10 years Online

In 1997, I got my very own first personal computer. I recall I bought it in greenhills (viramall). I got my PC with an internal modem as a bonus. And so I attached my modem to my extension phone line.

During that night of december 24, while everyone was busy preparing for noche buena and wrapping all the gifts, I was left alone in my pad tinkering with my new toy. I recall I got my PC with windows 95. I played solitaire, pinball, and all those default games of windows. I was able to borrow floppy disk copies of a few sierra games (police quest, leisure suit larry, kings quest, etc) from my aunt but got tired of it since I have already finished all of them before.

I didnt really know what to do with the modem, so I called up a fellow musician whom I knew had a great computer set up at home. He introduced me to BBSing. BBS is bulletin board system. During those times, the internet was too expensive. There were no prepaid cards yet, and all you can do to get an internet connection was to subscribe to it with monthly bills for a specific hours alloted. I still could not afford that. So BBSing was the option for me. A BBS is a service where the host PC is connected to a modem and awaits data callers who wishes to connect modem to modem. Most of these are free. You have to use hyperterminal (windows default program) in order to make a data call. And so I was given a few numbers to call. Upon connection I was confronted with an ascii designed menu and was asked to register. Once registered I have to be verified in two stages. First was the call back where in you have to hang up your connection and the host will call you to verify autenticity of your number. The second stage was when the sysOp of that BBS will call you by voice to verify your identity. The main idea of BBS was file sharing, messaging via mail packets (similar to forums but you download your subscribed discussion group, reply to them offline and upload your replies), and a few online games such as L.O.R.D. (basically a text based game).

Upon verified, I started browsing on what are the files available for download. I picked up the Philippine BBS list first compiled by Joel Mique. This was a text file of all the BBS in the philippines including details such as the SysOp, telephone number and what time it is ready for data calls. Most of these BBSes are created by hobbyist and so they only alot a few hours (usually at night when the phone is not in use). Popular BBS software used were wildcat, maximus, triBBs and PowerBBS. The most popular BBSes were livewire philippines who used to run 5 nodes (or numbers to call), This was run by eddie salonga and is still running until now. You can check out the list of bbs before here .

You will notice my name in the list. A few hours of BBSing and I was conviced I have to run my own BBS board. So I set up Kimsnet BBS running on wildcat. At first I decided to serve midi and other music related files. But when users started uploading sexy pictures, Kimsnet BBS became popular. At one point I had 3000 on my userlist. Kimsnet BBS was also an active part of the community of BBSes during eyeballs and other computer gatherings. Even the police had their own BBS and assigned two officers to attend BBS eyeballs. This gave winks and grins to BBSers who are into adult files.

BBSing was the birth of my online thing which eventually became nolits.com - a network portal of web enthusiasts. Nolits.com later gave birth to nolithosting, a web hosting company with quality, affordable and secured service. This explains my humble beginnings going online. Exactly 10 years ago.

MyMusic.ph: The Hottest Source of Music For Your Mobile Phone

How would you like to listen to R&B artist Ne-yo’s Go On Girl, American rock band Red Jumpsuit Apparatus’ “Your Guardian Angel”, pop soloist Colbie Caillat’s Bubbly and Realize, Fall Out Boy’s version of “Beat It” together with John Mayer and thousands of other songs—all straight from your mobile phone?

Let MyMusic.ph, the only digital music store in the country that’s available to all cellphone users, whether you are a Smart or Globe (and soon, Sun Cellular) subscriber, make it happen!

Now, you can download your favorite music regardless of how old or new your choice is. MyMusic.ph offers a wide range of selection from all genres: from oldies, classics and all-time favorites such as the songs of Frank Sinatra, Elton John, and Michael Jackson songs, to the newest hits from foreign and local artists like Rihanna, Colbie Caillat, Leona Lewis, Cueshe, Rivermaya, and Hale, to name a few.

“MyMusic.ph is part of the continuously evolving appreciation of music,” says company Director Christine Misa. “In the past, you had to wait until your music was available at record bars. But sometimes the album was out of stock, or it wasn’t even available anymore. Later on with the internet, you could buy songs directly from the web, but you needed a credit card, or would have to pay thru some other online payment scheme, which can be quite inconvenient.”

Downloading from MyMusic.ph is so easy. You don’t need a PC or a laptop to get connected through the Internet; neither do you need a credit card or PayPal account. Just key-in, using your own handset, the songs you’ve been longing to listen to anytime you want, anywhere you are, and create your personal music playlist.

Truly another breakthrough in mobile music technology, this new content provider is a music lovers’ best companion with close to 10,000 songs in its library. Such a huge portfolio of downloadable music is made possible through its close ties with giant recording companies, both local and international, including MCA Records (the world’s largest record company, having signed up superstars like Mariah Carey, U2, Elton John, the Pussycat Dolls, Rihanna, the Police, Bon Jovi, Guns & Roses, Janet Jackson, and The Black Eyed Peas; Sony-BMG Entertainment, whose artists include J.Lo, Alicia Keys, Elvis Presley, Whitney Houston, Elvis Presley, Avril Lavigne, Cueshe, the Eraserheads, and both Sharon Cuneta and KC Concepcion; Warner Music, home of Madonna, Linkin Park, Eric Clapton, Josh Groban, Enya, Paris Hilton, Alanis Morissette, Click 5, Nina, and Rico Blanco; and EMI Music, that has brought to the world The Beatles, Coldplay, Robbie Williams, the Spice Girls, The Beach Boys, David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Duran Duran, Hale, Sugar Free and Bamboo, to name a few.

Some of the most popular songs you can now download from MyMusic.ph include current big hits from Ne-Yo, Colbie Caillat, Fallout Boy, Rihanna, and Maroon 5. But if you like older, timeless songs by U2, Elton John, Josh Groban, or even Frank Sinatra and Elton John, you can find those too.

MyMusic.ph sends good vibrations to the local music industry since Filipino artists and their music are equally represented. More importantly, all downloads are 100 percent legal and are properly licensed, with the permission of the intellectual property owners like the record labels, artists, and composers.

You can download songs to your cellular phone in all popular digital music formats, from “MP3 tones” that can be used as your ringtone, to “full song downloads” of entire songs. Getting your dose of your favorite tunes is easy: using your phone’s browser, just visit http://smart.MyMusic.ph (for Smart subscribers) or http://globe.MyMusic.ph (for Globe subscribers). Or for text users, just key in ”MyMusic” and send it to 3456.

Back to the Edge 2

 
Back To The Edge 2
October 26, 1995
Mayric's Music House
Espana, Manila

Almost 13 years ago, this concert was held as a follow up to the successful first part held two months before. The concert was broadcast live on NU107 (jsut like the first one) and had other big name sponsors along with Red Horse Beer who was the sole sponsor of the first part.

A petty squabble between my band's lead singer and the club's manager was still fresh at this time therefore we werent able to participate in this event. But all of us were there to enjoy the gathering of new wave fanatics.

It was unfortunate that I wasnt able to capture the audio broadcast of this event. Most of my shots were submitted to Front Act Music Magazine which I worked for. What was left with me were the rejected shots for which I am posting here.

The Eraserheads covered mostly the cure and other new wave songs they used to play. Dodong Cruz (the Youth) did some solo numbers with his guitar. Cookie Chua and GP of Color it Red followed the performance of Dodong in the same "acoustic" manner. The star of the night was Sugar Hicup which actually launched their first album. Other bands who performed were Iris, Dry Water, Wet Paint, Days of Sirius, and a jam which featured Alfie of halflifehalfdeath on vocals.

Cookie and GP of Color It Red


The Eraserheads doing the cure and other new wave stuff.
 

Sugar Hicup who just launched their debut album (featuring five years)


Jamming the rest of the night with Dodong (the Youth), Aldrin (Days of Sirius), Alfie (halflifehalfdeath), and Bong (Days of Sirius).



Please help me identify this band. I can see melody on vocals and ely on bass.

LVNA Reconstructs New Paintings

 

LVNA Reconstructs New Paintings
From Rolling Paper vol 1 no 1
October 1996

We wanted to take pictures of them in a mala-U2 pose. After all, aside form their originals, U2's are the only songs they harmonize on stage. However, we had to nix the idea. If their newly-penned blues-rock ditty, "Words Of My People," is an indication of things to come, it seems that these boys from Lvna are slowly showing that they are trying to take a few steps away from their U2-ish days, adding other dimensions to their colourful life, as a new wave-inspired band, by finding a sound of their own. Or aren't they?





"Actually malawak ang tunog ng U2, eh." opines vocalist/guitarist Jet Cunanan in his familiar shrill voice. It's so woman-ish that you wouldn't really know that it's a "he" you're taling to and not a "she" oce you speek to him on the phone. "Hindi lang sila basta nakatali sa new wave. New wave siya pero hiwalay siya sa ibang new wave. Actually nagkataon lang na isa sila sa mga banda na lumabas nu'ng panahon ng new wave. Pero, malawak sila. Sila lang ang bandang alam ko na may pagbabago sa bawat labas nila ng album, musically at lyrically. Musically, may distinction bawat isa. Lyrically, hanep sila sa lyrics. Poetic 'yung mga lyrics ni Bono. Kumbaga sa atin, masarap siya na Tagalog. Isa pa, may sinasabi 'yung mga kanta nila. Hindi lang sila basta love songs. Sa isang kanta, marami silang gustong sabihin. May mga nakatagong galit sa bawat kanta. Kung magiging sundalo sila, 'yung mga lyrics nila ang kanilang mga sandata."

And that is what actually differs Lvna from other local bands out there who are donning U2 classics on their sets. A staff was reasoning that we should do an article on this one particular band instead of trying to waste a 60-minute blank tape on these guys. "They really sound much more u2 than Lvna, pare." he insists, "and their vocalist sounds much more like Bono than Jet."

I shrugged the idea away.

To sing songs from U2, it doesnt only mean that you should croon as Bono-ish as you can or play the guitar the way The Edge executes it. Singing is one thing. If you want real belters, you should try watching showbands from Art's Venue, Shakey's or Cowboy grill instead. But feeling and knowing what you're singing is another thing. U2 is an Irish band. If you know your world history very well (which, actually, I dont), you might probably know that Ireland is very much noted for being a country beset by, what most labeled, as the "hundred years war." The war which is a by-product of a religious fracas among Catholics, Protestants and what-have-you-religions that started in the state some centuries ago. It also explains why artists and bands from that part of the world carry with them progressive lyrics instead of bubblegum tunes- The Cranberriesm Sting, and U2 to name a few ("Ode To My Family" is a protest song and not just any tewwtumelodic ditty on the radio). Activists are born in there, not nurtured, and rebellion come out naturally for them. Which differentiates Lvna from any other U2-inspired only by its melodies-bands.

For me, the criteria is simple: you should not play U2 or act U2 (or any other Irish-bred bands in particular) if you haven't been an activist yourself and haven't felt waht it is to be like. Activist in the true sense of the word. As for Lvna, the band started out as the musical branch of university-wide progressive cultural group Lupon ng Nagkakaisang Artista (or LUNA) back in 1992 over bouts of sleepless nights in coming up with propaganda materials for protest actions held that time, basically against the tenure of the US Bases. LUNA, the cultural group, was conceptualized by different art students/lovers from different universities with Jet, an architectural student from TUP, as an example. Along with Jet came bassist Nolit Abanilla (Fine Arts, PWU), Waldee Oasan (DLSU), and drummer Pet Barricaua (Fine Arts, TUP). However, Pet left the group two years ago, and was rel\placed by Otep Estallo, a classmate of Jet's, to heed the calling of Tambisan Ng Sining, KMU's cultural arm. A lot has changed from them with Per's departure, lyrically and perhaps politically, that hardliners tend to question political line nowadays.

"Nanggaling din kami sa isang political atmosphere kaya hindi nawawala sa amin 'yong pagiging ... (coughs) aktibista." Jet explains. Waldee butts-in, "..Parang sugat kasi 'yan, e. Nagiiwan 'yan ng marka sa balat mo."

"Ang mako-compare ko lang ngayon," Nolit, this guy who's a deadringer for Violent Playground's Maly Andres when the latter was still a few pounds lighter, shares, "ay yung fact na syempre nag-grow 'yung Lvna. Pwede kami gumawa ng kanta na di tulad dati na mga topipcs talaga namin ay purely political, 'yung galit lahat. Ngayon, pwede kami gumawa ng kanta na tungkol sa pag-ibig pero nadoon pa rin yung linya't di mawawala. Meaning conscious ka't nasa tamang landas pa rin."

"Ako, ang tingin ko sa Lvna, ang dapat tingnan ng mga nanonood sa amin ay musikero kami at ero ang armas namin. Kung meron kaming dapat na i-clear na issues, eto yung music namin. Minsan, pag tugtug kami, ineexpect ng mga aktibista na dahil Lvna kami, mga radikal yung tutugtugin namin. Nanggaling na kmi di'n pero gaya nga ng sinabi, meron pa din sugat. Andyan pa rin yung prinsipyo pero eto na yung porma ng pakikibaka namin. Mas nagdagdag lang kmai ng iba pang sasabihin. Hindi lang puro galit, hindi lang puro politikal. Siguro dapat na gumawa rin kmi ng love songs kasi tao din kami." Jet clarifies.

And perhaps they really have matured. Though they still sing old tunes of theirs with radical lyrics during sets - like the anthemic "Halina Karina" or "Pagwasto" or environmental tunes like the catchy "Butas Na Langit" and "Nasaan Na?" - an old-timer can boldly notice that the freshly-collaborated tracks from them like "A Date With Lvna," "The Shadow" "Don't Deny Me" and "Words of My People" is a clear signal that these guys are set on sharing their music to a much-wider commercialized audience.

"Gusto rin siyempre namin magka-album." Nolit bares, "pero siguro mas gusto namin kung indie siya kasi kontrolado mo yung magiging takbo ng banda at hindi ka ipa-package ng majors. Ang problema lang nga, as usual budget."

"Ang problema kasi pag sa majors, ang lakas-lakas ng promotions mo tapos pagkatapos ng isang hit, wala na. Basta kumita lang 'yung banda at lalo na ung recording company. bahala na kayo afterwards." Jet criticizes.

Lately, the band has been busy with their separate careers. For months now, Lvna has yet to be welcomed again on the doors of Mayric's - their home away from home once before certain misunderstandings came up between the two parties that involved another band of the said joint. For years the group have been holed and nurtured in the Espana-based hang-out, in a time when the said place was more of a meeting ground for activist leaders than it is more popularly known now.

"Actually, nakakamiss talaga. Parang bahay na kasi namin yan" Jet narrates. "Partly may kasalanan ako sa nangyari. Nagkaroon talaga ng misunderstanding at hindi ko talaga na-explain yung side ko Pero sana tapos na yon. Ang mahirap kasi e nadadamay ung ibang members na banda. Nag-sorry na ako at nagsosorry ulit ako. Sa Mayric;s kasi kami mas at home. Hindi naman kami more sa kinikita namin dun. Masaya kasi kami sa magagandang pagsasamahan na nabuo namin dun kaya nami-miss talaga namin. Sana mabigyan ulit kami ni sai ng set. Sana..."

While awaiting their next Mayric's gig. the band polishes their old originals and as mentioned, busies themselves in comming up with new materials, which should not have come out if they were given the regular gigs they had then. They also set foot on a once-a-month gig at the Remedios Circle where the Department of Tourism has turned the notable pick-up place into a cultural affair every Fridays and Saturdays. Aside from these, they are all painting new horizons and dimensions in their life, perhaps not as the collegiate activist they once were, but as ordinary men beset by hardships of yuppiedom. Perhaps, they realized that they have to move onto another phase, that even if the rotten society they once-fought against still haven't changed, they had to themselves. Or did they really changed at all?

"Ibagsak ang IBP!!!" belts out Nolit which gained collective nods from the group.

Yup, some old habits never die.

--SIG/IRVIN

Cheap Electrical Products and Indoor Fireworks

Cheap electrical products in not a bargain.

Yesterday evening, my father in law was awakened with a big surprise - indoor fireworks coming from a wall socket. It happened twice. On the first instance I was able to unplug all applliances from the socket. On the second time the socket displayed fireworks (without anything plugged in) - the main fuse burst. It was late in the evening and all we could do is wait til morning to have it fixed. Everyone in the family didnt get a decent sleep as we took turns making paypay to the son.

In the morning I discovered that the circuit breaker did not trip off. What actually tripped off was fuse which as located before the electric meter. The electrician inspected the circuit breaker that failed to function and realized its substandard brand.

Clearly the lesson here is never settle for a bargain on cheap electrical products. Sometimes you wouldn't know its function until its too late. I was fortunate enough to learn about this without having bigger damages. Others have to endure damaged appliances or worse a burning house.

The socket wasa cheap one used normally on extention cords. It is almost flat and mounted on the wall. There seems to have a problem on the wall as moist seeps thru the wall and enters the socket thru the screws. Since the socket was compact and flat, the moist can easily get between the live wires which can short it.

With a moist wall, the electrician recomended that I install a heavy duty royo brand socket with a base. There should be an air gap between the wall and the sockets. Also do not plug in several power hungry appliances on a single socket mount.

And so I did a thorough review on all the electrical wirings around the house and will be rerouting and completely modifying it for a safer use in the next few months. I suggest all of you should review your electrical set up at home. Normally a house is built with basic electrical wirings. But when people live in, with big ideas on how they want their house to look cool, they tend to forget an important part which would often concentrate power hungry appliances on a single part of the house not realizing the capacity of the wirings towards that part of the house. If you can spend thousands on buying appliances, why not spend a few hundreds or a thousand on electrical safety measures. It is wise to have an electrician review your plans and explain what you plan to install on certain parts of the house.

Let the fireworks display virtually on your TV screens watching the olympics and not physically inside your home.

Back At Mayrics

After over 10 years I was able to play at mayrics again.

The last time I play at mayrics was in around 1997. I was with the band LVNA then. I was also playing for lastiko, lolita carbon, Ysagani Ybbara, and some other singers. Mayrics was the home of most budding musicians during those days. Only a few were able to come up with an album then since recording was too expensive and indie was not that popular yet. THese photos were taken in 1995 in front of mayrics. Notice my old punk look.

Last Aug 7, our band was called to play at mayrics. We will be opening the night with 4 songs. Our band was temporarily called Elm Street. We arrived on the venue at around 8:30 as we are supposed to take the stage at 9. But everything was delayed and so we sort of tambay outside the venue. When we arrived the place was full of UST students. I think mayrics serves dinner kaya puno ang venue. But almost all of them left when the band started as entrance will be charged if they stay on.

I noticed that the signboard outside was missing. Probably it was being repaired. But I noticed the whiteboard of scheduled bands looks totally worn out. I suspect this is still the same sign board used way back then.

This favourite spot is now gone. So most of the people now sit on the gutter.

Inside mayrics the place seems to be wider. The stage became bigger and the control of the house sound set up is now behind the bassist on the right side of the stage. Unlike before which was located under the stairs. The guitar amps are now all peavey. Even the drums. Looks like the mayrics got a sponsor for this. Gone are those twin reverb fenders which miyo, nitoy, pio and chikoy enjoys. Still the instruments are not feed thru the house. So its up to the players to adjust their volumes for a good mix. Pretty much the old way. As I hooked up my 5 string ibanez bass on the peavey bass amp, I totally forgot my emg pickups are loud. And so we did our first song with too much bass. Couldnt adjust the tone during the song as we did a fast first number. The succeeding songs became more mixed.
This picture was taken in 1994 at mayrics. That is jet our lead singer of LVNA. At the backdrop is a poster of LA105 and Musicians For Peace. All of these backdrops are gone now.

After our set, a couple of promising bands performed. Both young and energetic. Then after a barrage of "emo" "scremo" bands which I found intriguing especially how they mixed the emo-thing with punk rock complete with attitude and colorful get up plus the jumps and slams.

There are still bands who would goes onstage and plugs in their guitars and starts playing without minding how they sound like. They may not even know what the knobs are on the amps except for the volume. As long as they hear their instruments then they start playing. Really amateurs who need more experience. But the energy is there. Even one guitarist couldnt figure out how to turn off a feedback from his guitar which lasted almost two songs. Only surfaced on the last song when he realized he was sitting in a feedback position in front of the amp. Or maybe he didnt actually figured it out but was just surprised the feedback was gone when he stood up. LOL.

Mayrics really brought back memories. But the crowd was totally different now. Still see familiar faces especially from the crew. But the audience and their tastes of music is now totally different. Someone from the organized mass movement of the 80s-90s decade brought up an idea of having a reunion concert in mayrics bringing the old people (audience and bands) back to the place. I am excited about this.

GAS hehehehe

Gear Acquisition Syndrome tawag nila... but I am just setting up my home studio for better and easier workflow. Here are my latest aqcuisitions:



 

Bought this 2nd hand but its good as new. Complete with box and all its peripherals. It is a Behringer UMX41 midi controller. At least now I can program midi tracks with ease. Plus I have more controls on other parameters using its knobs and stuffs like that. Also got benders which I dont have on the other Yamaha PSR I was using. This device is very helpful specially in programming drums. It can actually read the velocity of your playing. Makes drum tracking easier coz you wont be editing velocity of each snare. Making the drumming more realistic.

This comes with A Behringer UCA 200 which is a simple usb audio interface with stereo in and out. All you need is a good mixer and you can start tracking any instrument or mic without worrying about latency issues. Just plug in the input from you stereo out of you mixer then plug in the output to a dedicated channel that does not go to the main mix (for monitoring lang of playback from PC). You can simultaneously record 2 tracks from here or one stereo track. Comes very handy sometimes. I could actually simultaneously use this with my 1820m without any issues. Problem lang it can only handle 16bit.I swapped mt BTB 5string with this 4string bass from Japan. Its a TUNE Bassmaniac. What attracted me to this bass is that it has EMG pick ups and very neat electronics. Parang radyo ung cavity unlike most bass that looks crammed up electronics. This one has that original bridge from the older versions of the bassmaniac. Mas matibay and much string stability than the newer version of bassmaniac. Plus it has a metal nut. Which probably contributes to the brightness of the tone.

 

I got this from joshua (lowbee of philmusic). Ebaj Asurin has always reminded me to get a tune bass. According to him, the neck is narrow and the string spacing is similar to ibanez sdgrs which I am acustomed to. Lahat daw ng Tune basses are made in japan. And they all have exotic wood. Indeed the EMG kicks off its loud sound. But I find the tone a bit high. Maybe because I am acustomed to using the varimids of sdgrs. What I did was to use my old DOD Bass Compressor to kick in the boom in the punch and the sustain. I maybe get a Hartke VXL or a behringer BDI to have more control on tone with this bass. I am still using my 5string SDGR on gigs. This will be off to a good repainting soon as it looks all worn out already. In the mean time I will be using this Bassmaniac. Im using it on pictorials of our new band. My wife puts justice on the rock appeal of the bass on this pic.


I also got a new softcase for my acoustic bass. And got a new phospurous coated strings for it courtesy of alfie. We are doing several recording projects and most of the song needs acoustic bass to get the tone similar to the cure songs.

I have lately been experimenting on how to maximize the power of the PC for multimedia productions. I am currently trying on Ubunto Studio and its multitrack recording software called Ardour2. I have read good reviews about the capability of this set up as it is known to have no drops in recording even when simultaneously running several tracks. I am looking for one that will parallel the stability of a mac on protools while thinking of a budget. If I could perfect this set up, it would be a big help in saving the cost of software when I go commercial. No remarkable breakthrough yet tho.

Downloading Music?

Ok so everyone is now waiting for my post about the topic.

As the trend goes, multiply has joined the ranks of imeem, myspace, pandora, radioblog, esnips and other sites that stream media via flash player. The reason that multiply wanted to ease the members from opening other programs and playing the music on the browser itself is crap. They should have retained the playlist link if that was the idea. It is pretty obvious they wanted to get rid of the downloading multiply users do which puts multiply on the hot seat of copyright issues. I have nothing against multiply. I respect them for that. As a webmaster I understand the pressure these legal things put on to site owners especially when it comes to music and movies. We wouldnt want them to shut down the whole site, would we?

Having said all those rants, lets all go to the juicy part. How to download music.

Its the old fashion way. Use orbitdownloader's Grab ++ on Firefox, or use Free Music Zilla.

Orbit Downloader
Play the music on the flashplayer then click on the grab button (a little down arrow above the flash image if orbitdownloader is installed). Then download the song.

Free Music Zilla
Open Free Music Zilla then play the music on the flashplayer. The download link will automatically appear on the free music zilla window for which you can download.

Make sure you play the music or else your downloader will not be able to find any media stream.

There are other internet downloader out there that would probably work but these are two softwares I have been using and works fine with me. No adwares or spywares.

Cons: You have to give effort on this one and download the music one by one. Unlike before when you can download the whole playlist with a single click. But that even dont give you 100% since there is an anti-leech installed on multiply. This means time out will occur after a few minutes and your link will be invalid unless you refresh the page.

Pros: You can use this trick on other sites such as myspace, imeem, radioblog, pandora, etc.

Good thing multiply has not installed the flv function thus the music you download is its actual file. No need to convert flv to mp3 or get an flv player.

This trick also works on videos on youtube, and other video sites.

My suggestion to multiply, since they are currently exerting efforts to sell premium accounts, why not put the download links on members who have premium accounts. I wouold understand if the free users dont have a download link since this would be a good marketing move. The only difference between premium and free users are the ads and the file storage limitation and duration of unshared videos and pictures. I am sure they are silent when it comes to music because that issue is still debatable among themselves (multiply staff). Put a claw in marketing by giving download links (the old original download links on each song and not just the playlist) to premium users.

Disclaimer: I do not support copyright infringement and do not have any intention of encouraging people to violating the law. I do not support intend to destroy multiply or any other sites with suggestions of downloading music which they are obviously trying hard to remove without actually admitting. The downloader softwares are not my own and I am not responsible if anything goes wrong to your PC or yourself in relation to using it.

Only For Geeks (Studio Technicalities)

This blog entry is exclusively for geeks. It contains mostly technical stuffs that I am sure non-geeks will find boring. So, if you are not a geek... shooo shoo shoo!
So now I got my recording studio in full swing. I recently bought a pretty good Samson condenser large diapragm mic along with a pop filter and a shockmount.I dont have an isolation room yet, but my living room was built as a studio before, which means basic features are still in place. Shut the doors and its dead silent. Although the acoustic is bad since I already ripped off the cushions from the walls and cieling. That is the reason why I bought a cardoid type mic instead of the more expensive multipattern ones. A cardoid will only pick up sound which is in front of it. It will disregard the sound from the side or at the back. Omni directional and figure 8 mics do these respectively. The only negative thing with a cardoid mic is that I cannot pick up the natural reverb of the room. Thanks to technology, I can use any good software for this - a mic modeller and reverb. Recording purists dont frown! Im on a budget here and just making the most of what's available (and affordable). I cannot sacrifice my living room (as I did before), since I have a family that uses it for TV, entertaining guests, taking afternoon naps, bonding with the kid, doing kinder homeworks, eating street food bought from .. were else, the street, inuman sessions and all the other things a living room should be. Unlike before as I was living alone, I can always convert what is of my house into whatever I want. (I even made an LRT in my own backyard). I am considering building an isolation room and a monitoring room .. aka a full fledge studio ambiance, probably early next year as budget permits.

So how do things work on the current nolit's studio? Following the idea of making the most out of what's available and affordable, I had no choice but to go digital. The main equiptment would be a PC. I have two PCs in my studio. The primary one is an AMD Quadcore with 1gb memory (I am planning to upgrade to 2gb soon). This one has an EMU Digital interface installed in it - 1010 PCI card, synch daughter board and an 1820m audiodock with 8 ins and 8 outs plus 4 monitor outs. The other PC is an AMD sempron with 512mb memory which I am using as a multimedia home setup as it is linked to the TV with lotsa games (for the kid who is currently hooked on Dogz). This one has a toneport digital interface installed in it. Looks cool recording guitar in front of the TV. Both PCs (along with my other PC in my bedroom) are networked and online. They are equipted with Sonar, Cubase, Reason, Acid and tons of other audio softwares.

Recording drums is tricky. When I dont want to worry about getting a good element from a live acoustic drum take, I would often use a drum machine. But my Dr Rhythm Drum machine is long gone, so I am using Redrum from Reason to create drum sequences. I can also sequence directly on sonar with my daughter's yamaha psr keyboard as midi controller and the choice of sounds are enourmous with EmulatorX and Proteus which I got along with my EMU 1820m. But I am pleased with what Redrum can deliver. A good set of soundbanks and I am off to creating cool drum patterns. Usually its the standard drum kit.

When I feel strong and energetic, I would set up the drum set which I borrowed for my kid from our drummer since he has 3 sets sitting at home taking up dust. I still have the mics I used from my old studio - a small condenser mid for the snare & hihat, a stereo condenser mic I use for overhead and a cheap mic for the bass drum. All four mics are driven to my old fostex multitracker which I only use the mixer part. Preamped to line level, the signal from the mics are routed to stereo mains and two aux sends - equals four unique signals. Then they are feed to the Audiodock and tracked to sonar on 4 tracks. Ideally a drumset takes 8 tracks (snare, bass, tom1, tom2, floortom, hihat, crash and ride). But I dont have that number of mikes yet - plus an 8-bus mixer or a mic preamp that can feed 8 line levels to the audiodock. In the near future, this will be the next upgrade. Again, I dont have the priviledge of a well acoustic room, so I have to use reverbs and room modeller softwares.

I am not too satisfied with the drum sound from an acoustic kit with this set up. Although I have learned to master the best sound I could get through experience after numerous recordings from the old studio using analog 4track cassettes. I am looking into building triggers - attaching piezo on the kit and purchasing a good midi converter for the triggers. Driving them to audiodock midi in and assigning them to a good drum soundbank. This would definitely be cleaner. I can either tac the piezo to the acoustic drum or custom built an electronic drum kit out of practice pads so that the neighboors wont complain from the heavy drumming on an acoustic set. All these are projects to make me busy in the next few months.

Keyboard tracking is simply straightforward. I am using my daughter's yamaha psr as a midi controller driven to the midi in of the audiodock and using tons of sound banks from EmulatorX or any other software synth. Reason has tons of sounds you can choose from plus you can edit the sound in any way you want making it more unique. You can even create your own sound into something very unique making your audience puzzled as to what instrument is playing.... the synth thing of the 80s!

Bass guitar is plugged directly to the audiodock front input.Since my bass has quality EMG pickups, I dont need anything else to boost the signal. But with other bass guitars, I have an active direct box waiting to do its thing. Same thing goes with recording guitars which is pretty easy. I normally record 3 tracks from a guitar - a dry direct to pc signal, and a stereo signal from the guitarist effects. This splitting happens through a Behringer DI120 direct box/splitter.

Recording acoustic guitar and any other acoustic instruments would be similar to the way I record vocals - using a large diaphragm condenser mic. I learned a great deal of knowledge in recording acoustic guitar from my experience with leo of leowai. He was my guinea pig as I was experimenting on positioning mics and equalizations from his folk song demos. Still I prefer acoustic guitars with built in pickups. They are much easier to manage in recording. I still have my fostex dynamic mic which I can use to record blowings.

Monitoring is still an area I need to develop in terms of equiptment. I havent got a headphone amplifier yet and I think this is a necessity especially since I dont have an isolation room. Tracking vocals would require a silent room as the vocalist and myself monitors thru headphone.

Although I am used to making the most out of a headphone monitoring, I still would want to get a good reference speaker. My ears are punished from long hours on the headphones. Unlike before on my old analog multitracker where I master a mix to match a normal cassette player, with projects of production quality, I would definitely broaden my mastering to match all types of audio players - car stereos, ipods, hifis, radio, etc. With this I would need a variety of monitoring. I am thinking of actually setting up these equiptments inside the studio to get the real reference.

The main point is to create and deliver quality music. Mine is a project studio so I would only upgrade to the equiptment I would need. Unless I want to run a commercial recording studio again which requires me to acquire all the high end technology could offer, I would maintain on getting the most out of what is available (and affordable). And I feel this is how nolit's studio should be.

You know the drill: We talk about your music. Discuss how we can make things happen. Create what we can do. Then with a finished product, pass it on to better hands and see where it would take us further.

I hope I didnt bore you with this blog. In my experience, whenever someone approach me for a project, we would be discussing all those I have mentioned above. So this article helps me save all the trouble.

That's all for now! Enjoy!

Studio Stories

Yesterday I was talking to my mom reminiscing about the past. I recall every experience from setting up nolit's studio to my current project studio (still called nolit's studio). In the 90s, everyone were venturing into setting up a rehersal studio and making money while having fun. I was setting my sights on a recording studio. I successfully did run my own studio sacrificing my own living room. Later I got into partnership to make the business grow and built the Purple Music Studio. But all these have ceased toward the late 90s. I have concentrated in my band gigging nightly thus giving me no more time for the recording business.

Now looking back from my long absense in the scene, I realized that somehow I did influenced a few one way or the other in setting up their own studios. I know hazel, a drummer of Sky Chubibo after recording a demo in my studio got inspired with my premier drums that she called me up the following day asking where I bought the drums. I learned later on she actually did acquired a Premier Fusion kit (mine was an ATK kit). She now runs a successful digital recording studio in fairview called the soundkitchen where she has a long list of clienteles.

Raymund Kutch, a folk singer at mayrics and recording artist for alpha with his band blusero, used to brin in clients to my studio for a demo. He now runs Jamtraxx in recto with 3 rehersal studios and one digital recording.

My old buddy Rey Cantong who was our drummer in the first batch of Gladys and the Boxers with K, now fronts the popular group Six Part Invention or SPI. He also has his own project studio at home running high end equiptment supplying audio for shows on ABS CBN, mostly on ASAP.

Recently I also learned recently that a client of nolit's studio had also set up his own recording studio called bedside recording. His name is choy gargantiel who used to play for a high school band noxious.

It is amazing that all these studios became successful. Still I wont forget the note my friend alfie left in my blog, all these technology boils to nothing if no creativity come out from the people who are recording. All these are just tools used in order to bring out the talents which God has given to us. Probably part of my purpose in life was to inspire others to build these tools. Now on to the next part, by creating more successful projects, I may encourage more to bring out their talents to better use. Make Good music and never stop!

The DI and my first gig

I am currently recording guitar tracks on a project. Mapping out the track assignment, I realized I needed a signal splitter or a direct injection box to be specific.I wanted to lay-in a dry guitar track and another which is processed thru a multieffects floor unit. Luckily I was able to buy a Behringer Ultra-DI DI20 from ebay at a cheaper price. I got more than what I bargained for since this thing can function in two modes - as a two channel DI box and as a splitter (link mode). And it is active, which means the signal become more managable by my digital interface pre amp.

Now I remember my first encounter with a DI box. When I was very young and in school, I belong to an inter-collegiate organization of visual artists called LUNA, mostly students of fine arts in different universities around Metro Manila. As a cultural group and affiliate of a larger student movement, our group would often work on visual effects for several student activities such as concerts and conferences. We were the people behind the stage of Joey Ayala's Awit ng Tanod Lupa Concert tour sponsored by the CCP. Joey Ayala would even jokingly call us Joey Ayala at ang bagong Luna. With several lull moments in painting visual arts, the group would often embark into jamming using whatever instrument is available.

Early Jammings

Jet had an electric guitar and a bass guitar at home in pritil, tondo, so we plug both into an old cabinet type phonograph player. We made a makeshift drums out of kiddie toys and water jugs. Later on we were able to reherse on a rehersal studio as we realized we can actually perform as a band. Being with a group of creative people, it is very clear that original musical compositions are plenty. Playing them while working visual effects made the songs heared by officers of cause oriented organizations -and so the lyrics and music are criticized and refined. Luna was then active with another student cultural group called sining. And the collective started planning out performances to display its collection of "well-deliberated" original musical compositions. The first gig was supposed to be in UP Manila as an intermission to a conference of the college editor's guild of which I am also an officer. But technical problems and lack of time didnt make the gig happen.

The First Gig

The real first gig was a lagare. There was a campus fair at UST and we were the first group to perform that afternoon in the open air grounds outside the CAFA building. We had an hour and a half to perform and we only rehearsed a few songs. So we ended up jamming songs that we knew from songhits. . mostly new wave stuff. The audience responded with a lot of dancing mainly because we knew almost all of them. (hehehehe) The gig ended up at around 5pm as more bands had to perform and we have to run to San Sebastian for another gig.

The second gig that night was a big concert billed by then big bands - HAYP, Introvoyz and UMD. We were to do the front act. Since we came from a gig on UST on foot and it was getting late, we had to run inside San Sebastian. The audience were now lined up outside the auditorium and as they saw us running up into the building they started screaming. It looks like they mistook us for another well known band as we were running with our instruments going into the backstage. My first taste of fame however feign it seems (lol).

We got on backstage and the bands have already finished their soundcheck. I remember noel mendez was there to tell us that we can now change our clothes in the backstage as there was no time for soundcheck anymore. I saw his guitar lying at the back of the drums and it was my first close up look at a real ibanez guitar. We had not brought any clothes so how we look like is what you get - from running all the way from UST. But, hey we are an aktibista band so the haggared look seems appropriate. You can call it the proletarian look.

The DI Experience
And so the show has to start and auditorium suddenly was full of 3,000+ students. We positioned ourselves on stage and started setting up our gear. Back then I was unfamiliar with any big concert set up. All I knew was to plug my bass to the amp and start cranking. Since there was something plugged on the amp, I took it off and wooooong sounded all over the house which I ignored as I proceeded in plugging in my bass to the amp and started tuning. I recall a lot of technicians were all over the stage as our guitarists was having his own technical problems too. But I could hear myself on my own amp and so I was comfortable now and wanted to play on. Our singer, Buboy, had to do several spiels since the technical problem took almost 5 minutes or more. He told me later that it was difficult for him to make those spiels as he came from that school and just recently drop out - and then he has to face his teachers, administrators and classmates who were in the audience. Finally the guitar worked and the gig started rolling. In the middle of the first song, a technician realized my mistake as my guitar doesnt go through the house mix, and started fixing the connections. This is how I learned about a DI box. The gig was a success and the 3,000 + audience was very cool to respond to our compositions. Even the members of hayp and introvoyz gave us positive comments.

So What is A DI?

A direct box is used to convert an unbalanced signal to a balanced signal which can be handled easily by any mixing console and could match up with all the other signals thus making the mix easier. A balanced signal consist of three lines on three wire cables (positive, negative and ground), against the unbalanced that consists only of signal and ground. Usually balanced lines run on xlr plugs (used on conventional microphones) or standard stereo phono plugs (1/4) called TRS or tip-ring-sleeve (tip=hot or positive, ring- cold or negative and sleeve=ground). Guitars are high impedance signals with unbalanced outs. So they need to be converted to balanced signals for the mixer to handle. Thus a DI works as a converter between the guitar and the mixer. The DI also commonly works as a splitter as another output (unbalanced or link) feeds the signal to an amplifier so the guitarist can monitor his playing. But in some cases, the DI is not used on guitarists as a mic in front of the guitar amp speaker can deliver a warmer tone for the mix. A bassist needs a di as the low signal can only be enhanced on an active balanced line.

I dont want to go technical any further. You can always research on the use of DI by searching thru google. This ends my story on my first encounter with the DI .... which was actually my first gig.

I am looking for something 2

There are several tricks on how to look for music over the internet. Since I am not an expert in searching hard to find music (I leave it to the experts at h2f forum... specially to jane who's searching skills still amaze me), but I know a little html and a little google tricks, I created a page for my use. But I want to share it with all of you so you can also utilize this tool.

The search page has several options. The main page will search on common sites where most music are located. I will be updating the tools once in a while. There are three other options which are the multiply music search, the blogspot search and torrent search. I am sure there are other ways to look for music. I am open for suggestions and comments.

Click this to go to the page.

Thanks to the staff of musicph for allowing me to use a subdomain off their hosting account thus assuring me of bandwidth availability. Thanks to people who taught me tricks on google custom search.

Looking for Randolf Fantone (leowai)

For all these years I have been searching for this person by the name of Randolf Fantone. He is also know as Leo (half of the Leowai duo).

Leo has left dozens of compositions, mostly potential hits in my demo pile. We used to record a lot of songs in my old 4-track studio before. We even have a project with delcy, a young singer whom we were supposed to produce an album. All songs for the project are still with me.

Leo is an accomplished songwriter with hits such as "nakangiti" sang by michelle samesa and one song by ric segreto. He had hits also with the band leowai, one which was included in the a dozen alternatives album and another in the christmas on the rocks album. He is also a folk singer doing gigs in the malate area playing acoustic or sometimes on a sequencer.

Last time I talked to leo was when he was going to palawan for a folk stint in a resort. I wasnt sure for how long the contract was. I have heared of the story that one time leo was so frustrated with how things are turning around his life that he went to the breakwater in luneta and smashed his Martin acoustic guitar which was a gift to him by a foriegn fan. I have asked his old partner Wai who now plays for carlo aquino's band, and he never heared of leo for a long time. It seems they have some sort of an unresolve dispute.

If anyone knows him and his whereabouts, I would be happy to hear it. I know leo still knows the old studio where I used to live. I am back in the old shack and am here again living in the old place which he knows well. With such a prolific songwriter I am sure we can create lots of projects which we used to do before.

The Party was GRAND!

After several weeks of preparations, my son's 5th birthday party (along with my wife's bday celebration) was a hit. The idea was to hold a party that will be better than those parties at foodchains yet spending less.

Holding the party at home was the main idea. This way you have your time, you're on your own turf and you know the neighborhood. But still you are in a community so you have to abide by the rules. So, asking permission from the barangay officials for a loud band to play on my garage was granted up to 10:30pm. We could actually extend only if the neighbors wouldn't mind the noise. I figured since all the visitors would be professional musicians, it wont be noise coming out from us. And the neighboors might even enjoy free concerts from a rare collection of jammers. The garage (three car slots) was the perfect choice so as to accomodate the volume of people. Anyone from the outside can watch the show through the gate. But I still have to assign Mang Titing to serve as the bouncer watching over outside.

So, I borrowed the studio set from our drummer. It came complete with a Fender Passport PA system, a drum set, one boston engineering bass amp and one Roland guitar amp. My cousin lended us his bostin engineering guitar amp. I set up my own gear of amps and speakers for the keyboard. But the keyboard did not arrive even tho the keyboard stand was ready. So it was the good old rock and roll.

The kids have their own program of activities. Party started with the usual kainan with my relatives. Then one by one the guests came in. Before it was getting dark, a pabitin was held for the kids. The games had to be cancelled as there were only a few kids in the afternoon (most kids came in late). Next was the performances. First up was my son Angelo who did a rocking rendition of Crazy Car. Then it was followed by my daughter Lala who also sang two songs before doing a dance number where angelo joined in. My nephew sam did his own version of crazy car. Lala did most of the performances for a total of 5 numbers. A captive audience of over 30 people enjoyed it. After the performance, the kids went inside the house to watch Hanna Montana 3d concert on Disney channel. Hanna Montana 3d glasses which we got from the mall was distributed to all the kids and the kids at heart who were all eager to watch the show.

Then it was time for the band to play. So the drums and the guitars are set up. First on was a collection of musicians. My old highschool classmate has a brother 'remugs' who used to be the front man of a cebu based band "Happy Days" back in the 90s. He brought his own guitar gear. My cousin beer also brought his own guitar (a black telecaster which used to be owned by one of the porkchop duo - used on a lot of their performance). Buboy from the band sining who is now a webmaster took the drum chores. Bong who used to play bass for wired and now plays for enmasse did the bass. And so this collection of musicians did a first set with whatever songs they collectively know. Mostly new wave and early 90s stuff.

Up next was renditions of original compositions. Kuyakurt (from Blue Martian Cookies) did a few of his original songs including the infamous Spaghetti. Sam our keyboardist forgot to bring his keyboard and so he playedthe bass instead. Mon (our drummer for k and the boxers and magpie)who arrived late took over the drums, and so Buboy could play the guitar. Buboy did his original song Split which was stolen by Grin Department. Then after tatay paeng (my father in law) sang a few old songs including 'unchained melody' where my son angelo did the drums with the help of Sam.

By special request, Mang Kaloy Rufo was called on stage to do several guitar instrumentals. He was accompanied by SPI front man Rey Cantong who played drums. Rey was the first batch drummer of gladys and the boxers before forming his own band Six Part Invention. Mang Kaloy, father of Jack Rufo of Neocolours, was also the guitarist of the 3rd batch of gladys and the boxers. I did the bass this time. Mang kaloy played moon river, and some beatles medley.

Next on stage were Magpie singer Wayne Perez who sang a few cover songs and Kearney (who came in with mon) a band manager/booker sang a few numbers also. There were more from the audience who failed or refused to perform. Sigfried (Bakulaw), an accomplished film director who used to write for Rock and Rhtyhm came in along with his family. Rey of SPI came in along with his co-singer Kaye. My wife angela wanted to sing also but was too busy with the preparations.There were two more visitors of tatay paeng who was a drummer and a bassist wasnt able to perform.

Ok so let me mention a few people from the audience. Luna veteran Conan. My highschool classmates Dandy Wong (a nurse from USA who is on vacation) and his wife. highschool classmate Engineer Orly Entero, and his cousin and brother (who performed). Sigfried Sanchez and his wife and three kids. The Relatives: Tita Chu and Tito Emcee, Tita Itos, Cecil, cedes, trixie, arlyn, issa, manolo, yvette, derik, beer, nina, sam, baby gab and baby john.

Big thanks to the people who helped out in making the party grand. Edwin, mang titing, noel, CT, bespren and waki.

My son angelo enjoyed the day with a lot of playmates and would like to thanks you all for all his gifts. He enjoys them a lot. I will be posting a lot more pictures on manuelangelo's blog.

Till next event...

Preparations for the Party

Tuloy ang saya kahit bumabagyo! Rock en Roll Sa Ulan !

Today is my son's fifth bday. And I am holding a big party in my garage. In the past we had parties were we normally jam on acoustic guitar all night. Tonight it will be different.

The party will have the normal perks of a childrens party. Kiddie games, Pabitin, Trip to Jerusalem, Bring Me, and all those stuff. I prepared a lot of prizes for the kids. Also a lot of food that I am sure kids would enjoy. A nice cake with 5 candles will be shared after the celebrant blow off the fire. Hopefully this year the cake will be whole before the blowing of the candles.

After the childrens party will be the adults party. It was my wife's bday last jun16 so we are celebrating it also today. I borrowed some studio equiptment from my bandmate. We will be using a Fender Passport PA system which has four mic inputs and two stereo line inputs. I borrowed a set of bass and guitar Boston engineering combo amps. And we will be using a modified drum set which our drummer custom made out of a design from a drum magazine. The keyboard will have the biggest speaker in the "stage". I made a speaker set for my old "raon" bass amp with two 15" daichi pro instrumental speakers. The cabinet hieght I think is 4 feet. Since I broke my old "raon" bass amp head. we will be using a modified component for the keyboard instead.

I have two guitars to use, a red fender/squier blues strat which I borrowed from our drummer, and my old RJ custom made guitar from all original parts taken off several damaged original guitars from the RJ repair shop. The neck is a samick which the guy at RJ custom built a matching body. All the hardware are all parts. And one pick-up is an old beaten up seymour single coil (neck). The bridge pick up is a SKC humbucker - the cheap alternative wonder.


I will not be using any of my recording gear. Not even my old multitracker which I use as a 12/4 mixer. Everything will be live as it is a simple jamming. The mix will be made by whoever is holding whatever instrument. It will be the old mayrics style. Crank up your amp so the people at the back can hear you. Or in other's point of view, crank down your guitarist or bassist amp so the people at the back can hear your voice. Its the old mano-mano way.

I have a lot of musician friends who will be coming. Some people I havent communicated with for quite some time now. A lot of them have made it big in the music industry. Others made it on other fields. It would be exciting to hear what jamming we could make as our music, ears and skills have matured . . . not to mention the tastes and preferences in music.

Hope the afternoon party and the night will rock.... despite the bagyo. Hopefully, no brownouts please.

Musicians of today are so lucky!

With the tide of technological advancement, it is clear that musicians of today are far luckier than those of yesterday.

In the old days, most musicians would create a demo of their compositions by playing on a piano or guitar and recording on a simple desk cassette recorder. I remember my uncle used to have one were they record over a small mic and huddle close and sing.

If you were a band, it would be a lot more difficult. You need to have a band set up by renting a studio. Hooking up everything on a mixer and relaying on the ears of a sound engineer to get a good mix and record a song live direct to a cassette. Others would wait for a big gig and politely ask the technician to record your set.

If you are a solo composer and you know how to work with midi, then you can get an MC-50 and create a sequenced minus one for your song. Or you may get one of those expensive cassette based track recorder to record each instrument one by one. But you are limited to 4-track (as most cassette based are) and your only option to go beyond its limitations is to do ping pong recording. This means recording 3 instruments of seperate tracks, mixing them into one track to get three more available tracks.

And then you have to convince a producer or anyone who has the cash to spend for a production quality recording in a studio. Then you will record your song to reel. Production cost is ultimately high which means, producers will only spend if they know that they will profit from it.

But things changed. You dont have to spend so much not just to make a demo but to actually make a production quality album. This is the reason why most bands of today produces their own albums in what they call EP. Or other profit minded people goes into the indie market.

In the recent years, setting up a recording studio was not too expensive anymore. Anyone who have a good international credit card can order some digital recording equiptment such as ADATs or any other quality multitracker. Gone are those big reels which are so expensive (not just the recorder but even the reel itself are so expensive . . not to mention heavy). Other people who have relatives abroad can ask them to bring home the goodies. Digital multitrackers which are stand alone came out and those who can afford are now getting them.

At this point, there became evident who where the bands who have cash and those "other bands" who would frown on the "rich kids" bands out of envy since they dont have access to produce their own album. Now these "other bands" will have to rely on the good old "discovery by an A&R" method to get an album.

Today things are changing and changing fast. Everything can now be done with a PC. Even professional recording studios have PCs and people at home can equal the specs of those PCs. Most professional studios run on mac, primarily because of their power and reliabilty. But PCs are trying to catch up. Now you can record a production quality album from your own bedroom. The recording equiptment are now available in the local stores. JB music has a wide array of m-audio equiptment at sale price being the local distributor. Yupangco distributes a lot of line6 recording products and roland. Audiophile distributes Tascams and Alesis. No need to look over the internet and order as the prices comes out cheaper since you dont pay for shipping expenses. Softwares are readily available. . . although I hate to promote this but they are being sold at the sidewalks for less than a dollar (figure of speech here). You can even get Sonar, Cubase, Reason, Protools LE, Abelton, Audition, Cooledit, Wavelab, and all those other cool stuff in one DVD for about P250.

Now bands can call the shots and create an album to whatever they desire to integrate in it since they can now do it in their own home. They can even record each instrument on each house of each band member. There was even a band I saw on Ellen show where the member have not meet each other before, only through the internet via youtube and was able to come up with an album simply by sending thru email elements of the songs.

So what do you need to make a good recording? First you need a good PC. It would be better if you have a dualcore. A quad core is excellent. Get lots of memory. Memories comes cheap nowadays. I got a 1GB DDR for only P800 (that is a kingston lifetime warranty). So 2GB is P1600. Memory is important especially when you mixdown a song especially with all those effects you put in on each element.

One primary equiptment you will need is a good soundcard. A soundcard for recording is like a videocard for gaming. It is an acceleration hardware. This means sound is processed on a soundcard thus minimizing the workload on the main processor. A good soundcard should accept at least 24bit and 48khz audio resolution. If you have the budget get the highest you can afford. Another thing to consider is the inputs and outputs. If you are recording live drums then you would definitely need one with at least 8 inputs in order to record the drums on to separate tracks. Also think of the versitality pre-amp you could get out of it. Something that accepts line level, unbalanced and balanced inputs plus phantom power. This way you can plug in your guitar directly thus eliminating noise from any external devices you need to pass thru. You can actually record your guitar without effects and use the virtual effects softwares. Just make sure you are monitoring the sound you want so as you can play accordingly. Next issue to consider is the latency. Most people who first time record on a pc would complain that there is a delay in the way the audio is input. Thus the guitar misses the beat of the drums. A good soundcard should eliminate this problem.

My advise now is to invest on a good audio monitor. Get a good near field monitors - or make one if you know how. Get a good headphone. I am using a Philips SHP1900 headphone I bought from Astrovision for only P650. Use reliable cables to avoid noise. And dont hesitate to experiment to get the sound you want.

This will go longer if I dont stop now. I am sure a lot of you will comment or ask questions about a lot of recording stuff. Please feel free and I will try to answer in the best way I could.

Enjoy!

The New Nolit's Studio

Ok, So I decided to set up my nolit's studio again. But this time it wont be a full band studio, instead it will be a project studio. But it is digital and the resolution is in par with professionals at 24bit/96khz. I can go up to 192khz with my 1TB disk space and 2gb memory. But I would settle with the industry standard.

So what is a project studio and how does it differ from my old studio? Nolit's Studio used to accept bands who wanted to have a recording of their songs for demo or indie release. I had a band set up and can do live recording. But I choose to record them track by track so as to get a cleaner result and much easier to mixdown.

A project studio does not have that band set up and do not accept clients or walk-ins. All I will be working are projects I will be creating or will be working with partners. I currently dont have a booth so drum tracks using acoustic drums and vocals will be done in another studio.

So here is what I currently have. On a decent quad core PC, I got a lot of audio software for tracking audio, mixing and mastering. I am using an EMU 1820m digital audio system (PCI, daughterboard and audiodock) which I bought from Rey of Six Part Invention. He told me they recorded their first album in this equiptment. Also recorded "Steep" in Toni Gonzaga's new album using this equitment. I am also using my old fostex multitracker as a simple mixer. I love using this since it has full sized faders, 12 channels off 4 bus.For now I am using a Yamaha PSR keyboard as a midi controller. Later on I may be upgrading to a good digital mixer/DAW controller and a decent keyboard controller.

Here is what I can do right now. I could import elements from a drums recorded in another studio. Lay in bass, guitar and keyboards. Then pass it to another studio for vocal tracks. Then I can mixdown all the elements. And later master for production quality. I could also program drums using a redrum or any other sequencer since I have reason ver4 and EmulatorX. I also have tons of sampled sounds of percussions and drums.

This digital age has opened a lot of doors for me and revolutionized the capability of Nolit's Studio. Right now I am still undecided if I would set up a full studio like before. Technology is within reach of anyone with a PC. I would rather work on projects with people who want things done. Share my experience and knowledge . And hopefully broaden my network of friends.... Later create lots of albums may it be commercial or not. I am after the realization of dream and not much on the financial side of it. Success for me is the creation of a concept album with all details perfectly implemented. Its is a long journey and I am far from my destination.

Wish Me Luck!

Studio Recording . . . memories of nolits studio

In the past few month our new band 'magpie' got busy in the studio recording materials for our new album. We are doing the album in three separate studios. Most of the tracks are recorded in Pink Noise Studio in Quezon City. The keyboard tracks are done in samsmidi studio and I will do the bass tracks in my own home studio.

On the left is a picture of wayne guiding drummer mon at Pink Noise studio 3. Sitting on that sofa watching the takes brings back memories on how I got involved in studio recording. It is amazing how the digital age dramatically changed the way the studio looks. Gone are all those bulky reel tapes and tons of rackmounts. With a mac on board and a monitor, it is so much easier to map out recording tracks especially on punch ins as you can visually see the waveforms and where the parts of the song is located.

When I was young I had tons and tons of songs in my head that I wanted to record. So I did the demotep 1(click here to view the complete demotep series listing). I couldnt get all the elements I wanted on a simple acoustic guitar and vocals. So I used a keyboard(Yamaha PSR 200) with a simple rhythm composer and the result was the demotep 2. But I couldnt get what I really wanted with each song. Since I didnt have a band yet, I decided to record every instrument on two cassette recorder. First I record the guitar guide on the first cassette recorder. Then I play it on a player while playing another instrument while recording it on another cassette recorder thru the built in mic (I didnt have a mixer yet). Then again I play the result and played the next instrument while recording. And so on. It was really crude but it created what I almost wanted on a song. The result was the demotep 3 and 4.

Then I bought a Fostex cassette based multitracker. This one had full sized faders, two auxiliary sends and returns, 12 channels and 4 tracks of recording using typeB magnetic cassette tape. With the drums from my band I borrowed (a taiwan made yema music set), my old bass amp from raon (RS3000), a Roland D5 keyboard, a Boss SE50 halfrack signal processor unit and an old reliable sony cassette recorder, I converted my living room into a recording studio. During this time the band thing was brewing as LA105 has started opening its doors to play on the air demos of unsigned bands. The Nolit's Studio is about to hit big!

With a few recording clients, I was able to buy my own Premier ATK drum set with Sabian cymbals (including a splash). I got a 3-tier keyboard stand and some mic stands. I also converted my living room into a full studio. Set up cartoon eggtrays from ceiling to walls, glassed all the windows and padded the doors. My favourite equiptment was the vocal mic - a cheap transducer type powered mic with home made pop filter (wire hanger and an old used stockings). I was even able to buy a stereo transducer mic (with two individual plugs) which I got cheaply since the saleslady was puzzled how to plug in the two plugs. It was at this point when really a lot of recording clients poured in. Thankts to Miyo Arellano of Aroin studio, Raymund Kutch (who now owns Jamtraxxx Studios), Hazel (who now runs SoundKitchen Digital Recording Studio in Fairview) and a lot of nice friends who strongly recommended my recording studio to their clients. I recall Angel In Disguise with ney (of 6cycleminds) did a demo in my studio.

When I got into a band called gladys and the boxers under backroom inc I made a partnership with our guitarist Julius Esteban and Yamaha Instructor Lyndon Aguilar to form the Purple Music Studio in D Tuazon, Quezon City. It was a downgrade for me as I was already running a complete studio alone then now I have to deal with partners but it was a big help since I couldnt handle the surge of recording clients alone anymore. We acquired two Fender Princeton 112 guitar amps, A Fender KXR 100 keyboard amp and a Marshall Bass State bass amp (which I hated until now). A set of crown power amps and monitors, a yamaha 16channel mixer and a new acoustically sound room. I pitched in my drumset, multitracker, keyboards, effects processors and other stuff.

Purple Music studio didnt took off as expected. With a new venue and new owners (and new price), not all clients of mine opted to move in. But I have recorded a few I know including - - Lalaine Edson, Cookie Chua, Dream Kitchen, Painted Skies, Bisqit Factory, and a lot more. I had enough time and equiptment to really explore deeply the techniques in recording. And I was able to train my ear further in mastering the art of recording.

After a year of Purple Music, the partnership went sour and the studio shut down. I felt I was alone in managing the studio without any pay while we are recieving equal amount of profits. I was totally devastated with the loss of my favourite work. Out of disgust I sold my Premier drum set along with all the peripherals, the keyboard and its stand, and all the other equiptment. I only maintained the fostex multitracker.

I bought a Fostex DE-1 20bit dual effects processor. It was a perfect match for my 2 aux send fostex multitracker. I also bought a yamaha DR-550 mk2 drum machine. This was now a personal studio where I recorded some of my own songs for my solo album project "Early Reflections, Late Night Decisions". I was able to record a few projects for some of my friends a well. Including an unfinished album of a young female singer which included a lot of potential hits.

Then the digital age was coming. Programs which used to be midi only sequencer are now accepting multiple tracks of audio. So I experimented and started working on my PC using cubase. I am not much of a midi programmer and audio was really my cup of tea. I also tried on the program called Sonic Fondry Acid which is a loops based sequencer. I tried learning Reason and am impressed with the interface where you press tab and get the back of a rackmount complete with interactive virtual wires which you can rearrange. With this development my old fostex multitracker was shelved for a long time. Checking on it a few months back, I found that the belts melted down and a few knobs are missing. But basically it can still be repaired. However, a lot of power can be brought up with a PC with more capabilities than the old analog multitracker. So I sold my Dr Rhythm drum machine since I now can use a program with similar or better results. I am using Reason for the drums and percussion.

Now recording with Magpie, I am gathering all my knowledge in recording to do my own thing at home using a line6 toneport UX2, to get a 24bit/96khz recording resolution matching the drum tracks done in Pink Noise on Protools. It is amazing that a production quality recording can be achieved from home recording. Except of course for the voice, drums and guitars which needs acoustics (although guitars can be done with modellers for the non purists and drums can be loops sequenced). Everything is now computer based. And it is very much easier having a visual map.

I may not be setting up my old nolits studio again even though I have the resources to do it. Recording can now be done at home on a simple set of equiptment. I was lucky to have experienced to have the resources when access to it was scarce and was able to share it with a lot of aspiring musicians to realize their dream of recording their song. I was able to witness their firsts in the recording process. And I am happy to have helped them. But as times has changed they dont need me anymore as they can do a demo on their own PC. All I could contribute right now is the wisdom I have earned in the recording industry.

To all those who I have served in the recording of their songs, thanks a lot for giving me the knowledge I have gained from experience. And thanks a lot for making me a part of the history of their songs.

I hope our first album for Magpie will hit big in the commercial market. Although we have vowed to continue on recording songs in a regular habit to make a lot of albums of our songs may it be commercial or not. As long as we express ourselves, and will continue to learn the recording process.......It wil never end.

From 2.8k to 1.2m: internet connection woes

Its has been over a decade since I first got online. And a lot has changed ever since.

I got my first PC in 1997. Before that I was using my aunts PC-XT which later upgraded to a PC-AT 486. This was running on win 3.11 and later upgraded to win95. But for my own PC I had it installed with the "new" win97 which later became win98. I have been using this operating system for a long time even as winxp became so popular. Only when service pack 2 came out did I move to windows xp. I have been recieving a windows update cd regularly from microsoft for my windows 98.

My first PC came with an internal 14.4kbps modem. This was the fastest thing at that time. Since internet was too expensive (there were no prepaid cards yet and you have to get a yearly subscription for a dial up connection), I had to settle for modem to modem connection. With the help of wai (from the band leowai), I was introduced to BBSing - modem to modem community using bulletin board softwares. These are actual home computers where individuals open their modems to anybody who would want to connect PC to PC for file transfers or messaging. They are usually simple hobbyist as profit making in this system is hard. But it is an alternative to internet since connection is free. All you need is a list of numbers of BBS in your area and ask you PC to dial that number using hyperterminal. Connection means entering the owner's domain. So presentation and themes is the thing. Since this is hyperterminal connection, graphics is pure ansi. The menu is basically key based and not GUI.

The BBS community then was big. We held regular eyeball meetings at foodcourt in malls. I recall the sponsors of event were the big BBSes such as livewire. For my own BBS, I got over 1,000 members with over 100 actively uploading files and checking messages. Since I only have one phone line, connection is limitted to one at a time. I cater mostly midi and other music files. Not much mp3s yet since this will take a long while to download and I dont want users to hog the line. When the internet became popular, the BBS fame started to fade. Most BBS then were using maximus while I was using wildcat - an expensive and impressive system.

So the internet came in and I had to upgrade my modem. I got a 36kbps diamond supra external modem (serial) which I still have up to now. I later on changed to a 56k internal. I had so much computer hardware junk accomulated through the years from several upgrades. But I kept the classic ones. I still have an original 2.8kbps Hayes Smartmodem External(the mother of all modems). This heavy big hunk was the first of its kind. Mine is all new complete with box. Never been used except for tests. Still functioning.

With my network in the bbs community, Iconex (an internet service provider) saw my potential for sales and hired me to be a sales agent. And so I got my own internet connection. Immediately I started learning the languange of websites and worked on graphics for different sites here and there. Unfortunately my connection with iconex did not last long and I had to settle for prepaid dial up cards which was the in thing at the time.

I was able to discover a rare prepaid card with unlimited monthly time. At this time I was hooked up with the first online multiplayer game in the country - level up's OzWorld. I need the unlimited time since I was almost online playing the games 24hrs. I was also working on web hosting and web design.

When work started to pour in I needed a faster and more reliable connection. So I got my first dsl subscription from digitel. It was a 128kbps connection. I had no problems with the connection from digitel. I even got a Prolink adsl modem with USB. Which helped when my lan was damaged. I was still connected to the modem thru usb. But the costumer support was really a pain. There was even one technical problem they fail to fix and reached almost a month without connection before they act on it despite my almost daily follow ups. I never got a rebate from my one month of no service despite my formal complaint in writing.

I moved to a new home in a new location. So I had to get a new internet connection. In july 2007, I got bayantel dsl since this was the only one available in the area other than pldt. I subscribed for a 768kbps which can go 1mbps on demand during non peak hours. I have had several issues with bayantel. First their Huawei adsl modem (the white and orange thing) could easily be damaged with small electrical spikes such as lightling. This is what happened to mine. Luckily the technician had an old ZTE ZXDSL 831 modem from another client who wanted a brand new, so I asked him that I will use that instead since I know this modem is durable.

The problem with bayantel is that they do not announce to their users of any update in their subscription plans. I find this very unfair, although others says it is beyond the yearly agreement when you get a one year lock in subscription. Around november 2007 they updated their plans with almost half the price off. My 768 connection which I was paying P1,699/mo became P899/mo. Same rates apply on other plans. Bayantel do not automatically adjust you account. You have to call them so that you get your account adjusted to either paying lower price for the same speed or maintaining the price for a higher speed. The adjustment was not even annouced in thier bill. Subscribers had to learn about it from word of mouth. I learned mine from a billboard. Later my neighboor did an adjustment so I learned that it is possible. All you have to do is to call their customer support an request for it. Now I have a 1.2mbps connection which goes up to 1.5mbps on offpeak hours.

HEre are the new plans for bayantel.

• Plan 899 (PhP 899 per month) – from 384 Kbps now 768 Kbps, burstable to 1280 Kbps during off-peak hours
• Plan 1699 (PhP 1,699 per month) – from 768 Kbps now 1280 Kbps, burstable to 1536 Kbps during off-peak hours
• Plan 1999 (PhP 1,999 per month; new plan!) – 2048 Kbps
• Plan 2560 (PhP 2,560 per month) – from 1536 Kbps now 2560 Kbps

If you are using bayantel and still running/paying the old rates, call them now.