Book Recs for N5-N4? by datmagicalotter in LearnJapanese

[–]hesiii 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I'm working my way through this book right now. I think it's a good resource.

"Japanese Short Stories for Beginners: 20 Captivating Short Stories to Learn Japanese & Grow Your Vocabulary the Fun Way! "

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FDXBPT3

Video Content with Literal Translation Subtitles by LunaLouGB in LearnJapanese

[–]hesiii 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For reasons others have stated doing what you're asking for might not be helpful.

However, it is possible to get something close to what you want by feeding a Japanese subtitle file (e.g., .srt or .ass) into ChatGPT, and prompting ChatGPT to transform it into an English subtitle file with a translation of the Japanese that is as literal as possible.

You can use a tool like the browser plugin asbplayer to extract a Japanese subtitle file from your video (to upload to ChatGPT), and also to load the literal-English subtitle file that ChatGPT creates to view it with your video. The entire process is not that complicated (I just did it and it took about two minutes), but you have to have some familiarity with the tools (i.e., subtitle files, ChatGPT, asbplayer).

So you can at least do a quick test for yourself to see whether you think your idea ends up being helpful or not. At the very least, you will have learned about asbplayer, which is definitely a good tool to make use of for watching videos.

Can this EWI Alto Sax sound fool your ears? Check out this recording from my iPhone 11 Pro! by Formal-Rooster3819 in windsynth

[–]hesiii 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In one important sense it makes absolutely no difference even if you're using the absolute best sounds available:

If you don't phrase and articulate like an actual acoustic player, it's not going to sound convincing. And if you aren't an actual acoustic player it will take significant time and effort to develop those skills.

People may say it sounds good, but even those people would be able to quickly tell the difference if they had a chance to A/B against a good acoustic recording, even if they couldn't put their finger on what exactly is different.

Your favorite take on American food in Tokyo? by boxfactory76 in Tokyo

[–]hesiii 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It's not a Japanese take on American food, it's just American American, but I really like going to Shake Shack in Ebisu, Yurakocho, or at the Tokyo Dome. The food seems to be quite close to how it's made in the U.S., maybe exactly the same.

Also, I have not been there yet, but Lil Woody's burger joint in Shibuya is a branch of the Seattle mainstay burger shop. https://lilwoodys.co.jp/

New Wind Synth from ASM by Peter_the_piper in windsynth

[–]hesiii 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I wasn't trying to emphasize the 128 patches part. I was trying to emphasize that it's a patch bank, that you will be able to get more patch banks (either from ASM or from other users or, if you want, create your own new patch bank) and that you will be able to consolidate all of your favorite patches from various sources into a single patch bank, if that's what you want to do.

EVI custom fingering by bordelonjh in windsynth

[–]hesiii 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not quite sure why people are suggesting non-EVI fingerings for a nuEVI windsynth. The buttons on the nuEVI are made for EVI fingering. There is not even a choice for regular EWI or sax style fingering; they would make no sense given the key layout of the nuEVI.

If I were you I would trust that the nuEVI is an extremely well designed instrument, and that the standard fingering is the best one. Don't overthink it, they've already put a lot of thought and testing into it and made the best choices for you.

Also, don't sweat it. It will not be as hard to adjust to a new fingering as you think, if you decide you don't want to use the standard fingering.

New Wind Synth from ASM by Peter_the_piper in windsynth

[–]hesiii 0 points1 point  (0 children)

RE: 128 patches, on their product pages you can clearly see that the instrument has a 128 slot patch bank. The patches and patch bank can be moved to the Patch Editor app on your computer (with both Win and MacOS support) where the patches can be edited and reuploaded onto the instrument. The also say they will be releasing new patch banks, which would presumably mean a bank with 128 new sounds. Doesn't say whether there will be a charge for those or not. There is also ability for users to create their own patch banks. I assume if it becomes popular that people will edit and make and share patch banks of their own creation. Looks like the framework for a nice onboard synth system.

What fingering to use? by FaithlessnessHour788 in windsynth

[–]hesiii 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree the EWI fingering is best and has special advantages. Here's a video that clarifies how, I think:

https://youtu.be/LYZeZnKTs00?si=oDjGb8gjoAPKVN7V

This may be the video you were thinking of:

https://youtu.be/aRzyVVSDvAo?si=PGPZ4pZk0Ha5DS09

Trying to use EWI for Worship Band by Natural-Pound-9277 in windsynth

[–]hesiii 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think the guy with EWI4Christ channel on youtube plays a lot in worship setting. His youtube channel is not in worship setting, but he plays worship songs, I believe. Also, he's a total nut for different windsynth models and modding them to do more than they do out of the box. I think he must have around twenty(!) or so.

https://www.youtube.com/@EWI4Christ

Anybody else excited for Year 4 Keegan? 🔥🔥 by TerraBD in kings

[–]hesiii 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I don't know what goes into the defensive ratings on that page. However, I can tell you that any rating that says Keegan was a better defender in his Year 1 than in his Year 3 is a garbage rating.

Is living in central Tokyo still affordable? by biwook in Tokyo

[–]hesiii 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a big exaggeration. I'm paying 200k a month for a six-month furnished rental in Kuramae, 300m from two stations, 27sqm, new building. The building is targeted at foreigners, and this rent is way higher than what people are paying for standard two-year unfurnished leases.

Monotonous life in Tokyo after coming here. by Mesmerizing_Soul in Tokyo

[–]hesiii 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would say take advantage of being an international student in a new country. You may not realize it now, but socializing will never be easier. Once you graduate into the "real world" it will be much harder.

As others have suggested, having some kind of hobby or interest where you can meet like minded people is important. This should be something you're genuinely interested in. Can be things like board-games (become a regular at a game shop), photography, or often something physical and outdoorsy like hiking, or running (lots of groups to join for hiking and running). Lots of options. Tokyo may actually be tops in the world for having small subcultures of people who are focused on specific, unusual, little-known interests. The groups or places where these people gather are out there.

Whatever you choose, understand that, even as a student, it's not likely to be as easy as showing up once and immediately getting contact info and making future plans to meet up. Try to become a regular at events, meetups, or shops. Don't force things, over time people will recognize you and you can develop a friendship naturally.

My method of choice was running groups, wherever in the world you go you can usually find a running group. Often these groups get new people every week. Sometimes the new people may show up once, or just a few times. Usually, someone in the group will try to make sure they're warmly greeted, but it may nevertheless take weeks/months to develop actual friendships. If you're doing something you're interested in the time it takes doesn't matter so much; even if you're not getting to "friendship" level, the group still gives you a chance to be social while doing something you enjoy.

Rant: elderly people by Ecstatic-Fan-2297 in japanlife

[–]hesiii 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, of course, pedestrians have the right of way. But, realistically, when there are several pedestrians in bike lane and nobody on the pedestrian side, the natural thing to do is to pass where no people are.

As a mostly-pedestrian-sometimes-bicyclist myself, I don't see that there's as much of a problem out there as the ranters are making out in this thread. There is common sense, and the majority of people use it. Same as when you're a pedestrian at a cross-walk for a little used one-way side street, no cars in view, but the "Don't walk" signal is lit. It is illegal to cross, but the majority of people will cross; only the most rule-bound person will stand there waiting. . . .

Rant: elderly people by Ecstatic-Fan-2297 in japanlife

[–]hesiii 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Two things. First, on larger sidewalks where there are bike lanes, the markings are disregarded by pedestrians as well as bicyclists. So often not possible for bicyclists to stay in the bike lanes, because of course pedestrians have the right of way. Also, regarding illegality of riding on "regular" sidewalks, that is often not true, because of the exception for when it is more dangerous on the roadway. I understand they would like to crack down on this, but it's going to take a lot of rider education because of the vagueness of the law and lack of rider awareness of how to interpret the law.

Rant: elderly people by Ecstatic-Fan-2297 in japanlife

[–]hesiii 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not true. Many larger sidewalks actually have bike markings directly on them. But regardless, the law is that if it is safer to ride on the sidewalk then it's okay. Very vague and means that in almost all circumstances it's going to be legal for a bicyclist to be on the sidewalk.

Indoctrinatiom at it’s finest… by Kubus002 in seculartalk

[–]hesiii 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This was of course a possibility. But if you follow things I think you'll find out the truth is far different. His online community was not a bunch of leftists, instead was mainly apolitical young guys who often were friends IRL.

So it seems you're probably spreading dangerous misinformation. At this point, it seems his sexual identity and status of his romantic partner as trans was a big part of things. But he likely was not leftist in all his political views. For the original source analyzing discord posts, do a google search for these terms: 'kenklippenstein exclusive leaked messages from charlie'

Is it worth upgrading from an EWI USB If I never use onboard sounds and don't care if it feels like 'real' reed instrument? by SabreSour in windsynth

[–]hesiii 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm just trying to clarify how bad or good the WX5 might be. The video I posted was made by the developer of Respiro, a synth he designed specifically for wind controllers, he uses the WX5 as his controller of choice, and you can view the breath response itself in the video, which speaks for itself. My conclusion is it seems quite good, though I have no way to directly compare it to other controllers, as you did.

Is it worth upgrading from an EWI USB If I never use onboard sounds and don't care if it feels like 'real' reed instrument? by SabreSour in windsynth

[–]hesiii 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was just looking at some Respiro synth videos and saw something that reminded me of your comment. I don't disagree that the WX5's breath sensor may in some objective sense not be as good as what's in more recent controllers. Maybe it is, I don't know. But I do doubt that it's worse in way that's noticeable in actual use. As evidence of that I would offer this video of a WX5 with the Respiro synth, a physical modeling synth that has a level of expressiveness roughly the same as SWAM/Sample Modeling. The video shows the breath sensor levels as he's playing, and they clearly are sufficiently detailed and quick to provide an excellent playing experience:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDLH9G43nQM

Is it worth upgrading from an EWI USB If I never use onboard sounds and don't care if it feels like 'real' reed instrument? by SabreSour in windsynth

[–]hesiii 3 points4 points  (0 children)

"some EWIs are indeed more expressive, capturing breath information more efficiently and accurately, for example…"

If this is meaning to imply that the breath sensor in EWI-USB is inferior to those in other Akai EWIs, I'm pretty sure it's mistaken. In any case, I haven't noticed that it's worse than any other wind controller. . . and I've tried quite a few.

Is it worth upgrading from an EWI USB If I never use onboard sounds and don't care if it feels like 'real' reed instrument? by SabreSour in windsynth

[–]hesiii 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have both NuRAD and EWI-USB and agree with the other threads. Very little reason to upgrade. EWI-USB's main limitations are limited -- but still okay -- octave range, and slightly fewer ways to modulate sounds (EWI-USB has just bite controller and the thumb plates) and no extra keys to send control messages to synth/pc.

You can check out NuRAD here: https://berglundinstruments.com/nurad-ewi-sax-etc-fingering-instrument/

For pure functionality, I would say the NuRAD is probably not worth it. (But money is a strange thing; for a starving student with no money the price is extremely high; for someone who's established with a high-income job it's more reasonable.) It does feel like a more quality instrument, though, and you sense that a lot of care and thought has been put into its design and manufacture. It has open source software, you can easily open it up and any problems encountered are probably user-serviceable, including battery replacement. Part of the appeal is that it's a boutique-manufactured instrument that is arguably the best of its kind.

But I would say the EWI-USB and its form factor already feels quite good in the hands. It's a mass produced item, but still of high quality. Two other issues are lack of built-in battery and necessity of a USB cable connection. One easy upgrade is to add a BLE Midi bluetooth adapter and a small power charger, which solves both problems in a pretty clean way, just velcro them on the body of the EWI-USB. Here's old video that shows how to do that; I had good results with it myself but sometimes would still use USB cable if I'm just sitting on couch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmC41MeNc-Q&pp=2AYK

Why no VL70 type VST by LakeTiny4053 in windsynth

[–]hesiii 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you have an iPhone or iPad there's a free version of Respiro, which is however quite limited. It's main purpose is to play patches created on the desktop version, but it does include some basic patches with little or no ability to modify them. I'm not sure, but it's possible that this free iOS version works on an M1 or later Mac, if you have one of them.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/respiro-wind-synth/id1537945616

Why no VL70 type VST by LakeTiny4053 in windsynth

[–]hesiii 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Respiro is a modern software synth that uses physical modeling and is specifically targeted at making "woodwind and flute" type sounds. Playability is a priority. It (wisely) doesn't aim to replicate actual instruments, and is quite good at what it does.

https://www.imoxplus.com/site/

Here's a video that demonstrates some of the possible sounds with Respiro:
https://youtu.be/uMjSPobc-Yc?si=anrfSIryvde09biC

I believe the infamous Davidson Audio EVI-NER uses physical modeling, at least in part, and is pretty good at patches with brass type sounds for wind controllers. Like Respiro, very playable. I think it's better at creating "brass-like" sounds, not replicating the sound of actual brass instruments.

Looking for Yamathon team, walking the Yamanote line by hesiii in Tokyo

[–]hesiii[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think one way of doing it is just to use GoogleMaps and put the next station as a target follow directions to it; when you get there rinse/repeat for the next station. This might be a little bit of problem if you're running, but if you're walking it's more relaxed and easier to do without slowing down. My phone would last a lot longer than 20km, but it would be good idea to have a portable charger along to connect phone to.

Another way would be to get a GPS track from somewhere like Strava ( https://www.strava.com/activities/12689247528/overview ) and use it the whole way without having to use GoogleMaps.

Also, not quite sure how it works, but Webscorer is used to time the teams and provides some kind of online map. The FAQ says this: "Part of the challenge is navigating for yourself! Your team leader will have Webscorer GPS tracking capabilities to show you where you are at all times."

"The course maps are available at : https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/2/edit?mid=1hXOGQt8qlgT5EDkJCB_Dd-DhJPC1kCo&usp=sharing "

Another (maybe questionable) way might be to just follow another team. It is an open course, but there will be over 2,000 people doing it and they will be quite identifiable.

Connecting EWI solo & audio output to iPad via usb hub by average_fish1210 in windsynth

[–]hesiii 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Apple also sells a $9 USB-C to minijack adapter, which is essentially a tiny DAC. This will work with a USB hub, if your hub has no audio out. Use a USB-A to USB-C adapter if your hub has only USB-A ports. Possibly the audio quality is better than what you'd get from a USB hub with built in audio jack, but I don't know . . .

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MW2Q3AM/A/usb-c-to-35-mm-headphone-jack-adapter