Ame one Loves You

I just my first mixing session in Digidesign’s Pro Tools. It wasn’t that bad. A little different from Cubase SX2. I actually found it pretty easy to understand once I figured out everything I needed to know how to do. One thing that seemed a mystery at first was setting up the sends. Good thing I have a manual and was able to get that resolved. After thinking about it I find that Pro Tools feels kind like Adobe Photoshop. The way you have to go about doing things seems pretty similar to the way things have to be thought about and performed in Photoshop. Overall I would have to say that mixing in Pro Tools was pretty enjoyable. Now I just wish I had all the really cool fancy plugins like the Sonny Oxford, Waves, URS, and McDSP. Oh well one day when I can afford it I will have it.

So I got a copy of American Gangster by Jay-Z. I have to say overall it is an ok album. As with most albums I come across these days there are only a few songs I like.

Maybe that’s why the music industry sucks. You buy an album and most songs are soso with a few good songs. I think that is a reason why I support digital distribution. As a consumer you can buy the songs you think are good. In addition, the artist can no longer rely on releasing crap with a few good songs to prop it up. The only people who will be hurt by digital distribution is the one hit wonders. But all they need to do is, write some quality music. 

 Anyways, back to Jay-Z, the reason I find the album soso, is because the beats are just average. I didn’t think they were really cool. He’s a great lyricist and has achieved a lot. One of the things i didn’t like was the songs that had strings/orchestra sounds. I’m not really a fan of that to begin with. I understand it, but it’s not something I really like. Another thing I didn’t like was that the bass lines had a lot of open  notes. These days I find I am not a fan of that kind of booming bass. It give you the boom, but it just seemed like the song had the boom for sake of having a big booming bass so you can rock the big bass in your car or system. 

Overall I would classify this more as a concept album because of the vibe and imagery he is trying to capture. In that context it’s not bad. As a regular album, it’s just on par with the rest hip-pop.   

This will be my second christmas in Japan. It’s such a strange thing here. It has such a different meaning. When I go out I hear christmas songs playing in the stores. It’s just not the same. I guess I just miss the atmosphere that comes with christmas. Over the past several years I have grown to dislike christmas, but I realized that I dislike the out of control consumerism that comes with it these days. I don’t think it is important to buy expensive gifts for people. I wish I could buy everyone the finest and greatest gift, but that’s just a wish. I can’t afford it and never really could. It’s not a gripe about not being able to afford these things. I just feel that there should be more of an emphasis of being with your family and friends and enjoying this time of year with out having to spend money on everyone. Technically I have not escaped from the out of control consumerism, but that is just daily life in Japan. What I have escaped from is the consumerism that comes with christmas. The thing I miss most though is the christmas specials on tv. Charlie Brown Christmas, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Rudolph, etc….