Mary Did You Know (cover)

Here's my cover for you guys! I posted this here on the blog a little late, but we had power outage. Anyway, here we are. :)

Abused Comment Section

Ok. Twice is enough. We have comment section abusers. From now on, all comments will have to be approved before they are published. Hate to resort to this, but I will not have things like that posted on my Christian blog. Thank you for understanding.

-Brandon

Christmas Project Promo

I am sharing what I have so far on "Mary, Did You Know?"



I am dowtuned to Drop C on this Ibanez RG350DX. This song is a new one from me. I have covered other Christmas songs, but never this one. Not your typical Christmas cover on Youtube, right? So it's fresh! I am looking forward to putting this out. I want to have a softer section before this part. I am mainly preparing this for a family gathering this month, but I will definitely make this available for YouTube. This will be my Christmas cover for this year. This is an unlisted video I am only sharing here and on my personal Facebook with friends. I told you there would be exclusive stuff here. ;) Just never know when, right?


Brandon of Analyzed Within

Check out my previous covers!
Christmas Rock 2011 (GMC challenge: 2nd place)
Christmas Rock 2011 (my special melody)
Promised Hope - Gloria (Christmas Cantata extract)
Away in a Manger

Writing Closing Track Verse

Josh, my vocalist, and I are writing the lyrics for the closing song on the EP. The song is "Our Hope is Here."  I am dropboxing him a webcam video of me singing my idea over the track. This doesn't mean we are almost done with the EP. I just happened to compose the closing track after the single.

Since very few people visit this blog, I am going to share this "secret" video. This is one of the video ideas I sent him tonight. Lucky you! :)

Pre-orders

I'm looking at band's pre-orders and thinking..man, it will be awesome if one day I can do the same! Or even have my own Analyzed Within merch would be cool!

Brandon

Broken links fixed

Hey guys -

As if anybody relevant would ever read this...

But I fixed a bunch of links on my lessons. I have backing tracks and tabs available for my lessons. They were once hosted on Rapid Share and Media Fire. They should all be on Google Docs now. I relinked all those videos of my Happy Birthday lessons, studio version mp3 downloads, and I'm Alright series. I searched my videos "rapidshare" and "mediafire," and there are no more results. I hope I have cleared all the broken links. I appreciate those who come forward saying the links are broken when they are. You're not bothering me. Hundreds of people pass by and we can't have broken links lying around. That brings seven years of bad luck. Oh wait, that's mirrors. Oh shoot, that's superstitious and doesn't exist. Disregard the last three sentences - and this one too or you might become confused. =P

Brandon

Practicing the single

I was just practicing our single, "Living in the Last Days." Analyzed Within, Josh and I, hope to have it out by Christmas. I was playing along with my little mix I made separate from what I sent to the studio. I'm practicing the "stage presence," as in headbanging and singing along as I would live. Still some more work to do.

EDIT: My neck is still sore! 12/08/2012

101+ subs

I have 107 subscribers on my Analyzed Within channel. At 101, I remember saying I would make a video about Analyzed Within - the name - what does it mean? I started making the notes just now. I am going to try to start videoing.

Learning to Scream

I'm learning to scream, y'all. :D I am using Michael Barnes' of RED technique, called vocal fry. I am taking it slow and not overdoing it so I won't mess up my voice. You use your diaphragm to push air. I'm just waiting until I am away from everyone to practice.

Brandon

Shake that Atmosphere!

I've been working on this song for a few days. This is my first time to be so experimental in my writing. I just let it flow and this is the result. NOTE: There has been no bass guitar added yet.




I was considering on making this a track on my EP, Living in the Last Days, with a proper title of course. I have several free vsts laying around in my computer. I just combined many of these for my track. This is a partial track - what I have so far. I added some Asian influence into this track.  There's a really groovy section in there that is my favorite part.

Let me know what you think.

-Brandon Burch
of ANALYZED WITHIN

Killswitch Engage

AS DAYLIGHT DIES. Very awesome album. Yet another band I had heard of, but never tried. My friend gave me his original physical copy since he wasn't into them as much. I am very pleased, because I like their sound. My top favorite track is "This is Absolution." The chorus is stunningly beautiful! I like how the rest of the song hits you in the face.

This style reminds me of the Christian Contemporary style I came from before hitting the metal stage. Only heavier with screaming. The chord progressions are very familiar to me, and I enjoy them.

Storming

Today it is storming. Finally. I heard about it coming and it had to wait until the late afternoon. lol. The electricity did go out at church. It was during offertory. Kinda funny - POP! [lights out] *electric organ cuts out along with the entire sound system* Only baby grand piano remained. haha. So, the rest of service was naturally lighted. Even the preacher preached in the dark! He's like, "Don't worry, y'all, I can preach in the dark." xD

The lost boy

It broke my heart today to see a little boy who had lost his mom in Walmart. He was waiting at the customer service desk. When his mom and siblings came to the service desk, he ran to his mom crying. It scared him to be lost. It reminded me of the panic I had, when I lost my mom in Walmart, as a child. Just for those few seconds, what seemed like an eternity, I was desperate to find my mom again. I can't imagine how scared this little boy must have been, and having to wait with strangers, my coworkers. His mom must have been paged over the intercom and I didn't hear it. He must have walked to the service desk and told them he was lost. If that is the case, then he had to venture by himself. Seeing him reunite with his mom made me want to cry. However, since I was at work I held back. Things like that get to me.

Brandon

As I Lay Dying - Awakened

My friend introduced me to this band. Although I have heard of this band before, I had never given them a try. This new 2012 album is killer! He was borrowing it from his cousin, so I am borrowing it third-hand. I am on track 6 as I write. I really love this album. Just switched to track 7, my friend's favorite track. I will be checking into buying my own hard copy.

EDIT: This album is insane!
Brandon

Laptop Fan Fixed!

All that was wrong with my laptop was a dust-bunny in the way of the fan! I used this tutorial to help me disassemble my laptop.



You have to take off almost everything to get to that fan! There were two smaller motherboard screws that were on so tight, I thought I would never get them off. I am so glad and thankful I fixed the problem. Glory to God!


Brandon

Broken Laptop Fan

For some unknown reason, my laptop fan went out. So I can only use the computer for a short time. I am not able to record any songs. Anything that requires high processing heats the computer and it shuts off by itself with no warning. It does this to protect itself from permanent damage. I will be looking into the problem. If it just needs a new fan then I can get it taken care of with a $10 order. I was successfully writing a song the other day before this all happened. It will have to wait now.

Fail

I have been trying to write a new song for hours this morning. I have failed miserably.

Brandon

Metal Mash Mummy

I hope everyone had a safe Halloween! Here is my new music video launched yesterday.



I am playing my Jackson SLSMG in Drop Bb, with DR DDT 13-65 gauge strings. My tone was derived from POD Farm. The main rhythm guitars were only dual-tracked, as well as the occasional lead guitars. You are hearing EZdrummer DFH, a church organ vst, and a eerie synth vst. The bass was recorded with my guitar, as in POD Farm. The scary sounds came from a pack included with my Sony Vegas Movie Studio 10 software - I only added effects.

Download it for free:


I've been working hard on this the past week for you guys. It's finally here in record time. I almost hate this song now that I have heard it sooooo many times. I have been trying to post it to Facebook, which I have, but the thumbnail is not showing. Maybe that's why people skip over it. Perhaps if they saw a mummy, they would stop and click. I will check later today, after work, and see if YouTube/Facebook fixed it. I want to post it again on my fan page with the thumbnail showing. A quick Google search tells me this issue has happened before at least once. Not sure which company is at fault. It's annoying! Just when I want to promote my video! It's probably Facebook, if I were to take a guess. It posts here as you see; although, it's embedded.

-Brandon of Analyzed Within

- - - - - - - - - -
FACEBOOK FAN PAGE:
http://www.facebook.com/analyzedwithin

CHANNELS:
http://www.youtube.com/analyzedwithin
http://www.youtube.com/thefireball100

MUSIC PROJECTS:
http://soundcloud.com/fireball100

BLOG & EXCLUSIVES:
http://fireballnews.blogspot.com

Video shoot done

Halloween project 2012

Some of you may already know I am working on a Halloween project. I have uploaded a couple of clips on my Soundcloud. This track is very progressive, with a few time signature and tempo changes.

This is the intro.


I am using a free Church Organ VST I found on the internet. You are hearing my own composition. The scary sounds are from my Sony Vegas Movie Studio 10 editing software. They give you 1,001 sound effects (among other things) with your purchase. The sounds by themselves are actually quiet lame. However, after adding reverb and compression effects, they sound much better layered.

Here is some riffage near the end of the short instrumental.


This sample is heavily influenced by the Christian Progressive Metal band "Becoming the Archetype." If you listen to "Deep Heaven" from their Dichotomy album, you will see the strong similarity. They played around with their notes, but I just keep ascending all the way up the neck and then back down again. So I made it my own riff without ripping them off. I just thought it sounded so Halloweenish! I added some synths, another freebie on the internet.

The other parts of the tracks, not shared yet, have some sick syncopation. I like polyrhythms!! Can't wait to show you the rest of the track, people. :) I will be recording a video. I should have plenty of time. It's not Halloween yet, and I have the track recorded. I just have to add some more parts and tweak the sound.


Brandon

Official Facebook
Official YouTube
Other YouTube

Casting Crowns Metal

I uploaded this a few days ago and have received positive results. I haven't done this in a while.

People are asking me to do a full cover. I had thought about that, but there are parts in the song I wouldn't know what to play, such as the quiet verse. Glad people are enjoying this cover though. It's just my personal "metal" take on the chorus of the song. It's in the style of Analyzed Within. (that's me)

Brandon

Vocals #2

Our second session was more productive than the last.



If you missed the first session, it is a few posts back. My cousin is sounding much better with his scream. I am excited about when we actually get to record this. We plan on getting together this Saturday at least one last time before recording. We need to finish the lyrics. I told him to be working on verse two some more before we meet, while I analyze the song and see what more we can do with the lyrics. I think it fitting to have bridge lyrics right before the guitar solo kicks in. I still can't decide which guitarist to choose for the part.

We originally were going to hang at this gravel area (you see in the video) and go over lyrics. However, since his neighbors were gone, we took his car to his apartment. Josh, my cousin, showed me how to scream properly, but I was too shy to try. Good think I didn't try anyway, because my vocal chords felt strained and scratchy, after our session, from normal singing. I just don't use my vocals for singing much at all. The only time I sing is at church - and I usually sing bass.

Ibanez S920

I played this guitar yesterday at Guitar Center. As the title states, this is the new Ibanez S920. It was hanging up high and caught my attention because of its super-thin neck. I saw on Ibanez's website that this is a new model. This Ibanez is by far the best soloist I have ever played - even better than my Jackson SLSMG. But this doesn't mean I would trade it for the Jackson. I would trade it for my Ibanez RG 350 DX. I feel like I have so much control of this thing. I played many solos I knew. Even chugged some rhythms. I did this all through my new favorite amp that I mentioned before: the Peavey Valveking 112. That amp has so much tasty crunch. It sounds great with a 7-string and this Ibanez S920. It's easy to get a good rhythm or lead tone, and the built-in reverb sings a baby to sleep. This Ibanez has got to be my guitar. The pickups are awesome! It has my favorite EMG 81 pickup in the bridge, and an EMG 60 in the neck. I had never heard that one before, but it is a beautiful sound. The output of the active pickups are plenty. If this is the attitude of active pickups, I dig them for leads. Next time I go back and play it I will have to take my camera and shoot a video for you guys.

So here are my plans when the funds become available:

- Trade in Fender Mustang 1 amp for the Peavey Valveking 112.
- Keep Jackson SLSMG, but set it back up near standard Eb tuning.
- Trade in Ibanez IJX 121 for a 7 or 8-string.
- Trade in Ibanez RG 350 DX for the Ibanez S920.

Flapping to space

Haha. I had a dream last night I went to space. The way I flew to space was funny. I just flapped my arms and slowly rose up. It was kinda more of a small flap of the arms, and not exaggerated. I slowly rose above the trees, which looked liked they came out of books since they were cartoonish. As I passed through the clouds, the blue sky became darker until it was more black. I rose above the earth's atmosphere and entered  outer space with no harm from the lack of oxygen. I saw the planets, mainly focusing on the Sun, Jupiter, and Saturn - at least those are the celestial bodies that stand out in my mind's eye.

The second time I went, I took my brother, Jordan, with me. I must say he flew very well.  We never got tired of flapping, and it took us seemingly only a minute to reach outer space from the ground up. Looking below my feet to him, I asked Jordan if he had ever been up this high. Of course he hadn't, nor had I before, except the one time by myself. Unfortunately my alarm went off before we both shared the visit to the planets.

-Brandon

Vocals no. 1

Video uploaded from the other day. First vocal session with my cousin. Follow me on Facebook.




My cousin and I are going over the single "Living in the Last Days." It is the title track of my upcoming EP. The guitars are recorded raw with no additional mixing or mastering at the moment. That job is for the studio.

We had literally just learned these lines I wrote. Just experimenting, so don't be harsh. We had a blast, in case you couldn't tell. ;) I am the one with the glasses.

If you are wondering what we are doing with our phones, we are reading the lyrics.

First vocal session

I had a really cool vocal session with my cousin yesterday before work. Initially, I was surprised his scream was not very loud. I thought there was more volume. But actually, you really don't need more volume with a microphone. :) Just turn it up like you would a guitar. I think his tonality is right. We just have a few things to work out. We only just started. This was just under two hours. This is a screenshot of a video that will be uploaded soon.

Granny with a hot rod

The other day at work I carried out a lady's groceries. She was old enough to be my grandmother. I was surprised and thrilled to find out she was driving a red Corvette! "Yeah, it's my sweetie," she said. That was so cool. Maybe one day I will be able to afford one.

Guitar Rhythms Tracked

Last night, I spent three hours tracking the main guitar rhythm for my upcoming single, "Living in the Last Days." I had to take a trip to the store to pick up a new 9V battery for my active pickups, however. My Jackson SLSMG, set up and down-tuned to Drop A, has EMG 81/85s. I installed a fresh set of strings. I use the six middle strings in the Ernie Ball 8-string set, numbering gauges 13-64. I am not going to talk about tone yet.

I got a cool idea, using a jazzy clean sound with some delay. That is the red track you see in the picture. I'm satisified with the result. The studio I will give my work to for mixing and mastering will amp the MIDI for the bass through Trillian, and MIDI for drums through either Superior Drummer or Steven Slate. I was offered reamping for my guitar, but I want complete control over my tone, even though EQing will take place. I hope the end result is nice.

And I am excited to meet with my cousin today for writing lyrics. I plan to bring my camera. I want to record a few snippets of our progress for YouTube. I do have several lines written already, but since I hope he will be doing my vocals, it needs to flow and work well with how he wants to sing and scream.

I must have changed the verse riffs five times, but I think I have something that will work well.

21 today plus latest adventures

I turned 21 today. And that DOESN'T mean I can drink. That's for stupid people.

I did have a good day today. I worked most of the day, but that's okay. The world does not revolve around Brandon Burch. I also didn't have the foresight to ask off on my birthday. My store manager gave me a card and shook my hand. It was cool. They didn't make a big fuss about my birthday, so that was cool. Believe it or not, I was even glad they didn't get me a balloon. LOL. I'm the kind of guy who doesn't like a lot of attention. I got a lot of wishes on my personal facebook. That was really cool. :) It's weird because I am more often an introvert than not. It used to be the other way around.

Dad told me, "You're a man now." That is surreal to me. It's hard to grasp that I have been on this earth 21 years. The LORD has blessed me. I hope God comes back in my lifetime. It's kind of cool, because at least 1/5 of my life is probably over, if not more. HAHA. NO, I AM NOT TURNING SUICIDAL! LOL. It means I am that much closer to seeing my Jesus in heaven above.

Anyway, I don't feel like an adult. But I guess I can just be a kid at heart if I want. :) I still read Teen Fiction.
---
I had an interesting "adventure" yesterday. I dropped by the revenue office to renew my driver's license before it expired. I got off work at 3:00, and I knew I didn't have time to renew the following day (today) because I got off at 5:30. The revenue office would be closed by then. It took me a while to find it, even after a customer from my work had given me directions. I was looking for railroad tracks. I had been told if I crossed the tracks I had gone too far. I never did see them. Pizza had been ordered at home so I didn't mess around. I swallowed my manly pride and asked for directions at a gas station. I was told to cross the railroad tracks and it would be in a little strip-mall. I STILL never saw the railroad tracks, but I found the mall and went inside the revenue office. (I later found out the railroad tracks were under the huge bridge I went over.)

I politely waited "in line." A minute went by and I noticed a dispenser across the room that said, "PICK A NUMBER FOR REVENUE ONLY." Ah..that's not me. I am not revenue. This is my driver's license. Then I saw a dude walk in and pick a number and sit down. I didn't think much of it until an old guy came in asked where he could get a number. I thought to myself, Well there's not really a line. There's just one customer at a time. And there's a whole lot of people sitting down. Crap, I bet I was supposed to pick a number. I bet I look stupid. I shall nonchalantly walk across the room and pick a number. I was right. I was supposed to pick a number. I even asked a man who later sat next to me. "Yeah, everything's revenue," he said after I explained my reasoning.

Sixty-four, my number, finally came. After a few minutes of starting to go through the process of renewal, the lady at the desk said, "Wait, we're not renewing are we? Because this doesn't expire 'til 2013." I could hardly believe it, I had to look at the license myself. I felt so dumb! I tried to forget about any people that might have overheard. I just laughed about it and said, "Okay, I'll see y'all in a year," and walked out.

Needless to say, the pizza wasn't cold.
---
I am supposed to meet up with my cousin this weekend and work out some lyrics for my single "Living in the Last Days." I have already written a lot the lines for the song, but they are definitely open for change. I am excited to hear the tonality in his voice.

I have recently made a very close friend who has a lot in common with me. We have already talked and hung out a lot. My life has been a blessed one lately, even in the midst of trials. I thank God for His grace. I LOVE YOU, LORD.

Guitar Center

No, I did not buy a 8-String. :/ Just read on. haha. I've been waiting on my guitar for a few days. I took the Jackson SLSMG to Guitar Center on Sunday.  The guitar tech wasn't back until Tuesday. I need it setup for a different string gauge. Normally, I have been using 14-68 gauge strings, but those are hard to find by themselves. Ernie Ball 10-74 eight-string packs are pretty numerous. So I am going to start using those I think. I'll be using the middle six: 13-64. It's a little lighter in string gauge. The neck and action and stuff needs to be set on the guitar, and I don't know how  to do that properly. I feel good knowing that an experienced person is working on my guitar. :) Plus, it's getting cleaned up. The fretboard is nasty. I haven't cleaned it in forever. I'm just that lazy, I guess. Or actually, it may be because when I pick up the guitar it just lulls me into this trance of playing right away. ;)

I bought two sets of these strings to start out. I want to have a spare set. I am sick of not having strings at my disposal. I will stock up soon and have more than just one spare. I need to get more picks, too, and just throw away the ones that I don't really want to use anymore. They are worn down, and it's senseless to keep them. Picks are so cheap.

While I was there Sunday, I shot a video of me playing a 7-string guitar. My brother was so kind to come along and video me. I even created a photo album of my visit.


Hopefully today they will get to my guitar. It would be a great day for it, because I only work a few hours today.

Spotting the comet/meteor

The other night my brother and I saw a comet/meteor for the first time in our lives! It only happened because I missed my turn while coming back from Tim Hawkin's comedy show. I drove all the way down a road until I realized this was not the right way. There was no stop sign where we were going. So I drove all the way back and found the correct road. Very shortly after I got on the road home, the comet/meteor appeared. My brother saw it first. He describes it as a big ball just appearing out of nowhere, blooming in all kinds of colors. After he exclaimed in astonishment, I spotted it a second later. When I saw it the comet/meteor had turned blue and white. You could see detail - there was a flaming, flickering tail. Like a ball of fire. It was so surreal. It didn't look like what you see the cartoons and movies - just a line across the sky really fast. I don't know if that means what we saw was closer or further to us. It was there and gone very quickly. It seemed to appear out of nowhere and disappeared behind the tree line. We were in a country, road-winding area, with trees all around us. That would have been epic if I could have had a camera ready somehow - with a long lens to capture all that detail! So I don't know if what I saw was a comet or meteor, but from what I have read on the internet it was probably a meteor. What do you think?

New Album Art!

This is my composition I did tonight in GIMP 2, basically a stripped down version of Photo Shop. These are three photos composited. I downloaded the photos from NASA. This picture is all about layering.

I was actually trying to find a good volcanic picture, erupting with darkness all around. I see a vague image in my mind, but I'm sure it doesn't really exist. However, this final product is fine. That dry landscape is like a desolate mood that might be nice to set. This may not look professional, but it sure beats the extra expense of an artist.

So it's obvious what my album is about by the cover title, "Living in the Last Days." Analyzed Within is my musician name.

Quoting from my fan page:

I wanted to create an artist name that described me, and be original as possible. I over-analyze most everything. A choice of a menu item is a case study. So all information that enters inside of me is analyzed within. Additionally, there is a parallel. As a believer in Christ Jesus, His Holy Spirit lives inside of me. I am analyzed within, for He is always watching me.

-Brandon Burch

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God's Original Masterpiece

This brought tears to my eyes. You should watch this...really. And think about it as you watch. Do some self-reflection.

A hurting heart

I have gone through trials in my life and I am going through one right now. It makes my nerves on edge. And it is making my heart soften even more for the lost of this dark world. Drives me even more to produce my EP. I really hope I can find a vocalist that will record Christian lyrics for me. But what if I can't, and it's an instrumental album? :/ Well, I'll just have to deal with that. I can still present the message of God in my titles of the songs. I just can't be afraid of some "friends" leaving because I am a Christian. You really find out what you are made of in times like these.

EP writing has begun

For those of you who didn't find out from my fan page, I have started writing and recording my EP (mini-album). I would like to quote here what I posted on my page, which also made me lose a like. haha.

I sort of laugh because it just shows you how powerful the Holy Spirit of God is....just read below.

Dear Fans:


The concept of my new EP: The End Times. It would be awesome if I could find a vocalist for my stuff. It's a Christian message by the way. ;) Not to start a religious war, but the coming of Christ IS going to happen. I think about the end times often. I think we are living in the last days, people. I want to tell the world about it in my music, with or without vocals.


I am not going to hide my light under a bushel. I want to be reasonably straightforward with my music and its message. This is who I am and what I believe. If it means blazing a trail, then blaze a trail I must. If people don't like it, I'm sorry they feel that way.

I'm not yet sure what to call this EP. I have only just starting recording, much less writing, this mini-album.

-Brandon Burch

I am bringing back to life an old song called "Living in the Last Days." I played it (in my car stereo) for my friends at church camp the year before last. I have changed up the song a lot. I only kept one riff the same, besides the chorus being exactly the same as before. But more epic! If you are curious to hear the original version of this song, it is here. I actually haven't heard it in a while. I actually love the opening riff now. I bet I could play it better now if I use it in another song. By the way, this album is going to use tunings Drop Ab and Standard Bb. I don't think I'll use any others because I want the same sound throughout the album. By that I mean, the sound of my Jackson SLSMG tuned down low, using heavy gauge strings.

Take My Pain excerpt 2

Yes, now this song has a name. I figured I should give it a name before the next excerpt. I figure most of the song is there to know its personality.



I seemed to end the song around the 5 minute mark. Perhaps I will take the song in another direction from where it almost stops. I can switch the mood somewhat within the song, much like a concept album. However, this will be more of a concept song. I don't want to end the song yet. I want it to be epic and long. :)  I can reflect back to some of the themes later in the song. After all, there are songs I have heard before that do that sort of thing. This will take some brainstorming. I only have two solo spots open in the song, and I want more. So the song MUST be longer.

There has already been a small buzz about this song. I encourage anyone enjoying to share it. Perhaps post it on your facebook wall. I need all the exposure I can get. Hardly anybody seems to know about the composer side of me. Perhaps I will be surprised, though, when I start selling my music on BandCamp. Yep. You heard right. I think this goal of mine is going to happen this year: selling my music online. :)

WideK will be mixing and mastering my stuff.
Email me any time guys, or follow me on Facebook!

20120518 excerpt 1

20120518: May 18, 2012 represents the date of the beginning. Weird name for a topic, I know, but that is the name of the song I am working on for now. I am not sure what to call it yet. It's instrumental that can have lyrics inserted, as all my songs could. This song is already four minutes long and not even finished yet. It evolves much more than I have ever evolved a song before. Check out this excerpt of the first chorus and post chorus.



The post chorus sounds much like the verse but is more aggressive. I'm going to be leaving many spots for guest guitar solos. :) I hope I will get takers for those I have in mind. This is going to be so awesome collaborating with others and then getting my stuff mixed and mastered by WideK!

Follow me on Facebook!!


Brandon

Camera replaced

I finally got a replacement for my Canon T3i. Right out of the box, using the battery I had purchased previously, the camera turned on and off 5 times in a row as supposed to. The first T3i did not even turn on the first time I switched it to ON (with a fresh full battery). So, I have now a working camera with two batteries, and my 32 GB SD card I bought in the original transaction. I'm a happy camper now. No more messing with a faulty camera. Sad it had to happen with my first DSLR, but it's over now. ;)

Dud Camera

Besides having moved with the family, I had a twist in my life. I ordered a Canon T3i on the 23^rd of April from Amazon.com. It was my first DSLR. Bottom line is I got a faulty camera. I’m sadly not surprised. Things like this happen to me in life. What is God trying to teach me? :D Tribulation really does bring about patience. That’s not to say I’m fine with the situation. I find myself having a hard time dealing with this stuff. It’s really annoying when you get a bad camera. I did send the camera back on the 16^th of May. However, I have a potentially funny story to tell concerning it, found in the third paragraph. But before I tell the story, I would like to say I will not be posting a Youtube video after all on this adventure. There are too many gaps in this story to be able to document the story. I will just keep this as a blog, unless I get enough people wanting to see it.

The day I received my camera in the mail, or rather the day I chased it down at my local post office (scheduled to be mailed to my house the next day), I videoed my adventure. I made a commentary as I left my room and drove the mile and a half to the post office. I made an unboxing video and read in the book I needed to fully charge my battery before using. I did so. I videoed my turning the T3i on for the very first time. It did not come on. :( It only came on sometimes. I continued to fiddle with the camera for days before finally ordering a second battery. But it turned out not be the battery. After very recently describing my ordeal to an associate of Bedford Camera & Video, it was confirmed the problem was the camera.

Since my dwelling did not have internet access, I went to the library to print out labels for returning the camera. I went to the post office to mail my package. While discussing mailing options with the clerk, a ceiling fan blew my address label between two unmovable desks. The crack the paper went between was very narrow, making it nearly impossible to retrieve. I had to go back to the library to print another label. Only when I arrived, I was informed they were having technical difficulties with the internet connection. Nearly 10 minutes passed while I waited for a connection, which seemed close to forever. I did make it back to the post office. You can be sure I held on to that address label. ;) It’s just one of the days, I said to myself. Hey, at least the post office and library were within a mile of each other.

Now the hard part will be waiting for a replacement from Amazon. It’s not their fault, really, just a factory fault. I just happen to be the lucky soul to get a dud camera.

Brandon :)

Been trying out new camera

Just as the title says, I have been trying out my new camera. Not much today at all though. I have been sleeping most of the day. I am catching on sleep I missed before my overnight shift the previous night. I should be better prepared for the 10 pm - 7 pm shift this time. Man, God really is teaching me something here - I just know it. I have barely started, but I can feel him leading me somewhere with this. He's totally in the "storm." I say storm because the body feels that with the "sleep shock." haha. It all depends on your attitude. I can do all things through Christ. I just have to want to. I am in my own unique situation, as everyone on this earth is, and I must make the best of it. I just woke up 30 minutes ago and I am feeling alright. By the time my shift rolls around I will be spiff!

I will eventually get around to editing my documented video adventure of getting my new camera. I just need to find out how resolve the story. It is a cool camera. I have taken cool pictures and one really neat video with Jordan. He is my cameraman in this video:

2nd Gig Invitation

I've been invited to my old workplace for a steak cookout Friday around noontime. They told me to bring my guitar. It should be fun! This is my second "gig." The first time was another cookout; at the time I did still work there. It's gonna be cool to see my former co-workers again. Ahh the memories...

I'm bringing more of my metal side with me this time, so I hope they won't mind. I dropped down to Drop D. Last time I was in Standard E and didn't have much material. At least I can rock out and "fake it" when I don't know what to play. I'm not used to playing in standard tunings. I should have more material this time. Heck, I will probably only play 30 minutes in all. I have my new Fender amp this time. Lot less gear to worry about. I will have to remember to bring my camera. Maybe I can connect with a few of them on Facebook. :)

EDIT: Moved to Friday.

Ordered the T3i

Projected arrival date: Friday, April 27.



BGM by Nolly

Soon to order HD Cam

If the Lord wills and the creek don't rise, I am going to order my Canon T3i with the 18-55 mm lens Monday morning. :) I plan on making a video of my ordering it. I would make that tomorrow's Analyzed Within video, but I don't want to order early. I get a text to let me know what my paycheck is going to be. I am still not sure what to make tomorrow's video about. I upload videos every Saturday on that new channel. I guess it doesn't always have to be guitar playing. I don't always have a project to share, because I work on different stuff. Hey! I just had an idea! What if I make a video on how to become a successful guitar player? Or maybe, how I progressed? There are a lot of people who watch my Three Year Guitar Evolution and wonder how I did it. Yes, I think I shall make a video on how I did it. I want to tell that story anyway. :)

By the way, when I reach 101 subscribers on my Analyzed Within channel, I will make a video that following Saturday about the meaning of that artist name. It has a spiritual application. I say 101 because I am subscribed to myself with my Fireball channel. That's what the other big channels do. Maybe to identify with both channels?

Reoccurring Nightmare

I keep having dreams I am late for work. In last night's dream, I was only going to be late a few minutes. But I've had a dream before that I was late for two whole hours! Every time I try to get to work on time, in the dream, time somehow speeds up. People look at me funny when I tell them it's my worst nightmare. Currently, it's the most stressful dream I ever have. It's crazy. I don't know why it's such a big deal in my mind. It's good I view punctuality a virtue, but this extreme? This year, I have probably had about five different dreams about being late for work. What could be causing these?

It makes me paranoid the following morning of the dream.

True Defiance

Today, Demon Hunter's True Defiance album comes out. However, I pre-ordered and my package arrived yesterday. ^_^ You can see my unboxing in this video below.

The album is very awesome. I like the new tight sound they went for! The DVD included was a nice interview of Ryan Clark, the lead singer. While I was thinking they were going to show behind the scenes of the studio, Ryan spoke well of God and the band's stand for their faith. I thought that was very cool. I wish more bands did that. 

My favorite ballad right now is "Dead Flowers." It's pretty melancholy in a good way. "I am a Stone" is also a beautiful ballad, but it's only a strings arrangement. I would need a different category in my mind, since it's a different kind of ballad with no electric guitars. I think my favorite darkest and heaviest song is "We Don't Care." There are many others that are awesome, but that main riff is reminiscent of my song "Decimate." I like that style of riffing.

As far as my composing goes, it's kinda been at a stand-still as of late. I am practicing guitar. I hope to get back into the composing stage today after work.

Totally switching gears, I am going to be switched to overnight position at Walmart in a few weeks. I'm really looking forward to the experience I am going to gain. Walmart is my planned career path. A department manager is my first goal. I'm really excited about this opportunity to learn.

How to shred guitar lesson

New Facebook Fan Page

Check it out!! Click the picture to go, and Like if you want! ;)

Future of Gaming Is Now

Popped into my Youtube subscription box. Just watch this. Has a bit of truth to it for sure. ;)

Pickup comparison

This is a sweet video by Keith Merrow. He compares the Bareknuckle Warpig to the Seymour Duncan Invader, and the Bareknuckle Aftermath to the Seymour Duncan Distortion. These pairs of pickups have similar output. He used the same tone throughout the video to give a true comparison. You will probably have to listen closely to hear the difference. I am going to give my opinions on which I like better for each clip. I have the advantage of studio monitors, so I can hear more of a difference than through normal computer speakers.




"Modern Metal"
The Warpig and Invader sound so similar it's almost not noticeable. Seems the Warpig has a bit more low end on the thicker strings. Invader seemed to be more defined though. Aftermath was very clear. I could hear each note very well defined. The Distortion was more trebley. I liked that. Distortion for the win.

"Chugs and Chords"
Invader definitely beats the Warpig in chunkiness for this clip. I know I said the Warpig seemed to have more low end the previous clip, but for sure I hear a heaviness in the Invader here. Aftermath bites your face off. It's got that punch to it and it's awesome. Distortion is still cutting through with the treble. I love that. However, the Aftermath gives this pop to the low chugs that I just love. So, Aftermath for the win.


"Merica!"
It must be his pick attack because now I hear a defined bass tone in the Warpig over the Invader. I think it depends on what you are playing. These are all different styles within metal. The Invader seems to pop like a telecaster here - different from the previous "pop" I mentioned. Not really fond of that for metal. Not sure what to say about the Aftermath. It seems to pop a little like the Invader, but not as much. The Distortion pickup is very cool. Again, that trebley sound. It hits you right the face. Again, Distortion for the win.


"Death Metal"
It sounds like the Invader does not have as much presence as the Warpig. It's there, but sounds more in the background. I know it sounds weird hearing opposite opinions. It's like a ping-pong, but the picking styles of attack are different. So the pickups are going to react a little different. Aftermath equals clarity. I really like the sound. The Distortion sounds a little too muddy and run together. Aftermath for the win. It looks like it is between the Aftermaths and Distortions, for me, but let's keep going.

"Sk8r Die"
Okay, here I like the Invader better. I like the way it reacts to the pick attack versus the Warpig. You can hear the hot output of the Aftermath in this example. Close one between the Invader and Distortion. I can say I like the Invader the best because the Distortion doesn't seem to have as much reaction. Invader for the win.


"Solo'd Clips"
Okay this is the same as "Modern Metal," but now I can hear only the guitar, so a better take on my opinion here. I can hear more of a separation of the high notes with the Warpig, and better separation of the low and high notes combined with the Invader. It's like you can hear the clarity more with the Invader. Aftermath sounds very clear, but sounds like the gain is turned down. Again, the Distortion has that in-your-face treble sound. Maybe too much. I still say Distortion for the win. 


OVERALL - Distortion for the big win.
I like the way the Distortion pickup sounds from Seymour Duncan. It sits in the mix well and cuts through with its high end treble. It's really hard to judge, but I wanna say I would buy the Distortion pickup over any of them for what I want to mix and create in metal. These are all my opinions. I analyzed the sound clips over and over and this is what I bring to you. I don't claim to know all the EQs of the pickups, because I don't. I am just telling you what I like about each one in a different playing style. I will agree, however, the Aftermath does seem to have more control in its output. You saw throughout this entire post that these were "clear." Still, the Seymour Duncans are cheaper.

Thanks for taking the time to read.
-Brandon Burch

April Fool's Plans

Yep. I'm going to fill you in on what I have planned for April Fool's. I think you deserve it for being one of the few to read my blogs. ;-)

I plan on making a fake guitar shred lesson, posted on my "TheFireball100" Youtube channel. The opening shot of my shredding a piece of paper with a guitar on it will be adapted from a Youtube video I saw years ago. I want to take this a step further. ...Broom sweeping, playground sliding, toothpicks, sledgehammers...

I am going to let my little brother, Jordan, help me film it. He's also going to co-star in it.

I hope you will enjoy this humorous upcoming video. I know the trolls and haters will come, but doesn't that come with any video? Kinda like fries comes with happy meals, whether you want them or not. xD

Brandon

Updates

Just restrung my Drop B guitar. Working on a playing a cover of Demon Hunter's "One Thousand Apologies." That's a great ballad by them. Yes, it's in Drop B. I'm anxious to do a dual cover of RED's songs "Feed the Machine" and "Faceless." I want to do one live take, one after the other. I will switch from my Drop A guitar to my Drop B guitar for the appropriate song tunings. I really wanted to wait until I get an HD camera. I'm not sure if I can wait that long. I am saving up for a Canon T3i. I am almost there. I think I can reach this amount in a few months if all goes well, budget wise. My latest video is a short tutorial on how my setup is wired. I was not ready to show anything new, as far as compositions go, and so I cooked up that video for you. I am finalizing my song "Surge" and will hopefully get it mixed and mastered soon. That may set me back further from the T3i though. My subscriptions haven't been growing as of late for my new artist channel. I'm guessing it's just not drawing attention yet. Maybe when I get Surge complete, I can promote the video and people will see my channel. Again, costs money. Perhaps people will support me though. ;)

By the way, I don't seem to be sore from my 3.6 mile walk I took yesterday. :)

haha. Can you count how many times I said "I" in my first paragraph?

Brandon

3.6 mi. walk

Yep. I walked 3.6 miles this evening. That's really good for me. I don't get out much. I mainly stay in my room and compose music, browse GMC where I take guitar lessons, browse Youtube, practice some guitar, and play computer games. This takes place in my room. So I guess you can say I am bit of a recluse. Have a social life, Brandon. Meh, I'm fine. There's not really a whole lot of people to hang out with. Yeah, there's some, but I just prefer making music. You watch - it'll pay off. I put hours upon hours upon hours in what I do. I'm sure to make my music dreams a reality one of these days, LORD willing.

I walked a long stretch of my neighborhood; nearly the length of the all neighborhood blocks! I clocked my walk in my car afterwards and came up with 3.6 on my odometer. Nice walk I would say. Of course, I walked  with my iPod. Who did I listen to? Sithu Aye.

"Nice day, isn't it, iPod?"
"Sure is, Brandon."
"Can't you keep up with me?"
"Well, considering I am 17x smaller than you...no."
"Just keep playing my music, okay?"


(Sorry, couldn't resist!! xD ...what? Don't you get it? I said I walked with my iPod....it's a..
...never mind.)  ;-)   [hahaha. Very funny, Brandon.]

I just hope I don't regret the long trek in the morning. :/

Brandon

GMC Collab (my melodic take)

This is straight from my heart. Kudos to Ben Higgins on GuitarMasterClass.net for composing the awesome backing you hear for this collab.



Follow the Collab

Cobalt Guitar Strings

Break the Mold - Intro (Now in Drop A)

Go check out my new idea for "Break the Mold," a progressive metal song I am composing. I upped the key a whole step so my guitar strings could take it a bit better. That really low tuning was killing the intonation of my strings. -Brandon

>>Break the Mold - Intro (Now in Drop A)<<

Ranting

Yeah, I feel like ranting. LOL. My "favicon" finally updated for this blog. It took several days, for some unknown reason. The favicon is what you would see in your toolbar if you bookmarked this place. (which, if you like this blog - feel free to do so!) It's my new logo that I like at the moment for my Analyzed Within theme.

Daylight savings time again!! Ugh. I hate it with a passion. Just go home an hour earlier if you really want to save energy, or whatever your reason, people. ;) Maybe God will let me move to Arizona (AZ) where I hear they do not participate in the time change. *Goes on Wikipedia to be sure*
Yes, I'm right; unless you live in the Navajo Nation. The other state is Hawaii. I did not know this. I thought AZ was the only state that was "smart." Just kidding. I have been to AZ, for only a short vacation, but I did enjoy the change of scenery. It is totally exotic to what I am used to in Arkansas. Perhaps God will let me move there one day. I will be much closer to the Grand Canyon, and can take a longer look at what God's Flood did in such a short time a few thousand years ago.

Okay, enough for now. I don't think I have ever ranted here before. haha. Classify this under "randomness," okay? I'll try to tag "randomness" when necessary from now on. Since we lost one hour (actually we don't lose an hour since we get it right back later in the year) I need to get to bed sooner. My clock says 9:43 p.m., but it is actually 10:43.

On a happier note, I don't work tomorrow. Sunday will be a refreshing time in the LORD's house. May God bless our services as we give Him glory and honor.

-Brandon

"Surge" Chorus Insight

Click the YouTube logo in the video player to visit YouTube and view the description with all the information.

Synths on new song

While I am finishing up "Surge," I am starting another song. I started out making it very heavy; however, I am surprised how beautiful it is becoming. Just take a listen to the synths going on.

New Home Studio Setup

Check it out! I received my new desk in the mail today. I set it up and re-arranged my room in several hours. Still need to tidy up the place a bit, though. I'm really happy with this new arrangement, and can't wait to start recording and shooting video!!

Brandon

The Bucket Prank

Amazing video!! I loved it! (You realize this is my 100th post on this blog?) =O

Just bought new desk

I just bought this small desk for my small room. I measured out a space in my room and found out this will work. That little platform looks like it can be removed. Actually, I'll have to put it together anyway, so I'm sure I can just leave that off. Looks like my monitors will sit nicely on either side of my laptop. I am excited. I expect to have it in a week, give or take. I bought it from Ebay. I'll let you see the final setup when it's done. In my mind, I have mapped out my new setup. I will have to rearrange the room just slightly. Desk Dimensions: 43(W)*24(D)*33(H)

Brandon

Neil Zaza commented on my video!

PEOPLE!! The music artist Neil Zaza commented on my YouTube video! I did a lesson on his song "I'm Alright" about a year ago. The video here explains it.

Someone to Hate

I love metal. This here is Christian Metal. The band is called Demon Hunter. Here is a new single for their upcoming album "True Defiance" on April 10. We defy the world.

REC Metal Metrics 2 (take II)

Hey people near and far. I have recorded a take for the GMC REC program.

Quote from my teacher, Cosmin Lupu, guitarist for Aria,

"Very good take man! A few more little details and you are THERE :D I posted this on ARIA's FB page and I'll share it with the guys too :D Congrats!"

This is a little better than my last take. It is played more like it's supposed to be. It's really an intense song, so it's hard to play. My hands get fatigued. I don't know how I would play it on stage if I were to tour with the band Aria. They would have to turn my volume down I guess. haha.

This time in POD Farm, I used a Solo 100 amp head: bass at 4, mids at 0, and treble and presence at 9. Place the drive right between the 2 and 3. I put a Tube Screamer before the head, and the cab used was a 4x12 Brit Celest V-30s. The mic was on axis.

Now keep in mind, I'm using a 68 for the bottom string on a Jackson SLSMG with 81/85 EMG pickups - so it's not gonna sound exactly like me; unless you got the same setup. I tried the best I could to achieve a sound close to Cosmin's guitar. Oh, by the way, I am tuned to Drop A. LOVELY METAL.

There are a few more details in the description on YouTube, including my grading on this take.


Thanks for reading,
Brandon

"Surge" solo lesson sneak peek

Hey guys.

I hope you all will take advantage of these sneak previews of my stuff. (Otherwise I wasting time writing. Let me know if you are reading these.) As some of you may already know, I am working on a guitar solo lesson coming this Saturday. It is on my progressive metal song "Surge" - a track in progress. =P

Here is a screenshot for part of the tabulator. This is the first time I have used Guitar Pro. It's actually TuxGuitar, but it works the same way and saves in GP5 format. The file will be in GP5, but don't worry, for those of you who can't grab a copy of Guitar Pro, or the free TuxGuitar program, I will provide a PDF of the guitar solo as well. Let me know if I also need to provide it in GP3 or GP4, as this program (TuxGuitar) saves in that format as well. Maybe you only have Guitar Pro 3. I think I should put Guitar Pro 6 on my wishlist. xD

I'm really excited about all of this!

-Brandon

New channel announcement

Here is the official announcement.

More progress on my new track

I have nearly completed the writing process of my track called, "Surge".

I really am enjoying this song. I have implemented a few time signature changes. Most of the song is in headbanging 4/4 time. The first change is 6/4 time, the second time the riff is played in the song, followed by a 7/4 time signature. I think I want to try out 5/4. Or maybe 9/8. Actually...that's the same thing. 9/8 is just a 4/4 and then a 5/4 right afterwards. But I guess the riff could be 9 bars long before a change.

This song is constantly evolving so the listener is not bored so easily. The riffs are hardly ever the same the next time you hear them in the track. I am blasting through my software POD Farm. I am emulating a 5150 amp head. Those things are monsters for heavy metal. If you have POD Farm 2 and the Metal Shop expansion download the tone here. I am playing my cheap Ibanez IJX 121 guitar for the rhythms, and my Ibanez RG350DX for the guitar solo. I am tuned to Drop B for my rhythms. I used Ernie Ball Not Even Slinkys, 12-56 string gauge.

My influences for this song are Demon Hunter, RED, Aria, WideK, Skillet, Hope for the dying, Kreepmaster, and the Guitar Master Class online site. I'm sure there are many more, but I would say this is a good list.

Cryptic Message from Brandon

If you are following my blog, you already know this probably, but...

Dollar Warfare | Zombie Infestation

Our second short film by my brother and me. We shot this video at Christmas while on vacation with the family. No blood or gore.

Becoming a music artist

ANALYZED WITHIN


This is what I am going to call myself. I will start releasing music soon I hope.
Subscribe to my new artist channel! :)

Quick Drop A riff

This just came to me a few minutes ago. I am on lunch break from work.

Discussing new song "Surge"

My brother as Mario

This is Jordan's first Mario short film. He did the classic 2D look and emulated the look of him going through the levels. Use your imagination and it will be even better!! I think he did a very swell job. :)

Breaking Wind

I was at work today and needed some warmer gloves to retrieve the shopping carts off the lot. My supervisor said those rubber automotive gloves would work. (I had used them before for getting ice, and so I knew they'd work better than my cloth gloves.) So rather loudly I said, "Oh yeah! Those will really break wind!" .... I had to laugh at myself with everyone else that heard me. It was better than being embarrassed. Oh man... xD

Making a difference (you should read this)

I don't each much at McDonald's anymore (as it is unhealthy), but when I did this young woman would occasionally be the one taking the drive-through order. She is always very nice. She treats her customers as royalty. You just don't see that enough, especially in fast food. This young woman has come through my register line at Walmart a few times. Last time she came through I felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit to "make a difference." I hesitated, but did finally say at the end of the transaction I had been through McDonald's a lot in the past. I told her how I could always count on her to be nice and I really appreciated it. Of course, she said thank you. I made her day. I could tell. And wouldn't you be smiling? After those years of hard work, never knowing the difference you had made, someone comes along and tells you how much they appreciate you.

I will bet she will remember me now. I'm probably not going to be among the "sea of faces." Do you often wonder if you ever make differences in people's lives? Well, I do. And believe it or not, we all make some sort of difference. Just think right now - what if you were never born - try to think what it would be like for those around you - without YOU. You are a very special person. God has a plan for you and he has a plan for me. He's got everybody's life planned out. But think if you weren't here. Would people's lives be drastically changed, or just slightly? Either way, our very presence in this world makes some sort of a difference. God doesn't create anybody without a purpose. Don't believe me?

~ The most important part ~
In the Bible, there is a book called John. In chapter 6, verse 40 Jesus tells us that it's the will of God the Father that everybody believes in what Jesus did for them, relying on him to take our blame and guilt. He died and was separated from the Father for us all so we wouldn't have to be for all of eternity. You don't have to fix your life before you come to him. You can't. You just can't. Jesus does it for you. He the best "soul mechanic" around, and better yet he's free! Jesus wants to become a part of your life. All you have to do is let go - let go of your ways and let Jesus have the wheel of your life. He will set you free. You see? He has a purpose for everyone, even you.


If you are already saved as a believer in Christ, I rejoice!! I will see you at the pearly gates, but are you letting him use you to make a difference? What I mean is, are you looking for opportunities to help people who need the Lord or just need encouragement? They are out there, people. More than there are not. God tells us many find the wide path of the world, but few will find Jesus. (This brings tears to my eyes.)

Go make a difference in the world. Change the world one person at a time. There's not much time.

Writing metal in Drop B

I posted the below video on YouTube yesterday. Here it is now on my blog with a little more of the back story.



I'm calling this song "Hard drive failure." =D At least right now anyways. I've experienced the failure of a hard drive a couple of times in my life and know how it feels. My external hard drive is messed up. I can't access it. I hope I can one day access it on my own or I've lost some important videos and pictures.

Demon Hunter is a big inspiration for this song. Their cover of Snap your fingers, snap your neck gave me a line or two in this song. A Romanian metal band Aria, with the guitarist Cosmin Lupu, was also an inspiration. Red inspired my use of a chord progression. WideK inspired a riff I am putting after the chorus.

I'll be posting my tone soon. But I'm using a Criminal amp in POD Farm, which is the same thing as the popular 5150 amp. I posted a clip of this song on my SoundCloud, but I have since then re-recorded the guitars. Keep a watch on that page, because I'll be posting another clip soon.

I'm using my cheap guitar: Ibanez IJX 121, tuned to Drop B, with Ernie Ball 12-56 strings.

Cheers!!
Brandon

Featured on USA Patriotism!

Hey, I got a YouTube message from USA Patriotism today stating I had been selected for listing in its video section!! This was in regard to my God Bless America arrangement I did for July 2011.

USA Patriotism! is the top ranked site about love and pride of America with thousands of pages showcasing poems, articles, stories, quotes, photos, songs / music, videos, thoughts, images, and references . . . all in tribute to country, troops and veterans, heroes, Presidents, other great Americans, memorable events, and more. Its mission is to foster better awareness, reinforcement, and display of love and pride of America by her citizens with the hope of developing a better understanding and friendlier attitude about the USA from citizens of other countries.

Check out my very own link HERE!! This is so cool!
-Brandon


USA Patriotism!
http://www.usa-patriotism.com 
patriots@usa-patriotism.com
"Love and pride of America!"

Walking Again

I started walking again today for the first time in many months. Next I guess is weightlifting. hehe. But for now, I'm wanting to get back in shape and feel great overall. I also want to raise my stamina. I'm tired of depleting my energy so quickly when I do strenuous labor. Not that my job requires anything too strenuous. Clearing the lot of shopping carts is hardly strenuous when you are primarily a cashier. My body has adjusted to this new job and can take the occasional lot clearing. I actually enjoy the fresh air and feeling my heart beat in my chest. This is what I felt today as I walked my mile and one half.

I want to make this a regular routine, if you will. It's not like I don't walk anywhere at all, you know, I just want to walk more than I am required to complete a day. I was walking for a while last year, I think it was, but then I quit.

I listened to my silver 3rd generation iPod nano as I walked today. Want to know what I listened to? ...Most of Andy James' shred metal instrumental album of 2011. Here's Andy performing one of his songs on that album.

I will continue it tomorrow. I am trying to work my way up with walking. I could have easily kept walking, but it's so easy to overdo it. I surely didn't want to hurt myself, so I played it safe with 1.5 miles. It's just a rough estimate, but from my house to the track at the park it is a half mile, so I just figured that in.

I've been battling a cold this week. My mom has given me some all-natural remedies and I have also resorted to medicines. I've been at work all week with this cold, but I'm off tomorrow. I hope to recuperate (for the most part) so I may return to work as more of myself. I look forward to the choice of when I may walk tomorrow since I am off work. Sunset after work was a little chilly to walk, but doable.

EDIT: Unfortunately the 3rd was a rainy day and would not do well for my sinuses. No walk today.

Proved wrong (Walmart Edition)

Today's topic is about swallowing one's pride and admitting you are wrong. It can be very hard to do, but when you are clearly proved wrong you must accept you most epicly failed.

Please note that I wrote the way I did for humor.

Today I most epicly failed. I failed at "This-door-is-obviously-used-more-than-the-other-one." As analytical as I am, I often try to make people laugh or "marvel" at a "discovery" I have made. It sometimes works. Most of the time, it seems, nobody hears me anyway - typical - that's the story of my life. My best "jokes" are seemingly never heard. Unless you count the "Little-people-in-Japan" joke. It's an inside joke. I'll let you know more at the end of this post.

My "discovery" most epicly failed today because a girl proved me wrong. I hate it when girls prove me wrong. But I had to be "man-enough" to admit it. Today's "discovery" consisted of a double-door coke cooler, a CSM (customer service manager), and the "wrong-prover."

I analyzed the coke cooler doors. I noticed how one door to the cooler suctioned more than the other one. The left door suctioned immediately when the door was let go (as the doors are spring-loaded), and the right door bounced a little before suctioning. After hypothesizing and creating a theory, I concluded people must use the right door more than the left. The cheap rubber had already worn out. I wanted to share my "discovery." So, the fool I was, I dramatically demonstrated the doors closing to my laid back CSM. She found it interesting. My associate came to see of what I was speaking, in which I repeated the demonstration.

Here it comes...


Without missing a beat, my associate - a girl with common sense, which I obviously have none of - explained why the door actually bounced. There was a coke tray protruding further than the others, and the door was hitting it. So stinkin' simple. So crazy that I didn't even see that. I knew I should have analyzed it more. LOL.


It stung to admit I was wrong. I just barely did at first. Then I just made fun of myself as I am doing now. We are all human. I count a funny day in this way.


Lesson learned: Don't be so quick to make a "discovery," or impress your fellow associates/managers. 


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Still interested in the Japan joke? Okay. Just to let you know, world, I'm not racist. Acts 17:26 states God made every nation from one man. This joke was all in good fun and I would gladly take any jokes made for me. (For instance - I am known in some circles for my "chicken legs" since I am a bean pole.)

This remark was made a few weeks ago. An associate and I were talking about people's height. This associate happens to be the one who "pwned" me. Pwned comes from a Warcraft gamer who misspelled "owned" on the internet and has spread world-wide since. It means she conquered me. Remember? If you read the above story you know she proved me wrong. I lost. That's a usage of it.

Anyway!! Back to the story....
She jokingly calls herself "vertically-challenged" (in which I get a kick out of - sounds like it came from the politically-correct big wigs. Wouldn't be surprised.) I told her she would feel better if she went to Japan where is everybody is like 4'5" (I just guessed) and you could tower over everybody. "Hey little people," she could say as she pats them on the head. That was the best joke off-hand I ever made. I'm not very quick-witted.


Hope you enjoyed today's post. I had a good day today. :)

-Brandon

Mr. Timn - Milkman (Rap Version)

This is my first attempt at doing this. I have seen so many remixes of news casts, comedies, and normal videos I decided to give it a shot. I bought and downloaded my stuff from Free-Loops.com. I hope you enjoy.



Watch original ingenious video here.

Metal Metrics 2 - Drop Ab

I take online guitar lessons and I have been practicing on this challenging song for quite a long while now. Here is my current progress.




I am tuned a half step down than the original - so it's Drop Ab. This is my Jackson SLSMG guitar equipped with stock EMG 81/85 pickups and 68 on my bottom string. It's part of an 8-string set, so the string gauges are as follows: 68 58 48 28 18 14

Compare with the lesson.

Sub my awesome instructor:
http://www.youtube.com/CosminLupuBaritone

My name is Brandon, and I invite you to join us at GMC:
You can learn this too only there.

Download this POD Farm tone if you have the Power Pack expansion.

Follow the discussion up until my final grading.

Different tuning gives fresh ideas / 8 strings

I just got some more ideas last night. I recorded the beginning of a song I could call "Seven Bowls of Wrath." This is in reference to when God pours his wrath out on this world in the very last days. This is spoke of in Revelation chapter 16 (in the Bible, God's Word). By the way, these "bowls" are figurative. I was thinking it would be neat if I actually got together an album called "Prophecies of Revelation," each track having to do with the book of Revelation.

I have had my guitar tuned to Drop A for a long time now. I have run out of ideas and not making sense of my musical creations. So what I did was change my tuning to Standard Bb. To give you an idea where this is, if you dropped the 6th string down to match the 4th string (only an octave lower) it would be Drop Ab. So, I have actually gone lower in tuning, but a half step above in the key I normally played. I'm forming chords better.  It's working so far. I will want to be posting this on my SoundCloud before too long. I ran out of ideas last night, but I got my recording very tight and decided to call it a night. I did a great job getting my ideas out and recorded.

This video gave me some inspiration. Pete has an 8 string here, and I have a 6 string, but I got some ideas from this rhythm arrangement.

Since "Seven Bowls of Wrath" is wrathful and all, I want it to sound mean and heavy for most parts. After all, when you face God's wrath...er...you don't want to. Thankfully, I am not going to face God's wrath because I'm his child. I can face his judgement, but not his wrath. That's in the Bible, 1 Thessalonians 5:9.

I don't know if I want an 8 string or a 7 string. I keep going back and forth in my mind. The only thing keeping from getting an 8 is the massive neck. But, dude!!, if you wanna go LOW then you can on an 8 string. Just check out these guys. They are tuned to Drop F. They hit that open low string around 30 seconds. Pete is in the video again. He's the rhythm guitarist for Red Seas Fire.

Arranging a contemporary into metal

I'm taking the contemporary song, "Lord, I lift your name on high," and giving it a metal/rock twist as many bands already have. I will try to give it some "metalish" ideas to create the mayhem. heehee. I've been trying to compose, but it's not coming natural once again. So...I don't force it. Otherwise, I will become discouraged and want to quit. We can't have that. So, I bring you this update. I'm actually recording with my cheap Ibanez IJX 121, tuned to Drop B, and it sounds pretty killer.

Stay tuned at my soundcloud.com/fireball100
and youtube.com/thefireball100.


Brandon

Gaming: Legend of the Void - Final Battle

Okay, so I beat the game. =D ...For the first time. It took a few tries. The first time I went through the game (with a different main character) I was too weak for the final boss. Er, I didn't have enough potions. This is an exclusive on my blog. I wish this game was longer.

Gaming: Legend of the Void - Sacrifice

Remember my previous post about this game? Well here is the game when I am a little over halfway through.

RED: Faceless (exclusive)

This is my cover of this song you will only find on my blog. When I get an HD camera, I will re-shoot the songs Feed the Machine and Faceless for a dual cover.



Guitar: (cheap) Ibanez IJX 121
Strings: Ernie Ball 12-56
Tone: POD Farm 2 (chain & settings below)

Noise Gate > Tube Screamer > Cali Diamond Plate > 4x12 Treadplate

Gate
Threshold: -41dB; Decay: 0%

Pedal
Drive & Gain: 11 o'clock; Tone: 2 o'clock

Amp
Drive: 10 o'clock; Bass: 8-9 o'clock; Mid: 9-10 o'clock; Treb: 4 o'clock; Pres: 5 o'clock

Cab
28% room; 57 mic off axis

Courageous

It came out today and I purchased it.Phenomenal movie! Production rocked. The message was very relevant to today. I laughed and cried the whole way through. I totally recommend you watch this Christian movie.

Courageous Website

They also made Flywheel, Facing the Giants, and Fireproof.

Too much B12 = Instant tan

On today's episode, Brandon gets a tan in winter without a tanning bed!!

I took too much Vitamin B12 this morning. I take this liquid B12 to give me energy, because I was so lethargic as of late, but my body had a reaction. I turned extremely red all over - face, neck, arms....It set me on fire. It felt like I had received a bad sunburn. I looked as though I had got out of a tanning bed. I took B12 right before I left the house for work. It takes me just a few minutes to get to work. I walked into the break room to clock in. The B12 hit my bloodstream. A department manager asked if I had got a sunburn. Others in the room where saying I was really, really red in the face. I looked into the mirror, and indeed, I was as red as a Kit-Kat package (as later described by another department manager). I started feeling very hot on my skin. I told them about my B12 I had just taken and they concluded this was the cause.

Inside the hour of my personal furnace, I drank two bottles of water. I sarcastically lifted my bottle of water and said "Cheers" to my supervisor. ;) I told many of my fellow workers and managers of my ordeal when they would ask me about my red face. A manager said it looked like I was extremely embarrassed. xD I was not hard to miss, but thank God no customers brought the situation to attention.

My paranoia drove me to talk to a pharmacist about my ordeal. Drink lots of water and let it flush it out of your system, she said. I wasn't going to die. LOL. I was glad. Thankfully the beet red skin tone went away after this hour. Nevertheless, for about an hour, my skin burned like fire and my insides quivered from the extreme energy boost. Needless to say, I had no problem getting carts. I was so energized, I could run like nobody else. However, I did "crash" later that day. My body was so used to the energized feeling, I was experiencing the "downer effect."

You may be wondering how I managed to take so much B12 - and just how much did I take?! I was aiming for the prescribed dosage, 1 cc. The dropper would not suck up the liquid because of the small amount in the bottle. So I just winged it by guessing how much was in my mouth. Yes, I just tipped the bottle up and drank. No more will I do this. I will measure, but I won't be taking B12 for a little while now. Kinda freaked me out, ya know. ;)

I still had a great day at work today. It was equally fun. This reminds me much of my experience with the peppermint oil. Have you read that? You can find it here.

Thanks for reading. Email me any time at my official fan email.


Brandon Burch

Destroy the Spy

This is a collaboration of my 13 year old brother, Jordan, playing the spy; and his friend, Jesse, playing the terminator. Jordan produced and edited this entire video.

Funny thing happened at work today

We got a prank call at Walmart today. The hysteric caller described herself as a blind lady named April, long blonde hair, who was lost in our store. She said her seeing-eye dog had run away from her. We paged April over the speaker system. The department managers were scurrying, searching for this blind lady crying in some corner who lost in this non-Supercenter store.

Things just didn't add up. A seeing-eye dog does not run away from their person. And we lost the call two different times. The department managers, or somebody, would have seen her. And how would she get in the back of the store anyway? The dog would have led her there. But no dog had entered the store.

It was believable at the time, but our Customer Service Manager said she felt silly. These kinds of pranks are not really funny - or at least at the time they're not.

That was the highlight of my day at Walmart as a cashier. Thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts.

Brandon

Looking back at 2011

Hello everyone. I did start out making this a video on YouTube, but it resulted in being 17 minutes long. One of my students commented, "Master, I think this is too long." xD He calls me master - heehee. I'm glad he told me this. I was going to make another video and just cut out all the unnecessary highlights of 2011 (not really highlights at all), but I thought I would just write it here. It's here for the reading for those who care. So yes, I did shorten the highlights very much.

First I want to start off by recognizing an important event that was NOT in 2011. It was at the very end of 2010 at GMC. December 24, I won 2nd prize in the GMC Spread the Word Photo Contest. I submitted a silly picture, and I won my POD GX with POD Farm. So this is where my guitar tone comes from now - software on the computer simulating real amps and effects.

Now on to 2011. February 9, I released my YouTube interactive game. It was a multiple choice game powered by clickable annotations that lead you to its own special video. You can find it on my YouTube channel. Skipping ahead, on April 18, I won 1st prize in the GMC Attitude Competition. I played a silly version of Canon Rock and won an Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer. It was my first stomp box pedal, and still the only one I have. May 13 was a great day for me. I published my last lesson in the New Canon Rock Lesson Series on YouTube. This was a huge remake project and was great to finally finish and upload it.

May 22 was a very special day for me. I graduated from Three Rivers Community College with an Associate's in Information Systems Technology Microcomputers - Highest Honors. May 25, I announced this official blogspot on YouTube. May 27, I finished a metal composition called "Determination." June 18, I sold my VOX VT 30 amplifier because I didn't like the thin sound of it anymore. I got $80 credit in the store, which I have depleted mostly on guitar strings. It was very worthwhile since guitar strings are a must for a frequent guitar player. June 21, I uploaded a cover of RED's "Best is yet to come" to YouTube. I was playing in cap and gown I wore for graduation. I also included a lesson in that video. I wish I had done it separately, because the thumbnails available are of my lesson and not my main video. =(

July 18-22 was a very awesome week for me, as I attended a church camp close by. I went with a few friends, as our youth from our church has diminished immensely. I looked at that week as my last year at that church camp because I knew I would probably be in a new job that next year and find it hard to get off. It's okay though. I went every year in a row since we have lived in this area (2004-2011).

September 2 was a cool day for me. I had heard a song at a basketball game and wanted to know what it was. It was something that was played right as the teams came running out onto the court. It had remained a mystery for years, and on this day I remembered it again and figured I would Google it. I didn't use the internet back then, so I couldn't have thought of that then.

On September 9, I interned for a day at Millennium 3 Computers. This is a computer repair shop you go to in the case of your computer fouling up. It was interesting that a lot of people's computers were at their breaking point and needed a new hard drive (HD). I know some people frown on that because some people say computer repair shops just automatically say "You need a new HD" to get a $50 service instead of troubleshooting. The thing is, they do troubleshoot. They run a disk check to see if there are any noticeable issues. They will also scan the computer for any viruses, spyware, or malware. A lot of times, your HD is just simply messed up and it would take more money to try fixing it than it would to just say, "We will back up your stuff, and dump it all on this new HD." It's really cool. They really enjoyed my company and enjoyed being there learning. I got paid for it at the end of the day. The owner and director interviewed me near the end of the day and took interest in my experiences and knowledge. I wonder if they check out my stuff on the internet? Probably not, as I am just one in a million. Those are busy businessmen. The owner did tell me that a 4-year college education isn't really going teach me anything I need to know for the job. Most of this will come in on-the-job training. Regardless of what people say, I am doing what I believe the LORD wants for my life. I am thriving at Wal-Mart. They love me and I love them.

September 16 I started to grasp odd time signatures. I am still learning and trying to get past the 4/4 time. I am wanting to explore things like 6/8, 6/4, 7/8, 9/8, and 5/8. I want to be comfortable with these odd times. September 22 was the day I announced my official fan email - which is hardly used. =( Oh well, it's there. I guess people just want to private message me on YouTube. But I guess it does provide an outlet for those who do not have a YouTube or Google account.

September 29 I was hired in as a cashier at my local Wal-Mart. We are not a Supercenter, but I still enjoy it there, as mentioned above. I primarily work as a cashier, but I also bring carts into the store, stock some shelves, zone (straighten things up and pull everything forward), and basically serve our customers any way I can. The people there are awesome. I do believe I love retail!! ^_^

October 15 I attended Pumpkin Hollow with some friends. It's a place you go with many attractions to get scared. My favorites are the Frightful Forest and the Mad Skull Mine. I think I've been there every year. In the Mine you have to venture through tight, dark spaces, lit by dim lamps. And of course, you will always get scared. You can read more about this experience here. And you can always check out past experiences by using the archive.

October 29 marked the 3rd Anniversary of my playing guitar. I really recommend that you check out the progress I made in this video. I have videoed myself playing from beginning. You will see me evolve musically before your very eyes!

November 10 was when I replaced that VOX amp with a Fender Mustang 1 amplifier. You can check out my unboxing here. November 22 my brother and I uploaded our short film we made together called "Dollar Warfare - Mission One." December 23, I officially received my new Alesis M1 Active Mk2 monitors. I use these for my music production. They are awesome!! I show them in a Christmas Rock video I did. December 24 our family took a vacation. This a wonderful way to end the year.

Overall, this year was a blast! I hope this year is filled with much more. I have a few goals and I hope I achieve them. One being getting a high definition camera for YouTube videos. =)

Cheers!!
Brandon