I'm a husband and follower of Jesus. Also, audio, video, web, design and all around production geek. Love what I do.
March 11 Shooting Challenge - “Someone You Talked to Today”. I’m truly blessed to be able to talk to this person every day:) Love you @traceypiercy.
March 8th Shooting Challenge - “Window”. Love this little thing near to where I live. Only functional part of the wall remaining is the window.
March 9th Shooting Challenge - “Red”. I thought Kony 2012 was a fitting subject for this one. Apparently something wecan’tall agree on. However, for better or worse Invisible children is making something happen and all eyes are on the Kony 2012 campaign.
Got a make up shot coming for yesterday. Oral surgery kicked my butt. Got something very specific in mind.. just need to get there, be patient:)
March 7th Shooting Challenge - “Something You Wore”. My dog chilling in one of my favourite ties. Yes I wear ties. Took this one using a neat technique called “lens whacking”. A technique used more for video but creates a similar effect when used in photography. Gotta give @jeff_andrews props for showing me this technique!
March 6 Shooting Challenge - “5PM”. Today at 5PM I was prepping to help direct a video shoot @ConnexusChurch. Props to @jeff_andrews for setting up the shoot and the help on this pic!
March 3. My neighbourhood. These types of flyers all over the place in my neighbourhood. Apparently whoever runs these marketing campaigns thinks that college students would like to make hundreds of dollars per day by doing nothing. Fair enough. However, they also think that they will be convinced that this is a real possibility by cheaply produced flyers taped to poles. This was taken at an arena about 90 seconds walk from my house.
I’m joining my good friend and coworker to this photos day challenge for March. Looking forward to it!
My friend reintroduced me to Tumblr. I figured I would restart with a cool challenge. One themed photo every day in March. I’ll post three today to get caught up.
I hope you’re as excited as I am.
Why?
Truthfully, because it’s not easy. It’s not seamless. It’s another system to manage that’s difficult to integrate across a wide variety of media.
I have a pretty good mind for my schedule, but it’s not perfect. I mess up, forget, as does anyone. I even recognize the need to keep a calendar, I just haven’t found a solution that seamless enough for me to implement.
I need a system that syncs seamlessley across multiple macs using a desktop app, my google account, and my phone. It also needs to sync with my to-do software, Things.app. I need sync’d alerts on all, my desktop calendar app to open at login, and I don’t need one way syncing. I need to be able to keep multiple calendars and share different calendars with different people. It needs to operate offline but sync in the cloud. Also, it has to be free and work over wifi.
On the front end I know that if it doesn’t do all of these things, then it just won’t work for me. If I could have everything above, then the step to actually keeping and maintaining a calendar would be easier. Until today, I couldn’t find a system that met all of these expectations.
Then I found CalDAV, a protocol that opens the gates of wonder for calendars. Using CalDAV, I can sync iCal and Google Cal, which I can then sync to my iPhone. Alerts go along for the ride and I can sync however many calendars I want. Also, Things.app can now sync with iCal, which then syncs with everything else. I can put in any event anywhere and it magically appears across all my devices, alerts and all.
Hallelujah. I may be late on this boat, but I know many people struggle trying to find a seamless calendar solution. This took a few minutes to set up, but it’s super slick. And free.
This is big. I have never kept a calendar. Until today.
If you suck at keeping calendars, have struggled to find a clean easy solution, and are Mac based, hit me up. I can help:)
How to make work-life balance work. This video is awesome. I love my job, it’s one of the most favourite things I do. For some of us, that can become a problem, but it doesn’t have to. The concept here is simple. Make the important things in your life a priority, it’s the execution that can be difficult.
I am a HUGE fan of this literary genre. I could eat it up all day and all night. Even though I have a pretty broad range of tastes as far as reading goes, time and time again I find myself drawn back to this very specific genre, time period, and geographic origination.
What is so magnetic about it? It’s more complicated that you may think. Hopefully I can give you a better appreciation for this niche body of works.
Let’s start with the content.
Science fiction works written between 1930-1970 were written in a time where science was much less sure of itself. The writers never needed to go into much physical or technical detail because the society on the whole was much less knowledgeable about the capabilities of technology. When reading these books there is one side of my brain that says “That would never work” or “That isn’t physically possible.” One great example is in an early work by CS Lewis called “Out of the Silent Planet”. In it, the main characters leave earth in a small spherical ship with absolutely no explanation given to the method of propulsion or internal gravity. Modern works spend paragraphs detailing how the engines and other systems of the technology itself phyically work. To me this actually detracts from the story line itself.
The absence of this in early works adds to the romance, and also enhances and better highlights the plot and character development.
Even though the books are often vague on the details, people were dreaming during this time period like they never had before. These books were written just prior to the dawn of the space age, so people’s imaginations were on fire. I find that adventurous and pioneering spirit carries though quite clearly in the books written in the science fiction genre in this time period.
One other thing I love about them is the vocabulary used. While modern works use lots of technical terminology, the mid-century works use a vocabulary that hearkens back to a different time. Also the British, particularly of that time period, tended to be much more wordy than modern western authors. While this makes for some long and often obscure word usage, they’re an absolute pleasure to read. On the whole, I find these books much more generally eloquent than their modern equivalents.
Lastly, their plots are often laced with overtones evaluating the human condition, the balance between good and evil, and often are much more philosophical than books of the same genre released today. I think this may be due to the fact that they were written in the shadow of two major world wars, when the men writing them were forced to think about what was really important in their own lives, as they never knew from one month to the next if the war would take a turn for the worse.
Next, let’s get down to a more tangible reason. The format.
I just love holding and reading these books! Everything about them is awesome. Let’s look at the various parts combining to collectively form their awesomeness.
The covers. Just look at these:
How can you not love that gorgeous vintage graphic design? Enough said.
The print. For some reason I just love the really small print, the tight spacing, the heavier weight of the printing itself. It makes the works feel…. denser, more substantial than newer works. Have a peek:
Compare this to the more delicate and wider spaced printing of an equivalent modern work:
The paper color and smell. I don’t know how to describe it, but the older a book gets the more distinguised an air it aquires. The yellowing of the paper, and that musty smell all help pull me into the story.
Here’s a big one, the size. Look at these two books:
I love both, but which one am I going to want to curl up with? Not personally looking to snuggle with something encyclopedia sized. However, that is common size in modern day works. Mid century british written and published works (printed in that era) all share the same, small, comfortable footprint that.. just fits.
Lastly, they’re cheap! You may have noticed a few of the ORIGINAL printings have price tags on them of about 2.50. Can’t beat that! Some of the cheapest “antique” items you can find!
All in all, I just think that every element of this genre leads to a very enjoyable reading experience. Do you have a favourite genre? If so, have you every thought about why it’s your favourite? What love to hear what it is and why.
If you’d like to have a go at reading one of these awesome books, then any of the ones pictured are great. If you have any suggestions for me too I’d love to hear them!
This video made me LOL. In some ways, it was easier to cover the Toronto election than the one in my (now) hometown of Barrie. The media coverage surrounding it was incredible. However, much of it wasn’t based on platform, ideas or political issues. The “progressive” people just seemed to really not like Rob Ford.
I don’t consider myself well informed enough to state whether or not I think Toronto ended up with the right mayor, however, this video hits the nail on the head when it comes to the often hypocritical attitudes of many “progressive” individuals in our society in general.
Funny:)
I’ve been working on a project for the last number of weeks I’m very, very excited about.
Chris Thompson is a very talented acoustic guitar player releasing his first LP. All recording, mixing, mastering, photography and album design was done by Feedback Audio. It’s been a pleasure working with Chris and I’ll be posting some clips soon! Stay tuned… masters are this week!
Like most of you, the only reaction I’ve ever had to the word “Karaoke” was laughter. When I think of it, I think of lot’s of overly indulged (if you know what I mean) individuals singing to cheesy back tracks most likely in a dingy bar, none of whom are good singers and pretty much all of whom, unbeknownst to them, are making complete fools of themselves.
Or at least I did think that.
Until I had the opportunity to start building a client base of karaoke singers. That’s right, people actually do come to me to record themselves singing karaoke. Prior to my first session, I was ready for a laugh fest. What surprised me is many of the people are good. Really good.
As time has gone on and my client base has grown of people who record these projects, my appreciation for the art has grown in turn. In fact, lots of them are better singers than the many lead singers for “normal” bands. Check out this sample, recorded by a gentleman named Buzz who I’ve worked with over the last couple months. One take:
On a given night, Buzz records 8-15 songs, one take each. He doesn’t need autotune, and doesn’t warm up. He has no proffessional vocal coaching. He just loves karaoke. And he’s a contractor.
Never let your preconceptions fool you. There are some really talented people out there. It’s been my priveledge to work with Buzz and some of his friends. Are (some) people who do karaoke talented? You better believe it.
Hey everyone!
If you visited recently and found some problems accessing the site I apologize. I recently had some problems with the firm with whom I had registered my domain, www.feedbackaudio.ca. The good news? At the exact same time, the domain www.feedbackaudio.com, came up for grabs! I purchased it and quickly moved the site over. Mostly everything is the same, we’re just under a new domain. Over the next bit as things get sorted out with the previous company I dealt with I will set the old page to automatically forward to this one.
Also, thanks to Pat Dryburgh for all the help. He is a stellar web designer who will always go above and beyond for you! Check him out at http://www.patdryburgh.com
Stay tuned for more..
Click here to view the embedded video.
Bumper package put together for the “Fuse” worship event at Connexus Community Church.
Photography by Michael Steingard
Stock Data – Revostock.com
If you’re in the business of creating stuff, which if you’re here you most likely are, you know that a crucial step to creating something awesome is being inspired by awesome things.
This week I’ve been listening to this:
The album “Go” by Jónsi, is awesome. The first solo release from the lead singer of Sigur Rós is chock full of inspiration. Originality and aural bliss are pretty well encapsulated within this piece of art. Give it a listen, all the way through. I promise at the end you’ll be ready to create.
You can even listen to the whole album online for free, here.
What has inspired you this week?
This is one of the most valuable pieces of knowledge I could pass along. As you walk down your road, you’ll likely get more responsibility, get to play with bigger and more expensive toys and mix for more people in bigger venues. It won’t happen overnight of course, but if you approach your position with everything you’ve got it will happen eventually. As you make that journey one of the most valuable things you can do to make yourself a better engineer is replace yourself.
I first got a handle on this leadership tidbit in the book 7 Practices of Effective Ministry by Andy Stanley, Reggie Joiner, and Lane Jones. It may sound counter intuitive, but bringing up people behind you will benefit you in a number of ways:
If you’re behind an audio desk, guaranteed there are at least a few young, eager would-be students chomping at the bit to work beside you, most of them are probably too shy to ask. So, keep an eye out and when you see someone who is constantly keeping an eye on what you’re doing have a conversation. See if they would like to be involved. You might not have the authority, or budget, to offer pay, but 95% who want to get involved will do so on a volunteer basis.
Notice I haven’t yet mentioned anything in this series on gear, mixing, or procedures. That’s because I believe all these things are secondary compared to the points we’ve already talked about. If you can nail down your communication, troubleshooting, temperament, and leadership skills you’ll be setting yourself up for success before you even turn up a single fader.
Yes, this is an important enough point to dedicate an entire post from this series on. If you are going to be a truly awesome engineer you need to learn to cool your jets.
Being able to stay level headed and not lose your cool or get flustered is essential if you are going to thrive as an engineer. It’s a high pressure, high expectation position where things are bound to go wrong. If you lose your cool, the whole production is going to start going off the rails. Guaranteed.
Let’s be honest for a minute here:
It’s easy to be chill when everything is going smoothly and you have an awesome mix, the true test of your character will be in the crazy times. As a key figure your frame of mind will trickle down through the whole team.
When you get hit with a situation, take a deep breath, then take a few seconds and prioritze. Start fixing the things you need to immediately. When the communication comes flooding in, don’t let someone take you off track of the quickest solution. Respond quickly and succinctly, but keep your primary focus on what you are doing. As FOH engineer you are the expert, so you should be able to identify the best and fastest course of action in response to a sticky situation.
If you can stay calm, fix problems quickly and efficiently, focus, and keep a level head when things go haywire you will not only be able to resolve the things you need to quicker, but you will also grow in esteem of the whole crew and put on a better production as a result.
If you want to be a really great front of house engineer, the very first step is to look beyond what’s in front of you. Mixers, microphones, DI boxes are a means to an end, not an end in themselves.
Give yourself a goal.
I’ve seen many good engineers (some of them very good), been kept from becoming great engineers simply because they couldn’t look beyond what was right in front of their face. Whether you’re experienced or just starting out, remember that the gear and the mix isn’t the end goal. It’s audience experience. At the end of the day, it’s your job to make sure the people in the audience leave with a great experience.
The mix and the gear you use are certainly an important component to this, but not by far the only component. If you want to become really great, take your head out of the game and evaluate the situation around you. How is everyone you’re working with feeling? Is the band able to perform to their best? Is the environment tidy? Did that guest just trip on that cable? Is what you’re physically doing transparent or distracting? Are you being a catalyst to an amazing production or simply a step between the experience and the end user.
If you step back and consider the world going on around you, odds are you’ll catch a few things that were creating roadblocks to a great experience for your guests and/or your talent.
Here’s some specific pointers to look for:
The list could go on and on. The takeaway is, before you dive into the gear you’re working with, there are a whole other host of things that deserve your consideration first. Get your head out of the game and give the production the attention it will take to make it excellent for your audience.
Stay tuned for Part 2…
One of the biggest questions I get as a production professional and audio engineer is “How do I get into this?”
Audio engineering and reinforcement is the dream playground of many young (and also not so young) musicians and technical types. Most who are not already plugged in are plagued by this very question. The world is so vast and filled with such specialized knowledge that it’s easy to get lost and ultimately give up before even getting an honest crack at it. It’s just not an easy world to break into, unless you have a leg up.
Where do you start? How do you learn? Find an education? Get better? Develop your ear? Learn the gear? Learn the people? The list goes on. If this sounds like you, or if you have your foot in the door but seem to be hitting the wall, then the next series of posts is for you.
Stay tuned!
I’m a little hesitant to let the lid off this quite yet, but a little tease can’t do any harm….
I’ve started a new project with a close friend. I’m very excited for the release, happening later this year. Stay tuned, I think you will be too…..
Almost everyone prays. Ever feel like your prayers aren’t working though? That’s why the Hello?? series in on this weekend at both campuses. Over three weeks, we’re going to cover three reasons why you’re not hearing from God.
Although it’s the Long Weekend, it’s going to be a great weekend at Connexus Church at both campuses. Why not bring all your friends along this weekend?
Oh, and as a holiday weekend special, I’ve included some great photos of our Grateful Event Wednesday night at the Opera House. What an incredible time. Thanks Jeff Andrews for some gorgeous pics! And yes, our musicians are in full swing Sunday. It’s going to be a great day!
Barrie Campus
8.30 and 10.00 am | Galaxy Cinemas, Barrie
Hello?? | Part 2: When to Start (and Stop) Praying :: Carey Nieuwhof
Is it ever a bad time to pray? Maybe. There are times where you simply need to do something. And other times where the opposite is true: you’ve done everything you can do and simply need to pray. This week, we’ll explain the link between preparation and prayer.
Orillia Campus
8.30 and 10 am | Family Ministry @ 10am | Galaxy Cinemas, Orillia
Hello?? | Part 1: Why Your Prayers Don’t Work :: Carey Nieuwhof
We’ve all been disappointed when our prayers don’t get answered the way we hoped. Are we praying incorrectly? Is there a better way to pray? Does God just not care? This week, we’ll look at why looking for specific answers in prayer can be disappointing, and what to do about it.
Of course you do. We all do.
That’s what we’ve got planned for you Wednesday night at the Orillia Opera House. We’re calling it “Grateful”, and it’s a night where we want to express our gratitude to God and our gratitude to you for what God’s been doing over the last year at Connexus.
If you love our music, it’s a don’t miss event. The band will be playing some of your favourite worship songs, we’ll tell some stories, share some vision and share communion. It will be a powerful night.
We’re inviting everyone who has financially contributed anything (even a dollar) to our mission and vision over the last year.
It’s not too late to RSVP, so join us this Wednesday, May 16th from 7-9 at the Orillia Opera House. It’s going to be a blast. You can RSVP here.
See you then! Can’t wait for an awesome evening together! I hope you’ll agree, it’s exactly what you needed.
Ever think your prayers don’t ‘work’? If so, you’re not alone. It’s going to be a fantastic weekend at Connexus as we tackle that question. Both our current series (Save & Delete and our new series Hello??) are about prayer. As we wrap up Save & Delete in Orillia, we’ll finish up our look at David’s cry for help in Psalm 101 and see in incredible terms the best things to save and the best things to delete in your life.
In Barrie we kick off a brand new series called Hello??. In it, we’ll outline three reasons you don’t hear from God when you pray. Going to be a great series and one you should invite your friends to.
Finally, DON’T BE LATE! Mom’s, we have something a little fun and hopefully therapeutic for you five minutes before the service starts. So be in your seats early! It will be fun!
Oh, and have you RSVP’d for Grateful yet? If not, do so now!
Here’s what up this weekend!
Barrie Campus
8.30 and 10.00 am | Galaxy Cinemas, Barrie
Hello?? | Part 1: Why Your Prayers Don’t Work :: Carey Nieuwhof
We’ve all been disappointed when our prayers don’t get answered the way we hoped. Are we praying incorrectly? Is there a better way to pray? Does God just not care? This week, we’ll look at why looking for specific answers in prayer can be disappointing, and what to do about it.
Orillia Campus
8.30 and 10 am | Family Ministry @ 10am | Galaxy Cinemas, Orillia
Save & Delete – Part 4: Save
As much as there are some things we should delete in our lives, there are some things that should never be deleted. In fact, they need to be saved. Even backed up to be kept forever. We’ll look at the kinds of things–and the kinds of people–you want to always have close to you.
Delete…delete…save…save. That’s kind of the sound around Connexus these days as we’re figuring out which influences to delete in our lives, and which to save. There’s been a lot of conversation and if you’ve missed any of the messages, it’s super easy to catch up online here or via our iTunes video podcast. Both are free and they provide easy ways to share the message with friends.
This weekend we continue Save & Delete at both campuses. Thanks for continuing to invite your friends (this is a great series for it). We saw yet another attendance high last weekend at our campuses and we’re so looking forward to seeing more lives changed.
Oh…and did you hear about Grateful - a two hour special event designed for anyone who has given anything financially to Connexus in the last year (even a dollar). We would love for you to come out and celebrate at the Orillia Opera House, Wednesday, May 16th from 7-9. It’s an evening of incredible music, stories, communion and vision. Don’t miss it. Click here to RSVP.
Here are the details for Sunday!
Barrie Campus :: Save & Delete – Part 4: Save
(8.30 and 10.00 am | Galaxy Cinemas, Barrie)
As much as there are some things we should delete in our lives, there are some things that should never be deleted. In fact, they need to be saved. Even backed up to be kept forever. We’ll look at the kinds of things–and the kinds of people–you want to always have close to you.
Orillia Campus :: Save & Delete – Part 3: Toxic People
(8.30 and 10 am | Family Ministry @ 10am | Galaxy Cinemas, Orillia)
Can you be a Christian and delete toxic people from your life? Surprisingly, yes. In fact, sometimes it’s the most loving thing you can do. Join us to find out why, when, how to delete toxic people from your life. You might even discover who needs to go.
See you then. Bring a friend!
I’m so personally excited this weekend is here. We’re going to get to talk about things that we rarely talk about but that impact your life and the life of your friends everyday – toxic things and toxic people. At our campuses this weekend we’ll tackle both subjects and I hope it will help everyone sort through some of the more difficult questions and issues we experience. Can you be a Christian and still delete things? Even people? Join us this weekend to find out!
Barrie Campus :: Save & Delete – Part 3: Toxic People
(8.30 and 10.00 am | Galaxy Cinemas, Barrie)
Can you be a Christian and delete toxic people from your life? Surprisingly, yes. In fact, sometimes it’s the most loving thing you can do. Join us to find out why, when, how to delete toxic people from your life. You might even discover who needs to go.
Orillia Campus :: Save & Delete – Part 2: Toxic Things
(8.30 and 10 am | Family Ministry @ 10am | Galaxy Cinemas, Orillia)
One of the reasons many shy away from the Christian faith or avoid going deeper is because they fear giving up things they like, even though they suspect they may not be good for them. Can you be a Christian without being a prude?
Excited for Sunday! See you then!
Carey