Séadna Mcgillycuddy (09002065)

Student:
Séadna Mcgillycuddy

ID Number:
09002065

Blog Followed:
http://www.podcomplex.com/blog/

Target Audience:
Musicians who use technology.

Author:
This blog is run by a Musician, Producer, Writer, Designer and Webmaster from County Offaly named Dan Foley. Dan also runs Nantiloop Recording Studios in Dublin, and produces music under the name “Canabrism”. He is joined by regular contributors.

The Podcomplex blog is a showcase for independent, high-quality, original music, video and multimedia and also provides guides to making music. The blog is regularly updated with music technology news, observations on the music industry, promotion strategies for independent artists and audio tips for beginners and veterans alike, focusing particularly on modern advancements in the digital music world. All posts are archived into easily accessible sections such as:
• DAW – Technical tips for Digital Audio Workstation users
• Live performance – Observations on live music implementations and related tips.
• Music Technology – New technologies that underpin modern music.
• Sales & Promotion – Tips for getting your music heard.
• Digital Music – How the advancements in media and technology effect the production and consumption of music.

The blog is laid out very well with links leading to the different categories down the left of the page. Below these are links to the archive, glossary and external sites. The main body of the blog is located in the centre of the page. Each post has a thumbnail picture to identify which category it belongs to which makes it easy for people to instantly find what is relevant to them rather than trawling through thousands of posts looking for something that takes their interest. Also a nice feature is a Twitter widget which allows you to see the author’s most recent “tweets” and a link allowing you to follow him on Twitter. Unlike many blogs, podcomplex is free from advertisements leading to a very appealing, simple and clutter free environment.

In the posts themselves, the language used is intelligent but not overly technical. As I said, because of it’s content, I feel that the blog is aimed at people who already have an understanding of some aspect of music technology but the author simplifies a lot of things, probably to make the ideas more accessible to people with little knowledge of the subject.

Favourite Post:
Synaesthesia Comes To Life
http://www.podcomplex.com/blog/synaesthesia-comes-to-life/

This post caught my eye because it’s a subject that I have been interested in for a long time. How can you not be interested seeing a headline like:
“For some people, the boundaries between senses can overlap – they see sounds as colours, or tastes and words intermingle. This condition is known
as synaesthesia…”
Synaesthesia is a condition whereby two or more senses are confused. People with this rare condition often perceive letters as having a particular colour, or can experience music not only as sound but also as texture and colour. However, according to the post, researchers are now using what they have learned about synaesthesia to devise ways of letting blind people see. This new method involves using a video camera to translate the immediate environment into sound waves which can be interpreted by the blind person, similar to the way that bats transverse their environment. I really like this post because the concepts involved tie in exactly with the areas I am interested in: audio technology, media technology and human/computer interaction. Science fiction becoming reality.

Other Blogs Followed:
http://createdigitalmusic.com
http://gizmodo.com

Comments Posted:
1. http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/10/26/make-noise-with-circuits-handmade-music-austin-video-freebie-kit-more/#comments
2. http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/10/19/the-sonic-manipulator-bizarre-wearable-musical-inventions-stolen-from-space-aliens/comment-page-1/#comment-987164
3. http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/07/21/take-it-to-the-stage-reflections-on-live-laptop-music-from-artists/comment-page-1/#comment-987167
4. http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/09/20/the-finger-reaktorkore-sampling-madness-from-tim-exile-but-more-than-that/comment-page-1/#comment-987169