Well, I deleted all yesterday's string parts, added new ones I'm still not 100% happy with. Decided to leave off the bass, leave it light and airy. Only added a very simple occasional low drum and some cymbals that I may still remove.
I routed all the strings through the Xone VF-1 filter which is always worth trying. I think it came off in this case. See if you agree.

http://soundcloud.com/smokyfrog/where-once-was

My main library company didn't like the strings though so I guess this piece will have to remain "one for me". I may still do more though.

Started new track today, not totally sure what it's for but I like it. Piano and strings, I may have over-syruped the strings it's possible but it's a simple, self-enclosed track. OK, had to use some smoke and beer but I'm missing my sunday nights... more plans for it include a bass, tried a dubby one but I think a double bass is going to be the thing.

Today I had a wee smoke. As I've been abstaining lately it had a great effect. Wrote most of a chapter, getting towards a critical point and it's lining up nicely. Just the hard chapter and the fun chapter to do and some tidying up work I'm still undecided on. Didn't do any music but listened to VCMG and Man With No Name.

For no very good reason here's picture of me twiddling the old cutoff.

Another day of not much work. Paid Dave for the Analog Laboratory then sat and started to put it through its paces. Wrong order. :) I have to say after Diva it sounds lifeless and plastic and the SEM emulation is unconvincing, the filter really doesn't sound like a SEM and the envelopes are wrong. Yep, they did the stupid start at zero rookie mistake! Unless the beta version of AL has a bodged version of SEM for some reason. I reported it as a bug anyway so maybe it'll get fixed. Some reasonable sounds in the four thousand though and the minimal editing is probably going to be acceptable for library tunes.

Jessica Ennis just said "I'm literally speechless". Still, she's gorgeous.

Spent a few minutes with that free Minimoog. Seems to me they cocked up VCO3, hmm, did I point this out before? Getting old and repeating myself.

Had a lovely walk today up to the atom. It's a panopticon and looks like this:

Some twat had broken the central mirrorball that's meant to reflect all the different windows.
Those are my thoughts for today.

Blimey, looks like the new Mophox4 could have been made for me. Have been pondering getting a Mopho keyboard anyway but the size of this thing is perfect for my needs, even has a space for one of my Eventides.  Fingers crossed I can get one for review and really put it through its paces.
Awaiting possible news of a Prophet 600 too. Hoped I had first refusal on it but there's a possible swap deal lined up first. It'll need some work from Tony and maybe get Colin to rewrite the OS and  improve the envelopes (confident huh?) but it's a decent little budget poly.
Yesterday recorded a strange piece for "And Darkness Falls" using Synthi, Biscuit, Digisound, 101 and Perfourmer. Oh and theremin and Octatrack. Using Logic as a basic multitracker works quite well and a bit of compression and automation of volumes (to smooth over some of the stranger notes I tried) seems to be all it needs. I bet it sounds shit today though. Stuff I improvise unstoned often does.
New Cirklon OS went live yesterday, no comments yet. Swing working well I think but does still need track-level opt-out. Hopefully other stuff can progress now.
Wrote an app review last night, feeling at a loose end. No replies from library company I wrote to, must try harder to find work. But hey, today is sunny!

Read some great Gore Vidal quotes today, my fave being: "Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say and not giving a damn." I shall continue to dress in identical chequed shirts and spout rubbish. :)


There's also "A writer must always tell the truth, unless he is a journalist." so I very much hope to remain a writer...

I'm so vein...


http://soundcloud.com/smokyfrog/hashtag

Idled my day away yesterday, doing that too often. Still, today's sunny and the beach is calling. Why not? No music to write, a couple of app reviews but no hurry on those. Really will have to look for some proper work.... next week seems ideal for that. :)

Apparently they're talking about stretching the Hobbit to three films. Desperate, cynical, depressing. I spose LOTR turned into such a money-making machine they just couldn't resist.

The Grand Egg and Spoon starts today. More cynical money-making but thank heavens for Jessica Ennis and her cute bottom. Oh, and beach volleyball. Roll on it all being over!!

This blog appears to have mostly degenerated into my ramblings about work I'm not doing, or should be doing. It takes maybe a minute of my time to write and has no thought either, so any good ideas always occur later. I think I'm losing the plot, which reminds me...

Heartbeat stuff uploaded today, turns out they liked the early ambient ones after all so it's five tracks (including alt mixes) and edits. All done so I can return to "the infernal machine" and get that polished off.

first a spot of lunch methinks!