of priding myself on being able to get quick money and living check to check. If I were to continue not doing anything, but working at a bullshit job, I would see that I am becoming more and more useless as time goes on. You can only work for so long (time), and once you're done, you're done. With nothing created that will make money for you, you are at the mercy of social security and other government programs. Especially here in Texas, companies are looking for ways to get rid of their employees early, so that they aren't committed to paying out retirement. I already harbor suspicions about the government, and that applies a lot more so to Texas government. It also applies to large corporations that feed us garbage daily for sweatshop prices.

I'm just saying that I want to be an entrepreneur (am I? I don't know), so I don't have to worry about mine or my present and future family's financial situation. I have to try and stay as close to the top of the game as I can.

To Blog or Not to Blog

2009-09-12T04:23:00.000-07:00

It's a hard question whether as to do this thing full time or not. Blogging about your daily life, or wondering if you do blog anyone is going to read it... let's face it - if you're blogging, you want someone to read, right?

Me and a couple of friends got into an argument earlier this evening.... the things that we have done in the past - do they affect our future? I say, "of course they do", but at the same time, I believe that the past can be undone with a few simple words of apology or empathy.

Which is exactly the reason that I blog today. I have no right to withhold any information from the general public. I am a musician, and as such, I create music on the daily.... There is no reason why I should keep myself from reaching the pinnacle of my career.

But there are some crazy circumstances, I'm sure. Sometimes, making yourself known can be a hazard. Well, I understand these kinds of situations, but I still think that getting yourself out there is the only way to go - even if it means getting your fronts knocked out.

Is that really what it's all about??

Fights break out everyday, no matter who you are (or is this just texas?? - tell us!,...... I can see that that the male population lately has been trained to act like females.....

where you at?

Keep Your Money-Making Ventures Diverse

2009-09-07T11:41:00.001-07:00

Don't put all your eggs in one basket, is what I'm saying.

Everyone knows that I do hip-hop music, and that I'm going to school for audio engineering and music composition. I love making music, and I like audio stuff (a little less), but I do them because I like it, not because I'm trying to make money doing it, although that would be nice. Now, I'm the last person in the world to be talking to about making money, because I hardly make any at all, but I've learned a few things about the world, and I'm trying my hand at several things, because I don't like working for someone else - I want to be my own boss.

So, I work on several little projects at once, and sometimes it can be a little overwhelming. Right now, I am laying a foundation which will hopefully facilitate a snowball effect in the near future. Working on blogs and SEO, of course the music thing will never leave, and a host of other things using different techniques in order to keep any potential money-making ventures diverse.

The internet has helped a lot of people become rich in this day and age. It has become saturated, but there are ways to get your sites noticed and set up to continually make money, although no one is for sure how long it will last. If Google somehow just disappeared from the internet, a lot of people would be stuck staring at their hands wondering how they are going to make money from that point on. Of course, if they have already made a substantial amount by then, they can seek out other profitable venues rather easily.

My point is - if you depend on something for too long, who knows when it will fall apart? In my case, I stumbled upon the money possibilities with the internet (and most other things) a little late in the game, so I keep in mind that the techniques used to get money online could be obscure soon. I still build on what I have, but I don't count on them. The same goes for music. A lot of people say that Hip-Hop is Dead, but it actually rather active. It has just become a little less economically viable because of the corporate presence, that it increasingly more difficult to "get on". When you do "get on", you're subject to following the cookie-cutter patterns that pervade the new music, because that is now considered the norm. Keeping in mind that the landscape has changed will keep your music on track and sought after. Learning how to adapt is a must.

This goes for anything. It's hard to keep doing the same thing over and over forever. You'll have to make changes if you want to keep your stance fresh and current. Being in the SEO game or music, you have to keep an eye on developments in the field and build from them. It's easy to think that the game has become mindless (and maybe it has!), and not change anything. Conforming just a little to the changes maintain your status as a player.

My Eddiebingo blog doesn't make any money, just like my music pages don't make any money, and just like my other ideas don't make any money. But, as I continue building on them, I see that I am creating a small army of online stuff that can be utilized in the future. I also watch for developments and keep my eyes and ears watching and listening for new ways to promote and "get on".

Music and Social Anxiety

2009-09-02T20:32:00.000-07:00

Chipping Away at Social Anxiety

So, this is something that I've struggled with for a long time, and has caused me to end up in a lot of tight situations. It also helps define who I am as a person, in a lot of ways. It may seem strange, but I have Social Anxiety Disorder, and I never really knew it because I was so used to being an "outcast" or a "misfit". Of course, a disorder like this is developed from childhood, but I don't want to go into the ways that I think that my moms or pops encouraged this growth (you BITCH! lol). I'm just writing along, like anyone who writes blogs does, and letting it flow.

What is Social Anxiety?

Well, if you don't have it, then it probably sounds ridiculous to you, unless you have an open mind and a capacity to empathize with people's feelings that you are not personally familiar with. Social anxiety is a form of anxiety that some folks experience in social situations. It's an anxiety that something will go wrong - a perception error that the sufferer imagines. It's like thinking, "If I go out today, somebody might laugh at my clothes". It is derived from a low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence. And we all know what a low self-esteem can do for you. Nothing.

There are many elements of social anxiety, and not all cases are the same. Some people get nervous driving (thinking everyone is watching them or laughing at them). Some people don't like talking to cashiers or eating in public. These are all different situations, but it is the same disorder, and there are many other different cases besides the ones I just listed. Ultimately, it leaves the person that has the disorder living in fear of humiliation, and results in procrastination, isolation, and low productivity.

Social Anxiety and Hip Hop

I think it's kinda funny how I got into hip hop. I always liked it; the wordplay and flow was always very interesting to me, but as a youth, I took it at face value only. I was so used to not trying to put myself in embarrassing situations, that it never even crossed my mind once to try and make my own. Of course, as kids, we would recite the verses and make up funny phrases to replace some of the lines, but never freestyled or made beats. Some of it could probably be attributed to misappropriated racism as well, but that's a completely different topic.

I did, however, want to be in a punk band from an early age. I liked the anti-authority messages and blatant slamming of the pop forms. It was defiant and energetic. We messed around a little, but I never wrote anything. I realize now that it's because I was always scared to write something; I didn't want my thoughts out on paper and into someone else's ears.

When I joined the Navy, my exposure to hip-hop became tenfold. Suddenly, all these new people were showing me new music and ways of living that were doing wonders for them, so it seemed to me. They had several girlfriends, money, and that swag, that made me think that I needed to be there as well. I knew all my favorite artists's verses inside and out, but I still never freestyled or wondered how the beat was made for E-40's "Outsmart the Po-Po's". It just wasn't a question that came to my mind.

When I started at Sagawa Distribution in Tokyo, this is what my life was like: drinking (a LOT), partying, talking to girls (didn't I just say I was socially anxious? I'll talk more about this later), and skateboarding (my other first love). Still knew all of the hip-hop being introduced, although the scope of it back then was many times smaller than it is today.

There was another American working at Sagawa Dist. He, I, and one other were the only Americans working there. I would go up to his floor during breaks and lunch to talk. During that particular time in my life, it was pretty much the only time I spoke English at all, other than the occasional hanging out with friends in the military. One day, he had a MiniDisc player with some music on it, and when he let me listen to it, I couldn't believe that it was him and his friend rapping over a beat that they created. It wasn't long before I was going to his house on days off to study his equipment, and freestyling for the first time.

I picked up my own equipment shortly after, and that marked my start with hip-hop production. It was strange, though, because I knew that I loved the music and liked rapping, but I was still scared to freestyle in front of people that I didn't know. Like, extremely scared. I didn't want to embarrass myself and get clowned lol. I think that back then, I was looking for a way to overcome my social anxiety (back then known as "shyness") by becoming an artist, but I could have chosen any genre and gotten the same results.

Social Anxiety and Alcohol

I get seriously pissed off when I hear people say that alcoholism is a disease. I've firmly held the belief that alcoholism is a side-effect for almost a decade, without doing any research. I think that saying it is a disease undermines the meaning of the word disease, first of all, and it neglects the actual root of the problem - anxiety.

Most people like to have a few drinks in social situations to unwind a little bit and relax. The anxious drinker, however, faces a huge problem. While normal people are already socially adept, the anxious person finds that alcohol helps - A LOT! Suddenly, you can talk to people you've never talked to before, about subjects you have no experience in, and actually come across witty and confident. We all know that alcohol can decrease inhibition, but shit! A new door has been opened up for this guy who has never been able to talk to beautiful women, or just "successful people" in general.

But he/she has no idea what he/she is getting him/herself into. When you're dealing with this disorder, it's easy to think that everyone is experiencing the same thing you do, that is, everyone was just as shy as you were when they first walked in the door - unless they had been drinking before they came. It's not hard for a person who is uncomfortable with theirself to equate a good time with alcohol. Eventually, what happens is that the new drinker discovers that when there's no alcohol, they turn right back into the same person that they don't want to be. So the answer is more alcohol. Normal people actually like who they are, sober, and on a daily basis. Sure, they have problems, but they know that they are doing their best and that things will work out in the end.

Yeah, the drinker, that was me! Still is, on occasion. I still don't like going out if I'm not drinking, especially with new people. But I can tell that I don't have to get smashed to the fullest and blackout just to have a good time. But back in the day? Freestyling at the edge of a blackout was the way to go.

So, What Are You Saying, Man?

I have no idea why I wrote all of this. I mean, it's my blog, but it turned out being a pretty random post. I'll close it up. Yes, I have social anxiety. No, it doesn't run my life like it used to. Yes, I can and will recover from it. Yes, I'm pissed at my parents for giving it to me.

I guess that's it? lol

Baby Home Studio Upgrade

2009-08-31T01:41:00.000-07:00

I recently made an upgrade to my home studio that I'm having fun with. I've done a lot to my little setup over the past few years, and I think it has finally replaced my old setup from 1999-2002 completely. Of course, the old setup had nothing on this one sound-quality-wise. I'll explain my old studio setup in a later post. Right now, I wanna talk about the new shit!

I had to pawn my entire studio setup back in 2002, because I was broke, poor and angry. I didn't want to do it, but it had to be done. I had every intention of getting it back, but I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that it was gone forever. When I finally started getting a little money in '04, I went against the traditional outboard system and went for a desktop computer. Ironically, I found it at a pawn shop for $400 bucks, and bought Fruity Loops and Reason for it. All was well, I thought, but I couldn't get any kind of punch from it - I had absolutely no clue what I was doing. This is when I decided that I was going to go to school to learn about audio engineering. Of course, once I started school, I realized that I also hadn't an inkling about how music worked, either, so I pursued both.

I eventually scored an Oxygen 8 midi controller, and was making little hip-hop beats and whatnot, but as more software became available, I started seeing the computer having a hard time with multiple applications. I knew that it was time for an upgrade, but I had to wait for some money. I had also acquired a MiaMidi PCI card, an AKG Perception 200, and a BlueTube pre-amp by this time. Before my last major addition, I began understanding the importance of flat-response studio monitors, and being low on funds, I got a deal on an EXO system that has served me well so far. But the biggest improvement to Poor and Angry studios was the brain of the whole system - the computer. I was surprised to get it for the price I did.

I kept my old monitor, but I went to CompUsa and found a barebones kit that was at the highest standards I could afford. Here is what I got:

1) 750G hard drive by Seagate
2) 8G RAM by Corsair
3) Asus Motherboard
4) AMD Phenom Quad-Core 2.2GHz
5) Black steel case with Plexiglass panel and LED fans
6) New copy of Windows XP
7) For $600 flat

It sucks that I had to get XP 32-bit. After all, I have 8G of RAM in this beast, and it's not even utilizing half of it! XP 32 can only read up to 4G of RAM, and it automatically allocates half a gig to Windows (although mine is apparently allocating 1.25G - I've tried to fix it, but haven't figured it out). Getting a 64-bit system would have been trying for me I'm sure, though, because drivers may or may not be available for all the software that I use. I felt the need to play it safe with the 32-bit.

The new monster has enabled many times the amount of production than with the dinosaur. On the old comp, opening AIM while using Reason or Acid would cause instant lockup. Rendering tracks out of Acid would take as much time as going outside for 2 beers and 6 cigarettes at last measure. Photoshop and Illustrator were so taxing that just one of these running for more than 5 minutes would drain resources bone-dry. Burning CDs was a chore, and watching DVDs was an unpredictability at best. I remember countless times while in Acid, opening a new and obscure plug-in, only to have Ms. Mia glitch-screaming from lack of memory and continue to do so until the computer had shut all the way down - usually by holding the power button in.

When I first got the new computer fired up, everything shuttled into its bays and slots and customized, I decided to try and bog it down. I didn't like the stress test at first, because I don't like locking up the computer on purpose, but it had to be done. I opened 4 heavy DAWS - all with different songs playing, Windows Media Player with an mp3 playing, 3 instances of Firefox with 2 or 3 tabs each - playing YouTube videos, Thunderbird quietly checking for mail, Winamp with yet another mp3 running, Photoshop, Illustrator, and a conversation running in Pidgin. None of the DAWs had any overruns, and no music skipped. I had an orgasm.

Final touches on the system are:

1) Axiom 49 midi controller
2) Pen Tablet from Wacom (Bamboo Fun!)
3) Massive quantities of software

It is truly a 180 from the old studio, and an awesome thing to have such power at the fingertips. Even though it is by no means top-notch, it has the ability to make CD and radio-quality tracks, and it can handle the most CPU-hungry plug-ins (9 instances of Massive in FL Studio). This is my new baby. Now I need a system of backing everything up for quick retrieval if it all crashes and burns. But DVDRs are expensive - I spent all my money on the equipment!
;)

Songwriting Books

2009-08-31T01:16:00.000-07:00

I just started the semester at Cedar Valley last week. The financial aid money really came in handy, as I was able to grab a few books that I feel like I've been needing for a long time.

Actually, I never felt like I "needed" them until recently. I always knew that I need some info about songwriting and piano, but I didn't think about the book option, and there are a few reasons why:

1) Quality Unknown
Just like CDs, movies, and video games, you never know what you're going to get. Nothing hurts worse than taking your entertainment expenditures for the month and going out to get a suck-ass game like G.I.Joe. (You should have done yo' research, son!)

2) How can a book teach you something you could learn "On-The-Job"?
If you're like me, admitting that you don't need a book to be the best will be the first thing to stop you from buying one. That "If you need a book, then you suck" attitude is very short-sighted and it's no wonder your music sounds the same all the time.

3) Reading sucks
I don't think it sucks, per se, but it's definitely not on my list of things to do. I'm a fairly strong reader, I just don't want to waste my time buried in the depths of a book when there are parties to go to, music to make, and funny shits to see on the internet to watch. I have, however created a solution for this problem: I put a book on the toilet, and anytime "inspiration" strikes me, I have myself a nice, long..... read. Once I get rich, I'm gonna install a keyboard/writing utensils/desk into the wall.

I grabbed "The Elements of Style" by Strunk and White at a homeboy's recommendation. According to him (and Stephen King, apparently), this is the one-stop shop for writing. I got it, not because I plan on being a writer, but to understand the silly mistakes that are common when writing. Although I'm not working on a novel (yet), I try to hit up the blogs now and again, and I know it would behoove me to be able to get my thoughts out clearly and succinctly. It's a short book, but really good so far. Basically set up as a rule of "don'ts".

Another one that I got has been recommended to me a few times in the last few years, but I never paid any mind. It is called "Voicings for Jazz Keyboard" by Frank Mantooth. Besides having the coolest name in the world (his great-great-great grandfather was a dentist), he wrote a helluva book. As a lover and half-ass student of jazz, I understand a lot of chords used in the genre, but when I went to the computer or keyboard to try and get some thoughts down, my chords always sounded flat and robotic. This one has shown ways to get around the boring old root position chord, and it explains how to do it in a pretty easy way. If you are not experienced with the keyboard, you will probably have to brush up on your theory - like me.

I wanted to update my rhyming dictionary, so I got "The New Comprehensive American Rhyming Dictionary" by Sue Young. Haven't used it yet, but I thumbed through it, and it looks like a good reference tool. It is also a great deal larger than my old, pocket POS that I had from way back. What am I talking about? I never use rhyming dictionaries, anyway.

The most expensive one that I bought is the best one, in my opinion. It's called "Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting" by Robin Frederick, who works over at TAXI music. I don't want to give away too much about TAXI, because I don't need any more competition than I already have. I probably shouldn't even give this book away, either. This book is sick! I'm not a fan of the "hits" that are on the radio nowadays (no jazz chords!), but it helps to learn about the psyche of the listener, which the book explains in easy-to-understand terms. Why we are emotionally drawn to songs, titles that catch the eye and move the soul, and chord changes that are tried and true. For the uninspired, there are a million ways (well, 126) to jump start a song - from speaking your lines with exaggeration, then making a melody from it, to watching a movie and writing about a scene that moved you. It is an excellent way to get some ideas moving around in the swirling void you call your mind. I've read a few pages out of it, and already have a few new song ideas, with titles. (When are they going to come out? Please, let me know)

So, on top of the baby studio upgrade, these books should provide plenty of inspiration to me for the next few years, and hopefully get my career started and maintained.

Eddiebingo Intro

2009-08-30T01:38:00.000-07:00

So, I've started this new blog thing for Eddiebingo (myself). I said in my last post that I had no idea why I hesitated to make the thing in the first place, but in reality, I have no idea what I"m going to write in it. I guess I'll just write about things that come to me every other day - just off the top.

Let's see - first things first, I guess. Intro.

I grew up in Grand Prairie, TX, USA - a suburb about 10-20 miles outside of Dallas, depending on where you're standing. As a shy kid and somewhat unathletic, I wasn't really considered "popular", at least in my opinion. Maybe I had too high of expectations. I did have a good deal of good friends, though, but hardly any of them I kept in touch with, until the advent of Facebook, and my reluctant signing up.

I thought I would earn some points with tha ladies if I had a little more cash in my pockets, so I went on a tear and snatched every stereo out of every car I could find throughout town. It eventually led to my getting snitched on, and I joined the Navy at 18 shortly thereafter.

I don't know what my fascination with Asian girls is, but I really wanted to go to Japan (partly because I would be closer to my Thai girlfriend at the time). I ended up at a base outside of Yokohama, and found out very quickly that I loved being there. There were several adventures to be had, and even more stereos to steal! Eventually, my lack of discipline and hatred of authority coupled with my newfound love for alcohol got me kicked out of the Service, and through a series of bad judgement calls, I snuck my way back into the country with a military ID that I never returned, and a one-way ticket. Finally nearing the expiration of the card, I was facing deportation, and married my Japanese girlfriend at the time. I was fluent in the language by this point, and I got a job at a huge company in Tokyo.

I was still about 22 years old, so I was not even close to settling down. I had never had a cigarette until I was 18, and never drank alcohol until I was 20 (eh, maybe a few here or there). Parents, don't be too strict on your children - religion is not the answer.

While I was at the company in Tokyo, Sagawa Distribution, I made friends with another American that was doing hip-hop out of his house named Dave. I always liked hip-hop, but I never believed that I could do it myself - the idea never came to me; I was too entrenched in social anxiety and low self-esteem. Going to Dave's on Sundays, drinking Suntory Whiskey, and freestyling was a new experience for me, and before long I was filling notebooks with amateur and ripped off lyrics. Those times had a profound effect on my life. I began to learn how to record myself and make slipshod beats on his equipment, and it wasn't long before I acquired my own - a Zoom effects processor, a 15 second Akai sampler, a busted dynamic mic, a Roland beat machine (I forgot what it was called!), and a Tascam Portastudio MKII. I started making a few simple beats and songs, and still do to this day - but the machinery (and lyricism) got a huge upgrade over the years.

Long story short, I ended up bartending in Tokyo for a half-year, divorced my wife because she was no fun, and partied hard. Of course, without a wife, I had no reason to stay in the country in the government's eyes. At the expiration of my tourist visa, I got drunk one night and missed my flight home, and was deported. My new girl came with me.

I went straight back to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, and continued to live carefree - living in a hotel with my girl, and hitting the next door pool hall every night. Swimming at friends's apartments, and being loud and obnoxious, making music. It was kinda fun explaining backwards Texas cultural differences to her in Japanese. At parties, some fights broke out here and there. She had never seen that before!

We broke up shortly after, and after the money and the excitement was gone, I went to stay with my family who had moved to the Cedar Creek Lake area of east Texas. I hung out with my brother 24/7.

I had never lived in a place like east Texas, although my Dad's side of the family resides in parts. It was worse a culture shock than going from Dallas to Japan. It didn't take long before I could identify speed addicts while driving by at 40 or 50 miles per hour. Jamming Biggie Smalls, Outkast, and Brotha Lynch Hung, we would have parties, rapping and battling, and there were always fights - sometimes our fault, sometimes not. The county sheriffs would pull us over about once a week, it seemed. Sometimes we would go to jail, sometimes not.

It was around this time that I noticed a shift in the paradigm that is Texas. Money was everything to everyone, and friendship, parties, and hospitality were out the window. After losing my ridiculous job at Wal-Mart, I decided to get some dope and make a little money. It went great for a little while, even though I stayed relatively low-key. I was doing fine, and no one was the wiser. After I had stashed a little money away, I decided to get out of the wretched sinkhole and move back to the Dallas area and go to school for audio production and songwriting.

The economy was getting a little worse, but not terrible. Making money was simple, but I often had to go back to the Lake to serve people, and it took a few years, but I finally got caught with the dope! So with a new felony and probation, I continued to try and make it in Dallas (well, Irving).

That brings me to the here and now. I don't know how I've managed to stay in Dallas (and out of trouble) for so long. Part of me thinks that it's because the economy is so shitty and it's so easy to get arrested, that I never leave the house! For the first time in a decade, I've had insurance and current inspection and registration stickers. I started a website, Poor and Angry, and just upgraded the studio recently. And I'm still making music, even though I'm getting old as all hell. I don't care, though - age ain't nothing but a number.

Whew! So that was the Eddiebingo catch-up story. Got that out of the way... I purposely left out some details so that maybe I'll have something to write about in the future.

Eddiebingo

2009-08-29T02:04:00.000-07:00

I have no idea why I hesitated to make a Eddiebingo blog in the first place. I'm just lucky the name wasn't taken, I guess.

Well, here it is: the official Eddiebingo blog on Blogger.com. I have no idea what I'll be talking about on here - just taking in things that I see going on, and hittin you up with the stuff, I guess.

There will be more to come in my world soon, but for now, you'll have to wait.

Bingo