Home studio update

I am almost at the point where something have to go when something new comes with home studio. Almost. Connected everything to audio interface and there are only two channels free. I will keep them free incase I want to play guitar straight to computer and for those time I want to use something not connected to studio. Room is also running low. But there are couple small items still coming or at least in consideration. After those it is something comes something have to go.

It will helps with GAS when you have to give up something you like for something you might like. During last year I have got few “dream synths”. My dream synths are obtainable. Not something like CS-80 which is not realistic or even sensible for several reasons. I don’t count even Deckard’s Dream realistic. I could get the money but I can’t see myself spending that much money on synth at the moment. What I have in my studio is pretty much what I can think of owning with boundaries I have set.

Hardware synths have to have VST (or other) control which let me turn knobs on synth and it is recorded as automation in DAW. Unless it is eurorack compatible. More about that later. Current setup have almost all synths currently on market fitting the specification and which I actually want to have. I can’t think of anything I really want on market. That could change with new synths.

Having all synths with hands on control have made me appreciate hands on control. It is more rewarding to turn the knob than move the mouse. Before rearranging the flat I had to control most synth with mouse. Now every synths’ controls are easily available. I have started to use Pulse 2’s knobs. I thought I would use it only through VST controller but having the synth easily accessible has made me use the knobs. User interface is one of main reasons to have hardware synths.

I didn’t plan to have eurorack corner. BARP 2600 was going to be there for those times I felt like using modular. Then I realized I have room for 0-Coast. Also room for small eurorack case I already had where I could put modules to support 2600 and 0-Coast. Modules I mostly already have. So there will be small eurorack corner. We will see if that gets any use. Usually I tend to use synths with complete midi control when I do something with intention to release it. Eurorack is for meditation and trying weird ideas. That said last two videos feature BARP 2600.

Not sure how much money I will put into eurorack corner. I have rack plan in Modular Grid with three new modules I have wanted for sometime. Haven’t got them because didn’t have room for them on rack I had and didn’t use eurorack that much. I have used software versions of eurorack more than real eurorack. I want hands on control and ability to save and tweak patches later. Eurorack gives first but not second. Software gives second but not the first. Won’t get those three modules at first. I see how much I use ones I already have before getting more.

Goal is to have setup stable for years to come. There will be upgrades some of quite soon but everything should stay quite same. Nothing new with huge learning curves. More time on making music. Less time on learning new gear or planning new gear purchases. Learning existing gear take some time. Have made some purchases lately to get stuff I have dreamed about but it should be over now. Almost over.

Message from Forbidden Planet

I have been away from here for couple weeks. Rearranging my flat to studio took some time and energy. Now I can start drawing when I feel like. Same with music. Earlier I had to make some room before I could do it. There is still something to do but it is almost ready. Got bad idea after watching too many Make Noise videos. They have few videos of krell music. Wanted to try myself. You can see results from video below..

It has been so long since I recorded anything on my pocket camera I forgot it has 5 minutes limit for 4K video. Tested Full HD recording afterwards. It went well past 20 minutes. I think newer version of the camera don’t have that 5 minute limit. Not sure since I haven’t checked new cameras in few years. Next time I know to use Full HD. Video was quite quickly put together. Got idea in morning. Got long enough patch cables during the day. And video was almost done at night. Had to do some changes next day but it was almost done during one day. If I had patch cables on morning it would have been done in a day.

Home studio updates

I started to get back into making music. Plan is to have my flat to have small homestudio corner by end of the month. Something that I don’t need to setup every time I use it. I have decided what to have there. Finally got working Prophet 6. Bought one over three months ago. While playing with it I realized how useful resonant low pass and high pass filters working together can be. Remembered Analog Four can have both same time. Put it back into setup and realized how much you can actually do with it and how under utilized it has been in my music.

Analog Four found way into my setup. I was looking for something for otherworldly sounds. Something small. Was about to get Modal Argon 8M. I have rule not to buy digital hardware synth. But this time there was no analog synth doing what I wanted. Remembered Elektron has Digitone. Went to watch videos. It could do what I wanted. Somehow I got confused and thought it had something analog in signal path. It doesn’t. I realized it after buying one.

After getting one I have been in Elektron rabbit hole learning more and more about their machines. All the time learning something new. Machines are not perfect. I wish they have more functionality like Digitone should have more modulation option and Analog Four should give polyphonic sounds on track’s channel not on voice’s channel. Digitone works like that. OG Analog Four and Analog Rytm have limited audio over USB with Overbridge. Analog Four gives everything I want with 24 bit but Analog Rytm have serious limitations on that front.

When I got Analog Rytm I justified the price with not needing to buy another drum machine. From functionality’s point of view Analog Rytm is all I need. Seriously considering getting Mark II to have all tracks’ audio over USB. It is just quite expensive to get for little more convenience. OG have same sound capabilities. It would just be for how to get audio from the machine and more modern looks. What ever I decide to do there will be Analog Rytm in setup and no other drum machine is needed.

I watched video about GAS and how to deal with it. It told you should focus on manufacturers because their devices have similar workflows. I didn’t plan it but my setup will be around Sequential’s and Elektron’s gear. Three synths from Sequential and two plus drum machine from Elektron. Two or three synths from others. I just gravitated towards those two since I know their synths work in the way I want. For other brands it was always guessing and trying to find 3rd party vsts to control the synths. I would use more Novation synths if they made their own vst controllers and kept them up to date with latest firmware.

Wasn’t going to have that much Elektron until I gave Analog Four another change and found it worked like I wanted. Sequential gives sweet analog synth sounds and Elektron can do more complex stuff. If I didn’t already have other synths I would probably be fine with those two brands.

I am not sure what to do with other gear. I am really bad selling anything. Should probably start since I have lot of gear which doesn’t inspire anymore and just takes space and collects dust. All the synths I find inspiring are on setup and I don’t feel I need anything more. Besides getting new versions of Elektron’s Analog machines. If Elektron releases Digitone like wavetable synth I would be interested. Before you ask, I don’t find Syntakt that interesting. Already have drum machine and I am not that interested having a box which can do tons of monophonic sounds but can’t do real polyphony.

From Darwin to Uhura 20220801

It has been a while since I shared drawing or even draw anything. Had to binge some courses from Great Courses in Audible when they were still part of membership. Had quite extensive modern history course selection. One of courses argued Charles Darwin and Origin of Species had huge role changing world into what we have today. Was going to draw Darwin and someone else. Someone else turned out to be Nichelle Nichols’ Uhura. Her death was announce on day I draw this.

Drawing doesn’t have these persons randomly. Origin of Species was huge leap in scientific thinking. It can be seen as starting point of more scientific mindset. Few courses I took told history as relay from one important person to next. Drawing's idea is what Charles Darwin started could lead into Star Trek future. If you want a feel good story you should google what Martin Luther King told Nichelle when she planned to leave the show.

I have idea for comic/animation I would like to make. In current iteration of the idea one of the characters is partially based on Nichelle Nichols’ Uhura. Don’t know when or if I will make it. I try to find a way to get it from idea into something finished. Need to get animation or drawing skills better before I dare to try it. Found course I was looking for last time I tried animation. Maybe this time I can get far enough to actually get something out.

Bridge City Sinners 20220717

The Gallows Dance was the first band I saw after pandemic started. They opened for Bridge City Sinners. Both bands were good. It was weird to be in almost full small club. Previous time was almost three years ago in Oulu watching Necronomidol. I saw Babymetal after that but it wasn’t in small club. Everyone else seem to have moved on. I was only one wearing mask there. I had heard people getting covid lately. So I wanted to play it safely.

Back to use as much black as possible. Reference photo had parts of band members completely in shadow. It made sense to have more in black than in reference than trying to guess how legs should look. Libby has lot of tattoos. You can think she wears clothes hiding the tattoos. It is not that I am too lazy to draw her tattoos.

I end the post with videos from both bands.

The Monolith Monsters 20220706

How I had not heard anything about The Monolith Monsters (1957) until now? It is one of the more interesting 50’s science fiction movies. One without red scare and pretty competently made. Expanding silicon eating rocks have landed close to American small town. They start to expend. They move by expanding and breaking into smaller pieces. Interesting concept which I don’t remember seeing anywhere else. Movie was made on very different time. I wonder if this is the world conservatives dream of. Only white people everywhere and police can do anything because they are always doing the right thing.

I listen Relic Radio shows. Those are from same time. Some of those have same tone where hero can do anything because they are good guys. 50’s science fiction movies have notable feature of having everyone working for common good and nobody having their own agenda. This and The Thing Another World (1951) have journalist who want to write about events but both are talked out of it. It is quite a contrast to later science fiction where there almost have to be someone betraying others with their own hidden agendas.

Can you tell I didn’t use reference for the drawing? I attempted to make is look like rocks are breaking and top parts are falling. Didn’t get the movement I wanted. Looks too much like photo taken with really short exposure time.