Grit your teeth, Paul

It's good advice. Just discovered our house guest will be with us "just another night" so I will continue smiling like a halfwit and quietly snaffling the magic shortbread and working on my novel.

Which, I have to say, has reached a better, more complete conclusion than I thought it would. I amazed myself yesterday when I saw all the loose strands and their intricate twists just naturally finding their own way. It may not be a conventional way to write but it sure is fun. And it might also be the first novel I've written with a pseudo-happy ending. There's enough left over for the third volume in this series too but the arc back to FAF was so neatly done I guess I must have been thinking about it from the start. As someone once, wisely, accused: all your stories are the same story. Its true but, amusingly, not one person has correctly identified what it's actually about. Ho ho ho.

Have done no actual work, some minor, disinterested pottering. Still waiting to get my house back, relax and do some new music. Until then, fixed grin.

A picture of my mum's dog, in case you were wondering.

Winding up 2013

I may be doing it early of course but I'm starting to think I'll not do a lot more work this year. OK, there's a review to finish and another to start but they aren't biggies and don't feel like work.

I finally cracked the novel, kept pushing until the bits shifted into place and felt right. Even the earlier strands that seemed to go nowhere now do have a coherent direction, or at least as much as I require. I can see a good place to end this volume too, which will leave a book the size of the first to wind it all up. Must pester Tim to do the cover.

Of course I'm closing in on the first draft only. It may take a while before I can release it but the second pass or edit phase is usually fun.

The wind is getting wild today so I'm not sure how much I'll do in the studio. Always the chance of power outages. Mum still not right. Life! Have done no further library music work, even though I know I should. The novel tends to take over when the ideas are flowing, especially if I've been pushing against a blockage for a long time. Could be writing is very much like cleaning the drains, or mine is.

Harvey, great film!

Just wrote a twist even I didn't see coming. :)

Hell, I'm watching Nigella on telly and feeling very horny. Dreaming of sharing a line or two with her doesn't make her any less sexy. Down boy!

Peachy Monday

Yeah, a slow burner I suppose but the day slipped into place with two events: finally cracking the Blofeld editor (it defaults to Microsoft synth as its output on each startup) and doing my first proper work on the review that now feels under control.

The Blofeld is now full of mellotron samples - and better ones than I've had before, some really full of character that exceeds that of the Nord Wave, my Akai library and the ones I did at Martin's. Almost filled the Blo memory, might pack in those Lancet sequencer samples at the end one day but no hurry, lots to explore. Played the mellotron piano for half an hour without changing to owt else.

Awaiting client for video/music but lib happy.

Good day.

The fun part of being a professional composer...

... well, for a start it feels like progress when I'm doing stuff to a film, lining it up with cues on screen and all that malarkey. Very happy with Logic for a change. Apart from it crashing once today it has just done what was expected of it when I dragged in my film to the tune they want tweaking to fit. I was able, I hope, to do what was required which was move things around, mute some parts, add some new ones to suit the context. A good evening's work.

Back in review mode now having pottered a bit. Interesting my pal Volker has done some patches (and they're bloody good too) and I'm getting a fair idea of it, better than I had before. So it's all good.

Even got a short time in the afternoon to play with the Blofeld, define it to Cirklon, add a load of CCs for the filters and envelopes. I left the oscillators or it could get a bit unwieldy but I may add some later. It's probably Waldorf's best synth engine ever, not sure if I said that in the review. Sounds better than the Microwave (even the original one) but less fun to edit than either the Pulse 2 or the Microwave 2, I suspect I'll not tweak it so deeply, life's too short, but I do want to load it up with samples. Looked at Spectre but didn't start doing anything. Not so inviting after all. Diddly fee.

Right, I'll have an hour writing before I call it an evening. Still got mum's dog but went out briefly today. Fresh air good for her I think (mum, not the dog) and I thought her house way too warm, which won't help.

If I have anything else to tell you, it's slipped my mind. Here's photos of gear. Doesn't my hand look weird in the selfie? Not sure why but it's interesting all the same.

Rainy Thursday

Rainy but not bad, I have the afternoon to do some work if I can decide what work to do that is.

PRS breakdown was interesting - some of my really old tracks suddenly doing well, the top-earning one from Absolute at Wigan and it's one of the old new age things with native american voices in. Kinda pleased in a way. Synctracks doing better this quarter too, not just Ch5 serial killers (although lots of that) but more music abroad than usual.

A day recording Headshock yesterday made me realise I should've bought a decent mic years ago. Recorded all kinds of stuff and Tim brought his guitar and violin. Some good material I think with more arrangement required to really make it sing. Time though, will I have any today? Tempted...

Also a disturbing call from an old workmate about his wife, left me reeling and rather upset. Life eh?

Oops, I was bad and edited the Headshock stuff some, rather happy with the results so far even though I can see more work that would help. Now working on one of the reviews, actually the only one I can really do and even so I'm treading ground already covered. Hey ho.

Phew

Sent them in, with a few last minute mods. Big relief, they like them, two especially. And a two I'm particularly glad about cos they represent two extremes. Some alternate mixes are required, will have a go tomorrow top priority.

I indulged myself today, worked on novel which I note is almost 69,000 words. I'm going to finally do some chapter chopping and look at the various entrails and where they flip in the wind. I seem to have created a few branches and I don't know if they are meant to be loose or not. I should probably know.

Productive Week

And about time I recovered my mojo. Have done 5 tracks this week, so with the 4 last week I appear to be officially working again. No review stuff done though, the three things I have (two software) are not easy to start on. One is so dull I can't bring myself to start, another is a straight port from an iPad app and the last is a returning piece of hardware that has me searching for a monkey's paw trying to work out why I deserved it back...

Been doing financial stuff, signing up for an investment thing next week that should bring in some income to ease the fact I ain't bringing in much money. Pat is gonna retire next April so we will have to be sensible, but not too sensible I hope. Good incentive to work harder anyway.

May do another video today if I get time. A guy is asking about more aux events which is easy enough for me to cover - but at some point I really am going to have to learn about editing Ck patterns, which I've never done. I now feel I was wrong to push for having Ck patterns in from the outset as a lot of people seem keen on them and keep wanting more features and tweaks. I suspect the fun stuff (e,g, supersteps, multi-phasic patterns, handling on a pattern rather than bar basis and many, many more) will never happen now due to other pressures. Hey ho, maybe one day someone else will make a sequencer... given my exchanges with NI, I'm damn sure they won't be making my dreams come true.

Advertised my etherwave plus on FB but no offers. SOS ads next.

Logic has been crashing rather a lot lately. Perhaps because I'm daring to use some of the effects plugins I purchased. What a piece of shit it is.

I feel the urge to get a guitar but it's not to punish my ma.

Happy Friday!

Wow

Seems I'm inspired. Two tracks this evening and both seem good. Grey light of day may change my mind but I suspect not.

https://soundcloud.com/paulnagle/one-good-man
https://soundcloud.com/paulnagle/be-afraid

Good day, Pat finishing earlier which is nice.