Modular Mindfulness

I've been struggling to get back into any kind of 'fun with modular' phase. I turned on recently intending to work on the joystick review and ended up with yet another move around of modules.

I can turn on my Elektron gear and have a new tune going in 5 mins. With the modular, I won't even have decided which modules to use in that time. The smaller modular, which is in the other room, is better in that sense because there are just a hand-picked selection so maybe put the joystick in that one. Maybe I'll go play piano instead.

Another day.
My move-around seems to have been a good thing. My small Roland case now holds just the DPO, Benjolin, ErbeVerb and Chance modules - still inspired by the Easel but its own thing. I made a lovely space drone feeding the DPO output into the Lyra-FX and Magneto modules and adding slight modulation from the Benjolin.

Just installing the Keystep update - a great update too addressing all of the things I didn't like originally. Let's go see if it works. Ah, seems to be an issue with starting sequences - they don't always start at step 1 when the new arm function in use. Will see if it's user error or another bodged update. Shame they didn't want me as beta tester.

And here's some starlings.

Ah, the 80s

Yesterday I recorded in the Light Studio, today the Dark. Two new pieces in progress with limited setups from each room. It means I have something for when Pete comes later in the month.
Anyway.
Once again the matter of my 1980s cassettes has come up. Once again someone wants to re-release some of them. Once again I'm forced to deal with digging them out and listening, wincing, trying to decide if I want to bother or would rather leave things in fuzzy memory where they surely belong.
I don't know whether to be pleased that I reached a few people with what I did back when I knew nothing or sad that when I felt I did start to find my own path, it was one few traveled with me. Admittedly it's a path with lots of twists and turns, sometimes winding back on itself, other times heading carelessly into the wilderness singing and what-ho-ing.
I was looking over my bandcamp releases earlier, trying to work out if there's enough of a cross-section there that I needn't add to it ever again (I will, inevitably). I'm pleased to note that eventually, it seems, even the odder releases (the ones I liked perhaps because of their oddness) have done OK in the long run. Albums like 'and darkness falls' and Cyberdiver were deformed mutants designed to challenge lovers of sequences and melody. And Red Book, which has Carl's overdubs, should have done better but perhaps people have the CD. I know many of the synth people preferred Blue Book as it ticked more of the regular boxes. Can't argue with that as I knocked it up in a single weekend box-ticking exercise to enable Red Book to get out there.
Ah well.
It's Saturday and raining. I've had a few days of happy studio indulgence so should probably make contact with the world again, see what it's up to.
Oh, and I tried and failed to write up something about Carl's passing. I mean, I did it but it was poor stuff and not in any way what I wanted, except perhaps in pointing people to Carl's recent output. I dearly hope they won't just be interested in his old cassettes.

Advice I promise I will not be taking to heart.

The 20th Synth-DIY Anniversary weekend

A long drive to Cambridge. In fact, lots of driving in just a few days - two airport trips and a to and fro effort with my mum and her eye. Where to start?
Actually, the biggest, saddest news was the death of Carl Matthews. We hadn't corresponded for a while but by chance I did play some of his music to Colin and Tony on the Thursday before we left for Cambridge. Tony identified the composer at once, which is testament to Carl's unique and special style. I still don't have suitable words, other than to say it's the third friend whose death was revealed to me by Facebook's channels.

The usual snaps.  Was good to see Colin and Tony, talk Cirklon and listen to Tony's single voice synth (a gorgeous SEM-alike). Tony's step sequencer was cool too - if I hadn't got bored with Eurorack I'd surely want one. Also got to play a Deckard's Dream and really liked it. It's helped a lot by its effects and by an additional Big Sky reverb though.
Ate a LOT, drank quite a bit, glad to be home and detoxing. Well the gladness was dampened by news of Carl's death - which prompted me to dig out as much music of his as possible. Carl did some very cool overdubs on my Red Book album and I added some noises to his Ixion's Wheel. I finally managed to rip most of the latter and it's still great.
Tony took my Perfourmer and Tim's 100m to fix. Hope to get the Perfourmer back before Pete comes later this month but if not will adapt. Currently listening through a lot of Ideation stuff and realising how good it is and how almost nobody knows we exist. Self-promotion not my strong point. Good material unreleased includes 2 (possibly 3) gigs and a lot of long jams recorded at Pete's that time, plus some of the long-form stuff from our last get-together here.

My work in the garden is accumulating, perhaps because I haven't done any of it. The sparrows are having such a ball in all the foliage I can't bring myself to start cutting things back yet, but the end of this month is my deadline for doing something.

I'd like to do some more long-form piano pieces, just need to get in the right frame of mind. The long one I did when Pat was away is really quite nice and even the more conventional Glass-style piece I played over the Synthi noise isn't far off being something in its cut-down 8-9 min form. Time, where does it go?

Teatime postponed because a staffie has leapt into the horses' field and savaged a couple of the poor beasts. Unusually, the lady owner stuck around and has offered to pay. Also unusually, Pat's horse was not involved. Instead of eating I spent an hour or so watching the (large) family of mice running up the large thistle near the bird feeder, helping themselves to the spilled seeds. The little onanists!

Tao of Glass

I could have taken a photo of the Flying Scotsman but I didn't.
John and I went to Manchester to see a rather interesting thing at the Royal Exchange Theatre. It's always good going anywhere theatrical with John as he's so loaded with useful titbits of knowledge and memory. I think the show worked better for him than me though.
The theatre is lovely - a sort of apple with a central, rotating stage and the audience wrapped around it and upwards. The show was essentially one man's story of the parts of his life in which Philip Glass featured, whether on vinyl to annoy his dad or chasing him around trying to do some kind of collaboration. This chap's tale was punctuated by puppets, flying sheets of paper and four excellent musicians who made the whole day worthwhile for me. It could have been better if the main chap was an actor rather than a director type who fancied having a go, but what the heck.
Later we had some beer, at double the Preston rate. Bars where this wasn't the case were so rammed we gave up trying to get served.

This is a bit of it

The day after (Sunday), I began work on a piano piece laden with simple, repetitive motifs. I overlaid this on the reverb part of the Synthi recording from the other day - and since it was 18 mins long, I looped and repeated a few parts then did a mad free jazz improv at the end to fill it out. Listening back there are some good ideas, it just needs a more thoughtful arrangement. I may even keep a fair chunk of the improv parts as they mix nicely with the reverb whooshes. Even while working on it I was thinking it might fit with the more mellow piano thing I did when Pat was away. I suppose I've never done a piano album so perhaps I'm already half-way towards that non-existent goal.

Oops, it's a week later and I probably have nothing to report. Was meant to be going round the Trough of Bowland with Tony but our plan was thwarted by the hottest day on record. I pointed out there's no cover up there and it would be unpleasant so, instead, we walked to the Conti and had lunch and beers.

It's been too hot this week to get into the studio but the rain is now cooling things down. I should do a module review, or something, but I'm finding my life so much better now I ignore the news and everything Eurorack.

Hot hot hot

Yeah, mostly too hot to get into studio. Had a longish walk in the Trough on Monday. Still keen to get into studio - I feel a fast and catchy one is probably a good idea for the ANT project, plus it will test my new mixing setup.

Oh well, I haven't been to the gym this week and it's Wednesday already. So I guess I should. Although...
Thursday I finished moving the power distribution around - freeing several 4-ways in the process. I now have my work areas as follows:

Mac only
Modular & Synthi
P3 / TT-78 / KS-4 / Lyra-8 / Juno-6 / Electribe Sampler
Cirklon Main / TT-606 / RC-505
(Usually CV-driven) Analogue Keyboards

May be a few refinements still to make. I'm conscious that the Spirit mixer is woefully underused, having only the TT-606 and SK-20 going through it. Since that mixer has the Space reverb, I'd like to maybe introduce another synth - we'll see. Progressing nicely though.

Home Alone

Yeah, starting today (Monday) I have 7 days by myself, which is rather a lot. If the weather cools down I may get some music done - I seem to be brimming with ideas at the moment. I was even thinking of a piano piece the other day but that would involve turning the computer on, or recording the Casio piano (which doesn't sound anywhere near as some of the Kontakt pianos I have).

Still absolutely no desire to play with Eurorack gear, but I think I may move the Synthi into the Light Studio for a bit. I look at the Dark Studio and think about moving everything, then I tell myself it's a job for when it's much colder. Seems silly to waste time doing that when I could be enjoying myself noodling on the other stuff.

Knuckled down to it today (Tuesday). Inspired by the Eno thing maybe, I recorded an ambient piano thing that sprang forth this morning. Good to catch it like that, and of course needed the computer. For the quality of piano as much as anything else. Could have done with Cirklon but wanted these sounds and no mixer noise.

Plumbed it in this evening, tested audio and MIDI. A few tweaks still needed, then I have to fix the Light half as I piled quite a few things in there. Progress though and both studios standing now, OK with the Synthi and modular more arse-oriented.

Thursday morning. I tidied and organised all the spare leads that are lying around - found a lot of useful long ones (audio and MIDI) and started to plan work areas in the dark studio. With 3 mixers and theoretically 4 working areas and 6 power points, I want to be as efficient as possible - i.e. to power on the minimum of gear for whatever mood takes me. I should get the Minimoog, Prodigy and 101 sequenced directly from Cirklon, certainly the Moogs, which could mean moving the CVIO board away from the modular area. Actually that's fine as the P3 with the Vermona QMI is perfectly able to sequence the modular and provide clock.

OK, studio still a work in progress in terms of work areas but all running nicely using CVIO (even the Odyssey). I split off the P3 so it can be the master clock in its little area - but without going that extra step to allow it to be master overall. Sequencing the Mini, Prodigy, 101 and Odyssey was very satisfying and with the extra bus output of the middle mixer, I can now divide the instruments or send FX separately for recording etc. I may look at doing the same for the Spirit mixer but we'll see. Not doing things just for the sake of it!
I have a zillion unused leads, as usual, lots of long MIDI leads and quite a few long audio ones too.
Recorded quick jam and all sounding good. Tomorrow probably the Light Studio, we'll see.

Reface (CP) arrives tomorrow. Was a tough choice between that and the organ actually but the secret acoustic piano did it for me. Yamaha monumentally stupid in their attitude, but then again this is a company that invented yet another MIDI adapter! The tiny keyboard is better than Korg's tiny keyboards (ok, not saying much) but I think I'll mostly use it as a module - except when I noodle around the house or go on hols.

Friday afternoon https://soundcloud.com/smokyfrog/gamboge followed by curry. I expect I'll watch more shite TV tonight and repeat the exercize tomorrow.

More from the Machine

Yes, two new tracks, both of which I like hugely. One is really good, the other an actual classic. I really wish I could share it widely. It makes me think I should maybe arrange the new one for Don to tackle - might give it a verse/chorus structure for a change, so the guys don't have too work too hard to impose one.
It's Saturday. I have done absolutely zilch. Too hot for the studio, although I may get in this evening while Pat watches ladies play footie. I got to the end of Bogus Realities and was relieved the the final book has some good points - a couple of days editing would fix them, but I seem to have lost the original text. And the middle book would be way too much work still. I am encouraged though and my zombie plot progresses nicely.
I started reading After Life in parallel with some Asimov, the one diluting the other. Both have more weak points than they should have but I'm happiest with AL of everything I've done, with the possible exception of FAF. I could write, about my own stuff: employs females only marginally better than Isaac Asimov. Yeah, still reading Foundation.

Today is Thursday and I'm struggling to do anything due to the heat. I reached bank F and abandoned yesterday's crappy (and cheesy) melody in favour of a simple 8-step sequence. Now it works. Maybe if tomorrow isn't too hot I'll record it. I had beer and smokes today which I think helped me work a bit more efficiently.

Next week is an odd week. This week I recorded 'Fuchsia He Say' which I'm glad of. In it I use samples made in the OP-1 and captured into the OT. I know, I can't sell that thing.

Friday. Curry last night (naga, awesome), studio today, fun!!! Maybe thai curry and spicy chip type things.

No pix. Haven't taken any. Friday vibes.