Absent.

No updates for so very long. Many apologies if anyone really is paying attention. Here’s a few recent happenings:-

Firstly The Point in Cardiff Bay has closed. Very sad for anyone who had the opportunity to work there, lovely people but unfortunately it seems that various financial situations broke the back of that one. Very nice room so I hope someone buys it as a going concern before it’s stripped out.

The Buffalo Bar has finally expanded its upstairs live room to a 180-200ish capacity. Works much better now.

The Loves third album, entitled ‘THREE’ was finally delivered in January and is back from pressing and awaiting an official release date. In the mean time it should be available early from any live gigs and there will be further online releases of the promotional EP’s for the album with ‘Sweet Sister Delia’ being the second which will hopefully available pretty soon after I finish rendering the promo video.

Music Box is now fully wired and undergoing finishing touches. 6 rehearsal and recording studios and a personal service from the beard of Mark Foley. I am taking bookings for recording through Musicbox who can be contacted on 02920 373707. Recording page to follow…

That’s about it for now. Further updates to follow.

Psychoacoustics and Head Tracking

Working on a little project that will hopefully incorporate headtracking via the WiiMote (as demonstrated by Jonny Lee) with DSP based acoustic simulation delivered to your nubs by a lovely pair of IR sensor equipped headphones. The aim is to render the screen as a portal into an outdoor space and have the simulated spatial acoustics reference your position relative to the screen.

Just an idea to see how adding 3d sound will improve or possibly destroy the effect. Going to mock this up in Quartz first but might need to run MaxMSP or Processing alongside to perform the DSP.

Or or course you could just put two speakers behind the screen.

The Birdcage

Here are a few images of The Point, currently being fitted with acoustic treatment and insulation. It’s due to reopen on the 28th.

De-rigged lighting and fly-bars.

Full scaffold, and again.

In other construction news, studio 6 at the new Musicbox Studios is almost complete and ready to open. Exciting times.

No Green Man for me this weekend so I’ll have to find something to do in Cardiff.

Materials which are ‘Evil’

Currently I’m involved in stripping the lighting and PA from The Point in preparation for the new ceilings and soundproofing being installed. This has meant a return of my old adversary, Rockwool and a new nemesis – cut treated Fireboard and the resulting fine dust smells of rotting fish and wee. Nasty stuff, can only really describe it as ‘evil’, just like potassium.

Are you being serious?

I do hope not.

The adhesive of champions

When you absolutely, positively have to stick one random object to another irrespective of surface condition or moisture…

28 days (and a bit) later…

Apologies for the absence, have been off busying myself with various distractions over the last month:

• Went to Toronto to mix some gigs at NXNE with This Is Radio Freedom.
• Finishing mix and master of the next album from The Loves entitled ‘Three’.
• Mixing a pile of individual idents for various US College Radio stations.
• Getting together some recording at the new Musicbox for The Victorian English Gentlemen’s Club for a compilation.

also recovering from banging my head pretty badly in Canada and getting around to finally unpacking some of those boxes that have been sitting in the front room since I moved house. Some of these things were pretty exciting and some less so.

The next excitement is upgrading Pro Tools to 7.4 and getting my head round Elastic Time planned for this afternoon after lunch. All provided my connection doesn’t keep stalling every few minutes as it has been all morning.

Bloody Hell!

They say you’re only as safe as the worst driver on the road. Especially on a bicycle.

Cardiff pub no more…

Very sad about this. Lovely pub (surprising for a chain) and there were some good nights on upstairs.

Thankfully no one hurt, though looks like a fair part of the street (including the indoor market) might be closed for a bit.

Service Commences…

Here’s a little something to fill my spare time and give people who should so desire a peek into my world of fun and folly.