Real Ever After doesn’t just happen. It requires dedication to overcoming obstacles, recognizing and remembering the qualities that brought you together in the first place and never taking love for granted!

Join us on June 16th at 6pm at Circle S Ranch in Lawrence, Kansas, as we renew our commitment to each other and celebrate our imperfect moments of Real Love.

Attire: This is a casual event and we want everyone to wear their story of Real Love! RSVP is required and we request that you purchase your Real Love shirt and write your own story on the back. We will be wearing ours as we celebrate our commitment to the Real Ever After, a journey to the rocking chair.

RSVP here: http://www.facebook.com/events/143668482424544/

Purchase Your Shirt to wear here: http://chaptersrevealed.bigcartel.com/product/real-love-shirt

Learn more at: www.RealEverAfter.com

Join us on our journey of the Real Ever After at our Real Love Renewal.

By: Chapters Revealed: the Real Ever After

“…We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” – Numbers 13:33

This spies who went to explore the land of Canaan came back with the report that it would be impossible to take the land. Instead of believing in a God who redeemed them from Egypt and was with them in the wilderness, they were afraid of being weaker than the people in the land that God had promised to them.

Just know that whatever circumstances you are facing, we serve an almighty God through which all things are possible. He will give us the strength to overcome, if we choose to believe in Him. Don’t let your land of giants overwhelm you and bring fear in your life.

I’m not saying it will be easy, but trust and endure that God will make a way. Word up!

I’ve compiled a list of the DAWs below, but obviously there are way too many to list. These are the most notable DAWs that I’ve come across (at least in my experience). Some of them have been around for years with significant changes over time, and some of them have made more of a recent stamp in the recording world. This list is not in any order by any means.

Avid Pro Tools
MOTU Digital Performer
PreSonus Studio One
Steinberg Cubase
Cakewalk Sonar
Ableton Live
Image-Line FL Studio
Propellerhead Reason/Record
Cockos Reaper
Apple Logic Pro

For me, it all started with FL Studio. Back then it was called Fruity Loops up until I believe version 4 was released when they changed the name to FL Studio. I was able to make tracks and integrate it with my MPC2000XL via MIDI. Around the same time, there was a pretty big divide amongst beat makers between FL Studio and Reason. While I took more of an interest in FL Studio, I still tinkered around with Reason.

The one thing that was missing for me was the recording process. So after some research, I stumbled upon Sony Acid Pro which was originally published by Sonic Foundry. It was the perfect compliment to FL Studio, because it used a loop-based technology to construct tracks which worked well with the tracks I created. I got myself a cheap mic, and the process of producing music was now complete for me. I was able to create music, record vocals, and mix everything.

Years later, as I began to build a more professional suite of equipment, I picked up Pro Tools (formerly created by Digidesign). It contained everything I needed in terms of producing complete songs, plus it was the industry standard for most professional recording studios. I switched my entire setup to an Apple-based setup, dumped Acid Pro, but I was left with one small problem. I had to retire FL Studio, because it wasn’t built on the Mac OS platform.

It was hard for me to ditch FL Studio, even with Pro Tools, because I had become so familiar with it and loved how it was designed. But guess what I could use instead? Yep, that’s right! Reason was my alternative. The bonus came when they created the ability to rewire Reason into Pro Tools. I was able to use the modules, racks, instruments and everything from Reason in addition to having the capabilities of Pro Tools. Talk about having the best of both worlds!

So here I am today using mostly Pro Tools as my DAW integrated with Reason. I’ll get into more specifics of why I use Pro Tools and Reason, and what functions I use the most in a later blog. Lord knows it’s too much to cover in this article. But back to my original statement, it’s just a matter of preference. Producers, musicians, artists, people in general, etc. will respect your craft if you’re good at it. And it doesn’t matter what DAW or equipment you use, the work you put into it will show!

So what DAW are you currently using and why do prefer it?

Recently I was looking for a quick and inexpensive way to record some decent sounding audio files from my laptop without having to configure a normal recording session in the studio.  The built-in mic on my MacBook Pro works, but for the purpose of having a more professional quality sound, it’s definitely not the way to go. After doing some research, I found the Samson C01U USB Studio Condenser Microphone.

Instead of having to buy a standard mic and connect it to a mixer or whatever audio interface you use to record with, it’s as simple as plugging it into a USB port on your computer. You bypass the audio interface altogether, which is a huge benefit for those of you who don’t have a great audio interface (such as a normal PC sound card) or a mixer with mic preamps. The USB connection eliminates any interference that could possibly be introduced in the audio signal through the sound card.

Here’s a little audio clip demonstrating how it sounds.

I won’t bore you with the technical details, but it does capture audio at 16-bit resolution up to a 48kHz sampling rate. You can find out more about it via Samson’s website. As far as attaining professionally recorded vocals, there are higher end microphones that are more suitable, but for podcasting, interviews, and everyday vocal recordings, this is exactly what the doctor ordered. And it comes with minimal process to set up!

Price wise, it’s roughly $80 at the time of this writing. You can find it online or at your local audio store. I purchased it from Best Buy. It comes with Cakewalk Sonar LE, a desktop mic stand, mic clip, USB cable and a carry pouch. However, if you’re like me, and you want to accessorize, you can also mount it with the SP01 Spider shockmount. If so, I suggest you get a mic boom stand or a mic stand that can support it’s weight a little better, because the desktop stand won’t suffice…trust me.

If podcasting or videocasting is something you are looking to get into, and you want something affordable that produces decent quality audio, definitely check out this mic.

Many of us navigate through life filtering our experiences through painful incidents that have affected us in our past. We can seem to have it all together, but all it takes is the right trigger to bring us back to that low point. And usually, it occurs at the hands of people we are very close to. As a believer, I struggle with this more than I’d care to admit. But that’s when I find solace in God’s word. This particular verse just recently came to me as a reminder of who I am in God’s eyes.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (TNIV) – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

Knowing this, I no longer have to carry around that feeling I had as a kid of being abandoned and not important enough because of incidents that occurred in my childhood.  Because I was pushed to be excellent at every task, I no longer have to feel discouraged and worthless when I fail to hit the mark. I can replace those feelings with the belief that since I am in Christ, I have a new heart and life that is not defined by the behaviors, habits, and pressures of my old nature.

God loves each of us and is looking forward to who we will become versus who we used to be and what has happened to us in the past. We must fully commit our lives to Him, and He will help to replace those awful thoughts and feelings from our past with the truth of His word. Only when we fully commit to Christ will we experience the liberty and freedom of being reborn in Him. Trust me, it is not an easy task. It’s a daily challenge to renew the mind especially against the wiles of today’s society.

Of course there are many more bible verses that speak to this area of our lives.  Feel free to comment and share your thoughts on what verses have helped you to overcome your painful past.

I really want to use this blog to share my life experiences in hopes that you can relate, find value, and ultimately point you to the cross. In doing so, I also want to share the knowledge I’ve gained over the years so it can be carried forward to a reach far beyond what I alone can accomplish. In essence, I would like this to be a community driven effort where we interact, learn things, and stay relevant in today’s culture.  So the vision I have for this blog is to break it into topics you want to know more about in addition to the things I will present. That being said, here are the list of topics I’m currently thinking about:

1. Spiritual life and growth
2. Being a musician or band and traveling a road to becoming successful
3. Production tutorials with Pro Tools and other equipment
4. Personal life and balance
5. Motion graphics and/or video production
6. Website technology and development
7. Sharing others lives and experiences

Ok, so here’s what I need from you. I need you to add any topics that you think are relevant. I also need you to help me by prioritizing the topics listed above. They are in no set order. The list only serves to get the conversation started. Remember, your input is critical to make this journey a success for everyone involved, so don’t think you can’t offer anything. An idea you have could be the catalyst for something great in the future.

So leave your comments and help create a growing community of thriving individuals who want to grow and mature!

Live performances of the song I Lift My Hands (Remix) by MilLion Tracks featuring Racquel Kos. The first performance is at Maurice Roberts Park in Richmond, MO. The second performance is at the Salvation Army Olathe Corps. in Olathe, KS.

Live performances of the song “It’s Gonna Be OK” at two different venues. The first performance is at GracePointe Community Church in Lee’s Summit, MO. The second performance is at Maurice Roberts Park in Richmond, MO.

Not only has this benefited the consumer, it has also aided the next and upcoming musician or band in their journey to release their music and promote themselves. However, along with these technological innovations comes a tendency to flood or saturate the market since they are readily available to the general public. That being said, with so many musicians and bands across the world taking advantage of today’s technology, what really distinguishes them in your mind? What really compels you to take a following to any musician or band in particular?

Do they play a certain instrument or range of instruments very well?
Are they great composers of words or music?
Do they have the perfect voice to you?
Do they consistently put out great material?
Are they great entertainers?
Do they have a certain charm?
Do they put you in a certain mood?
Do they possess a sense of unusual, unique, or mystical nature?
Do they evoke some sort of emotional connection or memory?
Are they or do they live in the city or town you’re from?
Do you identify with things in their life to some extent?
Are they frequently up to something new?

Obviously, we as people are entirely different in our musical tastes, and we can be a bit picky at that. But there has to be some underlying theme as to what draws us to certain musicians or bands. We somehow believe the information they are providing is useful to us in some capacity. The list of questions above are likely to be more common reasons. They are staged in no particular order, but depending on who you ask, the priority is completely different.

I love listening to great musical compositions, but more importantly, the content within the lyrics is what drives me. I grew up on a lot of the Motown artists, gospel and contemporary gospel singers, jazz, and all of hip hop and rap. I later begin to broaden my horizon into all styles of music. So as of today, I’m not one to pick a specific genre of music as my preference, because I’ve grown to appreciate most musical styles that I’ve encountered. To me it has to evoke thought, uplift my spirit, and be creative all the while. Meshing this with a groove of some sort is sure to keep my interest peaked in any musical style. And yes, there is music that doesn’t contain lyrics, but a groove is a groove is a groove!!!

Exposure is another subtle component of music whether we realize it or not. Think about when you were a kid what was playing in your household or community and how it was tied in context to some experience in your life. The more you’re exposed to a certain musician or band, the more their music becomes familiar to you which increases its appeal. Think about it…how many times have you heard that one song you really didn’t much care for OVER and OVER and OVER until it finally grows on you?

All in all, there are a number of subjective elements that contribute to everyone’s most liked musicians or bands. My hope with this post is to bring some of my thoughts and experiences to the table in terms of what has inspired me over time. The list above is what initially comes to mind. How would you prioritize these elements relative to your favorite musician or band? Also, what could you add to this list to enhance it and would get people thinking about their experiences with their most liked musicians or bands?

Post your comments!