Software Development Toolbox

Shortly, I will be doing a series of posts for people who want to get a start in building their own web sites but don’t know where to start. This will be aimed towards beginners and non-technical individuals to get you started in creating a web presence. If you have any suggestions for types of technologies you would like to see, please drop me a note

DAW Plug-ins

I’m going to start doing some overviews/reviews of some popular DAW plugins. Starting out, I will be using SAW Studio but later I will be using Pro Tools LE as well. If you have any suggestions or things you would like to see reviewed, please drop me a note.

Blogging with a Mac Part 2 – Blogo

So, last night, I started out looking for a great blog editor for use on my Mac. My first attempt was a bust but the second attempt was not bad. I wasn’t doing back flips for having to pay for an editor I’m not crazy about but the editor got the job done with minimal fuss. Tonight, I am giving my next candidate, Blogo from DrinkBrainJuice.com

Download and setup was pretty straightforward. The initial startup of the app helps you get your blog configured or will help you create a new one. You can also setup your YouTube, Flikr, and other accounts for easy import to your blog.

Basic blog entry is easy enough. The editor is a WYSIWYG with a button to toggle back and forth between html markup and rich text. Pre-configured categories can be easily added as well as adding new ones ad-hoc. Media can be easily added by dragging it to a drop box. A nice feature is that you can do simple editing on pictures that you add. Nice touch. Finally, all the buttons have tool tips making using the application incredibly intuitive.

This is really an easy application to use and I am very happy with it. With a 21 day evaluation period, you have plenty of time to kick the tires before plunking down $25 for the unnagged version.

Give them a try. Go to http://www.DrinkBrainJuice.com/blogo and check out all the features (most not mentioned here)l.

This blog was written using Blogo.

UPDATE: After posting, I had a little trouble aligning the picture at the top of the this blog. The picture edit feature didn’t really help me much. Instead of trying to fix it, I left it the way the app put it up. meh.

Blogging with a Mac Part 1 – MarsEdit

Well, as many of you know, I accepted a new position with Bright House Networks. I was blessed with a new MacBook Pro and it is hands down the most powerful, versatile laptop that I have ever used or owned.

It is a big challenge getting used to a Mac again. Having owned one for a couple of years, one would think that I’d have it down. Well, the wife stole it for her business and I haven’t touched it since.

So, I really wanted to start blogging about some of my projects and things that I have been working on. A couple years ago I started using Microsoft’s Live Writer and loved it. So recently I have been looking for an equivalent editor for the Mac.

My first attempt was an app called Qumana. I won’t spend much time on this because it simply didn’t work. At least not with WordPress so I moved on. Maybe I’ll try it again another time.

This blog entry is written using MarsEdit from Red Sweater Software. My first impression is that it’s simple. Not in a bad way, it’s just simple to use. Adding my WordPress account was painless. Including graphics was a snap. Click the media menu item, drag your picture into the target area, and publish. Shake and bake.

The editor is pretty simple too. Not much mark up to start with and definitely not an in-line WYSIWYG editor but there is a preview window that pops um next to the editor to get that job done. Adding markup is easy to do for both the novice and expert alike. The only thing that could be an issue for the uninitiated would be that when formatting the text or adding a graphic, the markup is added right into the edit and might cause some confusion but not a problem for me. Adding Categories is easy. You just type the name of the category and click the Add button. It’s also easy to save drafts and publish the blog.

Finally, updating a published blog was easy. Also, once I registered my blog, all my existing posts populated in the main window along with date and categories.

A few things that cause me to keep looking. If this app were free, it would probably be fine. However, for an application that costs $29.95, I’m a little disappointed. It’s not a lot of money but there are plenty of Blog editors out there that do more for less (some for free).

If you are comfortable with working with HTML and prefer working in a text-based editor, you might find this app right up your alley. However, if you prefer to have an integrated WYSIWYG editor or you enjoy keeping your money in your pocket (or used to buy Mountain Dew), then you might want to check back for my next review — Blogo by BrainJuice

Digital Recording

Happy New Year! 

It’s hard to believe that 2009 is here already.  20 years ago, I was just getting back from Nebraska from a Christmas trip with my family and getting ready to continue my studies at Full Sail.  It’s funny how things seem to come full circle.

Over the past few months, my wife and I have been talking about providing our customers with recordings of their performances.  With some great help, I settled on SAW Studio.  Since my initial needs are small, I have opted for the economically prices M-Audio MobilePre USB digital pre-amp.  I am running SAW on a Dell Latitude 110 and though I was dubious at first, it gets the job done.

So the week prior to our first outting with the new gear, I spent several hours thinking about how I wanted to track the performances.  I have plenty of hard drive space so I could just hit record and go sit down and drink Mai Tais until it was time to strike.  I could also track each performance on a new track or leave everything on one track and only record the performance.  Since there really isn’t much going on during the gig for me, I elected to track each performance on separate tracks.  I labeled the performance by the singer(s) name then the song name.  By the way, you don’t get much of a label to work with so you sometimes have to be creative.

In retrospect, this technique worked out fantastic for me.  Since I had several back-to-back performances, I wasn’t able to mix the performances until I had a lull.  If I had just clicked record and walked away, I wouldn’t have been able to easily find each song and get them mixed quickly.  I was able to identify the performance, mark my beginning and end points and rip out a mix in under a minute for each.  By the end of the night, I was able to spin up several disks for customers with anyone’s performance.  Though I had a separate laptop ready for burning during the night, the crowd was light so we didn’t have a lot of takers but we did about a third of the cost of the MobilePre from the CD sales.  

So, in a short matter of weeks, I went from being a slug, worrying about weeds in the lawn to recording for a living again.  It’s not the Record Plant but it’s fun as hell and I can suppliment my gear envy with the proceeds.

So my next projects are:

• Mix about 20 multi-track live recordings from my cousin’s band.  These were tracked on a Roland VS-1680 and converted to SAW.
• Learn and track the bass part for Rush’s Natural Science song.  This is an on-going project my cousin started a few years ago.  We only have one in the hopper (Cities on Flame by Blue Oyster Cult)
• Upgrade my gear.  I need to invest in some decent near-field monitors.  I also want to be able to track more than two inputs at a time
• Work with my Cousin in getting our mobile recording business more business.  We’re investigating some potential revenue streams.
• Build some gear.  There are some incredible pre-amp kits out there that I really want to tackle.

Though this is not by any means an earth-shattering event, it was an eye opener and it woke me back up to a time that I very much enjoyed.  Now I have the experience and the means to make it not only a fun hobby but potentially a profitable one as well.

Site Theme

I have been playing around with my blog theme and I’m not yet satisfied.  There are lots of templates to choose from but the ones that I have selected so far haven’t really expressed what I am looking for.  So, if the theme changes over the next week or two, do be alarmed, It’s just me rearranging the furnature.

Cafferty Questions: Should the U.S. Attack Al Qaeda Without Permission?

Tonight, I decided to catch up on some of my reading and I had to stop at John Cafferty’s blog, The Cafferty File.  He has posted the question, Should The U.S. attack Al Qaeda without permission?  I read though hundreds of responses both for and against, with many excellent responses on both sides (and some just plain ignorant).  Though I did see hints of it, I didn’t see anyone mention our country’s responsibility for global leadership. 

As a proclaimed “Super Power, how our government executes it’s foreign policy sets the standard for other countries in how they interact within their own spheres of influence.  It is nothing new that we project to the world a contradiction on a most global scale.  In one hand, we hold freedom, honor, respect, peace and love as values that all people should strive for.  In the other hand, we hold a bloody dagger of rage, torment, anguish and revenge.  It’s no great wonder that our enemies hate us with such loathing and that even our allies turn their backs on us or at best, tisk and shake their heads. 

Each of us has our own idea of what is means to be an American.  A question I often have is what do other people in the world think is means to be and American and how do we want to be seen by them?  Are we arrogant, militaristic, dictators pushing our beliefs on those who want nothing of it or are we a strong, rugged nation of people that cry foul and intervene on behalf of those who are powerless to stop the international hooligans?  Are we really still the world police force, commissioned to right the wrongs of the world?  The full spectrum of these simple questions spawns so many more but it comes right back to how can America be a world leader, spreading the values of freedom, honor, integrity, and peace by casting world opinion aside and just doing what we feel is the right thing to do? 

Many could argue that it is simply the right thing to do and we must act to prevent the evil-doers of the world from gaining a foothold.  Others would say that we are arrogant for even thinking of acting alone without a coalition of nations and we are no better than those who run around blowing up cars in crowded marketplaces.  Never before 9/11 did I think about how others saw us; saw me. 

However, things change.  Out children will never know what it was like to wonder if we would ever be attacked.  Our children will have to wonder will it happen again?  If we as a nation do not stop and focus on what it is we want to be, then we will become what we fear the most; a memory.   Each and everyone of us needs to be committed to the values that our country stands for in the world: Honesty, integrity, Honor, Strength, Bravery.  Should the U.S. attack Al Qeada without permission?  My question is why is it up to the U.S. to shoulder this burden alone?  Why must others reap the rewards of freedom that were purchased with the blood of our fathers/mothers/sons/daughters? 

When others are too weak to defend themselves, we have a moral obligation to intervene.  We also have a right to defend ourselves from those who would see our way of life destroyed, but always, ALWAYS in an manner that doesn’t violate our core, American values.  When our nation begins to start acting like we want others to see us, then the image of America may return to that of a nation that is a beacon of hope for the people of the world.  Today, let’s take a minute to reflect upon what it means to be American.  Let us consider the cost for our role in in the war not only now but for the future of our children.  Let us consider the price already paid by our Armed Forces and the sacrifices that they have made.  Let us consider what it truly means to be a leader in the the world community. Then, perhaps, we’ll be able to leave to our children an America that is a better and a world where John Cafferty won’t have to ask that question again.

First Post

I have something in the oven but it’s not ready yet.  Ten more minutes, I promise (yeah, right).