Random Ramblings

I am setting up my new laptop today.  It is super fast and has a whopping 12 GB of processor!  Now to figure out what recording software I want to use with it so I can move away from my old Korg unit and into the realm of DAWs (digital audio workstations).

Staybrite wrote:

Through The Dark Radio wrote:

Can't believe it's going to take until early November before I can get in with a new doctor up here.

Why?  Will it take that long for your insurance to kick in?  Are you talking about a general doc or a heart specialist?

Nope, my insurance kicked in on August 1st.  But the doctors here just don't have enough time to meet with a new patient since they prefer to have a little bit longer to do that.  And this is just for an internist    Oh, and one place couldn't get me until March!

Guess I better start getting my specialists lined up

Going to drive about 10 hours tomorrow, Lord willing. I'm going to a powwow about 5 hours from where I am. Hopefully all goes well.

Driven wrote:

Going to drive about 10 hours tomorrow, Lord willing. I'm going to a powwow about 5 hours from where I am. Hopefully all goes well.

Safe driving, Driven. Had to look up "powwow."   lol

Through The Dark Radio wrote:

Staybrite wrote:

Through The Dark Radio wrote:

Can't believe it's going to take until early November before I can get in with a new doctor up here.

Why?  Will it take that long for your insurance to kick in?  Are you talking about a general doc or a heart specialist?

Nope, my insurance kicked in on August 1st.  But the doctors here just don't have enough time to meet with a new patient since they prefer to have a little bit longer to do that.  And this is just for an internist    Oh, and one place couldn't get me until March!

Guess I better start getting my specialists lined up

Wow, that's not cool. 

Driven wrote:

Going to drive about 10 hours tomorrow, Lord willing. I'm going to a powwow about 5 hours from where I am. Hopefully all goes well.

You be careful, and don't drive full of fry bread....too much of that will make you sleepy.

alldatndensum wrote:

I am setting up my new laptop today.  It is super fast and has a whopping 12 GB of processor!  Now to figure out what recording software I want to use with it so I can move away from my old Korg unit and into the realm of DAWs (digital audio workstations).

I've worked with ProTools and Studio One. Both are great, but I prefer Studio One. It comes with a lot of extras and I regularly have access to free plug-ins. Plus, it's super easy to get into. I was up and running in a day doing basic stuff without much drama. There are heaps of training videos to help learn the more complex stuff AND if you collaborate with another artist who also uses StudioOne, you can work on the same project without all the usb nonsense that ProTools has. With your expertise with the Korg, I'm sure it'll be an easy upgrade.
Luck.

Jen5 wrote:

alldatndensum wrote:

I am setting up my new laptop today.  It is super fast and has a whopping 12 GB of processor!  Now to figure out what recording software I want to use with it so I can move away from my old Korg unit and into the realm of DAWs (digital audio workstations).

I've worked with ProTools and Studio One. Both are great, but I prefer Studio One. It comes with a lot of extras and I regularly have access to free plug-ins. Plus, it's super easy to get into. I was up and running in a day doing basic stuff without much drama. There are heaps of training videos to help learn the more complex stuff AND if you collaborate with another artist who also uses StudioOne, you can work on the same project without all the usb nonsense that ProTools has. With your expertise with the Korg, I'm sure it'll be an easy upgrade.
Luck.

For what do you use the software for?  Recording music, streaming radio/PODcasts, etc.?

Recording and mixing music. I also have a Focusrite audio interface that I use to plug my mic(s), etc to the computer. All of my songs get recorded into Studio One where I can edit, mix, master, and send tracks to collaborators. Works a treat. Never had any problems with it...except of course my lack of a sound engineer's degree  

Jen5 wrote:

Recording and mixing music. I also have a Focusrite audio interface that I use to plug my mic(s), etc to the computer. All of my songs get recorded into Studio One where I can edit, mix, master, and send tracks to collaborators. Works a treat. Never had any problems with it...except of course my lack of a sound engineer's degree  

Where can we hear some of your musical musings?

Wow peanut butter tastes really good on apples...how come I've never tried this before?

alldatndensum wrote:

Where can we hear some of your musical musings?

I wasn't planning to go that way with you folks, but since you asked for it Chris, I'll share. Keep in mind that I'm more songwriter than vocalist (though I keep being asked to sing which I find is amusing). You can find a selection of my songs on my SoundCloud page. I started down the mixing/mastering road last year. What a steep learning curve that's been. Here's one of the first I did on my own:

https://soundcloud.com/jennystokes-nz/in-my-blood-with-bridge-added (this one looks at the inevitability of sin)

Or you could check out this more recent collaboration with John Evans:

https://soundcloud.com/jennystokes-nz/in-your-silence/s-L707q (this one draws words from Isaiah 30:15, Exodus 14:14, and John 3:19)

John has posted a couple of our songs here before so, in fact, you're already familiar with my musical musings. My stuff is pretty varied. It's rock one day and jazz the next.  lol

About your DAW decision...
I've got latency on my mind because I've been helping a friend with his new DAW set-up that is unusable because of latency. He uses a usb set-up. I use an external interface so I've never had an issue with latency. I've never gone the usb route myself, but I know a few people who have. For all of them, their main complaint was latency. Because latency can make recording almost impossible, it pays to make sure that your mic set-up etc is going to work with the DAW you choose. Thought I'd mention that since it's sitting there at the front of my mind at the mo.

Staybrite wrote:

Wow peanut butter tastes really good on apples...how come I've never tried this before?

That is a very good question. How come you've never tried it before? Makes one wonder what other culinary delights we're missing out on. Here's one to try. My Dad's favourite go-to sandwich was peanut butter, iceberg lettuce and MAYO! It's not my bag, but it IS surprisingly good. He loved it. Dare you to try THAT one, Staybrite.   

That would make a good thread...weird food combos that make you want to turn and run the other way but in actual fact are quite delicious.

A year ago, I was at my heaviest weight at 395. Today, I'm now down to 354.

Jen5 wrote:

alldatndensum wrote:

Where can we hear some of your musical musings?

...

Or you could check out this more recent collaboration with John Evans:

...

So you are Stokes from the fantastic Evans & Stokes Collaboration!  Very cool to have you here (not that it wasn't already cool to have you here, you are a very fun and friendly person).  We have been giving John quite a bit of feedback on some of the songs you recorded with him.  I really dig what you both have done together.

Samson wrote:

A year ago, I was at my heaviest weight at 395. Today, I'm now down to 354.

That is absolutely awesome!  
I wish I could do as well as you have done.  I lost 10 pounds a few weeks ago...then gained 4 of them back. 

Ironic thing is that I rarely went out walking and I didn't exercise. I drastically decreased the amount of breads and chocolates I was consuming. Burger King is good, but not every night. Ditto for candy and sweets. The biggest help seems to come from cutting the candy consumption.

Staybrite wrote:

So you are Stokes from the fantastic Evans & Stokes Collaboration!  Very cool to have you here (not that it wasn't already cool to have you here, you are a very fun and friendly person).  We have been giving John quite a bit of feedback on some of the songs you recorded with him.  I really dig what you both have done together.

Yes. That's me. I had a minor freak out when Chris asked to hear some of my musical musings. I was quite comfortable not being "out." Happy in my anonymity. I'm terrible at self promotion and am far more comfortable sitting quietly with the Christian fellowship I find here at CHM (aint that a contradiction...quiet...metal. lol)  Thank you for your kind words. It means a lot.

Samson wrote:

Ironic thing is that I rarely went out walking and I didn't exercise. I drastically decreased the amount of breads and chocolates I was consuming. Burger King is good, but not every night. Ditto for candy and sweets. The biggest help seems to come from cutting the candy consumption.

     That's awesome Samson.

I had a friend who lost half her target weight loss simply by not eating her daily dose of potatoes. Apparently they are a simple carbohydrate and for some people, they just go straight to the waist. She replaced them with sweet potato because it converts to sugar more slowly.

Yesterday my grandson Thijs stayed for one day with his oma.
It was so great to have him for one day.

Jen5 wrote:

Staybrite wrote:

So you are Stokes from the fantastic Evans & Stokes Collaboration!  Very cool to have you here (not that it wasn't already cool to have you here, you are a very fun and friendly person).  We have been giving John quite a bit of feedback on some of the songs you recorded with him.  I really dig what you both have done together.

Yes. That's me. I had a minor freak out when Chris asked to hear some of my musical musings. I was quite comfortable not being "out." Happy in my anonymity. I'm terrible at self promotion and am far more comfortable sitting quietly with the Christian fellowship I find here at CHM (aint that a contradiction...quiet...metal. lol)  Thank you for your kind words. It means a lot.

We try to be a friendly (albeit small) group. 

rockerVu2 wrote:

Yesterday my grandson Thijs stayed for one day with his oma.
It was so great to have him for one day.

We had both of our grandsons over last night.  Three days in a row for the youngest on (but he is very easy).  His older brother is much more of a challenge. 

Jen5 wrote:

alldatndensum wrote:

Where can we hear some of your musical musings?

I wasn't planning to go that way with you folks, but since you asked for it Chris, I'll share. Keep in mind that I'm more songwriter than vocalist (though I keep being asked to sing which I find is amusing). You can find a selection of my songs on my SoundCloud page. I started down the mixing/mastering road last year. What a steep learning curve that's been. Here's one of the first I did on my own:

https://soundcloud.com/jennystokes-nz/in-my-blood-with-bridge-added (this one looks at the inevitability of sin)

Or you could check out this more recent collaboration with John Evans:

https://soundcloud.com/jennystokes-nz/in-your-silence/s-L707q (this one draws words from Isaiah 30:15, Exodus 14:14, and John 3:19)

John has posted a couple of our songs here before so, in fact, you're already familiar with my musical musings. My stuff is pretty varied. It's rock one day and jazz the next.  lol

About your DAW decision...
I've got latency on my mind because I've been helping a friend with his new DAW set-up that is unusable because of latency. He uses a usb set-up. I use an external interface so I've never had an issue with latency. I've never gone the usb route myself, but I know a few people who have. For all of them, their main complaint was latency. Because latency can make recording almost impossible, it pays to make sure that your mic set-up etc is going to work with the DAW you choose. Thought I'd mention that since it's sitting there at the front of my mind at the mo.

I really enjoyed "In My Blood".  I'll listen to the other one later.

Jen5 wrote:

Staybrite wrote:

So you are Stokes from the fantastic Evans & Stokes Collaboration!  Very cool to have you here (not that it wasn't already cool to have you here, you are a very fun and friendly person).  We have been giving John quite a bit of feedback on some of the songs you recorded with him.  I really dig what you both have done together.

Yes. That's me. I had a minor freak out when Chris asked to hear some of my musical musings. I was quite comfortable not being "out." Happy in my anonymity. I'm terrible at self promotion and am far more comfortable sitting quietly with the Christian fellowship I find here at CHM (aint that a contradiction...quiet...metal. lol)  Thank you for your kind words. It means a lot.

It's not everyday that you have new musicians here on the boards that want to just converse and hang out the way you have. A lot of bands and artists do nothing but drive-by posts, where they register, make one thread saying "Buy my music!", and never post again. It's even worse on facebook to the point where I left all those groups.

You've brought some good conversations to this place.

Thanks Samson. I appreciate that. I'm definitely not focused on that nonsense. I gave that up when I was like 10...okay, maybe 25.   

Love that you enjoyed "In my Blood." I wrote that one after a conversation with a guy who thought he was too far gone to sin to be wanted by the Lord. It was a wake up call to me. Many of the songs I've written since have explored that idea that we are perfect in His eyes (actually our BTG album is focused on that one belief). I've started seeing how common this idea of "I'm not worthy" really is. It makes me sad to see folks not believing in their wonderful natures.

PS. The other one is better in my opinion.  

I've been told by my church family that I have a talent for writing. I chronicled things going on in my life since 2012, using mostly a prose form of writing, but sometimes, just regular plain blogging. My spiritual mother continues to tell me that I should document everything I've written and publish it.

One thing's for sure. I look at what I posted five years ago compared to what I post now, and I can only say that the Holy Spirit has delivered me from some very dark places.