They also had a very interesting conversation about finding your way as an artist and, in  Zoë’s case, taking all aspects of being a musician in her own hands, including production and marketing of her music and albums.

Click here to view the embedded video.

And here is another very good video about Zoe Keating.

Click here to view the embedded video.

It allows you to play with up to 6 lights where you can choose a bare strobe, a strobe with snoot, a ring light,  a 40x50cm soft box or a 60x90cm soft box.
You can move the lights closer or further away, move them up or down and around the subject. The intensity of each light can be configured and you can use colored gels with them.

The app is very intuitive and works pretty fast (at least on my computer, your mileage may vary ). I played around with it for a bit and I really like it.

It could still be improved a bit. The increments in which you can move the lights are fairly large. It would be better if the increments where smaller, or maybe even user configurable. I think this would definitely be an improvement, especially for the circular movement for placing the lights around the subject.

All in all worth checking out if you’re interested in lighting for photography or video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

They also allow for customers to design their own objects using on-line applications on their website. So you can interactively design your own unique ring or bracelet, like the one shown to the left. The designs are manufactured in house using 3d printers using materials like stainless steel, nylon plastic and even wool felt.

Reading through their blog today I stumbled across an interesting lecture they gave at Carnegie Mellon University explaining their design process and the research they did leading to their designs.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I always have been very interested in using these kinds of methods to create art/beautiful things. Maybe it’s just that geeky part of me…

On the Atari disks were old Cubase 2.0 files of tracks I made during the 90′s. I would like to import them in Cubase 6.5 on PC so I can play around with them a bit. I still have my old Atari hardware (520ST+, SM125 monochrome monitor and SF314 disk drive) which have been in storage for about 15 years I think. After connecting everything I vaguely remembered there was something wrong with the on/off switch of the SM125 monitor the last time I used it. And so it was. When switching the monitor on it came on for a second and then switched off again.

I opened the case, cut the 4 wires to the switch and measured the switch. It’s a two pole switch and one side didn’t work so I decided to bypass the switch and connect the wires in an always-on configuration. Braced myself for the white smoke test but everything worked fine and I closed up the case again. I switched on the Atari 520ST and it came to live without a problem!

I formatted a couple of 3.5″ disks on a PC which I used to copy the files from the Atari disks. The problem is that Atari formatted disks cannot be read by modern PC disk drives but PC formatted disk can be read on Atari ST.

The Atari Cubase files are in .ARR format (Cubase arrangements) but unfortunately cannot be imported in the latest Cubase 6.5. I tried exporting as a MIDI file on the Atari but a lot of information was lost when importing this in Cubase 6.5.

To be continued…

I bought the Atlas 10 with the vertical kit which allows using the slider in vertical position mimicing short jib like moves. Very cool! I already own Cinevate’s shoulder rig and that came with a contra weight that can also be used with the Atlas 10 in vertical position. Also, I can use the all terrain legs of the Atlas 30 with the Atlas 10, providing more flexibility compared to the standard legs which are only micro adjustable. This is one of the things I especially like about Cinevate gear: interchangeability of the individual components. But more on that later.

One minor thing about the Atlas 10 is the mounting plate for center mounting the slider on a tripod. I think it should be larger so it better supports the slider horizontally and counteracts the inevitable sagging when sliding the head to either end of the slider, especially under heavier loads. But, if that is a problem two points of support should be used.

I bought the Trawly wheels set as I already own the shoulder rig, which basicly is the Simplis quick release plate with two adjustable hand grips and shoulder support. The wheels are fixed to the end of the hand grips and the grip stick that normally would connect to the shoulder pad. A very ingenious design, again making perfect use of existing gear but adding additional value to it. As you can adjust the three legs independent of each other it’s possible to use this mini dolly in very close quarters where a normal dolly would not fit. It’s also very easy to make nice curved dolly moves by adjusting the wheels accordingly. However, the Trawly dolly needs, just like any other dolly, a smooth flat surface for best performance. Another thing to watch out for is that the wheels can make squeaky noises depending on their angle to the surface and the material the surface is made of.

Both products are of high quality and very sturdy. The mat black finish gives it a professional look. This gear has been designed to be used day in day out by pros and that shows.

These are not the first products I bought from Cinevate. I’ve been a customer for some time now. Why? Because they make excellent rugged gear for filmmakers. Their goal is to design flexible gear which can be used in multiple ways.  All their gear is modular and can be used together so the possibilities are endless. This of course, comes with a price but I think their pricing is very acceptable for the high quality gear you get. As they’re located in Canada and I’m in Europe I have to pay shipping and import taxes. But, it is worth it. I bought cheap stuff from eBay and without exception regretted each and every purchase. Compared to the stuff Cinevate produces it just doesn’t hold up. I’m serious about making videos and although I don’t earn my living with it, apart from a paid job now and then, I don’t want to fiddle with sub par equipment ruining shots or losing unique moments while gear breaks down. And as all their gear is modular it is also camera independent. I can use it with my video camera or DSLR without a problem. I can still use it if I buy a new camera tomorrow so it’s a future proof investment.

Another thing I like about Cinevate are the people. My experience (by talking with them on the phone or by watching their excellent videos) is that they are really dedicated to their work but also have fun doing it. And that reflects in the way they interact with their customers.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I have been using Cubase since the beginning, i.e. on Atari ST during the nineties. The two albums I released back then where made using Cubase. Actually, I still have that machine around somewhere. I should try it out again sometime

I have been playing around with a trial version of Cakewalk Sonar, which basicly also does the job, but somehow I like Cubase more. Probably because I’m already used to it. So last week I was able to buy Cubase Studio 4 with eLicense key (a special USB stick containing the license to run Cubase) from a collegae who had got it off eBay for a nice price. I then bought the regular upgrade to 6.5.

It took some time to upgrade the eLicenser as I had to do it on a different PC as my studio PC is not connected to the internet and you need an internet connection to be able to upgrade the license. When that was done I had to install a newer version of the .Net framework on my studio PC as the Cubase 6.5 upgrade would crash otherwise.

My first impressions are very good. The application runs without a problem on my old Pentium4 machine. Performance is good and processor load is low. I have a Kurzweil KSP8 signal processor connected to a Motu 2408mk3 audio interface through ADAT and Cubase somehow recognized this unit and I could use it to route audio through with a few clicks. Nice! My Mackie Control Universal also worked right out of the box. I did not have to configure anything.

I’m now configuring all audio inputs and outputs and figuring out what’s the best work flow for me. Time to make some new music!

It’s true.

Recently I came across this new brand (for me anyway): Sirui. They’re based in China and make tripods and ball heads for photography use. I was rather suspicious at first as I have rather mixed experiences with gear made in China. But their products were not the same cheesy, cheap looking stuff as a lot of the other offerings so I read some reviews and they were all very positive about the brand and the quality of their products. Apparently Sirui is one of the higher end photography brands in China.

I ordered the T-1204X carbon tripod and the G-20 Ball Head. The tripod has a maximum weight allowance of 10kg, weighs 913 grams (800 grams according to the manufacturer’s specs) and folds down to 40cm. The legs have 4 sections with non-slip rubber feet which do not scratch the surface it stands on. All sections have rubberised knobs for adjusting the section lengths.

The centre column can be used pointing up or down and an additional small centre column is included with the tripod to extend the centre column when needed. At the bottom of the centre column there is a small hook which allows something of weight to be attached for extra stability. On top is a 3/8″ thread which can be changed for a 1/4″ thread so you can mount your camera directly to the tripod, without using a ball head.

The G-20 ball head weighs 345 grams and has a maximum load capacity of 20kg. There also is a G-10 ball head which has a maximum weight allowance of 18kg. The price difference is just 5 Euros so I ordered the G-20 to be on the safe side as it has a larger ball and can handle a bit more weight. The ball head handles my Nikon D300s with heavy AIS lens without a problem. It doesn’t move when locked.

It comes with a quick release plate and has a built-in bubble level. There are three independent control knobs on the ball head: ball friction, ball lock and panning base lock. The quick release head has a security pin preventing your camera to accidental fall out of the head when not locked. At the bottom of the ball head is a 360 degree scale which allows for easy panorama shooting.

The tripod comes in a decent quality bag with big sturdy zippers. On the outside as well as the inside of the bag is a small zipper pocket for storing the Allen keys or other small items. The included shoulder strap for the tripod can also be stored in the bad together with the tripod. There is just enough room in the bag to fit in the G-20 ball head together with the tripod.

All in all I’m really impressed with this product. The built quality is excellent and the tripod and ball head are very sturdy. The weight of the overall configuration is very light (1.1kg) so ideal to take with you on a hike or long walk. Both the tripod and ball head have a short English manual included and some Allen keys for adjusting the articulated legs. Last but not least: Sirui offers a six year guarantee period.

Conclusion: if you’re looking for a good lightweight travel tripod with a reasonable price, put this one on your short list.