When everything goes strange

Funny but no matter how many gigs I do, there's always something new and unexpected. On this occasion, I made life harder for myself with a total lack of awareness of the pub/layout/stage. Not taking keyboard stands was pretty unforgiveable but in the end, Tim and I squeezed onto a single table and we could see the video perfectly. Indeed, I really liked that we could adapt the music to it - so much that I'm gonna look to repeating the idea at Awakenings if poss.

The weirdness came from some of my MIDI behaviour. Sending notes to the KS-4 seemed fine BUT when I stopped, it was like a sustain pedal was on. Now I stupidly took out the sustain pedal that's usually in it but I'm baffled if that was relevant. I swapped MIDI cables, thought it was sorted, then Tim had a last minute idea to start with a different track and, of course, selecting a new combi on the KS brought it all back. So that's new. Then I noticed that selecting patterns on the A4 wasn't bringing in the expected kit/sound. It transpired that the A4 wasn't starting when I sent start from the P3, hence the new pattern was not kicking in, hence the kit wasn't. So the track we started with began with the totally wrong sound.
So all very odd. And, being self-critical, I resorted to what I often do when it seems to be going haywire: I played too much. That said, good response, some miscellaneous folk in pub came up and were warmly enthusiastic. Think Tim enjoyed. Each time a bit slicker. Will go back to P3 selecting patches for synths/drum machines. Daft idea not to save myself that faff, especially with A4/Electribe. The KS needs a bank select so the little blue box...

So a similar setup for the Awakenings gig but solo so without much of the drums. Indeed I might do a much more ambient set with the looper and more space. Will need a longer video but perhaps will use a good chunk of this one as it was fab. A good night! Forgot to give Xan a tape, forgot all sorts.

Would still love to open a single flightcase and be ready do go. Heh, yeah, like that's every gonna happen!

In other news, I didn't quite reach a full month before Virginmedia's broadband was down - and properly down for the full day. Support asked me whether I had 3G and, of course, I said I didn't having never needed it before. Let's hope it's a one-off but it did make me realise they aren't as slick as I hoped....

Gig, noodles and jollies

Been getting ready for gig and having a ball working on a very minimal rig. Gig, rig, big, yes been playing today, making up new stuff. Tim been working on video, hopefully getting website updated so we can sell tapes. Yes, Gogogox is done, mastered brilliantly by Mick, uploaded to bandcamp already in waiting.

Pat's birthday, very pissed off with Interflora and their droopy tulips. Looked lovely on the website, made me think of Amsterdam but the reality was rubbish.

Travelling light(ish) as I don't know what to expect in terms of space/soundchecks. Sure it'll be fine though, last noodle today, if owt like yesterday we'll just do more new stuff. :)

I agreed to do Awakenings too, March 12th. Would have been a Headshock but Tim can't commit due to other half's holiday plans. I'll try to blag his video though. Thought Binar too but did one of those last year and they like to keep things fresh, which is fine. Haven't decided what sort of set to play but have some ideas.

Right, News Quiz then time to fire up the studio, test whether we can record it, headphone monitoring etc. Don't think tape on sale yet but soon.

I think we may have accidentally published.....

Wow!

If anything the music we did today was better than ever. How on Earth? I am quite drunk, Pat is staying over with the baby, excellent day. How Tim does some of the things he does, an endless source of fascination. Gig sorted IMHO.

Gonna watch some TV shite now and gear garlic bread.

New album mastered and off for production... on cassette!

Well, after all, when I released music on cassette people listened. It can't hurt to try the idea again. Will do it on bandcamp too and probably not mention to the EM lot, they won't understand. ;)

Mick did the mastering, and in record time. I sorta hassled him to and feel bad about that since he has stuff going on. Listening through now he's done a superb job, hearing an increase in punch and clarity, a real brash and up-front job totally suiting the material. I must get a cassette deck so I can hear it how we intend! Not accepting his 'don't pay me' shit either.

Another day with baby, he was a bit upset today so took a long time to go off. In other news, I buried Bob the rabbit in his favourite spot. I'll miss the little fellow but there was no denying that tumour no matter how we wanted to.

Sent off a review today, not a long one but it was fairly complex and hard to do. A new version of the software arrived about an hour after I sent it in. Back to hardware for the rest of the day although it's software inside.

The Emu Morpheus arrived. I'd forgotten what an odd thing it is, much stranger than the Proteus 2000 in some respects and a pain to program in a way. But it responds to poly aftertouch, something the P2K doesn't, and I spent a while setting up a few patches from scratch to try it out. I think it might be really good for that, at least once I remembered the 'pressure depth' parameter which needs to be set as well as the amount in the mod matrix. I faffed around a while, thinking I'd discovered a bug in Cirklon (poly AT seemed only to be passed through when on ch1) but in the end I hadn't. I did think of a new Cirklon feature though, something to better enable me to control multiple modules from multiple keyboards. I'm sure Colin will be delighted!

Here's an early idea of the cover, not the final. Tim is bloody good at this! Indeed, where would I be without talented mates?!

Still 2016

Yep, no fooling me. I just spent time cleaning a rabbit's bits - poor sod can't look after himself too well cos of his crappy teeth and every now and again we need to turn him over and set to. Things we do!

So today I progressed the review I've been writing, one of the more complicated but also powerful jobbies so I hope to do it justice. Took way too long for me to grasp it all though, getting old. It's made harder cos I want to drop it and play my new keyboard, a CME xkey37 which has polyphonic aftertouch. Even though you don't get a lot of key travel, it's remarkably playable and I've connected it to the last available Cirklon input, routed to the Blofeld as default.

The Blofeld - possibly the best-sounding synth Waldorf ever made. Too strong? After playing it the last few days I sorta think so, setting the wave position or LFO speed via each key is awesome and my patches already sound better as I incorporate poly at into them.

I think I sold the ESX-1 (a guy was very keen, just waiting for the cash to come through) and agreed to swap my Electribe 2 for an Emu Morpheus. The Morpheus was a bit more than I planned to spend on one but they don't come up very often and a swap is a fairly painless way to do it. Also agreed swap of my KS-4 for a KS-Rack, with my old buddy Picko. Didn't even know he had one, just got to sort the where and whens. Probably not in time for gig at month end.

Hope to get new album done by then - that is released on cassette, the bandcamp can be later. Tim has a great cover in progress and Mick is doing the mastering so all good.

Taking the laptop back to PC World tomorrow. Expect a battle since they were such twats fobbing me off with HP. Having gone through it with them they now tell me to go back to where I had my warranty and get a rebuild. Wonder if that'll fix it, got zillions of crashes tonight working in a review. It really doesn't like Open Office. :(

Bob the rabbit sat eating and happy now after his ordeal. If he not looking better in a day though he's off to the vet, even though he hates going. Sigh..

It's 2016

I never really got the hang of 2015 so I really want to try and sink some Maker Hooks into this worm and ride it rather than eventually realise it has passed. I'd like to publish 'Liminal Entity' and ideally polish 'From Beer...' but the latter seems like a major job when ideally I'd start on something new.

I have not made significant progress on any review. I had told myself 'today' but a mate is visiting so there's a good excuse to put it off again. I have at least made lots of cool sequences, going back to my old P3/KS4 combination and adding the Analog Four for genuine analogue bass and other stuff. The A4 is proving to be a far more interesting proposition once you introduce potent sequencing to the equation. Getting some really good results from it. Here's one of several new sketches, the sort of material I'll use for the gig at the end of the month.

https://soundcloud.com/smokyfrog/borderlands

May sell the Electribe 2. I'm just not getting the sounds I want from it and now I have the Sampler full of my own sounds, it feels superfluous. Slightly frustrating Korg limited the Sampler in terms of filters and memory but such is life.

I ordered an Erbe Verb. I did get an offer to swap my Elements module for one but in the end decided to keep Elements as something different to sequence. Its 'easter egg' mode swayed me actually.

Still haven't replaced my mobile phone. Fancy getting a new camera, something very small and portable since that was the role the phone mostly had. Here's the very last pic on my phone card, not sure if I'll get my numbers off the fecker though... :(

not a great shot but hey, I'll miss that phone.