Pat heading north with auntie Margaret leaving me to my own devices for a few days. I pottered with the JD this morning for an hour or so and fancy moving into the Dark Studio later on. Feels quite cold and it's always warmer in there. May try and do that catchy one as a short track for ANT as I don't think the last one I submitted was all that great (although Don has done a decent song over it). If I turn the Mac on I'll try and make it worthwhile - but I realise I could test out recording on the H4n too.
I'll crack on with the novel too as that's been neglected for a few days. It's weird knowing where it's going and what's going to happen, kinda takes the buzz out of getting stoned, opening the laptop and find out by writing it. Hope to still incorporate that kind of experience into the process because it's enjoyable.
Recorded a couple of things.Wrote some novel stuff but started to get side-tracked in the whole dream angle of it. Must either keep those sections really short or gather them all together at the end. Another of my many gimmicks. I could just have Herbal Jeff remember stuff randomly but that feels like a cop-out .
Watched some Mr Robot and even a Witcher, despite it being crap. Too Much Input. Does not help the writing or anything. The first track I recorded today needs a loose dubby bassline, which I'll do tomorrow on Cirklon so I can record unquantized. Good day even if house is currently a tip. Jasper alright but not good with pink pills. Slipping into cheese tomorrow morning, that used to work and I have mild squishy cheese now.
Hah! It's Saturday and I've done quite a lot of writing, all good fun too. Still in pink pill trials with dog.
Am deviating a LOT from my original pace in terms of what happens in each chapter, which is probably fine. Flowing well.
Monday, Pat home, I have four chapters and I feel the pace is cranking up faster than I planned. Indeed, the plan is rapidly going out of the window although it's really the fine detail stuff now, which is normal. Did nothing worthwhile musically, indeed I left the studio off on Sat/Sun. Going to take Jasper for a walk now and hopefully boost his appetite.
Withdrew my ad for the Mono Circuit though. I should keep it as a reminder not to buy things without thinking. The RK-005 too as it came in useful the other day.
It's Mozart's birthday today. I fancy cake.
Monday 27 January 2020
Thursday 23 January 2020
JD-XA bedding in
Well, seems that the mod wheel is buggered. Which is a shame because it's the wheel I most want to use. Hopefully it can be replaced and not cost a lot.
Slight pain is that Roland won't let regular humans order spare parts directly - only authorised dealers. I'm trying to persuade Oliver, a guy I've dealt with before, to help or at least tell me what to do.
In other news I programmed my first patches on it - some layered and split stuff using the analogue voices in 4-voice mode. Great stuff so far - made patches I can built on. I have also moved it into the studio of light so I can see the panel. Was thinking that it could pair up with the RC-505 as a complete stand-alone thing. The more I limit myself the better, as we know.
The H4n Pro turned up and my buyer's remorse has gone as it's a lovely, chunky thing that could be really good for location work and multitrack too.
Pat's off for the weekend, leaving me all that lovely contiguous studio time. If inspired I might try and finish the piano album. It really needs one more good coherent track plus a nebulous, warm bath kind of a track to make a worthwhile.
Jasper seems to have having arse problems again. Tail down, back legs trembling. Vet time and probably more antibiotics I guess.
Not too sure why I found this street light fascinating.
Thursday was a good day for the JD-XA. Well, apart from Roland being awkward about sending spare parts unless I'm a store. Matt will sort for me. I worked on a bunch of sounds in Bank C using the sequencer to add a drone over which other digital parts can play or the analogue parts solo.Works really well starting and stopping the sequencer manually moving between patches and playing along to an unsynced groove. That could well be what I get up to tomorrow afternoon. Very meditational. Using the banks as keys, like the Octatrack, making everything effortless. And I really like effortless.
Struggled to get pill into Jasper despite wrapping in cheese then chicken. He was not happy I forced it in. A few days of arse-rubbing and pill forcing ahead. Am determined though. Vet says he has two hermias and lots of fibrous tissue making shitting tough. May need op but really hope not. He's too old.
I bought a moderate amount of beer so Pat won't worry when she's away. :)
Slight pain is that Roland won't let regular humans order spare parts directly - only authorised dealers. I'm trying to persuade Oliver, a guy I've dealt with before, to help or at least tell me what to do.
In other news I programmed my first patches on it - some layered and split stuff using the analogue voices in 4-voice mode. Great stuff so far - made patches I can built on. I have also moved it into the studio of light so I can see the panel. Was thinking that it could pair up with the RC-505 as a complete stand-alone thing. The more I limit myself the better, as we know.
The H4n Pro turned up and my buyer's remorse has gone as it's a lovely, chunky thing that could be really good for location work and multitrack too.
Pat's off for the weekend, leaving me all that lovely contiguous studio time. If inspired I might try and finish the piano album. It really needs one more good coherent track plus a nebulous, warm bath kind of a track to make a worthwhile.
Jasper seems to have having arse problems again. Tail down, back legs trembling. Vet time and probably more antibiotics I guess.
Not too sure why I found this street light fascinating.
Thursday was a good day for the JD-XA. Well, apart from Roland being awkward about sending spare parts unless I'm a store. Matt will sort for me. I worked on a bunch of sounds in Bank C using the sequencer to add a drone over which other digital parts can play or the analogue parts solo.Works really well starting and stopping the sequencer manually moving between patches and playing along to an unsynced groove. That could well be what I get up to tomorrow afternoon. Very meditational. Using the banks as keys, like the Octatrack, making everything effortless. And I really like effortless.
Struggled to get pill into Jasper despite wrapping in cheese then chicken. He was not happy I forced it in. A few days of arse-rubbing and pill forcing ahead. Am determined though. Vet says he has two hermias and lots of fibrous tissue making shitting tough. May need op but really hope not. He's too old.
I bought a moderate amount of beer so Pat won't worry when she's away. :)
Wednesday 15 January 2020
OP-1 gone, JD-XA arrived
I swapped a neat little thing for a big ugly thing. Means a bit of a swap around, the Virus Polar once again being removed. It'll probably go back into its box soon but I am now very aware that the Osmose, when it arrives, will need a space too.
UPS say the JD will arrive by the end of day. I hope they don't mean end of days, because that won't leave me much time to play it.
I advertised the Mono Circuit, just because. And the RK-005 too. I *think* the metronome out of the JD-XA sequencer might be sufficient to drive the Juno 6 arpeggiator; we'll see.
In other news, I have started the new novel. I wrote the prologue and chapter 1 then immediately realised I'd forgotten something. I expect this will happen a lot. However, it is much easier to write when you already know what should happen in each chapter. It's like playing a known tune is easier than improvising because you can put more into how you play.
It's grey and miserable and rainy. Such events now have names and this one is called Brendan, or Brandon, or Bramley or something.
The JD-XA arrived and I could find no way of wiping all its patches, so have started at A01 with something very basic I'll build on. Weird, and I should maybe have pointed this out in the review, but you can't turn parts 'off' - just set to a different MIDI channel or wonky key range I guess. I think I will probably not use its sequencer much and just have it as a thing to play. If I keep it, one of those overlays would be good - one with the text printed legibly.
Hilarious, the day after my JD arrived one appears in the SOS ads in Cumbria for £600. Sigh...
It's a beautiful Wednesday and I can't help thinking I should not spend it gazing at a synth. In other news, Tony the invisible lizard became Gary the dream lizard.
UPS say the JD will arrive by the end of day. I hope they don't mean end of days, because that won't leave me much time to play it.
I advertised the Mono Circuit, just because. And the RK-005 too. I *think* the metronome out of the JD-XA sequencer might be sufficient to drive the Juno 6 arpeggiator; we'll see.
In other news, I have started the new novel. I wrote the prologue and chapter 1 then immediately realised I'd forgotten something. I expect this will happen a lot. However, it is much easier to write when you already know what should happen in each chapter. It's like playing a known tune is easier than improvising because you can put more into how you play.
It's grey and miserable and rainy. Such events now have names and this one is called Brendan, or Brandon, or Bramley or something.
The JD-XA arrived and I could find no way of wiping all its patches, so have started at A01 with something very basic I'll build on. Weird, and I should maybe have pointed this out in the review, but you can't turn parts 'off' - just set to a different MIDI channel or wonky key range I guess. I think I will probably not use its sequencer much and just have it as a thing to play. If I keep it, one of those overlays would be good - one with the text printed legibly.
Hilarious, the day after my JD arrived one appears in the SOS ads in Cumbria for £600. Sigh...
It's a beautiful Wednesday and I can't help thinking I should not spend it gazing at a synth. In other news, Tony the invisible lizard became Gary the dream lizard.
Friday 3 January 2020
New Year, trying to remember why I bought that RK-005
I think it's because someone recommended it, but I can't for the life of me see why I didn't go for the cheaper Kenton instead, especially as the Kenton comes with a power supply and this fecker doesn't. I suspect it may have been the gate output, which is supposed to trigger my Juno 6 arpeggiator (but didn't when I tried it). Could be I've got my ring and tip mixed up - don't snigger you at the back there! Can happen to anyone, especially someone advancing in years but not maturity.
The OP-1 has made some groovy noises when sequenced via MIDI though and you can sync its tape recorder too, so I will plan another bonding session with it. Suspect I'd still sell it if anyone had a spare £800 though.
Aha, the ever-wise Gaz reminded me that the RK-005 will talk to a hub and therefore more devices than the Kenton. I will probably need to be stoned again to get into a receptive enough state to know what that means and how it might apply to me. This I will achieve today.
Thought for the day:
* I do things without thinking. Or rather, without fully emerging from the alternate reality environment which runs inside my head.
* This has been my modus operandi for decades, if not forever.
* And yet.
* WHENEVER I do something without thinking, Pat expresses extreme surprise, disbelief and disappointment.
* I have no solution to this.
* Today I cut a cake without first removing it from the tin it was in, thus exposing the tin to danger of being scratched.
* At the time I was still trying to solve the problem of Tony the invisible lizard and his motives for helping out Herbal Jeff.
It's now Friday! I did my tax return last night after a vast takeaway, plus cake.
I think it will be a drone and ambience afternoon but with echoey beats. Those are the sounds going through my mind and I think about lizard factions and their repercussions.
Must order a new power supply for that Mod Factor...
The OP-1 has made some groovy noises when sequenced via MIDI though and you can sync its tape recorder too, so I will plan another bonding session with it. Suspect I'd still sell it if anyone had a spare £800 though.
Aha, the ever-wise Gaz reminded me that the RK-005 will talk to a hub and therefore more devices than the Kenton. I will probably need to be stoned again to get into a receptive enough state to know what that means and how it might apply to me. This I will achieve today.
Thought for the day:
* I do things without thinking. Or rather, without fully emerging from the alternate reality environment which runs inside my head.
* This has been my modus operandi for decades, if not forever.
* And yet.
* WHENEVER I do something without thinking, Pat expresses extreme surprise, disbelief and disappointment.
* I have no solution to this.
* Today I cut a cake without first removing it from the tin it was in, thus exposing the tin to danger of being scratched.
* At the time I was still trying to solve the problem of Tony the invisible lizard and his motives for helping out Herbal Jeff.
It's now Friday! I did my tax return last night after a vast takeaway, plus cake.
I think it will be a drone and ambience afternoon but with echoey beats. Those are the sounds going through my mind and I think about lizard factions and their repercussions.
Must order a new power supply for that Mod Factor...
Wednesday 1 January 2020
Soon everyone will have 2020 vision
I'm really surprised Labour didn't promise that during their campaign, as they promised pretty much everything else (except an ability to collaborate with other parties to oppose the Tories).
OK, it's been another truly shit year for politics, with pygmy personalities scurrying about, completely failing to learn from their past mistakes, indeed so locked in the past that they ignored the awful future they helped create. Once again a simple, stupid slogan was enough for the Little Englanders and once again the other side were unable to think of a counter slogan.
That's enough of that. Well, except to say that I expect it to get rough from now on. Rougher.
Let's see, this year I:
managed to upset a saxophone player by comparing his sound to a kazoo. OK, I didn't actually listen to it but jokingly suggested the kazoo similarity anyway. That's Twitter for you, lots of folks with no sense of humour but very short fuses. And saxophones, apparently.
played a small gig in Preston which went quite well. First time in ages someone asked to buy a CD and, of course, I hadn't taken any.
didn't go on holiday. Oh wait, yes I did, we went to Centerparcs for a few days, which was about long enough to leave auntie Margaret looking after house, horse and dog. Don't think we can do it again, which is a shame.
I was very productive, making lots of music, really enjoying my studio and retirement. Got to enjoy these things before a complete financial collapse comes in which the very rich will probably need to seize all my pension money.
discovered I can't remember much about this year beyond a few months of now.
decided I'm not going to buy any more (modern) Korg synths. They just don't care to get the software right. I reported an error the day after getting my Minilogue xd and, when they eventually acknowledged and said they would fix, turned out to be just fobbing me off so I don't make a fuss. May just be the one UK support guy who doesn't like me but fuck 'em.
backed off from most of my review work, realised that eurorack bores the shit out of me most of the time.
Today I:
fixed that Zoom FX return
swapped position of Reface YC and Ody to let me play organ via 5-oct keyboard and access/ record drawbars at same time.
Moved Biscuit back to ER-1 as I really needed its quick sculpting abilities. Will get ModFX PSU sorted.
Recorded yet another quick mix of the new one, very unadorned. Still not definitive but no rush.
OK, last pix of the year, gathered from my phone.
Flicking channels last night I chanced across 'Idiocracy'. In my foggy mental state, it was really tough to accept it was not a documentary.
Right, it's January 1st, the birds are singing, nesting and mating, the sun is shining, Spring thinks it's here. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about...
OK, it's been another truly shit year for politics, with pygmy personalities scurrying about, completely failing to learn from their past mistakes, indeed so locked in the past that they ignored the awful future they helped create. Once again a simple, stupid slogan was enough for the Little Englanders and once again the other side were unable to think of a counter slogan.
That's enough of that. Well, except to say that I expect it to get rough from now on. Rougher.
Let's see, this year I:
managed to upset a saxophone player by comparing his sound to a kazoo. OK, I didn't actually listen to it but jokingly suggested the kazoo similarity anyway. That's Twitter for you, lots of folks with no sense of humour but very short fuses. And saxophones, apparently.
played a small gig in Preston which went quite well. First time in ages someone asked to buy a CD and, of course, I hadn't taken any.
didn't go on holiday. Oh wait, yes I did, we went to Centerparcs for a few days, which was about long enough to leave auntie Margaret looking after house, horse and dog. Don't think we can do it again, which is a shame.
I was very productive, making lots of music, really enjoying my studio and retirement. Got to enjoy these things before a complete financial collapse comes in which the very rich will probably need to seize all my pension money.
discovered I can't remember much about this year beyond a few months of now.
decided I'm not going to buy any more (modern) Korg synths. They just don't care to get the software right. I reported an error the day after getting my Minilogue xd and, when they eventually acknowledged and said they would fix, turned out to be just fobbing me off so I don't make a fuss. May just be the one UK support guy who doesn't like me but fuck 'em.
backed off from most of my review work, realised that eurorack bores the shit out of me most of the time.
Today I:
fixed that Zoom FX return
swapped position of Reface YC and Ody to let me play organ via 5-oct keyboard and access/ record drawbars at same time.
Moved Biscuit back to ER-1 as I really needed its quick sculpting abilities. Will get ModFX PSU sorted.
Recorded yet another quick mix of the new one, very unadorned. Still not definitive but no rush.
OK, last pix of the year, gathered from my phone.
Flicking channels last night I chanced across 'Idiocracy'. In my foggy mental state, it was really tough to accept it was not a documentary.
Right, it's January 1st, the birds are singing, nesting and mating, the sun is shining, Spring thinks it's here. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about...
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