Ongoing MPC adventures

 More exploring, some bugs and some sweetness. Arranging and clips starting to feel viable. The JD and the KSP working well-ish although the occasional hanging note when using the JD in its controller mode sending notes back to itself via thru. None when using KSP. Started on one of the KSP projects I'd caught a loop from, just doing an arrangement with some overdubs using samples, plugins etc. Think I'll get to the point where I can use it more freely without keep wondering how I do this or where is that. Whether the JD remains or is replaced by another synth depends on whether its multitimbrality matters in what I'm doing.

On Friday I got more into clips and running a long static track (Hashtag) and combining clips with it. All worked BUT something snapped in one of the combi inputs and now when I put jacks in, there's no click. It did still sample though so I got some stuff done. 

Andertons have been great about returning/swapping the mpc so that's scheduled on Tuesday. Must make sure I copy everything I've done and am sure it's all gone before I wipe that machine. Including my template file and patches for various synths, most the opx-4 I think.

I've got three albums from Dan Deznan in Perth, which he's restored from tape. They're all from the 80s and I really do want to hear them again, although I forgot today. He also has "Sketches" which was not distributed AFAIK although some people have it - he wants track titles which I'll try and find/remember. He's restoring more too, which is hugely kind. I'll try and get him copies of other stuff and answer his questions. Will see if his Dunction Wood sounds better than the one I have already (suspect it will). I may then upload to bandcamp for people to have. 

Well, the Duncton Wood sounds so much better than my restore job, Dan's done a superb job. Citadel is better than I remembered and should probably go on bandcamp. Not enjoying Deserted Tower as much though, sounds bitty, cheesy and more like a guy trying to make sense of new toys than anything memorable. I think the thing with 'legacy' is that it can often be much better if you don't reveal so much of it. 

Faffy day sorting solicitor, backing and packing Mpc and listening through old stuff. Feel somewhat dazed by it actually. An evening zombifying in front of TV ahead and I actually welcome it. Tomorrow I'll get the new mpc, update it and get my stuff reloaded. Hopefully. Then I can continue working with it.

MPC arrived - thanks Andertons, great job. I think it's old stock though as the lights behind the buttons aren't uniformly bright and it was very old firmware. Anyway, it works, loads my songs and I've started diving into Clip mode to learn that. Must work out why the default clip launch is always trigger - very annoying that. The audio clip with tempo change works really well though. Raised a ticket for the fact its slider can't be assigned to MIDI volume. Will raise another about its handling of MIDI program changes too when I get round to it. I did work out how to select my own default plugin - you can't to it by turning the encoder while on the field but must, instead, double click the field with your finger. Created my own default template with the named ports and sync defs and so far that seems to work. 

Except the names were forgotten today. In my template all was forgotten and in my def song the sync settings were remembered. Wonder if having template and song with same name confusing it? Stupid thing anyway, raised a ticket.Tomorrow I think I might just try and do stuff with its own instruments, maybe take some of my individual notes made for the Wavestate and make something from them, compare it with the Wavestate playback. Anyway, will do something new that doesn't rely on owt but the MPC. 

Busy day sorting more solicitor stuff, walked Izzy, handed letter to Wayne and tried to listen to Chimera but time evaporated. Going to look for an Alcove for Dan and a better tape of Chimera in case it helps. Will send him wavs of whatever I get. Sorta tired and PAt too - she has to take Marg to Blackpool tomorrow for talk about her heart and options. Dunno if Tim around Saturday or in Wales but I think I may have an afternoon to myself as I really need to get some things lined up for when Pete comes. Still have not sussed my drum loop program thing, may have to try clips.

Dicky leg felt a bit better last night. Massage maybe helping and the exercises I'm doing. Have tried magnesium on Ann's advice, no idea if it'll help but she swears by it. 

New Start, New Tech (MPC LIVE III)

 First time using it today and it's buggy but already quite close to what I hoped it would be in terms of functionality (and wanted it to be). It needs a number of things I'm not going to start to specify after one day of use but it is at least possible to convert a song into a sequence, KCS-style into which further stuff can be done. This is basically all I've wanted in CIrklon, like, forever. It means I can work in any sized chunks I want, join them in sequence and convert to a full song for overdubs, rises, tweaks etc. Also records automation - only tried track levels so far but worked alongside arrangement. Lots more I could write but will leave to another day. Very good start, next will be either importing an old song pre v3 or connecting the Keystep/Wavestate and gathering a few recordings. 

All good fun! (so far)

Saturday tomorrow. Bejaysus! Tim mentioned going to Anchor so we can maybe book Sunday lunch if we do

Anchor was shut. Oh well. Tried importing an old MpC song and it partially worked - all my drum loops didn't loop though, the Q-Link definitions were forgotten, the synth patches wonky... but I'll work on it, import some of the audio that's in the Octatrack and see if I can cobble a set together from it. A worthwhile project. Sussed how to monitor the input (pretend you're about to sample) and name tracks (hold finger on name for a bit). 

Certain now my keyboard issue are related to running status & active sensing having tried the Keystep which doesn't send active sensing and relies on regular note offs. Will report as bug when I get round to it. Enjoying playing pads and shifting keys as I go so may cope without keyboard for a bit. Tested grabbing loops from the KSP/Wavestate and it works with no obvious downers yet although I need to fully test it and the sync with internal stuff over longer phrases. Must work out how to use the new Clip Matrix though as I've ignored that so far. 

On Monday we sorted the new kitchen order, using mum's money wisely (I think) - to be fitted in April. Tomorrow I'm off to Manchester with John to see Yann Tiersen and some harpy lady whose name I have sadly forgotten. Should be good. 

A short but frustrating session on Monday trying to make sense of the new Clips mode. If you recall, MPC2.x had a Clips track type and most excellent it was. The new one doesn't - its clips are a separate thing but there's no obvious way to convert the old type to the new or even load all the samples individually into a set of clips. I guess it'd take a couple of tracks up now and I'd have to decide the clips that are in each column, which is less flexible than of old (not wasting four tracks on it). I'll take a look again sometime but so far that's the thing I've missed the most. My imported song has filled the 128 track limit and is basically unmanageable so don't think I'll be developing that further. 

Maybe scuppering the new start, Margaret in hospital, her heart well buggered. We put off sorting a date for kitchen installation until we know what's what. Also put off walking today (Wednesday) and instead moved a few things in the kitchen, asked a few questions. I also moved the JD-XA into position under the MPC after reading it can turn off transmission of active sensing. Will test that out but probably not today as time has moved on. Will walk Broc instead. Think we visiting this evening. 

Yann Tiersen was good, the support act also good (Alice Boyd & harpist friend Rachel Kitchlew). I bought their ambient CD for a tenner - but it's less than 15 mins long so a bit unimpressed with that. Tiersen played some mesmerising piano, stringent but fab strings and a bunch of Elektron boxes and modular stuff. At times it was quiet and subtle, then incredibly loud. Think the same venue I once saw Leftfield. 

Winding up January and deciding to start the year next month instead

 Yeah, January was a bit of a washout with Pat doing her ankle in on NY day and all. Last week features her birthday, an EMOM and a surprise visit from Dawn with prezzies. The MPC is also supposed to be here next week, they're just a bit busy packing boxes at Andertons to sort right away. I dunno if I'll be walking on thursday as that's the day of Pat's birthday. 

Started going through Liminal Entity and finding it dull. May either totally rewrite it or leave it and write the book that could have come between it and Beer, the one that properly fills the gap. Can I be arsed though given nobody will read it? Might be better to write the final lizard book, even though nobody will read that either. Or make 2026 the year I finally do some decent painting rather than the random burst of splashing paint around aimlessly that I've been indulging in for no reason I can recall. 

Ah well.

Monday still no comms from Andertons about the MPC which is disappointing. Had a lovely ambient afternoon mostly playing the Osmose (practising the pressure glide technique which I know I can improve on) but adding System 8, Reface CS and Odyssey into a lovely looping mulch not unlike the long track from Clouseau all those years ago. With a simple repeating bell from the Digitone I reckon I could have recorded something but just enjoyed playing instead. Tomorrow is EMOM day so will setup the Cric for an initial sound that's good to start from but otherwise good to go. 

Andertons finally got in touch to say MPC coming.. not tomorrow but Thursday. 

EMOM was... trying. Tim's mixer batteries weren't enough to get us through the gig. Indeed, they crapped out the first time he tried the record option. We ended up putting my synth through his TR-8 Ext input which then also went through his DJ FX and then direct to the PA. So what it did to my sound I have no idea - and Tim hadn't either as he was monitoring only his drum machine, as far as I could tell. I remain convinced that headphones are not the way for live music cos you're basically in a different space to everyone else - including the audience. Anyway, we did our thing but it didn't have the cohesion of the Saturday jam. I still don't know if the L6 is any good as a live mixer/recorder but I think I'm more inclined to get either the L6 Max or the L12. A screen would perhaps tell you stuff like battery status, recording capacity and so on. John came and took some fab photos, which I shall add here when I get them. Life's rich tapestry etc. ;)

Friday and the MPC arrived yesterday but all I did was update it and download the latest manual. I shall resist getting stoned today. Actually I might have to anyway cos Margaret seems unwell and I fear we could be entering another death spiral. Booked to see Yann Tiersen in Manchester with John next week. Oh, installed the Bode shifter but have yet to try that either. Woke feeling  a bit nauseous myself so hope that clears up and I can learn some MPC today, just starting with the basics of following the manual's tutorial. It looks nice, is quite large and heavy but should be a cool thing if it handles as it should. Was Pat's birthday yesterday and I felt bad for not getting her owt so went out this morning to get flowers, may have overdone it. 

Right, pix then publish I think. Next entry should be my MPC thoughts - just hope it's not also the start of another bout of hospital visits and doom. 

Improvements

 Pat's ankle starting to improve at last. Gonna buy some Ideation CDs from Vic to sell at the gig later this year. 

The Awakenings remix sounded good to me. Sent to Pete to see if he likes it as much as I do. MPC meant to come this week but haven't heard anything. Rubadub have some but Andertons don't yet. The XL is already out too, annoyingly. 

Finally finished the edits of 'From Beer to Eternity' but getting it onto Kindle and maintaining its formatting and fonts causing the usual issues. Cara could have advised but as she has dropped off my radar I uploaded from the epub version, which appears to hold the format better than Word's docx. The Kindle Create app produced a file the import process would not recognise. Anyway, happy to have it done and both the acrobat and word versions looks nice anyway. Will leave it a while then do Liminal Entity - not quite so bad as Beer so much less work. Today the MPC Live III was meant to be in stock but I've heard nowt yet. Friday gonna be a bit naff this week as it's Kelly's do tomorrow evening. Not sure Pat will be up to driving but her ankle is much better. 

Sent Beer to Tony to have a read of. Friday's sesh sounded good, Saturday Tim and I did a run-through of drones and drum machine, sounded good. Shoulda recorded. Hey ho. Sunday tomorrow, will go walkies and I think Marg coming for tea. She's pretty weedy at the moment and pat's worrying she might not make cruise. Have now signed up to Scotland and Blackburn Cathedral concert, did it in two days which resets the two things lost last year. Weird how stuff works out. Cric played from Lie is very good, Adding ribbon for pitch and gate could be fun also but perhaps not essential. 

Cric Craic Paddywack

 Starting week 2 with the Cric. Had a better afternoon (Sunday), or at least I got a few noises worth exploring and sampling, as well as the idea to try controlling it from the Analog Four. The reasons are that I would like to use it again as it's mostly idle but also it has a better sequencer than the Keystep, can apply slide to CVs, has parameter locks, LFOs, Envelopes and may even be the best place to initially process the audio. The SP-404 sampling should go back to the System 8 as the two worked better together - those sudden volume leaps aren't ideal. I'll grab samples in the BB as usual if the A4 fits in. 

I don't want to give in just cos I'm old and inflexible. There are clearly good things to find... still need to fully explore the idea of sounds evolving by each envelope triggering the next and each controlling a sound source of its own. 

Monday: did some sequencing with the A4/Cric and, along with the A4's own voices and its FX processing, makes for a nice little jamming corner without needing P3 involvement. Still been capturing loops into 404 (due to not reorganising mixer channels) but not sure that's how I will keep doing it. It does work, with practice, but I expect there's a better way just waiting to occur to me. Maybe time the S-4 was woken from its slumbers as a 4-track tape recorder. One for tomorrow if time permits (still occupied with the dog and will need to take Pat/Marg shopping). The Analog Four sounded flat today, which is unexpected. There's a calibrate routine but I forgot to try it (needs to have been on for a couple of hours). 

Was hoping to go visit Matt but I think time getting away from me already. It's 9am, Pat still asleep and the day already feels like it's escaping. So much I want to cram into an increasingly small window. Wish I'd had the Cric for my luxurious four days of total freedom over Christmas.

Good sesh today, added switch to allow swapping input to A4 from Reface to Digitone. That way I can get neat loops in the BB.Tested and it works OK. Annoyingly had to swap the Reface as the CS constantly sends MIDI clock and you can't turn it off. It's that bloody looper again. Oh well, got the piano in there instead. Looked for my MIDI merge box(es) but couldn't find so used switch instead. Works. Also put the A4 and Cric through the S-4 rathe than the S-404 (lots of fours here I note!). It immediately inspired a Synthi drone/space sesh using the S-4's FX and recording ability. 

Reminded how much I hate the Analog Four's kit system and the need to constantly save or lose your work. Why the fuck can't they implement the 'unique pattern' approach of the Digitone? Makes me not want to use the internal voices - deja vu or what?

Someone suggested I do a Cric drone at the next EMOM and maybe that makes sense. Would be different anyway. 

Booked my Berlin flights - with Ryanair heaven help me. Their verificiation process is kinda bizarre - they send you a code that is good for ten minutes but it typically takes over 12 mins to arrive, so you have to do it again, and again... great start. 

Pete sent me a recording of the Berlin gig with the lost first part (his singing bowl) pasted on from an audio recording. It's great and so nice to hear it all the way through. We should release, I think. He also sent the multitrack from the infamous "Jez has a VCS3 and is gonna use it" Awakenings gig we did. I'll try and do a mix I can live with. For now it's Friday and I have chores to do before I'm free. 

And we're off... it's Cric Craic time

 I decided to buy a Cric, has to be the blue (sorry teal) one. I tweaked setup 2 and I think it works and will work better when I add Cric. I already have some ideas for a new Exoplanets album and some more out there electronic music. It's time to put aside childish things and make some serious electronic music. Plans eh?

Pat's ankle still not good but she reckons it's getting slowly better. Until it's actually functional I'll be on dog walking duties, which is OK as I need to exercise. Will also need to do some shopping but should get time to do some studio work. Just need to ask a few questions of Finlay but I think I already decided the black one doesn't excite me and even if I can't read the white on pale blue easily then I'll sort some lighting. Beauty first, OK?

Cric arrived at 08:30 and is indeed a lovely thing. If I were part of the design team I'd have pushed for black text and larger switches but that aside I think it's gonna be sweet. Some tiny adjustments can make a huge difference though, reminding me of the Synthi in that one respect. Its soft sync is really nice and I'm going to have a lot of fun with that. Oddly enough I've done lots of gnarly solo sounds and spiky sequences initially rather than the evolving ambient stuff I'd expected to be doing. Tomorrow I shall pursue that angle. Have ordered an angled desk stand for it.

Wednesday was a better afternoon doing ambient stuff with the Cric. I drafted in the Euro joystick and Pressure Points as well as the ring mod and Tapographical Delay. Those modules could be good in various combinations. Still learning the foibles though - a lot to those oscillators for example - but I'd have liked sync to only one of them as an option. Have ordered more pins and the Behringer Bode module. I mean, why not, right? Buy yourself out of trouble boy!

Thursday I concentrated on space wibbles, envelopes looping and retriggering each other, learning the scissor/DNA oscillators a bit better (getting there) and patching out to the joystick. The joystick is ace cos you can record its motion including pressing the gate button. Very cool indeed - should have been included on the synth along with trigger button. Tomorrow I intend to have a meditational/drone afternoon and have the Synthi involved too if I feel I'm getting somewhere. Having the three levels of the multimode filter available in the matrix is something I only played with briefly but should be lots of potential there. Must try using the CFGs as audio sources too. I think Finlay did a good job for his first complete synth, just needs the right controller to bring it to life. Need to be careful with some switches as the leaps in volume can be extreme and unpleasant. Also the scaling of some controls must be watched as you can max out in a few degrees sometimes but I can't always anticipate this and puzzle myself with it. Using the attenuverters on the inputs useful when mixing multiple sources into one destination. Noticed the two tiny inverter switches on inputs 3&4 which I don't think are documented.

Apparently the USB cable for the Doepfer ribbon is normal nowt special at all. So Will draft that in, maybe instead of the Keystep. I dunno, thrashing about somewhat. Stuff I recorded into the 404 all a bit nasty and industrial, which is unusual - but i was quite drunk, not good. Using the 404 is a really nice idea for capturing the wibblyness. 

Tickety Tock

Spent Friday then Saturday with the Cric and had some doubts/buyer's remorse. Maybe it's not for me -but I have no idea how I'd tell Finlay that or return it so I'll press on and find a use for it. I feel kinda stupid but not for the first time. A big part of my problem is when I try and get the possibilities in my head - the inclusion of modular always screws me unless it's limited and specific, like the MS20 and associated modules, the Grind, the DFAM. I look at the elegance of the Synthi and realise I was naive to think that's gonna be replicated just cos another synth has a patch bay, three VCOs, a filter.... Why do I need to be able to get stuff in my head and manage fine until it comes to modular? Yes, my brain is just too small to deal with all the possibilities, let alone remember whatever I did last. So it's always a slow, deliberate process. Maybe I need a rule that setup 2 is not for Friday afternoons or drunk/stoned times?

This morning's thinking (05:00 can't sleep) is that I should stop buying synths based on whether they're a pretty colour or to attempt to make a particular setup work. The Eurorack is always going to be mainly wallpaper, I need to admit it and stop wasting money on it! Bloody insomnia. Woke with 'reach for the stars' going round in a loop thanks to the bloody DJ last night. Another family do next week... and another week walking Broc (in the rain apparently). Not the start to the year I'd hoped for. Have to decide whethe to play EMOM but my head's all over the place and Tim talking about being unable ot play due to some work coming up. Oh well...

Ahem, HNY

 I wrote this little poem:

If you don't have a kazoo
A saxophone will do
(You can try and deny it
But we all know it's true)

Yeah, it's been that kind of break. I even contemplated trying to make some music unstoned and maybe even not drunk. Radical but feel like I want to impose a little order after wallowing in chaos for too long. May be related to the order/chaos strand I'm weaving deeper into 'From Beer To Eternity' as I continue my quest to discover one of the main character's motives for doing something that seems hard to justify. 

I suppose I must eventually listen to the thing I recorded on Boxing Day. Two directions I want to pursue : almost nothing happening very slowly and tight, organised structural pieces. 

Listened to the Boxing Day recording, deleted the video from Youtube, decided it was for the best. ;)
Admiring some of the additions to the Waldorf M, which is now stacked with stuff lifted from MI's open source wonders. So many companies have done this but I am curious how the M sounds in general, which is mad given I have the Wave cos I'm not gonna get one. Well, probably. Went for a walk with our Janet - dogs had a ball, Broc's hardly moved all afternoon or evening. Going for curry tomorrow. Did not leave house this evening though for EMOM. Should've but...

Well, I did it, I completed From Beer to Eternity to my satisfaction. I expect there will still be a few typos and sentences I can de-clutter but it's there, it's the story it always should have been. Best of all, elements that were present that felt disjointed are now, I'm confident, a coherent whole. Obviously for a story this complex I always did need to put in this amount of work but at least it's done. Will now sit on it a while, have a last quick edit in a few weeks before re-publishing. Nobody will read it, of course, but it'll be there as a far better example of what I can do than formerly. 

Happy New Year!

We went to Southport and it was lovely... until we tried jumping over a little stream and Pat did her ankle in. Then it was a very long, slow walk back to the car...