How's It Sounding?

If you have read Part One of Sound at Sea, then you know that I am the sound technician aboard the Carnival Miracle.  You also know what I do, and about the shows.  I know that a lot of you care about audio gear, so let’s get into that.

Carnival uses quite a bit a gear.  We have some old stuff, some new stuff, some good stuff, some questionable stuff, and so on.  However, all of it serves a purpose, and it does what it is supposed to do.  We have a main lounge (like a theater) where the main shows happen, and many smaller lounges throughout the ship that have their own gear.

Disclaimer: I can’t get into too much detail, due to a signed contract, but everything that I am telling you, you can physically see for yourself if you are ever onboard since all of the audio gear is exposed in public spaces.

Many of you avid readers may be wondering where I have been.  In short, I have been on a journey, but most of you don’t come here to read things “in short”, so let’s get into where I have been.  For the past month (and for the next five months), I have been working on the M/s Carnival Miracle as their sound tech.  I have decided to start up this series to not only tell you where I have been, but also about life at sea, and the job itself.  So, join me aboard the Carnival Miracle for my journey.

First off, I would like to debunk any negative stigmas about Carnival.  Yes, the media likes to pick on Carnival Cruise Lines because of some incidences in the past, but things happen to every cruise line.  Carnival is one of the biggest cruise lines in the world, and it got like that for a reason: people like the cruises.  You don’t get to be the biggest for nothing.  I am not just saying all of this because I have to as an employee, because I don’t; I am saying this because this is what I have observed.

I have had some time to really mess around with the Xbox One.  Since this is not a game review blog, I’ll stick to the audio side of this.  There is more to talk about then you probably think.  So let’s dive into the expected, unexpected, and just flat out strange audio aspects of the Xbox One.

Microsoft released the Xbox One to the North American market on November 22, 2013 a few days behind Sony’s release of the PS4.  The highly anticipated console had a few unanticipated drawbacks for me.  The Xbox One only has two audio outputs: HDMI and optical.  This for me was a huge let down.

The visualization of audio is nothing new.  There are simple ways to “see” audio such as recording something into a DAW and seeing the waveform, or going a little more advanced and diving into the world of cymatics.  Either way, it is very interesting to allow another one of your senses to experience what (at one point) was specifically for just one.

Happily married people will often tell you that one of the best moments in their lives is getting married.  Wedding videos, rings, photos, and the like are all things one has to remember the big day by.  Japanese artist Sakurako Shimizu takes things one step further: she engraves the waveforms of the “I do” into rings.  To an audio geek, this is pretty freaking cool.  Now along with your wedding video and photos, you can now forever “see” your “I dos”.

Have you ever had that moment where you become frustrated with yourself when you try to compose some music because you realize it always sounds the same?  There is a difference when “that’s so-and-so’s signature sound” becomes, “haven’t I heard that before?”  I have recently been running into that problem.  I’m going to share some of my tips that helped me get out of it.  These “tips” may be common sense to some, or not helpful to others.  However, I hope these may help someone!

Ever notice in the world of entertainment, the original is best, and the sequel is subpar?  Well, with this being my second visit to InfoComm (2011 being my first), this was no different.  I was shocked about how dissimilar this one was.  I was ready for an amazing event!  I even gave out some tips about how to get the most out of it in my previous InfoComm13 post.  I was let down.

InfoComm13 from above; it looked better then it was

Courtesy of GPO US

There are conferences and conventions for everything these days.  If you are in the audio or show production industry, then InfoComm is the convention for you.  According to InfoComm’s website, “InfoComm International is the trade association representing the professional audiovisual and information communications industries worldwide.”  What that means: you get to see all the shiny new toys first!

This year, InfoComm13 is being held at the Orange County Convention Center June 8 through June 14, 2013 (with exhibits from June 12 to June 14, 2013).  I had previously attended InfoComm back in 2011 when it was last in Orlando, and it was an amazing event.  I only attend the exhibits, but that is still something worth seeing.

In the world of audio, there are quite a few digital audio workstations (DAWs) to choose from.  However, unless you are set on making phat beats with FL Studio, then you are aware that the two biggest players in the DAW world are Apple’s Logic Pro, and Avid’s Pro Tools.  With the onset of Pro Tools turning things up to eleven, and more unconfirmed rumors about Logic Pro 10, it’s only appropriate to visit the Ford VS Chevy battle of the audio world: Logic VS Pro Tools.

Currently, Apple is on its long running Logic Pro 9.  Avid’s Pro Tools is currently on version 10, but is to be rolling out version 11 in the near future (Pro Tools 10 will be used for comparison unless stated otherwise).  Both are quite popular in the industry.  Which one is best?  This can seem like a loaded question, unfair, or inapplicable to some.  GearSlutz has a heated forum thread about this.  There are simply certain things that each does better than the other. 

If you are in the audio industry, you are one with Pro Tools.  That is just how it is.  If you have been keeping up with Pro Tools, then you are well aware that Avid is releasing the next installment in the Pro Tools line up: Pro Tools 11.

Courtesy of XLR8R

I always thought that Pro Tools 9 was a huge jump forward, but Avid took it even a step further after 10.  Dare I say: they turned up to eleven?  There are plenty of changes this time around.  Some I am looking forward to, some I am not.  Now I will say that since I am on a budget, the latest Pro Tools I have is PT9, and I like most things about it.