Search results (tags) for: "recording"

Etsy Finds: Rock 'n' Shop with Company of Thieves

2009-04-16T10:44:00-05:00

Put a little rock in your shopping experience! Tonight Etsy is teaming up with indie rock phenomenon Company of Thieves in Etsy's multimedia chat rooms, the Virtual Labs! We're celebrating their new album Ordinary Riches (download it here) with a Shop Live and concert all in one. The band will share their favorite Etsy items, chat with the audience, and play a few tunes for you. It's going to be a fun evening — and you don't even have to fight for front row seats! Simply click your bad self into the Virtual Labs, and do a little shoppin', followed by a little rockin'. The fun starts tonight, April 16, 2009 at 7:30pm EDT. Here are a few picks to get you excited!

Cropped Wool Swing Jacket with Leather Strip and Studs on Collar Sz s-m

By blackmarketbaby, $110.

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Red pebble pattern silk scarf

By brookestanton, $26.

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Snake Bracelet

By AnomalyJewelry, $140.

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Hand Painted Peacock Tights

By MissDelishDesigns, $25.

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Cufflinks - Rock On Record, Antique Gold Finish

By dabbledesigns, $14.

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Belle du Jour - Feather Headband

By sweetgrassmill, $15.

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Palerma Headband

By OdalisPetitMenagerie, $17.

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Whales - Blank Sketchbook / Blank Journal

By thenovelnovel, $18.

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White snakeskin embossed clutch

By astridland, $75.

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Looking for more Etsy Finds? Try these links:

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Let the Games Begin!

2008-08-07T23:00:00-05:00

The Olympics start on 8/8/08!

I salute you, you remarkable people doing miraculous things with their bodies that I, for one, will never, EVER be able to do. Though I've never been to the Games myself, I must say I become a bit of an avid TV-watcher-fan-girl. I took a spin around Etsy looking for athletic-inpsired items, and you'll find those below.

All the competition in the air got me to thinking about crafting contests. We'd posted a video a while back with Lily Chin. Lisa Gentry, the world's fastest crocheter, is going for another record — fastest knitter — but I couldn't find any videos with her. Here's a video from The Guinness World Records championships with Holland's Miriam Tegels — the world's fastest knitter. It's crazy!
And fastest in the UK, Hazel Tindall:

In related news, Instructables has an Invent-a-Sport contest. There are a few days left to enter and there aren't nearly enough crafty sports that people have created! Get over there and make up a sport around your favorite handmade activity!

Where are you, sports fans? Ever attended the Olympics? Ever competed in a crafting contest like Speed Knitting? Post in the comments below — we want to know more!

Getting Started in Video: Audio Options

2008-05-09T15:08:00-05:00

So you've got your camera and you're shooting some special footage. How can you make it sound good?

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If you keep your subject within arm's length, you can use the onboard (built in) mic to get passable audio. If you're recording to tape, you'll get some tape sound, but it's likely that it will be usable audio. Photograpy cameras in movie mode sometimes have decent audio. Test what you've got and see how it sounds! If your camera has audio monitoring levels, you'll want to watch those as you record, too.

Improving your audio is as easy as getting a microphone. Even a $10 computer condenser microphone will improve your audio. A small mic gets closer to the subject and that's always good.

As far as sources for audio options, I shop at B & H. If you've got another spot you like to shop, leave a note in the comments.

Here's the breakdown of some of the microphones we use for the Storque.

Lavaliers: Here on the Etsy Media Awesome Team, we use a wired Audio Technica Pro 70 and a wireless Sony mic and they both work well. They are XLR, so if your camera doesn't have an XLR input you're going to have to get a converter cord or a Beachtek adapter. XLR is a way of hooking up mics that gives better quality sound than 1/8 inch jacks.

Shotgun: We use two Sennheissers. One is tiny and one is big. They both work great. (The price I quoted for the big Sennheiser in the video is wrong. It's more like $450. If you need a cheaper shotgun, I've shot with the Azden, and it's fine, too.) To learn more about shotgun mics, check out this article.

Although it's not in this video, if you're looking for a basic old-skool handheld mic, I've had a good experience with this Shure.

If you've got a mic you're happy with, make sure to leave a note in the comments! For more videos about making videos, keep reading our Getting Started in Video series!

Getting Started in Video: Pushing the Red Button

2008-05-06T20:19:00-05:00

You've got a video camera...what next?

The basic idea is to put something in front of the camera and push the red button, but there's a lot more. This video is just a few tips and tricks to get you on your way. The main thing is to just start making videos and then each one will get better and better.

If you're going to go handheld, you can improve your stability by holding your elbows in. A tripod will keep the camera steady. If possible have the camera at eyeline or above because people just look more beautiful from above. You don't need to see up my nose.

Jump cuts are when you see lots of cuts without a change in camera position. I use these a lot. It also helps to plan some things out. I make a bullet list of things that I want to make sure I say. When working with other people, I find it's easier to ask them to talk about a list of topics rather than memorize things.

Don't be afraid to shoot it again and again and again. A few people called in today and I'm going to respond to their questions in future videos. If you've got tips for shooting video, leave a note in the comments or leave me a voicemail at 917-720-4197 and I might post your message in a future post!

I also made a video about videos with the Bill and Justin over at Blip.tv headquarters. They have a great video show about the people and shows on blip.tv called "Blip on Blip." Check it out!

Etsy Finds: Dynamic Clock

2007-11-08T06:16:00-05:00

Here's a holiday shopping tip:

Whenever I'm not sure what I'm looking for on Etsy, I search for random words like "fuzzy" or "glitter" or "insane." I always get lots of interesting results.

Maybe if I had this awesome clock from twistedtime, I wouldn't be late to work so much? Or maybe I would just stay home and watch the hypnotizing movement of this vintage-record-turned-timepiece all day long.

If I don't buy it for myself, you should get it for your favorite geeky loved one, or someone you'd like to hypnotize. Or check out the other clock in this shop for an awesome Hebrew version. "Have a Happy Hypnotique Hannukah!"

The Whimsical World of Lavender Diamond

2007-08-31T20:00:00-05:00

Lavender Diamond's music has been described by Matador Records as "pull[ing] together elements of folk, pop, country, performance art, children's music, and protest anthems to make one of the most original musical statements we've heard in years." The key to Lavender Diamond's appeal can be found in its simple, pretty harmonies and front-woman Becky Stark's earnest, loveable stage presence. However, The Storque was interested in talking with the band about more than just the music: Lavender Diamond is actually a very handmade, multi-media endeavor.

The project started with Becky collaborating on a series of musical plays with her friend Xander Marro. Marro is now involved in the Dirt Palace, a feminist art collective in Providence, RI. At the time of their collaboration, Providence was thriving on an underground culture of creativity. Many creative projects emanated from Fort Thunder, a former textile mill building used by RISD students and other modern day beatniks for studio space, squatting, and as an informal show venue. Lightning Bolt, another band to emerge from the scene, also played loosely with various media forms: collaborations flowed across music, elaborately costumed performances and screenprinted music packaging. The Providence scene remains a vital center of art and creativity that continues to influence artists to this day.

Becky and Xander's collaboration consisted of handmade sets and costumes, hand-developed films, and silkscreened CD-cases sewn up with silver thread.

"Lavender Diamond" was the name of a part-bird-part-woman emissary that sang to humans about peace. After Becky moved to Los Angeles, she started playing with Elvis Perkins, but when she had the idea to do a "country pop record, kinda like Linda Rondstadt," the project morphed. In 2004, the lineup of Lavender Diamond became a quartet with Becky, Steve Gregoropoulos, Jeffrey Rosenberg (who has since left the band), and Ron Rege, Jr. In addition to playing the drums, Ron brings his totally unique illustration talents to the Lavender Diamond mix. His work adorns the "Imagine Our Love" album, as well as posters, hand-drawn t-shirts, and other doodads. Ron has been creating and self-publishing comics for years. Becky learned to screenprint while making the album covers with Marro, and continues to sew patches and make buttons with lavender crystals.

The band has since been signed by Matador Records and has toured with the Decemberists. Despite hitting at least a lil bit of the big time, the band continues to make handmade merch and spread their earnest message of peace and love. After all, the band came together agreeing to "focus our intention on making music in a way that would be uplifting to people." Ron told us that he is fascinated by the fact that many Lavender Diamond fans are older people or little kids, and says the band is looking for alternative times and venues in which to perform for their "not-so-traditional" audience. In a recent interview in Performer magazine, Becky said that she would even like the band to perform at nursing homes. As Becky told us, "It's been a very funny, long road."

We had the chance to interview the band backstage at the 2007 Siren Festival, an outdoor music festival held at Brooklyn's legendary Coney Island.

See Video Part 1:

See Video Part 2:

See Video Part 3:

More information:

See our Flickr photos
Lavender Diamond's website
Matador's Lavender Diamond site
Lavender Diamond is on Wikipedia!
The Siren Music Festival
The Dirt Palace
Fort Thunder wrestling match