theshaggyfreak

Here's something little I did with my normal speaking voice. I'm not pushing the compressor on the Voice Channel too hard and the EQ settings are very gentle. https://www.dropbox.com/s/unhz7h5x4xfh252/vocaltest.mp3?dl=0 The cans in that picture are HP40s. I have a pair of HD280s on my desk but I really could use a better set in the booth. You can check out my full equipment list here: http://www.bsodcomic.net/faq/music-equipment/

This is my closet booth setup that has been doing pretty well for me.

1. Nutritious 2. Cyril the Wolf 3. Gercr

I'll be voting later today.

There are also several recordings of church bells and such at www.freesound.org and they might be worth experimenting with.

Here's a quick demo of the tenor with the newly installed pickup. It sounds quite natural compared to what the guitar sounds like in person. This is a good thing. https://soundcloud.com/theshaggyfreak/kala-ka-gtr-tenor-guitar-with-jjb-prestige-220-pickup

I really wanted to fill mine out a bit more in various places but either wasn't having luck with what I wanted to do or I was running out of time. So, I just submitted it as is. No Weapons Here from Shovel Knight is quite a complicated piece when you break it down. There is definitely more going on with it than I first realized.

I just went with the idea I orginionally had. I could have chosen a different set of instruments but I was already too deep into things. So, I just posted the sparse arrangement that I ended up with. I am happy with the composition end of things, though. I ended up choosing a tough source too.

1. HylianLemon 2. Gario 3. Supercoolmike

Wow, I think I bit off more than I could chew this round. I got something submitted but I'm not exactly happy with it. That's what I get for really trying to stretch my legs in these competitions.

Now that I've installed two of these pickup systems (one in a ukulele and one in a tenor guitar), I thought I'd pass on the info for anyone who might want to install a pickup in an acoustic instrument. I found JJB Electronics after doing a lot of research and listening to a number of demos. Their pickups systems aren't all that expensive and are fairly easy to install if you have the right tools and a good bit of patience. I think I may eventually try using them on some experimental ideas that I have for some percussive/fx type instruments.

My minor in college was theater and I still do sound design for local community theaters. I found that skill set definitely has a crossover into the gaming industry and I do list if in my resume. I'm not sure if it's helped me get gigs but it's never hurt it either. I found doing sound design in games has a very similar work flow.

There are plenty of pros and semi-pros around OCR but they tend to mingle in with everyone else. That's the great thing about this place.

The biggest challenge that I faced when I started was learning to speak in such a way that I made less mouth noise. Some of it came from not drinking enough water but there were other aspects involved that dealt with where my tongue was during certain syllables. It took quite a bit of practice to learn how to minimize that sort of thing. I really found doing VA to be like a lot of things...practice, practice, practice.

The only time I will do something on spec is if it's a project I REALLY like and the person in charge doesn't have the funds to pay for the music right off the bad. I rarely do this and it usually doesn't work out in the end. I find that devs that go into things with this mindset often don't follow through and my time is wasted. It's my choice to do that in those cases and I have no one to blame but myself. In a situation where someone is serious and understands that artists need to get paid something up front, I tend to give them a flat per song rate where I keep the right to sell the soundtrack. I have found this tends to work with small indy devs. I wouldn't say my fees are a "low ball" but I think they're competitive without being too high priced. I'm sure someone who is more well known can command a high rate but I'm obviously not at that point. I've done some small projects and I'm currently involved in a somewhat high profile project but I haven't exactly created a name for myself yet. I think that it's pretty easy to become aware of when that situation changes. It's all a grey area that each person has to decide for themselves. If anyone out there wants to get into doing things for "free", there are TONS of projects out there that are looking for you. Some of them grow into bigger and better things. If you're starting out, that may or may not be a waste of time but that's a decision you have to make. If you believe in yourself AND that your art is worth something in a monetary sense, start traveling down the other road and look for paid jobs. I have found hanging out and reading game dev forums has helped me quite a bit in scoping out the indy scene. I highly recommend doing that sort of thing.

Haven't just heard that an old friend passed away, It makes me miss MAGfest even more. I keep saying this to those who are local to the DC Metro area but we need to see each other more often.

As soon as I build a bit of endurance back up, I'll start seeing my trainer again. I'm actually looking forward to that. I feel so much better about myself when I'm in the groove of things.

Joined a gym to get myself back in the groove of working out again. Today was my first day and it didn't suck! Here's hoping I can keep the momentum going!

Okay, here's the bits of video I got from the OCR Panel. It's not the best quality since the lighting in that room was so crapy for my setup. Either way, at least there's something available for you to see. Part 1 - http://youtu.be/Ssxfp7n2ZDQ Part 2 - http://youtu.be/R-jTd18TV_E

1. Mushroom Sword 2. Jonathan! 3. Ghetto Lee Lewis

Snaps, we bro hugged early on Friday but I think that's about the only time I ran into you.

I have to thank all of those that I hung out with this weekend. I'm lucky to have so many awesome and talented friends. I may not deserve it but I'm glad you all are there for me.

All of my pics have been posted. I still have some video to go through but I'll do that later this week. In the mean time, go check out the pics! https://picasaweb.google.com/116294723695410258054/MAGfest13?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Thanks to all for the constructive criticism and positive remarks on my song for round one. I should have more time to dedicate during round to and I hope to be bringing my 'A' game. I'll be checking out the C groups tunes once I get back from MAG.

1. shulk 2. bonk 3. Spyro