diff --git a/.obsidian/workspace.json b/.obsidian/workspace.json index ec2e3ba..2ab16eb 100644 --- a/.obsidian/workspace.json +++ b/.obsidian/workspace.json @@ -13,13 +13,13 @@ "state": { "type": "markdown", "state": { - "file": "content/posts/FX chains by the utterly inept.md", + "file": "content/week-notes/025.md", "mode": "source", "source": false, "backlinks": false }, "icon": "lucide-file", - "title": "FX chains by the utterly inept" + "title": "025" } } ] @@ -160,6 +160,10 @@ }, "active": "2b46cb42e34b3438", "lastOpenFiles": [ + "content/week-notes/022.md", + "content/week-notes/025.md", + "content/week-notes/024.md", + "content/posts/FX chains by the utterly inept.md", "public/posts/fx-chains-by-the-utterly-inept/index.html", "public/posts/fx-chains-by-the-utterly-inept", "public/tags/podcasting/index.xml", @@ -170,10 +174,7 @@ "public/week-notes/025-unused", "public/tags/podcasting/index.html", "public/tags/podcasting", - "public/tags/audio/index.html", "content/posts/Climbing my personal Mount Doom (I finished reading Lord of the Rings).md", - "content/posts/FX chains by the utterly inept.md", - "content/week-notes/25.md", "content/week-notes/025 unused.md", "content/posts/2024-11-25-23-06-55.md", "conflict-files-obsidian-git.md", diff --git a/content/week-notes/025.md b/content/week-notes/025.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0198083 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/week-notes/025.md @@ -0,0 +1,37 @@ +--- +title: i'm falling down with shit caked on my shoes (week notes 25) +date: 2025-07-25 +tags: + - week-notes +draft: true +url: week-notes/025 +--- +## Doing +Joe and I visited some of his family with a lake house this week where my farmer's tan became more and more pronounced. I also "worked" two days this week: I had committee meetings on Thursday and then a joint meeting to coordinate middle school/high school/college GSAs in my area. + +## Reading +I finished reading *Return of the King* this week, completing a long-standing personal mission to read *The Lord of the Rings*. I [wrote up a big long post](https://git.32bit.cafe/cassie/cassiedotink.git) with my history with the series and my thoughts. + +Originally, I planned to read *Perdido Street Station* by China Miéville next, but I wanted something breezy after the *RotK* gauntlet, so I picked up *Ghost Boys* by Jewell Parker Rhodes and burned through it in a day. It was amazing. I'm adjuncting at my local college in the fall — it's a course for future English teachers about young adult literature. I'm considering offering students a choice of this or *All American Boys*. Both deal with a similar subject matter, but *Ghost Boys* is better suited for middle school. I'd love to teach the book to my middle schoolers, too, but I think that will be an uphill battle...[^1] + +My next read is *Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist* by Liz Pelly. I'm about 100 pages in and really enjoying it — I'm not usually one for non-fiction, but I also am a noted Spotify hater (and have been for a long time), so this felt like a good way to dip my toe in. Highly recommend! + +## Watching + +I've been rewatching *Downton Abbey*. I'm in season two right now; I'm debating whether to finish the series (I never watched past season five, I think) or if I'll stop when they kill off some major characters in season three. I am glad to confirm that I was always right: Mary is the main character and the best character. I am noticing more and more the ridiculous plotlines, however — I maintained for years that seasons one and two were actually good and after that it descended into soap opera melodrama, but I am older and wiser now. I think I'd still recommend the first season, but stop there. +## Playing + +## Listening +I've been listening to a lot of **Rainbow Kitten Surprise** lately as a lead up to seeing them in concert. I really enjoy them — when I last mentioned them, I think I'd only listened to *RKS*, on a friend's recommendation; I've since rounded out their discography. Here is my slipshod and unscientific personal ranking of their discography: + +1. *RKS* - their best and most consistent; this is an *album*, an entire vibe, worth listening through in one sitting. Listen to "Cold Love" and "Wasted." +2. *Seven + Mary* - a rough sketch of what they would eventually realize on *RKS,* but I like it — I think I have a lot of 2013 nostalgia. Listen to "First Class" and "American Hero." +3. *How to: Friend, Love, Freefall* - Great moments and some real stand out tracks, but it gets too same-y for me in places. Listen to "Moody Orange" (maybe my favorite song by them) and "Fever Pitch" (add in "Possum Queen" if you want a weird one that will stick in your head) +4. *Love Hate Music Box* - I've had a lot of ups and downs with this one: I think it has too many songs and the good ones maybe didn't get to bake long enough. But the more I sit with it and take the songs as they are, the more I like it. Listen to "Lucky" and "Sickset." + +I also, for some reason, thought about the band **The Madrigals** for the first time in a long time, which I'm sure I discovered on MySpace or last.fm or some other defunct platform. There's very little remaining about them online, but I have a few MP3s of theirs that I probably downloaded from one of the aforementioned sites. There's a [cool as fuck old radio archive website that mentions them](https://dandelionradio.com/tracklists/2008-04/index.htm) (and has a radio show with one of their songs still archived!), and I [stumbled on a music blog from 2011](http://thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.com/2011/02/griff-says-land-ahoy-its-columbus.html) that mentioned some of the members' later bands, which led to me downloading [*Horizon* by **Trash Kit**](https://upsettherhythm.bandcamp.com/album/horizon). I haven't sat down to give it a good listen yet, but I will. + +I listened through to [*EELS* by **Being Dead**](https://beingdead.bandcamp.com/album/eels) as well, which is a real rad vibe all throughout. "Love Machine" might be my favorite song I've heard this year; "Van Goes" also has big "Bela Lugosi's Dead" vibes. + + +[^1]: But one worth climbing \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/content/week-notes/25.md b/content/week-notes/25.md deleted file mode 100644 index 590194d..0000000 --- a/content/week-notes/25.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,22 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: (week notes 25) -date: 2025-07-18 -tags: - - week-notes -draft: true ---- -## Doing - -## Reading -I finished reading *Return of the King* this week, completing a long-standing personal mission to read *The Lord of the Rings*. I [wrote up a big long post](https://git.32bit.cafe/cassie/cassiedotink.git) with my history with the series and my thoughts. - -Originally, I planned to read *Perdido Street Station* next, but I wanted something breezy after the *RotK* gauntlet, so I picked up *Ghost Boys* by Jewell Parker Rhodes and burned through it in a day. It was amazing. I'm adjuncting at my local college in the fall — it's a course for future English teachers about young adult literature. I'm considering offering students a choice of this or *All American Boys*. Both deal with a similar subject matter, but *Ghost Boys* is better suited for middle school. I'd love to teach the book to my middle schoolers, too, but I think that will be an uphill battle...[^1] - -## Watching - -I've been rewatching *Downton Abbey*. I'm in season two right now; I'm debating whether to finish the series (I never watched past season five, I think) or if I'll stop when they kill off some major characters in season three. I am glad to confirm that I was always right: Mary is the main character and the best character. -## Playing - -## Listening - -[^1]: But one worth climbing \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/public/about/index.html b/public/about/index.html index 1b429c9..ea40227 100644 --- a/public/about/index.html +++ b/public/about/index.html @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ - + @@ -10,17 +10,17 @@ this site is currently built using hugo. I edit my posts in Obsidian (with the h about | cassie.ink - - + + - +

- + cassie ink diff --git a/public/an-ode-to-gitsync/index.html b/public/an-ode-to-gitsync/index.html index c712b50..3687d24 100644 --- a/public/an-ode-to-gitsync/index.html +++ b/public/an-ode-to-gitsync/index.html @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ - + @@ -9,17 +9,17 @@ an ode to gitsync | cassie.ink - - + + - +

- + cassie ink diff --git a/public/breaking-silences/index.html b/public/breaking-silences/index.html index 4e7c7b8..05baf43 100644 --- a/public/breaking-silences/index.html +++ b/public/breaking-silences/index.html @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ - + @@ -10,17 +10,17 @@ I am the faculty advisor for my middle school’s GSA. I have been for years breaking silences | cassie.ink - - + + - +

- + cassie ink diff --git a/public/cassie-ink-is-my-new-home/index.html b/public/cassie-ink-is-my-new-home/index.html index 3e45774..40388c1 100644 --- a/public/cassie-ink-is-my-new-home/index.html +++ b/public/cassie-ink-is-my-new-home/index.html @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ - + @@ -10,17 +10,17 @@ This blog started on bearblog.dev as cassie.land. Bearblog is a great platform, cassie.ink is my new home | cassie.ink - - + + - +

- + cassie ink diff --git a/public/categories/index.html b/public/categories/index.html index ddbf234..a853900 100644 --- a/public/categories/index.html +++ b/public/categories/index.html @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ - + @@ -8,17 +8,17 @@ Categories | cassie.ink - - + + - +

- + cassie ink diff --git a/public/categories/index.xml b/public/categories/index.xml index 94dd7d9..a29cc32 100644 --- a/public/categories/index.xml +++ b/public/categories/index.xml @@ -2,10 +2,10 @@ Categories on cassie.ink - https://cassie.ink/categories/ + http://localhost:1313/categories/ Recent content in Categories on cassie.ink Hugo en-us - + diff --git a/public/coming-out/index.html b/public/coming-out/index.html index 439f986..9219cdf 100644 --- a/public/coming-out/index.html +++ b/public/coming-out/index.html @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ - + @@ -10,17 +10,17 @@ My relationship with my bisexuality has been fraught. I can pinpoint in specific Coming Out | cassie.ink - - + + - +

- + cassie ink diff --git a/public/css/main.css b/public/css/main.css index ec28690..72849f6 100644 --- a/public/css/main.css +++ b/public/css/main.css @@ -211,6 +211,18 @@ nav ul { text-decoration: none; border: none; color: var(--text); + font-size: 3rem; +} + +.home article h2:not(:first-child), h1 { + font-size: 2rem; + color: var(--claret); + text-align: left; + text-transform: uppercase; +} + +.home article h2:first-of-type { + text-align: center; } .home .all { @@ -265,6 +277,8 @@ nav ul { .page article h2, h3 { font-size: 2rem; color: var(--claret); + font-family: 'Domaine Display', Georgia, serif; + text-transform: uppercase; } .page article hr { diff --git a/public/early-thoughts-on-pokemon-unbound/index.html b/public/early-thoughts-on-pokemon-unbound/index.html index d16b4cb..589a371 100644 --- a/public/early-thoughts-on-pokemon-unbound/index.html +++ b/public/early-thoughts-on-pokemon-unbound/index.html @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ - + @@ -9,17 +9,17 @@ Early thoughts on Pokémon Unbound | cassie.ink - - + + - +

- + cassie ink diff --git a/public/emily-dickinson-queer-theory/index.html b/public/emily-dickinson-queer-theory/index.html index 79005f6..6ffb9ba 100644 --- a/public/emily-dickinson-queer-theory/index.html +++ b/public/emily-dickinson-queer-theory/index.html @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ - + @@ -9,17 +9,17 @@ LITR 308 Emily Dickinson & Queer Theory | cassie.ink - - + + - +

- + cassie ink diff --git a/public/fx-chains-by-the-utterly-inept/index.html b/public/fx-chains-by-the-utterly-inept/index.html index d5b5199..29af782 100644 --- a/public/fx-chains-by-the-utterly-inept/index.html +++ b/public/fx-chains-by-the-utterly-inept/index.html @@ -1,26 +1,26 @@ - + FX chains by the utterly inept | cassie.ink - - + + - +

- + cassie ink @@ -57,8 +57,8 @@ In case it was not clear, I am not a professional. I am a blockhead who likes to

Once upon a time ago (and a time, and a time), I had a podcast. I miss podcasting dearly and think about going back often — otherwise, what am I to do with a partial, flawed understanding of normalizing to a target loudness and editing around the disgusting noises my mouth makes? Well, share it with others, of course.1

-

In case it was not clear, I am not a professional. I am a blockhead who likes to tinker and who has watched a lot of YouTube videos. These are the FX chains I use for my voice, which may or may not be helpful to other people who do not have my voice. This is not an exhaustive audio guide or overview of how I edit my audio. Maybe another time.

-

Currently, I use a RØDE Procaster as my microphone and a MOTU M2 as my interface. I have a Fethead between the two because otherwise people complain I am too quiet on Discord. I bought a pop filter designed for the RØDE Podmic; it fits on my Procaster and works, but it looks a little ridiculous, so sometimes I take it off. I paid several hundred dollars this setup so that I can capture my two dollar voice with fidelity.

+

In case it was not clear, I am not a professional. I am a blockhead who likes to tinker and who has watched a lot of YouTube videos. These are the FX chains I use for my voice, which may or may not be helpful to other people who do not have my voice. This is also not an exhaustive audio guide or overview of how I edit my audio. Maybe another time.

+

Currently, I use a RØDE Procaster as my microphone and a MOTU M2 as my interface. I have a Fethead between the two because otherwise people complain I am too quiet on Discord. I bought a pop filter designed for the RØDE Podmic; it fits on my Procaster and works, but it looks a little ridiculous, so sometimes I get risqué and take it off. I paid several hundred dollars for this setup so that I can capture my two dollar voice with fidelity.

Back when I was podcasting with a co-host over long distances, I swore by Ennuicaster for recording because I admired the creator’s pedantic approach to audio and hostility toward their end user.2 Ennuicaster is clunky and temperamental, but the pricing model is fair and the audio it spits out is top-notch. It is also the only recording application that I know of with a prominently featured weasel mascot. If I’m recording just myself, or something in person, I record straight into Reaper, which I also use to edit.

I have a project template set up to automatically open in Reaper with my FX chains. Theoretically, they are specific to my voice, but I imagine you can steal a lot of this for yourself. I’ll do my best to explain what each step does and provide an audio sample for A/B comparison.3

Here is the raw audio I’ll work with, with no editing aside from when I fucked up the second sentence of my favorite book.

@@ -236,7 +236,14 @@ Target LKFS: -19
Final processed audio
-

This last export measures at -18.8 LUFS with a peak of -1.0 dB and an LRA of 3.6. Nobody is going to cry about ± 0.2 LUFS, so I’m happy with what I have. However, if you want to be really sure, you can use the Normalize/fade option when you render your final export in Reaper; after Reaper finishes processing your final, it will apply a final boost to get to your target LUFS. In my experience, this works fine, but I’d rather do the loudness targeting on my own.

+

And here’s the raw audio again, just for the sake of comparison:

+
+ +
Raw Audio
+
+

This last export measures at -18.8 LUFS with a peak of -1.0 dB and an LRA of 3.6. Nobody is going to cry about ± 0.2 LUFS, so I’m happy with what I have. However, if you want to be really sure, you can use the Normalize/fade option when you render your final export in Reaper; after Reaper finishes processing the export, it will apply a final boost to get to your target LUFS. In my experience, this works fine, but I’d rather do the loudness targeting on my own.

Please be aware that I have absolutely no fucking clue what I’m doing, ever.

I am sure there are audio snobs reading this and laughing at my incompetence. I hope I have made clear that I’m a dunce who has watched a lot of YouTube tutorials, so you can spare me the elitist bullshit: it’s on you for expecting me to speak with any kind of authority. Of course, if you have genuine, well-meaning corrections, advice, or just ideas for me to play with, I’d love to hear that! I love to tinker; I take pride in audio that I produce (despite appearances) and enjoy learning more. At this point, I’m happy with the audio I spit out, even though it’s far from perfect — but I hope what I’ve learned can help other jackasses like me.

To anyone podcasting, or thinking about podcasting, please just start. I have fallen into the gear acquisition syndrome trap too many times and told myself I need a $200 microphone and dozens of VSTs to get great sound. You don’t, and you don’t need great sound, either. There’s a level of “good enough” audio that will please your listeners who are probably smashing episodes through their $12 dirty buds, anyway. Focus on having fun and making shit that makes you smile. That’s all we have in the end.6

@@ -250,7 +257,7 @@ Target LKFS: -19

Not really, but who else would design a UI like that? ↩︎

  • -

    I’m exporting these audio files to 128kbps CBR mono MP3s, which is what my final export would look like for a podcast episode. I’ve turned off the normalization I do within the rendering step for the sake of the examples; I’ll explain more about that at the end. ↩︎

    +

    I’m exporting these audio files to 128kbps CBR mono MP3s, which is what my final export would look like for a podcast episode. ↩︎

  • I find that my voice has a lot of natural sibilance; my s’s whistle. I have considered dental surgery to correct this (not really), but I fear a monkey’s paw-esque repercussion and have instead decided to resign myself to my lot in life (being really fucking annoying) ↩︎

    diff --git a/public/hate-for-the-island/index.html b/public/hate-for-the-island/index.html index 283ea66..61453b5 100644 --- a/public/hate-for-the-island/index.html +++ b/public/hate-for-the-island/index.html @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ - + @@ -9,17 +9,17 @@ hate for the island | cassie.ink - - + + - +

    - + cassie ink diff --git a/public/i-finished-lord-of-the-rings/index.html b/public/i-finished-lord-of-the-rings/index.html index b587ebf..472c337 100644 --- a/public/i-finished-lord-of-the-rings/index.html +++ b/public/i-finished-lord-of-the-rings/index.html @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@ - + @@ -9,17 +9,17 @@ Climbing my personal Mount Doom (I finished reading Lord of the Rings) | cassie.ink - - + + - +

    - + cassie ink diff --git a/public/index.html b/public/index.html index 160cdbc..5c65622 100644 --- a/public/index.html +++ b/public/index.html @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ - + @@ -9,17 +9,17 @@ cassie.ink - - + + - +

    - + cassie ink @@ -46,6 +46,30 @@ +
    + +

    i'm falling down with shit caked on my shoes (week notes 25)

    +
    + week-notes/025 +
    +

    Doing

    +

    Joe and I visited some of his family with a lake house this week where my farmer’s tan became more and more pronounced. I also “worked” two days this week: I had committee meetings on Thursday and then a joint meeting to coordinate middle school/high school/college GSAs in my area.

    +

    Reading

    +

    I finished reading Return of the King this week, completing a long-standing personal mission to read The Lord of the Rings. I wrote up a big long post with my history with the series and my thoughts.

    + +
    + +
    + +
    +