Plug-ins are in use almost every day in any music production. What's your go-to plug-in? What's the oddest use you've put a plug-in into effect? E-mail the staff at mixeditorial@mixonline.com.
MIX AES SURVIVAL GUIDE
Homer: Time to go to work.
Homer's Brain: Little do they know
I'll be ducking out early
to go to the Duff Brewery
Homer: In at 9, out by 5
That's the plan
Homer's Brain: They don't
suspect a thing! Well, off to the plant.
Homer: Then, to the Duff Brewery!
Homer's Brain: Uh oh.
Did I say that or just think it?
Homer: I've got to think of a lie, fast!
Marge: Homer, are you skipping
work so you can go
to the Duff Brewery?
Homer: Ahhhh! (runs away!)
The Simpsons
Mix Editors' Entertainment Picks
BEWARE BEFORE YOU READ THE NEXT PICK! If you’re going anywhere that has an address of “Pier…,” it can be awfully confusing when you try walking there. Here’s a handy tip that has saved me way too many times to count. All pier numbers start at the Ferry Building. If you go to the right, the pier numbers are even; if you go to the left, they’re odd. —Sarah Benzuly
The “Cool” Wharf Fisherman’s Wharf is San Francisco’s number one tourist destination, drawing nearly 12 million people a year to its gorgeous bay views and piers ruled by restaurants, bars, souvenir shops, and ornery sea lions. Of course the flipside of these same attractions is what makes San Franciscans love to hate the Wharf: tacky trinkets, bad food and cheesy “museums.” Although we may try to steer you away, we will eventually let you in on a couple of standouts to make the most of your excursion. The highlight of any trip to the wharf is a visit to Alcatraz: Unlike the wax museums and candy factory tours, this experience is worth the price of admission, not to mention carving a couple hours out of your day. If you go, be sure to book a reservation far in advance (www.blueandgoldfleet.com/html/alcatraz_.html), and sign up for the ultraspooky night tour, when you’ll get a true feel for prison life on the cold, dark rock. Musee Mecanique on Pier 45 is one of the world’s largest collections of vintage coin-operated arcade machines, from turn-of-the-century fortune tellers to Ms. Pac Man. Or, if you’ve had your fill of that Disney-esque feeling, head to Pier 23 Café to hang with the locals at a low-key waterfront bar featuring live music, a patio overlooking the bay, no-frills seafood and a conspicuous absence of “I Love SF” sweatshirts, silver guys and plastic cablecar trinkets.—Sarah Jones
Bookworm Paradise City Lights Books: Co-founded by Lawrence Ferlinghetti; publishers of Allen Ginsberg’s Howl; ground zero for the Beat movement. Lose yourself for a whole afternoon in the maze of sometimes dusty, often overcrowded shelves. The layout begins to make sense after about three hours, and then you discover there’s another floor! But the collection of books is amazing‹hard-to-find books; obscure art books; leftist pamphlets; even bestsellers. If you’re a reader, you already know all this. Midway up Columbus, in North Beach. www.citylights.com—Tom Kenny
Tour the Bridge Like a Local When San Franciscans take our out-of-town visitors to see the Golden Gate Bridge, we like to impress them with our “secret” vista spot, taking in sweeping panoramic views of the bridge, the city and the Pacific ocean from high up on the windswept ridges across the bay. Here’s how to get there: As you’re driving across the bridge and approaching the north side, cruise right past all the tourists queuing up for the Vista Point and instead head to the next exit, Sausalito/Alexander Avenue. As you come off the bridge, take an immediate left (toward Marin Headlands) and head back under the highway and right up the hill on the other side. As you ascend above the bridge towers, pull over and grab your camera. A short but windy walk out on the cliff will reward you an unforgettable view of our famous landmark and some spectacular scenery.—Sarah Jones
CLOSE TO MOSCONE
Varnish Fine Art If you want to plan your pre-party shmooze attack, avoid a pesky salesperson or recap a night of good networking in an hip, reasonably quiet environment, walk a few blocks to Varnish Gallery and Wine bar, located at 77 Natoma—the same alley as SF Soundworks—between 1st and 2nd Streets and Mission and Howard. The ample bar offers a nice selection of fine wine, beer and sake amongst a 1,500-square-foot contemporary art gallery. Talk shop at the bar or find plush seating up in the 600-square-foot mezzanine area, but don't forget to check out the metal sculpture, mixed media and oil paintings from Grant Irish, Craig La Rotonda and Kevin Peterson (October 26 to November 27). Your associates will be impressed by your cultural mindfulness. Open Tues.-Friday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. www.varnishfineart.com. —Heather Johnson
CLOSE TO MOSCONE
How’s My Football Team Doing? Fourth Streeet Bar & Deli: East Coasters, don’t forget that your football games start at 10 a.m. out here on the Left Coast. Right near the Convention Center, at the corner of Fourth and Mission, are more than 20 TVs, showing all the games. Gret beer selection, though you may want to start with a Bloody Mary. If you stay for the 1 o’clock game and skip the last afternoon of the show, try the cheeseburger and fries. Tom had it many nights on his dinner breaks from the San Francisco Chronicle, catching a piece of some Indiana basketball on the big screen. —Tom Kenny
Audio Oddities Okay, we’re all sound snobs; that’s why we’re here at the AES show, right? Well, those searching for truly wacky ways to indulge that inner audio geek should check out the Audium and Wave Organ. Founded in the late-‘50s by some foreward-thinking composers and designers, the Audium (www.audium.org, Fridays and Saturdays, $12) is a theater dedicated to “the exploration of space in music,” via some VERY retro synth recordings—manipulated live via a custom console—and 169 speakers. (Talk about early surround.) Enter the space-age looking room, allow your eyes to adjust to the gradual darkness, and let the sounds wash over—and around—you.
If you’re looking for something a little more organic, check out The Wave Organ, an acoustic sculpture built into a jetty in the San Francisco Bay. The sculpture features 25 concrete and PVC “organ pipes,” with building materials salvaged from a demolished cemetery. Go near high tide for the best performance. In the Marina district; www.exploratorium.edu/visit/wave_organ.html.—Sarah Jones
Mission District Mural Walking Tour Take in the sights of the Mission District mural by mural with a cultural and historical walking tour along the Mission St. and 24th St. corridors. Tours highlight murals, and include cultural organizations, historic sites and other points of interest. Don’t miss the Mission Dolores (the city’s oldest intact building located at 16th and Dolores Streets) and a trip to the Dolores Park Café for a little refreshment. (Café is located at 501 Dolores Street and 18th). For more information, call Precita Eyes. 2981 24th Street at Harrison, 415/285-2287. —Breean Lingle
Playing Steve McQueen in Your Rental Car Okay, so you’re probably not tearing around town in a ‘68 Mustang GT 390 Fastback, but you can still have a little stomach-dropping fun in your Hertz special on the slopes of Russian Hill. Head to the neighborhood outlined by Hyde, Pacific, Taylor and Bay streets for the biggest brake burners—particularly Taylor Street between Broadway and Green, and Leavenworth Street between Union and Broadway. And of course, everyone has to drive the famously curvy Lombard Street once. But my all-time favorite drop is two blocks south: The stretch of Filbert between Hyde and Leavenworth, with a 31.5 percent grade, is the steepest slope in the city. Bonus points for taking air…—Sarah Jones
The Antidote to the Music Chain Store Looking for the 7-inch single of Fiery Furnaces’ “Crystal Clear”? Itchin’ to hear that Foo Fighters UK import with their “Darling Nikki” cover? Can’t find Square Pusher on vinyl? Or maybe you just have to have every Venturescollection of surf hit covers? Try Haight Street’s Amoeba Music, home of one of the country’s largest selections of new releases, imports, reissues and out-of print albums. Hailed by Rolling Stone as the “World’s Best Record Store,” this indie gem stocks more than 200,000 new and used CDs, plus100,000 vinyl LPs, 45s and 78s. Also packed in the store’s collossal 24,000-square foot space are thousands of new and used DVD and Laserdisc titles, plus a healthy collection of cassettes and rare posters. Chances are, if you’re looking for it, they’ve got it. Now, if you could only expense that shopping spree.…www.amoeba.com. —Sarah Jones
Ferry Building Marketplace You could spend half-a-day perusing through the newly redesigned Ferry Plaza and gorging yourself on anything from a crisp glass of chardonnay, goat cheese, FRESH oysters, a tea break or the farmer’s market, where you can buy anything from garbanzo beans in the shells, four-pound heirloom tomatoes for $7.99 a pound, lavender-infused rock salt to everything pleasing the gourmet guru! (Thursday: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturday: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Sunday: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.); www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com. —Sarah Benzuly
CLOSE TO MOSCONE
Wholesale Flower Mart Peruse various flowers…pick some up for the booth. Those who watched your shift may be more forgiving that you “ducked out” a little longer than expected if you come back with a beautiful bouquet! And what better way to make your booth “blossom.” Open to the public after 10 a.m. www.sfflmart.com. —Sarah Benzuly
A Long, Strange (Road) Trip If you’ve wandered around San Francisco, no doubt you’ve seen those “49 Mile Scenic Drive” signs posted here and there about town. If you want to check out the city but are just not the tourbus type, take a self-guided journey in the comfort of your own car: Following these signs will take you on a, well, 49-mile scenic loop through our greatest hits, including Fisherman’s Wharf, North Beach, Chinatown, Golden Gate Park and of course, the beautiful Pacific. You can even start your loop at the sign right outside Moscone. For a map and more, click here.
This 2-DVD set will show you how the best in the music industry set up a studio to make world-class records. Regardless of what gear you are using, the information you'll find here will allow you to take advantage of decades of expert knowledge. Order now $39.95
Mastering Cubase 4
Electronic Musician magazine and Thomson Course Technology PTR have joined forces again to create the second volume in their Personal Studio Series, Mastering Steinberg's Cubase(tm). Edited and produced by the staff of Electronic Musician, this special issue is not only a must-read for users of Cubase(tm) software, but it also delivers essential information for anyone recording/producing music in a personal-studio. Order now $12.95
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Plug-ins are in use almost every day in any music production. What's your go-to plug-in? What's the oddest use you've put a plug-in into effect? E-mail the staff at mixeditorial@mixonline.com.
Bookworm Paradise
Tour the Bridge Like a Local
CLOSE TO MOSCONE
Varnish
Audio Oddities
Playing Steve McQueen in Your Rental Car
Ferry Building Marketplace
A Long, Strange (Road) Trip
Delivered straight to your inbox every other week, MixLine takes you straight into the studio, with new product announcements, industry news, upcoming events, recent recording/post projects and much more. Click here to read the latest edition; sign up here.
