Jamyama Studios

2011 in a Nutshell

2011-11-01T20:10:00.001Z

Well, I can't believe my last post was back at the beginning of August. Time flies when you’re having fun - eh?

We were pleased, once again, to team up with Inear Entertainment, in the making of 2 Supermarket Matters 'Christmas Specials'.
Again, we provided a variety of sound effects, field recordings and music for the show.

Actual release dates to be confirmed.

3VTV

The Institute of Advanced Broadcasting, a part of the University of Wales in Newport, have been awarded funding to set up a TV station, or more correctly, micro broadcasting unit, at Ebbw Vale. It aims to provide a wealth of local content and will be delivered via the internet.

We were recently contacted to provide audio content for the station and are thrilled to be a part of it. As a part of their programming, they are also producing films promoting local businesses and we will of course be having one made. It’s given us an opportunity to provide the soundtrack which has just been completed. Really looking forward, although a bit nervous, about being filmed.

3VTV will be going live at the beginning of 2012. In the meantime, here is a link to some more info.

Internet TV could boost business in Ebbw Vale - BBC South East Wales

New Portfolio

Running alongside our main website, we now have a new on-line portfolio. Intended to give a more in depth view of who we are and how we work.

We've greatly expanded the amount of audio content to include other elements of audio production via the use of Soundcloud. We've added press releases from various sources, testimonials and links to other sites where we reside.

Our Portfolio

A Little Bit of Time to Experiment

Normally, I'm not happy with a piece of work unless I've developed some sort of process, technique or adopted some kind of workflow to use in or on a production.

That said, sometimes you've got to let yourself loose!!!

It’s often a good thing to throw things into a pot just to see what comes out. (It gives me a chance to be a bit of a geek too!).

The current project I'm working on (The Lucidian Paradox) is proving to be one of those instances.

At the moment it sounds like one very long evolving soundscape. In fact it’s based around a much shorter piece of music which has been ‘super-stretched’. Other compositional elements are being added to produce ‘a piece of music within a piece of music’ so to speak.

Er - anyway,

I'm thinking of a way to get the whole thing to stream online but it currently stands at about an hour long. I may have to settle for a snippet.

2011 in a Nutshell

With the year rapidly drawing to a close, this is what 2011 has brought for us:

November 2011 – The Lucidian Paradox (Jamyama)

A new experimental audio project.

October 2011 to present - Music for 3VTV

An on-going project to create Library Music for the 3VTV channel. Going on-line in January 2012.

October 2011 to present - Jamyama Corporate Film (3VTV)

Composition and production of music for a Jamyama film. To be aired on 3VTV.

August 2011 to present - Supermarket Matters Christmas Specials (InEar Entertainment)

Music Composition, Production and Sound Effects Design for 2 Christmas specials.

May 2011 to present - News Idents (BRfm)

A collection of radio idents for BRfm

May 2011 to present - Recording Sessions ( featuring Steve Webb)

An acoustic set being recorded and produced at Jamyama.

January 2008 to present - The October Chronicles (Jamyama)

An Instrumental album of acoustic material

June 2011 - Your Voice Your Choice 2 (Anytime Films)

Voice Over Recording Services

June 2010 to May 2011 - Supermarket Matters (InEar Entertainment)

Music Composition, Production and Sound Effects Design for an 8 part sitcom.

In February 2011 - Communities First Film (Anytime Films)

Bespoke Music Composition

January 2011 - Your Voice Your Choice Community Film (Anytime Films)

Bespoke Music Composition

Supermarket Matters – The Release

2011-08-01T14:06:00.003+01:00

It’s here! In Ear Entertainments new 8 part sitcom is released.

On the 15th of July, the Grab ‘n’ Go opened its door for the first time. With a new episode each week, you can follow the links to each episode below or find it on ITunes.

These are the episodes released so far.

Episode 1 – The Grand Opening
It’s St David’s day and the locals are rushing out to buy those last minute essentials. Mr Bradshaw, on the other hand, is worried that someone has been sleeping in the shop – time to get Llanmorgan’s crime scene specialist in to sort it all out. But who could that possibly be?

Episode 2 – The 11th Commandment
It’s the start of the second week for the Llanmorgan Grab’n'Go and Mrs Haywood is still causing trouble. Throw the local mad man into the mix and things can only go from bad to worse.
As always, it comes down to Clue to sort it all out.

Creative Exchange, Voice Overs and Portfolios

2011-07-01T10:03:00.000+01:00

The Creative Exchange

On the first of June, Jamyama attended the first Creative Exchange event. Held at the Coal Exchange in Cardiff, it was an event that aimed to foster links between creative businesses, freelancers and individuals in Cardiff’s creative industries.

The focus was to encourage more collaboration of the talent that lies in Cardiff and lay the foundations to showcase a hot bed of creative industry that is available right here in Wales.

We had the opportunity to chat to some of the key speakers and network with people from a broad range of disciplines. We came away from the event gaining some very valuable insights, all of which we are seeking to put into practice in due course.

Looking forward to next years!

Voice Over and Recording - You Voice – Your Choice 2

Jamyama teamed up with Pete Newman of BRFM to provide recording and voice over services for the second film of ‘Your Voice - Your Choice’ an Anytime Films Production.

Still in production, we will keep you informed of its release.

Portfolio

We’ve also been busy working away on a new portfolio, which gives a much more comprehensive overview of our services and what makes us tick. It’s still in the ‘tweak’ stage and will eventually become a part of the main website but for now you can visit it on the link below.
https://sites.google.com/site/jamyamastudios/

Supermarket Matters: Release dates… err, updated

2011-06-01T02:16:00.001+01:00

BY MARK CHATTERLEY

– MAY 31, 2011POSTED IN: SUPERMARKET MATTERS

With a minor delay along the way we can now bring you the official, will-not-be-changed, release dates for Supermarket Matters series 1. From the launch you can expect a new episode delivered to your iTunes account each week for seven more weeks.

18 July: The 11th Commandment
25 July: Ach-y-fi
1 August: It Never Rains till It Pours
8 August: The New Guy
15 August: Reduced Stock
22 August: An Inspector Calls
29 August: The Fog

Along with each episode the website will be updated with goodies such as actor and writer interviews and profiles.

Want to know more? Please visit www.inearentertainment.com !!!

Kickstart scheme celebrates 10th year creating jobs - Business News - Business - WalesOnline

2011-06-01T00:57:00.000+01:00

Kickstart scheme celebrates 10th year creating jobs - Business News - Business - WalesOnline

UK Steel Enterprise

2011-06-01T00:56:00.000+01:00

UK Steel Enterprise

Celebrations mark 10 years of Kickstarting businesses - Blaenau Gwent - South Wales Valleys - News - WalesOnline

2011-06-01T00:55:00.000+01:00

Celebrations mark 10 years of Kickstarting businesses - Blaenau Gwent - South Wales Valleys - News - WalesOnline

Painting pictures in sound, from a tiny Brynmawr studio - Ebbw Vale - Local Welsh News - News - WalesOnline

2011-06-01T00:54:00.000+01:00

Painting pictures in sound, from a tiny Brynmawr studio - Ebbw Vale - Local Welsh News - News - WalesOnline

Online Shuffle, Web Updates and Commissions

2011-05-04T10:15:00.001+01:00

A few tweaks to Jamyamas online presence took place this month. There was a bit of a re-organise with the Jamyama website which now includes more information on the home page, a new blog summary and 2 new pages (one for Promotional Music and one for Commissions).

As mentioned in Januarys post, we completed a series of music commissions for Anytime Films. We now have a link to the online version of the Safer Blaenau Gwent ‘Your Choice - Your Voice’ film.

Supermarket Matters: Release dates

In Ear Entertainment has now posted release dates for Supermarket Matters. They are as follows:

BY MARK CHATTERLEY

– APRIL 17, 2011POSTED IN: SUPERMARKET MATTERS

Supermarket Matters has been trundling along in post production for the past month slowly winding its way towards readiness for iTunes and the wider world. But when will it be available for people to listen to? Well, In Ear can confirm that Episode 1, The Grand Opening will be uploaded to iTunes on Monday 23 May 2011.

From that point on, you will get an episode every week:

30 May: The 11th Commandment
6 June: Ach-y-fi
13 June: It Never Rains till It Pours
20 June: The New Guy
27 June: Reduced Stock
4 July: An Inspector Calls
11 July: The Fog

Along with each episode the website will be updated with goodies such as actor and writer interviews and profiles.

Supermarket Matters Update and Jamyama Press Releases

2011-04-12T21:22:00.009+01:00

March 2011

All music and sound effects for Supermarket Matters have been sent off and it is now in post production. We were lucky enough to hear a draft version of Episode 1 recently. It sounds ‘World Class’. Looking forward to hearing the full series soon. By the way, the Supermarket Matters website has now been absorbed into In Ear Entertainment, the newly formed production company behind it - Very exciting stuff!

Jamyama saw a further 2 press releases this month. The first in the Gwent Gazette and the second on the UK Steel Enterprise website. Both detailing business start-ups in the Blaenau Gwent area. Please follow the links below for the UK Steel Enterprise online articles:

The UK Steel Enterprise

We are currently in the middle of recording an acoustic guitar session for local artist, Steve Webb. This should be finished toward the end of April.

Desktop Music Production Courses

2011-02-28T23:16:00.002Z

February 2011

The Ebbw Vale Institute has seen an increase in uptake for Desktop Music Production courses this month and has also seen courses being held at Catapault in Tredegar and the Neon centre in Blaenavon. If you’re interested in finding out more about any of the courses available or about any events taking place, feel free to contact them.

Another series of music commissions for Anytime Films were completed this month. This film was for Communities First and details the work being carried out at the Pantside Estate. Again, we are awaiting the online version of the film but previews of the music are on the player opposite.

Press Release and Music Commissions

2011-02-02T23:09:00.005Z

January 2011

Jamyama has been working closely with Rob Thompson of Buzzards PR over the past few months on a series of press releases. The first of which and was a feature in the Gwent Gazette on the 13th January. You can read the online version of the article here.

We also completed a series of music commissions for Anytime Films. The first of which was for a film about the Safer Blaenau Gwent initiative ‘Your Choice - Your Voice’. This is hot off the press and we’re awaiting the online version of the film. In the mean time you can preview some of the music on Jamyamas Commissions Page.

Supermarket Matters took a big step forward at the end of January. The entire first series was recorded over a 2 day period at ICM in Cardiff. You can read about it on the Supermarket Matters blog.

Supermarket Matters Update

2010-12-28T19:56:00.003Z

December 2010

With all music for Supermarket Matters is now complete, attention turns to the sound effects and background ambiances for the series. It involved quite a bit of field recording in various supermarkets and their surroundings. The first initial recordings were done but posed a few problems. It was only when I returned to the studio to process them did I realise how noisy and discordant the recordings were. With a bit of a re-think I discovered that the best way to record them was to go in just before closing time when there were very few people about (one of those occasions where less is more). Everything became clearer and was pleased with the results.

A Hectic Start

2010-09-13T23:34:00.005+01:00

September saw the start of a new season of events as mentioned in the previous post. We’ve been out and about quite a bit this month so far. The most notable event was Media Monday. This one was held at The Cardiff Arts Institute and provided an informal setting to network with other like-minded people. It’s a fantastic event where you get a chance to meet anyone from actors, casting agencies, script writers, technical people and so on.

That said – it’s nice to be in the studio again. This week has seen another piece for Supermarket Matters and another brand new promotional piece uploaded onto the Jamyama website.

Staying with the food theme this one’s titled Strawberries and Cream. So titled by my little girl (a strawberry fanatic and a bit of a rock chick). It does have a slight Beatles feel to it. I’ve moved away from the usual drum machines as used previously and gone for something with vinyl overtones. I tried to aim for something which sounded ‘reminiscent of a period in time’ yet using modern synths and old style effects such as rotary speakers, simulated tape delays etc….

As I was out and about a lot over the past 2 weeks or so, I had to rely on the voice recorder of my phone to whistle ideas into (something I should do more often, as, you never know when an idea will hit you). Basically the whole piece was modelled around a few recorded phrases starting with the melodies, building a chord progression (Real Guitar and Halion) and then working on the drum rhythm (Kore) and bass (Omnishpere) - (the opposite way to how the previous pieces were done!)

The intro was simply a sample taken off of an old vinyl album ‘lead in’ where I also added a part of a previous songs DR-55 drum loop.

Moving On

A new promotional piece. Something with a ‘reflective’, Autumnal feel to it. It features some of my favourite combinations of instruments cello, piano, nylon and electric guitar. Head on over to the Jamyama website for more.
Here’s a tracklist of everything you can listen to. More content is being added regularly so stay tuned!

Blimp
Headbag
Rain
Jamyama Websting
Drive
The Last Day
Zenith
Stone
Climbing a Wall
Art of the Non-Descript
Song 1 – Supermarket Matters
Rice - Supermarket Matters
Strawberries and Cream - Supermarket Matters
Moving On

Podcast

I’ve been working towards getting a Company Podcast online for a little while now and I’m relieved to say that it’s now live.
Listen to the Jamyama Podcast.

Let me know what you think! :-s

Up and Coming Events in September

2010-08-26T01:44:00.002+01:00

We’ll be attending a few events over the next few months. The first is the MIDEM and SXSW briefing which is taking place at the Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff on September 3rd. Organised by the Welsh Music Foundation, it will give details of two high profile events, MIDEM which is taking place at Cannes in January and SXSW in Austin, Texas in March. We’re hoping to attend MIDEM next year – excited about what it will have to offer.

Media Monday, organised by Machine Productions and Soundworks post production, will be taking place at the Cardiff Arts Institute on September 6th and is ‘an excuse to get together, talk about telly, ratings, projects or just have a drink with like-minded people in the industry’.

We are also be attending the Welsh Music Foundations 10th birthday party at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on September 10th.

A busy start to September – looking forward to it!

Muzak – Track 2 - Rice

2010-08-12T21:34:00.003+01:00

Back from my ‘technology free’ holiday and back into the swing of things – almost!!

I’ve just finished a ‘draft’ ‘of the second piece of Muzak for the show. It follows the same sort of style as the first and a few of the same instruments were used. The only differences were the sampling of a new rhythm section, again, taken off the PSR 4500 and the addition of some TR-808 type drum sounds that were a part of the Native Instruments Kore 2. As a result, the rhythm section is a bit punchier on this track but both draft pieces seat well when played side by side. (Not that it will happen – but for continuity sake!)

Having done two pieces with roughly the same instruments and settings I can use what I’ve got as a kind of template and use that to compose the rest of the pieces – just bringing in variations in instruments as required.
Just for fun, I thought it would be an idea to name the songs after foodstuffs so I’ve decided to call this one Rice. There’s absolutely no reason for it and it’s completely random. (Muzak_v1.1.mp3 sounds a bit boring!!!)

I decided to work on full pieces rather than snippets to help give the pieces their own sense of identity. (I see it as good practice to have a beginning, middle and end to a piece of music even if some of it ends up trimmed and not used.)

Field recordings are being worked on and so far I’ve got some background recordings done at a local ASDA store but subject to server space, I may not have room to upload a preview. Let’s see how I’m fixed for space in a few weeks.

Supermarket Matters

2010-07-22T01:33:00.004+01:00

http://supermarketmatters.wordpress.com/

About the project

Supermarket Matters is a 12 episode comedy podcast in the making. The brainchild of Mark Chatterley it will be written and created by talented people trying to break into their chosen careers.

This blog will follow their journey through the initial plotting through scripting, to auditioning, recording and editing – then finally, distribution.

All of this, mainly due to us all being more strapped for cash than we like, will be done using as much free software as possible.

If you have any skills you would like to showcase by getting involved, please get in contact with:

supermarketmatters@gmail.com

My role

I offered to provide all of the background music, incidentals and sound effects for the 12 part podcast.

What I intend to do over the next few months – until the project is complete - is to document all of the processes and ideas and to post all of the background music, sound effects and the like from draft through to completion, so that the projects making can be showcased.

The same is also happening over on the Supermarket Matters blog.

The Story So Far ……

The first things I worked on was a piece of background music for the supermarket and a distinctive tannoy sound.

This is how it has evolved so far:

Musak - I’ve heard of it, had a basic idea of what it was but wanted to be sure that I was thinking along the right lines. So I began by researching the term ‘muzak’ (elevator music) and this led me to a band called The Lindberg Hemmer Foundation. I also drew a bit of inspiration from something completely different (quite unexpectedly) – A Nintendo Wii (the music on the Mii channel!).

So far, so good and I’m happy with my points of reference.

Before any tune popped into my head, I thought about what hardware / software I was going to use. For the drum and percussion tracks, I eventually settled for the Boss DR-55, a Roland TR-727 and Yamaha PSR–4500.

For everything else, I used Omnishpere, Halion, Real Guitar and Plugsound Fretted Instruments.

I began building up the rhythm section by sampling a few drum phrases from the PSR-4500 and EQ-ing out the bass drum so that only the cymbals, hats and shakers remained. I then programmed the DR-55 and TR-727 to fit around the phrases accordingly.

By this time I began thinking about the chord progression (real guitar) and melody (Halion). The bass line followed suit (Plugsound). Omnisphere was used for the first and last few seconds just for giving the intro and outro an ‘organic’ feel.

The tannoy was done on a vintage electric piano in turn run through a basic reverb unit.

To avoid repetition with the background music, I will be working on several other pieces. And over the coming weeks I’ll be building up a catalogue of some field recordings.