this is tentative. further changes will be very minor.
i've been having difficulty mixing the bass from the start. i can hear now that it's picking up some kind of oscillation that is making it basically impossible to control for in the other room. but, i've heard enough of it to conclude that this is very likely final.
i need to test through other playback sources before i can close it.
but, presuming it's closed, the record is, too.
initially written in 1996. recreated in feb, 1998. reclaimed july 12, 2015. remixed over dec, 2015. this mix is from dec 31, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/while-i-cant-always-convince-myself-that-my-paranoia-is-frivolous-i-can-effectively-control-how-it-affects-others
Thursday, December 31, 2015
publishing electronic pieces in a primitive style (inri066)
this record is now finished.
==
when i sat down to complete my discography in 2013, one of the ideas that immediately jumped out was to try and reinterpret some of the inri tracks from the late 1990s as modern pieces. as i believed that my source tapes were unusable at the time (which i eventually realized was not the case - see inri024), the conditions for this being a workable project would need to be the existence of the original drum tracks, along with the existence of some midi files.
i was gifted my ry30 in the summer of 1997 to compensate for the loss of my drum kit and studio space, but i did not have any recording gear again until christmas. so, i spent the fall programming the drum machine and teaching myself the basics of sequencing and sound design, using the primitive tools i had available to me. by the time i got my four track, as well as my jx-8p, the ry30 was full, and re-recording my first songs was just a matter of transferring the completed material from the electronic equipment to tape. so, i initially considered making a companion ep to inrisampled that would document my time spent programming the ry30 along with my time spent learning how to manipulate sound. the difference between the drum tracks at this stage and the initial collage experiments, however, is that the drum tracks were not complete songs. so, this was abandoned due to the product being a little dry. but, i still wanted to make an ep around the ry30, perhaps by orchestrating the existing companion midi tracks.
this idea then quickly merged with what would become thru (inri070) and eventually discarded itself within itself when it was realized that the existing midi files for the 90s material were too sparse to really utilize, especially in comparison to the midi files from the early 00s. thru was deleted and then resuscitated over the course of 2014 and 2015, eventually releasing in mid 2015 as a 2001-2003 project, leaving the 90s material in the dustbin of my own history.
it was in june, 2015 that i realized that the source tapes were usable after all, and cycled back around to the beginning of the reconstruction in order to complete the relevant tracks as instrumental pieces. this idea kind of recreated itself in the nature of the source tapes, as i had bounced all of the electronics together into the same channel as a mixing step, back in the 90s. so, i found myself with these ready-to-publish electronic tracks right off the tape that incorporated a combination of the ry30 tracks, jx-8p parts, soundblaster programs, zoom 1010 noises and cool edit experiments. all they really needed was a little attention on the mastering.
i flipped this over, in the end: what each of these tracks are is their final album mixes, with the guitar and bass parts deleted (unless the bass was done on a synthesizer). so, there was some post-production added over 2015 in the form of updated soundfonts, digital mastering and digital effects processing. but, these are really flourishes on the existing tracks.
it was at the end of dec, 2015 that further similar electronics-only ry30-centric remixes were creating for some later songs, as well, thereby filling out the disc and closing the project.
i sold my ry30 in may, 2003 to raise money to go to british columbia. my logic was that i'd really maximized what i was going to get out of it, and that i'd already discarded it, anyways: by that time, i'd been writing drum parts in the scorewriter for a few years already, and had barely touched the ry30 in a long time. but, i regret that decision, in hindsight. and, i expect to pick up another one, one day.
originally written, programmed and recorded from 1996-2002. reclaimed & remixed from june to december of 2015. initial completion date was december 31, 2015. as always, please use headphones.
credits:
j - drum & other programming, orchestral & other sequencing, guitar effects, digital effects processing, digital wave editing, synthesizers, loops, vocal noises & relics, sampling, sound design, production
the various rendered electronic orchestras include organ, sitar, bells, synthesizer effects, tuba, saxophone, flute, clarinet, orchestra hit, piano, violin, viola, cello, contrabass and various full string sections
released april 22, 2003
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/electronic-pieces-in-a-primitive-style
==
when i sat down to complete my discography in 2013, one of the ideas that immediately jumped out was to try and reinterpret some of the inri tracks from the late 1990s as modern pieces. as i believed that my source tapes were unusable at the time (which i eventually realized was not the case - see inri024), the conditions for this being a workable project would need to be the existence of the original drum tracks, along with the existence of some midi files.
i was gifted my ry30 in the summer of 1997 to compensate for the loss of my drum kit and studio space, but i did not have any recording gear again until christmas. so, i spent the fall programming the drum machine and teaching myself the basics of sequencing and sound design, using the primitive tools i had available to me. by the time i got my four track, as well as my jx-8p, the ry30 was full, and re-recording my first songs was just a matter of transferring the completed material from the electronic equipment to tape. so, i initially considered making a companion ep to inrisampled that would document my time spent programming the ry30 along with my time spent learning how to manipulate sound. the difference between the drum tracks at this stage and the initial collage experiments, however, is that the drum tracks were not complete songs. so, this was abandoned due to the product being a little dry. but, i still wanted to make an ep around the ry30, perhaps by orchestrating the existing companion midi tracks.
this idea then quickly merged with what would become thru (inri070) and eventually discarded itself within itself when it was realized that the existing midi files for the 90s material were too sparse to really utilize, especially in comparison to the midi files from the early 00s. thru was deleted and then resuscitated over the course of 2014 and 2015, eventually releasing in mid 2015 as a 2001-2003 project, leaving the 90s material in the dustbin of my own history.
it was in june, 2015 that i realized that the source tapes were usable after all, and cycled back around to the beginning of the reconstruction in order to complete the relevant tracks as instrumental pieces. this idea kind of recreated itself in the nature of the source tapes, as i had bounced all of the electronics together into the same channel as a mixing step, back in the 90s. so, i found myself with these ready-to-publish electronic tracks right off the tape that incorporated a combination of the ry30 tracks, jx-8p parts, soundblaster programs, zoom 1010 noises and cool edit experiments. all they really needed was a little attention on the mastering.
i flipped this over, in the end: what each of these tracks are is their final album mixes, with the guitar and bass parts deleted (unless the bass was done on a synthesizer). so, there was some post-production added over 2015 in the form of updated soundfonts, digital mastering and digital effects processing. but, these are really flourishes on the existing tracks.
it was at the end of dec, 2015 that further similar electronics-only ry30-centric remixes were creating for some later songs, as well, thereby filling out the disc and closing the project.
i sold my ry30 in may, 2003 to raise money to go to british columbia. my logic was that i'd really maximized what i was going to get out of it, and that i'd already discarded it, anyways: by that time, i'd been writing drum parts in the scorewriter for a few years already, and had barely touched the ry30 in a long time. but, i regret that decision, in hindsight. and, i expect to pick up another one, one day.
originally written, programmed and recorded from 1996-2002. reclaimed & remixed from june to december of 2015. initial completion date was december 31, 2015. as always, please use headphones.
credits:
j - drum & other programming, orchestral & other sequencing, guitar effects, digital effects processing, digital wave editing, synthesizers, loops, vocal noises & relics, sampling, sound design, production
the various rendered electronic orchestras include organ, sitar, bells, synthesizer effects, tuba, saxophone, flute, clarinet, orchestra hit, piano, violin, viola, cello, contrabass and various full string sections
released april 22, 2003
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/electronic-pieces-in-a-primitive-style
rebroadcasting the imminent completion of electronic pieces in a primitive style (inri066)
this is one of two full remix compilations that will be finished in the next several hours. this compilation focuses on the electronic soundscapes underlying some of my late 90s work. the full instrumental remix record will be finished shortly.
i haven't finalized a number for this yet, but it will probably be inri047 - and i'll probably relabel some things after it.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/electronic-pieces-in-a-primitive-style
i haven't finalized a number for this yet, but it will probably be inri047 - and i'll probably relabel some things after it.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/electronic-pieces-in-a-primitive-style
idischzo
so, this version got done first.
i think that the track is actually fine, it's just that the static this morning is a little bit strong. we'll see if i'm right and it fades over the day.
initially written in 1996. recreated in feb, 1998. reclaimed july 12, 2015. reprogrammed and reconstructed on dec 31, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/idischzo
i think that the track is actually fine, it's just that the static this morning is a little bit strong. we'll see if i'm right and it fades over the day.
initially written in 1996. recreated in feb, 1998. reclaimed july 12, 2015. reprogrammed and reconstructed on dec 31, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/idischzo
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
28-12-2015: viewless & idiotic
tracks worked on in this vlog:
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/young-people-have-informed-and-defined-views-that-should-not-be-discarded-off-hand-due-to-their-age
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/nicotine-actually-has-relatively-useful-properties-as-a-stimulant
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/young-people-have-informed-and-defined-views-that-should-not-be-discarded-off-hand-due-to-their-age
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/nicotine-actually-has-relatively-useful-properties-as-a-stimulant
finalizing nicotine actually has relatively useful properties as a stimulant
i took a look at what i could do with the files from this track and concluded i couldn't do a whole lot. to begin with, the tape was warped over the start of the track. second, a lot of the detail was added in at the wave editing stage, and consequently cannot be reconstructed. so, remastering it became a non-starter. further, without the extra flourishes, the electronics only version is pretty boring.
but, the track does belong in the concept of this record - if it were excluded, it would be the only major track to be excluded (except "too cold", which i do not have tapes for).
as it happens to be, though, this is the only track from this period that i kept an instrumental copy of. so, i've just run it through the mastering effects i've used for the other tracks, for consistency, and uploaded as is.
there's one more track left. this will really be done by the end of the year!
initially written in 1997. recreated over the summer of 1998. remastered on dec 29, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/nicotine-actually-has-relatively-useful-properties-as-a-stimulant
but, the track does belong in the concept of this record - if it were excluded, it would be the only major track to be excluded (except "too cold", which i do not have tapes for).
as it happens to be, though, this is the only track from this period that i kept an instrumental copy of. so, i've just run it through the mastering effects i've used for the other tracks, for consistency, and uploaded as is.
there's one more track left. this will really be done by the end of the year!
initially written in 1997. recreated over the summer of 1998. remastered on dec 29, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/nicotine-actually-has-relatively-useful-properties-as-a-stimulant
finalizing young people have informed and defined views that should not be discarded off hand due to their age
this track is also closed. i have two more tracks to analyze before this record closes.
the trick was that i had accidentally stumbled upon an error in my copy of cubase: when you duplicate a track, it seems to reproduce itself slightly misaligned. this opened up a lot of space for wave interference in the higher harmonics, which created a little bit of distortion in the high end of the bass guitar - a slightly unusual effect. but, when you reopen the track, it realigns properly - which was just overloading the bass guitar.
it was when i was finally able to reproduce the error that the mix came into focus.
initially written in 1996. recreated over 1998 and finalized in dec, 1998. reclaimed july 19, 2015. corrected to control for malfunctioning electronics on dec 29, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/young-people-have-informed-and-defined-views-that-should-not-be-discarded-off-hand-due-to-their-age
the trick was that i had accidentally stumbled upon an error in my copy of cubase: when you duplicate a track, it seems to reproduce itself slightly misaligned. this opened up a lot of space for wave interference in the higher harmonics, which created a little bit of distortion in the high end of the bass guitar - a slightly unusual effect. but, when you reopen the track, it realigns properly - which was just overloading the bass guitar.
it was when i was finally able to reproduce the error that the mix came into focus.
initially written in 1996. recreated over 1998 and finalized in dec, 1998. reclaimed july 19, 2015. corrected to control for malfunctioning electronics on dec 29, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/young-people-have-informed-and-defined-views-that-should-not-be-discarded-off-hand-due-to-their-age
Monday, December 28, 2015
Sunday, December 27, 2015
announcing electronic pieces in a primitive style (inri066)
some major updates to my discography will be completed and finalized over the next few days.
one of the bigger changes is the introduction of this record, which will be sequenced in the compilations section at the end of my second period. it's an idea i've been slowly cultivating for quite a while, and has finally taken shape.
it is conceptually similar to the thru compilation, but it utilizes a different collection of gear. for thru, the focus was on scorewriting and reproducing those scores using software synthesizers - it's entirely computer generated music. this material was initially scored out over 2001 and 2002 and initially meant to be played by live musicians, so little attempt was made to utilize the gear i had around me to actually create anything out of it. this had to wait until my most recent active phase, where i completed the tracks using a mixture of vst technology and live recording - but the thru compilation is purely vst-based.
this takes a similar approach to some of the material i recorded from 1998-2000, mostly. however, the instruments at the time were not vst-based: the drums were programmed entirely on an ry30, the synths are all from a classic jx-8p and the sequencing is done using a windows 95 system, with what was possibly an 8-bit soundcard.
the result is something like a collaboration between brian eno, autechre and trent reznor. if that sounds like a swell production team to you, you might dig this.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/electronic-pieces-in-a-primitive-style
one of the bigger changes is the introduction of this record, which will be sequenced in the compilations section at the end of my second period. it's an idea i've been slowly cultivating for quite a while, and has finally taken shape.
it is conceptually similar to the thru compilation, but it utilizes a different collection of gear. for thru, the focus was on scorewriting and reproducing those scores using software synthesizers - it's entirely computer generated music. this material was initially scored out over 2001 and 2002 and initially meant to be played by live musicians, so little attempt was made to utilize the gear i had around me to actually create anything out of it. this had to wait until my most recent active phase, where i completed the tracks using a mixture of vst technology and live recording - but the thru compilation is purely vst-based.
this takes a similar approach to some of the material i recorded from 1998-2000, mostly. however, the instruments at the time were not vst-based: the drums were programmed entirely on an ry30, the synths are all from a classic jx-8p and the sequencing is done using a windows 95 system, with what was possibly an 8-bit soundcard.
the result is something like a collaboration between brian eno, autechre and trent reznor. if that sounds like a swell production team to you, you might dig this.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/electronic-pieces-in-a-primitive-style
carnigeon
written 1999-2000. reconstructed from electronics source files in dec, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/carnigeon
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/carnigeon
rept
these parts were all written and recorded over the first half of 2002. this section was remixed repeatedly in late 2014 and finally isolated and rendered in this form on dec 27, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/rept
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/rept
insp
written in the summer of 2001. remembered over july, 2014. completed august-september, 2014. isolated on dec 27, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/insp
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/insp
deus ici
initially written in 1996. recreated in mar, 1998. reclaimed july 20, 2015. corrected to control for malfunctioning electronics on dec 27, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/deus-ici
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/deus-ici
finalizing suicide is a personal choice
this track is now closed. this is the first time i've uploaded an instrumental version of the track, meaning i'm finally over the hump and moving forwards again.
this is not the file i rendered on july 20. however, i have not modified the cubase file since then, either. i was unable to create a null...
the common theme in being unable to recreate the output seems to be when i'm doubling tracks and rendering before i re-open the save. i'm going to guess that it's essentially a cascade of run-off and floating point errors; stuff ends up phased differently, routed differently, etc. i might be able to recreate the exact output if i stripped the project down completely and tried to recreate my steps, but...
...i can't hear the difference in an a/b, anyways. so i just rerendered.
regarding the phones...
i was testing with this track for quite a while this evening and led to the conclusion that it needs a bit of a boost in the high end, and a bit of a cut in the low end. but, before i actually saved over the project, i swapped back to the old phones to verify....and realized i was compensating for the exaggerated bottom end.
it would have been a mild cut - a db around 100 hz. but, it's enough that my ears picked it up, and i'm consequently swearing off mixing with them.
i don't want to reflect overly badly on the new phones. they otherwise sounded great. but the 440-IIs are just flat as saskatchewan, and the difference really was immediately noticeable. it's more that i'm used to mixing with very flat phones. like i'm a real producer or something.
the reality is that almost everything sounds better with a bit of a boost on the bottom, especially material that's been compressed to mp3. i will find a good use for these phones. but, i can't go from what would be $500+ studio phones today to $150 consumer phones and not notice the difference.
i knew that. i was just hoping i could maybe double with them in a pinch. and, i think i still might be able to. but i need to finish this project with my tinfoiled over archaic babies and hope a new cord fixes what ails them...
initially written in 1996. recreated over 1998 and finalized in dec, 1998. reclaimed july 20, 2015. corrected to control for malfunctioning electronics on dec 27, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/suicide-is-a-personal-choice
i mean, i gotta be clear...
the record sounds very dynamic through the new phones. it's a bass-heavy disc, and they do a good job of stretching it out without losing the rest of the spectrum. i'd recommend it, even.
but i can't mix with them, because they're not flat.
or, at least, i'd have to spend a long time getting used to them. and i'd rather fix my flat phones.
it's just a question of what the proper application is for a tool. you don't hammer a screw, right. and you don't mix with bassy phones. well, unless you make particularly lame hip-hop.
i think the proper application for this pair is stationary listening to material that has already been mastered, probably while reading or daydreaming. they really seem to be orthopedically designed for reclining. so, you'll get your extra db or two of bass without killing the rest of the signal, and it will mostly sound good.
but if you want totally flat phones, they don't do that.
this is not the file i rendered on july 20. however, i have not modified the cubase file since then, either. i was unable to create a null...
the common theme in being unable to recreate the output seems to be when i'm doubling tracks and rendering before i re-open the save. i'm going to guess that it's essentially a cascade of run-off and floating point errors; stuff ends up phased differently, routed differently, etc. i might be able to recreate the exact output if i stripped the project down completely and tried to recreate my steps, but...
...i can't hear the difference in an a/b, anyways. so i just rerendered.
regarding the phones...
i was testing with this track for quite a while this evening and led to the conclusion that it needs a bit of a boost in the high end, and a bit of a cut in the low end. but, before i actually saved over the project, i swapped back to the old phones to verify....and realized i was compensating for the exaggerated bottom end.
it would have been a mild cut - a db around 100 hz. but, it's enough that my ears picked it up, and i'm consequently swearing off mixing with them.
i don't want to reflect overly badly on the new phones. they otherwise sounded great. but the 440-IIs are just flat as saskatchewan, and the difference really was immediately noticeable. it's more that i'm used to mixing with very flat phones. like i'm a real producer or something.
the reality is that almost everything sounds better with a bit of a boost on the bottom, especially material that's been compressed to mp3. i will find a good use for these phones. but, i can't go from what would be $500+ studio phones today to $150 consumer phones and not notice the difference.
i knew that. i was just hoping i could maybe double with them in a pinch. and, i think i still might be able to. but i need to finish this project with my tinfoiled over archaic babies and hope a new cord fixes what ails them...
initially written in 1996. recreated over 1998 and finalized in dec, 1998. reclaimed july 20, 2015. corrected to control for malfunctioning electronics on dec 27, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/suicide-is-a-personal-choice
i mean, i gotta be clear...
the record sounds very dynamic through the new phones. it's a bass-heavy disc, and they do a good job of stretching it out without losing the rest of the spectrum. i'd recommend it, even.
but i can't mix with them, because they're not flat.
or, at least, i'd have to spend a long time getting used to them. and i'd rather fix my flat phones.
it's just a question of what the proper application is for a tool. you don't hammer a screw, right. and you don't mix with bassy phones. well, unless you make particularly lame hip-hop.
i think the proper application for this pair is stationary listening to material that has already been mastered, probably while reading or daydreaming. they really seem to be orthopedically designed for reclining. so, you'll get your extra db or two of bass without killing the rest of the signal, and it will mostly sound good.
but if you want totally flat phones, they don't do that.
Saturday, December 26, 2015
i don't want to impose deadlines on myself.
there's only a few tracks left, and i wanted them done by now, but it's frustration building up from this taking so long. i need to let that go and just get into finishing the mixes. the sound is stable right now with the new phones. i just need to relax and let it take it's course.
there's only a few tracks left, and i wanted them done by now, but it's frustration building up from this taking so long. i need to let that go and just get into finishing the mixes. the sound is stable right now with the new phones. i just need to relax and let it take it's course.
finalizing sample used without permission
i'm closing this track.
i couldn't get the output to null with the version from july, but i do not believe that the version from july was correct, either. it seems to be routed differently. it's very strange, too, as the time stamps suggest it's almost impossible for the output to be unreconstructible.
to be clear: everything nulled perfectly except a thirty second section of guitar. but, that guitar part is layered over 8 times in the cubase project so it's not as simple as just resetting an eq.
i would be tempted to think that i was getting layered over floating point or round-off errors on all the eqs (i think i'm getting that for another track), but the difference in sound is fairly dramatic - it's really more like it's routing differently.
the only thing i can really think of is that the july output was some kind of error. i may have temporarily placed a bus on those guitar tracks, or perhaps routed them directly to the master.
whatever it was, the reality is that version i have saved in cubase sounds much better and has been uploaded in replace of the previous version.
initially written in 1996. recreated in jan, 1998. reclaimed july 2, 2015. remixed july 12, 2015. corrected to control for malfunctioning electronics on dec 26, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/sample-used-without-permission
i couldn't get the output to null with the version from july, but i do not believe that the version from july was correct, either. it seems to be routed differently. it's very strange, too, as the time stamps suggest it's almost impossible for the output to be unreconstructible.
to be clear: everything nulled perfectly except a thirty second section of guitar. but, that guitar part is layered over 8 times in the cubase project so it's not as simple as just resetting an eq.
i would be tempted to think that i was getting layered over floating point or round-off errors on all the eqs (i think i'm getting that for another track), but the difference in sound is fairly dramatic - it's really more like it's routing differently.
the only thing i can really think of is that the july output was some kind of error. i may have temporarily placed a bus on those guitar tracks, or perhaps routed them directly to the master.
whatever it was, the reality is that version i have saved in cubase sounds much better and has been uploaded in replace of the previous version.
initially written in 1996. recreated in jan, 1998. reclaimed july 2, 2015. remixed july 12, 2015. corrected to control for malfunctioning electronics on dec 26, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/sample-used-without-permission
Friday, December 25, 2015
i'm finally getting out of this systems collapse i've been dealing with.
i seemed to have had shorts in two pairs of headphones, and those shorts were interacting with widespread environmental noise. new phones fixed the problem immediately. i'm hoping my main phones can be salvaged with a new cord.
but, it means i'm finally moving forwards. i've been stuck here since the beginning of july. that's almost six months.
by the end of the year, i expect to have completed several updates to finalize remaining, lingering ideas related to period 1. i then expect to close period 2 fairly quickly, and be on to period 3 by my birthday at the latest.
so, i'm going to be reorganizing the media pages again. facebook seems to have removed the highlight feature. ugh.
i seemed to have had shorts in two pairs of headphones, and those shorts were interacting with widespread environmental noise. new phones fixed the problem immediately. i'm hoping my main phones can be salvaged with a new cord.
but, it means i'm finally moving forwards. i've been stuck here since the beginning of july. that's almost six months.
by the end of the year, i expect to have completed several updates to finalize remaining, lingering ideas related to period 1. i then expect to close period 2 fairly quickly, and be on to period 3 by my birthday at the latest.
so, i'm going to be reorganizing the media pages again. facebook seems to have removed the highlight feature. ugh.
Thursday, December 24, 2015
i've decided to reboot the alter-reality back approximately four months, which is actually fast-forwarding it four months. instead of the alter-reality existing 18 years and four months in the past, it now exists a strict 18 years in the past. so, it is now dec 24, 1997 in the alter-reality. i'm going to switch back to the track that would exist on that date, which is inrisampled. the track will switch again on january 8, 2016 - which maps back to jan 8, 1998. i haven't checked to see if i'm in sync with leap years; i guess we'll find out...
there's a few reasons i'm doing this. see, i started creating the tracks i've been stuck on for months when i got a four-track for christmas in 1997. i'm now about to finish them over christmas, 2015. i like the symmetry in this.
and, the symmetry across the years is broadly useful, too. realigning the tracks to the weather will help me retrace them better.
i've also been stuck, and it's screwed with me in a broader sense. there were things i wanted to go over in this period that i've had to skip because i'm mixing the material i wanted to promote.
i kind of didn't want to ever do this, but the situation i find myself in right now suggests it makes a lot of sense. so, i'm throwing myself back. it's only four months...
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inrisampled
i won't be posting further obligatories until i catch back up, which won't be until the end of april.
there's a few reasons i'm doing this. see, i started creating the tracks i've been stuck on for months when i got a four-track for christmas in 1997. i'm now about to finish them over christmas, 2015. i like the symmetry in this.
and, the symmetry across the years is broadly useful, too. realigning the tracks to the weather will help me retrace them better.
i've also been stuck, and it's screwed with me in a broader sense. there were things i wanted to go over in this period that i've had to skip because i'm mixing the material i wanted to promote.
i kind of didn't want to ever do this, but the situation i find myself in right now suggests it makes a lot of sense. so, i'm throwing myself back. it's only four months...
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inrisampled
i won't be posting further obligatories until i catch back up, which won't be until the end of april.
23-12-2015: headphone testing
tracks worked on in this vlog:
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj-2
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj-2
i need to come online quickly post a reassessment of these phones.
when i first put them on, i realized they fit a little oddly but figured i'd get used to it. i walked around and did groceries and thought they sounded great - although they had an exaggerated bottom. when i took them home, that bottom got very muddy. i was sitting upwards the whole time i was testing them. i noticed that they seemed to fit my ears better if i twisted them forward, so the headband was on my forehead, or if i flipped the stereo around. i kind of concluded it was probably a factory defect, and they were meant to have the l and r on opposite sides - although they were wired correctly relative to the labels. i was getting a little remorse.
see, i got a $150 pair of headphones because i was hoping i could use them as a back up studio monitor. the testing i was doing suggested to me that this was a bad decision, and, worse, i'd have to flip the stereo to use them as walking phones. yuck, right.
i eventually got the idea tonight to lie down as i was listening to my 2001 record and everything immediately snapped into place. see, when you're lying down, you want to push the phones forward a little - the headband comes up on your forehead. so, the cups on the phones snapped in and the exaggerated bass disappeared.
so, it's almost like these phones have two settings. as walking phones, the bass is really pretty crazy. as lying down phones, they really balance out and actually sound very nice - not as nice as my very flat 440-IIs, but certainly an upgrade over my last pair of walking phones.
that's something that might be useful to point out about this model. these are sennheiser hd-449s. if you want them reasonably flat, you really have to listen to them lying down.
i'm going to try and mix with them tomorrow to see what happens. if i can use these as stereo backups, i will probably keep them solely for stereo backups and get a pair of $60 phones for walking that don't have these oval, noise isolation pads.
when i first put them on, i realized they fit a little oddly but figured i'd get used to it. i walked around and did groceries and thought they sounded great - although they had an exaggerated bottom. when i took them home, that bottom got very muddy. i was sitting upwards the whole time i was testing them. i noticed that they seemed to fit my ears better if i twisted them forward, so the headband was on my forehead, or if i flipped the stereo around. i kind of concluded it was probably a factory defect, and they were meant to have the l and r on opposite sides - although they were wired correctly relative to the labels. i was getting a little remorse.
see, i got a $150 pair of headphones because i was hoping i could use them as a back up studio monitor. the testing i was doing suggested to me that this was a bad decision, and, worse, i'd have to flip the stereo to use them as walking phones. yuck, right.
i eventually got the idea tonight to lie down as i was listening to my 2001 record and everything immediately snapped into place. see, when you're lying down, you want to push the phones forward a little - the headband comes up on your forehead. so, the cups on the phones snapped in and the exaggerated bass disappeared.
so, it's almost like these phones have two settings. as walking phones, the bass is really pretty crazy. as lying down phones, they really balance out and actually sound very nice - not as nice as my very flat 440-IIs, but certainly an upgrade over my last pair of walking phones.
that's something that might be useful to point out about this model. these are sennheiser hd-449s. if you want them reasonably flat, you really have to listen to them lying down.
i'm going to try and mix with them tomorrow to see what happens. if i can use these as stereo backups, i will probably keep them solely for stereo backups and get a pair of $60 phones for walking that don't have these oval, noise isolation pads.
reacting to a review of the new sennheisers
you mentioned something about the ears.
i got a pair of these the other day, and was initially blown away not by the lack of mids but by the exaggerated bass. it was just way too much. what i eventually realized is that you have to push the phones forwards on your head to get them around your ears properly, and if you don't then the improper isolation can really make it sound like you're listening in a hollow cavern. the only way pushing your phones on your head like that makes any sense is if you're lying down.
if you really like an absurdly exaggerated bass, i guess they can work for you as walking phones. but, i'd really suggest that these phones are really only going to sound right if you listen to them on your back, and that applications are planned around that fact accordingly.
i got a pair of these the other day, and was initially blown away not by the lack of mids but by the exaggerated bass. it was just way too much. what i eventually realized is that you have to push the phones forwards on your head to get them around your ears properly, and if you don't then the improper isolation can really make it sound like you're listening in a hollow cavern. the only way pushing your phones on your head like that makes any sense is if you're lying down.
if you really like an absurdly exaggerated bass, i guess they can work for you as walking phones. but, i'd really suggest that these phones are really only going to sound right if you listen to them on your back, and that applications are planned around that fact accordingly.
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
i picked up some new walking phones yesterday. i can't mix with these phones - they are too heavy in their bass. i am getting interference from them that is easily blocked with a blanket, but it's different - it's on the low end.
i think the interference is environmental, but that it's probably a short, too. fixing the short will probably fix the interference.
i'm going to finish the record with the tinfoil and get some new cables in the new year - nothing to lose from trying. no clear conclusion yet.
i think the interference is environmental, but that it's probably a short, too. fixing the short will probably fix the interference.
i'm going to finish the record with the tinfoil and get some new cables in the new year - nothing to lose from trying. no clear conclusion yet.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
i spent the last two days double-verifying everything and do not plan to make any further changes. but, i need a day or two more to finish it, and then probably a week to finish the peripherals.
new phones are likely tomorrow.
but, we have a holiday in canada called "boxing day" where everything is on sale. it might be worth waiting.
that's the day after christmas.
new phones are likely tomorrow.
but, we have a holiday in canada called "boxing day" where everything is on sale. it might be worth waiting.
that's the day after christmas.
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Saturday, December 19, 2015
finalizing i’m sure your mom is probably a very nice person
this track is now closed. i've also stuck with the mix from last july.
the remaining tracks have yet to be uploaded.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/im-sure-your-mom-is-probably-a-very-nice-person
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/omm
the remaining tracks have yet to be uploaded.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/im-sure-your-mom-is-probably-a-very-nice-person
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/omm
finalizing no longer confused
i'm closing this one as well. no changes since july...
there will be a few more mixes of this track coming. if i do any singles, this track will get a single.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/no-longer-confused
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/cnusodef
there will be a few more mixes of this track coming. if i do any singles, this track will get a single.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/no-longer-confused
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/cnusodef
finalizing yup. i still fuck the dead.
i'm closing this, as well. no alteration since july.
the pattern is clearly that the mixes were stable all along, and it was the playback that altered. that's now clear, although it wasn't for quite some time.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/yup-i-still-fuck-the-dead
the pattern is clearly that the mixes were stable all along, and it was the playback that altered. that's now clear, although it wasn't for quite some time.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/yup-i-still-fuck-the-dead
finalizing just say no to mood altering prescription drugs
i had remixed this track in september, but i was confused about what the natural conditions of the output should have been. i double compressed it, which squished the fuck out of the drums.
i have replaced the september version with the initial july version and closed the track.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/just-say-no-to-mood-altering-prescription-drugs
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/open
i have replaced the september version with the initial july version and closed the track.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/just-say-no-to-mood-altering-prescription-drugs
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/open
splitting the ry30 mixes off from inrimixed
i had decided to add an extra component to inrimixed of ry30 mixes.
i've decided to split this off into it's own idea, and include ry30
material that was created after period 1.2. so, this will now be inri05x
and positioned at the end of period 2.
that opens up some more spaced on inrimixed for loose ends that i think ought to be released.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/ry30-remixes
that opens up some more spaced on inrimixed for loose ends that i think ought to be released.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/ry30-remixes
Friday, December 18, 2015
i'm extremely confident that i've worked the driver issue i've been having down to an issue of radio interference. i also believe that there is magnetic interference in the neighbourhood, likely emanating from the power lines. i believe that the issue is as follows:
1) there is a short in my headphones. this was one of the first things i checked, and rejected, because i got the same issue out of two sets of headphones. but, i believe now that there are actually shorts in both phones, against the odds.
2) the magnetic field in the neighbourhood is interacting with the short, which is charging the phones.
3) this is turning the phones into a radio antenna, which is picking up radio frequency interference from local broadcasters (and perhaps other random sources, as well).
i will need to purchase new headphones next week, because my walking phones shorted out entirely. i will be able to better understand the nature of the problem then, and likely confirm the above hypothesis.
in the mean time, i have been able to block the radio waves by shielding my phones with tin foil. as such, i expect to finally finalize this remix record by the end of the weekend. this will allow me to complete a large amount of filing over the next few weeks, and be ready to move into period 3 by the beginning of the new year.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inriclaimed
1) there is a short in my headphones. this was one of the first things i checked, and rejected, because i got the same issue out of two sets of headphones. but, i believe now that there are actually shorts in both phones, against the odds.
2) the magnetic field in the neighbourhood is interacting with the short, which is charging the phones.
3) this is turning the phones into a radio antenna, which is picking up radio frequency interference from local broadcasters (and perhaps other random sources, as well).
i will need to purchase new headphones next week, because my walking phones shorted out entirely. i will be able to better understand the nature of the problem then, and likely confirm the above hypothesis.
in the mean time, i have been able to block the radio waves by shielding my phones with tin foil. as such, i expect to finally finalize this remix record by the end of the weekend. this will allow me to complete a large amount of filing over the next few weeks, and be ready to move into period 3 by the beginning of the new year.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inriclaimed
finalizing i still don't fully understand this
this track is also closed. not altered.
even with the tinfoil, i'm picking up a little bit of signal right now. i'm going to tentatively suggest it's because it's friday night and the magnetic field is stronger due to the lines being at peak electrical use, do something else for a few hours and reapproach a little after midnight.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/i-still-dont-fully-understand-this
even with the tinfoil, i'm picking up a little bit of signal right now. i'm going to tentatively suggest it's because it's friday night and the magnetic field is stronger due to the lines being at peak electrical use, do something else for a few hours and reapproach a little after midnight.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/i-still-dont-fully-understand-this
takers
i've decided to upload a drum machine mix of this after all. this is a brand new mix, dated to today.
initially written in 1997. recreated in jan, 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. reclaimed july 1, 2015. deconstructed dec 18, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/takers
initially written in 1997. recreated in jan, 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. reclaimed july 1, 2015. deconstructed dec 18, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/takers
finalizing use value is somewhat difficult to define in the human propensity towards artistic expression
i'm closing this track, as well. no change from the initial upload.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/use-value-is-somewhat-difficult-to-define-in-the-human-propensity-towards-artistic-expression
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/use-value-is-somewhat-difficult-to-define-in-the-human-propensity-towards-artistic-expression
god, my brain hurts.
you know what? i know where the baltics are. i can identify each of them on a map. i know their capital cities. i know which language groups their dominant ethnicities fall into. and, i even know a fair bit of their history.
but, i don't have a favourite one. because that's really NOT a thing.
well, maybe prussia. it's them hats. but that would be a confusing answer.
i don't have a favourite balkan, favourite korea or favourite caribbean island, either.
i really hope the stupidity stops, soon. the canadian media is making fox news look insightful, right now.
this isn't tabloid quality journalism. it's closer to onion quality journalism.
...and it's sinking the conservatives to an ontario pc party level of amateurism. suddenly, they're more humorous than scary.
do they really think people can't work this out? really?
globalnews.ca/news/2409408/baltics-a-thing-because-its-2015/
Jane tow
Good for you Jessica, you sound like a very intelligent young lady. I hope one day you are PM!!
jessica amber murray
that's a good laugh.
maybe i should address this point. i've been rambling enough places that i think i have a passive audience. just a feeling. maybe paranoia, maybe solipsism - but maybe accurate. it's at least as likely, really, isn't it?
the idea of me running for office right now is really something that ought to be explained in the terms of a comic strip, with hilarious hijinks leading to total failure along the way. but, even if it weren't such an outrageously ludicrous proposition, the reality is that i wish my focus was 100% on music production at the moment. hear me out on this.
so, i've been dealing with radio interference in my head phones since july. since then, canada has been through an election and i've been kind of vocal about it. but, it was totally by the accident that my system was malfunctioning, and i had absolutely no idea why.
it took me forever to figure it out. first, i had to check things like drivers and system files, as it's the most likely option. that took months to rule out entirely, and i wasn't helped by the fact that i had two sets of headphones, both, it turns out, with shorts. so, every time i checked for issues with the phones, it was always "either the equipment is faulty, or both my phones are faulty.". and, you always take the odds on that gamble - you always say the equipment is faulty.
but, then i finally realized it had to be electrical. so, you have to check everything that could be creating interference. in a room full of gear, that's a nightmare. eventually, i realized that i was getting the same noise out of an mp3 player as i was getting out of the grid - indicating that the interference had to be in the air, as the mp3 player is not connected to the grid.
so, then i had to check to see how far i could go with this interference, realizing it has boundaries that are blocks away - meaning the interference is broadly environmental, and not coming from inside the unit. but, in the process i found the short in one pair of the phones. then, maybe both pairs had shorts, after all.
so, i think the shorts in my phones are interacting with the environmental field to turn my phones into radio antennas, and i'm picking up the local am radio signals. this isn't creating the sound of a radio station, it's just making the audio sound like am radio - kind of jagged and rough at the edges.
it turns out i can block the radio signals relatively well using tinfoil.
but, it took me six long months of experiments to get me this far. and, i'd never had taken the time to ramble on the internet, if it weren't to vent frustration about not knowing why i can't be done mixing this project by now.
that said, i might think about it. one day. in the exceedingly distant future. under certain unlikely conditions. so, it's not likely. but note that i have thought about how unlikely it is on more than one occasion.
you know what? i know where the baltics are. i can identify each of them on a map. i know their capital cities. i know which language groups their dominant ethnicities fall into. and, i even know a fair bit of their history.
but, i don't have a favourite one. because that's really NOT a thing.
well, maybe prussia. it's them hats. but that would be a confusing answer.
i don't have a favourite balkan, favourite korea or favourite caribbean island, either.
i really hope the stupidity stops, soon. the canadian media is making fox news look insightful, right now.
this isn't tabloid quality journalism. it's closer to onion quality journalism.
...and it's sinking the conservatives to an ontario pc party level of amateurism. suddenly, they're more humorous than scary.
do they really think people can't work this out? really?
globalnews.ca/news/2409408/baltics-a-thing-because-its-2015/
Jane tow
Good for you Jessica, you sound like a very intelligent young lady. I hope one day you are PM!!
jessica amber murray
that's a good laugh.
maybe i should address this point. i've been rambling enough places that i think i have a passive audience. just a feeling. maybe paranoia, maybe solipsism - but maybe accurate. it's at least as likely, really, isn't it?
the idea of me running for office right now is really something that ought to be explained in the terms of a comic strip, with hilarious hijinks leading to total failure along the way. but, even if it weren't such an outrageously ludicrous proposition, the reality is that i wish my focus was 100% on music production at the moment. hear me out on this.
so, i've been dealing with radio interference in my head phones since july. since then, canada has been through an election and i've been kind of vocal about it. but, it was totally by the accident that my system was malfunctioning, and i had absolutely no idea why.
it took me forever to figure it out. first, i had to check things like drivers and system files, as it's the most likely option. that took months to rule out entirely, and i wasn't helped by the fact that i had two sets of headphones, both, it turns out, with shorts. so, every time i checked for issues with the phones, it was always "either the equipment is faulty, or both my phones are faulty.". and, you always take the odds on that gamble - you always say the equipment is faulty.
but, then i finally realized it had to be electrical. so, you have to check everything that could be creating interference. in a room full of gear, that's a nightmare. eventually, i realized that i was getting the same noise out of an mp3 player as i was getting out of the grid - indicating that the interference had to be in the air, as the mp3 player is not connected to the grid.
so, then i had to check to see how far i could go with this interference, realizing it has boundaries that are blocks away - meaning the interference is broadly environmental, and not coming from inside the unit. but, in the process i found the short in one pair of the phones. then, maybe both pairs had shorts, after all.
so, i think the shorts in my phones are interacting with the environmental field to turn my phones into radio antennas, and i'm picking up the local am radio signals. this isn't creating the sound of a radio station, it's just making the audio sound like am radio - kind of jagged and rough at the edges.
it turns out i can block the radio signals relatively well using tinfoil.
but, it took me six long months of experiments to get me this far. and, i'd never had taken the time to ramble on the internet, if it weren't to vent frustration about not knowing why i can't be done mixing this project by now.
that said, i might think about it. one day. in the exceedingly distant future. under certain unlikely conditions. so, it's not likely. but note that i have thought about how unlikely it is on more than one occasion.
Thursday, December 17, 2015
finalizing there is definitely something wrong with ironic hipster homophobia
ok.
so, i still don't know if the ultimate problem here is the short or the interference, but i've found a short on the left side of my phones. and, i'm not sure if it's in the cord or in the phones, either.
i know that an extra bit of foil around the connector between the cable and the phones seems to have me fully shielded.
i am finalizing track four, as of right now. it hasn't been altered since june.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/there-is-definitely-something-wrong-with-ironic-hipster-homophobia
so, i still don't know if the ultimate problem here is the short or the interference, but i've found a short on the left side of my phones. and, i'm not sure if it's in the cord or in the phones, either.
i know that an extra bit of foil around the connector between the cable and the phones seems to have me fully shielded.
i am finalizing track four, as of right now. it hasn't been altered since june.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/there-is-definitely-something-wrong-with-ironic-hipster-homophobia
i actually shielded the phones with aluminum foil and it seems to have worked.
i'll have to go get some phones next week. that will tell me if i have a short in the cable, or if the interference in here is just really strong.
in the mean time, i think i can actually finally get some work done over the weekend. fingers crossed.
i'll have to go get some phones next week. that will tell me if i have a short in the cable, or if the interference in here is just really strong.
in the mean time, i think i can actually finally get some work done over the weekend. fingers crossed.
obligatory influential...
i tend to consistently go back to pisces over siamese dream in terms of influence. i think part of the reason is that the guitars in the rock songs are so much rawer, and the lullabies are so much lusher. i think this record is really the most alternative record that corgan ever did - the pop and metal influences are tuned down a little in favour of gazier and punkier leanings. i know it's an outtakes disc, but i really think it's the band's best record.
there's some nice raw guitar playing all over this disc, but what i'm really citing is the total abandon on pissant and hello kitty kat. i used to do the old rewind, play, repeat trick on those two for hours.
(relevant tracks: why, first movement, and really whenever i lose myself on the guitar...)
i tend to consistently go back to pisces over siamese dream in terms of influence. i think part of the reason is that the guitars in the rock songs are so much rawer, and the lullabies are so much lusher. i think this record is really the most alternative record that corgan ever did - the pop and metal influences are tuned down a little in favour of gazier and punkier leanings. i know it's an outtakes disc, but i really think it's the band's best record.
there's some nice raw guitar playing all over this disc, but what i'm really citing is the total abandon on pissant and hello kitty kat. i used to do the old rewind, play, repeat trick on those two for hours.
(relevant tracks: why, first movement, and really whenever i lose myself on the guitar...)
obligatory influential...
as far as guitar records go, this is really near the top of the pile. and, it's near the top of the influence list, too. i remember listening to old bootlegs of cornell ribbing thayil a little about going into a "guitar trance". and, there's some real truth to it. there's a nice guitar trance in fell on black days, and another in superunknown.
i used to play along to a lot of grunge-ish records over '94-'96ish, before i started writing my own stuff. the two bands that were always the most fun were soundgarden and the smashing pumpkins. it wasn't so complex that you had to sit down and think about it, but it was acrobatic enough that you couldn't zone out in it, either. good middle point...
what i'm citing here is the guitar trance. it's a good 80% thayil, here.
(relevant tracks: why, first movement, and really whenever i lose myself on the guitar...)
as far as guitar records go, this is really near the top of the pile. and, it's near the top of the influence list, too. i remember listening to old bootlegs of cornell ribbing thayil a little about going into a "guitar trance". and, there's some real truth to it. there's a nice guitar trance in fell on black days, and another in superunknown.
i used to play along to a lot of grunge-ish records over '94-'96ish, before i started writing my own stuff. the two bands that were always the most fun were soundgarden and the smashing pumpkins. it wasn't so complex that you had to sit down and think about it, but it was acrobatic enough that you couldn't zone out in it, either. good middle point...
what i'm citing here is the guitar trance. it's a good 80% thayil, here.
(relevant tracks: why, first movement, and really whenever i lose myself on the guitar...)
obligatory influential...
i tend to consistently go back to pisces over siamese dream in terms of influence. i think part of the reason is that the guitars in the rock songs are so much rawer, and the lullabies are so much lusher. i think this record is really the most alternative record that corgan ever did - the pop and metal influences are tuned down a little in favour of gazier and punkier leanings. i know it's an outtakes disc, but i really think it's the band's best record.
there's some nice raw guitar playing all over this disc, but what i'm really citing is the total abandon on pissant and hello kitty kat. i used to do the old rewind, play, repeat trick on those two for hours.
(relevant tracks: why, first movement, and really whenever i lose myself on the guitar...)
i tend to consistently go back to pisces over siamese dream in terms of influence. i think part of the reason is that the guitars in the rock songs are so much rawer, and the lullabies are so much lusher. i think this record is really the most alternative record that corgan ever did - the pop and metal influences are tuned down a little in favour of gazier and punkier leanings. i know it's an outtakes disc, but i really think it's the band's best record.
there's some nice raw guitar playing all over this disc, but what i'm really citing is the total abandon on pissant and hello kitty kat. i used to do the old rewind, play, repeat trick on those two for hours.
(relevant tracks: why, first movement, and really whenever i lose myself on the guitar...)
obligatory influential...
i sometimes forget that i listened to huge amounts of 'pop' over '97 and '98. u2 is like wallpaper, right - it's just always there. sometimes you forget about it. but, when you remember, it becomes obvious.
i think it's universally agreed at this point that this was their last solid disc, but i'm not sure how many people really listened to it closely. it's more just that, on reflection, you have to include it - because the decrease in quality that happened afterwards is so dramatic. it's a really, clear, unambiguous cut-off. it's either that you cut off after pop or before achtung baby, and nobody wants to cut off before achtung baby - so zooropa and pop get included as this kind of afterthought.
i suppose i was the rare weird kid that actually listened to both of those discs quite a bit, and actually took quite a bit of influence from both of them. the late 90s were my industrial kick. i grew up with u2. the transition may not have made sense to most people, but it made a lot of sense to me; that is, the demographic they were angling for did exist, even if we weren't dominant.
the edge used a lot of flangers over this period, which is something i really picked up on. i know a lot of people hate that synthetic tone, but i've always loved the idea of making your guitar sound like any weird sound you can conjure out of it.
i was hoping i'd get another good record out of them, eventually. even if it took a while. it really seems unlikely at this point.
(relevant tracks: why, on sexual confusion in adolescence, thug culture is enforced by the media from the top down and the entirety of period 1.2 (98-99))
i sometimes forget that i listened to huge amounts of 'pop' over '97 and '98. u2 is like wallpaper, right - it's just always there. sometimes you forget about it. but, when you remember, it becomes obvious.
i think it's universally agreed at this point that this was their last solid disc, but i'm not sure how many people really listened to it closely. it's more just that, on reflection, you have to include it - because the decrease in quality that happened afterwards is so dramatic. it's a really, clear, unambiguous cut-off. it's either that you cut off after pop or before achtung baby, and nobody wants to cut off before achtung baby - so zooropa and pop get included as this kind of afterthought.
i suppose i was the rare weird kid that actually listened to both of those discs quite a bit, and actually took quite a bit of influence from both of them. the late 90s were my industrial kick. i grew up with u2. the transition may not have made sense to most people, but it made a lot of sense to me; that is, the demographic they were angling for did exist, even if we weren't dominant.
the edge used a lot of flangers over this period, which is something i really picked up on. i know a lot of people hate that synthetic tone, but i've always loved the idea of making your guitar sound like any weird sound you can conjure out of it.
i was hoping i'd get another good record out of them, eventually. even if it took a while. it really seems unlikely at this point.
(relevant tracks: why, on sexual confusion in adolescence, thug culture is enforced by the media from the top down and the entirety of period 1.2 (98-99))
obligatory influential...
i tend to consistently go back to pisces over siamese dream in terms of influence. i think part of the reason is that the guitars in the rock songs are so much rawer, and the lullabies are so much lusher. i think this record is really the most alternative record that corgan ever did - the pop and metal influences are tuned down a little in favour of gazier and punkier leanings. i know it's an outtakes disc, but i really think it's the band's best record.
there's some nice raw guitar playing all over this disc, but what i'm really citing is the total abandon on pissant and hello kitty kat. i used to do the old rewind, play, repeat trick on those two for hours.
(relevant tracks: why, first movement, and really whenever i lose myself on the guitar...)
i tend to consistently go back to pisces over siamese dream in terms of influence. i think part of the reason is that the guitars in the rock songs are so much rawer, and the lullabies are so much lusher. i think this record is really the most alternative record that corgan ever did - the pop and metal influences are tuned down a little in favour of gazier and punkier leanings. i know it's an outtakes disc, but i really think it's the band's best record.
there's some nice raw guitar playing all over this disc, but what i'm really citing is the total abandon on pissant and hello kitty kat. i used to do the old rewind, play, repeat trick on those two for hours.
(relevant tracks: why, first movement, and really whenever i lose myself on the guitar...)
+deathtokoalas
and, i'm going to pop an obligatory influential in, here, too.
this record is another lost classic, in it's merging of the various historical chicago sounds - industrial, yes, but also a lot of hip-hop and a lot of jazz, along with a bit of a punk perspective. excepting the fact that the wax trax sound was obviously influential on reznor, saying it sounds like nin is really pretty much wrong. it sounds more like a mash-up of miles davis and the beastie boys, and could reasonably be seen as a substantial forerunner to flying lotus - that's certainly more of the right genre, anyways. the thing is that that genre didn't really exist in 1995. it's one of those examples of a very forward thinking disc going over everybody's heads and being forgotten. that happened a lot in the 90s.....so often, that it seems like people stopped making forward-thinking discs, because it was just going to go over everybody's heads.
i've been struggling to figure out where i was approaching the track from, lyrically. i've never listened to a lot of hip-hop, but i was definitely listening to a lot of die warzau. the record hits similar themes of being "liberated" from the political spectrum. so, i think this record is probably about the right thing to cite in terms of the unusual beat-boxing in the track.
(relevant tracks: why)
and, i'm going to pop an obligatory influential in, here, too.
this record is another lost classic, in it's merging of the various historical chicago sounds - industrial, yes, but also a lot of hip-hop and a lot of jazz, along with a bit of a punk perspective. excepting the fact that the wax trax sound was obviously influential on reznor, saying it sounds like nin is really pretty much wrong. it sounds more like a mash-up of miles davis and the beastie boys, and could reasonably be seen as a substantial forerunner to flying lotus - that's certainly more of the right genre, anyways. the thing is that that genre didn't really exist in 1995. it's one of those examples of a very forward thinking disc going over everybody's heads and being forgotten. that happened a lot in the 90s.....so often, that it seems like people stopped making forward-thinking discs, because it was just going to go over everybody's heads.
i've been struggling to figure out where i was approaching the track from, lyrically. i've never listened to a lot of hip-hop, but i was definitely listening to a lot of die warzau. the record hits similar themes of being "liberated" from the political spectrum. so, i think this record is probably about the right thing to cite in terms of the unusual beat-boxing in the track.
(relevant tracks: why)
obligatory influential...
as far as guitar records go, this is really near the top of the pile. and, it's near the top of the influence list, too. i remember listening to old bootlegs of cornell ribbing thayil a little about going into a "guitar trance". and, there's some real truth to it. there's a nice guitar trance in fell on black days, and another in superunknown.
i used to play along to a lot of grunge-ish records over '94-'96ish, before i started writing my own stuff. the two bands that were always the most fun were soundgarden and the smashing pumpkins. it wasn't so complex that you had to sit down and think about it, but it was acrobatic enough that you couldn't zone out in it, either. good middle point...
what i'm citing here is the guitar trance. it's a good 80% thayil, here.
(relevant tracks: why, first movement, and really whenever i lose myself on the guitar...)
as far as guitar records go, this is really near the top of the pile. and, it's near the top of the influence list, too. i remember listening to old bootlegs of cornell ribbing thayil a little about going into a "guitar trance". and, there's some real truth to it. there's a nice guitar trance in fell on black days, and another in superunknown.
i used to play along to a lot of grunge-ish records over '94-'96ish, before i started writing my own stuff. the two bands that were always the most fun were soundgarden and the smashing pumpkins. it wasn't so complex that you had to sit down and think about it, but it was acrobatic enough that you couldn't zone out in it, either. good middle point...
what i'm citing here is the guitar trance. it's a good 80% thayil, here.
(relevant tracks: why, first movement, and really whenever i lose myself on the guitar...)
i'm laughing that this showed up in my play next list, because i always thought fla were basically unlistenable garbage and that they destroyed industrial music & culture - but this is the one song i could kind of dig.
strangely, i like a lot of what delerium did. but, fla has always been this ridiculously macho cyborg dickhead shit. and, the only reason this is at all tolerable is that it delves into self-parody. you can't help but burst out laughing, as arnold comes in and growls...
THE LAWS OF NATURE
THE LAWS OF MAN
THE VOLATILE PARADOX WILL NEVER STAND
wait. these are different things? paradox? how?
strangely, i like a lot of what delerium did. but, fla has always been this ridiculously macho cyborg dickhead shit. and, the only reason this is at all tolerable is that it delves into self-parody. you can't help but burst out laughing, as arnold comes in and growls...
THE LAWS OF NATURE
THE LAWS OF MAN
THE VOLATILE PARADOX WILL NEVER STAND
wait. these are different things? paradox? how?
obligatory influential...
i remember the first time i heard this, some time in early '98; i just stopped and melted. it was literally hypnotizing. i couldn't even get up to smoke a joint, i had to wait until it was done.
none of the other syrs follow up on this well, but this one is really magical. total must-listen.
(relevant tracks: why, liquify and everything else from 98 on)
i remember the first time i heard this, some time in early '98; i just stopped and melted. it was literally hypnotizing. i couldn't even get up to smoke a joint, i had to wait until it was done.
none of the other syrs follow up on this well, but this one is really magical. total must-listen.
(relevant tracks: why, liquify and everything else from 98 on)
deathtokoalas
obligatory influential...
i picked up a cassette of fixed some time around '94 or so. at first, i couldn't listen to it. it was just noise. but, i kept coming back to it out of a sense of curiosity: is there something to this under the chaos? is this something abstract i ought to understand? or is it really just a lot of noise?
it finally clicked some time in mid '95 or so, and it got stuck in my walkman after that for months and months at a time. i actually managed to literally wear the tape out, and had to repurchase on cd.
i'm not sure i've ever really got an answer to that question, so much as it acted as a means of familiarizing myself with the concept of noise as music. about half the disc is carefully sculpted and arranged. the thirlwell mixes, especially, are definitely works of art. but, there's also a good helping of total noise on the disc that exists on a kind of boundary point. if you listen to it repeatedly, patterns start to arise and you become familiar with them, meaning it does function as artistically valid from start to finish. but, it's an open question as to whether those patterns were composed or just haphazardly spliced together. the thing is that it's not obvious, either way - there is at the very least an expert level of bullshitting going on here, to the point that the question can be put aside and the record can be thoroughly enjoyed as purely abstract sound.
it's a pretty ubiquitous background influence, along with the other major nin remix discs (closer & fdts, especially). but, it really comes out very strongly on the current featured track.
(relevant tracks: why is the current featured track with the obvious influence, but fixed is a formative influence and can be heard in everything i've ever done)
Nacht Schreck
NIN's best release, without a doubt.
Wes Murray
+Nacht Schreck Not the best, IMO, but definitely overlooked and underrated. Broken & Fixed are both gems that rarely get the attention they deserve.
deathtokoalas
+Nacht Schreck i think it's without a doubt in the top tier, along with the full-length closer single and further down the spiral - and maybe the perfect drug single. motp would make the top tier, too, if it was a bit longer. also, quake. but, i think it's hard to be more specific than that.
the best material was without a doubt the remix compilations between halo 6 and 11. 5 & 8 were the best proper records, so you could maybe claim the classic period was 5-11, but they're not on the same level.
Jacob French
+Nacht Schreck The Fragile is the best, easily. Broken and Fixed were basically prototypes for TDS, and TDS served as the prelude to The Fragile.
deathtokoalas
+Jacob French for brevity, i'll let the statement stand. but, intent and outcome are not the same thing; the reality is that the fragile was an artistic failure, due largely to the lyrics and the lack of development around the album's release. a strong remix suite would have helped a lot. but, what the listener actually got was a string of half developed songs with vocals that were dragged down so far by alcoholism that they are borderline autistic. the drugs actually seemed to help him in his composition, but they had the effect of really legitimately ruining the songs through the lyrics.
i can't imagine how any halfways intelligent person could listen to the record and not deduce that he's gone full retard. because he actually did - he drank himself stupid, and the record is the consequence of it.
and that's the actual truth of it.
like i say - he could have saved the period with a strong remix set. but, what we got seemed haphazardly thrown together in a drunken haze.
Jacob French
That's what's so good about it, it's literally the morning after Trent's success of TDS. He spent all that time with destructive songs that when he tries to rebuild some semblance of his sound back up again, all he gets is this fragile haze of mixed messages.
The Wretched completely embodies his feelings about the album as a whole, it's not supposed to feel like this complete destruction in vein of Broken or TDS. It's the aftermath of the complete destruction, where Trent is just trying anything to glue his music together. That's what makes it such a perfect concept album along with TDS, it isn't supposed to sound super-polished or like some stereotypical finale to what Trent's career has been so far. He destroys his own music with TDS and The Fragile is Trent seeing if anything is left to begin again from, and in my opinion there is.
But I'm curious, what would you name NIN's best album?
deathtokoalas
+Jacob French that's the kind of rationalization people throw around at velvet underground records - this idea that it's lacklustre on purpose, and therefore brilliant. it's reaching, to say the least.
i think you've got the process drastically wrong, as well. see, here's the thing: there's an original version of the fragile that was never released and was never leaked (to my knowledge). the record label wouldn't allow it. i suspect that it's probably brilliant - and features a lot of writing that is similar to the still ep. but, he caved.
polished or not polished is a sort of ridiculous way to describe his work - it's all polished. even the nastiest, most grating parts of it. but, the record was definitely altered for mass appeal by people that weren't trent reznor. and, that is a big part of the reason it doesn't hold up.
don't get me wrong: there's enough material, there. a fully instrumental single record would have been an incredible kick to the head. and, a couple of the ballads are worth saving. but, pretty much all of the traditional "rock songs" seem written down to a caricature of his audience, under extreme pressure to produce a marketable product. you have to understand that what we got is not what was intended, and we may never hear the intended record.
in the end, the label executives won - they wanted with teeth. whatever. i'd just like to hear the actual record.
Donkey Kong
+deathtokoalas Where did you hear that?
deathtokoalas
+Donkey Kong well, i lived through the process. it was well understood. i don't remember sources from 20 years ago, but they were mainstream - look at stuff like rolling stone or spin.
he had a completely different record prepared that was more "serious", but the label rejected it and sent him back to make more hard-hitting rock songs and radio-friendly singles.
ironically, that's the reason people reacted so badly to it. it's a lot of recycled ideas (and he's still recycling those ideas). and, it's a lot of pandering to an imagined demographic. over time, what's happened is that his initial fan base has moved out and a new fan base that reflects that imagined demographic has moved in.
remember: nin fans in the 90s weren't much into rock or metal. they were mostly into techno and "industrial"; where it interfaced with rock was more in various types of post-punk. you'd have been more likely to find a nin fan into public enemy than into tool. so, it's a huge turnover in his fan base. the fragile is a kind of a pivot point, in that respect.
i pointed out elsewhere that i consider the still ep to be his last substantial release under the nin moniker. and, rumours have long been floating around that this material was initially meant for the fragile. it certainly fits the description of the rejected material, anyways, and is a good feel for what the record was intended to sound like.
==
Aydin Matney
screaming slave sounds like a death grips song
deathtokoalas
+Aydin Matney not really. but you should check out the ice cube remix of i'm afraid of americans. it's everything death grips wish they could have been
obligatory influential...
i picked up a cassette of fixed some time around '94 or so. at first, i couldn't listen to it. it was just noise. but, i kept coming back to it out of a sense of curiosity: is there something to this under the chaos? is this something abstract i ought to understand? or is it really just a lot of noise?
it finally clicked some time in mid '95 or so, and it got stuck in my walkman after that for months and months at a time. i actually managed to literally wear the tape out, and had to repurchase on cd.
i'm not sure i've ever really got an answer to that question, so much as it acted as a means of familiarizing myself with the concept of noise as music. about half the disc is carefully sculpted and arranged. the thirlwell mixes, especially, are definitely works of art. but, there's also a good helping of total noise on the disc that exists on a kind of boundary point. if you listen to it repeatedly, patterns start to arise and you become familiar with them, meaning it does function as artistically valid from start to finish. but, it's an open question as to whether those patterns were composed or just haphazardly spliced together. the thing is that it's not obvious, either way - there is at the very least an expert level of bullshitting going on here, to the point that the question can be put aside and the record can be thoroughly enjoyed as purely abstract sound.
it's a pretty ubiquitous background influence, along with the other major nin remix discs (closer & fdts, especially). but, it really comes out very strongly on the current featured track.
(relevant tracks: why is the current featured track with the obvious influence, but fixed is a formative influence and can be heard in everything i've ever done)
Nacht Schreck
NIN's best release, without a doubt.
Wes Murray
+Nacht Schreck Not the best, IMO, but definitely overlooked and underrated. Broken & Fixed are both gems that rarely get the attention they deserve.
deathtokoalas
+Nacht Schreck i think it's without a doubt in the top tier, along with the full-length closer single and further down the spiral - and maybe the perfect drug single. motp would make the top tier, too, if it was a bit longer. also, quake. but, i think it's hard to be more specific than that.
the best material was without a doubt the remix compilations between halo 6 and 11. 5 & 8 were the best proper records, so you could maybe claim the classic period was 5-11, but they're not on the same level.
Jacob French
+Nacht Schreck The Fragile is the best, easily. Broken and Fixed were basically prototypes for TDS, and TDS served as the prelude to The Fragile.
deathtokoalas
+Jacob French for brevity, i'll let the statement stand. but, intent and outcome are not the same thing; the reality is that the fragile was an artistic failure, due largely to the lyrics and the lack of development around the album's release. a strong remix suite would have helped a lot. but, what the listener actually got was a string of half developed songs with vocals that were dragged down so far by alcoholism that they are borderline autistic. the drugs actually seemed to help him in his composition, but they had the effect of really legitimately ruining the songs through the lyrics.
i can't imagine how any halfways intelligent person could listen to the record and not deduce that he's gone full retard. because he actually did - he drank himself stupid, and the record is the consequence of it.
and that's the actual truth of it.
like i say - he could have saved the period with a strong remix set. but, what we got seemed haphazardly thrown together in a drunken haze.
Jacob French
That's what's so good about it, it's literally the morning after Trent's success of TDS. He spent all that time with destructive songs that when he tries to rebuild some semblance of his sound back up again, all he gets is this fragile haze of mixed messages.
The Wretched completely embodies his feelings about the album as a whole, it's not supposed to feel like this complete destruction in vein of Broken or TDS. It's the aftermath of the complete destruction, where Trent is just trying anything to glue his music together. That's what makes it such a perfect concept album along with TDS, it isn't supposed to sound super-polished or like some stereotypical finale to what Trent's career has been so far. He destroys his own music with TDS and The Fragile is Trent seeing if anything is left to begin again from, and in my opinion there is.
But I'm curious, what would you name NIN's best album?
deathtokoalas
+Jacob French that's the kind of rationalization people throw around at velvet underground records - this idea that it's lacklustre on purpose, and therefore brilliant. it's reaching, to say the least.
i think you've got the process drastically wrong, as well. see, here's the thing: there's an original version of the fragile that was never released and was never leaked (to my knowledge). the record label wouldn't allow it. i suspect that it's probably brilliant - and features a lot of writing that is similar to the still ep. but, he caved.
polished or not polished is a sort of ridiculous way to describe his work - it's all polished. even the nastiest, most grating parts of it. but, the record was definitely altered for mass appeal by people that weren't trent reznor. and, that is a big part of the reason it doesn't hold up.
don't get me wrong: there's enough material, there. a fully instrumental single record would have been an incredible kick to the head. and, a couple of the ballads are worth saving. but, pretty much all of the traditional "rock songs" seem written down to a caricature of his audience, under extreme pressure to produce a marketable product. you have to understand that what we got is not what was intended, and we may never hear the intended record.
in the end, the label executives won - they wanted with teeth. whatever. i'd just like to hear the actual record.
Donkey Kong
+deathtokoalas Where did you hear that?
deathtokoalas
+Donkey Kong well, i lived through the process. it was well understood. i don't remember sources from 20 years ago, but they were mainstream - look at stuff like rolling stone or spin.
he had a completely different record prepared that was more "serious", but the label rejected it and sent him back to make more hard-hitting rock songs and radio-friendly singles.
ironically, that's the reason people reacted so badly to it. it's a lot of recycled ideas (and he's still recycling those ideas). and, it's a lot of pandering to an imagined demographic. over time, what's happened is that his initial fan base has moved out and a new fan base that reflects that imagined demographic has moved in.
remember: nin fans in the 90s weren't much into rock or metal. they were mostly into techno and "industrial"; where it interfaced with rock was more in various types of post-punk. you'd have been more likely to find a nin fan into public enemy than into tool. so, it's a huge turnover in his fan base. the fragile is a kind of a pivot point, in that respect.
i pointed out elsewhere that i consider the still ep to be his last substantial release under the nin moniker. and, rumours have long been floating around that this material was initially meant for the fragile. it certainly fits the description of the rejected material, anyways, and is a good feel for what the record was intended to sound like.
==
Aydin Matney
screaming slave sounds like a death grips song
deathtokoalas
+Aydin Matney not really. but you should check out the ice cube remix of i'm afraid of americans. it's everything death grips wish they could have been
obligatory influential...
this is a kind of a lost classic. i was listening to it a lot in early '98, because i was on a big puppy kick and the genesis influence in puppy has always been overwhelming to me, because i grew up with so much genesis. something reminded me of this, so i reached for it and it stuck in the changer for quite a bit. i remember specifically thinking i wanted to emulate that 80s synth drum hit. it comes in after the bridge. the guitars, as well; the track i'm citing is pretty distant, but i was consciously pulling from this.
i was very, very young when i first connected with this. my dad was a huge genesis/gabriel fan. i was probably exposed to it in the womb - not this, it was released when i was five, but pretty much the whole swath of it from trespass forwards. this was always a favourite of mine, for as long as i can remember.
why don't you just listen to los endos? was the question that was constantly posed, and i never really had a good answer other than that i just liked this better. i'm not sure i can still uphold that argument.
is this the absolute end of genesis as a relevant musical force? probably. and, you probably need a broader perspective to put it in context as relevant at all. but, relevant it is - and very forward thinking when you project it forwards a few years.
(relevant tracks: why)
this is a kind of a lost classic. i was listening to it a lot in early '98, because i was on a big puppy kick and the genesis influence in puppy has always been overwhelming to me, because i grew up with so much genesis. something reminded me of this, so i reached for it and it stuck in the changer for quite a bit. i remember specifically thinking i wanted to emulate that 80s synth drum hit. it comes in after the bridge. the guitars, as well; the track i'm citing is pretty distant, but i was consciously pulling from this.
i was very, very young when i first connected with this. my dad was a huge genesis/gabriel fan. i was probably exposed to it in the womb - not this, it was released when i was five, but pretty much the whole swath of it from trespass forwards. this was always a favourite of mine, for as long as i can remember.
why don't you just listen to los endos? was the question that was constantly posed, and i never really had a good answer other than that i just liked this better. i'm not sure i can still uphold that argument.
is this the absolute end of genesis as a relevant musical force? probably. and, you probably need a broader perspective to put it in context as relevant at all. but, relevant it is - and very forward thinking when you project it forwards a few years.
(relevant tracks: why)
obligatory influential...
i picked up a cassette of fixed some time around '94 or so. at first, i couldn't listen to it. it was just noise. but, i kept coming back to it out of a sense of curiosity: is there something to this under the chaos? is this something abstract i ought to understand? or is it really just a lot of noise?
it finally clicked some time in mid '95 or so, and it got stuck in my walkman after that for months and months at a time. i actually managed to literally wear the tape out, and had to repurchase on cd.
i'm not sure i've ever really got an answer to that question, so much as it acted as a means of familiarizing myself with the concept of noise as music. about half the disc is carefully sculpted and arranged. the thirlwell mixes, especially, are definitely works of art. but, there's also a good helping of total noise on the disc that exists on a kind of boundary point. if you listen to it repeatedly, patterns start to arise and you become familiar with them, meaning it does function as artistically valid from start to finish. but, it's an open question as to whether those patterns were composed or just haphazardly spliced together. the thing is that it's not obvious, either way - there is at the very least an expert level of bullshitting going on here, to the point that the question can be put aside and the record can be thoroughly enjoyed as purely abstract sound.
it's a pretty ubiquitous background influence, along with the other major nin remix discs (closer & fdts, especially). but, it really comes out very strongly on the current featured track.
(relevant tracks: why is the current featured track with the obvious influence, but fixed is a formative influence and can be heard in everything i've ever done)
i picked up a cassette of fixed some time around '94 or so. at first, i couldn't listen to it. it was just noise. but, i kept coming back to it out of a sense of curiosity: is there something to this under the chaos? is this something abstract i ought to understand? or is it really just a lot of noise?
it finally clicked some time in mid '95 or so, and it got stuck in my walkman after that for months and months at a time. i actually managed to literally wear the tape out, and had to repurchase on cd.
i'm not sure i've ever really got an answer to that question, so much as it acted as a means of familiarizing myself with the concept of noise as music. about half the disc is carefully sculpted and arranged. the thirlwell mixes, especially, are definitely works of art. but, there's also a good helping of total noise on the disc that exists on a kind of boundary point. if you listen to it repeatedly, patterns start to arise and you become familiar with them, meaning it does function as artistically valid from start to finish. but, it's an open question as to whether those patterns were composed or just haphazardly spliced together. the thing is that it's not obvious, either way - there is at the very least an expert level of bullshitting going on here, to the point that the question can be put aside and the record can be thoroughly enjoyed as purely abstract sound.
it's a pretty ubiquitous background influence, along with the other major nin remix discs (closer & fdts, especially). but, it really comes out very strongly on the current featured track.
(relevant tracks: why is the current featured track with the obvious influence, but fixed is a formative influence and can be heard in everything i've ever done)
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
switching to why in the alter-reality
there's another alter-reality update tonight.
there's write-ups here they need to be.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZK1g7Y89Bdc
there's write-ups here they need to be.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZK1g7Y89Bdc
so, just trying to work things through a little...
i'm convinced that what i'm picking up is radio static. at the frequency level it's at - 5000-15000 hz - it pretty much has to be that. and, it seems too low to be wifi or cell or whatever. it's the frequency that a radio signal operates at, so it's gotta be a radio signal.
the questions i need to figure out are:
1) can i find a way to block the radio signals in the unit?
2) given that it seems to have something to do with the power lines or the streetlights as well, is it the case that these things are affecting my headphones and turning them into a receiver or is it the case that these things are affecting the radio waves and turning them into a relayer? that is, are my phones getting charged (and can i shield them?) or is the signal getting amplified (and then what?).
see, here's the thing: i seemed to be able to block it with a towel. you can't block a magnetic field with a towel. but you can block a radio signal with a towel.
that suggests to me that i may have a solution in building some kind of fort.
i'm hoping my landlord has a gaussmeter. that will help a lot.
but, i think i really just need to go ahead and get the new cords, already. i mean, the worst thing that can happen is that i'll have extra cords.
christmas deposits come in early, it'll be a next week thing.
my walking phones are also demoed, which will be a gst check thing at the beginning of january. they were a christmas present three years ago. i immediately knew that the connector on the noise cancelling unit would break. i didn't think they'd last three years, even. i can unscrew the unit, but the break is too high on the line - i'd have to cut and splice it. they're not worth it, really. i'd rather just get some cleaner phones. so, merry christmas to me...
or...
why don't i get some new phones next week, and then test to see if the interference is gone, then get some new cords if it is?
yeah. that's more logical.
i'm convinced that what i'm picking up is radio static. at the frequency level it's at - 5000-15000 hz - it pretty much has to be that. and, it seems too low to be wifi or cell or whatever. it's the frequency that a radio signal operates at, so it's gotta be a radio signal.
the questions i need to figure out are:
1) can i find a way to block the radio signals in the unit?
2) given that it seems to have something to do with the power lines or the streetlights as well, is it the case that these things are affecting my headphones and turning them into a receiver or is it the case that these things are affecting the radio waves and turning them into a relayer? that is, are my phones getting charged (and can i shield them?) or is the signal getting amplified (and then what?).
see, here's the thing: i seemed to be able to block it with a towel. you can't block a magnetic field with a towel. but you can block a radio signal with a towel.
that suggests to me that i may have a solution in building some kind of fort.
i'm hoping my landlord has a gaussmeter. that will help a lot.
but, i think i really just need to go ahead and get the new cords, already. i mean, the worst thing that can happen is that i'll have extra cords.
christmas deposits come in early, it'll be a next week thing.
my walking phones are also demoed, which will be a gst check thing at the beginning of january. they were a christmas present three years ago. i immediately knew that the connector on the noise cancelling unit would break. i didn't think they'd last three years, even. i can unscrew the unit, but the break is too high on the line - i'd have to cut and splice it. they're not worth it, really. i'd rather just get some cleaner phones. so, merry christmas to me...
or...
why don't i get some new phones next week, and then test to see if the interference is gone, then get some new cords if it is?
yeah. that's more logical.
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
yeah.
i did a compost run this morning, which was a long walk a good way from home, and it was interference free until i got a few blocks from home.
whatever the cause of this is, it's transmitting over several city blocks. it's a bloody huge field.
short of getting the city or the utility or whatever else it is to get to the source, there is no way to stop the interference. that is now clear to me. it's not in my control. my only option is to try and block it.
i learned during the walk that my walking phones have a short. the initial logic was "either it's interference or both phones are shorted. it's unlikely that both phones are shorted. so, it must be interference."
and, it is clear that there is interference.
but, it might also be the case that both phones are shorted.
if i can prove to myself that my studio phones are shorted, and replacing the cord fixes that, then that's good enough for now.
but, i also need to figure out how to approach this huge multi-block field i find myself living in, too.
i did a compost run this morning, which was a long walk a good way from home, and it was interference free until i got a few blocks from home.
whatever the cause of this is, it's transmitting over several city blocks. it's a bloody huge field.
short of getting the city or the utility or whatever else it is to get to the source, there is no way to stop the interference. that is now clear to me. it's not in my control. my only option is to try and block it.
i learned during the walk that my walking phones have a short. the initial logic was "either it's interference or both phones are shorted. it's unlikely that both phones are shorted. so, it must be interference."
and, it is clear that there is interference.
but, it might also be the case that both phones are shorted.
if i can prove to myself that my studio phones are shorted, and replacing the cord fixes that, then that's good enough for now.
but, i also need to figure out how to approach this huge multi-block field i find myself living in, too.
Monday, December 14, 2015
14-12-2015: the interference is present all across the neighbourhood!
tracks worked on in this vlog:
1) https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inriclaimed
1) https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inriclaimed
Sunday, December 13, 2015
12/13-12-2015: a clear conclusion that the source of the interference is outside the apartment
tracks worked on in this vlog:
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inriclaimed
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inriclaimed
suspected interference problem
jessica
hi.
i'm just wondering how i go about the process of investigating a possible interference problem, and possibly having it fixed.
i'm an electronic musician, so i spend a lot of time listening to unusual effects collages and i consequently have very sensitive ears. i've been noticing strange audio behaviour out of my system since july, and it has taken me a very long time to go through the process of checking various causes and ruling various things out.
after checking driver conflicts, os settings, ground issues, cords and everything else you could imagine, i've finally settled on interference as the root cause because it seems to be unpredictable. it will be fine for a few hours, then distort for a few days. the interference seems to fade in the early morning, and especially on saturday mornings.
the interference i'm getting is relatively high frequency. it's in the radio spectrum. it's a distortion roughly between 5000-10000 hz, maybe a little higher, and often a functional low pass somewhere around 10,000 hz.
i get this interference from multiple pairs of headphones out of multiple systems on multiple circuits. in fact, i even get it from a standalone pocket-mp3 player. but, i've been assuming for the last few weeks that the source was indoors and trying to locate it.
today, i took that pocket mp3 player for a walk around the neighbourhood and noticed that the interference was actually even worse outside, in the immediate vicinity of my dwelling. if i walk a few blocks in any direction, it seems to mostly dissipate.
there was some intense jackhammering in my neighbourhood over the summer, as the sewers were replaced. i'm slowly coming to an understanding that something may have been damaged at that time and it's been feeding out signal ever since, in a way that is proportional to how much electricity is being pulled into the neighbourhood.
do you have a process to deal with this sort of thing? how do i get it started?
hydro one
Thank you for contacting us to bring this issue to our attention.
Please provide your property address, meter number and/or Hydro One account number in a reply email and we will be happy to investigate further.
For more information on Hydro One, visit: www.hydroone.com.
jessica
hi.
i'm a renter, so i don't have the account information. but, i'm located at
805 marion ave,
windsor ontario,
n9a 2h8
i also have some more information to provide you with.
i went for a long walk with my mp3 player and headphones around the city yesterday. i've determined that there is no interference south of erie or east of ouellette.
i believe i'm actually picking up radio frequencies in the phones, but that there must be some environmental factor - likely related to the power lines or the streetlights - that is amplifying it when i walk through the affected area, which is north of erie and west of ouellette, at least as far as where i live (i haven't determined exact boundaries to the north or west of the affected area).
what i think is that some kind of maintenance in the area has disrupted the lines, which has created a large magnetic field that is proportional to the amount of current running through the lines. this magnetic field is then messing with my phones, turning them into a receiver for the normal radio frequencies running through the area.
i may be able to get some readings on a gaussmeter over the next few days and will forward them to you if i do.
hydro one
Dear Ms. Murray,
Thank you for your reply.
Unfortunately, Hydro One Networks does not service this area. Please contact Windsor Utilities at 519-255-2727.
hi.
i'm just wondering how i go about the process of investigating a possible interference problem, and possibly having it fixed.
i'm an electronic musician, so i spend a lot of time listening to unusual effects collages and i consequently have very sensitive ears. i've been noticing strange audio behaviour out of my system since july, and it has taken me a very long time to go through the process of checking various causes and ruling various things out.
after checking driver conflicts, os settings, ground issues, cords and everything else you could imagine, i've finally settled on interference as the root cause because it seems to be unpredictable. it will be fine for a few hours, then distort for a few days. the interference seems to fade in the early morning, and especially on saturday mornings.
the interference i'm getting is relatively high frequency. it's in the radio spectrum. it's a distortion roughly between 5000-10000 hz, maybe a little higher, and often a functional low pass somewhere around 10,000 hz.
i get this interference from multiple pairs of headphones out of multiple systems on multiple circuits. in fact, i even get it from a standalone pocket-mp3 player. but, i've been assuming for the last few weeks that the source was indoors and trying to locate it.
today, i took that pocket mp3 player for a walk around the neighbourhood and noticed that the interference was actually even worse outside, in the immediate vicinity of my dwelling. if i walk a few blocks in any direction, it seems to mostly dissipate.
there was some intense jackhammering in my neighbourhood over the summer, as the sewers were replaced. i'm slowly coming to an understanding that something may have been damaged at that time and it's been feeding out signal ever since, in a way that is proportional to how much electricity is being pulled into the neighbourhood.
do you have a process to deal with this sort of thing? how do i get it started?
hydro one
Thank you for contacting us to bring this issue to our attention.
Please provide your property address, meter number and/or Hydro One account number in a reply email and we will be happy to investigate further.
For more information on Hydro One, visit: www.hydroone.com.
jessica
hi.
i'm a renter, so i don't have the account information. but, i'm located at
805 marion ave,
windsor ontario,
n9a 2h8
i also have some more information to provide you with.
i went for a long walk with my mp3 player and headphones around the city yesterday. i've determined that there is no interference south of erie or east of ouellette.
i believe i'm actually picking up radio frequencies in the phones, but that there must be some environmental factor - likely related to the power lines or the streetlights - that is amplifying it when i walk through the affected area, which is north of erie and west of ouellette, at least as far as where i live (i haven't determined exact boundaries to the north or west of the affected area).
what i think is that some kind of maintenance in the area has disrupted the lines, which has created a large magnetic field that is proportional to the amount of current running through the lines. this magnetic field is then messing with my phones, turning them into a receiver for the normal radio frequencies running through the area.
i may be able to get some readings on a gaussmeter over the next few days and will forward them to you if i do.
hydro one
Dear Ms. Murray,
Thank you for your reply.
Unfortunately, Hydro One Networks does not service this area. Please contact Windsor Utilities at 519-255-2727.
so...
i took a walk around the neighbourhood and the source of interference appears to be the power lines. it fades if i walk in any direction.
the city did some sewer replacements over the summer. much jackhammering. possible cause.
i *think* i can contact the utility company about this...
yeah. i may have wasted six months due to broken fucking power lines.
i took a walk around the neighbourhood and the source of interference appears to be the power lines. it fades if i walk in any direction.
the city did some sewer replacements over the summer. much jackhammering. possible cause.
i *think* i can contact the utility company about this...
yeah. i may have wasted six months due to broken fucking power lines.
Saturday, December 12, 2015
11-12-2015: starting to lose it a little
tracks worked on in this vlog:
1) https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/aliens-are-more-likely-than-god
1) https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/aliens-are-more-likely-than-god
i have come to the final conclusion of outside interference as the root of the problem, but it has not left me any closer to finding a solution.
1) i do not know the source of the interference, but it is certain to me that it is outside my apartment.
2) i do not know if some kind of damage to the phones made existing interference worse, if the interference damaged the phones or if the interference is more recent.
the electric heating upstairs was removed last spring. a new tenant moved in upstairs near the beginning of the summer. i think this is the reason it seems ok, then doesn't, then does. it depends on the interference floating around. i had suspected this previously, but every time i came to a different answer i put it aside; these have all been false positives, and the interference is really the only thing left.
one of the most compelling demonstrations of this occurs when i place a towel over my head, which dampens it. moving my head around drastically alters the sound. it really couldn't be more clear.
i've decided on a plan.
1) i will finish this project on a track-by-track basis. most of it is mixed, i just need to verify that it sounds correctly. it is a bit of a process to find the right way to position the headphones, but it can be done.
2) i will replace the cord in the phones. i am not certain this will work, but i have to try it.
3) if it does not, i will need to talk to my neighbours, and see if i can determine a cause.
4) i'll need to talk to the landlord, after that. he has done electrical work in the building. he's an electrician. he may have some ideas.
5) if i still cannot resolve the issue, i will have no option but to plan to move.
i think 3 & 4 are the most likely to yield results, but i need to approach this incrementally to avoid making errors in my living arrangements.
the inriclaimed project, and related projects, will need to be done in the next few days. i will be able to do the filing I need to catch up to where i was, after that, while i wait for the phones to come in. the new cord will likely arrive early in the new year, and i'll have to go from there.
1) i do not know the source of the interference, but it is certain to me that it is outside my apartment.
2) i do not know if some kind of damage to the phones made existing interference worse, if the interference damaged the phones or if the interference is more recent.
the electric heating upstairs was removed last spring. a new tenant moved in upstairs near the beginning of the summer. i think this is the reason it seems ok, then doesn't, then does. it depends on the interference floating around. i had suspected this previously, but every time i came to a different answer i put it aside; these have all been false positives, and the interference is really the only thing left.
one of the most compelling demonstrations of this occurs when i place a towel over my head, which dampens it. moving my head around drastically alters the sound. it really couldn't be more clear.
i've decided on a plan.
1) i will finish this project on a track-by-track basis. most of it is mixed, i just need to verify that it sounds correctly. it is a bit of a process to find the right way to position the headphones, but it can be done.
2) i will replace the cord in the phones. i am not certain this will work, but i have to try it.
3) if it does not, i will need to talk to my neighbours, and see if i can determine a cause.
4) i'll need to talk to the landlord, after that. he has done electrical work in the building. he's an electrician. he may have some ideas.
5) if i still cannot resolve the issue, i will have no option but to plan to move.
i think 3 & 4 are the most likely to yield results, but i need to approach this incrementally to avoid making errors in my living arrangements.
the inriclaimed project, and related projects, will need to be done in the next few days. i will be able to do the filing I need to catch up to where i was, after that, while i wait for the phones to come in. the new cord will likely arrive early in the new year, and i'll have to go from there.
Friday, December 11, 2015
Thursday, December 10, 2015
it's finally consistently sounding a lot better. with a slight caveat.
current hypothesis - and take it for what it's worth given my track record - is that the seal on the left headphone is weak. either due to the bass loosening it, or just because it's weak, the seal is consistently opening. this is creating a magnetic field that is picking up interference. the interference is distorting the output in unpredictable ways, as it's dependent on whatever is floating around.
i seem to be able to break the field by pushing the seal in, but it seems to pull itself back open. i don't want to glue it because i do want to be able to open the phones up. the break is really paper thin. i'm hoping that pushing it back together often enough will put it back in place.
i'm thinking the cause of this may have been the short i was getting in the last cord, which had me frequently fiddling with the connector on that side. the sound seems to have really broken when i was mixing "viewless" at high volumes, which features a massive thump on the low end, in the drums and bass guitar. so, i think it was a combination of things. i may have made it worse by jimmying it open a few months ago, looking for a cause.
i've had far too many hypotheses, and in the end they all either fail or end up incomplete. but, i think this one is ridiculous enough to be plausible. and i do seem to be getting cause and effect, which has eluded me for so long.
i need to listen for at least the rest of the day to be sure. i don't expect to finalize anything today. but, i'm posting this because i legitimately think i finally got it.
current hypothesis - and take it for what it's worth given my track record - is that the seal on the left headphone is weak. either due to the bass loosening it, or just because it's weak, the seal is consistently opening. this is creating a magnetic field that is picking up interference. the interference is distorting the output in unpredictable ways, as it's dependent on whatever is floating around.
i seem to be able to break the field by pushing the seal in, but it seems to pull itself back open. i don't want to glue it because i do want to be able to open the phones up. the break is really paper thin. i'm hoping that pushing it back together often enough will put it back in place.
i'm thinking the cause of this may have been the short i was getting in the last cord, which had me frequently fiddling with the connector on that side. the sound seems to have really broken when i was mixing "viewless" at high volumes, which features a massive thump on the low end, in the drums and bass guitar. so, i think it was a combination of things. i may have made it worse by jimmying it open a few months ago, looking for a cause.
i've had far too many hypotheses, and in the end they all either fail or end up incomplete. but, i think this one is ridiculous enough to be plausible. and i do seem to be getting cause and effect, which has eluded me for so long.
i need to listen for at least the rest of the day to be sure. i don't expect to finalize anything today. but, i'm posting this because i legitimately think i finally got it.
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
you have to remember: stipe is a wry guy. and, he tends to come at things from multiple angles at the same time.
what he's getting at is the unrealistic nature of the expectation, but he's balancing out the selfishness of suicide with the right to it.
are those the eyes that the narrator really wants the listener to remember?
eyes that shiver and fold?
is the narrator truly not creating a burden?
truly holding these things inside?
and how can you look the narrator in the eye, when these words are coming out?
should the narrator be surprised that the listener is shivering?
but, the sum total is simply an exploration of how difficult the situation is.
i don't think he really comes to a total conclusion.
what he's getting at is the unrealistic nature of the expectation, but he's balancing out the selfishness of suicide with the right to it.
are those the eyes that the narrator really wants the listener to remember?
eyes that shiver and fold?
is the narrator truly not creating a burden?
truly holding these things inside?
and how can you look the narrator in the eye, when these words are coming out?
should the narrator be surprised that the listener is shivering?
but, the sum total is simply an exploration of how difficult the situation is.
i don't think he really comes to a total conclusion.
i think people are mostly getting the point, but they're missing the device. and, i think that getting the device ties a lot of the ideas here together. this is one of stipe's smartest tracks and analyzing it does a lot to point out that his language is often very carefully put together, even when it may not seem like it is.
"it's 10:00. do you know where your kids are?"
this was often something you would see on tv during the reagan years, generally during a newscast. it was also widely ridiculed by young people at the time. you still hear it from time to time. it's meant to ask the question: are your kids on drugs?
what stipe is doing is ironically putting himself in the role of the adult, here. he doesn't exactly want to be the adult. he doesn't want to be the "downer". but, he's also seeing this world first hand, and he's reflecting that the news reports are not entirely frivolous. that the kids are on drugs. or, at least some of them are. and, the ones that are on drugs need a bit of help with it, too.
he's trying to establish a perspective that exists in some kind of middle ground.
he's then taking that middle ground to reflect on the real value of freedom, and how he feels about getting in the way of the freedom of others. the car is the american symbol of freedom.
the drug lingo is consequently entirely accurate, but it's a giant double-entendre about feeling caught between the counter-culture and a feeling of responsibility to help people. to stipe, this is a very stern moral dilemma that pits two equally valuable ideals against each other. he's struggling with this moral dilemma.
the language about bush & ollie north is also accurate. you just have to understand their connections to drug smuggling, even as they're rounding people up for it. freedom?
what that does is set the tone for a record that is broadly about feeling powerless to change things, and the futility of getting lost in it.
it's really a fucking lyrical masterpiece.
but, through all of it, remember: a working class hero is something to be.
"it's 10:00. do you know where your kids are?"
this was often something you would see on tv during the reagan years, generally during a newscast. it was also widely ridiculed by young people at the time. you still hear it from time to time. it's meant to ask the question: are your kids on drugs?
what stipe is doing is ironically putting himself in the role of the adult, here. he doesn't exactly want to be the adult. he doesn't want to be the "downer". but, he's also seeing this world first hand, and he's reflecting that the news reports are not entirely frivolous. that the kids are on drugs. or, at least some of them are. and, the ones that are on drugs need a bit of help with it, too.
he's trying to establish a perspective that exists in some kind of middle ground.
he's then taking that middle ground to reflect on the real value of freedom, and how he feels about getting in the way of the freedom of others. the car is the american symbol of freedom.
the drug lingo is consequently entirely accurate, but it's a giant double-entendre about feeling caught between the counter-culture and a feeling of responsibility to help people. to stipe, this is a very stern moral dilemma that pits two equally valuable ideals against each other. he's struggling with this moral dilemma.
the language about bush & ollie north is also accurate. you just have to understand their connections to drug smuggling, even as they're rounding people up for it. freedom?
what that does is set the tone for a record that is broadly about feeling powerless to change things, and the futility of getting lost in it.
it's really a fucking lyrical masterpiece.
but, through all of it, remember: a working class hero is something to be.
obligatory influential...
this is my last post for the day.
automatic for the people, and rem in general, is one of those ubiquitous influences for me. i've told this story before, about checking green & document out of the public library when i was about eight or nine. mom was into sabbath & zeppelin. dad was into floyd & genesis. i grew into some of that as i aged, but the public library was a useful resource for me at the time in finding what i really wanted to listen to, beyond the standard beatles records lying around. i've described michael stipe as a kind of a weird, distant uncle. automatic for the people dropped when i was eleven, and was at least as defining as any other experience in my life. by early 1998, i was waiting patiently for up - which is the last rem record that i was able to connect to strongly.
i'm not citing this record as a direct influence, so much as i'm citing it as an aesthetic one. it's a feeling, not a thought. and, i'm leaning more towards the instrumental tracks and the string arrangements. there's a little new orleans instrumental in there. there's a bit of that cello from drive.
about a year later, i would do a cover of drive that is in a similar style to this.
(relevant tracks: wish, drive, symphony 0, anything in the ambient list and really anything at all)
this is my last post for the day.
automatic for the people, and rem in general, is one of those ubiquitous influences for me. i've told this story before, about checking green & document out of the public library when i was about eight or nine. mom was into sabbath & zeppelin. dad was into floyd & genesis. i grew into some of that as i aged, but the public library was a useful resource for me at the time in finding what i really wanted to listen to, beyond the standard beatles records lying around. i've described michael stipe as a kind of a weird, distant uncle. automatic for the people dropped when i was eleven, and was at least as defining as any other experience in my life. by early 1998, i was waiting patiently for up - which is the last rem record that i was able to connect to strongly.
i'm not citing this record as a direct influence, so much as i'm citing it as an aesthetic one. it's a feeling, not a thought. and, i'm leaning more towards the instrumental tracks and the string arrangements. there's a little new orleans instrumental in there. there's a bit of that cello from drive.
about a year later, i would do a cover of drive that is in a similar style to this.
(relevant tracks: wish, drive, symphony 0, anything in the ambient list and really anything at all)
obligatory influential...
in some ways, this is pretty weak. i mean, i'm not claiming i'm doing much on the guitar with this track. but, the thing is that the hendrix signature is pretty obvious - even if it's all rhythm work. but, you can't find hendrix on youtube. so, srv is the next best relevant option.
in fact, the truth is that i had spent as much time doing srv parts in the mid 90s as i had spent doing hendrix parts. my guitar teacher was somewhat of an srv wizard. and, while stevie really only knew how to play two songs, he played them both really, really well.
(relevant tracks: i'm not always a flashy guitarist, but hendrix/srv are really at the core of my guitar style, and it comes out in various ways over various periods. when i get fancy, you can hear it pretty clearly.)
he tends to lose the plot. it's...he's drunk...
i'm sorry. it's true.
whoever was in charge of editing this should have cut out the part in the middle where he didn't know what day it was.
in some ways, this is pretty weak. i mean, i'm not claiming i'm doing much on the guitar with this track. but, the thing is that the hendrix signature is pretty obvious - even if it's all rhythm work. but, you can't find hendrix on youtube. so, srv is the next best relevant option.
in fact, the truth is that i had spent as much time doing srv parts in the mid 90s as i had spent doing hendrix parts. my guitar teacher was somewhat of an srv wizard. and, while stevie really only knew how to play two songs, he played them both really, really well.
(relevant tracks: i'm not always a flashy guitarist, but hendrix/srv are really at the core of my guitar style, and it comes out in various ways over various periods. when i get fancy, you can hear it pretty clearly.)
he tends to lose the plot. it's...he's drunk...
i'm sorry. it's true.
whoever was in charge of editing this should have cut out the part in the middle where he didn't know what day it was.
obligatory influential...
it may be almost pathetic, in context. but, in trying to figure out what i was thinking regarding the synthetic strings, and trying to put it into the context of early 1998, i can't ignore this tea party record. it's really a pretty big, if somewhat muted, background influence through a lot of what i was doing at the time, in terms of integrating blues-based guitar music with electronics. i mean, i tend to point more cleanly to various types of electronic music or various types of guitar-based music. this is because, at the time, the ideas were still broadly disentangled. i guess they still are, but there's at least a bigger pool to draw on, now. there's not really any good reason for this; listen to a late 60s beatles record. but, some kind of taboo developed in the 70s and it took decades to really break it down. the result was that guitars and electronics only really mixed in the fringes of technical music, in a bit of high-end pop and in the realm of industrial music. blues-based musicians universally avoided all electronics.
it really started opening up about 1998. in that sense, the tea party were just a hop ahead of the curve. if they had shown up just a few years later with the energy they started off with, they'd be as big as muse or radiohead. they were really blazing a path just ahead of them, but they got muffled by the glaciers up here or something.
but, canadians, at least, recognized them for the talent they were. and, one could not have been a canadian teenage musician in the 90s without being influenced by them - both in their "morrocan roll" stage and in their truly rather pioneering electro-rock world phase. or, just simply as a guitarist.
(relevant tracks: wish, schizoid, on sexual confusion in adolescence....anything with a guitar, and anything with string arrangements, however primitive)
it may be almost pathetic, in context. but, in trying to figure out what i was thinking regarding the synthetic strings, and trying to put it into the context of early 1998, i can't ignore this tea party record. it's really a pretty big, if somewhat muted, background influence through a lot of what i was doing at the time, in terms of integrating blues-based guitar music with electronics. i mean, i tend to point more cleanly to various types of electronic music or various types of guitar-based music. this is because, at the time, the ideas were still broadly disentangled. i guess they still are, but there's at least a bigger pool to draw on, now. there's not really any good reason for this; listen to a late 60s beatles record. but, some kind of taboo developed in the 70s and it took decades to really break it down. the result was that guitars and electronics only really mixed in the fringes of technical music, in a bit of high-end pop and in the realm of industrial music. blues-based musicians universally avoided all electronics.
it really started opening up about 1998. in that sense, the tea party were just a hop ahead of the curve. if they had shown up just a few years later with the energy they started off with, they'd be as big as muse or radiohead. they were really blazing a path just ahead of them, but they got muffled by the glaciers up here or something.
but, canadians, at least, recognized them for the talent they were. and, one could not have been a canadian teenage musician in the 90s without being influenced by them - both in their "morrocan roll" stage and in their truly rather pioneering electro-rock world phase. or, just simply as a guitarist.
(relevant tracks: wish, schizoid, on sexual confusion in adolescence....anything with a guitar, and anything with string arrangements, however primitive)
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