Search found 382 matches

by Greg Avakian
Mon Apr 23, 2007 10:08 am
Forum: Tech Talk
Topic: Woo hoo! It's VISTA time!!
Replies: 17
Views: 17224

Woo hoo! It's VISTA time!!

...or is it? Just got a new laptop that I think I would be happy with if it weren't for Vista. Here are the specs: Processor type AMD Turion 64; 2.0GHz Bus Speed 1600MHz Level 2 cache 512KB Memory/RAM 1GB 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-4200) expandable to 4GB Hard drive size 120GB DVD burner ...only $569 af...
by Greg Avakian
Fri Apr 20, 2007 9:33 pm
Forum: Tech Talk
Topic: The magic of iTunes Smart Playlists
Replies: 16
Views: 17829

Yeah, I would use a playlist to save a search that I actually liked...
by Greg Avakian
Fri Apr 06, 2007 7:17 am
Forum: Swinging Music
Topic: Call & Response
Replies: 14
Views: 11594

First of all, THANK YOU for your suggestions. I haven't been participating on the board much in the last year+, so I appreciate being able to come back and immediately ask you all for goodies. :D Honeysuckle Rose - Ella Fitzgerald - Ella at Juan Les Pins. Yeah this is great and considering it is abo...
by Greg Avakian
Wed Apr 04, 2007 8:22 am
Forum: Swinging Music
Topic: Call & Response
Replies: 14
Views: 11594

Actually, while Splanky is indeed awesome, it is really tough for a class. I find that everyone gets confused by the time the band starts repeating the theme. Typically, dancers can cope with 4-beat call and response, but inevitably, they start hearing the 2-beat segments of repetion and things fall...
by Greg Avakian
Mon Jun 19, 2006 2:38 pm
Forum: DJ Skillz
Topic: Finding your voice as a DJ
Replies: 63
Views: 57343

Back On DJs finding their voice - I've noticed many new DJs in my scene (me certainly included) go through a strong 'individual but not good' phase when they start, playing entire sets of the 'cool' tunes that they've been collecting to wow everyone with. It seems that everyone has to get that out ...
by Greg Avakian
Fri May 26, 2006 9:57 pm
Forum: DJ Skillz
Topic: Finding your voice as a DJ
Replies: 63
Views: 57343

But that's just the point -no one would change a 110BPM to 150+BPM ...right???? The purpose of changing music is not to make it sound weird or unnatural... Interesting side point: regardles of the artificial means to change tempo, there are some songs which really sound bad when played by a band at ...
by Greg Avakian
Fri May 26, 2006 5:33 am
Forum: DJ Skillz
Topic: Finding your voice as a DJ
Replies: 63
Views: 57343

... honest question: what do you do with a song that is good for dancing, but only in the middle? Do you fade it in and out? Chop off the song abruptly? Most good dance songs seem to have some sort of strong ending, typically the "Basie ending" or the "Ellington ending" or what ...
by Greg Avakian
Thu May 25, 2006 2:51 pm
Forum: DJ Skillz
Topic: Finding your voice as a DJ
Replies: 63
Views: 57343

Dude, if I thought a band sucked, I'd complain to the event director. If I hired them, I'd damn well tell them. So, if "editing" a band is telling them to quit playing 5 minute solos, I'm all for it! One of the reasons my events have been so successful from the start is my stewardship of t...
by Greg Avakian
Wed May 24, 2006 10:31 pm
Forum: DJ Skillz
Topic: Finding your voice as a DJ
Replies: 63
Views: 57343

I can't help but mention that it pains me to hear that DJs edit songs. I feel, somehow, that it's disrespectful. Disrespectful to what? An awful lot of the time the music you hear isn't as "real" as the artist wants you to believe. Disrespectful to the artist who wants to deceive you? The...
by Greg Avakian
Wed May 24, 2006 10:48 am
Forum: DJ Skillz
Topic: Finding your voice as a DJ
Replies: 63
Views: 57343

I take a song that is really good but is (say) 8 minutes and make it 3-5 mins. A really great song that I edited is the version of "work song" by Ernie Andrews. It's fantastic, but the intro sucks so no one plays it. I was honored when Steven Mitchell used it in a class I was in about a ye...
by Greg Avakian
Wed May 24, 2006 5:30 am
Forum: DJ Skillz
Topic: Finding your voice as a DJ
Replies: 63
Views: 57343

Great idea... Different. I edit a lot of my music now. More than ever people ask me "what was that?" ...and I can't tewll them where they can get it. The downside is that I want to play those songs all the time since they are unique. I think that my sets sound similar, but I've asked for s...
by Greg Avakian
Fri Feb 03, 2006 7:22 am
Forum: Swinging Music
Topic: Living Savoy Musicians?
Replies: 12
Views: 12356

Rusty is a definition of cool. When he couldn't play the piano anymore, he picked up sax because he couldn't live without playing music. I have his phone number somewhere if you want to get in touch with him. I don't know what you're planning, but I'm going to say thanks in advance ...and I can't wa...
by Greg Avakian
Fri Nov 18, 2005 2:11 pm
Forum: Tech Talk
Topic: WARNING: Some sony music CDs have spyware on them.
Replies: 2
Views: 5095

WARNING: Some sony music CDs have spyware on them.

http://www.boingboing.net/2005/11/14/sony_anticustomer_te.html Personally, I hated my Sony Viao because the system was so jammed with proprietary bullshit that it was unstable. I have lost a ton of music that I recorded with Sony's "sonic stage" and then gave away/sold. I lost the music wh...
by Greg Avakian
Fri Nov 18, 2005 2:04 pm
Forum: Swinging Music
Topic: Duke Ellington and “Lets get together”
Replies: 6
Views: 5954

Interesting. I think 'recollectoions...' is a bit tepid myself.
I love "Let's get together"!
by Greg Avakian
Mon Oct 17, 2005 1:21 pm
Forum: Upcoming Events
Topic: Jook Joint @ ECBF (10/28-10/30) - Submit Your CDs!
Replies: 32
Views: 30179

Tell you what ... if you guys post your CD info as you send them in, I'll also post CDs from DJ's that send them in that aren't on this board, that way there's a running track of what's being put in the machine. So, how's this been going? I was wondering if you're able to post anything yet? So far ...