Odd & Odder

Wednesday. Yeah, an odd day. First I noticed I'd forgotten to pay last month's credit card bill and then I was proved wrong on a spelling matter (faun, fawn) after a visit to a museum in Bolton. I will console myself this afternoon by polishing off some review stuff, or at least progressing it.

Sunday evening and Dean just sent through a new track that absolutely rocks, I love it. Different from the others perhaps but equally marvellous. I don't know how they do it but makes me very happy.

Did some housekeeping stuff - sending dry individual drums from tt-606 for another track, messed with review gear and did a few nice patterns, made copious notes, did simple test of a module with poor tracking to hopefully demo to creators. Used the not-exactly-perfect tonestar as reference.

Novel 'fantasy section' begun. Have most of it in my head, might need a writing binge to get it out in a short burst.

It's all good!

Morpheus almost fixed?

In one of my long-term projects, I thought I got the Morpheus working today. Fitted new battery, explored the diagnostic menu but kept getting MIDI failure. Thought that perhaps needed an out to in connection though. It was giving MIDI comms errors on the V-Synth when using its thru, suggesting the Morph's MIDI in was suspect (I'm guessing the thru is hardware but should verify).

Anyway, have got it working - but I remember my initial errors were MIDI-related, with it crashing when I played too many notes. Will do some tunes with it and see how it goes - but would be sweet to have it fully operational. Sadly I failed to back up any of my patches, many of which used poly AT. Oh well.

Should polish off a review or two but I have some novel ideas to progress.

Well, the novel ideas went well. I'm now much further ahead and ready to go back and comb a few chapters in order to progress. Good how things I had previously hinted at are coming through, almost as if there was a plan. I also managed to combine some LOTR satire with some social media nonsense and end up with a coherent version of Hell.

New tracks with Don and Dean, sounding fabulous. One of my original sequences badly recorded though, some bleed from one of the aux effects (I think) but fortunately Dean can fix anything.

Cirklon testing going well. New feature slipped in today that finally nails the Steve Reich thing and does it with rare elegance using Track Values. I think this update is gonna be a killer.

Seems the Morpheus not totally well. I'm getting some strange noises from it if I use its MIDI thru. Think it's going to have to go to Tony but may well be a goner. Replacement could be a second Blofeld, we'll see.

Hmm, can't even remember when I started this entry. Lots I could add - album progressing incredibly well, watching the art of production and seeing there's more magic in it than Ali Bongo's underpants.

I was persuaded to do another full length review. Actually it didn't take much as it's a thing Howard dragged me to see at Superbooth cos he knew it was up my street. Must get those Erica reviews done and I think I promised one of the MI ones too, although it has to be said I've promised it before. Time, where is it going????

Yep, it's that time of year again...

Cirklon Days

Well, I have some more tracks to do for Don and did a couple today. Really digging into Cirklon patterns, something I've not done enough but for drums really enjoying them. New loop functions are handy and discovered it does a 'double & copy' which I'd never seen before. I should do a song-making video with some of the examples of scene-length patterns with the drums done specifically anticipating the next scene or playing a hit just once at the start. I have my Ck in permanent P3 Chain mode but want it permanent.

Two tracks finished, one is structured and the other performed - actually the other was done just as I was about to power off - decided to do a quickie putting the first ideas into action without thought. It's basic but has something, may refine tomorrow afternoon when getting hammered.

The new mixer is fab. Hadn't quite realised that the Control Room buttons not working meant the level LEDs also don't work, but coping fine. The extra auxes put to good use - instead of devoting the DD-20 to Blofeld it's now on Aux 4. Aux 3 is the internal effects and much better than the later model, weirdly enough. There's an ambience reverb I like and a couple of others I'll use. Extra bonus is I realised I can put the RC-505 on a bus and use it as an effects unit as well as a looper. Works a treat. Might be nice to use a bus output at some point too but we'll see how it goes. The two tracks I recorded today sound good. Still loving that TT-606 - just what I needed.

Jasper seeming pretty happy today. Waiting for lab results and hoping he's OK.

Autumnal

I admit to being excited about the current project with Don and Dean. Ordinarily I don't voice my excitement but this material is sounding so good I want to shout about it already. My simplistic sequencer patterns become magical songs once Don works on them, and they edge towards masterpiece territory when Dean gets his hands on them. From humble beginnings eh?

Tomorrow I'll be starting a new one, enthused and eager.

I started a 7 day b&w twitter challenge. Not my best work but mind on other things.

Well, it's been a good week. I finished the Erica Drum Sequencer review, made real progress with Cirklon patterns thanks to the new loop function and ability to set odd lengths at last. I also got past a sticking point in the novel which should sustain me now, although I'll have to rework a lot of the material I'd sketched out for the final third. Happy with how it's all looking, even if it got rather serious and will probably keep getting darker now until the end. It's also a proper ending to Future Art Factory, which I doubt many will see coming. Many isn't a word I can apply to my readers, of course.

Jasper is off to the vet tomorrow. Slightly worried as he's old and we didn't really want him knocked out, but no way to avoid it. I think more teeth need to come out and his nose needs looking into. 

Now I'm working with the improved Cirklon patterns I'm starting to think of interesting MIDI polysynths again. I have plenty of Euro now, enough to keep me going for a long time.