Plan 9

Yeah, well, my plan to leave the modular mostly patched has some flaws in it, not least that I am battling to keep my cabling arrangement coherent and the knobs accessible. It was so much easier with the Digisound as they thought that baby through, put all the patch points on the bottom, the knobs on the top.

I've been waiting over a week to return this Easel-K and somehow each day nothing happens. Just heard that it won't be today either. Similarly, I have no idea of the status of my order (the Roland case and Endorphin oscillator). It's been a long and frustrating episode really and I think I've given up on the idea of any Buchla gear, ever.

Today, possibly to cheer myself up with retail therapy, I ordered a little 8-step sequencer. Yes, I know Cirklon is more than enough, plus I have the P3 and BSP, but what I *really* want most of the time is a simple sequencer I can tweak, trigger, interact with as both a mod source and LFO (the one I ordered has slew, very important).

I grabbed some cool loops from the modular the other day into the Octatrack, starting to build up quite a library. Rusty's s/ware is looking more necessary if I want to gather all my original stuff together to arrange it.

Monday 29th now. Dunno what day I started these jottings on. The Easel-K went back last week but still no ETA for Roland box and oscillator. I should have shopped elsewhere.

NAMM had surprisingly little of interest. Korg had a new synth called the Prolapse or something and Strymon put one of their pedals into Eurorack format. For me the winner was probably Elektron's FM synth/sequencer as I've been interested in getting an FM synth and hoping, foolishly, that Korg would have the imagination to make one. The addition of filters, overdrive and effects, plus parameter-locking all the FM bits could really make this a fun box. Dunno if I want one personally but might look out in future for people who get one, get fed up, and want to swap for an Analog Four.

Have written most of a review today and may go into the studio to verify the DLD really is dead. Then again, I might just go play piano for a bit. Feeling a bit directionless today, grim weather not helping. Went to gym but got that twinge again in the old hernia spot. What a crock.

Here's a random picture to show why Eurorack has probably expanded to about the optimum size for me. I could spend my life moving modules around, trying to keep the knobs accessible and so on but ultimately I don't want to grow this thing any more. That said, I'm definitely buying the module I just wrote about ;)

Friday thing

Excellent day. Noodled and got a couple of tracks, one of which is this:

https://paulnagle.bandcamp.com/track/full-circle

Also cassette deck arrived and sorted the Easel-K return along with purchase of small Roland case and the Furthrrrrr Generator as part of refund. Still feel it's a shame we couldn't get it to work cos the Easel would have fit in perfectly today. Actually, using the Synthi to play was a good move, must do that again.

Finished review this morning, not gonna start another until Monday. Indulgent weekend, I think. No reason I have to wait for Pat to go away before I have one!

Fuck, am not gonna be able to buy the Easel clone after all. So that was all a right fucking waste of time. Will wait and see if the new Buchla ups the quality.

Cassette deck arrived, started going through tapes at random. There's stuff I bet I haven't played since the early 80s. Some I only vaguely recognise, some demanding new, better recorded and played versions. Man did I like cheese with everything ;)

https://paulnagle.bandcamp.com/album/modulus

This was the first.

Sunday I recorded Citadel and the cheese factor is higher still. But it has its moments. Always did need a critical ear and never developed one. Have also recorded a few tracks just generally including a nice minimal one the other day.

Noticed how much better I sounded after getting a Pro One. Had forgotten how good that sounded.

Also: https://paulnagle.bandcamp.com/track/eaten-by-pigs

Another try

I can't fault KMR Audio. They have really done their best to get me up and working. Their latest suggestion was to try an Easel-K and see if that triggers reliably. Apparently it has superior MIDI too so I could, in theory, add a keyboard for regular chromatic playing. I still have the same reservations about the storing of definitions but that might not be an issue in future.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd7un0AlrEi/

Well, dopey moi. Fairly sure I'd worked this out myself earlier then forgot again. But anyway, of course, the Easel-K doesn't have MIDI, just a MIDI socket! I think the guy in the store was trying so hard to get me working he got wrong end of stick. He was even telling me on the phone it was possible to set a specific MIDI channel, bless. Anyway, it's going back. The Kinesthetic controller is not a good match for an Easel anyway; it's designed for a much larger system. The arpeggiator is a complex piece of shite too.

I think I'll get a Shuttle System from them, just because I think they worked really hard for me and also because the single system idea really appeals and the oscillator is very impressive. Still gonna test drive a clone but at this stage, not sure if the shine has gone off. All depends I guess.

Some good review modules have arrived, one in particular (naturally the most expensive) could easily find a place in my armoury. Assuming I continue to hemorrhage cash for gear I don't really need that is. Let's face it, I have more than I need to make music with. Indeed, new gear is being advertised for NAMM and happy to say I'm not excited or bothered to be out of the general reviewing game. Can see me dropping out even of online synth discussions, forums, everything. I miss the simpler days with a few bits of gear I know inside out and record on a 4-track or something. Everything you get now, you're immediately waiting for fixes or updates or questions answered. And somehow the shine goes quickly on a lot of new stuff, no idea why. Perhaps cos it all feels a bit rushed and desperate. That said, if I keep the A4 a Behringer Model D would be a sensible partner.

A snapshot of the 3 current boxes: sequencer, processing/mixing/modulating, drones/ambience 
There's still the overflow box with a few things in it (the CVGT1 in case I do have an Easel, if not an impulsive purchase I'll pass on to Paul).

New Year, old stuff

Yeah, my mum began this year in the same way as the last one - in hospital. A touch of pneumonia and sepsis, the infection apparently coming on like a switch. All very worrying, especially as we got a first hand view of how Preston Hospital is struggling to cope in A&E. Since they shut Chorley A&E it puts an impossible load on Preston and there were lots of people in corridors, long waits and general unhappiness. She looked quite chipper under the circumstances and after waiting about 10 hours a bed was made available.

I have yet to get in the mood for working. Sorting out the refund for the Easel and going to take an Endorphin Shuttle System as part of it. I don't know how long it will be before mine is made - still waiting for the nda and starting to wonder if it's even worth bothering with.

A Eurorack thought: now I've started to section off parts of it, I'm getting more and more frustrated with the obscuring cables effect. I'm wondering about having looms follow a precise path to give me full access to the knobs, which inevitably means a degree of binding cables and rearranging modules physically. Heresy to the modular crowd I expect but more useful to me for making music.

OK, it's Thursday and I've moved all my modules around. Initially thought I'd colour-code my cables by function but it turns out that's a dumb idea unless you have zillions in all lengths. As is so often the case, length is the primary issue, especially if the goal is accessibility. The sequencing box is up and running and I'll sort the ambient/drone box tomorrow.
Mum home and on the mend, even though they would ideally have kept her in if they could.

Friday, went to get mum's prescription. Afternoon spent with sequencer box
https://soundcloud.com/smokyfrog/sequencerbox-simple-test

https://www.instagram.com/p/BdkmcaZlu2J/?taken-by=smokyfrog

With a full day and lots of time, a track could emerge from this lot methinks.

Think that wraps it up for 2017

I've been winding down again; from what you probably wonder...
Today (Thursday), I started well enough, with a review module; I started forming some opinions, making a few mental notes... then I began playing the Minimoog and an hour later I was still doing it. Perhaps it was last night's mention of performing some Camel tracks for Andy's 50th, or maybe I just felt like a bit of aimless playing. Felt good anyway, that thing always brings out the joy of synths.

After a set of riotous, Guinness-fueled dreams the other night, last night I  had a weird one about sculpting Tony Blackburn's head in clay. It would have been fine except someone kept stealing the original bust we were all copying from and I complained loudly about having to draw said DJ from my memory. Quite surreal. At least I didn't scream and shout all night, which Pat says is an upgrade for her.

Today we have a long sesh planned. Pat doing a horse thing until late so we'll hang out, maybe have another crack at the video. The first two were OK but I'd like to do a slick one that won't need editing at all.

Seems to be Saturday. I worked out how to edit audio levels in Da Vinci Resolve and edited the video we shot yesterday. I think it's the best of the lot but will see what the guys say. Today, other than the video, I did very little except make a chili and sit around.

Videos approved. I may add another 'music only' one when Pat's away but that's that sorted.

Oops, it's Monday now. Didn't drink much last nigh as my mum rang up telling me to keep the phone handy, that she was taking a sleeping pill and going to bed cos she felt funny. Later our Lisa went and woke her up and got worried. So we'll see what today brings...

2018. I have no idea what to expect other than more insanity.