New legends popping up all over the place

Today I discovered that if I type in Musical Legend to facebook in capitals, I'm offered some self-employed chap called Laurent somethingorother as a substitute for the phrase. Seems very peculiar to me. Was there another (inter)national vote that went seriously wrong? Or can you declare yourself a legend then get facebook to comply?
Weirdness!

more of my b&w photos

One of my best Jasper photos :)

Analog Four seemed to die on me today. Replaced with Microsampler. Review modules sorted. Trying not to get too many though. Sudden glut. Recorded some stuff, might be OK. Couldn't mix as Logic had some weird display I couldn't shift.
Started new Alastair Reynolds and it's promising already. Good day! Well, apart from A4. 

Old friend got in touch, checking I'm OK after I cropped up in a dream. I confirmed I'm peachy and exploring retirement . .  . 

New Stranger Things today. Cool.

Oops

I did it again. Ordered the Buchla. It's gonna be 2 weeks. Also bought another Doepfer case. Definitely my last. I wrote that here so it's true.

Been taking photos based on some pointless facebook challenge. Some are below.

Retirement is obviously going to my head. Right through perhaps.

Still reading the KLF book. Finished the one module review I have and am now free to amuse myself for a bit. Today didn't seem in the mood for music. I failed to backup my Atmegatron, I did a weird sequence on the Synthi, programmed a sound on the Pro 2 and did absolutely nothing of consequence.

I'm now thinking the Buchla fits into my 'small, simple building blocks' philosophy that has been gradually developing. I dearly hope I won't want to extend it at all - Eurorack has that corner covered.
Looking forward to new Headshock sessions and new sounds when Tim gets back. And releasing some of our vast catalogue. The KLF book has some thought-provoking ideas about whether we even need to release anything, but I'm damned if I'm burning any ;)

Some chap posted a Buchla Easel theremin patch. Basically he added portamento then, when I expressed the vaguest of misgivings, said it was only a starting point. What can ya do?

Buchla Musings

Yes, I've been pondering what I'd get if I had a chunk of money to spend frivolously, on something expensive I wouldn't ordinarily buy. My first thought was Serge - but not so east to realise. Sounds fab but I don't really like the format and the boring layout. So next I thought Buchla, and went off to research the Easel. I had a head start since I've already heard the groovy stuff Paul did with his - and he really likes it, which is important too. The album Automaton was done mostly on one and it's one of my faves of his. The clear, sharp, percussive tones are really distinctive but of course it can do a lot more.

So I first off looked at the Easel-K with its amazing controller and dense panel to program the controller. Paul put me off though as he had one and found it a real faff, especially as you need another module if you're to store several different configurations. The regular keyboard would make it self-contained, I guess.

The Easel is a deceptively simple synth - just 2 oscillators, one of which is complex and the other can either be an audio or mod source. A single envelope, a 5-step sequencer, some random voltages, a reverb, pulser, not a lot more. I decide I probably want the aux card expansion - even if it winds me up to pay over £800 for a single digital oscillator and some extra CV control over the envelope. This shit is expensive - and not well made at all. Looks like they didn't even bother with a manual - the existing one is from last century but the new machine, supposedly, has MIDI. Worse, for your five grand (!), you get a synth with an external power supply. WTF!!

And yet...

Despite all this, if I had a chunk of money to toss away frivolously, it's still there at the top of the list. I like its sound, I've watched videos, I should probably go play Paul's again.

Friday afternoon came and went. Recorded some mad Synthi noises into the Octatrack, enjoyed them all afternoon. At the last minute I added a drum part and a sequence, totally killing it. This was the version I put on bandcamp for free download, only to take it down again this morning when sober.
You can always tell when the beer to weed ratio is too high. Subtlety is lost, basic crap tossed in. Fortunately, I did at least keep the original idea and can carry on with a few more Synthi noises replacing the ER1 and Pro2 parts. I appeared to have drunk all 3 bottles of beer that I bought, which is 1 more than I usually would. No wonder all I could do in the evening was sprawl in front of Sense8.

This morning I moved a ton of soil to our new patch - good timing as it is now chucking it down and a storm called Bwian is supposedly coming to blow at us. Continuing to read Voyage to Arcturus and wondering what it's all about, if anything.

Afterwards

This week is a 'starting things' week. OK, we didn't get far today thanks to the motorway being shut and all local roads congested so Pat and I came home and chilled instead of going to Longridge for a money meeting. She's (finally) getting her horse installed somewhere this week. So we can plan to take a holiday - something I've been pining for. Yes, even though my life is basically a holiday.

Started a module review - a good one too, or at least different enough to throw the cat amongst the Euro pigeons.
More Bogus Realities thoughts starting to solidify. Sorted the version thing with Amazon, who had been struggling to adapt to my idea of version control, or at least reconcile it with theirs. I'm leaving Bogus Realities at version 1.12 until I get reader feedback with errors cos otherwise I'll never stop making tiny tweaks (yes, I've said this before). Several people have generously compared my stuff with Douglas Adams but I have to say it's a shorter, more northern Douglas Adams, one with less intelligence, wit and drive. Still, I'm grateful people aren't just screaming 'turkey, turkey, squawk, squawk!' Need advice on getting reviews in order to kick off a proper sales campaign.

Finished an excellent book, Earth Abides, by George R Stewart. Despite being written in 1949 it holds up very well, could be the best of the 'apocalypse, it all goes to shit' type novels I've read. I haven't started reading Push Turn Move though, need some time before I do that after all the intense, eye-fucking editing.

Off to see John in Preston today, been a while so will be good to have a chat.

Friday -
it's either an afternoon in the studio or work on 'The Host Contract' which is the new BR that I've been wrestling with in my head. John thinks I should work out the plot in detail before starting. I think he's telling me my vague plots are not enough and that getting trashed and following the path doesn't work as well for stories as music. And there are probably those who don't think it works for music either. ;)

Didn't write, played. Part of today's recording
https://soundcloud.com/smokyfrog/general-ignorance

Amazon sent latest novel but printed an old version. I can see this is gonna run and run.

Synthfest

Synthfest was an absolute triumph, no other way I can put it. It's amazing to think I didn't get to any of the stalls around the wall on the main hall, so missed Teenage Engineering, Nord, Soundgas and even Rubadub, where I'd planned to get a new envelope module and possibly another case. I even missed picking up the General CV module from ES which was my only actual plan of the day. Typical!

I chatted to just about everyone though, even Rich Olpin all too briefly and I never got to return the coffee. Some people I failed to find but plenty I did and was delighted to chat to Gaz Williams, who is just as nice as he seems from the Sonic State videos. He also has good taste - bought an Atmegatron as I did cos they were selling them off.

In an act of stupidity, while clearing away some of the bedding used by the Danish guys, I kicked it through the loft hole and onto the hard laminate floor below. Amazingly, it survived with only a wobbly bass knob and a slight dent to a corner. And some of the personalities developed since I reviewed it are fabulous - really liked the Strings. The delay one was something I suggested - I haven't got the overlay for that yet as he ran out - indeed totally sold out of them. A lot of fun ahead.

Other than that 8-bit wonder, I loved the Touche controller and was most fascinated by the GR-1 granular synth.

Indeed, this was the only photo I took all day. Great UI and the kind of different approach that would, ordinarily, have had me baggsying it for review. It was nice to be asked several times to reconsider my retirement, and of course there's tempting enough gear if I ignore all the toy-town stuff for baby fingers. Trying to resist though. SOS very kindly treated me to lunch and then Kim treated me to a curry later - a really excellent Southern Indian one which we enjoyed along with Airsculpture. So far resisting the Cosmic Smokers gig offer, mostly because it's at the bloody scout hut and I really don't enjoy going there. Pete and I may do some recording again though, that'd be nice.

The book was received really well and sold well too even though it was much more expensive than I'd anticipated. A lot of hard work but the result is great, even if someone added an 'of' between my biog's phrase 'library music' turning it into 'library of music' - presumably they thought they were helping in some way.

Today I spent some time taking my coffee machine apart as it was full of compacted coffee - someone helping again, trying the random approach to operation. Sigh. I think it's mostly clear now but I realised that coffee-free mornings are not for me.

Bought latest Carbon Based Lifeforms download, another Tom Waits CD arrived and I ripped loads of ivy and strangly plants out of the garden. Good day.