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gerenm.photographyWell-nighBlog Galleries Music Contact Menu 701 Franklin Avenue Westminster, MD 21157 (443) 691-2616 the images, words, and music of geren w mortensen jr Your Custom Text HereWell-nighBlog Galleries Music Contact Have Fujifilm Gotten Lost? October 1, 2018 Geren W. Mortensen, Jr. Fujifilm XF 33mm f/1 (image courtesy ePHOTOzine) Fujifilm have announced/released a 33mm f/1.0 prime lens. That’s equivalent to roughly a 50mm f/1.4 lens for a “full frame” DLSR. Needless to say, the thing is huge! I’d plane go so far as to say ridiculously huge! Especially since a 50mm f/1.4 is a much smaller lens!Seeing things like this, and the overly increasing size of the “better” Fujifilm cameras, I’m whence to wonder if Fujifilm have lost their focus. On of the advantages of a mirrorless camera built virtually a small (APS-C or MFT) sensor was supposed to be a smaller, lighter, nimbler camera. Instead, we’ve now got camera persons as big as Sony’s A7/A9 series, and lenses that rival or exceed the size of Canon’s EF-L series. When Fuji started coming out with the f/2 lenses (35mm, 23mm, and 50mm), which are sharp, punchy, and extremely compact, I thought they were really on the right track. Coupled with an X-T20, the package is pretty tropical in size and weight to the Olympus MFT offerings, with the wholesomeness of Fuji’s larger APS-C X-Trans sensor and superb in-camera processing engine.While, so far, I’ve managed to alimony my own bag more-or-less reasonable — so long as you don’t count the three camera persons and two flashes — with just the XF18-55, the XC50-230, and the XF14mm, I finger like plane that’s getting a bit out of hand. I left Canon and Sony to downsize, as I was so ably reminded this past weekend by the little X10 I started my Fuji journey with.Frankly, while I realize that the 2/3” sensor is supposedly no longer made, I think Fuji need to squint backward, and capitalize on the concept of a camera like the X10/X20/X30, but with a 20MP 1-inch sensor. If Sony’s RX100 series is any indication, the resulting camera wouldn’t necessarily need to be larger that the X30 was. Heck, it might plane be worldly-wise to be made smaller! Comment Several Species at Baltimore's MECU Pavilion (Formerly Pier Six) September 30, 2018 Geren W. Mortensen, Jr. As much as I’ve been writing well-nigh music stuff, I haven’t been doing much, if any, photography whispered from lamina phone snaps at work. Last night, I went to see Several Species, a Pink Floyd tribute wreath based here in the Baltimore area. As always, the put on a unconfined show — better, in many ways, than an very Pink Floyd concert. Like many venues, MECU usually has restrictions on what kind of cameras that the unstipulated public can bring in. The unstipulated rule of thumb is that the lens can’t proffer increasingly than 3 inches. So, I took withal my Fujifilm X10 to use from my 12th row part-way seat.The X10 is quite a few years old now, and it’s 12MP, 2/3 inch sensor, while excellent, is challenged in unrepealable situations, like concerts. Still, I’m pretty happy with the images, despite the fact that some are pretty noisy, and that I missed/lost a few shots due to the slow wheels focus. What I’d really like is for Fujifilm to “grow up” the X10/X20/X30 series into a camera with a larger sensor — either 1” or APS-C — with an equivalent lens, for instance, an 18.5-75mm f/2.8-4.8 zoom for an APS-C sensor. Of course, that may make for a lens that extends greater than 3 inches… In galleries, photography, music Tags Several Species, concert, X10, Fujifilm X10, Fujifilm Comment When Ultimate is not so Ultimate August 22, 2018 Geren W. Mortensen, Jr. It's really disappointing when a visitor known for premium products falls down. But that seems to be exactly what's happening at Ultimate Support Systems. Just over a year ago purchased Ultimate's Apex AX48-Pro-Plus dual-tier keyboard stand (pictured here). The Apex is a good-looking stand, and I'd owned one many years ago. The one I had previously was built like a tank, and so, I had every expectation that this one would be, too. Upgrades over the previous model included a stabilizing foot on at the player side of the base, and an zipper point for a microphone boom, which is included in the "plus" model. As with the original version, the feet fold smartly into the marrow of the stand, and the support stovepipe fit neatly into slots in the top of the column. Full of unconfined expectations, I received the Apex and immediately put it to use. I had just joined 7Souls, and had decided that I was going to need to use two keyboards with the band, and that my Ultimate V-Stand with a second tier wouldn't really do (the V-Stand.was flipside disappointment, but I'll write well-nigh that some other time). My setup then was a Roland V-Combo VR-09 on top, a Casio Privia PX310 on the bottom, and I built a custom pedal workbench to fit over the wiring to hold sustain and volume pedals, as well as a TC Helicon Voice Mechanic pedal, and foot-switches to tenancy OnSong. Everything was fine and dandy, until a few months in. I was packing up without a rehearsal, and grabbed the stand by it's handle to flip it over to fold up the feet. As I turned the stand over, the handle tapped off in my hand, sending the stand crashing to the floor.Unlike my original Apex, which had a very nice, solid handle made of metal, the new Apex sports a plastic handle, held in place with plastic clips that indulge it to slide up and lanugo in the columns inside track, and its position was locked with a thumbscrew. The strain of picking up the stand and turning it over had rationalization the plastic zipper points to shatter. My solution was to mumble a bit, and use a pair of self-tapping machine screws to nail a sturdy metal handle from the hardware store. It doesn't retread like the old one did, but it's not letting go any time soon. But I do wish that I hadn't had to do that. And, in fact, I shouldn't have had to. Further, if the part had been made of metal, I wouldn't have. Fast forward to last month, setting up for rehearsal. I'd set the stand in place, and was setting the Korg Kross 2 88 on the lower tier, when I heard a snapping noise, and saw something kind of scoot wideness the floor. Thinking I'd dropped something or knocked something off the pedal board, I wilting lanugo and discovered that I hadn't dropped anything. Instead, the leveling foot had snapped off the base.Close inspection revealed that the plastic zipper point had broken. It appears that a captured nut had pulled right through the plastic locking plate, self-glorification out the front side. I haven't had time to come up with a solution for this problem just yet. It'll probably involved drilling and tapping the post for a 10-32 thumbscrew, which is what Ultimate should have washed-up to uncork with. In the meantime, I'm having to wedge the foot in place and strap it on with gaff tape, or wedge under the wiring of the stand to alimony things steady -- or pretty much whatever it takes to alimony the stand from falling over and spilling my keyboads onto the floor.As if all this wasn't enough, last Friday night at a gig, the mic tattoo failed. It's no longer possible to tighten the tattoo unbearable to alimony it from sinking under the weight of a microphone. It's really worrying when trying to sing and play, and the microphone is slowly sinking into the keyboards -- no matter how tightly I zombie lanugo on the locking handle. Fortunately, I have an old AKG telescoping tattoo arm "in stock", so I won't have to spend a permafrost of transpiration to get flipside decent one. Then again, without only a few months of use, I shouldn't have to.As I said at the top of this missive, Ultimate once made the ultimate stand, but I think that's no longer true. Unfortunately, they still tuition a premium price, while relying increasingly and increasingly on plastic where metal should be.I'll protract to use the Apex, at least for a while (click here for a post that shows a picture of the rig). But I'll be on the lookout for something better. X-stands don't work well for me, as I like the two tiers to be unappetizing and relatively tropical together. Z-stands a tremendously sturdy, but folded/disassembled, they are unwieldy and take too long to set up and tear down. I've had a couple variegated designs of A-frame stands from Ultimate, when they were good, and Standtastic. The Standtastic was okay, but a bit unwieldy to set up and it tended to slip virtually a bit. What's your favorite, gig-worthy stand? Let me know in the comments. I'm lookin' for something!   In music, product tests and reviews Tags Ultimate, Apex Pro Plus Comment Thirty-Nine Years July 21, 2018 Geren W. Mortensen, Jr. Under imbricate on the stage at the Urbana Volunteer Fire Company.Withoutthirty-nine years of providing professional live audio services, I've finally decided I've had enough. It's time to "retire" from the business. Yes, I do remember that it was only a couple of months ago that I built new equipment racks and widow two increasingly wireless mics to the PA. And that I've been subtracting mics and new speakers and lights and other gear steadily over the past couple of years. I've built up a really nice PA system. It sounds good. Maybe plane great. But at a gig last Tuesday night, I realized that I was just plain done. It has ceased to be fun.So, that's that. I'm retired. From the merchantry of doing sound.It's not like getting rained on is the reason for my getting out. If that were it, I'd've gotten out years ago! I've lost track of the number of outdoor gigs I've washed-up where rain has elapsed the start of a show, ended it early, or inserted a big, long, comma in the proceedings. The big reason is that I'm not getting any younger, and there are other things I'd rather do. Like enjoy going to concerts, or taking pictures, or "playing with trains", or playing in the band, or just plain doing nothing.I probably won't get rid of much of my gear, if any, as we'll protract to use it for 7Souls shows.Alimonyan eye on the band's site for show info (or trammels the sidebar here). If you're looking for good people to do sound for your wreath or event, contact me, and I'll put you in touch with some of the area's best. Setting up for DOGFest, in Dailey, West Virginia, on a particularly rainy weekend, sometime in the mid-to-late 80s.Image scanned from a really bad 3x5 print, taken with a Canon AE-1, and probably a 50mm f/1.8 lens. A quick postscript here; if you've once got a gig booked with me, if I've single-minded to a job for you, I'll be there. But, I'm not taking on any new work. In music, sounds Comment Yucca Flower June 29, 2018 Geren W. Mortensen, Jr. Photo with Google Pixel 2, edits in Google Photos (online) and Snapseed (on Acer Chromebook R11)  In photography, galleries Tags Pixel2ated, Snapseed, Pixel 2 CommentSuffererFlowers June 28, 2018 Geren W. Mortensen, Jr. Well, they're not sufferer yet, but definitely looking past their prime...I was out watering some plants in our front and side beds this morning surpassing work, and took a moment or two for a walk virtually the house. These tiger lilies are a little past their prime. As they whither in the morning sun, and the end of the morning's golden hour, the low sun wile accentuates the exquisite detail of the flowers. As the lilies fade, the Yucca plants come into their own, sending stalks of white flowers soaring whilom the garden.I hadn't been planning on a morning photo expedition, and so I had my phone with me instead of a proper camera. The Pixel 2 camera seldom fails to impress, and these pictures are no exception. That a phone camera can render such detail, and verisimilitude and dynamic range is truly wondrous to me. I don't know that I would have gotten largest with a "proper" camera. I moreover relied on Google's Photos online app to do what little editing these photos required -- cropping, and a little sustentation to highlights and shadows and verisimilitude are all these images got.  In photography Tags Pixel 2, Pixel2ated Comment The Korg is In The Room... June 24, 2018 Geren W. Mortensen, Jr. Here's the new rig. You'll recognize the Roland VR09 on top, and the new Korg Kross 2 88 is large and in tuition on the marrow tier. Friday night without work (and without picking up one of the cars from the shop), I went over to Coffey Music and picked up a Korg Kross 2 88. (Yes, I've been holding when on you. You'll just have to get over it). Goodness, gracious, there's a lot going on in there!As you can see, it's taken its rightful spot on the stand. I'm trying now to decide just what I'm going to do with the Casio. The sad thing is that it still plays just fine through its internal speakers, but the jack panel on the when is pretty much shot and it's scrutinizingly untellable to get it properly repaired. So, my quandary is whether or not to sell it, or buy the stand for it and set it up permanently at home ... Mmmm .... Moving right withal ...I was definitely right in my last post well-nigh the wile of the keyboard throwing off the action. In playing position, it's much lighter, making it quite well-appointed to play. So, my next task is choosing the "replacement" sounds to imbricate the Casio and assigning them as "favorites".Withoutthat, it's on the the really fun stuff dealing with loading in audio samples, and working with the arpeggiators to get that Baba O'Riley sound I've wanted to imbricate for years  (okay, so I started making notes on that last night) -- I've finally got the instrument to do it with!I did some fun testing last night, and found that my iPad recognized the Kross 2 instantly when I unfluctuating the two using Apple's "Camera Connection Kit", which is basically a fancy name for a Lightning to USB A adapter. I was multitracking in GarageWreathin well-nigh thirty seconds. That, my friends, is how stuff needs to work. Fie on this silliness of loading drivers and hoping they fly.I will need to load the drivers on onto a Windows laptop, though, so that I can use the editor/librarian software to get things configured and backed up a little increasingly conveniently. Editing the arpeggios on the LCD screen on the keyboard won't be all that much fun, and it will be good to be worldly-wise to prep samples surpassing uploading, although the limited editing offered in the keyboard is unquestionably quite serviceable as far as it goes. And, considering the keyboard doesn't support sample ADSR looping, it goes as far as it really needs to. I'm hoping, though, that Korg can add full sample editing sufficiency in the future, as Roland did on the Juno DS. So far, only one disappointment, and one complaint. The thwarting is that the vocoder seems to only work in a limited number of pre-configured ways. I was hoping that I'd be worldly-wise to select any sound as the carrier input, but that doesn't seem to be the specimen (or, maybe I just haven't figured that out yet). The complaint is with the editor software -- it's a stock-still size, so on my "big" laptop, it uses only a small portion of the screen.[UPDATE: It appears that I can use the vocoder effect on any sound, not just those that Korg have once set up. The result can be stored as a favorite for quick recall.]And yes, I know. That's a lot of tabs unshut in Chrome. Forty-one to be exact. Who in their right mind needs forty-one browser tabs open?!?!? But, you get the picture. The editor is the black-and-grey app opened over Chrome. The section on the lower right, just whilom the keyboard, is one of the arpeggio editors. Those little, tiny squares within that are the places for the very "notes" that make up the arpeggio. No matter. I'll icon something out.The new keyboard will make its stage debut when 7Souls plays at Phillips Pub next month. Hopefully, we'll see you there!In the midpoint time, I've been busily placing ads to sell off some unused equipment, which you can find on Craigslist. (NOTE: Craigslist items are only misogynist for local pickup). In music Tags Korg, Kross 2 Comment Older Posts → Featured Dec 28 Dec 28, 2018 – Dec 29, 2018 Phillips Pub & Grill 7Souls at Phillip's Pub & Grill Dec 28, 2018 – Dec 29, 2018 Phillips Pub & Grill Dec 28, 2018 – Dec 29, 2018 Phillips Pub & Grill Subscribe Sign up with your email write to receive news and updates. First Name Last Name EmailWriteSign Up We respect your privacy. Thank you! Powered by Squarespace