Groan, why am I not surprised? Finally got client feedback on the "tron ripoff" track which seems to put me back at the drawing board. Having extended it by 20 seconds they think it's too repetitive and the ending I changed to be as they requested now has to be put back to how it was at the start. Now, with one day to production, they're talking about it being disconnected to the visuals! I'd been told ignore the visuals and concentrate on the tron. A zillion other things I need to do today but bogged down with this again. Deep breath Paul!

Pretty sure whatever I do they'll want something else as soon as I've done it. :(

Wow!

Amazingly, another song today. Something about the simple, stripped-down, limited interface and approach to automation stops me getting bogged down. I just make music, concentrating on what actually makes a decent tune: the notes.

Blimey! At this rate I might become productive again. A scary thought. 

So much for doing a review of something that once wouldn't have attracted me at all. Shows you have to keep being open to new stuff or you become a boring twat! Hehe. 

Difficulty printing the novel at Pat's work, their email system soon get clogged up. I wonder why? Must sort that printer squatting here as I don't want to wait another week. I rewrote synopsis and extended it. I feel reluctant to explain any more as it feels wrong to do so. Bloody agents and their quick fix requirements!

A good day. I am slightly drunk but very happy. Making simple sequencer music with my Mac's instruments is quite inspiring. Shows what a dog Logic is, I think. I may have to contemplate getting Cubase. Might even ask to go back on the beta list, if they'd have me again. Which reminds me....

Message from Vic about Italy CD. I didn't get on front cover, hey ho. Good practice for downgrading the ego! If I hadn't heard that Youtube thing I'd never have known it even existed. hey ho!

Link, as reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=aEG9U1njTxQ

Hmmmm good drunken night. Wrote a song on the new thing, not possible to drag/import into Logic due to various factors. Still a list of questions to solve but also suggestions for developer if they're into making it really cool. Hmmm, I see my bounce just began again. Let's hope that's a good sign...

Last one of Thick of It was fabulous, I'll really miss it. Their series are way too short.

Still bouncing.

Single malt from Aldi for £8.00. Actually rather pleasant too, not rubbish. However, cheap good whisky, or was it Irish? Actually tastes more like Irish but I'll have to go check now and report back, anal git that I am. Plenty of time while this bounces. That's me and my 32 bar patterns. It temps me keep asking me to double it. Can't seem to stop. Then they end up very noodly. But no intros/outtros unless always remembered and played manually.

Half way through bouncing, I realise this ain't much of a diary entry. Was raining. Didn't go out for lager. Only thing in the house this nice whiskey. Hedging my bets there. Memory tells me I'm wrong though, Scottish, Glen Divot or some such concoction. The progress bar has stopped at half-way but there's a message that says "done". Not promising...

Ah, was done just tiny buglet then. And it bounces the whole thing as one long thing. Sounds splendid...

new toys!

ah, some good stuff has arrived at last. Varies from very, very expensive to cheap but cool to computery and colourful. A good, possibly very good weekend ahead.

My pal Dave rang to say Mike Moorcock's written him a foreward for his country notebook jottings. If that doesn't get him published what will? Awesome and well-deserved.

Went to see John do his 1-man show "Hewitson's Diaries" and it was most excellent. I think Pat and Dawn were surprised how good an actor he is. It's been too long but so pleased for him. The show was sold out. Dawn's birthday so a late night dropping her in town then home later. Taxis so expensive these days.

Sigh...

I knew it had to be too good to be true. A series of changes to do, the feeling of doom grows but I'll try my best anyway. It now has to be 20 secs longer and be far closer to the fucking daft punk "reference" track. Originality, nah, who wants that these days?

Edit: spent a lot of time cursing Logic tonight. Apart from a random crash the bloody thing refused to show me any velocity stems except on the tiny/useless window that I can get under the arrange window. Nothing I could do would make it work so I gave up. I extended the track, tried to follow instructions, I pretty much hate it now. Will listen again in the morning if I can bear it.

Calmed myself down by going shopping.

Last night's Headshock session was lots of fun, even if I once again failed to record something good. I really wish Wavelab would let you do multitrack recording so I could leave Logic out of the equation. As it is I hit record OK but failed to record enable the two tracks. So it pretended it was recording even though it wasn't. Not the first time I've done that, idiot!!

At one point I stuck some pins into the Synthi randomly and got this almighty crashing snare sound (helped by the Eventide Space). Recorded it and have just taken a series of the best hits to make as loops for later chopping and changing in the Octatrack. Should be immense! Would like to work on that this afternoon but should press on.

Also to do: set the Dark Time to sequence the SH-1 and find a power supply for the x0xb0x so Tim has something else to mess with. Actually could use that as a sequencer instead of the DT...

Dawn made a very hot vegetable stew with lots of chillis. Went round to bravely eat some and took rest home. Live and learn eh?

I must be improving

... cos they liked both my tracks. Now for the client!
Perhaps I should always work at breakneck speed?

Right, off to do my weekly halo-polishing. This afternoon might get some studio time but really would like to get that novel letter written up. Ideally I'd like to harvest some quotes from other authors, which means I should read Iain's latest so I have an excuse to write to him.

Contemplating using the MIDI sequencer on the Octatrack. Realised I could fit the Octatrack, ESX-1 and maybe Blofeld and Dark Energy into my small footpedal case. That on a single stand with my Prodigy would make a pretty awesome small gigging rig. Actually wouldn't even need the DE, which is just as well since Doepfer will want it back sometime. :)

Phew, late night but good night

Awakenings was excellent yesterday, in particular RMI and a new discovery (for me) cosmonnaughttransfer (sp?). And it ended with a Stylophone solo, something I won't forget in a hurry.

Made me pine a little for a P3 again, could still be the perfect step sequencer, especially V3 with its playlists.

Got a text from lib company wanting music for tomorrow. I agreed, still waiting for the brief. Hope it comes soon today! :) Will have to go see my mum in the week sometime.

Trip with Tony let me ask him loads of questions about other possible Prodigy mods. I have some ideas but will see how the current mods bed in first. Top of the list, I think, will be an MS20-style push-switch by the wheels that temporarily cuts out envelope triggering by the keyboard. Still aiming for that perfect, fluid feel without having to play legato. Gonna swap the LED for a green one, dunno if I want it to flash in time to LFO or not, would rather mess with the square wave a bit, add some kind of lag to it to smooth the shape. Of course ideally I'd like to recreate that accidental "spiky" shape I sometimes got when the switch was dirty. I know if I challenge Tony to do it he will. :)

A sunny day today but I guess I'll be working and miss it. Didn't seem to get much sleep last night either.

OK, new track started. A challenge but I have an idea and it should be do-able this evening, after darkness brings its own brooding inspiration. Strange that, whatever my own doubts and insecurities, someone out there considers me a composer. I shall endeavour not to shatter that illusion. So much for completing the novel synopsis and other association guff to send to agents. Tomorrow hopefully.

7 new library tracks

Submitted, still not sure about the strings but they're as good as I can do.

Feeling very rough this morning. Turns out that public transport to see a gig ain't the best idea, running for the train full of Guinness when Hawklords were still only half-way through a 2-hour set almost killed me. Arrived with 3 mins to spare but the distance looked much easier on Google maps! Next time, drive you idiot. Beer ain't that amazing you should die for it! Good to see Harvey, Dave, Phil and Steve. Band sounding good, bought a CD.

Today get my Prodigy back, Paul drops off his Mini.

Lots of speculation about new Elektron. Latest SOS had Sledge in it, I'd been waiting for that as it looked promising but hey ho, some you lose. New stuff arriving next week, should have been this week but photography didn't happen.

I shall take a day off today, maybe see if Tim wants to make some noises, try out the repaired Elka Rhapsody too. Also have proper synposis to write for my novel. What I've done so far is a precis, apparently. I know so little...

Coffee.e......ee.e.e.e.e...

Awake!

Yep it's Friday. Off to see Mick's band tonight. Hope to send off three or four new tracks for lib comp to listen to, they're all maybe a bit Philip Glass but I really don't find it easy doing the strings. Will let Paul listen later and tell me how shite they are. Getting the timing right is a big part of the challenge as all these strings have a delay so need bringing forward to be tight against other instruments. Finding exactly the right value is real trial and error, probably due to my sloppy playing in the first place.

awake cos I still ate too much after fasting. I almost got away with the large plate of pasta but it was that last waffer-thin mint, in the form of a teacake, that did me. Shoulda said no. Guts feeling better now after some Andrews, well almost better. Will slope off to bed soon. Jeez it's twenty past three!

So I didn't do much else this week. There are instruments I should chase up that I expected here by now but have concentrated on new tracks instead. Novel edited up to ch28 but still wondering about "likeability" and its importance. Do I really wanna put off all female readers for the sake of, well, an idea really?

Pat working Saturday night. Just remembered I had a call yesterday evening I forgot to pass on to her. Doh! Something about shift swap cancelled. Shame I was stoned and in the middle of some music so didn't take proper note. Ah well, if I ever look at this again I'll remember... not that I do!

Sure there was something else I wanted to record for yesterday...

Sunshine!

I took this photo waiting for Jasper to come around the corner but he didn't. On investigation he'd climbed to the top of the tower and was afraid of the steps to come down. So he was quietly waiting for me to come and rescue him!

Here he is again, you can tell that no work has been done yet today. Does that make me a bad person?

So I could progress the three or four tunes I started last night, work on the novel (and the dilemma of making the main character likeable) or enjoy the sunshine. Maybe I'll see what Tim's up to...

Tony's working on my Prodigy. I've suggested a couple of mods that I think will give me more scope. Not doing PWM though, for some reason it doesn't appeal on the Prody.

Aha, just had a request for more music from my library company on a theme I've covered before. This is good news. Time to rouse myself.

Cold persists

Darn it, haven't totally recovered from my little cold. Had a nice walk this morning, best photo of the day wasn't that great. This is the second best. :)

Watching Crazy Heart, good film. Don't seem to have the energy for much else except lounging around. I should work at something, but hopefully I'll feel more like it tomorrow. Pottered with a few uninspiring classical samples, transferred to Octatrack but it wasn't singing for me today. I opened the laptop a few times for no reason in particular. Note to self: rediscover purpose! Jeez I'm crap at being sick! Instant maudlin.

Agreed to a review, colourful thing. Looked at the Brian Eno app and pondered reviewing that, but how would a mental pygmy review anything by Brian Eno? Unlike him, I'm not even 100% sure that's how you spell pygmy but pigmy or pygmi ain't doin it for me and I'm damned if I'll spellcheck it. My reality, my spelling. :)

It occurs to me I ain't seen Big Lebowski for a while.