Checking out Flowgram today and came across this video of an opera singer in the "top viral videos of the year" collection. The collection comes handy in verifying some of the principles made by the book I'm reading at the moment: Made to Stick: simplicity, unexpectedness, emotions, stories.
©2008 See-ming Lee 李思明 SML / SML Pro Blog / SML Universe
I love TED, but it is not often that I find myself watching the same video over and over again. Using classical music as a medium, Benjamin Zander re-ignited my passion for classical music, my sense of purpose in life, and inspired me to not think about the tiny details which do not matter, and focus on experiencing everything with one broad stroke.
Benjamin Zander: Classical music with shining eyes
©2008 See-ming Lee 李思明 SML / SML Pro Blog / SML Universe
I never really got into buying songs online. When iTunes Store first opened, I bought a few albums from it because I own an iPod, but very quickly I was deterred by the fact that I can't even play my iTunes purchases on my Squeezebox because of the DRM-protection.
Annoyed by the situation, I subscribe to Rhapsody Unlimited, which let me cue up pretty much anything I want for a low monthly subsription fee of $12.99. When I find something I really want to own, I just go buy the CD and rip it to MP3 so I can play it anywhere.
Then Amazon introduced Amazon MP3 Downloads, and it changed everything. Really, what's not to love about being able to purchase DRM-free MP3s encoded at 256k? I thought that the 1-click and ship to feature was evil in getting many books that I probably do not need then.. that's until I discover the even more instantly gratifying 1-click and download MP3 :)
Just when I thought that there can't be anything better than 256k DRM-free MP3 downloads, I discovered Beatport yesterday. Beatport offers 320k DRM-free MP3! To top it off, it even offer WAV (16-bit 44 kHz) and 192kbps M4A!
Little did I know, the site was actually launched in 2004, and the latest version as seen above was released in August 2006. Beatport focuses on electronic music specifically, with an eye squarely focusing on DJs and electronica lovers. In other words, it's made for me.
The content is top-notch, and I am able to get to a lot of remix tracks that I would not otherwise been able to get my hands onto if I were to browse on mainstream music sites (such as those described above).
Highly recommended!
Related SML Universe
+ SML Music
+ SML Remix Music
+ Symphonic Electronica
©2008 See-ming Lee 李思明 SML / SML Pro Blog / SML Universe
is... a collaborative exhibition produced by BrooklynArtProject.com and the Brooklyn Academy of Music featuring work by 15 top emerging artists from around the world.
Opening night is tomorrow (Thursday, April 17, 2008) 6-8pm Free at BAM with free cocktails, but you should RSVP.
(below is C+P'ed)
Connected Unconscious is a collaborative exhibition produced by Brooklyn Art Project and
BAM celebrating the creative possibilities of our web 2.0 connected world. Featured work includes 15 original pieces from members of the BrooklynArtProject.com community of 1100+ members from over 22 countries.
RSVP NOW // ART, COCKTAILS & REMIXES
In addition to all the great art, we'll be playing Connected Unconscious theme based video and music remixes created for the exhibtion by rising star Brooklyn DJ's, curated by Halcyonline.com. Enjoy free cocktails courtesy of BAM and meet all the artists flying in from around the world to
participate.
Opening Night // April 17th - 6-8:00 pm // Free -
Exhibition dates // April 17th - May 11
Venue // BAM Natman Room located at 30 Lafayette Avenue in Brooklyn, NY
Featured Brooklyn Art Project Members:
+ Foon Foono — Singapore
+ Josh Heilaman — Oklahoma city, OK
+ Derek Lerner — Brooklyn, NY
+ Maya Bloch — Tel Aviv, Israel
+ James Cospito — Brooklyn, NY
+ Sarah Nicole Phillips— Brooklyn, NY
+ Stephan Fowlkes — Brooklyn, NY
+ Kim McCarthy — Seattle, WA
+ Jun-Jun Sta.Ana —Chicago, IL
JURIED WINNERS
+ Maria Sochaniewicz
+ BriAnna Olson
+ Louis Caldarola
+ Erica Falke (Drexel)
+ Jax Chachitz
HALCYON AUDIO/VIDEO REMIXES
+ Crybaby — Romeo Alaeff
+ The Pimps of Joytime/Bonita — Remix by Dj OBaH
+ Displaced Construction #1 — Ezekiel Honig and Joshua Ott
+ Bedroomz — Levon Vincent and Brian Crumley
Cost: FREE!
Official Site: http://www.brooklynartproject.com
©2008 See-ming Lee 李思明 SML / SML Pro Blog / SML Universe
Obviously years of piano playing does not mean that I can play drums using a keyboard as well as the pros... and the amateurs
The Pro: Huston Singletary on Ableton 7
The Amateur: The Asian Drum solo Travis Barker
©2008 See-ming Lee 李思明 SML / SML Pro Blog / SML Universe
Never seen this sort of thing before: rap music on web standards and design. Pretty nifty:
Lyric highlights:
easy to look at with a nice navigation
when you can't find what you want it causes frustration
a clear Call to action to increase the temptation
use appealing graphics they create motivation
if you have animation
use with moderation
cause search engines can't index the information
when you use CSS, you page will load quicker
client satisfied like they eating on a snicker
they stuck on your page like you made it with a sticker
and then they convert now that's the real kicker
make you a lil richer, your site a lil slicker
Today was the first time I see a seamless integration of music + processing. It's an amazing beauty created by flight404. Enjoy!
Solar, with lyrics. from flight404 (aka Robert Hodgin) on Vimeo.
Also see HD version on Vimeo and Flight404's blog post about his process.
©2008 See-ming Lee 李思明 SML / SML Pro Blog / SML Universe. All rights reserved.
dipdive.com
THE YES WE CAN SONG WAS RECORDED AT ETHER AND RECORD PLANT IN LA ON JANUARY 30 AND 31ST, 2008.
ceo of inspiration:
barack obama:
song produced by:
will.i.am
guitar by:
george pajon
video produced by:
will.i.am and mike jurkovac
director:
jesse dylan for cYclops form
executive producers:
will.i.am
mike jurkovac
fred goldring
jesse dylan
priscilla cohen
sheri howell
associate producers:
sean larkin
sarah pantera
carol cohen
steve koskie
wendi morris
scott spanjich
talent:
adam rodriguez
alfonso ribeiro
amaury nolasco
amber valletta
auden mccaw
anson mount
austin nichols
aisha tyler
bryan greenberg
cliff collins
common
derek watkins
ed kowalczyk
enrique murciano
eric balfour
eric olsen
esthero
fred goldring
harold perrineau
herbie hancock
hill harper
john legend
john schaech
kareem abdul jabbar
kate walsh
kelly hu
maya rubin
nick cannon
nicole scherzinger
sam page
sarah wright
scarlett johansson
shoshannah stern
taryn manning
tatyana ali
tracee ellis ross
will.i.am
crew:
carol cohen LINE PRODUCER
matt harrison PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR
adam martin 1ST AD
kevin o’neil 2ND AD
araeia robinson PRODUCTION ASST.
patrick mcgovern PRODUCTION ASST.
rolf kestermann DP
ryan brown 1ST AC
justin rhoads DIT
marek kanievska 2ND UNIT DP
torre catalano 3RD UNIT DP
jamie banfield GAFFER
kevin shipley ELECTRIC
braydon baldwin GRIP
adam joeseph SOUND
damon d’amato TELEPROMPTER
adam kleinfield STILLS DIT
brett freedman HAIR AND MAKE-UP
asia geiger HAIR AND MAKE-UP
terrence “biff” butler EDITOR
carold lynn weaver POST PRODUCER
anton capaldo-smith ASSISTANT EDITOR
vendors:
rock paper scissors EDITORIAL
indie rentals CAMERA
cinelease LIGHTING AND GRIP
film this! PERMIT
image mechanics STILLS
rushes TELECINE
greenberg teleprompting SCRIPTING
line 204 WALKIES
©2008 See-ming Lee 李思明 SML / SML Pro Blog / SML Universe. All rights reserved.
An amazing video analysis of the Intel aural identity (aka sound identity), or how music is used to drive consumers marketing / advertising messages. Created by P. Tagg from Université de Montréal in 2005.
SML Thank You
I would like to thank Ken Kraemer for sending this over.
Related SML Universe
+ SML Advertising
+ SML Music
+ SML Identity Design
+ Symphonic Electronica
SML Copyright Notice
©2007 See-ming Lee 李思明 SML / SML Pro Blog / SML Universe. All rights reserved.
Setup
Copyright 2007 See-ming Lee 李思明 SML / SML Pro Blog / SML Universe. All rights reserved.
Copyright 2007 See-ming Lee 李思明 SML / SML Pro Blog / SML Universe. All rights reserved.
Copyright 2007 See-ming Lee 李思明 SML / SML Pro Blog / SML Universe. All rights reserved.
The original track evokes the emotion of being from the distant past, and I thought that it would be fitting to suggest this by using baroque instruments. Using an alto recorder and a lute in my tracks is a first for me, but it feels right. Boys' choir samples were used to balance the sensual lead vocal.
As in all of my remixes, all instrumental harmonizations are original based on analysis of the original track. This one was particularly challenging, particularly when all my original edits are around ten to fifteen minutes, which is a tad bit long for casual listening.
Reviews are appreciated. Enjoy!
Additional Formats
Download MP3 / 160kbps
Copyright 2007 See-ming Lee 李思明 SML / SML Pro Blog / SML Universe. All rights reserved.
This started originally as a symphonic mix but I got inspired by the name of hellogoodbye and threw in some ringtone and dialtones and in the end turned it into more of a house mix.
Additional Formats
Download MP3 / 160kbps
Related hellogoodbye
hellogoodbye Official Web Site
MySpace: hellogoodbye
Related SML
SML Music
SML Remix Music
Symphonic Electronica
Copyright 2007 See-ming Lee 李思明 SML / SML Pro Blog / SML Universe. All rights reserved.
Copyright 2007 See-ming Lee 李思明 SML / SML Pro Blog / SML Universe. All rights reserved.
Copyright 2007 See-ming Lee 李思明 SML / SML Pro Blog / SML Universe. All rights reserved.
My friend Steven Hall (SML Del.icio.us: Steven Hall) once said to me that it was very hard to make instrumental music sound good. I used to take vocal lessons when I was a teenager, but I am a counter-tenor. Do you really want to hear me sing? I can't sing these days anyway—my voice has been severely damaged after my prolonged nicotine intake.
In 2006, on my path to writing better dance tracks, I discovered that you can get pristine vocal tracks from DJ contests. I signed up for my an ACIDplanet account and was on my first path of remixing.
A few things that I discovered along the way:
I have mixed about 10+ tracks since then. Until I have time to convert them all to MP3 and unload onto IMEEM, you can hear my music hosted on ACIDplanet. I have two identities: SML and Symphonic Electronica.
Alternatively, in typical SML fashion, here are my tiny URLs to related SML content in the SML Universe: smlMusic.com and smlRemixMusic.com
Cheers / SML
Copyright 2007 See-ming Lee 李思明 SML / SML Pro Blog / SML Universe. All rights reserved.
I just found this on my hard drive today.
This is a piece that I wrote a long time ago that never finished. It was written after my Symphonic Electronica Opus 0.5.9 I haven't been able to bridge the climax to the ending, but the core elements are there.
This was one of the in-between stages when I noted that I am in no place to write dance tracks because I have very little experience, so I decided to remove all the percussions all together and focus on getting the symphonic parts right.
I have a long way to go to write dance tracks but every bit of experience counts — life is an iterative process, and you gain experience on everything that you do. You get more by trying to make something work then sitting around thinking that you will never be able to do it.
My motto is: I can do it if I believe that I can. I can do it well if I believe that I can do it well.
You can hear more of my music on ACIDplanet, Artist Server, IMEEM, Music Forte and YouTube.
Copyright 2006-2007 See-ming Lee. All rights reserved.
It is my life's dream to be able to work symphonic instruments together with electronic instruments. It's a simple idea really, and I expect that I should hear it somewhere soon, but I did not.
Contemporary classical music using electronic instruments are often very 'analytical,' and to me, they aim for dissonance and atonal but somehow loses its soul. I played a lot of piano music in Bartok, Rachmininoff and the like when I was a teenager, but deep down I much prefer Baroque.
On my path to broaden my musical taste, I came across Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians. It's contemporary classical but very listenable. On the booklet which comes with the CD, Steve recalled that his professor once advised him--I can't find the exact quote--that if he wishes to make harmonized music, he should just write harmonized music. I took this to heart and started writing simple fugues, using counter-point techniques that I once learned in college for music composition.
On the electronic music front, there has been a few DJs, most notably William Orbit, who has attempted to redo baroque classics in electronic music--but in my opinion, they are no difference than sampling records in the 70s and claiming as their own by putting a few VST filters on them. Indeed, Pieces in a Modern Style is so disappointing that I question how it ever got out of the studio.
Then one day while I was listening to trance on Rhapsody -- my pumping background music for work, I came across Hybrid's Finished Symphony. It was the first symphonic electronica piece that I responded to. It combines symphonic parts with electronic instruments and have a lot going for it. It is from there that I thought to myself that perhaps it is not such a bad idea to do something about it.
I started writing this piece in early 2006 as a way to fight depression. Music lets me free from my surroundings and allows me to go places where words and images cannot. But like most afflicted with NADD, I have trouble finishing it, and I was also too insecure to release this piece for fear of getting excruciatingly bad reviews that I probably would not be able to handle.
In the late summer of 2006, on my research to figure out how to construct better dance beats (since I'm a classically trained pianist, I naturally had no training in percussion and must somehow acquire that knowledge), I came across a fact that many DJ contests on the Web which gives out pristine vocal tracks for download to be remixed and uploaded. At that time, I was toying with Sony ACID Pro, so naturally I signed up with ACIDPlanet and began producing.
My intention was to do these mixes just as studies, to gain experience, in order to write my Symphonic Electronica piece. So I simply took the vocal tracks of all these songs, throw away all the synths, percussion and instrumental parts and throw in my own strings, choir samples and baroque instruments for a symphonic / choir mix of commercial dance remixes!
My first remix is Madison Park's All about the Groove (original commercial release / my remix) To my surprise, I received many positive feedback, both from friends whom I know and from strangers who were kind enough to provide me with criticisms. The best comment came from Steven Hall, a friend of mine who is a music producer by profession. He noted that this was the first piece I have created that is actually good. I took that to heart, and so began a new hobby--mixing music from ACIDplanet.
One thing great about contests is that you get to learn a lot from other entries. It is from these entries that I discovered new ways of handling samples, and experimenting with different things. Coming across Ableton Live was also a blessing, which enables the programmer side of me to experiment with settings that are too challenging in a linear setup like Cubase.
After many months of remixing, I came back my Symphonic Electronica piece again. From my experience of the remixes, I identified my style and decisions. I decided to publish this piece and ask the world for my opinion. So here is one of many sketches of musical ideas:
Symphonic Electronica Opus 0.5.9 (04:14) / ACIDplanet WMA / ArtistServer MP3
Copyright 2006-2007 See-ming Lee. All rights reserved.
What I am aiming for is a synergy of symphonic and electronic instruments, as a co-existing harmony, like a vanilla+chocolate twist you get on an ice cream truck on the street when you were a little boy / little girl.
Unlike my other music posted on AcidPlanet, it is 100% original material.
I have learned much from other people's feedback and comments for my photographs on Flickr and my music on ACIDplanet. As such, if you are reading this post, I would highly appreciate your thoughts and comments, as I can only get better with constructive criticisms.
