My systems for recording and editing audio and video are in need of a giant upgrade.  I can come up with a fine finished product but the amount of jerry-rigs I had to do to make it happen is making me all around inefficient and slow at cranking out work.

My little sound booth sounds great for voice over work, but then when I plug my Mini-Me into my PC, the old fart of a machine doesn’t recognize the microphone.  So I have a PowerBook G4 for recording, but I still prefer to edit in ACID.  After I record them on my laptop, I save them to a flash drive and pull it up in ACID on my PC.  It’s a GIANT pain to not be able to record directly into my PC and I think it’s cuz my PC is just flat out old.

Then there’s the fact that I love to travel and do voice over on my trips (then I can pay for the traveling!).  My desktop machine is about as portable as a dresser and my PowerBook seems freakishly heavy when you add it to my mic and the Mini-Me.

And then there’s my world of video.  Whether it’s a GadgetGossip episode, Travel episodes or any other bit of video, I’ve got a little Panasonic SD camera from several years ago.  I’ve got to keep track of mini DV tapes, carry that stupid camera bag around and keep the battery charged all the time.  Between, my desktop machine, my old lap top and my old camera, I have a faily wide load of aging electronics.  But I think I’ve figured out the answers to streamline all the work I do.

A Netbook and a Flip Mino HD.

I’m pretty sure a Netbook can run ACID and VEGAS smoothly and it weighs next to nothing.  I could travel with it and be able to voice over work from just about anywhere.  I can go to conferences and not feel like my back is slowly breaking from the lap top in my bag.  I could edit video right after I shot it , while it’s still fresh, when I’m traveling.  This is so appealing because I often have to wait three weeks before I can get home and even capture the footage.

And the Flip Mino HD is as small as a cell phone.  I can and should have it with me at all times.  No mini DV tapes, no battery charging all the time, no more “I wish I had my camera on me”.

They are such simple, reasonably priced solutions, but I think they might do the trick for all my current project needs.  And it’s easier to stay motivated when your workflow is smooth and you don’t feel like everything is heavy and annoying to haul around.

Does anyone else have any of these devices?  How do they work for you?

This episode only covers a day but it was a very very long one.  Two more to come!

Naomi and Tara in Costa Rica Part III from Naomi Mercer on Vimeo.

Is that a cheesy title for a travel show?  Maybe I should acronym that shit and go with YCDT.  I dunno, but nonetheless, here is the next episode.

Costa Rican Adventure Part II from Naomi Mercer on Vimeo.

I went!  And it was a wicked good time.  And since I love to do hosting stuff, I took that opportunity to bring the camera and document the whole experience.  I’m hoping to turn these videos into a little travel show for several reasons.

First, I love to travel and I love to do hosting and so I want to combine the two.

Second, it’s not about big expensive getaways.  It’s two young, fun best girlfriends exploring a place on the cheap and having a blast.  I’m hoping that can inspire more young people to travel.  The travel shows seem to be often geared towards retired people and really wealthy people.  If you’re between 20 and 40 or if you just have a youthful, adventurous attitude, you’re probably interested in doing completely different things on a trip than those other demographics.

And yet, it’s so easy for the 20-40 age group, especially in this economy, to get stuck in that grind and not feel like a trip somewhere is not an option.    Well no more!!  You can do it too.  You just gotta make it happen.  Hopefully these travel shows will inspire you or, if you detest traveling, you can still see faraway places from the comfort of in front of your computer.

Here is the first video (out of 5) of Our Costa Rican Adventure.  Gracias.

Costa Rican Adventure Part I from Naomi Mercer on Vimeo.

Most GDC parties are BAD.  So so bad.

These parties are usually open bar but the line is crazy and the drinks are never good. And I’m pretty sure the original idea was for networking but they crank the music so loud you can’t hear yourself talk, let alone someone you’re talking to.  The worst part is when there is no where to sit down.

The Game Developer’s Party was the best party I’ve ever been to during any kind of conference.  It was this year’s  Fairmount Hotel.  People were actually comfortable and having a good time.  After years of going to dog meat GDC parties, Dave Taylor thought about who goes to them and what they would want to do at a party, and designed his own around that.

The drinks were UNBELIEVABLE.   Seriously, I’ve worked in my share of bars.  Nice ones.  These drinks, sponsored by Bacardi rocked.  They were fruity and tasty but somehow sophisticated at the same time. Now I’m no light-weight that has to have Appletinis. I can drink whiskey with the best of them but these drinks tasted sooo much better!  The kumquats, fresh mint and essence of jalepeno weren’t there to mask the rum, they were there enhance it.  There was even a drink with lightly whipped egg white on top!  That might sound crazy but, trust me, it was good. The Mojitos were simple and perfect and the rest of the drinks on the menu were so unique and truly delicious. Not sure who’s idea that all was but it was genius. They were tasty, fun to try and a great ice-breaker for conversation. People were clearly impressed.

And then there was the food. Small fresh baguettes with carmelized onions and goat cheese. Yummy quiches, arugula and beet salad. Creme Brulee, fresh fruit and wicked good chocolate chip cookies.  I think the company that did that was Crepe de Chocolate and I think they have a restaurant in the Bay Area somewhere.  Or at least they really really should.

The last element for the perfect party was this, sort of, photo booth set up. Hal Bergman had a photography area with his strobes, camera and a back drop and people went nuts over it!  If Hal ever thought the momentum was slowing down, he’d grab me and tell me to wrangle people.  By then I’d tossed back so many cocktails, this was quite a fun assignment=)

I did manage to get a little bit of video from the night.  It was at the Academy of Art which was right next to Moscone. I had this brilliant drunken idea to take some footage by the front door for some reason. This was followed by another great idea to video tape my cab ride home. Enjoy!

Game Developer’s Party from Naomi Mercer on Vimeo.

The dust is finally settling after a long run of parties that ended with the GDP (Game Developer’s Party) up in San Francisco following the GDC (Game Develper’s Conference).

The first party was down in Playa Del Rey and full of westsiders that didn’t suck. It was the sound engineer for the Korean company I do voice over work for’s birthday. I think it was a double birthday actually. Him and one of his buddies. People were damn cool too. One guy was a comedian up in San Francisco and runs the comedy section on Vimeo - which I wish the world would exclusively use instead of YouTube. And there were a bunch of cools gals there - which are usually so hard to find. It’s not easy to meet solid females around here. And for shits, giggles and nostalgia, there were jello shots! Man, they tasted like college. It was really fun.

Also, totally worth mentioning, is the Breakfast at Tiffany’s style champagne tasting party. A prize went out to whoever dressed the most like they stepped off the set of the movie (guess who won?!). Mike Murphy threw a great party and made some delicious food. The crepes after 9pm were an especially nice touch. Dave grabbed my phone and took a couple of pics while I was talking to people.

And here’s some funny pics with an old fashioned iron=) That was a fun. And the first reason I’ve had to bust those gloves out since prom.

Then, on Wednesday, I left for the GDC.  I felt like I did exactly what I came to do.  I didn’t stay too long, I attended useful lectures, and I marketed and schmoozed my ass off.  The lectures, How to Talk to An Actor and something Sony did about having a seamless audio session with your actors, were chock-full of people that hire voice over actors.  I plopped my butt down in them and talked to tons of people in the audience.  Rather than handing out business cards or demos, I got people’s info and sent them an email with all my info and demos right there from my phone….this is boring.  Sorry.  Okay, so at the end of the day of the conference I met up with Justin, who was just finishing up an interview with Intel or something, and then we went to the GDP.  That one’s fit for it’s own post=)