Christmas Gift for All Forum Members on Christmas Day
*Read Update on Bottom* – On Christmas Day there will be a gift from me for each and every forum member. I am very excited about this. No, it’s not just a picture, or a poem or a song. It’s a unique gift to each and every member.
On the top of each forum will be posted “Click Here To Open Your Christmas Gift” – Click that link for your present. We have tens of thousands of members and I realize not all will want the gift. But I think most will. It’s a gift that I myself would be excited to receive, and those are the best kinds to give.
This is also a thank you to all the members that have been so supportive of our communities.
So on Christmas Day after you’re winding down with all the fun things there are to do, check the forum to open your gift from Cybermonsters. I think you’ll like it!
HO HO HO!
Conrad
*Update* – I have spent several weeks working on this and there are still too many security flaws in the operating system. So the grand Christmas launch is cancelled. However, during the process I happened across several other items which I’m working on now to enhance our community experience for members. My apologies.
Northwest Blogger Website
A website dedicated to Northwest bloggers at NWBloggers.com.
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You can open a free account with them. The website says although most members are conservative leaning, they are open to other views. I guess that’s a general guideline. Open to bloggers from Washington, Oregon, Northern California and outlying areas, as well as bloggers who feel they have a connection to the Pacific Northwest.
QA Email – Seussical Sound Effects
UPDATE: Now you can Download Free Seussical Sound Effects.
E-mail received:
Hello,
I happened to come across your website this evening while I was doing some “net surfing” for Seussical the Musical.
I am the music director for our high school’s musical theater productions, and the Orchestra Conductor and myself are trying to work out all the instrumentation and sound effects issues.
What caught my attention was the way you ran the sound effects on you laptop through a kepyboard. COULD YOU BE SO KIND AS TO ELABORATE!! Information on the program you used and how to create the sound bank….even how to connect the keyboard would be AWESOME! We can handle all the instruments, but the sound effects have us a little freaked out!
Thanks so much for ANY help!
Eric
Director of Choral Activities
Waynesboro Area Senior High School
Music Education Advocacy Committee Chair
Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District VII
Choral Director — Gold Tour
American Music Abroad
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Hi Eric,
Here is a link to my sound effects used in Seussical the Musical.
I didn’t think Seussical was very sound effects intensive. I identified 10 sound effects needed for our production. In comparison, I just finished a run of the non-musical version of Peter Pan and was running sixty-four sound effects for that show.
Here is the list of sound effects I used for our Seussical production:
SOUND EFFECTS FOR SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL
Slide Whistle (you’ll get better samples than performing this live)
YOPP! (Jojo’s yell in Act II – I process multi-tap delay with panning, so it “calls across the universeâ€)
Elephant Call
Egg Hatching
Explosion
Water Splash (For the Cat’s sneeze onto the Planet of Who, my own twisted addition)
ACT II Entracte – Overture clangs and bangs
Thunderstorm (To add to ACT II melodrama string music)
Bird Chirp
Animal Grunts (For intro of Monkey Around, listen to CD)
Dog Bark “woofâ€
All of these sound effects can be done well from a CD player. To trigger sound effects I use Kontakt by Native Instruments which is a virtual sample keyboard. I load in my sound effects and map them onto a virtual keyboard. Then trigger these sounds from a laptop via a MIDI keyboard. To do this you’ll need a laptop, Kontakt software, a MIDI keyboard and a USB midi device. Total cost starting around $2000 for all if you shop around.
I prefer running sound effects this way so I have control over the final product. I also played the keyboard one parts, so it was very natural for meto reach over and trigger a sound effect at my keyboard rig. I only played piano in the parts that needed it, otherwise I conducted and let the orchestra do it’s thing. We had a twenty piece orchestra so it was a pretty full sound. You’ll probably find that the Reed One, Two and Three parts will have to be split among multiple players. Check my “Seussical” section here on my blog for details about instrumentation.
Hope that helps. If you’re a control freak player/conductor/audio engineer like me you’ll have fun mapping a custom sample bank. Otherwise leave the sound effects to your sound crew and you’ll be fun. The challenge to me for Seussical is the almost non-stop music; and keeping the orchestra tight on the wide variety of grooves.
Mac Advertisements
The latest run of Mac advertisements are so awesome. They are the only ads I actually go out of my way to click and watch.
When I’m online and having to restart my PC again to scan for viruses, it’s a nice escape to imagine a computer that you don’t have to babysit. I’m told the Macs run both PC and Mac software side by side, with a “flip”. Definately on my wish list.
Rocky Horror Picture Show Added to National Film Registry
January 2006
http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/0601/nfr.html
Librarian of Congress James H. Billington announced his annual selection of 25 motion pictures to be added to the National Film Registry in December 2005. This group of titles brings the total number of films placed on the registry since its creation by Congress in 1988 to 425.
Under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act, each year the Librarian of Congress names 25 “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant motion pictures to the registry. The list is designed to reflect the full breadth and diversity of America’s film heritage, thus increasing public awareness of the richness of American cinema and the need for its preservation. In making the announcement, the Librarian said, “By preserving American films, we safeguard a significant element of American creativity and our cultural history for the enjoyment and education of future generations.”
“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (1975)
The ultimate “midnight movie,” “Rocky Horror” revolutionized prevailing notions of audience participation during film screenings. Words to remember: “It’s astounding, time is fleeting, madness takes its toll.”
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Mr. Askland would like to point out that the US Supreme Court has defined legal censorship for material that is “Obscene” – In order to qualify legally as obscene the material must be devoid of any artistic, aesthetic or scientific value. Since the RHPS has now been added to the National Film Registry, it would not appear to meet the legal definition of obscene.
The Lodge Recording Studio and Mastering
Afua Richardson, Lakota Sioux, writes about her experience at The Lodge Recording Studio and Mastering facility in New York. She talks about internships and the cool vibe at The Lodge. This recording studio has a long time rep for creating fantastic vibes for recording artists.
The Ins and Outs of Compression
Compression is an essential tool in studio and live sound engineering. Here is a great article by Chalan Thibodeaux on The Ins and Outs of Compression.
Chalan explains hard knee vs. soft knee, ratio, attack, threshold and release. Great article. I’m happy to answer questions if any aren’t addressed in the article.
The writer, Chalan Thibodeaux is from Lafayette, Louisiana. Great article Chad!
Becoming an Oustanding Speaker
To become an oustanding speaker, speak well –
A Few Tips to Keep Your Audience Engaged –
Writing To Persuade –
I found these three articles helpful and wanted to share them with you. There is also a book with more informatin available on that website.
Cantabile Choir with David Cross
Mount Vernon, WA – The Cantabile Choir conducted by David Cross kicks off its inaugural season with a performance on December 1st, 2006 at First Christian Reformed Church.
Let it be known the Skagit Valley has a new crown jewel for vocal music. Cantabile and David Cross have joined forces to appease the most demanding chamber music fans.
The singers were excellent, especially for their first concert. Hmmmm….. that statement doesn’t do it justice. I was able to get lost in the beauty of their sound; my eyes transfixed to a higher beauty. THEN I discovered this was their first concert. WOW.
The vocals were blended well by David Cross, especially between the altos and sopranos. I would take a guess the group has spent a fair amount of tiime on pronunciation, because with only a couple exceptions the pronunciation was even and balanced throughout the entire group.
David Cross has a powerful presence which captivates me. He has a very sturdy classical air, yet I always think at any moment he is going to do something wild and crazy, ala Monty Python or PDQ Bach. Maybe that’s more of a reflection of my sense of humor. If David Cross picks some PDQ Bach music for a concert, then I will consider that I have won the bet. His imagination and insight into music selection alone gives hint of future creativity we can expect to see from Cantabile under his capable hand.
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The choice of music was excellent and kept our interest during the performance. David Cross explained that the flow of music was to herald in the beginning of advent in a more traditional way, then gently lead into Christmas songs and lighter faire.
One piece in particular that was spellbinding was Cantabile’s treatment of “Lux Aurumque” by Eric Whitacre. ( Real Audio link for Lux Aurumque. I have never heard chord patterns delivered in quite that fashion before, it was like an entire new musical language was being presented. It’s overtones were so mysterious; the changes so mystic. This may have been a performance that will never be repeated in strength of beauty and tone. At first the overtones that crept in were so thick, I half wondered if it was intentional. In finding out more about the piece, it was indeed the intentional craftsmanship of David Cross, a master of detail. You can listen to the Real Audio link of the piece, but I tell you that life is unfulfilled until you have heard it performed well live. More Info about Eric Whitacre.
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I am partial to chamber music. For chamber music fans it would appear that Cantabile will be the premiere vocal group in Skagit Valley. I applaude David’s foresight to start a group like this. Cantabile is one of those groups that makes life all the more richer for all of us.
WORKS PERFORMED
Gloria in D, RV 589
Antonio Vivaldi
Hodie Christus Natus Est
Mark Hayes
What Sweeter Music
Robert Herrick and Michael Fink
The Blessed Son of God from “This Day”
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Some Children See Him
Wilhla Hutson and Alfred Burt
Arr. by Jay Rouse
Coventry Carol
Arr. Darmon Meader
All On a Starry Night
Paul Williams and Joseph Graham
Ziua Ninge
Vasile Alecsandri and George Dime
Lux Aurumque
Edward Esch and Whitacre/Edward Esch
Sleigh Bells
Arr. Earlene Rentz
Merry Christmas Mozart
Arr. Jay Althouse
Bidi Bom
David Eddleman
Go Where I Send Thee
Arr. Paul Caldwell/Sean Ivory
David Cross – Cantabile Conductor
Lynne Rheinhardt – Co-Founder of Cantabile
Karen Rentko – Accompanist
CANTABILE SINGERS
SOPRANO
Leah Fringer
Ludia Randall
Lynne Rheinhardt
Debra Rupert
Lois Vander Meulen
ALTO
Lu Anne Hargis
Dani Keller
Ginny Ramey
Judy Sjerven
Anne Will
TENOR
Dave Browning
Tom Ochiai
Robert Slabodnik
Paul Trautman
BASS
Don Cross
Kevin Maas
Gary Ramey
Dan Rupert