LETTER OF THE MONTH
Jun 1, 2006 12:00 PM
BACK FROM THE DEAD
I've been reading Remix for some time now and have always wanted to write in but never knew what the subject matter would be. I didn't want to write the same old, “Great mag, keep up the good work” thing. Well, March 2006's issue carried an article worth recognition. “Possibly Maybe” (“Band Aid”) by Errol Kolosine, General Manager of Astralwerks, has inspired a sense of my musical attitude that had nearly been left for dead.
Before reading the article, I had completely withdrawn from the music business. I had decided (based on some bad experiences) that I did not want to be involved in a business that cared so little about its product. Since then, I've been making music only as a creative hobby, putting forth little or no effort toward any of the things that would help my music make money for me. After reading about how Errol runs Astralwerks, I felt a renewed sense of faith in “the business.” It would appear that some of the head honchos out there actually do care about the artists and the music they make and still maintain realistic business ethics. This was an eye-opening realization for me, seeing as how I haven't sent in a demo or been paid for a live gig in over a year. I am now much more motivated to start sending out demos again and get my music heard by the labels. Hopefully, I can have the opportunity to be a part of a label such as Astralwerks, which understands the importance of trust and respect in any relationship, even in the music business.
Joshua Sadowski
Casnovia, Mich.
For sending in this month's winning letter, Joshua Sadowski wins his own Lexicon Omega ($449.95) desktop recording studio. If you send in the most inspired correspondence next month — or simply the letter we like best — you will win the Lexicon Lambda desktop recording studio. All you have to do is send an e-mail to remixeditorial@remixmag.com. Please include your full mailing address.
ELECTRONIC RADIO LIVES!
After reading Scott Kearnan's letter in the May 2006 issue of Remix, I have to agree about the lack of electronic music on the radio. However, in Boston, there are still some places where electronic music on terrestrial radio exists, and it's also streamed on the Web for everyone outside of New England.
Emerson College's FM station, WERS 88.9 FM Boston, has a show called “Revolutions.” This show runs from midnight to 3 a.m. every weekday and plays all sorts of electronic and dance music. I suggest that everyone check it out, as the station Webcasts 24/7 at its site, www.wers.org.
Often, there are live performances and guests in the studio. Overall, I've found the show well-worth staying up late, and I hope to work on the show next year when I go off to college at Emerson. So even if the “mainstream” has put the music in the background, there are still some places left to get your fix.
Sam Ejnes
Glocester, R.I.
AW, SHUCKS
I always thought that you guys made a pretty good magazine. However, having received the Gabriel & Dresden issue, I have to bump you guys up to being a great magazine. There was so much great stuff in that issue (and that article in particular), it's ridiculous. Keep up the good work. I've been in school for the past 18 years straight, and I can easily say that your mag has taught me far more worthwhile/useful information than any textbook.
Chris Taylor
via e-mail
GET YOUR VOCALS HERE
In each issue of Remix magazine, I get pumped to see what's new with vocal production. In last month's issue, the “Freakin' the Faders” article (April 2006) had me psyched about tools and technology to make vocals pop. However, my experiences have proved that vocal samples are not always easy to come by. Where do we get the vocals that make our song? Searching through old 12-inches in the record store has had its better days. But online sites like acidplanet.com and vocalsonly.com have a ton of vocal loops for indie producers and DJs like us.
DJKT
San Francisco, Calif.
THAT IS SO LAME!
While I did find a mention of an amazing MP3 encoder called LAME in Ean Golden's “Digital DJ” column (“Digital Crunch,” February 2006), Doug Eisengrein's “Phantom Power” column (“Format Wars,” April 2006) left out mention of the encoder. There is some good information about general encoding and compression schemes, but I think readers will benefit from hearing more about the best MP3 encoder out there.
LAME generates highly transparent sound files with equivalent file sizes to other encoders. It would be great if Doug tackled another article with actual comparisons and charts of file sizes and notes about each compression (maybe with two different songs with varied sound ranges/styles), along with downloadable samples of the compressions.
Thanks for listening and keep up the good work. I have been a subscriber since day one!
Jethro Senger
via e-mail
BACK ON THE CHAIN GANG
I grew up in the music industry tagging along with my father who was a live-audio engineer. I started mixing live audio when I was 12 years old, but I had been out of the music industry for a number of years until recently, when I took a sales and marketing manager position for a company called Illusion Sound and Lighting. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed about the re-entry into the industry since I had been a stranger for so long. Co-workers or associates would refer to something pertaining to today's music industry in a conversation, and I had no idea what they were talking about. As I pondered the situation, I realized I had to do something to become more educated with today's ever-changing music industry. One way or another, I ended up with an online application for a subscription to Remix, and let me tell you, reading the issues was the best thing I could have done to successfully re-enter the music industry. Now people at the office have questions for me about what I've been learning. Thanks so much Remix. Keep the useful info rolling.
Jere Lefever
Lancaster, Pa.
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