https://arab.news/ncynx
RIYADH: A leading international sound engineer is set to hold a three-day course “Music Production: From Zero to Hero,” in Riyadh from Nov. 28, aimed at developing budding talent in the country.
The course is being offered as part of the XP Music Futures conference. “I feel a huge sense of pride, it’s very rewarding and I know it is going to be extremely rewarding for me to be able to share this information with young talent in the region,” said Marcela Rada, who is also the organizer of the conference.
Rada said that with the right tools and education students would be able to fulfil their dreams. “I believe this is going to be huge in empowering artists in the areas (where they) may have not had the opportunity to access this kind of information and tools,” she added.
Rada will lead the six-session educational initiative course along with El Fuego, the DJ and artist. Rada said it would be the first time that she offers such a course in Saudi Arabia, which would cover basics including music production and audio engineering.
Students would be able to get enough knowledge to set up their own operations at home, where they can further develop their skills. “It’s designed for beginners so it’s designed to introduce the tools whether they are hardware or software for them to continue learning on their own afterward,” Rada explained.
The three-day course is divided into two sessions a day, with the first day focusing on “the art” of recording with an introduction to techniques, Rada said.
“We are going to go over a home studio environment and what you are going to need for hardware and software. We are going to touch upon the different types of microphones and microphone techniques,” she said.
The second session of day one will then take students through music production using digital instruments and creating beats.
The first session of the second day will take participants through technical ear training, audio processors, and how to approach mixing music and processing sound.
“That is a session that is going to provide them with the tools to know what to focus on, what to research and how to train their ears so that they can approach mixing in a creative and professional way,” she said.
“The session is designed to give them the basics of hardware and how to treat the analog signal.”
The second session on day two will delve deeper into the specific processors that are available to modify sound.
“The goal of those sessions is to help the students find ways of finding their signature sound. The tools are out there, we will talk about specific ones that they may be unfamiliar with, how to research them, which ones they can use, and which ones are free and available,” Rada said.
Session one of day three would go into depth on immersive audio. “I have been doing research on immersive, or special audio, for the past three years or so and I think we have all seen the boom regarding spatial audio in music production.”
The session would also show how a songwriter, producer, or content creator could take their music to the next level.
“The last session of the last day will be about collaboration. I want to leave them with an opportunity to collaborate with each other, to explore how different talents can collaborate with each other to create something good,” she said.
“They will be able to collaborate and produce a beat and then they will receive feedback from me and their classmates and we will be able to showcase something by the end of the course.”
During her visit last year to the XP music festival as a speaker, Rada said she was approached by several individuals who were eager to learn more about music production.
“This is what inspired the course, I saw the need and eagerness to learn in the area,” she said.
“I would describe it (the Saudi music industry) as (having) very, very talented individuals that are (using) their culture and what they know from their musical influences in the region, as well as what they have been exposed to with international talent. I think that there is a combination of this very local talent influenced by local customs and tradition,” she said.
RIYADH: Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli attended the 10th awards ceremony of the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water held at the UN offices in Vienna, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
The award, which was founded in 2002, offers five prizes every two years for innovation in water research.
In a speech, Al-Fadhli outlined some of the Kingdom’s initiatives aimed at protecting the Kingdom’s environment, providing safe drinking water, and encouraging water research.
Csaba Korosi, president of the UN General Assembly, praised the award and its “noble goal” of encouraging innovation in addressing water scarcity.
Nicholas Hardman, acting director of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs, also highlighted the collaboration between the UN and the prize since 2008 to achieve water security.
MAKKAH: The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah recently launched a short film, “The Journey of a Lifetime” to educate pilgrims about the rituals of the annual event.
The project, under the auspices of Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, will be screened in nine languages — Arabic, English, Urdu, French, Bengali, Farsi, Hausa, Indonesian and Turkish. It was filmed in more than 14 locations in seven weeks with the participation of more than 800 actors.
It will also be shown on Saudia airline as part of its Inflight Entertainment System on the Hajj and Umrah channel, and is part of an agreement between the airline and the General Authority of Awqaf, said Saudi Hajj services deputy minister, Hisham Saeed.
He told Arab News that it focuses on all the rituals undertaken by pilgrims, from the time they leave home. “Furthermore, the Hajj and Umrah channel provides additional features, including the Educational Guide Program for Hajj and Umrah, which includes 13 guides that were launched last year.
“The guides provide educational guidelines on the Hajj and Umrah rituals, wearing (of the) Ihram, and archaeological and historical places in the Kingdom. Other guides describe spending a day in Mina and the prohibitions (during) Hajj, among others,” he added.
Hajj and Umrah services adviser, Ahmed Saleh Halabi, said the film would provide many pilgrims with the information they need, and would be accessible because it would be screened during flights.
It would offer pilgrims guidance on the mandatory rituals, events and locations, including Arafat Day, Eid Al-Adha, the days of Tashreeq, overcrowded areas, the opening hours of the Jamarat Bridge, and several Islamic sites.
The film also showcases the ongoing development projects, flight times, and the schedule of the Al-Haramain Express Train, which links Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah, said Halabi.
JEDDAH: A memorandum of understanding was signed on Wednesday between the Kingdom’s National Center for Wildlife and the International Fund for Animal Welfare to counteract the growing threat toward wildlife, create a formal framework for cooperation between the two sides, and achieve a number of common goals.
The memorandum was signed by Mohammed Qurban, CEO of the national center, and Azzedine Downes, CEO of the international fund, in Riyadh.
The center tweeted on its official Twitter account: “Under the patronage of the Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadley, the NCW signed an MoU with the IFAW @ifawMENA to cooperate in facing the challenges of wildlife and its repercussions on humans.”
The memorandum aims to address threats, and focuses on building safeguards to combat the illegal trade in wildlife, and reduce demand for it through changing behaviors related to the ownership of wild animals and keeping them as pets.
It also stresses support for rescue and rehabilitation operations, and the release of wild animals back to their natural habitats after treatment.
Downes said collaboration between key government stakeholders and international organizations is crucial if its aims are to become reality. He added that the fund is committed to improving the lives of animals.
Qurban said that the Kingdom is keen to update its legislation on wildlife protection in order to combat illegal activities and reduce the threat to wild animals.
He added that the center seeks to support staff by organizing courses and workshops to train small groups in how to combat violations against rulings affecting wildlife.
Qurban said that the center aims to recover illegally acquired wild species, first by taking the animals to shelters and then releasing them back into their natural environments.
He added that the Kingdom began this practice a long time ago by creating reserves to help protect animals and their habitats.
The center is leading the initiative of expanding protected areas to reach 30 percent of the Kingdom’s land and sea area, which is one of the Saudi Green Initiative pillars that will rehabilitate ecosystems and enrich biodiversity.
RIYADH: The Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili and his accompanying delegation arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday, Saudi Press Agency reported.
Garibashvili was received at King Khalid International Airport by the deputy governor of Riyadh region Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, the Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal bin Fadel Al-Ibrahim, and other officials.
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia called on the Taliban to reverse a ban on women pursuing higher education in Afghanistan on Wednesday.
The call came a day after the country’s Taliban rulers ordered women nationwide to stop attending private and public universities immediately and until further notice.
The Kingdom’s foreign ministry expressed surprise and regret at the decision and said it was met with astonishment in all Muslim countries.
The ministry said the decision denied Afghan women their full legal rights and the right to an education which contributes to supporting security, stability, development, and prosperity in Afghanistan.
Taliban security forces in the Afghan capital on Wednesday enforced the higher education ban for women by blocking their access to universities. Women were filmed weeping and consoling each other outside one campus in Kabul.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation also denounced the decision, calling on the Taliban to reverse it “for the sake of maintaining consistency between their promises and actual decisions.”
“Suspending access by female students to Afghanistan’s universities, OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha believes, will go a long way in seriously denting the credibility of the government in place, just as it will deny Afghan girls and women their fundamental rights to education, employment, and social justice,” the OIC tweeted.