Brian Holden: Fresher news never looked so good

Good morning. So this is how my column looks in the Rotorua Daily Post's new format.

It was certainly a time for celebration at Skyline restaurant last Thursday evening. Being a guest at the official launch was a great opportunity to chat to other staff - some who have been with the paper for yonks - as well as other Rotorua identities. Not to mention the complimentary wine and nibbles.

Sharing a gondola with local MP Todd McClay, his wife and fellow columnist Garth George gave us a perfect opportunity to solve the problems of the world during the 10 minutes it took to get to the top.

The new compact look you see in front of you is the way that papers are going worldwide, so any pain getting used to the change will be soon forgotten. It'll be interesting though to see how we adapt to unfolding our local paper as the day dawns.

All in all we'll be better off, with the news getting to us quicker than it did in the afternoon delivery.

I'm just finishing putting together my very own CD. I've done a couple of albums in years gone by, but nowadays, simply recording and burning a few tracks on to disc is not considered to be good enough for serious musicians.

This time round it's turned out to be quite a mission. Starting with learning and perfecting the songs and recording them on to the multi-track recorder, the sound files are then mixed down on to computer, so the voice, guitar and backing are all correctly balanced.

Each track is then edited and tweaked in various ways before being emailed off to the sound engineer for final mastering.

In his studio the sound expert (and that is what he is) further tweaks and digitally massages each file to get the best sound.

The tracks are then compressed and normalised so they sound consistent when you listen to the CD.

I'm at the stage now where the master disk with all the songs, has gone to another studio to be duplicated on to multiple copies for distribution.

In my case, that doesn't mean "for sale" as such, but simply an opportunity to give to my friends for their listening pleasure.

A major process indeed, not to mention all the work designing and printing the labels, sleeves and what have you. If you want to know more about my CD, go to my website www.pianoforte.co.nz.

And another thing while talking about music. We all (surely) remember the song Ten Guitars?

The catchy tune was a real hit at parties at homes, sports clubs and garages in Godzone.

Now someone has taken the initiative to give the iconic song a new lease of life with a new lineup of musicians, but using the original singer Englebert Humperdinck at the ripe old age of 76.

No cause though for Kiwis to get over-excited about the remake of what many regard as our second national anthem. The new version is being produced in - Aussie.

Wouldn't that gut ya.

Regarding feedback on my concerns of our cycleway south of Rotorua, it's good to learn that the path is in good hands and is indeed getting the promotion that I thought it wasn't.

Good too that a team of workers were seen last week at the bottom of 10 mile hill, with mowers and weed eaters clearing away the overgrowth on the track. We look forward to what should be a promising future for the cycleway.