Friday, July 24, 2009

Bonus Track: Music in the Key of Z part 2

bonus track
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Anna between Mazinger's legs (Carretera de Port d'Armentera - El Pla de Santa MarĂ­a) (via scalleja)

Hey did you see that flash?
Iron Man Mazinger Z
Hey did you hear that crash?
Mazinger Z!
He is powerful
A giant robot
He's a robot he is our iron man
He is always by our side
Mazinger Z!

He's a mechanical man
He is our best friend
Justice and love and friendship
Mazinga Mazinger Mazinger Z!

Hey did you see that punch?
Iron Man Mazinger Z
Hey did you hear that crunch?
Mazinger Z!
He is powerful
A giant robot
He's a robot he is our iron man
He is always by our side
Mazinger Z!

He's a mechanical man
He is our best friend
Powerful hopeful and truthful
Mazinga Mazinger Mazinger Z!

He's a mechanical man
He is our best friend
Justice and love and friendship
Mazinga Mazinger Mazinger Z!

Our Mazinger Z




Friday, July 17, 2009

Bonus Track: Plan 9/50 years

bonus track
Pan 9 From Outer Space (1959)
This month marks the 50th Anniversary of Ed Wood Jr.'s Plan 9 From Outer Space.

Sure, there were other movies released in 1959, but I can't think of any that have had as much cultural impact as Plan 9 From Outer Space and the man who made it, Edward D. Wood Jr.



Read the outpouring of appreciation at The Spirit of Ed Wood Blogathon. And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future.


Friday, July 10, 2009

Bonus Track: Music in the Key of Z

bonus track
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Mazinger Z kid (via Gryphus R)

Koji can swin in the sky he can fly beneath the sea
In his robot man Mazinger Z.
Mazinger is faster and much stronger than his enemies.
Driving from his little Pilder he can protect the peace.
From his wrists, fists fly launching a rocket punch…
From his chest, laser fire fighting with light energy.
Mazing-go Mazing-go Mazinger Z!

Koji can shatter the ground he can make all evil flee
In his robot man Mazinger Z.
Mazinger is braver and more righteous than his enemies.
Steering from his little Pilder he can protect the peace.
Mazinger’s fists fly scoring a rocket punch…
Mazinger’s hurricane conquering with winds of flame.
Mazing-go Mazing-go Mazinger Z!


Here's Toei's English version of the Mazinger Z opening sung by Isao Sasaki:



And here's a slightly different English version also credited to Isao Sasaki:



Thursday, July 02, 2009

DIY, you tool!

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Playing around with the Neuromixer AVmixer lite last night. And It could be a video mixer solution for AnimeHELL. I have been looking for a simple video mixer that I could use for doing a live show. The problem with most video mixing software is that it's geared for doing VJ sets, where the emphasis is on the music and is treated separate from the visual element. That's great if you're playing a rave, but not so great for playing video clips with their audio tracks intact and without a pounding drum loop underneath (or over) it.

AVmixer lite is a cut down version of AVmixer Pro. Which means it doesn't have the fancy video effects and trippy filters and stuff that your typical VJ wants for his visuals to go with his phat beats. This is great news to me. I don't need that stuff and all it does is put a drag on the computer processor. So that leaves us with 2 video players and a crossfader inbetween them. And that'd be a basic simple video mixer. Holy crap! I can load up the playlists for both video players, preview the video in the monitors and see what the live feed looks like. Damn. This is exactly what I was looking for. AND IT WORKS.

There's buttons for goofing with the audio and looping or bouncing the video, too. You can slow down or speed up the clips, too. And you can trigger the clips on the keyboard, too. Not that I'd be using this stuff much at a show, it's nice that it's there. I guess.

If that weren't enough, it's free for the asking. (But there is a donate button in case you're feeling generous.) And you don't need to install it into your computer. It runs outta your RAM. So, unfortunately, it does suck up the resources to run the video clips. I'm thinking I just need to tweak the settings or re-encode the video clips to help it along. I may actually have to try using this for the next HELL. (After I practice with it and test out all the clips in my playlist. Don't want any surprises at the show.) It doesn't do exactly what I'd like, but it's close enough. I'd love to be able to superimpose some text on the screen occasionally, but I think I can live without that. If only it had a star wipe, it'd be in heaven.

So, there you go. A simple video mixer that you could use to make a video presentation at your next meeting. Or your next HELL.