Aeronautic Primates and Other Delights

I am Bad at Music

Tue, 31 May 2016 20:41:20 GMT

I think my days of vidding with any regularity are narrowing to a close. And it's because I am very bad at listening to music. You'd think this is something that one couldn't actually suck at, but it is and I do.

I don't listen to music, really. I don't put on iTunes and listen to favorite tracks or check out a new artist. It never occurs to me to do so and even now, I'm blanking on a scenario where listening to music for funsies would be something I would do instead of anything else.

The only time I listen to music is when I'm actively trawling for vidding material. And frankly, over the years, it's become exactly as frustrating as clothes shopping. It even tenses up the same neck muscles. I find something that I like, but they don't have it in my size or worse, they have it in my size but it doesn't quite fit. It's just a shade wrong. And I could wear the shade wrong thing, but I would know all the ways it doesn't fit.

Same with songs. Even when I'm just generically listening to stuff for general "put it on the vidding list" music, I hear songs that are great in some ways, but either structurally or lyrically go to a place that make them ill-suited except in very narrow scenarios in which I have no interest. Listening to music with the knowledge that the songs could be used for vidding but aren't suitable for my needs makes the whole process awful. (And yes, I realize that the solution is "Stop looking at it that way" -- see above, re: I wouldn't listen to music otherwise).

It gets worse when I run into the vidding scenario that's been plaguing me for the last year -- I find something that seems a perfect match for a fandom or a multi scenario, spend days or even weeks gathering source and clipping, and the *instant* I get more than one clip on the timeline, I see exactly how the two are a terrible match. And now I've wasted oodles of time clipping something. Trying to find a song that's like the one you were using but is different in key ways is nearly impossible.

It's even more frustrating because I don't tend to vid things I'm actively obsessively fannish about. I prefer to vid in weird niches that I have some technical or historical interest in. So all of that time I spent clipping was really wasted, because it was only to support that specific vid idea for that specific song. The clipping work can't be repurposed for another vid in the same fandom because I'm not attached enough to the fandom itself to explore another angle. So I either find a replacement song for that specific idea or I fail.

The short of this is, you are not getting my ultimate lulzy Run Boy Run vid at Vividcon Premieres this year. I'm not sure I have any more vids in me for this year's Vividcon at all.

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Escapade! And a request.

Fri, 06 Mar 2015 20:35:24 GMT

I'm at Escapade now, in what's technically my second year as con staff (apparently I was staff all last Escapade and didn't know it until the end of the weekend).

It's so lovely to see all of these wonderful people and the new faces as well.

I put together a tribute to Leonard Nimoy for a wake we held last night and it went over well. I may post the file later.

***

As for the request, I need to refuel my music tanks for future vid purposes and I'm having some trouble doing it on my own. Any good bands, albums, or songs that folks can recommend? Doesn't necessarily have to be good vidding music... I just need to start getting into that headspace.

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Music recs requested

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 21:51:22 GMT

One major thing I took away from this year's Vividcon is that my knowledge of music, specifically good vidding music, is woefully limited. I've been trying to expand by buying up tons of MP3 albums whenever Amazon has $5 sales and listening to Songza and Pandora, but I wouldn't mind getting some recs on artists past and present that I should look into.

This is especially important with Festivids coming up and my plan to make *all the vids*.

So, who do you love?

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Annual Birthday Mix CD

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:09:11 GMT

Here it is, my annual birthday mix CD. This year's a bit different in that I didn't try to make the number of tracks reflect my previous age.

This year's mix was heavily influenced by my wedding in December, which shouldn't be a shock to anyone.

( Mixin' it up at 27 )

I'll try to remember to toss a zip file online later.

In other news, on Saturday I gave myself an early birthday present -- a shiny HTC Eris Droid phone. Mmmm. Tasty.

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