Archive for the 'Travel' Category

How to: iPhone VO recording.

Published on August 8, 2010 in How to, Tech, Travel and Work. 0 Comments

You are a VO professional who travels light. You walk up to counters at airports and say: “Where would you like to go this weekend little lady?” to unimpressed ticketing agents everywhere. It rarely works – but when it does! Boy, did you have a good time in Oklahoma. Until Beverly (formerly Bill), introduced you as her (formerly his) – new boyfriend! Ah the trials of the jet setting VO performer. You’re suave, stylish and basically not allowed to go anywhere longer than Saturday to Sunday because you’re under contract and have to be in town all week – in case they need you to say the word “and” in that slightly different way, that only YOU can.

Yeah the good life. Golden handcuffs. You’re living the dream! But what if they need that little something on the weekend? You could stay by your phone every weekend; but where’s the fun in that? And isn’t that really a dis service to all the trans-gender ticketing agents out there? Waiting…for you? Of course it is. So you’re going! Re records be damned! But hold on. How on earth will you fund the Dom Perignon fueled lifestyle to which you have become accustomed? Well, you’ll just have to take your little travel rig and be on your way. Oh no! You are that VO professional who travels light. A netbook, usb audio adaptor and XLR mic is just too much! It’ll cramp your style! You want something that fits in your discrete man purse. Nothing says: “I have arrived”, like your murse.

I travel light. If I need something I’ll buy it when I get there. Because I can.

Well then O’ murse toting VO God I humbly offer this little How to:

Disclaimer:
I am not responsible for anything I suggest breaking your set up. You purchased it, you installed it, ergo you broke your own shit. These opinions are mine and your mileage may vary. That said…

1. Get your iPhone. You do have an iPhone don’t you? Of course you do! What was I thinking.

2. Buy Monle. It works on the iPhone or iPod touch (latest generation only) or the iPad. But remember that iPad won’t fit in your murse. If you want to bring that you’ll have to get your satchel.

3. Buy a 3.5mm to XLR adapter, I recommend this one.

4. Buy a Rode M3 microphone.

5. Get a 9V battery for the Rode M3 microphone. You can use the one you carry in your personal massager, but make sure it’s charged.

Connect the 3.5mm to XLR adapter to the iPhone. Connect the Mic to the XLR adapter. Connect your headphones to the adapter as well (you won’t be able to hear your voice while you record, but you will hear it while editing – audio monitoring while recording should be coming in future updates of Monle)

Launch Monle. Select your audio source. Record your tracks – Monle only records in WAV files currently. Edit them in a true multi track environment. Save often, crashes sometimes happen – even to you. Mix it down and Export.

Export your finished mix WAV file to your FTP site, and email the client the address to the FTP link, as Monle can’t email WAV files only FTP uploads.

Well, that’s it – the client is happy and so are you – you’re finished! Now you can sit back and relax and get back to Patrice (formerly Paul), the personal massager and that bottle of Dom - you player you!

iPhone vs. Blackberry

Published on August 7, 2010 in Life, Opinion, Reviews, Tech, Travel and Work. 0 Comments

I loved Blackberry. I even rocked a 7100t. Suretype sucked, but as far as smart-phones went it was much better than carrying a Nokia and a Palm Pilot (Phone + Organization!). Because unless you were living in Silicon Valley in the late 90′s it just wasn’t cool to carry all those devices. And in retrospect, it probably wasn’t cool there either.

BB was the ultimate smartphone. My pockets were happy. And because I was carrying less gizmos - I was more attractive to the ladies – in my mind. (NOTE: I have never, NEVER attached anything to my belt. That’s just not right. If you do. Stop now, or die single and alone.)

Fast forward, it’s 2009, and I’m carrying a BB Bold 9700 & and iPod Touch (Smartphone + Entertainment!). That’s right. I went from carrying 2 devices in 1999 to carrying 2 devices in 2009. What the hell? A decade later and I go backwards? Well, I’m in NYC again and no longer drive to get around. In NYC, music helps. It helps drown out the deafening roar of the subway. It helps drown out the crazy proselytizing homeless people on the subways. It helps drown out those street marketers with their loaded questions “Do you care about the environment / starving children / baby seals that get clubbed to death?” – No, I’m a seal clubbing, childless, BP exec who just wants to get where I’m going.

So I decide I need to do something about this 2 device thing. Again. It was cumbersome then, even more so now – skinny pants with 2 devices? Yeah, don’t think so. To be fair, BB does have a media player. And it sucks. And I can’t watch videos on it (easily) and it’s got CRAP Apps. Aye, there’s the rub – Apps.

So I tried it out. The experiment: 10 days in Berlin with only an iPhone – no hard keyboard. Berlin + unlocked iPhone (I have T-mobile – cheap, works well in the states and b/c they’re German it’s one of the cheapest ways to use your own number in Europe) And you know what? On edge speeds, on an original iPhone. It was great. Google Maps (Just like the BB), Email (Not as good as BB but functional), iPod (BB can’t compete here at all – 3 movies on the plane) and finally: Apps.

I used Apps constantly: Berlin Guides (location awareness – you’re on this street; the nearest museums are here, here and here – try that paper guide book) and a German phrase book – with audio samples. Amazing. Can’t order Currywurst? Click a button and hold up your phone.

Since then I’ve been using and iPhone exclusively. On T-mobile with a legally unlocked iPhone. I won’t pay ATT blood money. Apple blood money, fine. BUT NOT THE DEATH STAR. I’m on still on Edge not 3G (thanks Tmobile for not using the same 3G everyone else does!), but on a 3GS iPhone it all works fine. When I spell things wrong I miss the BB’s keyboard – but only until I hit send – then the music starts up, and I’m happy again. And the ladies love me - in my mind.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming!

Published on June 14, 2010 in Sport, Travel and Uncategorized. 0 Comments

This last winter was about snowboarding, Elk, beautiful sunsets and great times! This gallery like the last is a little behind. But better late than never. Check out the panorama and sunset shots like the one above by clicking JH in the Photo above or by clicking here.

6 months late…

Published on June 1, 2010 in How to, Laughs, Life, Sport and Travel. 0 Comments

Well I had the best vacation ever at the Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Canada this past New Years. Check out the pictures in the Photo above, or here. It’s been busy lately and I just got to these photos now. Needless to say it was an amazing adventure, snowboarding, snowshoeing, ice skating, hiking, dog sledding, bowling the list goes on! Great food, the best elk tenderloin I’ve ever had in my life – at The Maple Leaf – it was wrapped in bacon. Everything is better wrapped in bacon… Anyway, between the food, the adventures, the views and the kind folks who work a the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel – it truly was the best vacation I’ve ever had. If you’re thinking about going anywhere on vacation, see if there is a Fairmont property somewhere near it, you won’t find better service anywhere, and if you sign up for the President’s Club – it’s free! You’ll get crazy discounts, and free in room wifi. Not bad. Now if they could only wrap the free wifi in bacon…

Just got back from Berlin.

Published on December 5, 2009 in Travel. 0 Comments

Berlin! Great city. Unreal good time! Museums – tons – as good as Paris in my opinion. Architecture rich and diverse, they’ve got some of the cheapest rents in Europe, and the neighborhoods are all so different. Food, if you like meat this is the place to go – sausage is available 24/7, currywurst everywhere. Fun holiday markets – so many to choose from with different themes at each, ice skating, beer halls, family carnivals all with little Swiss Chalets where people sell holiday food and little presents (with almost all the items made in Germany – we could learn a thing or two bout that I think…)! Friendly people, seriously friendly – some of the nicest I’ve met, besides the south of France, and EVERYONE in Germany speaks some English – it’s amazing, so easy to get around on the cleanest, fast, easy to navigate public transit around! NYC could learn so much from the transit system alone…I digress. Great time check out the Photo Gallery by clicking Photo above or this link. Glad to be home in NYC though. Whew.