Anyone that does sound for a living (and no doubt many other people) will know real consideration of sound is so often left to the very end of the production process. Mostly this is because it has to be but too many people do underestimate the importance of sound and so films and television programmes etc just aren't as good as they could be. I could talk about this for hours and so many books have been written on this and so I won't go on here. Instead I wanted to put up a few videos that I find incredibly amusing but that also show just what bad sound can do to visuals. Voila.

The inspiration for this whole post came today when I was listening to "2nd" by Opto which is the duo of Carsten Nicolai and Thomas Knak. They also go by the names of 'Nova' and 'Alva Noto' (Nicolai) and 'Opiate' (Knak) and so are pretty remarkable producers and composers in their own right. I've been having a lot of early mornings this year and so haven't seen much daylight and so wanted to put together a little spotify playlist which reflects this. It's very minimal in terms of style but there's some beautiful stuff there so I would recommend taking some time out to really enjoy it. Good headphones or a quiet room with good speakers is a must I'm afraid.

The playlist is here and is the following tracks:

It's been a busy month or so as my wife and I moved house and so that brings with it a studio move. Fortunately it has meant larger premises for both which is excellent but of course it takes time. My studio is now more or less up and running and sounding much better than before which is excellent. I've also invested in some new bits over Christmas and so can't wait to try out all my new toys.

I have been doing some work too, the main job working on some sequences for a pitch to the BBC. I have been working with the director Lawrence Gough who made the feature 'Salvage' a couple of years ago and is currently working on some really exciting projects. I can't say anything about this one (yet) but it's been incredible working with him and I really hope I get to work some more with him soon!

I'm also producing samples for a sample library and this is an on-going project but is something that I've not done before and so am really enjoying it. I'm producing a library of ambient drum, synth, piano and guitar loops and so get to play with all my toys and try recording them and manipulating the audio in some really cool ways. Obviously you should all buy it once it's completed...

And now; some photos and audio. I won't say any more.

The top was taken today in Salford, and although doctored a little bit, still looks lovely I think. The middle one was taken on a lovely Sunday afternoon in Chester, and the final one is taken from one of the greatest computer games of all time, 'Pete Sampras Tennis' on the Sega Megadrive.

This happened when I was listening to Lionel Richie's 'Can't Slow Down' and the 12" got a little stuck. For such an upbeat track it's quite a sombre message.

Finally, this website will be getting a massive overhaul soon as I've had someone very kindly working on a new logo for me. It's virtually finished and so will be doing that over the next couple of weeks. The new showreel(s) are nearly done and I'll have some new music to share. I guess I should say thanks to anyone that has read all of this and I hope you enjoy what I put up here, as rare as it is.

The first is a commercial that only had a short run on TV thanks to a lack of funding for charities but is part of a campaign by Love Where You Live. What makes this all the more exciting is that one of the videos on their YouTube channel was shot in my home county of Kent in a 'lovely' place called Tonbridge. I spent seven years there at secondary school and so it's good to see some (much needed) promotion for the area. Music is by me:

The second is a series of videos for Castrol Edge which is a high end and high performance oil. I no longer have a car and so sadly I won't be buying any but the amount of research the company undertakes is quite ridiculous. Sound editing, sfx, music and dub are all by me and as such this was a really great project to be involved in. Lots of scope for some interesting sound stuff. And big bass.

As a final note on work, hopefully I'll be able share a very cool new project that I'm working on. It's something I've not done before but I'm very pleased to be doing.

This visit to Berlin was my sixth time there but it was the first trip since about three years ago. I actually shot a short there in March 2008 but sadly the rushes are still sat on a hard drive as I just haven't had the time to edit it. When finished (release date is looking to be at some point during late 2015) it's going to be nothing but an homage to Berlin with picture and sound all done by me.

My first trip to Berlin was in February 2006 and happened a little by chance. For my final degree piece at university I made a sound and moving image installation based around nostalgia and childhood and needed a huge amount of 'nice' footage. One idea I had was to shoot from an aircraft and so looked to book the cheapest flight possible. At the time flights with Easyjet were ridiculously cheap, without extra fees for baggage and credit cards, and so a return flight to Berlin for just under a week was only £21. I went with my very good friend Jeremy and we spent most of the time drinking and eating very cheap (€1) Doner Kebabs but still managed to see a huge amount of the city and so fell in love with it.

Every trip there has been amazing but oddly they have always been during the winter months and so I don't actually know what the city is like during the summer. I'm sure it's equally beautiful but something about grey, cloudy skies and cold weather goes very well with the city. Especially the East part.

I think that's enough self indulgence from me but if you have never visited Berlin I couldn't recommend it enough. The people are incredibly kind and can speak English much better than many people here. The architecture is incredible and shows so much of the city's history. There's so much to see in terms of art, music and film and German food and drink is absolutely amazing. Even with this as my sixth trip I could go back now and not repeat any experiences I've already had as there is so much to this incredible city.

This is some strudel from one of the most amazing cafes in Berlin. It's called 'Cafe Einstein' and although is a little expensive has an amazing interior and feels like a Bavarian palace.

This was a little Russian bar/cafe in Prenzlauer Berg that served amazing food. It was run by just one woman who was serving behind the bar and also cooking the food. She couldn't speak any English and just a little Russian which fortunately my mother speaks. We didn't quite know what we ordered but it was delicious.

To finish; some audio. This is a recording on a U2 U-Bahn train to Alexanderplatz. Make sure you use headphones.

As for work it seems I can never really talk about anything, but since getting back from the honeymoon I've been working on a very exciting project that is still in the very early stages and sadly might not turn into anything, but if it does, would be a new and exciting avenue of work for me. Changes are definitely on their way and the new showreel I've been promising is very close as is a whole website redesign.

Finally here is a Spotify playlist of some music that I've been listening to. Since the wedding I've bought a huge amount of records as I had to limit my spending so that the wedding could go ahead! Listen to it HERE on Spotify. It's as follows:

Animals

This is a bit of a silly thing to post up but this week I have had a lot of dealings with cats. I do like cats.

This cat was wandering the streets of West Didsbury and really liked Danielle.

This cat was in Didsbury Village and apparently was homeless. I bought it some delicious Aldi cat food.

This was sent to me by my friend Joseph Chesshye. He loves cats.

Enough cats for now.

Music

Here is some music for the British Summertime. Listen on Spotify HERE.

Bjork

She's back and with an amazing new song, video for said song, and remixes. Very annoyingly I wasn't able to see her when she played in Manchester and I've still never seen her. I hope she plays again soon when I'm not poor.

This video is from her performing in Cambridge in 1998 and this version of Joga is just absolutely amazing.

Work

And now to my work. I've had a few jobs since the last post and will put stuff up as soon as possible. Also, there could be some very exciting work coming my way soon and as ever will let you know more when I'm allowed to say something!

Wedding

As mentioned at the top of this post I am getting married a week today. I can't wait. See you all again when I'm a husband! 

1. The Invitation Launch

So as I mentioned in the post on Monday it was the premiere of 'The Invitation' at The Comedy Store last Monday. It was a really great night and the turnout for the event was amazing. It was great to meet some of the actors but as ever a little strange as I've been listening to them speak for a few weeks and watching them act but of course they don't have a clue who I am!

At about 7:30 everyone piled into the auditorium and John Henshaw introduced himself as compere for the night. Two standups got everyone in the mood (their names escape me unfortunately) and then 'The Invitation' was screened to a great reaction and overall I was very pleased with the mix. I find I'm never 100% satisfied as there's always that niggling feeling that you could do a little better or a little different in some way.

After the screening there was a Q&A with Garry Paton (Director), Lauren Tomlinson (Producer and Writer) and two of the lead actors. I'd spoken with Garry and Lauren previously about how working on the short had really positively influenced all involved but it was great to hear it first hand from everyone. A making of was also screened and it was great to see some of the shoot as I was unable to attend any of it.

Overall a great night and a really great experience working on the short. It will be available to buy soon and so will link it as soon as possible!

Here is a very blurry photo from the night:

2. 6 Degrees of Separation

About three and a half years ago I did some audio mastering for Donovan Pennant on a documentary of his and had pretty much forgotten about it until very randomly he sent me a copy of the trailer. It was definitely unusual to do something similar to mastering on film work but it was great to work on such an interesting and real subject as is covered in the documentary.

And here is the trailer:

3. Beyond the River Update

Because 'The Invitation' had such a quick turnaround I had to stop working on the mix for another Finite Productions short that I had been working on. I think I've mentioned it before but it's a short called 'Beyond the River' that was shot in Australia. It's a great short and am looking forward to getting the final mix done this weekend. As ever when there's something proper to show you I'll put it up!

4. Castrol Edge

I recently finished working on a big job with Space Digital/Matte Black Films which was for Castrol Edge Oils. It seems oil is more than just a weird liquid! Hopefully I'll be able to share them soon but I certainly learned a lot working on the project!

1. The Bloop

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bloop
http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/vents/acoustics/sounds/bloop.wav

2. Music Graph

3. Disney

I normally hate Disney but this is cool.

These are some things I have done during the past couple of months. Enjoy.

There is a public screening of the film on Monday 27th at the Comedy Store, Deansgate Locks and it starts at 7pm. Please come and see this great film and support the charity in the process! More information is here!

http://www.actingonimpulse.net/

http://www.finiteproductions.co.uk/