Ezomz Productions

Inspiration is a tricky thing. You can be inspired to write music, but not write something that actually works within the confines of your current project. That’s been the story of my life for the last few months, during which I have started, but not successfully finished, about 10 different songs. But I finally had a breakthrough last week and was able to finish writing one of them. Check out the finished product, a positive but dramatic piece which I have named “The Assertion”, over on the music player to the right. And then go outside and enjoy the sun!

Happy 2011 everyone! With only one more year until the world ends in 2012, I figured it would good to start on some new music early on if I have any hope of being a prolific composer. (No, I don’t really believe in that.) Check out The Temp (Extended Mix) over on the music player to the right!

That’s right, more new music is online! Check out “Slice of Nice” over on the music player to the right! This one is more piano-intensive than my last few songs; I felt that although my foray into using other instruments for the melody line was definitely a success, sometimes you have to return to your instrumental roots, and that’s what this song is. So listen and enjoy, and let me hear your comments!

In the spirit of Halloween, I’ve just posted a new mini-song that definitely has a darker sound than my last few songs. A peaceful but eerie hike through the wilderness suddenly turns into a massive battle of nature versus machine! Check out who wins at the end in “Nature Walk, Interrupted” over on the music player to the right!

Just posted another new song. Check out “The Temp” over on the music player to the right!

Two new short songs have been added, THis THing and Exquizzit. You can listen to both of them in the new music player to the right, which probably already started playing when you loaded the page! Let me know what you think!

At long last, Pro Tools, Reason, and 99% of my software is fully functional again! The only thing that’s still acting up is CoreAudio (Apple’s utility that lets you rout audio from any program through an external interface, in this case my 003), and that’s not really a problem currently as it only seems to affect iTunes, which I can work around. And yes, I did end up laying down the $150 for the upgrade to Pro Tools 8. Was it worth it? Thus far, no. Pro Tools 8 seems like nothing more than 7 with some pretty makeup on (in other words, a redesigned GUI). Of course, I haven’t messed too much with the new comping and Sibelius-esque notation features, which are supposedly the biggest parts of the upgrade, so I’m withholding final judgement for now.

Either way, with Pro Tools back online, I can finally move forward with the various projects of mine that have been on hold for the past few months. First on the list is Whisper Wind, the pop song featuring Miranda Hempel that I mentioned in the last post. It’s currently in the final stages of mixing and should be ready soon. Next is Swiftransit, a fast-paced electronic piece that got its name because it sounds (to me, at least) like the music for a luxury car commercial. FInally, I’m working on a remixed version of one of my older songs, Rokugani Meditation. This version will be fully orchestrated (instead of just solo piano like the original). It’s sounding great so far!

So stay tuned everyone…great things are coming soon!

Digidesign’s Pro Tools music production software has to be one of the most innovative and at the same time frustrating programs ever created. Pro Tools has the most efficient and easy to navigate interface I’ve encountered out of all the music software I’ve used. It is the only computer program I have ever seen that has the mysterious ability to find new ways to malfunction and crash despite all other factors (installed and running programs, track edit density, etc.) remaining constant. Currently in Ezomz Productions I’m dealing with the dreaded “Kernel Panic” error, which causes random crashes of the operating system (yes, the whole system crashes, not just Pro Tools…you get Mac OSX’s equivalent of the “blue screen of death”, which I’m happy to say I’ve never encountered outside of Pro Tools). This problem started occuring about a week ago for no apparent reason. After reviewing the initial crash report log and doing some quick Google searches, I found that I am not the only person experiencing this error, and most others have had similar experiences: no changes to software or hardware configuration, no unusually large or complex sessions running…it’s almost as if Pro Tools got bored and decided to mix things up by malfunctioning.

Currently I’m corresponding via e-mail with Digidesign’s tech support team and they’re working on figuring out the problem. I have a sneaking suspicion, though, that the solution I get back from them will be the same answer I got the last time my system had a problem like this: “Pay us $150 for an upgrade to the latest version of Pro Tools and we guarantee it will be fixed!” Yes, I’m not using the latest version…I’m using version 7.4 and version 8 is now out. I had put off upgrading though, as there were other areas of my studio that I felt had a more pressing need for upgrades. But, depending on what Digidesign’s tech support team says, I may not be able to put this annoyingly expensive upgrade off any longer. We’ll see.

Luckily, the problem has only affected certain aspects of my Pro Tools system, and I’ve at least been able to isolate most the things I can do that will trigger a system crash. So I’ve been able to work around the problem for most of this past week, and I’m still making steady progress on finishing my biggest project: a vibrant new song called “Whisper Wind” featuring Miranda Hempel (who also sang on Resurrection). Hopefully this annoying problem will be fixed soon, one way or another, so I can finish up Whisper Wind and post it here for your listening enjoyment! Stay tuned, and wish me some digital luck!

-DS

When I started working for the Clubhouse, I prepared myself to handle a variety of tasks that I assumed would be thrown at me…setting up and striking session gear, running Pro Tools, Melodyne, and other programs, getting drinks for clients, food runs, cleaning, and so on. One thing I did not expect myself to be doing was running a photo shoot…for a guitar!

A certain rather well-known friend of the Clubhouse had taken a classic guitar, ripped off the strings, and repainted the whole thing in a very unique color scheme. Unfortunately I can’t post any pics on here, but I can provide some verbal imagery…the main colors are semi-dull shades of red and green, dividing the guitar body into roughly two solid color sections with a gradually curving border between them. The color scheme reminds me of one of those racecar beds that kids have (I never had one, I swear!). The whole thing looks very rough and uneven; this is done intentionally to give the instrument a very rebellious look and to farther separate it from the very polished-looking models that dominate music store shelves currently.

Anyway, the recording session that was supposed to take place today was cancelled, so the remaining Clubhouse staff spent the day doing various small projects and maintenance tasks. Paul, the studio owner, asked me if I was any good with a camera. Wondering where this was going, I told him that I was decent thanks to my experience working for Albany Alive. He asked me if I could photograph the aforementioned guitar in a variety of settings and angles, as the person who designed it was trying to sell his design to a guitar company for mass production. So, I proceeded to set up my first ever guitar photo shoot: shooting the guitar all over the studio, from the library, to the live room, to the control room, and even outside on the porch. This was definitely not the kind of thing I would have ever expected to be doing when I came to work at the Clubhouse, but I have to admit it was enjoyable.

Some of the pictures are quite good, but sadly since the guitar’s styling isn’t copy-protected in any way as of yet, I can’t post any of them here. Of course, if the guitar manufacturers are as impressed by the pictures I took as Paul and the guitar’s designer were, you can expect to see a very unique guitar for sale in your local music store sometime soon; a guitar that will conjure images of racecar beds in your mind as you stare at it, though you can’t quite figure out why.

-DS

That’s right, AlbanyOpenArts has given me the honor of listing me as one of their featured artists for the launch of their new site. The concept of AlbanyOpenArts is to promote local talent in all areas of entertainment by publicizing information about these skilled individuals and groups in a centralized hub. AlbanyOpenArts is also working in conjunction with organizations such as The Muddy Cup to further promote their featured artists. I fully support AlbanyOpenArts’ ideals and the promotion of talent in the Capital Region as a whole; here’s hoping that their new site continues to grow and flourish!

-DS