Touching Base~~A Bit of Rambling

I don't know why I chose the pic of the ice-burned ivy leaf.  It could be that I've not picked up the proper camera in several months, thus I've resorted to using whatever current image found in my phone's pic album.  It's a thing, posting something most recent, no matter what the subject.

Perhaps it does fit the mood.  A bit of a rottenness, a blemish.  Though not enough to spoil the whole of the thing.  And the leaf still lives, clinging in defiance to its vine.  Sorta like me, I guess.  Anyone who knows me well can vouch for my stubbornness.  And I just keep on living.  Take that cruel world!  HaHaHaa! (^.~)

I'll get to the point (sort of)...

All week, I've known I need to update the FitVlog.  And I will.  I'm just late.  Terribly.  It's an issue with a previous video causing the hesitation.  Remember this post Nothing But a Thing ?  The video mentioned in the post is still in limbo, due to yet another copyright claim~~they pop up like mushrooms.  Funny thing, this particular claimant (IODA) is connected to Sony in some way.  After some investigating, I found the artist who provided the royalty free music used in the video is also connected with Sony, and he gave me permission to use the music.  Now, I can no longer find the music on the stock media site I got it from (Pond5.com), though I do hold a license to use it.  Is this proof enough?

All I know, it's taking forever to get the claim released, it seems, which has me a bit worried.  I feel confident in my dispute, but the powers that be may go against me.  The next course of action is unclear.  Maybe it doesn't seem like a big deal at the moment, but I suspect it could be.  And, really, YouTube is what I enjoy doing.  For now, at least.  Why would I want to mess that up?
(>.<)

As I type this, I'm in the zone.  Headphones clamped to my head with sounds of peace streaming out of them.  This time it is a four hour long playlist.  Do I need that long to say a thing? haha!  It is common practice for me to seek out long stretches of music to help focus or inspire thoughts.  Most of the music I've not heard prior to clicking play.  What I'm hearing now is lovely, so far.  Aren't we lucky they've chosen to share it with us so freely?

I just had a thought, were I writing this on paper, there'd be scrawling and sketches all about.  Things circled, highlighted and colored.  It would be a fun thing to be able to write select-able text freehand, while maintaining its "freehand" appearance.  I've created my own font, but that's not quite the same thing.  I'd like to be able to save the scrawlings, too, in this digital blogging-type format.  Something tells me this is possible somewhere.  I just haven't discovered it yet.

This reminds me of my neglected websites, where I used to make things like webpages with my sketches and raw freehand style, amongst other experimental things.  So much of that fun stuff was lost when I changed hosting plans.  Well, not lost, just saved in external hard drive aether.  When I've more time (soon, I hope) I need to work on those websites.  Pity not to use them for something.  So many fun things to do, so little time!

~~Ohh...I've come to a spot in the music where they've mixed in soft sounds of rain.  Nice.~~

Moving right along...
Yes, there will be a FitVlog update.  I'll be filming more of the workouts starting later today.  After a bit of sleep, which I've not yet had.  (O.o)  As I mentioned once, somewhere, the workouts have been repeating each week~~we are starting to get good at them.  Which of course means they'll soon change and get more difficult!

Also, I need to make some tutorials.  Viewers have mentioned the bracelets I wore in my ring tutorial and wanted a video about them.  I think I'll do that.  Just need to get focused.  Pull my gaze from the clouds, calm the inner storm of uncertainty.  Soon.

So much to do, so little time~~ (^.^)v

     


          

 

Nothing But a Thing

Today's post is brought to you by Increasingly Annoyed.  Ha!

I wasn't going to do this, but it's probably worth documenting the events.  It may happen that I delete the post in the future.  Who knows?

Alrighty, let's get to the crux of the situation.

In my last post, I shared my latest YouTube video.  I spent a little time putting that together, as I do all of my videos.  I also take extra care to make sure all elements of my videos are legal to use.  Which is why I'm a bit perplexed and becoming increasingly annoyed. :)

The problem started when I used a piece of royalty free music in my video.  It was immediately hit with three copyright claims made by companies that I later found are somehow linked.  Zimbalam, Audiam, and Believe.  Zimbalam and Audiam released their claim on the music, but Believe has yet to do so.  Strange, isn't it?  Particularly strange since the music in question is not even the same as the songs those companies claim it to be!

Here's my theory, the original artist put their music up for royalty free use on the site Pond5.com .  Other artists grabbed it, mashed it, mixed it and twisted it for their own use, including for monetary gain.  Those artists then claimed their mix as their very own creation and put it in the catalog.  You know, that catalog that YouTube's magical algorithms tap into right before you get hit with a copyright notice~~even an erroneous one. (^.~)

I'm going to own my naivety and say, it isn't the fault of the artists, or the record labels, or any of the companies I named above.  I'd like to think the problem is in the system that's set up to protect the interests of the original and legitimate copyright holders.  Yeah, that's it.  We'll blame the magical program for being a little, tad bit faulty.  (sigh)

Still, there's this tiny needle pricking my brain telling me there is something a touch more sinister going on.  I've continually come across several comments regarding at least one of the above-mentioned companies in YouTube forums and even on the company's Facebook page about their making false copyright claims on music and video.  I've also heard whisperings (and out-right vulgar shoutings) about other entities intentionally making false claims on videos solely for the purpose of making money off of them.  This concerns me, of course, because if they can get away with this, they can either earn revenue off of my videos or they can affect my good standing with YouTube.

So you'd think, just don't use any music in your videos, right?  Oddly enough, some are getting hit with copyright notices from music labels even when their videos don't contain any music!  That's got to be frustrating.

Oh, I forgot to mention.  I may have to wait an entire month to see if they drop the claim on my video.  If they don't release it, my video could get pulled.  It puts a damper on things, to be sure.

Okay.  Time for a deep cleansing breath.  Gahhhh.... !   (O.o)

It's out of my system.  I'll be working on a new video soon, being super careful about its contents.
Haha!  It should be a fun one.  We have a new workout to try~~>P90X3!

If you are curious about the workouts we are doing, check us out on YouTube, also feel free to peruse my website at www.beachbodycoach.com/sdchan , or even send me a message on Facebook.   

Take care out there! (^.^)v

UPDATE:  After reviewing my message to them, the music company Believe has released the copyright claim on my video.  Yay!
Now back to our regularly scheduled program.  (^.~)  
    

            

The Full Circle

This is one of those days it should be raining.  But it isn't.  The pensive mood would appreciate a bit of gloom.  Though just a touch.  Only enough to sort out a thing or two.

It started with a dream, or perhaps it was a nightmare.  Depending on how one looks at it.  Whatever, it woke me at 3:50 a.m.  One of those rare dreams that leaves me breathless and shaking.  I blame it on watermelon.

Watermelon.  And the brief fasting/cleansing thing I'm doing.  It's supposed to be good for you.  You face your hunger in a different way.  Along with a multitude of other issues that pop up.  Those things you haven't dealt with for months, maybe years.  Those things a person often ignores by eating away the discomfort.  Some might use other methods.  I think mine has definitely been eating.  Mostly chocolate things with fizzy drinks to chase them down.  Not anymore.  For quite some time now, actually.  So, all that stuff from ago has reared its beastliness in a decidedly discomforting way.

Back to the dream.  It's almost faded from memory now.  Dreams often do melt away, leaving only bits of their essence.  It seemed my dad was there, but only his image.  His demeanor was different and quite unlike his gentle nature.  Instead, it was like someone else I'd known before.  An angry violent man who had lashed out at me on occasion.  What an odd thing.  In shadows, his figure stalked at me down a wet, darkened and misty road, a large plastic baseball bat held high in his hands.  The intent to kill evident in his voice.  The face shifted back and forth, from my parent to the dangerous man.  Dreams.  So strange.  I'm sure there was more.  Something that lead to this apex.  This moment where I'd surely meet my end.  I can't grasp it anymore.  There was music, though.  I suppose, influenced by the tunes I've been listening to lately.  Still, this particular song played again and again.  It's not a tune in English, still it's meaning is understood by me.  Too, I know that when I awoke, my mind was quite clear what all of it was about.  The images instantly making sense.

Of course, after a bit of calming, I looked to the aether and apologized to Dad for having had such delirium.  It wasn't truly about him after all.  Though, naturally, I do miss him.  Thinking of him brings tears.  

It seems the circle is full.  At least for many of those things from ago.  I'll leave them largely unmentioned for now, but they are being faced and put away neatly, having been dealt with proper.  So, it's taken a few years...  Okay, nearly all my life.  Better late than nay.

And the song?

A bit of explanation.  The group I've been listening to lately, D, I first encountered at A-Kon last year.  Their music is inspiring, interesting, intense and beautiful.  Maybe it is because they themselves are beautiful that I became so captivated.  That, and because Asagi's voice is so achingly beautiful.  A person has to see them live to know what I mean.  It's an experience.

The song, L'Oiseau Bleu by D.
 
Thank you ItachinoUchiha for sharing this video.   
              

On Hold

So, I was on hold the other day, attempting to get business done. Just something simple, really.

You'd think getting a simple thing done wouldn't take so long, but somehow it did. I just needed to correct a few things on an account. Easy enough. No biggie. And it wasn't really, once a human spoke to me everything was fine.

But, the waiting on hold began to get on my nerves, and I'm normally a peaceful kinda gal. First of all, I really don't like to make phone calls. Or even talk on the phone, because my hearing isn't all that great. I tend to misunderstand what's being said, and have to make assumptions a lot. Either that or ask them to repeat nearly everything that's been said. But no, it wasn't the wait that bothered me. Nope.

It was that music!

The butchering of perfectly beautiful classical music by blasting a terrible rendering of it as loudly as possible. It crackled, whined and groaned through the tiny speakers on my phone. I suppose I could have turned it down a bit, but I knew I'd not hear when a human would speak. So, I pulled it away from my ear and waited a while.

And then, the human spoke. He was very kind and knew just what to do. Though, he took each correction one at a time. So, yes, he put me on hold, after each correction. It began to get comical almost. And since I had to get these corrections done, I sat there, listening to the screaming violins as though they were right in my face shouting, "CAN...YOU... HEAR...ME? HUH? HUH?" in ever increasing pace. And each time he'd return, I could scarcely hear his voice, as, somehow, the connection was suddenly quite poor.

Eventually, I got everything done with that particular account. Despite being driven nearly mad by what would seem an overly eager and very robust orchestra. Then, it was on to another phone call I had to make.

And wouldn't you know, I'd been cursed. That phone call yielded the very same music! Gah!

A Leisurely Drive and Laptop Things

It's not like I really need an excuse to use the new software I've come across. I say it's new, though only because it's new to me. The software just happened to come with the new laptop I was forced to get. The old one, how I loved it so, was full to the brim of miscellaneous software, pics, vids and goodness knows how much music was stashed away in those little compartments, folders, files. The thought of walls full of dusty old filing cabinets stuffed with yellowing pages, half of them in the folder, the other half spilling out, some on the floor, or simply filed in an unknown place (file 13), just crept into my head. That's what's inside that old laptop.

I wonder if most people get their money's worth out of their laptops. I know I have. And it will still be visited from time to time. The time, when I find time, to "clean house" as it were. At the moment, it has been relegated to portable DVD player for the kiddos and the machine they can use to visit the Starfall website.
"Sports Car" Laptop

I worry the new machine will meet a similar fate. I really should learn to edit and store only the good stuff on an external drive. I'm a hoarder, of sorts. Though the contents of my house may be sparse, one need only take a look at me ol' laptop to know the truth! It won't be long before the keys on this new sports car computing device will be polished smooth and shiny, the "f" and "j" home-key bumps worn flush.

And so, in a very roundabout way, I've come to this. The editing software that I made the vid with, Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10.

Now, I've heard of the Vegas Movie Studio stuff for years. I envied those who had it, simply because it could do that chromakey thing. You know, so you can make your background transparent then put some other background in, pretend you were in beautiful France or on the beach somewhere. Silly, I realize. There are more important things going on in the world, to be sure. Yet it had always fascinated me. Funnily enough, I found the software I was using at the time, Cyberlink PowerDirector had the same feature. I'd just not uncovered it yet. Or, maybe it didn't always have that feature? I've upgraded the software a few times, so who knows. Even so, I just knew Vegas was somehow better.

Here's what I know, PowerDirector is extremely easy to use. It has a nice package and can do a pretty fair job of editing and producing some decent stuff. Rendering is super fast. Did I say "super"? (O.o)

Vegas, on the other hand, well, let's just say when I first tried it out, I thought I'd never learn how to use it. Maybe I was expecting it to be similar to the other stuff. It's not. It has me intrigued, because it's a bit of a challenge. It's something new. Although, not very pretty or slick. It seems, there's loads of stuff that can be done with it. For starters, in the version I have, which is not "pro" unfortunately, you can put up to 10 video tracks! What? Seriously. Methinks that's pretty cool, because how else are you gonna chromakey a bunch of stuff without all those layers? Not to mention, you can also put, I believe, 10 tracks of audio. What? I know! Pretty neat! And then, there's the control factor. You have much more control over each maneuver through adding, subtracting keyframes which adds motion or creates some other change. Okay, to be fair, PowerDirector has a little bit of that, too. But, only a little. It's how I managed to create the kaleidoscope effect in my previous posts, Kaleidoscope Experiment II and Kaleidoscope Experiment III. Which, one may notice, part III turned out a bit better, simply because I finally learned how to fine tune and manipulate the keyframes.

So, I guess after comparing the two pieces of software, PowerDirector and Vegas, I'd say if a person were looking for ease of use, go with PowerDirector, it's awesome! However, if one wanted more control and the ability to put in all those extra tracks, definitely go with Vegas. I have to admit, I've crashed them both several times whilst testing out their features. You sort of learn to save your work frequently, just in case. Still, I managed to put several layers of video and music into that vid up there, get it rendered and uploaded to YouTube. I think it crashed so much because the vid of the drive was a huge file, HD no less. And I squished it together on the timeline to speed it up. It wasn't happy about it. Not happy at all. I also threw in a little animation I made on Anime Studio Pro 6. I really want Vegas Pro. Just sayin'.

I'd better get this posted, so I can see what other trouble (software) I can get myself into.

Kaleidoscope Experiment III

It had to be done. This one is a final edit of the second experiment. I had finally learned how to fine tune the kaleidoscope effect in PowerDirector 8. It took a while, but in the end, this, the third one, is my favorite.

I suspect, in the future, I'll be doing more of these, using different images, of course. The reason, the peacefulness I feel when gazing into the changing patterns. And too, the beautiful music I've happened across. Kevin MacLeod is kind enough to offer it for the public's use in any project one might dream up.

It would seem, the days of late have been a bit stressful. Time zooms without me, as though I'm in one of those videos standing still with all the many people and cars, mere streaks, rushing by. It's a chaos. Though not entirely unpleasant. More of a distraction from the unpleasant.

Still, I miss those days when it seemed the world spun slower. To what end will this ever increasing speed take us? Well, I suppose we know the answer. What's the hurry, I wonder. And so, I like to make these kaleidoscope things...

Kaleidoscope Experiment II

Sometimes, it's just nice to hear some nice music and not see anything in particular whilst doing it. Not anything with a defined shape, that is. If music had shape, though, I imagine it would be a flowing morphing one. It would have color and on occasion, not.

I gathered some pics I'd taken last year, along with a few graphics I'd created, and dropped them on the PowerDirector8 timeline. There's a neat feature in the software for automatically creating pans, zooms and fades of still images. I clicked on that. Then, I applied the kaleidoscope effect. A few tweaks and it was time to finish editing on the Sony Vegas Movie Studio software.

The music, "Willow and the Light" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). It took me a long time to find a piece that felt right. This one seemed to suit. I think it reminded me of an epic video game I'd played a while ago. Loads of adventure that one had.

In the final edit, I cycled the vid twice, but applied a "light-ray" effect on the second cut. I could have done more with that, I thought it was pretty. Maybe next time.

Here you go~~

Test Drive: Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10.0

Yep, I've got some new software to test.

This one is Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10.0 . That was a mouthful!

Okay, I'm just learning how to use this software. It isn't quite as simple as my old movie editing stuff, Cyberlink PowerDirector. I still like the PowerDirector, by the way. It's fast. Really, fast! But, for certain, Vegas Movie Studio gives one a wee bit more control over some things. Or maybe, I should say, lots more control.

I scrapped together some pieces of video, then put some music I'd made on the LMMS software with it. It was a quick hack job, to be sure. Though, it was enough to get my feet wet with the program.

Problems I ran into, other than not knowing what in the world I was doing, were fairly minimal. A couple times, during rendering, some memory warnings popped up. These were false warnings, as my system is brand new and has more than enough RAM memory. I'd read about a fix for this issue, as it appears to be a somewhat common software issue. I attempted the fix, but ended up with a non-functioning program. After undoing the mess, and restarting the computer, I managed to render the vid and upload it straight to YouTube.

Here's the result of my efforts:


When I have more time, I'm sure my next vid will be stellar. Ha! I laugh, because I know a bit of spare time is elusive. Even so, I'll do my best to make a more entertaining creation!

Pleasant Chaos--A-Kon 22

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It has been little more than a week since A-Kon 22 and already the dates are set for A-Kon 23.

Where to begin?

First, in honor of the event, I'm listening to Ephixa's Lost Woods Dubstep Remix. I can not tell you how many times I heard this at the convention. And so, it has found a sunny place in my mind.

There, the mood is set.

What is A-Kon? It is a 3-day event of mad fun! Where you will find loads of anime-related information. You can meet people in the gaming industry. Artists. There are educational panels on a variety of anime topics. One can play games. Many people cosplay favorite characters. If you like, you can be in a cosplay skit. Also, you'll find loads of anime-based merch. There are rave dances, an abundance of glow! And the concerts... my favorite! This year two Japanese bands! That alone is worth the cost of registration. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

One might say our family had been preparing for the convention for nearly a year. Costumes were planned. We pre-registered months in advance. It's much cheaper that way. And we reserved our hotel room well in advance. Rooms go fast!

And so, off we went early Friday, the first day. Truck packed with food, frocks and full of excitement.

When we arrived, parking was close to impossible. And a touch pricey. It was to be expected. A-Kon is a huge event. And well, it is Dallas.

After finding a place, far, far away..... We managed to get the hotel room and make the trek to the infamous pre-reg line. A very long maze-like line that encircled the entire room. And that room is very large. Though, because we brought our young children with us, A-Kon staff took pity on us and placed us near the very front of the line. Nice! This occurred more than once throughout the convention, I might add. Benefits. Haha! Also, it is worth noting, small children are very much welcome at the event. There are very few exceptions regarding this.

We received our pre-reg badges and moved on to the madness.

Here is just a glimpse of us and some of what we saw.

Yes, I dressed up as something. Though the only photo I have of the ensemble is blurry! This, because everyone was in a tremendous hurry to hit the convention floors. I snapped the photo with kids under foot, their way out the door. Did I mention it was hot?! Whew!

My costume, in the beginning, was to resemble Riese, from the steampunk series of that name. It wound up being a mish-mash of pieces, though still very much steampunk. I even made my own aged-look brassy-like goggles. I do have the exact ammo belt Riese has. I'm very proud of that. Actually, in our household, we have two! Husband sported one of them, complete with snacks, cellphone and cash. Mine contained a brass nautical compass. Handy, no doubt.

The eldest daughter and her friend dressed as popular anime characters and had many photos taken of them. My little man chose to be a ninja. Little daughter, opted for Sailor Moon. Her ensemble was a last minute decision and put together rather quickly out of what was on hand. She received many compliments and relished it every bit.

And so, we went with the flow. The huge crowd, like a river winding through large rooms and small corridors.

The big event on Friday, the concert. Two Japanese bands. Blood Stain Child and D for the first time in the U.S. What a privilege it was to see them!

And now, I have learned what visual kei is. Men dressed in feminine clothing with a full face of makeup can be very appealing and oddly quite masculine.

The interesting thing is they are indeed beautiful to look at, though their music is very metal and hard. A fascinating contradiction. I was transfixed and instantly a fan of both groups. Though D is particularly seductive.

The voices of Blood Stain Child clash, but in a vibrant harmonious way. The harshness of Ryo's voice is the edge. The beautiful Sophia's sweet melodious voice is like light winding through the rubble.

Then there is D. The visually stunning D. Their performance took my breath away. They instantly commanded the stage and my attention was fixed. And though the songs are sung in Japanese language I do not know, the beautiful voice of Asagi is so full of emotion, I was pulled into understanding. I could go on and on. But, I'll spare you the gush and keep the sweet memory to myself. Let's just say, the audience was very much a part of the journey. And it was lovely.

My only regret, the one thing I'm very sad about missing was the autograph sessions with both bands. We may never see the groups again, I realize. Every opportunity to savor the experience must be taken. And I missed it! Never again, I vow. Next year will be different.

As for the rest of the convention...
The rave, my second favorite thing to attend. I've always loved dance music. And glow sticks! The two combined, well, it is almost a heaven.

There were so many events. To be sure, I missed many of them. And, as the year before, I have learned what I overlooked and pledge to not miss so much!

In a nutshell, that is my experience. I suppose one can never get too old for such random fun. \(^.^)/

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Lowery FC Sinfonia Orchestra Pre-UIL Concert

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My eldest daughter has been playing violin in school orchestra for quite some time. Over the years, the group has grown to play beautifully.

Recently, the Lowery Freshman Center Sinfonia Orchestra presented a Pre-UIL concert. I recorded the concert in HD video, though the audio I recorded separately for better sound. This was the third and final piece of their performance~~

Select 720p HD for best quality.

Enjoy!

amateur LMMS

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I need practice. Still, that was fun!

This music was made using Linux MultiMedia Studio.
Audacity was also used a bit to normalize the sound. Images are not made using these programs.

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LMMS fun

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Recently, I stumbled across Linux MultiMedia Studio. Pretty cool, this. And it's free!
Click image to embiggen screenshot of LMMS.
Since I've only just started to fiddle with the program, my work is somewhat lacking. Nevertheless, making digital music with LMMS is fairly simple. Though the program is a bit buggy at times. As always with editing programs of any kind, particularly those prone to bugginess, save the work. A lot!

Still, LMMS is pretty good about recovering the project in case a crash does occur. It wasn't as annoying as some editing software that I've actually paid the big bucks for. Probably because one wouldn't expect a costly program to crash in the first place. But mostly, LMMS doesn't crash often enough to be irritating. Also, the little bugs are pretty easy to overlook considering what you can still accomplish with the program.

Here's a wee sample of something I put together extremely quickly using only a few instruments.

I know, it isn't all that good, but one gets the idea.

If interested in this piece of software, one can download it from the open source website, SourceForge here. If you like it, you might consider supporting their project with a donation.

Enjoy!

Allen Middle School Orchestra--Canon in D

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This raw video doesn't capture how lovely the group sounds.

Somewhere, amongst the violins, is my daughter. I'm very proud of her. She plays quite beautifully.

She'll be a freshman next year. I can hardly believe. It goes quickly, this growing up thing.

summertime

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It couldn't be helped.

This Porgy and Bess tune won't leave me today...


Thanks to cashmerequeen for sharing this vid.

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the biz

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Whilst I'm not a big fan of American Idol, I do absolutely love music. New performers are interesting and exciting. Especially the good ones!

It isn't that I don't like AI. It's just, I don't watch much television so don't follow the show.

Though, after hearing a bit of hub-bub surrounding the latest American Idol winner and "runner-up", if you will, I decided to give 'em a listen.

I must say, Adam Lambert caught my attention.



It wasn't until I heard him perform with one of my all-time favorites, Queen, that I knew this guy was really on to something.

I'd expect to see this fellow do quite well in the future. ;O)



Vid creds:
Adam Lambert-Mad World myentertainmentchann
Adam Lambert & Kris Allen with Queen-We Are the Champions sukitezy4eva

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the OC Remix

For quite some time, I've been a fan of OverClocked Remix. If you like gamer music, you might like this site, too.

Click to browse gamer music or to find and download free remixes. And since they've got great free music downloads, it's nice to help support their bandwidth by making a donation, or by purchasing a nifty tee like this one found on eStarland.com.


On my playlist, there are lots of OCRemixes. Most of them are from my favorite Final Fantasy RPGs, though the list of remixes available are too numerous to name.

Today I found some stuff I'd not heard before.

Time to load up the iPod!