Posts by mike Banks

50 meg down and 5 up is great

I've been on the XL package for close on a year and have been very impressed at the speed and reliability. Upload speed is faster than I used to get as download on Plus Net (not blaming Plus Net, their service was excellent but they relied on BT). Various speed tests show I am getting exactly what I've been sold :-)

I'm using it

So far I'm very impressed at the speed that X runs at, make changes to colour on the fly just happen etc etc. True, it's early days and I can understand people's issues but I really like where this is heading and will be editing my second project on it this afternoon.

Trevor Horn loved his

Trevor Horn told me the story of when he was about to buy a Fairlight. The people at Synclavier called and said that the Fairlight was ok but it was a fun toy while the Synclavier was a 'serious Scientific Instrument'. Trevor said 'I'm a record producer and I like my toys'! That made me laugh.

He talks about Fairlight and the early days of squeezing 'stuff' out of other early gear in a video I recorded with him: http://www.recordproduction.com/trevor-horn-producer-video-pt1.html

:-)

Piracy does cost

Most of us in the industry are not high rollers. Over the last few years the numbers of people involved in creating/recording music etc have been getting less and less and earning a living has been getting harder and harder. I know several talented producers that gave up and have become carpenters etc. Copyright infringement etc is costing thousands of people their jobs.

As an example. An idie dub artist/producer that used to make a modest living releasing his and others music on his indie label used to press up a few thousand copies and they would sell well. Generally, over a few years he would sell as many again with a second pressing. Now, the first release sells but that's it, once it's out there no one orders back copies. He is still gigging and attendance at gigs grows so it's not that he is washed up. Same with all of the new acts he has.

Major labels have been slow to respond to the market and have done so much wrong but it's the little guy's that have been suffering from illegal downloading. Indie labels haven't a chance really.

I don't think there is much wrong with downloading and then buying what you really like and play more than a few times, kids have always recorded off the radio but when people get in to the 'why pay' mindset, the only people to suffer otherthan the little guy's are the public who will get cheap pap released by the majors.