Saturday, April 28, 2007

Moog Night

Yesterday I couldn't get it together to write anything because I got stuck on this Reynols kick and I was living very much in a blissful state of fandom so much so infact that when my friend Ben Taylor of Southside Guitars told me that he had found a pedal that I wanted I was laid back about getting my hands on it.

Today, a record hunting mission at the local library who were having their annual sale turned up a number of records by Avant heavy hitters like Stockhausen and Tudor.

Later I finally got down to music and spent most of the rest of the day playing with The Moog. Playing this thing just blows my fucking head off. I just kept coming up with patch after patch of stuff to improvise on. I think any more fun would have to be a sin.



Humorously, when I took a break I ended up bumping into this Electronic X-mas record pictured below at a bookstore. A perfect thing to play after making all that noise on my own Moog.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Bleep Labs vs. Doepfer




Here is the Bleep Labs Thingamagoop being processed and controlling a Doepfer A-121 Multimode Filter via the A-119 External In.

EXAMPLE 1
EXAMPLE 2

Moog Keyboard Mixer



I was going though some audio tracks for a post I wanted to do and found one that was processed through the spring reverb of this mixer and I thought I'd post a little thing about the mixer it's self.

According to my friend Mike Bucki of Modusonics (formally Moog CE) between 12 and 16 were made in the early 80's. The reverb circuit comes from the Lab series amps. These were not production models and if I remember correctly from an early conversation, they were used by touring Moog artists doing gear demos.

Believe it or not I don't recall this one's history but I'm sure it saw a Ramada Inn and probably had a mixed drink or two spilled on it by a guy with a flower printed shirt playing a Poly.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Nothing's more fun then a 2600



After 2 hours of patching and playing one can help but feel good. In fact it makes total sense that it was used for Star Wars.

One of these days I am going to have to buy an ARP Sequencer just because it's right and it'll hang nicely with the 2600 and Odyssey.

Flo & Eddie talk business

Thanks to my legal council for pointing this out:
Go to Youtube and watch it!

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

my fuzzy and distorted history in overdrive

Most people who play guiar go through a fair amount of distortion, fuzz and overdrive pedals before they find one that works for them at least in the majority of siuations.

My first pedal was an MXR Distortion+, the guitar player I played with at the time had a Electro Harmonix Big Muff Pi which was the only other logical choice at the time. Later I briefly used a Boss Super Feedbacker Distortion which would have been great if I liked that squealing Strat sound, which I don't and infact have most of my life chosen semi hollowbodys.

After switching to a Rat 2 and being much happier I still managed a fling with a Tech 21 XXL, which I know is totally unhip but I think it's an under rated pedal. Finally I stayed with the Rat for good.

Over the years I have built up a vast collection of fuzz boxes. Many classics, weirdos and so many that really are cool. I am amazed at the variation on what can be done with a few parts and am always on the look out for pedals, especially square wave 60's fuzzes with a small part count.

Although The Rat is what I reach for to play I do use other pedals on recordings, switching effects for different parts of songs can add flow to tracks. Some have such specific sound that may only work in certain passages and of course with specific guitar and amp combinations.

As a long time user of The Rat distortion pedal I was was very excited to find this page. Personally I use both a "Tone knob" Rat and a Rat 2.

Some of my favorites for recording include the Maestro Bass Brassmaster, MGI Fuzz (which I think is the same as a Clark) and the Fender Blender. I also often use the SansAmp on certain guitars.

Monday, April 23, 2007

GEAR LUST

The following is a list of some of the new gear I've been dreaming of this year.

Enjoy my perversions (in no particular order):

I have always enjoyed Theremin, long before the obnoxious trend made them into a misunderstood novelty and a bad noise joke The Eowave Persephone has the ability to slide from one note to another but is configured more like a ribbon controller. It's an elegant thing really.

I've been a fan of the whole MoogerFooger line and have bought most of them. The Moog Music MF-107 FreqBox looks like a winner to me, whether it's another EH Microsynth type of thing or something new I'll bet I love it.

The thing about AudioCubes is that they look fun. Now don't get me wrong, I can't foresee someone doing a riveting and rocking live performance with them BUT in the studio or if one is just feeling arty...

okay, anyone who likes Speak & Spells is going to dig the Flame MIDI Talking Synth

We all know that touch screens are whats happening. Here are a few products that make music fun and touchable. Mononome Korg Kaoss Pad KP3, Electroplankton

For the modular lover who doesn't want his or her waveforms stock: Wiard synthesizers

Ciat-Lonbarde electronics makes electronic instruments that look like art and sound like lizards gnawing at your temples.

Continuum is the coolist controller for the Microtonal set

You can filter out or duck quak to death anything with Ebbe und Flut

A special mention needs to go to Bleep Labs who's product not only cute and fun but also works nicely with modulars. For an idea of it's size, see it pictured below with an Oberheim SEM and Steiner Microcon.


A lot of gear comes out each year and only small amount of it finds it's way into my fantasies, even less will make the final cut in terms of what I think is worth plunking down hard earned cash on. Aside from having to be 1. good 2. something that inspires creativity and 3. special

Plus I do have an ongoing habit with Doepfer who keep putting out interesting and affordable modules for their A-100 modular Synthesizer.

the salesman part doo

*************************** UPDATE *******************

Amazingly, the sales person responded to my E-mail DIDN'T call me an "asshole" and expressed that he had indeed checked my resume (which he referred to as "impressive") and said that he was aware of the scope of my interests and leanings.

Well what does a smart ass fucker like me do with that?

I commended him for not choosing to take the bait and start a pissing contest and explained clearly what type of things he may want to let me know about should his place of employment end up with an exclusive on sales.

the salesman

I have gotten a bunch of E-mails from a sales person with whom I have never done business with from a company I have done some business with but not in some time. I believe s/he has just started their job and has taken over someone elses territory and phone list.

Having had several of these E-mails and actual phone calls to the studio, I felt that I should respond with an E-mail to clarify. Perhaps I am being a dick, but on my property I am the biggest dick and that's my right as the guy who pays the bills.

Enjoy:

Hi _____,

As I have been doing music professionally since 1978 and mainly use custom and boutique equipment you are probably barking at the wrong person.

Although I do have to rely on places like your place of employment for some things, it is this type of impersonal, yet assumtive salemanship that keeps me from wanting to even comminicate.

I understand that it is the nature of a sale job that dictates a need to be aggressive in order to succeed, however it is also this very approach that causes the unfair prosumption that all salemen are pushy.

My advice to you is to put me on your "don't contact" list and should you wish to at some point develop a good business relationship with me at some future time, please consider researching my specific needs and interests instead of typing my first name into a generic piece of text.

I wish you luck, and hope that you appreciate that I actually thought about responding to your E-mail directly as oppoosed to cutting and pasting.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Resume of the future

I think that with the advent of the compact disc there are many people who work in the audio industry who make their whole living dealing soley with the past.

The main "professional" thing I do is restoration and mastering of old Punk stuff for either re-release or as a retrospective release. I joke that my resume is begining to look like I stopped working in the late 70's or early 80's.

I find this work to be generally rewarding because as a fan I love the music it's self and as a musicologist I feel like I am helping to set history right.

As we speak I am listening to what should be the upcoming Terrorists release.