CDs you should buy

This is a no-brainer. If you are visiting this site, buying this albumn is the least you can do to support Vinnie and the artists that appear on his album.

Sony SonicStage Upgrade

Sony has release an upgrade to the SonicStage program. Some of the newer features included are:

Integration of Connect™ music store - Music downloads powered by Sony.
Addition of Connect music store radio.
Access to CDDB (online database of CD album information) for automatic titling of most commercially-available audio CDs.
Tracks stored in "My Library" can be transferred to a portable device an unlimited number of times.
ATRAC® CD burning ("Create an ATRAC CD") and Redbook Audio CD burning ("Create Audio CD"), and MP3 CD burning ("Create MP3 CD") functionality.
NOTE: MP3 CD’s can only be created from original MP3 files.
The usage rule regarding burning count is based on the number of times a given playlist ("My Compilation") is burned (formerly based on number of times a given song was burned). The total number of playlist burns allowed is seven.

Here is a link to the upgradeHere is a link (MZ-NH1) For other models go to my next link, the instructions and change the model.

Here are the Instructions. Please read them. I noticed that they aren't including the Vocal Canceller anymore, which sucks. It was nice to have that built inl=.

Vinnie Colaiuta Google Group

In case anyone is interested in joining the group I've started please click the link here. To join, you just have to answer a few questions. The group just started, but it will grow with time.

One step Atrac to Wav program

Doing some digging around, I found an alpha version of a program that was developed at this site. If you click on the programs folder, you'll see it in there. Some info about it can be found here. I have yet to test it out and be warned that I take no responsibility for anything related to using this program. Use at your own risk.

WIsh List

CDs

1. Randy Waldman Trio: Timing is everything
2. JIng Chi: 3D
3. Jing Chi: Live

Sony Sonic Stage upgrade, Atrac3 to WAV converter

Sony finally got a clue and upgraded SonicStage to version 2.2 and something else: you can now convert an Atrac3 file to a .wav file! Click here to get the converter
This is such a good idea that is finally a reality. I bet the next update will be to allow mp3 files on Sonic Stage. Looks like Atrac3plus may be dying, despite it's quality. Atrac3plus could be Sony's Beta.

More thoughts on Vinnie Colaiuta

It's been a while since I've posted, so I thought I should write up something pre-Thanksgiving to send out a thought or two. I was thinking back to the days when I had music theory and how everything was analyzed and certain chord progressions have a "quality" to them that makes them pleasing or unpleasing. This made me wonder what is quality that makes a drum beat sound good? What is the quality of certain ryhthms played together that makes them sound so good? This seems to be a hard quesion to answer. I don't know of any study on the brain's reactions to certain rhythmic figures played. Why is it that 4/4 sounds so .........right. I realize that the nature of a measure of 4/4 is equal and resolute, but why is it that resolution is engrained into the human mind?

To further complicate things, if we look at complex rhythmic figures like polyrhythms and metric modulation (See this for a good example of rhythmic possibilities)another question comes to mind. Where is rhythm processed in the brain? I wonder if 4/4 and even -numbered figures are processed in a different area? Here is one interesting quote from an article:
"One early result from the Harvard study shows that children's brains process rhythm differently than melody. Brain scans from 34 of the children show that melody tends to be processed in the brain's right hemisphere, while rhythm is processed in the left hemisphere, says Katie Overy, a researcher at Harvard Medical School."

What does this have to do with Vinnie Colaiuta? Well, he seems to have a quality to the way he plays. Part of that quality comes from training and professional skills, but I wonder if there is an inherent ability that was built in or acquired? These questions may seem silly; after all, I just want to be a better drummer.

UnReel

Yesterday, I picked up UnReel, the drum book by Marc Atkinson. It's a companion to the Randy Waldman CD UnReel. The cool thing about it is that it it has transcriptions of Vinnie Colaiuta's drum solos in it. It also has rhythm scale exercises which look to be very time consuming but essential. I haven't had time to start working on it yet, but along with the Gary Chaffee Patterns book, these two should prove to be what I'm looking for in order to become a better player. Check out the Foreword.

The book is really intense, so if you're not up on polyrythms, look out.

Gary Chaffe

I recently began re-looking at some of his work/books for drums. 14 years ago, when I started out playing Time Functioning Patterns is what I started out on. It's been a solid foundation for years. However, recently I've been feeling that I need to re work some things. Jazz Independence, sticking patterns, linear phrasing. Things like that. One of the things I need to do is set up a practice kit in my basement or something.

Check out his books

These books break down every possible beat and ostinato. These books are a neccessity for anyone who plays. The exercises in these books will make you feel retarded when you first try to do them; the jazz independence exercises in particular did it for me.

Vinnie News

check this out, hudson music is releasing a Steve Gadd tribute DVD with Vinnie Colaiuta on it. The link goes to the preview video clips. It's important to note that I found the info at HOD.

10/4/04 Fargo Force

This weekend the band and I played a two night gig at Fargo Sports & Dance Club in Moline, IL. It was a long drive there and back both nights. We had the pleasure of using Advanced Audio for our sound both nights. The sound was incredible. It would've been an awesome show, but hardly anyone was there. Everyone played very well that night, probably due to the fact that we actually had monitors. I usually don't get tired playing, but for some reason, my arms were tired by the end of the night. I really need to work on some technique though, I'm finding it hard to pull off some things I want to. We may play there again next year, hopefully.

Hope to write an article describing my experience w/both of my MD recorders and the Trials and tribulations of the Uploading audio battles. I was blown away by the sound quality when I first got an MD recorder last year. I bought the Sony MZ-N10. It was the only one that I could find that had a mic input. Well, the new one I got is the Sony MZ-NH1. I boasts a 1 GB storage capacity and you can finally upload recorded audio via the USB cable. My only compaint: The cradle only charges the unit and doesn't serve as a cradle for the USB cable. Here is a link to the spec sheet from sony. Here is a list of features from minidisc.org Features: Top of the line model from Sony's first line of Hi-MD recorders.

Backlit, 3-line, Kanji-displaying (Japan only?), jog-dial equipped remote (RM-MC40ELK - ¥8000).
Charging stand. (USB connection done separately, through body).
Auto Personal Disk Memory capacity: 18 discs of 500 tracks/9 discs of 2047 tracks.
Bookmark function (up to 2047 tracks).
Program (64 songs) / Group Program (20 groups)
"VPT" Acoustic Engine (Virtual Phone Technology = Virtual Surround)
6 Band Equalizer
Mic sensitivity (high/low) selector.
Digital pitch control (allows playback speed change without pitch change).
Date-time stamp.
Quick Mode
Removeable LiIon battery (LIP-4WM).
"High Definition" digital amp.
Body construction: Magnesium
Colors: Silver and Gold
Common to Hi-MD recorders:
Records to Hi-MD (1GB) blanks and normal MD blanks reformatted to 300MB.
Plays Hi-MD and original-MD disks.
Provides PC uploading of audio recorded from microphone or line input.
Functions as USB data drive (FAT format filesystem).
Linear PCM and ATRAC3plus recording at 256 ("Hi-SP") and 64 ("Hi-LP") kbps.
Included software: SonicStage 2.0 and SimpleBurner
Operating power provided over USB bus when connected to a PC.

Microsoft's Lockoutstatus.exe

Quite often at work I must either reset a users password or unlock their account. It's no big deal, not a problem for me to do it at all. I don't mind doing it, that is part of my job. Like most IT guys, I'm always on the lookout for things to make my job easier or somewhat automated.

I should explain something first: When I get a call from a user who needs their password reset, under normal circumstances I would tell them to wait 90 minutes and their account will unlock itself. But some people cant wait that long or they have simply forgot the password. FIne. I reset the password on each domain controller to make it replicate faster. To most of my customers they can't even wait for replication.

With that explained, I can continue. Lockoutstatus.exe is a part of a resource kit from Microsoft. You can download the tools here It installs very easily. It was a very exciting prospect for me before I used it. I tried it out to unlock someone's account and it worked like a charm. No more would I have to do so much clicking to connect to each DC (domain controller), there are sometimes 15 DC's in some of our domains; and then find their account and unlock it or reset the password, that took.................Minutes. Now, with this tool it might only take ................A minute. Less clicking and less typing = less work for me.

Then I tried the reset password feature. It told me that I hadn't met the password complexity requirements. I had. Believe me I met the requirements. I did some searching on google and found a cached page that said the new version of lockoutsatus.exe supposedly fixed an error where the program makes the password blank unintentionally. Hmmm.....those joksters at Microsoft. Another "feature" of a MS product. I posted the error "error in ds:cpp:1602
" on a couple of MS sponsored boards, but got the usual responses. People asking if I had, infact met the password requirements. No one knows the answer to this problem. The tool isn't completely useless, but I'm disappointed.

First things first, I'll try to keep posts informative and formal; more like an editorial. to keep it professional. The main topics will consist of Music: posts mainly conaining links to other sites that I've found to contain intersting pages, Networking: pages that explain concepts, theories and new stuff that I find informative, and Other stuff: little things of interest like mabye an article on my experience w/Sony MD or something.

Vinnie Colaiuta

This site seems to be the definitive site on this extraordinary man. It contains music files, some video and a great message board covering a wide range of topics. I HIGHLY recommend you visit the site regularly. I've been a rabid fan of the site since about 1999 and I own a copy of Steve Holme's video. It's a great video for drummers to learn from. "The genius with a cult following" is the way Steve Holmes describes him. I'd agree. 95% of what I have in my collection of "vinnie stuff" is due to HOD

in action 

This is a new thing for me. I 'm in search of a free webhost, but this will have to do for now. Not sure how people will find this if I post something good, but it will do for now. I'm trying to upload my pic, but as of late my conncection sucks ass.

Gonna try to do some sheddin soon. Need to do it badly. My chops are not what they once were and that's not saying much. Will try to keep things updated here. Not sure of the limitation of this blog thing, but if I can add pics, mp3s, and maybe video; that would kick ass.