[James Nighthawk]

Afternoon All

I recently started blogging on my (very much work in progress) website. Some are personal blogs, but I try to focus on music, songwriting and production. I thought I'd share it on here as it may interest a few of you
Some of the topics (mastering, autotuning, etc.) have been discussed over the last few months on here. Hell, those discussions have in places fuelled my blog, or at least got it started


www.jamesnighthawk.com/blog


Direct link to a couple of the music based ones:

Auteurs and Rodents (Thoughts on singer-songwriters versus non-writing singers)
http://jamesnighthawk.com/2012/05/auteurs-and-rodents/

Singing robots – Autotuning and an ode to Imperfection
http://jamesnighthawk.com/2012/07/singing-robots-autotuning-and-an-ode-to-imperfection/

Holy Volume, Batman! (Thoughts on Mastering for film music vs Mastering for audio productions)
http://jamesnighthawk.com/2012/06/holy-volume-batman/


Naturally as a blog these are my opinions only and are not technical documents! If people enjoy them I can update this thread when I post a new music based entry? And people that follow me on twitter/facebook see them posted too

Cheers 

[Boydie]

That was a really good read JAMES

I liked the comparison between autotune and photoshop linked to the whole celeb thing

Spot on!

Looking forward to more

I have ventured in to Twitter yet so please post here when you add any updates

[James Nighthawk]

Cheers boydie

I'll post here when I post a new music based entry to my blog. Glad you enjoyed!

On a side note my iPad autocorrects your name to birdie. Made me smile 

[Dutchbeat]

Hi James,

i enjoyed reading your blogs. You are a very, very good writer, James. Things i first think i will disagree with, you really get me convinced with your arguments and ideas

being a middleaged synthesizer guy, i always have the idea that anything goes, just use what you feel like, the more the better, don't bother about things sounding natural or not, but i agree that more thought about when you want something to be a clear effect, or what the real purpose is of using the options we nowadays have, in stead of only trying to obscure (in my case: blur  imperfections, is good advice

i hope you keep us updated via this thread, i don't do things like facebook, just don't want to

[James Nighthawk]

Ah thanks Dutchy you are most kind

I actually enjoy writing, I loved it in my uni years. In another life I may have become (or maybe one day will be) a writer. Bill Bryson is my hero in this respect. He writes to inform and entertain simultaneously. I have read and reread most every book he has written. If I can achieve that on any level I feel I have done well

And do feel free to disagree! Blogs should incite debate. I will definitely post updates on here, and if at any time anyone wants to disagree, have at it! Good healthy debate is a wonderful thing that pushes us all forward :-)

[man of simple pleasures]

interesting stuff, i'l have to have a good read!

[James Nighthawk]

http://jamesnighthawk.com/2012/09/back-on-the-horse/

New Blog post about my recent live gig, my first in years. Getting back on the horse so to speak, and the lead up to it. I'm sure they'll be a few familiar points raised for fellow musicians 

Enjoy
Jx

[man of simple pleasures]

surprised you not doing regular gigs to be honest having seen the video you posted on here, its kinda inspired me to do some live videos meself and gonna post them on here next time i stick a song up on me soundcloud, wont be as polished as your videos haha but gonna get me ipad out and just record me with an acoustic guitar and hopefully they turn good to upload to youtube!

good read by the way, keep on rocking and playing them beatles tunes!

[James Nighthawk]

Big thanks to HABITAT, BOYIDE, TONE et al that got my mind reeling to knock out this blog in record time. Its one you will ALL have a view on I am sure 

http://jamesnighthawk.com/2012/09/x-factor-the-whys-and-wherefores/

[habiTat]

Excellent blog James, you've summed everything up perfectly. It still bugs me watching the genuinely talented ones getting moulded into something they're not but hey it's not me and I'd never do it anyway.

Good Job

[James Nighthawk]

Cheers habster, glad you liked

[Ramshackles]

Big thanks to HABITAT, BOYIDE, TONE et al that got my mind reeling to knock out this blog in record time. Its one you will ALL have a view on I am sure 

http://jamesnighthawk.com/2012/09/x-factor-the-whys-and-wherefores/

Nice blog, it's nice to see you put a positive spin on those god-awful-shows by pointing out that they are going after a quite different thing to 'real' music.

However, that doesn't mean that this un-original, karaoke music isn't still clogging up the charts and drawing sales and attention away from what we might deem as 'more worthy' musicians...

[James Nighthawk]

Fair point Ramsy

However, one could argue that before Xfactor and such, there was still plenty of pop pap in the charts for quite some time. I think there will always be a market for such fluffy nonsense, regardless of where is it sourced

[Boydie]

Just to redress the balance a little I think there is a big danger to be a little "cork sniffery" about music

One person's "more worthy musician / songwriter" is another's "pretentious snob"

As has been said before music is so subjective and I maintain that the majority of the stuff in the charts is really good songwriting (IMHO)

I appreciate that popular doesn't necessarily mean "good" - but "good" relating to music and songwriting is so subjective in most circumstances

This is a discussion we have had before so I won't go on about it but "pop pap" isn't all bad!

[James Nighthawk]

When I say "pop pap" I mean just that. Bad pop music. We are talking "One Direction" territory here...

I love Pop music! From the Beatles to Lady Gaga.

I love me some Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake...

...But I also love me some Lady Gaga, Marina and the Diamonds, P!nk, Kylie, (certain period) Madonna... Hell even some of the Neptune's produced Britney songs are blindingly sharp tunes and beats...

I am not anti pop whatsoever. The products that come from these shows rarely stand alongside the pop cannon with any integrity.