The Opposite of Faith

Geez-It's buzy!

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 07:00:01 -0700

I'll have some visual updates soon...looking into release dates now...does anyone know if its true that you should release product in August? I've heard that because its the end of summer but pre-winter that this is the case. Any comments...?

Lyric Writing…

Mon, 05 May 2008 11:09:35 -0700

This project was my first attempt at seriously writing lyrics. I’ve written before but never from a personal angle or for songs I’ve directly written. My first move was to study all the artist I enjoyed-from Chris Cornell (SoundGarden) to Rakim to Maynard James Keenan (Tool) to Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins). I wanted to try to understand how they put things together.

From Chris Cornell and I learn how to find ways to use metaphors combined with cool imagery. “Black Hole Sun”, “New Damage” and “Outshined” are all songs which I can relate to. Outshined creatively talks about insecurity and how other people relate to who they THINK you are.

From Rakim I learn how important efficiency with specific words and timing. Combing rhythms, structures and words that emphasize mean and match the timing of the music became the goal. “Move the Crowd” and “Know the Ledge” strongly influenced how specific I should be with words.

From Maynard James Keenan I learned to look internally and externally to look at how I look at I look at things and make those things subject matter for my own personal growth. “Lateralus”, “Forty Six & 2” and “Vicarious” heavily influenced my writing and subject matter and how to present them.

And from Elizabeth Fraser-whom often uses sounds and non specific words without any meaning, I learned to listen for sounds and hear words that fit the music. I began to close my eyes and write down what ever words I heard and then find the meaning and subject matter.

It all became a process of looking inside and writing things when ever they came to me. That started to become melodies, whole phrases and specific titles. It became a refined process where I could listen to a track-hear a rhythm and words that fit what was happening.

By the end of the 8 songs I wanted to write, it had become my process-listen, open up, write and refine.

I would love to hear how others create theirs…

J
The Opposite of Faith

WANTED: A crew...

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:25:04 -0700

Hey All-

We're in the studio right now. Latrice is singing like an angel! Seriously, she sang one song half asleep and sounded amazing-I'd paid money to do that! I'm happy with the way the first two singles are coming out and have a special idea about how I'm going to present them. This is where I came to a bit of a dilemma though...

Let me start by saying I respect smarts, hard work, and efficiency. I DO NOT respect stupidity, laziness and frivolity. I like timing and preparation and smart positioning-what some would call luck. Sharp shooting impresses me more than buck shot if you get my drift. So I had an idea and I'm thinking I want to open up the floor and see what kind of response I get. Here's the long and short of it:

I've been studying this new media model for a while and I'm looking for other musicians to work with to promote and co-promote projects as an official/unofficial process.

Now I've met some great folks here who totally get it and whom I want to talk to and interact with more as soon as we're done in the studio and with the art. (You all know who you are as we have had contact). That has been totally cool. Unfortunately as I've been focused on creating a media company, I've also run into the idiots, wanna-be's and excited lazy types who 'just wanna rawk' or 'get rich or die trying' and I have no patience for that kind of bullshit. If you're not willing to do the hard work I'm not willing to waste time giving you resources so you understand the hard work. I'm just looking for more serious people I can interact with and hoping that I can weed out the weak and develop a tight circle of dedicated individuals who want to make a mark and be successful through smart effort.

So here's what I'd like to do:

I want to talk to other artist who are researching and understanding the new media and the new phase of the music industry. I'm hoping to set up some co-promotion, but only with artist who's styles match with what I'm trying to do (which creates a relevancy to audience). The idea is to establish a base and a basis for cross-promotion. This isn't to say that what I'm trying to do won't connect and associate with other groups and projects, I just want this group and others, to have a focus first, and then share ideas.

If this sounds like you, let's talk:

You are well versed in web promotion, understand the 'Long Tail' model, the 'music like water' metaphor, know/understand the 'Tipping Point' ideas, don't think that 'spamming' is a good thing, etc. In other words, someone serious, who wants to get things done, not someone who says they're serious and wants to get things done (if you were serious, you wouldn't have to say it).

Ultimately, my project is going to be music and art heavy, very visual and so far people have compared it to 'Gorillaz, Gnarls Barkley, and Massive Attack with a dash of Alice in Chains. If this fits your style, let's talk...I'd love to have two other bands that fit this model and I can cross promote with. If this sounds like you, contact me directly...

BUT PLEASE: Only contact me directly if you are familiar with the ideas above, or things similar to them (if you don't know-search the terms). I'm happy to help anyone who want to make a real effort, but for this, I want contribution-let's SHARE ideas.

Thanks for reading and I hope every one gets where I'm going with this...don't take as a diss-its not directed at anyone and I'm not going to waste time responding to anyone who finds some way to be offended by what I wrote-that would be the type of person I'm not trying to talk to anyway. Everyone else, let's talk!

J

Opposite of Faith

Trouble shooting your project: The Three Whys-

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 22:45:31 -0700

The Three Whys-

Just a short one this time-things are crazy right now and I have a lot to get done.

The book Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath has a huge amount of great ideas to help you understand how your project works. One of the tactics mentioned in it is “The Three Whys”

You can use it like this:

Why is your project ‘X’?

Why?

Why?

This will help you understand what makes or breaks what you’re trying to do. If you can’t find an answer to the whys, you need to dig deeper into what your project is and where you want it to go.

It’s a great system, I don’t have to add much more than that…

I’m hard at work, so the next time you hear from me (hopefully), I have a whole new revision for you…

J

Because I’m sick of spam…read this and learn real Marketing…

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:31:33 -0700

I’m going to give credit to The Capitol Clinic for inspiring me to write this. It’s information I wouldn’t have given up otherwise…even though I’m sick of spam…

This is for people who really are serious about making their career in music. If you ‘just wanna rock’ or ‘just want the fans to hear your music and love you’ or want to ‘get rich or die trying’ you may not want to read this…its not bullshit. This is for people who are willing to listen, do the smart work and EARN it-not for people who want things given to them.

First a story, by way of example…

I had just gotten done picking up a few things at Guitar Center and while I was checking out the guy at the counter turned to me and said-’Dude, what are you doing tonight?’ Before I got a chance to tell him how into my Girlfriend I was he said ‘My band is playing, you should come and check them out.’ I said ‘oh, ok, thanks-maybe I will’ and took the flyer just to get away form the awkward situation.

As I was walking back to my car, I saw a van stopped at the corner. It had some gigantic ad on it (which I immediately ignored-I hate being so blatantly advertised to…). A kid of about 17 stepped out and spotted me and shouted ‘Ay, you like Hip Hop?’ while he extended a CD in my direction. ‘Naw’ I replied (I haven’t like Hip Hop since Biggie was shot by Shuge‘s people). Just like before-he was just someone taking my time and trying to get my money. Sorry, No.

Once I got back to my car, I tossed my stuff in and saw through my passenger side window an older woman huddled up against a building with a cup in her hand. I walked over and gave her two bucks. She smiled and said ‘thank you.’

Why was she the only one who ‘made a sale?’ Because what she needed fit what I wanted (she needed money, I felt saddened by seeing a older person begging for change). I gave up money because of what I wanted to do, not what she wanted me to do-although the two aligned in the end and, not to make light of her situation, but she didn’t have to say or do anything to get the money.

______________________________

Here’s the reality of what I’m trying to say. NO ONE CARES THAT YOU WANT THEM TO BUY YOUR MUSIC. People buy/listen to music because it fits their moods, gives them the feeling they want, aligns them with their perceived identity, gets them laid, etc. You have to align what you’re doing with what they want-NOT what you want.

For example-One of the bands I enjoy is Tool. I also love Rick James and Massive Attack. I enjoy the creativity in the style and arrangement of the music. I like the sounds and the lyrics. None of those statement are about the bands. They are about me. Try it with a band/person who’s music you enjoy. YOU enjoy what they do-you don’t buy it because of them, you buy it because of you.

The biggest mistake I see people making in promoting their music is that they don’t align their needs with your wants.

So here’s where I’m coming from. I have my own service oriented business. I have been through a lot of models and, due to interaction with a lot of people who’ve made a LOT of money (one of my clients bought his Porche with a personal check), I’ve learned a lot about how these things work.

The Rules:

People are self motivated.

There are certain realities of creating products to sell. The primary one is not to confuse YOUR interest with your buyers interest. A close friend of mine once told me ‘no one ever does anything because of you.’ I can‘t think of a truer statement. The minute you’re telling someone that they should check out your music you are making a mistake. Give them a reason to check out your music. That generally will happen when you…

Pre-qualify your audience:

Although you may think everyone will like your music…IT’S JUST NOT TRUE. More than anything, its not useful for you to think that way. Let’s say you are a Hip Hop artist and you’re using the ’Too Short’ street sales approach like the kid I mentioned before (not advised, but whatever…). If you saw some Goth chick in a Korn shirt standing in front of you, she may like Hip Hop, she may not-but we all KNOW that is not half as optimal a situation of seeing a young black male wearing Echo gear in front of you-even if he says no-like I did. Of course, both may like your music, but obviously one is more likely to buy than the other. Depending on the circumstance, you may want to approach both, but creating situation where you have to up-sell (i.e. try to sell product in a difficult situation) is generally not a good call. That time could be spent talking to someone who may fit the situation and be a buyer. I would have advised that kid to place himself at a car stereo store or rims shop-likely where many of his fans would be-before just randomly going up to someone on the street. Had I been in an environment where I heard his music, there would be potential for me to buy (but I wouldn’t be at a rim shop…).
Figure out who your target audience is and focus on getting them, because, like in the Gladwell model that person will likely become a…

Connectors/Mavens: These are the hardcore people we all know who love things so much that they are willing to spend time/money on them. You can find them when you start looking at…

Adjacent services and industries: The more people who relate to the generalities of what you’re producing, the more you can find those audiences you want to find. For example, on my project, working with the legend himself, DJ Quest, I’m also doing pretty extreme (for Djing) MIDI experiments and using the mixer and Turn Tables to control some very cool synths. I also knew that many DJ’s and people who are fans of Turntablism also like graffiti. Graffiti fans tend to also like anime. So I marketed the Karas AMV featuring DJ Quest to DJ fans, anime fans and electronic music fans by looking to where they all congregate: You Tube. I also contacted many people who were the pre-qualified connectors and told them about it, knowing that they would tell others. It only makes sense to promote to all audiences and cross pollinate-Djs , people into synths, people into anime, and people into electronic music. Doing so has already gotten attention from companies who see the benefit in dealing with someone who is innovating-and they will help promote the project even more because of the way we are using their gear. It also generated over 1000 views in a little over a month. Understanding the opportunities like this happen when you understand the…

Context:

This is a big one for me. There is a time and place and way for everything. The minute you run up in someone’s face, or spam them, or leave an ad on the page your are breaking the flow of context. No one likes having someone walk up to them and try to get money from them. No one went to someone else’s page to have you advertise your product. It really isn’t any different than the person who walks up begging for change. Had the woman in the earlier story done what the two guys before her did I probably wouldn’t have given her money. Sad but true.

Now, you can create a context by PROPER PLACEMENT. Creative ideas and thoughtful positioning can help you stand out. Doing what the person next to you is doing is a great way not to stand out. You can start this process by thinking about all the things and industries that surround what you are trying to accomplish. When and where a people going to be receptive? Think about it-there’s many times where you see and hear about things and then checked them out (I just introduced some of you to Malcolm Gladwell , for example) that have nothing to do with you going into a music store or being online. If you are smart about what you do, you can creatively place you work in places where people will check them out and PASSIVELY sell to them…when was the last time you bought a movie soundtrack or a song because you heard it in a movie? That is exactly what I’m talking about.

Be smarter, Be more creative.

Before you tell me you’ve tried all this and it hasn’t worked (if you say that, then we both know you haven’t) or that I’m just bullshitting, think about what I’ve written. If you really don’t get it, or think that spam is the best approach, then I’ll go back to answering my emails from the fans and companies I’m already talking to. The secondary point of this article is to get those of you who haven’t thought about a marketing plan to think about one…I’m not the least bit interested in giving you a plan. I am interested in giving you the foundation for a plan. Which I did a few paragraph ago.

…If you have read this far, you have gotten to the true point of this article.

1) I gave it a title that caught your attention-I’m willing to bet you are an artist and not a fan (I placed it on a site with a subject matter where that would be the case). Welcome to pre-qualification.

2) I challenged you by stating in the beginning ‘if you don’t want to earn it, don’t read this.’ By doing this I either eliminated you or created context where you would be receptive to ideas. Welcome to pre-qualification.

3) I provided stories and evidence of what I was talking about. Welcome to pitching.

4) I briefly mentioned what I am doing , which some of you may check out-and eventually, may buy. Welcome to passive advertising.

5) I introduced you, potentially, to a new resource -which potentially made a sale for him, and/or gave you a sense that I knew what I was talking about. Welcome to retaining and building relationships with adjacent services. Some of you may look to me as a resource in my next blog.

6)…and agree, or disagree-I have presented myself as a Maven and marketed to you-all without saying ’check out my band…!’

…except for that last part. ;-)

…and what did I sell to you? The idea that ‘how’ you market matters as much as what you market. Which is what I was trying to sell to you. Not my band.

Hopefully, you get the point of what I’m trying to say. Thanks for reading…your comments are welcome.

J

What we all face as artist in the future…

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:08:21 -0700

I’ve been having a lot of conversations with Clif and The Capitol Clinic lately about the ‘music industry’ and where it stands versus what the artist can do now that there are so many more options available. It’s going to be a little controversial to put this in the way I’m going to but…

One of our biggest allies and adversaries are people who love music and artist are caught in the middle.

Here’s what I mean:

I had a conversation with one of my clients (in my day job). She’s part of the digital generation-a practitioner in the ‘commons‘ approach, a huge Sci Fi and music fan-particularly through her favorite DJs, though she happens to work at Wells Fargo. I asked a simple question-“Although you download or stream most of your media, what would make you buy something?” She said that she wouldn’t buy something unless she couldn’t get it any other way or if it were super rare. When she asked why I asked, I told her it was for my projects and I’m curious what motivates people nowadays. She commented on what RadioHead has done and NIN and I told her that really does nothing for independent artist.

This is where things get interesting…

Her next comment was ‘How do those guys make money?’ I responded ‘basically, they don’t.’ We quickly brain stormed the models.

‘Ok, what about I Tunes?’

You get .66 cents on the dollar at Itunes pre cost and Visa. Unless you have huge visibility, the number of units you move will be fairly minimal and most people can find a popular song online to download if they try.

‘Well what about live?’

If it’s a tour you have the cost of travel, room and board, the bar minimum at most places you play and the crew. Your only real money, unless you’re huge, is T Shirts and Merch sales.

‘What about if they’re signed?’

You’ve got your advance which is really just a budget and is basically a loan at 200-300%. If a label invest in a small band they expect (based on the old model) that you will go Gold or Platinum (500,000-1,000,000 sales.) Otherwise, you are a tax right off…

‘Wow’ she said quietly. ‘That sucks…so I am actually hurting the bands I love by not buying their stuff…’

Now that may be the logical conclusion, but that actually isn’t the point of what I’m writing. The point is that this very intelligent, web savvy woman HAD VERY LITTLE UNDERSTANDING of the end result of her actions. She just didn’t see it from this point of view…

I am in no way a proponent of the old method, and I support the commons approach, largely. It’s just mind blowing to me that people love an artist or a song, but have no understanding that ‘love’ doesn’t translate into anything if the fan doesn’t ‘act’ on that love. When I worked in computer graphics and was part of the ’software trade’ there was a general understanding that it was ok to use cracked software to learn things. If you started working professionally, or got a job where you had to use the software, or started a company-you bought…out of professionalism, respect and the fact that we wanted that product to succeed.

What has happened in general is that there is no context for what is happening nowadays. I’ve had this conversation many times and whenever I get one of those ‘music should be free’ people I ask them to show up to their jobs and tell their boss that they love their work so much that they’ll continue to work for free. This always seems to get the ‘blank stare’ response.

I wholly support artist who do just want to give away their art, I just think it would be nice if it were their option, not some else who isn’t impacted to making that choice.

The whole model going to shit is ultimately the fault of the corporation over charging, but we can do it right this time.

So, on to the future…Here’s are my solutions:

1) The beauty of the internet is the immediate connection you can have with your fans. If you can have that interaction as an entity, you stop being some nameless faceless artist or corporation who ‘just wants money.’ Personally thank every person who you can who enjoys your art and ask them to pass it forward.

2) Open the discussion so your fans understand what’s going on. Some will respond, and some won’t, but they need to understand that what you do has the value THEY put on it, ultimately-if you don‘t think you should pay for something, that‘s the value you think it has.

3)Provide good content (ART!!!) and market it well so people come to understand its value. To some degree, this is a whole other conversation but the idea here is that as artist, you can lower the bar or raise the bar in terms of the art you create and how you get it to people.

4) Be smart about understand your audience, what they want and how they want it. If they understand that it is a symbiotic relationship, then many will respond that way.

These are just my ideas and observation-I’d love to hear what others think-the floor is yours…

Working with the Legendary DJ Quest…

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 07:15:40 -0800

DJ Quest is a legend. For those who don’t know, Quest helped change the DJ world by being one of the second wave of highly skilled Scatching Djs (along with Qbert, Apollo, Eddie Def, Short Kut, DJ Polo G) and creating the reverse Hamster style which led to Fader controls that are now part of virtually every scratch mixer produced. Quest has worked on many projects over the past 15 years including Handsome Boy Modeling School with Prince Paul and Dan the Automator. He also helped form one of the first DJ groups-The Bullet Proof Scratch Hamsters featured extensively in the documentary Scratch-and produced one of the first battle break records-ever.
Quest is also a consummate professional a cool ass guy to chill with. I hired him after the last DJ I was working with walked out in the last phase of the first Opposite of Faith project. He was gracious enough to take a break from recording his own record, Questolous, and come in to help save the project. We had actually met a long time ago when I was working with another artist. When I was calling around I ended up talking with DJ Apollo’s -assistant, the DJ Similak Chyld and she advised me to give him a call. The project itself was an unfamiliar concept-making a cohesive sound design and score using turntables. I had to find a DJ to finish up the project AND one who with willing to work with the advanced MIDI set up which required him to work in unfamiliar ways, every other voice, movement, moment and mood was created on Turntables and through Turntable mixing techniques (cutting, scratching, transforming).

…and Quest came in and just killed it.

The end result is the Karas AMV…

After that I gave him a CD of the songs I was working on and said, ‘I’d love for you to be in on this project…’

He said he’d listen and to call him in a few days.

When we linked up again he had suggestions and ideas for the songs, all of which he respectfully presented as ‘its your baby-do you mind if I add some ideas?’ The man’s understanding of music, feel, pacing and energy in a song is phenomenal. It was one of those things-I’ve lived with these songs for a while-I know how I want them to sound, so it’s kind of rare that someone makes a suggestion that goes outside the scope of how I’ve already thought of the music. That has been the most amazing thing. I think we generally have similar ears and taste but he understands the nature of working within a structure AND makes suggestion along those lines. Together I think we have come up with a sound that is very different from what’s out there and, if I can help it, will make a big impact on the independent/Trip Hop/Electronica world.

…and here is some behind the scenes footage of us working on it and one of the songs…

Til then, I have to say…this project is coming out amazing…trust me, those snippets do not do justice to how good the songs actually are…you’ll see soon. J

Working with Soulful House star Latrice Barnett…

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:06:17 -0800

I met Latrice
when she was singing back up with our mutual friends, The Rondo Brothers. She had worked Jay j. had earned a Grammy and was already a star in the Soulful House world. Latrice was very sweet and funny-overall just great to talk to, the type of person that you immediately warm up to. I had heard some of the J Jay stuff and…honestly I could tell that the producer wanted her to hold back and sing hooks-which is what is needed in that kind of music. So then, that night, for the first time, I really heard her sing…at was about her third note that I decided I wanted her on my project.

…but Latrice is also a very busy woman. We met up and talked music, bass cos‘ she‘s a bass player too!, and everything else. Thankfully, she really liked my tracks and was open to the experimentation that I was wanted to do. But then, she got super busy and I told her that I understood and we’d talk whenever we could.

So a few months later, I was having lunch with my old friend Domino and Latrice comes over to the table and give me a hug! At that point she said she had some time and she was down to do some recording. I jumped at the chance.
This weekend, I got to hear her finally really sing on my tracks. I gave guides, and the lyrics were mine, but that moment where you finally get to hear someone do what’s in your head…there’s nothing like it.
Not to mention, she’s a pro. I mean PROFESSIONAL. No Diva crap. No asshole attitude. She was asking ME what I thought of her vocals and if that was what I was going for…I asked her to match my phrasing and when she heard different she would let me know, but man, what a PLEASURE to work with…and to have someone of her caliber tell me she likes my tracks and ideas…

As I am writing this I’m working with the track in Ableton Live and its sounding like I imagined…I am SO juiced about this project!

The Creative Process...

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 07:17:36 -0800

I've been focusing on the process of creativity for the past 3 years. Its been

part of my life for years, but I found myself in a situation where I had to help a friend redevelop his creative spirit, which made me pull together a lot of information on how it works. I had read up on

the general process in books like Drawing on the Right side of the Brain, Megacreativity,
Blink, The Artist Way and I found certain consistencies in how it works:

-You need a safe space
-You need to be able to trust your instincts
-You need to be able to say 'why not' instead of no and accept whatever comes your way
-You need to focus and react in ways that continue and not stop the process
-You need respect and empower those around you and receive the same

Being that he was another musician we also talked about applying this to the WHOLE project-
from song writing to marketing to image. Often times, developing a cool marketing/positioning idea can be one of the more fun aspects. Musicians often fear this part-mostly because the first thing the think when they hear marketing is 'suit'-what they should hear is "Too Short got rich and successful off smart marketing!' He found a target audience, present work to then and then, by the time he even spoke to labels (your investors, essentially), he was in a position to negotiate. Nowadays with the Internet and following the ideas presented in Gladwell's "The Tipping Point" (finding connectors, mavens and sales people and interacting with them) and other follow up books like "Make it Stick", surviving the whole marketing process is easier and potentially more effective than it has been even before. I find that when all these factors and information are in effect, its amazing what opportunities are available to those who want it.

Lastly, the group and support network is primary as your foundation. One of my favorite things about The Opposite of Faith project is that I'm surrounded by incredible musicians-DJ Quest, Joel Griffin and Latrice Barnett, who are as creative as they are open minded. They don't hesitate to tell me what they think to make sure they are doing work they are happy with, but they also, to a one, have told me "It's your project-tell me what you want." It makes all the difference in the world for someone to supports your vision-the only x factor is whether you support your own vision…

J

...More to come Feed back is welcome....

What is the Opposite of Faith...

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 11:29:32 -0800

...what do you do when what you understand doesn't work...?

The name itself is a reaction to the number of times I've seen a situation head towards a cliff and how many times I've seen people who couldn't, wouldn't and didn't want to adapt because it conflicted with what they wanted...we've all been there, and sometimes looking at the other side may give the answer you want...

The Opposite of Faith is also about constructing and deconstructing music and art. The logo-a stylized Ouroborus, symbolizes the cycle of creation and destruction. This, for me, is the creative process of transition-once something has changed form it has become something different-creation is destruction, destruction is creation..

I started this project as a creative outlet. After years of working in commercials and video games it occurred to me that the only way to really be creative was have internal finance and support by an audience that we respected and were respected by-not to sign to a label (essentially an investor) and have them input on what they think will just sell. I looked to some of my favorite bands-RadioHead, Massive Attack, Bjork, Outkast (before they got huge) and some of the newer groups I enjoy-End.user, Prefuse, Autechre and realize that their was a place for the sound I wanted to create.

The next move in the process was the music. It started with Ableton Live. The thing about Ableton is that they got just about everything right! After all my years of using various software its very rare that I encounter a package where I feel that way. Ableton allowed me non-stop creative opportunities-it never pushed back or left me in a corner not able to take things where I want them to go. I’m try to create interesting, innovate and music with an edge-nothing just poppy or boring. I hope to challenge and entertain the viewers and listeners by not always giving them what they expect but always giving them something good.

The first run of songs were about how can I push the envelope. Either through song writing or sound experimentation. There is NO song in this project wasn't about trying something experimental, some are subtle-others blatant. I hope to write a blog on each song and talk about how the came together, as well as the media, marketing and everything about this process. That will be an amalgamation of all my years of being in the multi media industry, knowing people who succeeded and those who failed (most will remain unnamed!)-and talking about my accomplishments and fuck ups. I'd love feedback on some of the ideas-I can't promise I'll always agree, but with any luck-we may learn some things from each other.

I’ll have more up soon…stay engaged. Check out the song snippets-the songs are being tracked and each part is becoming better and better…!

J

Something very different…The KARAS AMV by the Opposite of Faith featuring DJ Quest

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 08:05:44 -0800

What you are about to see is an evolution in film sound design far different from anything you‘ve heard before…

The Karas AMV

Anime Music Videos (AMV) are created by hobbyist who take a popular song and add it on top of existing Japanese Animation footage to give the Video a new and more exciting feel. The Karas AMV was created around the idea of taking found sources and samples from existing Japanese Animation titles and combining it with performances highly skilled musicians and Turntablist to recreate the film sound effect work creating a frenetic, hyper real approach to sound design. After the original sound track was removed, the music (Bass performance and Ableton sounds by J of The Opposite of Faith) was written and recorded into Ableton Live- every other voice, movement, moment and mood was created on Turntables and through Turntable mixing techniques (cutting, scratching, transforming) while performing to the video. The approach was expanded by having the Turntablist (DJ Quest and DJ Cplus) manipulating the Dave Smith Evolver and the Korg Kaoss Pad through the DJ mixers and MIDI control. Performances (Bass, Turntables) were record through the EMU 1616 into Ableton Live and warped, edited and combined there. The final mixdown was performed in Ableton Live and Mastered using Summit Audio Tube EQs.

This is the first in series of creative Music/Video/Art Projects by the Opposite of Faith-creativity without compromise…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P6unZCvFCs

…Tell your Peeps…make this bitch viral…

Contact:

Info@theoppositeoffaith.com

DJQuest@DJQuest.net

Tools Used:

Ableton Live 7-Editing, recording, sound design, video sync
Warwick Bass-Performance
Vestax Controller 1-Performance
Rane TTM 56 Performance Mixer-Performance
Numark CDX-MIDI control, Performance
Ecler Nuo 4-MIDI control, Performance
Dave Smith Evolver-sound design
Korg Kaoss KP 3-sound design and manipulation
Summit Audio Tube EQs-recording and Mixdown
Emu 1616 -recording