• This is also a city I have visited, to enjoy the celebration of St Patricks day. Everything in green and white, if I remember correctly.

    But what I do want to share with you is music related. Namely the Dubliners, and my favorite song of theirs – “The sick note”. Poor Paddy! If you have not heard it, I can highly recommend it. For two reasons. It is a really entertaining song, and the Irish accent is wonderful.

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  • It is perhaps the city in Sweden with the shortest distance to Denmark. It is literally visible with the naked eye. And there are ferries that you can take to the Danish side of the water.

    One of Helsingborgs oldest (or at least very old and very famous) buildings are the old defens tower “Kärnan”.

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  • There are a statue of Margaret Krook out side of the Royal Dramatic Theater that is kept warm. It was black from the beginning, but over the years, people have touched the statue (to warm their hands in the freezing Swedish cold?) and the color has worn off in certain places. Especially her nose.

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  • There are two (made up?) people from Gothenburg that features in typical Gothenburg jokes. They are named Kal and Ada. Gothenburg jokes are its own genre within the Swedish humor

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  • What can I share about London? A lot of things, and this is a place I have actually visited. Many times. But what do I not know about London that I can find out and share with you?

    Well, perhaps this:

    There is a small church at Bishopsgate that is called St Ethelburga’s. Some argue that this is the smallest – still active – church in London. And one of the oldest as well.

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  • Pictures online from Tuxtla Gutiérrez include various pictures of people on boats traveling between two steep mountainsides and with a kind of natural gate in between the mountain sides. Really beautiful and majestic.

    Those pictures reminded me of a scene from the Lord of the Rings.

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  •  According to wiki (Swedish version) Mexico City has one of the largest subways in the world. And each station has a written name along with a unique symbol, for those travelers who can’t read.

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  • Single from Tom T.

    A modern X-mas song with swedish lyrics.

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  • Staffe var en stalle dräng

    Han hade feta brallor med jätte häng

    När han vattna pollarna fick han däng

    Av Sankta Lucia som blivit sträng

    Lucia ville bränna Staffes hus

    Med sina tusen jule ljus

    Men hon var bakfull i ett jätte rus

    Från Lussevakans sus å dus

    Nissarna dom trippar fram på tå

    Dom vill känna sig längre

    För dom var så små

    Dom käkar lite gröt då och då

    Men finns där ingen, ja, då måste dom gå

    Tomten han suckar å pustar

    När renarna strejkar å frustar

    Ungarna paketen måste ha

    Å alla på samma evinnerliga dag

    Staffe

    Staffe e en stalledräng

    Trött och sliten efter jobbet i stallet

    Fortfarande chockad av lucia överfallet

    Tur att hon ranglade runt i misär

    Och inte ställde till en massa besvär

    Hon eldade bara upp ena sida av sin frissa

    Å Staffe han släckte utan att fnissa

    Men asgarv kom från en flock tärnor

    Där ute ovanför dem tindrar alla stjärnor

    Tomten har mutat alla sina renar

    Med havre och morot och laviga grenar

    nu sätter de fart över land och över stad

    Snart ska varenda unge vara glad

    När Stilla natten känns mörk och kall och lång

    Sjunger änglakören sin allra vackraste sång

    De sjunger om hopp och om fred på jorden

    Men Staffe har somnat så han hör inte orden

    Staffe

    Staffe e en stalledräng

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  • So, mixing is like most other things. It’s personal and there is no right way or wrong way to get the mix and balance you are after. But to many people mixing is pretty confusing and have a hard time getting it right.

    So I have gathered some of my got-tips when it comes to mixing. First as bullet-points, then a little more in depth explanation.

    • Always use a little compression (unless the dynamic is the point).
    • When setting volumes, always lower the volume on the track, rather than raising it.
    • Set volume first, EQ next. And cut rather than boost.
    • When EQ is done, check volumes again. (Still thumb rule lowering rather than raising)

    So, why above four pointers?

    A little compression

    It is my opinion and experience, that it is easier to get the various sounds to blend together more easily when using compressor on each channel. At least a little, of course with the exception that if the dynamic is part of the point with something on a specific channel, then do not use a compressor, it “ruins” dynamics, so then just keep it as is.

    Setting volumes, part 1

    Now, a simple way to get started into a decent balance is to bring each fader into the bottom, killing all sounds. Start by introducing one sound. Level it so it is not to loud (check the master output meters) nor to silent. Then add next sound by pushing the fader upward until you have balanced the second sound compared to the first. Repeat for each sound you introduce. If you feel the urge to adjust some of the other sounds that you have already set in place, thumb rule is only adjust downward. This may very well be applicable to almost all faders from time to time, but much better to generally lower than boosting too much (my opinion). Once you have all faders up and have found a decent balance, it is time for EQ.

    EQ – cut rather than boost

    While it is tempting to use the EQ to boost a sound, it is often better to cut others to leave room for the sound you want to make room for. Both for volume (setting volumes, part 1) and for EQ it is like being in a room full of people, and if you want to hear a specific person talk, it is harder for that one person to talk so loud that the single person drowns out the rest, than it is to ask everybody to shut up, and then listen to what that specific person has to say. Same basic principal. Or to make use of an artist that created statues from stone, sadly I do not remember which one. But the principal being, the statue is already inside the giant piece of stone, I just cut away the pieces that covers it.

    Setting volumes, part 2

    Chanses are that when fiddling with the EQ, you have altered the balance. If you think a sound (one or many) are too loud, lower them, if you think a specific sound is too weak, lower the others. Occasionally, I go back to the first step and redo the balance again. Once the balance are in place, it is fine-tuning-time. And now the basic rules of just cutting or just lowering does not apply.

    And as always, stay creative and curious! And have fun!

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