some crazy moog theremin jam solo love for the music nerds… it’s at the last half
(this is a daft punk cover… the guy superimposed the lyrics digitally onto his visor it isnt real btw)

A few of my shots are on the Aquarium of the Pacific’s website as part of a moderated rotating group flickr pool (yours can be on there too, join their group!)… check it:

This post is a note to myself basically.  Music nerds might like reading it i guess.

Been thinking over my drum inventory and what i need to ‘tighten things up’ a bit.  I’m not happy with the sound i have right now… the shells are fine, but the heads and cymbal selection, and the snare need much improvement.

Pearl Session Custom - Black Lacquer

Kick: 18x22 (diam. in bold)
Toms:  9x10, 10x12, 12x14, 16x16
Snare: 6.5x14 Pearl Free-Floating 6-play Maple

Using Evan’s heads, G2 coated on toms, EMADs on kick, Genera HD Dry on snare.

Hardware: various double-braced Pearl and DW cymbal stands and tom mounts, Pearl PowerShifter Eliminator double-kick pedal, and a Iron Cobra lever glide hi-hat stand.

The plan…

Switch out snare.  I’m a fan of the solid maple warm sounding snare.  Mine is way too bright.  In fact it’s so loud and bright it’s obnoxious.

Switch out kick pedal for a Tama Iron Cobra or the DW 9000, the pearl just isn’t fast enough.  And i don’t need double kick.

The Cymbals:
(All Zildjian)

Hi-Hats:  14″ New Beat (top), 14″ Mastersound (bottom)
20″ K Custom Dark Ride
18″ K Custom Dark Crash
16″ K Custom Dark Crash
8″ K Splash

I’m going to have to listen to some more cymbals but i might switch out the hats for Zildjian A’s or a new beat for the bottom to match.  The combo i have is too washy and has no defined sharp “chick”.

Bigger ride. 22″? K or A? What i have is way too dark and has a terrible wash and sustain to it.  I need something that can crash-ride yet retain some musicality.

Drum throne:  tractor style seat with backrest.  I just cant sit on those round plush seats anymore!  Oh my aching back!  (old man!)

Posted some shots i took at the aquarium on flickr.  Go check ‘em out eh?

lobby view, originally uploaded by smashing records.

More of my wife’s mad 3D Studio Max skills. I posted three to my flickr if you want to check it out and give her props.

I think it’s amazing Marissa has this amazing gift of realizing 3 dimensional space on a 2 dimensional screen.  It boggles my mind, I could never do it.

(To any creeps who want to steal the concepts, arrangements, ideas, and intellectual property of these renders for your own use and personal gain, don’t even think about it…)

“People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power.” - President Bill Clinton, DNC 2008

Something to think about.

From a CCFA webcast on Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis:

Dr. Loftus:

…And then, I think we always worry in the back of our minds, “Are we missing something really stupid and obvious?” You look back over 50 years, and these diseases were much, much less common back then. They are much more common now. It’s interesting watching over different parts of the world where they never saw IBD, and now they are starting to see it. The general theme is that as a country becomes more industrialized and more like a Western country, they start seeing more IBD. So is it something else entirely? Is there an environmental trigger that we are missing? And I don’t know. Is that in the food? Is that in the water supply? Is it a toxin? I don’t know. But I always worry about that in the back of my mind.

(Source)