Friday, August 12, 2011

Miriam Forsythe concert postponed

Miriam Forsythe, scheduled for a concert this week August 13 at noon, has had to postpone her concert due to a flare up of a painful ganglian cyst.

We all wish Miriam a speedy recovery and hope she'll be back with us soon at Music Island.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Saturday August 13 Joaquin Gustav, 2 pm SLT


Joaquin Gustav, latin guitar
Music Island, Sea Turtle Island
August 13, 2 pm SLT

Joaquin is a highly trained guitarist, born and received his music education in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the birthplace of tango. Out of his fingers comes an array of string sounds that blend the colors of Latin American culture with his own elegant performing style. Inspired by tradition, he is not afraid to experiment with new styles and techniques.

His wide range playlist includes smooth jazz, rock, tango, milonga, candombe and much more.


Sunday, August 7, 2011

Pictures from Champagne Rain Concert

Livestream or Record? Musings.

Question & thinking out loud about the dissemination of the great SL concerts we have at Music Island:

If I have to choose between livestreaming or recording an SL concert, which one is better to focus my resources on? I'm wondering because one person really can't do both well I don't think.

Yesterday people attending the Champagne Rain concert were asking me about whether a recording of the concert would be available because they had friends who couldn't get in. When I said that it was on livestream now but not being recorded in entirety they went "Oh Shit, so and so has logged off now and I can't tell them that". Hmmmm. Seems like there's been a communication failure there despite my announcing the Livestream before concerts and occasionally reminding people via group notice. On the other hand Live stream is a new feature to Music Island concerts and maybe they will get onto it if I keep it up. I also have thought about putting a Livestream logo onstage with a URL connection so that people visiting the sim will know the concerts are available on the web (most concerts).

Livestream increases the potential audience for an event and it doesn't add TOO much extra work time. I have to set up a separate broadcast computer, check the sound and then zoom back and forth periodically to change camera angles and then it's done. The main thrust of the exercise is to get around the small audience limits in Second Life and my hope is that it will help expand the numbers of musicians performing in SL and also be an appealing facet of any mixed reality project. I cannot use the broadcast software in "record" mode while in Second Life because it gobbles so much bandwidth that SL fps slows to a crawl (especially in a crowded concert setting). This makes what you are recording look terrible. (Talk about the observer effect :-)

Screen capture in another computer running FRAPS involves capturing a variety of angles and views of the concert with a view to post production editing in my (new) Sony Vegas software. I now have to means to create much better videos BUT it takes a LOT of work to do so. The raw capture files are also HUGE. But the films create a long lasting record of events that can be shared to inform and promote artists, Music Island and SL music in general.

Both require artist permissions which generally are not witheld but I would say most are more enthusiastic about Livestream than recordings but that could just be that my early recordings were pretty crappy (archival only really).

I COULD decide on a case by case basis, but I wonder if that might not lead to some feeling shortchanged and hoping for both a film and a broadcast.

Is it possible to do both? Possibly but not well. I am currently running 3 computers (1. in SL hosting concert, 2. in SL & broadcasting concert, 3. not in SL but monitoring and tweaking Livestream) and I can see how I COULD do all of these things with my current three computers by monitoring on my hosting computer by adding a screen & turning off SL sound. Then I would do screen capture on a third computer with a 3rd logged on avatar. Another monitor on my main computer would help. But really what I need to do this is a 4th computer and an interested helper.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Tip Corbett: Video Excerpt from July 30 concert

Champagne Rain plays Beethoven. Aug 6 1 pm SLT


Saturday August 6
1 pm SLT
Champagne Rain, piano
Music Island, Sea Turtle Island

Before launching on a South American tour, Champagne Rain will grace us with a performance of an arrangement of the 3rd Mvt. of the triumphant and muscular Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor. Other works by Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt will complete the program.

Champagne Rain is an Eastern European born Classical Pianist. She has devoted most of her life to acquiring performing skills at the Kiev Conservatory and has, in real life, performed in the world's most prestigious concert venues, including Vienna's Musikverein Golden Hall. She has recorded 6 CD's of concert and solo work.

Want to learn more about Beethoven before attending the concert?

"Let's Talk Classical Recordings"
The best of Beethoven
Aelthing Aeon
Saturday August 6
11 am SLT

Like to listen and learn about classical music? Aelthing Aeon, a guest lecturer with the National Federation of Recorded Music Societies (UK) will present an informative talk on selected classical recordings.

This month Aelthing will help us prepare for a performance of the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 by placing it in context of the composer's work and different styles of performance.