This was an interesting one from a post-production perspective. The Onion’s in-house graphics team (great work, BTW) and I (as a freelancer working in my own studio) had to go through several stages of revisions, coming closer and closer to creating a reasonably believable bat effect.

BREAKING NEWS: BAT LOOSE IN CONGRESS

I’m personally a bit bummed we had to deliver in mono, because I had some great binaural panning as the bat flew across the room in my first mix.  But because stereo just wasn’t an option, in the end I took more of a natural “as you’d hear it live from from the mics” approach–which is, I reckon, how it would sound if you were watching it on C-Span.

(Are there stereo room mics in the Capitol building? Maybe somewhere someone has a copy of Joe Wilson’s “you lie!” in stereo.)

Apologies that these Onion videos are the only content I’ve been posting lately. I need to find (or make) the time to write some more. But in the meantime:


NFL Players Mentor Troubled Detroit Lions


Is Using A Minotaur To Gore Detainees A Form Of Torture?

I did the audio editing and created the minotaur sound effects at the end. The minotaur is a combination of a pitched-down bear snarl, a leopard panting, and some random (human) moaning.


Baseball Superstar Accused of Performance-Enhancing Genie Use

Here’s the most recent video I mixed for The Onion.

Crimson Grail pics, video

August 11, 2009 10:55 am  /  Music, New York  /  , ,
Brendan @ Rhys Chatham's Crimson Grail, 2009

Photo credit: Tim Griffin from Brooklyn Vegan

There are some good pics of the Rhys Chatham concert over at Brooklyn Vegan.  And a video of the finale via YouTube:

“A Crimson Grail…” take 2

August 5, 2009 9:42 am  /  Music, New York

Rhys Chatham rocks out

This Saturday evening I’ll be playing along with 199 other guitarists (and 16 bassists) in composer Rhys Chatham’s piece “A Crimson Grail for 200 Electric Guitars.” As you might recall, I posted something similar to this about a year ago, but unfortunately the concert got rained out just a couple hours before show time. It was an epic bummer.

But they’re doing it again this year, and (after successfully postponing my jury duty) I’ll be playing in it.  If you’re in or around NYC, you should come see us.  It’s free!

Saturday, August 8, 2009 at 7:30 pm at the Damrosch Park Bandshell.

To quote the Lincoln Center/Wordless Music guys:

Some friendly advice: Saturday’s performance at Lincoln Center is expected to draw an audience of 10,000. In other words: get there early. Doors open at 7pm and the concert begins at 7:30 sharp.

[The orchestra] … includes collaborators and members of The Modern Lovers, The Jesus Lizard, Guided by Voices, Scratch Acid, Pussy Galore, Silver Jews, Lambchop, Akron/Family, Oneida, Parts & Labor, Boss Hog, La Monte Young’s Theatre of Eternal Music, Lester Bowie, John Zorn, Gamelan Son of Lion, They Might Be Giants, Opal, Cyndi Lauper, Prince, Reagan Youth, San Agustin, Flashlights, Come, Stars Like Fleas, Bear in Heaven, Mates of State, Rogue Wave, The Natural History, Glenn Branca’s Hallucination City and Symphony No. 13 for 100 Guitars, Band of Susans, Damo Suzuki, Thurston Moore, Taj Mahal, Merzbow, Panthers, The Hidden Cameras, Vietnam, The Natural History, John Lee Hooker, Johnny Thunders, Town and Country, Joan of Arc, Bird Show, XBXRX, Mike Watt, 7 Year Rabbit Cycle, Phill Niblock, Tony Conrad, Larval, Black Elf Speaks, usaisamonster, MONO, and Dragons of Zynth, as well as the Juilliard School, Berklee College of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Northwestern University Classical Guitar Ensemble, NY Symphonic Arts Ensemble, and the P.S. 180 Guitar Group.