J I N X 'S J O I N T

Rehearsal Time!

dongggoi — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:05:52 +0000

Ever since I had such a great time doing a live gig about a month ago, I felt like there are so many more songs that need to be sung live! So I set up a little rehearsal rig for more fun live rehearsals, in between recording sessions!

Tweaking galore……….

Ready, Steady, Sing!

I can’t wait to do the next live gig! See you there, hopefully!

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Jinx Is Live Again!

dongggoi — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 04:47:28 +0000

Finally! After trying tirelessly to arrange scheduling for all the musicians in my band so that we could practice, I finally decided that perhaps the best thing to do in order to play a live show, was just to do it myself, at least for now. So I went to one of the popular places for Open Mic events called The Bee, and gave my name to the organizer. I even lugged my trusty workhorse digital piano to the venue. I sang one of my own originals called “Finally Gone” and one of my favorite Whitney Houston songs, “Saving All My Love For You”. I was kind of worried because for some insane reason, I would sometimes get the lyrics mixed up in “Finally Gone”, and I certainly didn’t wanna do that during the performance, but I didn’t wanna look “uncool” by having a lyric sheet in front of me….so I had to improvise. Just in case those little performance gremlins decided to cause me temporary lyric amnesia during the song, I made sure I had my little cheat sheet in some inconspicuous spot so that no one would see that I had one!

Lyric cheat sheet!!!

Looks like I’m busting a gut!

It was a blast! The rush that I missed all this time, once again flowed through my veins as the crowd fed me copious amounts of adrenalin through their appreciation. I think I’m going to have to do this again….and again…and again, and again and again!

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Dedication

dongggoi — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 02:40:58 +0000

This is a special dedication to my family, and especially to my Mom, in honor of her birthday (18th January). My Dad, my sisters, my brother and I miss her dearly. She was truly one of a kind; the kind of lady that one doesn’t easily forget. She was a teacher, singer, recording artiste, actress, philanthropist, radio DJ, writer and generally an amazing human being. She believed in me, even more than I believed in myself. Along with my family, she has been my inspiration and support. For that, I am eternally grateful. Happy Birthday Mom!

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DIY

dongggoi — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:46:20 +0000

Since I got my DSLR, I have been having a lot of fun learning the techniques professional cinematographers and directors use to make their movie masterpieces. While the new DSLRs have given us a new low-cost option for shooting very high quality videos, some of the film accessories are still alarmingly expensive. So what is a pseudo-super-beginner-filmaker-in-the-making like me supposed to do? Watch YouTube and see if I can get an idea on how to get one, or how to make one…..for less money or even better…no money!

Having recently discovered how steady cams really help in giving filmakers a smooth, professional-looking gliding effect when following a moving object during shooting, naturally I had to have one. Finding out how much they cost brought out the businessman in me giving me insight that beyond a shadow of a doubt, after adjusting for inflation and the current world monetary exchange rates, it was a rip-off! So finally here it is….my newfangled DIY, couldn’t-be-simpler steady cam, ready for prime time! I have tested it and it works great, except it is a little heavy, but hey, I don’t mind getting an arm workout while I’m shooting a video!

My cool DIY SteadyJinxCam!

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Ergonomics

dongggoi — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:16:11 +0000

A lot of people seem to overlook the fact that ergonomics is very important to people who do repetitive tasks (and let’s face it….we all do). As a music producer and a general computer control freak, I spend quite a lot of time in the studio working on various projects. I am always wary of the possibility of getting some sort of repetitive stress syndrome on my wrist (from working with a mouse, not that other thing…and get your mind out of the gutter!), so I got myself a couple of ergonomic mice. I’m happy to say that I don’t have an aching wrist from extensive mouse usage anymore although……..I can’t be too sure about the pain in my wrist for that other thing, though!

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2012

dongggoi — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:33:11 +0000

Naysayers keep saying that the end of the world is nigh……while I am tempted to jump into what will be a year-long conundrum on whether we will all perish, as the Mayans have seen fit to proclaim…..I have been a little more introspective in my look at 2012. There have been times in previous years when I had been super enthusiastic about what I was going to do in the New Year. While it is always good to have something to be enthused about, this year I am keeping it real.

My favorite pondering spot at the Santa Monica Pier

During the past year I have met some very talented music producers and artists and as I begin to work on music with them, I find that there are not enough hours in the day to do all that I need to do. I have the pop music that I am developing for the US, more of my songs to develop, music videos that are only half-complete, and my as-yet unfinished album that I have to finish! With so many new developments happening, it was all I could do keep to my original resolutions and some may have fallen by the wayside. So instead waxing lyrical about how I am going to keep to my New Year resolutions this time, I’m going to make sure all that I had set out to do last year actually gets done well, before even thinking of coming up with new ones. So Happy New Year to all, and I hope to see you during the realization of one of my resolutions last year…..which is to perform live in front of all of you!

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LED!

dongggoi — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 04:59:57 +0000

Since Audi came up with LED lights on their headlights, almost every European car company out there has jumped on the LED bandwagon and attached some LEDs in some form or other in the front of all their cars. I have to admit, they do look kind of cool, in an attention-grabbing, self-indulgent, yet hip sort of way.

On a recent trip to Singapore, I stumbled into a computer store that sold all kinds of electronics accessories, and while I was taking in the amazing plethora of electronic paraphernalia, I found strips of LED lights that they sold by the meter. The lights were so bright and inviting that I just simply had to get some just get some, and I didn’t even care that I had no actual use for it.

So after parting with 25 Singapore dollars, there I was,with a meter of LED lights and a dream!

Back at the studio, I started to see how these lights could strike a nice balance between whimsical form and practical function….and I think I found a way to do it. I placed the strip on the underside of one of the platforms of my music rig and lo and behold, we have cool lights at the piano! And I didn’t have to buy an Audi and shove it under my monitors to do it!

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Spreadem’ Studio Upgrade

dongggoi — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 08:29:01 +0000

In this day and age, computers have become a part of almost every part of our lives. This is very much the case in music production, where clever innovations in computing and electronic instruments have given us songwriters unbelievable creative power. There are “purist” old-school musicians who still maintain that the old-fashioned way is the best way, with analog tape recordings and countless recording takes to get that elusive “perfect” take. To those folks I say, “Get with the program!!” We live in an age where the best takes in a performance can be “cut” and “pasted” to form an awesome performance. While admittedly, analog tape recordings have a nice warm sound to them, the inconveniences associated with analog recording devices and physically cutting and splicing tape far outweigh, the warm sound that you get, especially when you’re operating on a tight deadline. Computers are our friends!!

Speaking of computers being our friends, here is my new bad-ass friend. This is the newest addition to my home studio’s arsenal of sonic stuff.

This is the new bad-assed heart of the studio!

Tons of plugins and effects running at the same time? No problem!

And here she is in all her new glory!

The Spreadem’ Studio transformation is complete!

Now let’s start producin’!

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I Was Bored One Sunday Afternoon…

dongggoi — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 03:21:56 +0000

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Back From LALA Land!

dongggoi — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:11:29 +0000

Not too long after the dust had settled after my touchdown in the Home of the Brave and The Land of The Free did I find myself on a long and dreary flight back to the land of Malaysia. I gotta say, I wish I could have stayed longer….there was just so much to do musically and so many great people yet to meet.

Superstar-in-the-making, Arielle, super music producer Russell, and yours truly

Country star, Jason Charles Miller joins us for a photo opp

Russell and Arielle adding parts to a new song that we developed

Even my iPad got into some recording action!

This long overdue trip back to the USA was for two main reasons. It was to be a long-overdue reunion of sorts for me and a few of my close friends with whom I shared some of my crazy, irreverent college days. Besides this, the purpose of my trip was to meet up with some people in the music industry, to find out what the business was really like, and to learn some recording techniques used by the top producers in Hollywood. My buddy, who is one of the hottest music producers in Hollywood, was an awesome host who introduced me to some Grammy award-winning producers. I also got a chance to work on a brand new song with a few artists that I’m sure will become superstars very soon. It certainly was also a great privilege to learn some production techniques that are being used in the top Hollywood studios.

The entrance to The Guitar Center in Hollywood had the hand indentations of all your favorite artists

The great wall of guitars!

Me and my hostess with the mostest….Lonneke

The streets of Hollywood

THE CUISINES OF HOLLYWOOD!

You think they put enough Salmon on there??

The most awesome seafood pizza!

I couldn’t help myself….despite my proclamation some years ago to stay away from Whoppers…anyway I just had to try this version just for the taste!

It wasn’t just all work, of course! There were some fun hang-out sessions as well. I have to admit, it was as if I was magically transported into an MTV reality show when i hung out at a celebrity music producer’s hillside home with some of his friends, which included an MTV starlet, an adult magazine centerfold, and a gansta rapper! It was surreal!

Went to the neighborhood Fry’s Electronics Store….it is so freakin’ huge….a total geek’s valhalla!

Inside Geek’s Paradise! (Fry’s Electronics)

All work and no rest makes J I N X an idiot…so we took some time to chill out at the rooftop of The Broadway…one of the most prestigious apartments in all of Hollywood, and it happens to be the home of some very famous names….I can’t say who they are though!

My buddy John, a special effects wiz who has worked on the Iron Man, Spiderman and Transformers movies, ponders his next project at The Broadway

I wish I hadn’t put off this trip till now. For the longest time I had postponed this trip for what now seems to be the most inane reasons, despite repeated pleas from my producer buddy to get my ass to the US to get into the music scene. Well, better late than never! I will be starting production on some dance-pop music in collaboration with some of these producers in the US and I am so looking forward to that. A big “thank you” to my music producer buddy who believed in me all these years! Time to get to work in creating those hot beats and hooks!

Time to bid farewell to LA….but I’ll be back!

Final American Chinese meal before taking off!

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