Music for the Mind

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6-19-12 UPDATE

June 20, 2012
Have spent the past several days setting up near field reference monitor speaker system for mastering.

For those who are not familiar with the terminology, in music recording, the master was originally a wax disk from which the plastic discs would be made.

It was the original disk from which all others would ultimately derive.

So, it was "the master", in the sense of the original.

All others being copies of the original.

The terminology continued on as the technology changed.

In our modern digital age it sort of means the same thing, except for the fact that everything is "digitized".

This means that it is all written out as a series of zeroes and ones in what is known as binary code.

In order to reduce the space by about 3/4 the binary is converted into hexadecimal (base 16).

It is this series of numbers which is the final result of the analog to digital conversion.

Now, whereas "the master" will never change, while copies made from the master will degenerate a little more each time they are reproduced, there is not such problem in the world of digital masters.

So, the language is a little bit archaic, but continues in use because of it's very important and non-archaic history.

So, in the world of digital audio workstations (DAWs) the art of mastering is the science of audio engineering being applied to the final product which is intended to be copied or more precisely, cloned multitudinous times without any degeneration whatsoever (except for the ubiquitous and ever-present "rounding errors" which seem to be lurking around every corner, usually completely unexpected, and certainly uninvited).

Until very recently it would be stupid to attempt to "master" any recording in a home studio or small studio.

The software was prohibitively expensive, the understanding of what you are supposed to be doing was very limited, and there was very little eductional material available.

In addition,the hardware that would be required was ridiculously prohibitively expensive and complicated and required years of continuous practice to be used effectively ---

sorry about that - I seem to have fallen asleep in mid-sentence at about 1:30 a.m.

Was it exhaustion finally catching up with me?
or was it that the subject is just so tedious and boring that it knocked me out?
I think you know which.

This is the morning after = 6-20-12 at 8:25 a.m.

w/love to all

vw

 

6-12-12 POSTED LINKS FOR FUKUSHIMA

June 13, 2012
I have been mainly in the field during the past ten days, and have been, accordingly, off the grid.

I have a few minutes here and there during which I can get near a signal and then send out what little I can in the short time that I have to do it.

Are going one day at a time, right now, so that do not know exact schedule for next week/s.

Although I do expect to have a better idea before too long.

In the meantime, I completed the FUKUSHIMA 2011 album, so that it is now ready for mastering and pre...

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6-10-12 POSTED FUKUSHIMA PAGE

June 11, 2012

I am on the run.

But took a little bit of time to finish up the Fukushima album.

It was missing the first and last songs, which I had lost, in the hundreds of files in which they were found resting.

Finally, I have located them, and added them and then made a page just for this album.

There are notes at the bottom, which are going to be very important.

Particularly the links which I hope to supply.

Once again, I did all of the work during the months following the event in March of 2011, but have ma...


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6-01-12 MORE PHOTOS POSTED ON RINCON HIGHWAY May 2012 PAGE

June 1, 2012
I have to drive up to northern California in next couple of hours.

I posted several photos after collecting together a bunch to choose from.

Didn't have time to post all of them, so this will have to do.

I wanted to share several stories and I have a note here reminding me of just which ones.

First, two nights ago as I was walking out on a lonely trail in the middle of the night when I suddenly noticed that a huge series of shadows just blotted out the moon for several seconds, coming in from rig...

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053112 - AM GETTING READY TO POST MORE PHOTOS

May 31, 2012
After posting yesterday I went out to the beach for the afternoon and evening.

You know how these things go.

I went just for a little while, or to sunset at latest.

But then, that other wondrous world of the illuminated sky with
full-on half moon directly following the sunset must show itself and I just simply lose all control as I am quickly seduced by this most beautiful of objects.

It is almost like I go into a hypnotic "moon trance".

I was warned many years ago not to watch the water for long ...

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053012 JUST WOKE UP = as I was saying?

May 30, 2012
It's Wednesday morning at 10:30 a.m.

I know that it is just SOOOOO rude to fall asleep in the middle of an intense conversation about very important matters with worldwide, and yeah, even universal principles at stake, but that's what I just did.

I said in the last post that I would try to be back in a few hours.

Well, let's see just how well that went.

Well, hmmmm, let's see, where does one start with such a stark confession, anyway?

Remember, now, I literally just woke up.

I don't know where anyt...

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5-29-12 NOT MUCH TO SAY RIGHT NOW?

May 29, 2012
Well, I got back from up north a couple of days ago and have been working around the clock at one final all out full scale assault on the mess which I call an office.

I am actually looking at a carpeted floor, as I sit here and type this.

I often marvel when I see the floor, because I often wonder whether it is still down there below all of the stuff which I have unceremoniousy thrown upon it.

My work method reminds me of paramedic calls.

We rip open fluids, and lines, and containers, and needles...

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5-21-12 ONE MORE CHANT POSTED

May 22, 2012
As usual, it would seem, lately, I only have a few minutes to write.

Have to come in off of the wall tomorrow, because I must get ready to travel on Wednesday morning.

After almost 30 days of continuous waves, my mind feels much better than it has in a long time.

Add to that a little bit of chant at sunrise, and one can almost have some vestige of hope, where, otherwise, there would be none.

And, don 't forget the incredible starlit nights.

And, what about that incredible solar eclipse yesterday
(...

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5-19-12 THREE MORE CHANTS POSTED

May 20, 2012
I am staying on the wall for another several days.

Have to go up to Northern California on Wednesday.

Will return shortly thereafter, if all goes according to "plan".

Have been recording these very beautiful chants.

Have been up a little before dawn each morning and have listened to them as they are meant to be listened to, with the ocean waves crashing all around in front of you as the first glimmers of light hit the beach and as the first animals (always the Sandpipers) begin to move about just...

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5-17-12 BACK UP ON THE SEAWALL - SEVEN GREGORIAN CHANTS POSTED

May 17, 2012
Finished week up by Faria.

It went unbelievably fast.

So, it was a matter of whether to come in out of the cold, or see if I could get another week on the seawall.

Won't know for sure until tomorrow at 9 a.m.

All has been relatively quiet on the coast.

Not really a lot to talk about during the past several days.

A few more whales, many more dolphins, and pelicans and other birds for days.

One huge flock was floating all night right off shore from the wall.

You always wonder whether the birds can bed ...

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Vincente E. Woodward
vw@vincenteewoodward.com

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