How To Make Better Videos Part 2 - Guerrilla warfare lighting and more.

The next video in my short series on creating great quality videos with basic equipment and fundamental knowledge. Yes, it's time to go hacking in the jungle of video production "guerrilla warfare" style. Enjoy! Please, leave a comment if it's helpful. Thanks - Aaron

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX9AHh-_a7Q

How To Make Better Videos Pt 1 - Get the basics down

Do you really know what the foundation of a good video is? Any creative effort we engage in has to be based on a strong foundation. If you want to learn a few basic tips on making better videos, check out this video series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFUvA2KmkjU

IT ALL STARTS WITH THE DRUMS - Drummers and Audio Peeps gotta read this.

Drums can make or break the mix. Gotta nail this, people!

It all starts with the drums! Oh yes… I'm not sure the vocalists will approve of this statement, but we audio guys and drummers sure know it's true. Here's a great article to get the conversation revved up on how to get our drums (and drumming!) sounding great.

Link: IT ALL STARTS WITH THE DRUMS, by Andrew Stone.

Grace Point Worship CD Update #1

Hey All,
Please check out this update from yours truly. Let's do this!!!
Peace,
Aaron

Hungry Tone Junkies - Ambient Guitars

Alright, I just sent this to all our guitarists and wanted to post these links here in case you'd be interested. We all need to be tone junkies on our respective instruments, but this is focused on the guitarists. Enjoy!

Here's a dude who makes RIDICULOUS guitar sounds and is sharing his knowledge. Check out his youtube channel and sample a couple of these videos. (Check out the free reverb pedal giveaway if you want...) Links below.

A couple reasons it is important for us to be hungry "tone junkies":

1. You can play sick leads and riffs and have a crappy tone and people will not enjoy listening to you.

2. You can play tastefully and simply with great tones and mesmerize the listener. (Not mesmerizing them by your awesomeness, but leaving them impressed by beauty... which points to God.)

3. Staying hip to modern tones keeps us sounding relevant and invigorates us as guitarists. 

OK... I know it is difficult to find money and time to invest in new gear, but what if we spent one or two hours over the next month just working on our tones and learning our effects units and amplifiers… just experimenting. Many of the pricinples these videos highlight can be translated into our multi-effects units, so don't tune out because you don't have a pedal board!

Let's keep working to make our worship playing more beautiful and inspiring.

Andy Othling's channel:

And a couple sample videos from Andy to help you get rolling:

Ambient Guitar Tip #4: Chord Shapes
Ambient Guitar Tip #2: Setting Up and Using Stereo Delays

Some more from other dudes that are worship focused:

Pedalboard 101

How To Do Guitar Swells

Hope this helps!

The Endless Song of Worship

Hey Friends,
One of our fellow teammates sent this link to me. It is a such a great message on worship, I had to send it along to you. Please listen to it. Please. (Feel free to skip the intro stuff about their ministry etc.) I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

Listen here: The Endless Song of Worship

For His fame,

Aaron

Audio Peeps are Musicians… Should Musicians Be Audio Peeps?

The answer to this question is a resounding, YES! I try to communicate to our audio peeps (they are part engineer, part artist so the title "engineers" fall short) that they are musicians and are as important to the music we create as anyone. In fact they have the power to influence the overall outcome of the creative process of music-making more than anyone on stage. They control the all powerful and often referenced "SUCK BUTTON." (Thank you Gary Larson.) So we all appreciate the work the audio person does. It's a thankless job. Love you guys… seriously.

So in light of pressing the audio/technical person to become artistic and to think like a musician, I asked myself why not press the musicians to be a bit more audio savvy. The more knowledge the musicians and audio peeps have in common the more they can stay in sync, communicate well, and achieve the ultimate goal of creating beautiful music.

So musician/singer, why not read this article (3-5 minutes) so you better understand how to help the audio person do his job? AND so you can empathize with him, cooperate with him, and ultimately help to create a better environment for worship? I think you'll enjoy getting a small dose of techie-ness.

A Sound Tech’s Thorn in the Side: House Volume Level

BTW: This guy's website is full of awesome audio and worship team help.

Peace!
Aaron

Make Like A Tree And Leave… A Comment.

Hey! If you haven't been able to check out the blog yet, there's no time like the present! Take a break from your solitaire game, or Call of Duty, or doing dishes and grab your smartphone, iPad, or computer and rock it!

This is mostly a how to video. Hope it helps. Stay tuned for more! BTW, did you hear we are recording a CD at Grace Point this year? If not, then go listen to the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT video post.

Peace!
Aaron

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT... At least I think it's kinda big.

Hey! Check out this week's video. If you missed the first one, please watch it and comment. Thanks for watching my friends.

The important date to remember from this video is NOV 16th, 10am at GPCC EPIC ROOM.

If you are viewing this via email then this link will take you to the post.

Welcome to the GPCC Creative Arts Blog

Hey! I'm glad you are here to check out the first video! It's the best five minutes of your day (...whatever, Aaron...)

You might have to crank the volume a little. I'll get the audio levels louder on subsequent videos.

Check it out!