Today I got into a debate about a tool called Melodyne. I don't know if that is the name of the program or the process, but this youtube video shows a technique for changing individual notes in a recorded core. It is mind blowing technology, but a user was talking about how this technology is threatening because any Joe-blow could record himself and make himself sound as professional as Whitney Houston. He said you should make it right at record time not edit afterwards. While I can see the concern, I feel it is unfounded. At the end of the day a recording company is looking at the image of the band they are signing. It doesn't matter if you sound good any more to be popular, just if you follow the current trends, or are in such a position to set trends. (Mainstream wise, if your looking for money). I am an artist. I don’t care if it was recorded well at the beginning or if I edited in the process. It’s part of creation.

My argument for this technology being awesome is that a tool doesn't make a talented artist. If you think that by having a calculator I would be able to become a mathematician, then think again. I can do square roots on paper, most school teachers grade school and beyond don't know how to do this. It is so true that tools make us lazy, but they don't lead us to becoming successful in the field the tool is aimed at. Being successful is about dedication and talent. Talent is a seed that must be tended to to blossom. I may have the seed of talent, but I would never have grown if I wasn’t introduced to a tool at some point in my past. If anything this technology will introduce a new medium for undiscovered artists to express on. I am pro-creativity, I don’t care how you do it. I am not extraordinarily talented at any instrument, because I haven’t sunk the time into practicing them, but I have an ear for song. It doesn’t matter the tool I am using, guitar, piano, production software, or my bathroom sink, music is music, and I love all forms of it…

Last night I met someone cool at the bar named Amy. She was interested in my boy Marcus Roth and started making conversation with us. For some reason she looked extremely familiar to me, but you know how that happens all the time. Cheers to you Amy for having a good time with us and rolling back to our place for an hour or two more of conversation.

I started a diet Monday, the diet involves no Booze and no Caffeine. I have broken my diet 3 out of 6 days I have been on it, but I have definitely cut back my consumption levels. I really want to loose some sizes for the summer, I got 3 months till my B-day. My goal isn't high, and shold be reachable since I am am doing kung fu. I just need to step it up a level. I plan on using this blog to track my temptations and how I overcome them. A major part of life is being tempted. Like the bible says. Temptation may not be the Devil in my eyes, but it is an obstacle to overcome. How can I call myself a "Strong" or "Hard" person if I cannot overcome a simple temptation... The biggest temptation is being offered food or a beer. I have found a very good way of saying no is "Aww, i'll pass, but thank you." If they push it I just say, "Hey man, I am trying to keep with a diet." I am an overweight dude. 5'6", 270 lbs (although its a lot of muscle I hear that I don't look it all the time). I have been slowly gaining weight ever since I started binging on Caffeine. Caffeine is a terrible drug. You would think that a speeder would make you lose weight, but actually it increases the amount of insulin and adrenaline in your blood and makes you body turn sugars into fat. Any kind of processed sugar gets turned to fat easily because it's already half way there... There are sugars in any kind of vegetable and grain food... My diet is cutting back on breads and removing candy / soda completely from my diet. I am eating salads, but hoping to cut out the dressing as well. Eating should be something I do strictly for replenishing my energy, not for enjoying. Not that I shouldn't enjoy what I do eat, I just need to think more about what I consume.

A food diary is a great idea. I might use this blog for that. Not that anyone reads anyway hahaha.

NEW SONG: Song Today - It's simplistic style of music where I try and maximize on bass. I enjoy the tune a lot and hope you do too. If you like it drop me a message @ my email (check contacts page).

Hey folks :). Its been a tad over a month since I last blogged so I thought I would pop one up as I am trying to get myself back in the mood for web design.

I read about Heath Ledger over the last couple days and I have to say that it is a truly tragic thing to have someone pass away. It got me thinking about how the media focuses in on one thing and talks about it over and over. I have seen the same system used before in training exercises and social programming videos. I find it interesting how many people who only know someone's face can feel strongly towards their death. Would a 28 year old marine who died defending our country receive this kind of media attention? Likely not. People are so infatuated with the rich and famous. Those dreams of living a life of no responsibility often allow us to get caught up in the image... My heart goes out to the Heath Ledger's family and especially his daughter. I hope you find strength in one another during this emotional time.

Shortly after my grandfather passed away I recorded a short clip of myself saying something like "It's not about your friends... family... It's not about the people you know. It's not about who's going to take care of your kids or your dog, or who’s going to inherit all of you shit. When you die, you become a part of something else..." Shortly after Steve mixed it into a killer song that has yet to be titled. I plan on finishing the break melody sometime so we can crank out another great song. Keep your eyes open as I should be receiving it sometime in the near future.

So I know you have been aching to know, "What has old Sean Campbell been up to these past few weeks?" Well, for your information, not a whole lot. I dropped a grand on my car to get the bitch inspected. I walked to work in the cold rain (about 2.5 miles) but was psyched that I got to drive home that day. The next morning I sat in it to go to work and (not to my surprise) it wouldn't start. It wasn't chugging at all, just a click and silence. After a few goes I got it to turn over and start up (but it took a while to get going steady, I think I need to change the oil, it did sit for a couple months). I am fairly certain that I am having issues with my Anti-theft system, I will drop some images of the by-pass i will be performing on it. Going to wire a switch up to it.

I had my rank test in Pai Lum Kung Fu Friday. After an hour and a half of the hardest workout I have ever done, I was promoted to 9th lower level, an Orange Sash. I have been training for 5 months, and this was my first rank test. I am now able to start going to the "advanced" classes where I get to waist an additional hour and a half everyday.

I wanted to write about another song on my page. Grant - A Song For Iraq. Several months ago (April '06 I believe), I called off work because I was feeling ill. That morning I rolled out of bed at 8am and sat down on my computer, which had my music software loaded up. After starting a new project, I decided to begin working on a new song for my buddy Grant who was doing his second tour in Iraq. I had mentioned to him a week or two before that I was going to write him a song and at the moment I was feeling up to it. I decided to go with something simple to begin, just some strings to set a mood and a saw to drive a feeling. After I got rolling with it, and added a reverbed / delayed square instrument, I started to get zoned in. Around 5pm I realized the whole day had passed me by. At this time the song was 3 minutes long and mostly developed to what you hear today. I added a short part to the end, but I felt it was too fast sounding and had the song change tempos at that point. Once I did that the ending immediately clicked in place and the song was all but done. Over the rest of the week I tweaked volumes and EQing but in general the song remained how I made it the first day. The song just poured out of my mind, I cannot imagine how long that would have taken me if I hadn't spent the whole day working on it. Anyway, long after the song had been made, Grant was jammin' out to it in his Hummer on patrol and a roadside bomb slung shrapnel at his Armor. Luckily no one was hurt, but it was interesting that he was jammin' to that imparticular song when that happened. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the tune!!!

For a long time I refused to join Myspace or Facebook (two popular social networking sites) because I felt it was a waist of my energy. Being a musician, and having a strong desire to share what I have written with any that are willing to listen, I finally caved in and created a Myspace Music account.

Since my time on Myspace, I have observed some interesting things about human behavior. From birth we are conditioned to behave in a certain manner when around company or in public. This training is to help us develop social skills and maintain relationships with others. The unsaid truth behind it is that everyone has their own views and opinions and that these views and opinions govern how they judge others. Our judgment of an individual will change significantly when we learn of a view that contradicts our own, even to the point of disliking a good friend over something small because their view was radically different then our own.

In an internet environment, we do not have first hand experience with the person online. All we know about the user is the letters of their name, and any information they have been kind enough (or egotistical enough) to post about themselves on their profile. Because of this anonymity users begin to lose their social conditioning and begin to share their opinions freely with little regard of consequences. Many use the web sites to belittle others, whether or not deserved, with the intentions of making themselves feel better. This interesting part about this is that the same people who do the slamming are the same ones who become personally offended when another user does the same to them.

Many users will repeatedly bulletin post things like “I am having a party,” “NEW SONG UP” or even worse, they will use an interesting title and inside the subjects has nothing to do with the title, they just wanted you to come in and read what they had to say, see the video they had to post, or listen to the music that they happened to embed. It’s sickening because a great deal of my myspace time is spent weeding through the bulletins and finding the ones with real interesting stuff in it… like… surveys about people who I never talk to… wait a moment… yeah I don’t care about those either. The best part about surveys is that no one really reads the answers, they just read the first few questions then take the survey for themselves. Maybe while they are replacing the answers they will think, “Haha, I didn’t know that about so and so”. Needless to say I have come to understand Myspace as an Egocentric hideout for those bored individuals to share anything they would like in a digital format.

I ask myself everyday, “If I spent as much time with friends as I do reading shitty content on Myspace and Youtube, would I be happier?” The answer usually involves me crying, dyeing my hair black, slashing my wrists, and posting several oddly angled headshots on my personal profile…

Ahh, yet another day at the computer working on music. It's a rough job but someone's got to do it. Work was awesome today. I finished the design of Amulettk9.com last night and got the old page completely replicated. It will be nice to finally get myself down to a low work load and just have to add content for that site sporadically...