Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Weren't you at the Meeting?


The November meeting came and went. Little was said about the software I told you about. We had hamburgers and fries.

The office looks better now that we've started finally getting rid of the retired equipment, the monitors that don't work, the stacks of old computer keyboards, and the old PC frames, already stripped of RAM and hard drives. Now they are much better off in a pile somewhere. Somewhere not in the office.

I thought it would be hard to do, and I was a bit forlorn, but it passed. In honor of the move I had a Newcastle Brown Ale.

I want to also convert a room on the top floor to my occasional haunt, because I like the view from the window in there. I depend on setting to deliver mood. I seldom take mood to another place. Working around cats makes environmental stability an issue sometimes. They always have other plans and don't make those clear until you're up to your elbows in something eminent.

Suffering for art can take many forms.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

The What For
Just got Reason 5 (and Record 1.5) . . . Love it! These are some great systems. I've already fell in love with Neptune, the vocal pitch perfector and voice synthesizer. Whether I'll ever use the Kong Drum Designer, I don't know yet. I am still just messing around with basic instrument editing and recording.

It is both a blessing and a small curse that you can't use VST plug-ins with Reason. The small curse is small because Reason is a tight bit of code that is rock solid. (something VST can never quite claim onto)

The new mixer in Reason is fantastic. It emulates something that I know nothing about, but the little cartoon I get to look at makes life simpler at the touch of a button.

See you on the bitstream,

Robby.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

In The Name Of Expediency

To prevent racial profiling, everyone should have to show their travel papers when asked. Checkpoints should be established between each town, and cars should be searched by drug and bomb sniffing dogs, frequently, and as often as possible. Hiring millions of new guards and police officers and dogs will not only create jobs, but will ensure that I can travel freely from one checkpoint to the next. If I am mistaken for an illegal alien, I should be sent to Australia, or Canada for processing. On my return, I should have to stand in line to re-apply for citizenship, all at the government's expense of course. People should have to pass a drug test in order to vote, place a telephone call, or to buy a pack of rolling papers. Ice cream should be a severely controlled substance since obesity can lead to premature death. A twinky should require a doctor's prescription. Snickers should be banned outright. High fructose corn syrup should be outlawed in a zero tolerance double secret prohibition, but remain available on the black market, sold by shady mafia types primarily. If high fructose corn syrup becomes illegal then only criminals will have high fructose corn syrup, as it is a lethal weapon when wielded by fat people.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Is Brian Eno Really God?

I've seen it countless times, usually scratched into the paint on bathroom walls in clubs and universities, "Eno is God." Is it true?

I can only say that one of the properties of God is perfection, and Eno is not that. His voice is crappy. All his live stuff is like something produced in a garage some place. And yet, as a producer for David Bowie and Talking Heads, you'd have to say that his contribution was priceless, and beyond reproach. He made art, he is an artist, his art is good. The very fact that people continue to praise him in public restrooms must speak volumes about his influence on them.

But what makes the man special? He went where nobody went before? Is that it? He is a great composer? Really? Improvised everything? He tells people to just go with their feelings and somehow turns that into a finished product.

I think his free spirit just sort of lofts above the surface dwellers of this world in a heavenly fashion. That is the secret behind his proclivity for inspiring graffiti artists.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Flux Oersted on Corporate Records

I am releasing two albums plus some new material on Corporate Records, starting today. My own record label, Institute of Mimetic Sciences, inc. takes precedence, but I like the cut of their jib.

Flux Oersted on Corporate Records

These songs are still available on iTunes and Amazon.com, but Corporate Records just seemed like a logical alternative.

"Automatic for the people!"

Robby.

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Gilmore Sessions


David stopped by Self house last night for some guitar recording and collaboration on a new song. We've been planning this for some time, and it finally worked out. The guitar part has a jangly kind of REM flavor and is within 4 minutes long. David showed me how to play some accompaniment that he heard for the piece, and stressed a sort of "pushing" theme for the vocals.

He also expressed a desire for a kind of voice, similar to one we used on the Casio CZ-1000, that is similar to the "vox humana" voice on a memory moog. I have the closest thing in the OP-X Oberheim emulator, but may go with a Pro-53 voice for some of the parts.

We recorded the guitar in a neutral amp setting, so that we could build the rest of the song before deciding what kind of amp simulator to use. This is contrary to the Black Sabbath cover we recorded recently, where we wanted the "sound" first before recording.

I've been listening to the guitar track today and have pretty much settled on a vocal line and some of the lyrics, so progress is coming very easily for this one. I think the vocal tracks may enforce David's "pushing" meme, but be very pop oriented.

The accompaniment tracks are revealing themselves to be what David described, but also some good synth parts for the song.

Robby.

Friday, February 05, 2010

Did you know that my song, Sixteen and SINless was first mentioned in a William Gibson novel?

"Mona could see the sun through a couple of rips in the black plastic they kept taped over the window. She hated the squat too much to stay there when she was awake or straight, and now she was both. She was 16 and SINless, Mona, and this older trick had told her once that that was a song, "Sixteen and SINless." Meant that she hadn't been assigned a SIN when she was born, a Single Identification Number, so she grown up on the outside of most official systems. She knew that it was supposed to be possible to get a SIN, if you didn't have one, but it stood to reason you'd have to go to a building somewhere and talk to a suit, and that was a long way from Mona's idea of a good time or even normal behavior". -- From Mona Lisa Overdrive, by William Gibson. Published by Bantam in 1988

Monday, January 25, 2010

The width of a circle
Greetings for my first 2010 post. Activities have picked up at the Institute.

We are going through some advances in the facilities here at the Institute. Weatherization and painting have been ordered but not scheduled yet. Hopefully, those activities will not be too intrusive.

I'm starting to work on another musical theme, involving the usual suspects in terms of synthesizers and drum machines. Will let you know of progress there.

I had contact with Neil Bishop recently. He is one of the founders of Institute of Mimetic Sciences. He has given his blessings to our current record label aspirations, and some moral support for the rest of our activities. It seems he has started earthrover.net and is involved in some other mimetic research activities. We discussed ramping up IMS non-profit activities, but I declined, siting recent success as a record label, and my predilection with conversational systems outside the HuMimics realm of software systems. We give our thanks and best wishes to Neil, who continues to be available for consultations.

Sara has been involved in fund raising activities, and has helped us get grants in the form of weatherization, and other fund raisers. She is spearheading our January applications.

We remain thankful for our patronage and for the resources we've maintained.

Stay thirsty my friends, and don't let them know you're thinking.

Robby.