and, in the list of never ending gear anomalies: i seem to have picked up a driver conflict somewhere.
this could not have been the original problem because disabling everything except the mixer has not modified what nulls with what. the new outputs all null, and they don't null with the outputs from the broken mixer. it must be unique to the new install.
that also indicates that the driver conflict is only occurring on play back, not on rendering.
the good news is that i am seriously confident that disabling these other devices has finally given me consistency - i'm getting a clarity in the mixes that i haven't heard since i reinstalled. the mixes finally sound "good" again. and, it's holding.
so, what i'm going to have to do tomorrow is a lot of listening to determine where the conflict is. but about the only thing that makes any sense to me is that it's over the creative wdm. and disabling that is of no loss to me, as i only use the old soundblaster for infrequent midi purposes.
yes, this is frustrating. and annoying. but the clarity i finally got in the wee hours of the morning is a bright light at the end of the tunnel.
Thursday, July 30, 2015
i'm procrastinating because i don't want to be further disappointed. but i need to get back to it.
there's an alter-reality update tonight at midnight: it is the date that i've penciled in for the release of my first electronic ep. that is dec 1, 1997. which means i'm pushing into 1998, and the real start of my electronic phase. this ep has about another month as the feature before i plow into the synth-pop.
that means i need to get these instrumental mixes done within the next month. everything has slowed down so dramatically this year; i'm kind of irked, but them are the apples. i just hope the gear co-operates soon and stays co-operative....
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inrisampled
there's an alter-reality update tonight at midnight: it is the date that i've penciled in for the release of my first electronic ep. that is dec 1, 1997. which means i'm pushing into 1998, and the real start of my electronic phase. this ep has about another month as the feature before i plow into the synth-pop.
that means i need to get these instrumental mixes done within the next month. everything has slowed down so dramatically this year; i'm kind of irked, but them are the apples. i just hope the gear co-operates soon and stays co-operative....
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inrisampled
belated, intentionally
hi.
a birthday call shouldn't be a negative experience, so i decided against it this year. i mean, the idea is not to torment you, it's to wish you well. freaking you out would be rather counter-intuitive.
but, i did want to let you know that i didn't forget. i just decided against it.
so, happy birthday.
j
a birthday call shouldn't be a negative experience, so i decided against it this year. i mean, the idea is not to torment you, it's to wish you well. freaking you out would be rather counter-intuitive.
but, i did want to let you know that i didn't forget. i just decided against it.
so, happy birthday.
j
see, this is how you'd assume it should work. it should merge at the master and go through the rest of the chain as one signal.
but, i seem to have disproven this. and, i have further evidence for disproving this - it's helping me explain something i never really understood.
if you place a vanilla bus right in front of the main mix, you'd think it should just be superfluous, because the main mix is combining everything, anyways. it's a virtual path, so you're not creating resistance or any kind of degradation.
but, every time i've done this i've noticed it isn't accurate. sometimes it's subtle. but parking that vanilla bus in there predictably changes the characteristic of the sound. i've never understood this...
...but perhaps the reason this is true is that it actually creates the merge operation that it seems obvious should be there but doesn't seem to actually be.
what that means is that if somebody wants the behaviour in this diagram, they should put a bus in front of the master out and send everything through it. that will merge the signals.
otherwise, this diagram should really be in parallel - at least up to the channel fader (which is right after the eq).
but, i seem to have disproven this. and, i have further evidence for disproving this - it's helping me explain something i never really understood.
if you place a vanilla bus right in front of the main mix, you'd think it should just be superfluous, because the main mix is combining everything, anyways. it's a virtual path, so you're not creating resistance or any kind of degradation.
but, every time i've done this i've noticed it isn't accurate. sometimes it's subtle. but parking that vanilla bus in there predictably changes the characteristic of the sound. i've never understood this...
...but perhaps the reason this is true is that it actually creates the merge operation that it seems obvious should be there but doesn't seem to actually be.
what that means is that if somebody wants the behaviour in this diagram, they should put a bus in front of the master out and send everything through it. that will merge the signals.
otherwise, this diagram should really be in parallel - at least up to the channel fader (which is right after the eq).
i've convinced myself that what was broken in the drivers was the separation of the tracks. the more i explore this, the more likely it is that it's going to start looking random.
i can't verify that cubase processes individual tracks before it mixes them, but it seems like an unavoidable conclusion.
it would then have to be that it broke at the mixing stage - that the tracks were corrupted as they were being combined, on a stream-by-stream basis.
this should be at the driver level, because it's what drivers do: they act between hardware and software instructions.
i'm still a little unclear on exactly how this works, but the inference is that the hardware must be streaming the individual parts separately; that the "mixing" isn't actually done in hardware, but in the listener's ears. like an rgb gun, or a computer monitor for that matter - it shoots out the different colours independently and allows the result to exist in observation. there's no violet inside your computer. there's only instructions on how to create violet on your screen.
if i can verify that this is true, i'll be convinced.
but, i don't think it's going to help a lot in reconstructing it. it means i'd have to run independent processes on each of the tracks, because the corruption is happening on the other side of the master effects.
so, today wasn't a loss. i feel i finally *understand* what's happening. that should help me put it behind me and move on.
talk about a weird error, though. no wonder i couldn't figure it out.
to keep to the colour analogy, i guess it would be sort of like that i had a dirty printer head, and i was getting splotches on the paper as a consequence of it - those splotches being strange frequency boosts.
i can't verify that cubase processes individual tracks before it mixes them, but it seems like an unavoidable conclusion.
it would then have to be that it broke at the mixing stage - that the tracks were corrupted as they were being combined, on a stream-by-stream basis.
this should be at the driver level, because it's what drivers do: they act between hardware and software instructions.
i'm still a little unclear on exactly how this works, but the inference is that the hardware must be streaming the individual parts separately; that the "mixing" isn't actually done in hardware, but in the listener's ears. like an rgb gun, or a computer monitor for that matter - it shoots out the different colours independently and allows the result to exist in observation. there's no violet inside your computer. there's only instructions on how to create violet on your screen.
if i can verify that this is true, i'll be convinced.
but, i don't think it's going to help a lot in reconstructing it. it means i'd have to run independent processes on each of the tracks, because the corruption is happening on the other side of the master effects.
so, today wasn't a loss. i feel i finally *understand* what's happening. that should help me put it behind me and move on.
talk about a weird error, though. no wonder i couldn't figure it out.
to keep to the colour analogy, i guess it would be sort of like that i had a dirty printer head, and i was getting splotches on the paper as a consequence of it - those splotches being strange frequency boosts.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
i can't make sense of this. i'm starting to understand the tonal differences a little better, but it really makes no less sense to me as to how i ended up where i am.
the guitars null flat. there's some bleed, but it's from the bass part, as it was transferred from tape. tapes bleed. it's not an incomplete null, it's bleed. that's settled.
i can get the drums to very nearly null. i need to cut the eq on them by about 2 db at 50 hz, then boost the master eq by about 2 db at 80 hz. there's an izotope plugin on the master, and it comes in before the eq in the signal path, so that 80 hz boost has to be where it is and that 50 hz cut has to be where it is. i can't say to myself "maybe i split the difference and forgot". they're not interchangeable. in order for it to null, i have to cut the bass into izotope, and increase it out of izotope.
but, of course, anything i do to the master will affect the guitars. then, they no longer null. nor can i say "maybe i cut the guitars before they got to izotope". it doesn't work like that when you've got a plugin in the way.
this suggests two distinct signal paths in the earlier mix. but, i don't mix like that. i've never mixed like that. i'd never do that.
see, the funny thing about this is that it's an entirely rational mixing decision. you might decide the bass is coming in to the mix a little too heavy, take it down and then increase it on the way out. i don't remember doing that here. but i've done this countless times. it's a pretty normal mixing strategy. it doesn't seem like a random error. it seems like there's a fucker at a mixing desk.
i'm still convinced this is crazy. it's the kind of thing i'll never actually believe. i'll disconnect the internet. i'll rant about it all day. but, it's insane.
i'm the kind of person that would think i hallucinated it if god herself came down and slapped me upside the head. i could have a bruise. i'd think i fell somewhere. there's certain things that no amount of evidence can be convincing of. it's a sort of problem with being a cold rationalist. even if it's true, i can't accept it.
yet, i've determined that the old mix somehow sent the guitars and drums through different izotope instantiations, because there was a slight bass boost on one of them and no bass boost on the other - and the probability that this could have cancelled out any other way is so negligible it can't be seriously entertained.
my brain is unable to interpret that as a broken clock, because i can null with what i could call "elementary mixing operations". once a mathematician, always a mathematician. a 2 db boost at 80 hz is a common operation. a 2 db cut at 50 hz is a common operation. a broken clock would create the messy and random complications i was hearing, not uniform cuts at widely used frequencies - that in some sense cancel each other out.
i think, at this point, there's nothing of further value to be gained by trying to null these files. i'm going to shift the focus to determining if the device is currently consistent and flat. if i can prove this, i'll then go back to mixing it from scratch.
let be me clear on the following point: i cannot use mixes that i cannot recreate. whatever the cause, these mixes are useless to me.
the guitars null flat. there's some bleed, but it's from the bass part, as it was transferred from tape. tapes bleed. it's not an incomplete null, it's bleed. that's settled.
i can get the drums to very nearly null. i need to cut the eq on them by about 2 db at 50 hz, then boost the master eq by about 2 db at 80 hz. there's an izotope plugin on the master, and it comes in before the eq in the signal path, so that 80 hz boost has to be where it is and that 50 hz cut has to be where it is. i can't say to myself "maybe i split the difference and forgot". they're not interchangeable. in order for it to null, i have to cut the bass into izotope, and increase it out of izotope.
but, of course, anything i do to the master will affect the guitars. then, they no longer null. nor can i say "maybe i cut the guitars before they got to izotope". it doesn't work like that when you've got a plugin in the way.
this suggests two distinct signal paths in the earlier mix. but, i don't mix like that. i've never mixed like that. i'd never do that.
see, the funny thing about this is that it's an entirely rational mixing decision. you might decide the bass is coming in to the mix a little too heavy, take it down and then increase it on the way out. i don't remember doing that here. but i've done this countless times. it's a pretty normal mixing strategy. it doesn't seem like a random error. it seems like there's a fucker at a mixing desk.
i'm still convinced this is crazy. it's the kind of thing i'll never actually believe. i'll disconnect the internet. i'll rant about it all day. but, it's insane.
i'm the kind of person that would think i hallucinated it if god herself came down and slapped me upside the head. i could have a bruise. i'd think i fell somewhere. there's certain things that no amount of evidence can be convincing of. it's a sort of problem with being a cold rationalist. even if it's true, i can't accept it.
yet, i've determined that the old mix somehow sent the guitars and drums through different izotope instantiations, because there was a slight bass boost on one of them and no bass boost on the other - and the probability that this could have cancelled out any other way is so negligible it can't be seriously entertained.
my brain is unable to interpret that as a broken clock, because i can null with what i could call "elementary mixing operations". once a mathematician, always a mathematician. a 2 db boost at 80 hz is a common operation. a 2 db cut at 50 hz is a common operation. a broken clock would create the messy and random complications i was hearing, not uniform cuts at widely used frequencies - that in some sense cancel each other out.
i think, at this point, there's nothing of further value to be gained by trying to null these files. i'm going to shift the focus to determining if the device is currently consistent and flat. if i can prove this, i'll then go back to mixing it from scratch.
let be me clear on the following point: i cannot use mixes that i cannot recreate. whatever the cause, these mixes are useless to me.
see, what's weird is that, on closer analysis, the guitars are actually nulling. which indicates that the file that's outputted is not actually a clean render. i don't know how to make sense of that. did i render a mix without saving it? i have no recollection of this, and it's very uncharacteristic of me. but it's just about the only thing that makes any sense.
well...i suppose that the corruption in the device may have been bus related. but i think that's kind of stretching it.
dropping this external mixing hypothesis is proving difficult. if i can create a mix that nulls without modifying the master volume or eq, i'm left with a head-scratching paradox. but, that seems to be exactly what i'm in the process of doing.
even this doesn't make sense. the file save date on the project is june 29. the render is dated at basically the same time. there's no space for shenanigans. and these aren't things you can easily fake.
but, if this corruption on the bus is a real thing, what i may be doing is manually reconstructing it. i could have output the file through these corrupt buses, which could be the cause of the warped output.
i suppose that would reduce the initial issue to a cubase problem. it seems remote, but i can't argue with the obvious.
more testing is required.
i can't prove there was actually a driver problem until i wiped the registry. there was some other unknown problem before that.
well...i suppose that the corruption in the device may have been bus related. but i think that's kind of stretching it.
dropping this external mixing hypothesis is proving difficult. if i can create a mix that nulls without modifying the master volume or eq, i'm left with a head-scratching paradox. but, that seems to be exactly what i'm in the process of doing.
even this doesn't make sense. the file save date on the project is june 29. the render is dated at basically the same time. there's no space for shenanigans. and these aren't things you can easily fake.
but, if this corruption on the bus is a real thing, what i may be doing is manually reconstructing it. i could have output the file through these corrupt buses, which could be the cause of the warped output.
i suppose that would reduce the initial issue to a cubase problem. it seems remote, but i can't argue with the obvious.
more testing is required.
i can't prove there was actually a driver problem until i wiped the registry. there was some other unknown problem before that.
rap news 34
mostly spot on. the way this works is like this:
0) people like donald trump write trade treaties like nafta.
1) nafta allows a us factory to move from arizona to mexico, where it can pay workers a third of the price.
2) the workers at that factory lose their job.
3) the factory blows up the local economy in that region of mexico, forcing the locals into poverty.
4) that sets off a chain reaction of migration that pushes people out of mexico and into the united states, partially because
5) sub minimum wage pay in arizona is still more lucrative than work in mexico.
6) this benefits producers that create products for export but it reduces the pool of possible labour opportunities in arizona, creating structural unemployment levels.
7) what low education white arizonans are able to physically see and intuitively understand is that illegal mexican immigrants have jobs and they don't.
8) donald trump (carefully avoiding neatly shaved mustaches) stands up and blames it all on zee mexicans, in an attempt to generate a political base and distract from his own guilt and responsibility. mass unemployment creates social unrest that needs to be controlled.
9) the media agrees, in an attempt to construct a subscription viewer/reader base and further control the social unrest.
10) low education white arizonans vote for donald trump, but they do not expect him to reverse the policies that set off the chain of reactions.
it's a bit of a stretch to suggest it was planned from the start. but power has a tendency to perpetuate itself by profiting from it's own crises.
0) people like donald trump write trade treaties like nafta.
1) nafta allows a us factory to move from arizona to mexico, where it can pay workers a third of the price.
2) the workers at that factory lose their job.
3) the factory blows up the local economy in that region of mexico, forcing the locals into poverty.
4) that sets off a chain reaction of migration that pushes people out of mexico and into the united states, partially because
5) sub minimum wage pay in arizona is still more lucrative than work in mexico.
6) this benefits producers that create products for export but it reduces the pool of possible labour opportunities in arizona, creating structural unemployment levels.
7) what low education white arizonans are able to physically see and intuitively understand is that illegal mexican immigrants have jobs and they don't.
8) donald trump (carefully avoiding neatly shaved mustaches) stands up and blames it all on zee mexicans, in an attempt to generate a political base and distract from his own guilt and responsibility. mass unemployment creates social unrest that needs to be controlled.
9) the media agrees, in an attempt to construct a subscription viewer/reader base and further control the social unrest.
10) low education white arizonans vote for donald trump, but they do not expect him to reverse the policies that set off the chain of reactions.
it's a bit of a stretch to suggest it was planned from the start. but power has a tendency to perpetuate itself by profiting from it's own crises.
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
see, now that i'm doing an a/b on this specific track, i'm noticing that the initial mix through the new driver install has more clarity in the higher end and less bass. the new mix through the new driver install has too much bass and not enough clarity on the high end. that would suggest that the new driver install has more bass and less highs - that i exaggerated the bass on the old driver install (leading to too much on the new one) and undermixed the highs.
but, how can i be sure that this driver install is clean? the difference over the highs is much less audible on the laptop. the new mix has more of an oomph on the bottom, but has lost it's tightness. it's not less clear in the highs. that might suggest that the new driver install is a little flatter on the bottom, but is cut through the high end.
i need to be clear that the source is identical. it's a hardware difference. and presumably specifically a driver difference.
i don't like the fact that i can't determine what is the cleaner, least obstructed signal. and, i don't like the idea of using mixes that i can't reconstruct.
so, i think i need to spend some time tomorrow doing two things:
1) i'll need to check if the difference in the highs resolves itself tomorrow when the equipment cools down.
2) i'm going to need to try and break a few things to see if i can recreate a signal that nulls with the initial one.
3) i think i need to do a temporary vanilla xp install to try to and be sure that i'm getting a flat signal.
i don't think the highs were flat this morning. i think that happened when i connected to the internet. i'm leaning heavily towards disabling the network card in that machine altogether. it's integrated, so i'd have to take out in the bios.
the bottom line is that it still seems as though i'm not hearing what i'm actually creating. and i can't get anywhere until i'm sure that the sound quality is not being interfered with somehow.
i want to move forwards. but it's like trying to paint in the dark. you can imagine the result, and hope you're getting it right, but you can't actually see what you're doing. it needs resolution.
but, how can i be sure that this driver install is clean? the difference over the highs is much less audible on the laptop. the new mix has more of an oomph on the bottom, but has lost it's tightness. it's not less clear in the highs. that might suggest that the new driver install is a little flatter on the bottom, but is cut through the high end.
i need to be clear that the source is identical. it's a hardware difference. and presumably specifically a driver difference.
i don't like the fact that i can't determine what is the cleaner, least obstructed signal. and, i don't like the idea of using mixes that i can't reconstruct.
so, i think i need to spend some time tomorrow doing two things:
1) i'll need to check if the difference in the highs resolves itself tomorrow when the equipment cools down.
2) i'm going to need to try and break a few things to see if i can recreate a signal that nulls with the initial one.
3) i think i need to do a temporary vanilla xp install to try to and be sure that i'm getting a flat signal.
i don't think the highs were flat this morning. i think that happened when i connected to the internet. i'm leaning heavily towards disabling the network card in that machine altogether. it's integrated, so i'd have to take out in the bios.
the bottom line is that it still seems as though i'm not hearing what i'm actually creating. and i can't get anywhere until i'm sure that the sound quality is not being interfered with somehow.
i want to move forwards. but it's like trying to paint in the dark. you can imagine the result, and hope you're getting it right, but you can't actually see what you're doing. it needs resolution.
i should point out that i've been able to determine that i'm *not* hearing things.
i had all of the initial renders. i created a few new renders. now, if the gear was working correctly and i was hearing things, those files should be identical. you can test to see if that's the case via phase inversion. if they're the same, you should get a flat signal when you paste the inversion on top of the original. we then say that the two signals null.
the renders i created today did not null with the renders i created a few weeks ago. the cubase projects have not been modified in that period, i can be sure of that by checking the dates on the project files.
that should not make sense. they should null.
so, what that indicates is that the signal that was coming out of the mixer a few weeks ago was different than the signal that is coming out of the mixer today. that can only be true if something was broken at that time. so, that's a mathematical proof that the files are in fact different and i'm not tricking myself.
it's sort of strange, though. because in some cases the drums actually do null. the bass does not come close to nulling. it's normal for otherwise identical files to not null over reverb, and so i might expect some bleeding over the amp simulation. but, it's far too profound for that. the guitars also tend to roughly null, except at the high frequencies. put together, this is consistent with what i was experiencing - a floor in the sub-bass along with a cut in the high end.
i've been fairly certain that what i'm getting out today ought to be the clean, correct version. but, i'm not entirely sure if i mixed some of these things before or after it broke. the first track actually nulled perfectly. the next couple of tracks were mixed on the same day, but i re-rendered some of them. the result is that i'm lacking a control.
if i was absolutely certain the device is stable, i could start over, but i'm really not.
so, i guess i should take a step back and realize that i've built up a level of complexity that i'm better off finding a way to jettison. that's what i ought to be focusing on - ensuring clean drivers and starting over.
i had all of the initial renders. i created a few new renders. now, if the gear was working correctly and i was hearing things, those files should be identical. you can test to see if that's the case via phase inversion. if they're the same, you should get a flat signal when you paste the inversion on top of the original. we then say that the two signals null.
the renders i created today did not null with the renders i created a few weeks ago. the cubase projects have not been modified in that period, i can be sure of that by checking the dates on the project files.
that should not make sense. they should null.
so, what that indicates is that the signal that was coming out of the mixer a few weeks ago was different than the signal that is coming out of the mixer today. that can only be true if something was broken at that time. so, that's a mathematical proof that the files are in fact different and i'm not tricking myself.
it's sort of strange, though. because in some cases the drums actually do null. the bass does not come close to nulling. it's normal for otherwise identical files to not null over reverb, and so i might expect some bleeding over the amp simulation. but, it's far too profound for that. the guitars also tend to roughly null, except at the high frequencies. put together, this is consistent with what i was experiencing - a floor in the sub-bass along with a cut in the high end.
i've been fairly certain that what i'm getting out today ought to be the clean, correct version. but, i'm not entirely sure if i mixed some of these things before or after it broke. the first track actually nulled perfectly. the next couple of tracks were mixed on the same day, but i re-rendered some of them. the result is that i'm lacking a control.
if i was absolutely certain the device is stable, i could start over, but i'm really not.
so, i guess i should take a step back and realize that i've built up a level of complexity that i'm better off finding a way to jettison. that's what i ought to be focusing on - ensuring clean drivers and starting over.
you know, this is a piece of music to be proud of - maybe especially because i was 15 when i wrote it, although this version was created (initially with vocals) when i was 17. you've got that harpsichord part at the beginning, which was programmed into an ry30. bass parts inspired by tony levin. arpeggiated guitars, moving into a slow motion sweep pick on a big bass beat, opening up into those trills as the climax and falling into a big open chord grunge chorus. all kept together by a percussive use of noise as a rhythmic background, including a sample of a printer. it's something a mid 80s peter gabriel might have come up with. as art pop it's arguably rather revolutionary. this is old,, but it's really worth fighting for to get just right. i just really wish the gear would cooperate in stabilizing a sound so i can actually do it.
no. it's....
when you're dealing with subtle shifts in tone, it's useful to focus on certain subtle aspects. there's a trill in this song at about 3:06 fairly high up on the e string. that's a relatively high frequency, in the way it intersects with the guitar effects. it's also the most important part of the song, in my view. it seems to come in and out of the mix. when i can hear it, i know things are well. when i can't, i know i'm losing some high end.
as mentioned, the point of this replacement was to clarify the tone. i could initially hear it through the bandcamp stream. now i can't. and now i'm consistently missing it through the mixer, too.
i'm really back at square one with no further leads.
:(
when you're dealing with subtle shifts in tone, it's useful to focus on certain subtle aspects. there's a trill in this song at about 3:06 fairly high up on the e string. that's a relatively high frequency, in the way it intersects with the guitar effects. it's also the most important part of the song, in my view. it seems to come in and out of the mix. when i can hear it, i know things are well. when i can't, i know i'm losing some high end.
as mentioned, the point of this replacement was to clarify the tone. i could initially hear it through the bandcamp stream. now i can't. and now i'm consistently missing it through the mixer, too.
i'm really back at square one with no further leads.
:(
there's a corrected mix for this up.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/aliens-are-more-likely-than-god
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/aliens-are-more-likely-than-god
the clarity is refreshing, but i have to say it's exposed a few problems, especially in the bass. for the first track, that's an asset - i'm finally getting the nice thump i wanted. for the fourth, it's creating something that needs serious attention from some limiters. and the fifth is going to need some compression. i was hoping this would be quick, but i'm going to have to be a little more systematic.
bass always takes a long time for me to get right. the source material is not the best. it will come through.
bass always takes a long time for me to get right. the source material is not the best. it will come through.
Monday, July 27, 2015
i'm finally convinced that i have this fixed, but it's bed time, now. i'm going to want to re-render pretty much everything for this project, but i actually think the mixing details will be pretty slight. even the stuff i was iffy on actually seems to sound pretty good.
my (hopefully) final analysis on this is as follows:
1) the initial problem was probably related to the codec install, although i can't state exactly what it did and will likely never know. it was a slightly different problem than showed up later on in the sense that it was at least consistent.
2) on the 21st, i ran the registry wipe. that would have broken the clock and put everything out of sync. i should have actually realized that, because i should have known to manually update the system drivers. i may have fixed the initial problem, but i wouldn't have been able to tell if i did because i broke the clock. since the 21st, this has been the primary problem, but i didn't realize it.
3) the reinstall ran the same registry wipe, which broke the clock again.
4) fixing the clock seems to have resolved the issue altogether.
i fully intend to get some serious work on this done tomorrow.
my (hopefully) final analysis on this is as follows:
1) the initial problem was probably related to the codec install, although i can't state exactly what it did and will likely never know. it was a slightly different problem than showed up later on in the sense that it was at least consistent.
2) on the 21st, i ran the registry wipe. that would have broken the clock and put everything out of sync. i should have actually realized that, because i should have known to manually update the system drivers. i may have fixed the initial problem, but i wouldn't have been able to tell if i did because i broke the clock. since the 21st, this has been the primary problem, but i didn't realize it.
3) the reinstall ran the same registry wipe, which broke the clock again.
4) fixing the clock seems to have resolved the issue altogether.
i fully intend to get some serious work on this done tomorrow.
as i went into device manager to disable one of the cards, i noticed that the microsoft streaming proxy device had an exclamation mark and a code 19, telling me that the registry was wiped. and, that jogged my memory.
one of the reasons that i'm sticking with xp is that it's winlited. rather dramatically. the iso is...well, it's pretty big because it has install scripts and added programs. but, if it was just the winlited iso it would be around 50 mb. it's the size of one of those mini-linux distros. and it's cut down just as much. on top of that dramatic haircut, i run an install script that deletes hundreds of windows files and wipes out half the registry. it's pretty comprehensive. mine is the only non-network computer i've ever seen where trying to hit the internet from windows explorer actually seriously fails.
i can't know what caused the problem initially because i've wiped it down. it may have very well been the codec install - or perhaps the uninstall. but, i do know that i've seen this problem with the streaming device before, and i know that the reason it's telling me it's not in the registry is because it's not in the registry - the install script wiped it. the script is almost ten years old. i was mixing in cool edit via cut and paste at the time. my sleuthing told me it was a windows media service. i've just never updated the script..
...because it's an easy fix - i take it out of my vanilla sp3 virtual machine that i keep around for these reasons and install via device manager. i've actually done this before, albeit not for this reason. i forgot to do it on the recent reinstall.
time will tell if that's actually what the problem was. but, i think it makes sense.
thanks.
one of the reasons that i'm sticking with xp is that it's winlited. rather dramatically. the iso is...well, it's pretty big because it has install scripts and added programs. but, if it was just the winlited iso it would be around 50 mb. it's the size of one of those mini-linux distros. and it's cut down just as much. on top of that dramatic haircut, i run an install script that deletes hundreds of windows files and wipes out half the registry. it's pretty comprehensive. mine is the only non-network computer i've ever seen where trying to hit the internet from windows explorer actually seriously fails.
i can't know what caused the problem initially because i've wiped it down. it may have very well been the codec install - or perhaps the uninstall. but, i do know that i've seen this problem with the streaming device before, and i know that the reason it's telling me it's not in the registry is because it's not in the registry - the install script wiped it. the script is almost ten years old. i was mixing in cool edit via cut and paste at the time. my sleuthing told me it was a windows media service. i've just never updated the script..
...because it's an easy fix - i take it out of my vanilla sp3 virtual machine that i keep around for these reasons and install via device manager. i've actually done this before, albeit not for this reason. i forgot to do it on the recent reinstall.
time will tell if that's actually what the problem was. but, i think it makes sense.
thanks.
This sounds like a phasing problem where the audio is following two paths through the system and the clock on one path is running slightly by about 1/120Hz faster than the other.
well....i'm at no point sending it out through two directions. older versions of cubase like that require you use one card at a time. but, a conflict is something i can test for by disabling the cards. it's worth a shot. i think anything is at this point. but, i'm not putting too much faith in it.
i think the idea of the clock being off some other way is maybe a possible explanation, though. thanks for that as a path to explore.
well....i'm at no point sending it out through two directions. older versions of cubase like that require you use one card at a time. but, a conflict is something i can test for by disabling the cards. it's worth a shot. i think anything is at this point. but, i'm not putting too much faith in it.
i think the idea of the clock being off some other way is maybe a possible explanation, though. thanks for that as a path to explore.
completely stumped, resorting to "magnetic interference" as a possible explanation
hi.
i've got a very strange issue, just wanting to run it through some people to see if anybody's seen this before, before i start lining my walls with tinfoil. i'm not joking.
i'm running xp. of the soundcards in the machine, two are of importance: an alesis 16 channel firewire mixer and an m-audio delta 3296 that connects over good old pci. my main daw is cubase sx 3. yes, it's all very old. it works just fine. i'm going to need to move up to 64 bit one day to access more ram, but that day does not appear to be on the horizon.
a few weeks ago, i installed a windows codec pack in an attempt to get firefox to natively read flac over ogg. i misread the documentation; that's impossible. it shouldn't be impossible, but so be it. i had previously identified this as the root of the problem, but i've recently been backing away from that.
basically, i'm getting random tone issues out of both of these cards over all interfaces: asio, wdm and kmixer. from time to time, it actually sounds "correct". but, then it randomly modulates between being floored by the subbass and being cut around 2000 Hz. it happens in cubase over asio. it happens in foobar over wdm and through the kmixer.
this afternoon, i was finally able to isolate something specific, but this is such a fleeting problem that it's possible that it could change in a few hours, or have already changed.
imagine this..
you have a snare. it's a closed snare. it's just one hit. you put that snare hit on repeat in cubase. after about two minutes, that closed snare sounds like an open snare. so, you reset your drivers - and you get the closed snare again. two minutes later, it's an open snare again. and, this is repeatable through all of the following signal paths:
1) cubase-->asio-->alesis
2) cubase--->asio--->m-audio
3) foobar--->wdm--->alesis
4) foobar--->kmixer--->m-audio
i've tried driver reinstalls. i've tried an os reinstall. i've swapped every cord you can imagine. i've swapped out amps. consistency seems unobtainable.
is it time to line the walls with foil? does anybody have a better idea?
i've got a very strange issue, just wanting to run it through some people to see if anybody's seen this before, before i start lining my walls with tinfoil. i'm not joking.
i'm running xp. of the soundcards in the machine, two are of importance: an alesis 16 channel firewire mixer and an m-audio delta 3296 that connects over good old pci. my main daw is cubase sx 3. yes, it's all very old. it works just fine. i'm going to need to move up to 64 bit one day to access more ram, but that day does not appear to be on the horizon.
a few weeks ago, i installed a windows codec pack in an attempt to get firefox to natively read flac over ogg. i misread the documentation; that's impossible. it shouldn't be impossible, but so be it. i had previously identified this as the root of the problem, but i've recently been backing away from that.
basically, i'm getting random tone issues out of both of these cards over all interfaces: asio, wdm and kmixer. from time to time, it actually sounds "correct". but, then it randomly modulates between being floored by the subbass and being cut around 2000 Hz. it happens in cubase over asio. it happens in foobar over wdm and through the kmixer.
this afternoon, i was finally able to isolate something specific, but this is such a fleeting problem that it's possible that it could change in a few hours, or have already changed.
imagine this..
you have a snare. it's a closed snare. it's just one hit. you put that snare hit on repeat in cubase. after about two minutes, that closed snare sounds like an open snare. so, you reset your drivers - and you get the closed snare again. two minutes later, it's an open snare again. and, this is repeatable through all of the following signal paths:
1) cubase-->asio-->alesis
2) cubase--->asio--->m-audio
3) foobar--->wdm--->alesis
4) foobar--->kmixer--->m-audio
i've tried driver reinstalls. i've tried an os reinstall. i've swapped every cord you can imagine. i've swapped out amps. consistency seems unobtainable.
is it time to line the walls with foil? does anybody have a better idea?
i'm actually finally making some progress in figuring this out.
it was perfect. for a few minutes. the subbass cleared. the highs were crystalline. just as i remembered it. exciting.
however, by the time i got to the end of the sequence, the highs were starting to fade. the subbass stayed gone, and hasn't come back, but because the music is guitar oriented it can't cut out at 2000 hz. it's where all the tone is. it's keenly important...
i started thinking i mixed it a little dull. that's fine. i just have to establish that consistency, then i can adjust. but, when i restarted the sequence, it was dull again.
so, it seemed as though i was losing the high end over time. could i test this?
i switched cards for a minute to get a base signal, and then i put a single section on repeat.
as the section repeated, it faded from the perfect, crystalline sound i want to your typical am radio hip-hop garbage. but, it was a long section and hard to really hear directly.
i zoomed in to just a snare drum and repeated.
with the snare drum on repeat, it became audibly obvious. it began to fade from a nice tight snare to a loose, open mess. and, i was able to repeat this. directly through the mixer, with nothing in between.
this goes back to a driver problem, i believe. i suppose it could be a resistance issue, in theory - it could be overloading and turning down. but the fact that i'm able to get around it by eqing the mix makes that seem unlikely, as i'd still be overloading it and it would still turn down. i can test this by sending something directly through the device, bypassing the drivers.
the fact that it's predictable seems to rule out magnetic interference - for now. i would expect something more random. if i get more random behaviour, it will reassert interference.
but, finding a way to create the problem and test it and have repeatable results is a big breakthrough.
if it's drivers...it doesn't make sense, really. it's never done this before. i just reinstalled. i suppose i can try an updated driver set, but i picked this driver set for a reason. ultimately, i can't really make sense of it. i don't really care right now. i just want to fix it.
the thing is, though, that it often doesn't turn on to the clear sound i'm getting right now. i'm isolating what i'm hearing as a decay around 10,000 Hz. but it's only an aspect of the problem.
it was perfect. for a few minutes. the subbass cleared. the highs were crystalline. just as i remembered it. exciting.
however, by the time i got to the end of the sequence, the highs were starting to fade. the subbass stayed gone, and hasn't come back, but because the music is guitar oriented it can't cut out at 2000 hz. it's where all the tone is. it's keenly important...
i started thinking i mixed it a little dull. that's fine. i just have to establish that consistency, then i can adjust. but, when i restarted the sequence, it was dull again.
so, it seemed as though i was losing the high end over time. could i test this?
i switched cards for a minute to get a base signal, and then i put a single section on repeat.
as the section repeated, it faded from the perfect, crystalline sound i want to your typical am radio hip-hop garbage. but, it was a long section and hard to really hear directly.
i zoomed in to just a snare drum and repeated.
with the snare drum on repeat, it became audibly obvious. it began to fade from a nice tight snare to a loose, open mess. and, i was able to repeat this. directly through the mixer, with nothing in between.
this goes back to a driver problem, i believe. i suppose it could be a resistance issue, in theory - it could be overloading and turning down. but the fact that i'm able to get around it by eqing the mix makes that seem unlikely, as i'd still be overloading it and it would still turn down. i can test this by sending something directly through the device, bypassing the drivers.
the fact that it's predictable seems to rule out magnetic interference - for now. i would expect something more random. if i get more random behaviour, it will reassert interference.
but, finding a way to create the problem and test it and have repeatable results is a big breakthrough.
if it's drivers...it doesn't make sense, really. it's never done this before. i just reinstalled. i suppose i can try an updated driver set, but i picked this driver set for a reason. ultimately, i can't really make sense of it. i don't really care right now. i just want to fix it.
the thing is, though, that it often doesn't turn on to the clear sound i'm getting right now. i'm isolating what i'm hearing as a decay around 10,000 Hz. but it's only an aspect of the problem.
i've tried everything i can and cannot get a flat signal. i cannot mix on a device without a flat signal. i know it's not a flat signal for the following reasons:
1) the tone will not stay put.
2) i can sometimes get the same tone that i get on the neutral card in the laptop.
3) i generally do not get the same tone that i get on the neutral card in the laptop.
i cannot continue mixing until i consistently get the same tone that i get on the neutral card in the laptop. the reason is that i am unable to determine what the mix actually sounds like, and mixing is consequently entirely pointless.
so, i'm going to put this aside and jump ahead to creating the front end for aleph-1. that's a no mixing project. hopefully, by the time that's done, whatever's interfering with the signal will have stopped interfering with the signal. if not, i'll have to keep waiting.
it really seems like i'm dealing with an external mixer. i know that's insane. the only other option is that i'm dealing with some kind of electro-magnetic interference. i've ruled out a failure in the device. i've ruled out any patch cord problems. i've ruled out a driver issue, or at least escalated to the point that i don't know what else to do if it's a driver issue. the amp may be a little variant, but it's not the cause of the problem (the device has a headphone out, but i prefer not to use it because it gets very hot, and i'm not getting consistent tone out of it). i have no further leads. but i cannot do anything until the problem is fixed.
building the front-end for aleph-1 should take about a week. there are a few more front-ends to build should the problem continue beyond that point.
again: if i am dealing with an external entity, i cannot accept this. i give up, for now. but, giving up means giving up altogether rather than accepting a degradation in mixing quality.
if i was running a live sound system or something, i wouldn't care. somebody on the dance floor isn't going to care. somebody watching a rock show isn't going to care. but, a permanent document is another issue. there is only document. it is eternal. it will be as perfect as i can make it, or it will not exist at all.
even if the sound were to stabilize in this flat, gross mess that i've been stuck with for the last few hours, and even if i can mix the gross mess out of it, it's not useful - because it's not the actual sound of the actual file. if i can't get that, i'm not doing anything at all.
1) the tone will not stay put.
2) i can sometimes get the same tone that i get on the neutral card in the laptop.
3) i generally do not get the same tone that i get on the neutral card in the laptop.
i cannot continue mixing until i consistently get the same tone that i get on the neutral card in the laptop. the reason is that i am unable to determine what the mix actually sounds like, and mixing is consequently entirely pointless.
so, i'm going to put this aside and jump ahead to creating the front end for aleph-1. that's a no mixing project. hopefully, by the time that's done, whatever's interfering with the signal will have stopped interfering with the signal. if not, i'll have to keep waiting.
it really seems like i'm dealing with an external mixer. i know that's insane. the only other option is that i'm dealing with some kind of electro-magnetic interference. i've ruled out a failure in the device. i've ruled out any patch cord problems. i've ruled out a driver issue, or at least escalated to the point that i don't know what else to do if it's a driver issue. the amp may be a little variant, but it's not the cause of the problem (the device has a headphone out, but i prefer not to use it because it gets very hot, and i'm not getting consistent tone out of it). i have no further leads. but i cannot do anything until the problem is fixed.
building the front-end for aleph-1 should take about a week. there are a few more front-ends to build should the problem continue beyond that point.
again: if i am dealing with an external entity, i cannot accept this. i give up, for now. but, giving up means giving up altogether rather than accepting a degradation in mixing quality.
if i was running a live sound system or something, i wouldn't care. somebody on the dance floor isn't going to care. somebody watching a rock show isn't going to care. but, a permanent document is another issue. there is only document. it is eternal. it will be as perfect as i can make it, or it will not exist at all.
even if the sound were to stabilize in this flat, gross mess that i've been stuck with for the last few hours, and even if i can mix the gross mess out of it, it's not useful - because it's not the actual sound of the actual file. if i can't get that, i'm not doing anything at all.
ok. so, it most definitely *can't* be a blown capacitor, because i can get it pretty good by running it through an eq that is undoing whatever is fucking it up. if i blew a transistor, that wouldn't work, it would just plateau somewhere. the fact that i'm not getting any kind of push back indicates the hardware is just fine.
but that's putting me up against a wall in figuring out "da fuck".
if it stabilizes as a flat signal, i can eventually conclude that i was mixing relative to an unclean signal and remix all of it. but i should be able to at least recreate what exists through the neutral card.
i'm going to try playing with the firewire cord. that's about all i have left to grasp to. there's 8 possibilities to try.
but that's putting me up against a wall in figuring out "da fuck".
if it stabilizes as a flat signal, i can eventually conclude that i was mixing relative to an unclean signal and remix all of it. but i should be able to at least recreate what exists through the neutral card.
i'm going to try playing with the firewire cord. that's about all i have left to grasp to. there's 8 possibilities to try.
something is still wrong, but it doesn't make sense to think that there's anything blown in the device. right now, i'm getting a really dead signal, but it's not the same as before - so i'm still not getting consistency. if there was a blown capacitor or something, i'd expect it to consistently sound broken the same way. so, i can't shake this feeling that there's an external cause that is changing the output - whether it's interference or something else.
i've been playing with eqs to try and isolate it, and i've determined two things.
the first is that it seems like the sub-bass is floored, which has the effect of reducing the audible bass. if i cut the sub-bass and boost the audible bass, i get closer to the sound of a crisp, dynamic, fingered bass guitar, rather than this muddled synth bass sound that is coming out.
the second is that there seems to be a big cut over about 5000 hz. increasing the response from 5000 up to 10000 gives me back the tone on the guitar.
but, this is not the same problem i was dealing with a few days ago. a few days ago, the treble was just floored, making it sound like a tin can. i've also periodically been able to get it to sound the way i expect it to sound - and the way it sounds through the laptop, controlled for the decrease in quality through the laptop speakers.
again: if i blew a capacitor i would expect it to sound the same way every time. but, it's modulating between being too bassy and too trebly. so, it can't be a blown component.
the way it is right now - and it might be different in a few hours - is almost what i'd expect out of a system like beats, which is designed for hip-hop. it's basically a hip-hop frequency response. hip-hop doesn't tend to have much over 5000 hz, so it makes sense to cut it - you're cutting noise. and, it tends to use machines for low melodic parts that don't have a "live" frequency response, so you don't have to really worry about losing the harmonics - you can go ahead and floor the sub-bass.
i've never bought a hip-hop record in my life. this is certainly *not* hip-hop. it's white synth pop - somewhere between early nin and tears for fears, with a heavy psychedelic and grunge influence in the guitar parts. my guitar style is heavily influenced by jimi hendrix. but that's really the only thing close to black music as an influence in my writing. i'm a white person from canada that's spent my whole life listening to white music and has no desire but to create anything other than white music. sticking me with this hip-hop equalizer is just going to break the mix.
on the one hand, i know how to adjust to the effects as they currently exist. on the other hand, i know i'm adjusting to a false reality - because i know the frequency response i'm hearing is artificial. if i were to run the files through an eq that is designed to react to what i'm hearing, the files are going to lack any kind of definition on the bottom end.
so, i'm stuck. i don't think the device is broken - the testing is not consistent with this. i can't think of anything else i could do to resolve driver issues, and as i stated from the start: it doesn't seem like a driver issue. something has to be interfering with the output.
i've been playing with eqs to try and isolate it, and i've determined two things.
the first is that it seems like the sub-bass is floored, which has the effect of reducing the audible bass. if i cut the sub-bass and boost the audible bass, i get closer to the sound of a crisp, dynamic, fingered bass guitar, rather than this muddled synth bass sound that is coming out.
the second is that there seems to be a big cut over about 5000 hz. increasing the response from 5000 up to 10000 gives me back the tone on the guitar.
but, this is not the same problem i was dealing with a few days ago. a few days ago, the treble was just floored, making it sound like a tin can. i've also periodically been able to get it to sound the way i expect it to sound - and the way it sounds through the laptop, controlled for the decrease in quality through the laptop speakers.
again: if i blew a capacitor i would expect it to sound the same way every time. but, it's modulating between being too bassy and too trebly. so, it can't be a blown component.
the way it is right now - and it might be different in a few hours - is almost what i'd expect out of a system like beats, which is designed for hip-hop. it's basically a hip-hop frequency response. hip-hop doesn't tend to have much over 5000 hz, so it makes sense to cut it - you're cutting noise. and, it tends to use machines for low melodic parts that don't have a "live" frequency response, so you don't have to really worry about losing the harmonics - you can go ahead and floor the sub-bass.
i've never bought a hip-hop record in my life. this is certainly *not* hip-hop. it's white synth pop - somewhere between early nin and tears for fears, with a heavy psychedelic and grunge influence in the guitar parts. my guitar style is heavily influenced by jimi hendrix. but that's really the only thing close to black music as an influence in my writing. i'm a white person from canada that's spent my whole life listening to white music and has no desire but to create anything other than white music. sticking me with this hip-hop equalizer is just going to break the mix.
on the one hand, i know how to adjust to the effects as they currently exist. on the other hand, i know i'm adjusting to a false reality - because i know the frequency response i'm hearing is artificial. if i were to run the files through an eq that is designed to react to what i'm hearing, the files are going to lack any kind of definition on the bottom end.
so, i'm stuck. i don't think the device is broken - the testing is not consistent with this. i can't think of anything else i could do to resolve driver issues, and as i stated from the start: it doesn't seem like a driver issue. something has to be interfering with the output.
caulking the window
jessica
hi
i don't mind doing it, if you get me the caulk and let me use your gun.
it's good news and bad news. good news is that the pesticide is working. bad news is that there's at least a hundred dead ants in there. i'm going to leave them there for now, but i think it needs to be caulked relatively soon.
the landlord
I do have the caulking in my car. Sorry I have been busy and have not had the chance to come by. Pleae be patient I will come soon.
hi
i don't mind doing it, if you get me the caulk and let me use your gun.
it's good news and bad news. good news is that the pesticide is working. bad news is that there's at least a hundred dead ants in there. i'm going to leave them there for now, but i think it needs to be caulked relatively soon.
the landlord
I do have the caulking in my car. Sorry I have been busy and have not had the chance to come by. Pleae be patient I will come soon.
Sunday, July 26, 2015
thoughts on the new son lux record
this disc is dramatically gabrielesque, and that's nice to hear in the wave of 80s copycats.
on second thought, i didn't have anything to back up - it was already scripted. so, it's been done. and it's reinstalling.
on the off chance that i'm fighting against some kind of outside force that is reading this, i want you to think about the lengths that i've gone to and ask whether you feel it's worthwhile to continue to interfere.
the next step is concluding that the hardware is broken, and that's going to put me in an essentially irresolvable position that's going to cause me to stop mixing anything at all for a very extended - and perhaps permanent - length of time. i'm on disability. it's going to take me a long time to save up to replace that piece of equipment. and, depending on my incoming disability analysis, i might very well choose to end my life, instead.
on the off chance that i'm fighting against some kind of outside force that is reading this, i want you to think about the lengths that i've gone to and ask whether you feel it's worthwhile to continue to interfere.
the next step is concluding that the hardware is broken, and that's going to put me in an essentially irresolvable position that's going to cause me to stop mixing anything at all for a very extended - and perhaps permanent - length of time. i'm on disability. it's going to take me a long time to save up to replace that piece of equipment. and, depending on my incoming disability analysis, i might very well choose to end my life, instead.
no good. i really don't want to have to reinstall, but i must. i feel i've done everything else that i can.
i should point out that i have an.,...it's not an image. it's a stripped down winlite image with heavy install scripts. it's not as painful as it could be. it's still painful.
i'm going to have to uninstall everything by hand first, to make sure i've got all the settings i need put aside. as mentioned, it's not a short process.
i'm still leaning towards blaming it on that codec install, but who knows, really.
i should point out that i have an.,...it's not an image. it's a stripped down winlite image with heavy install scripts. it's not as painful as it could be. it's still painful.
i'm going to have to uninstall everything by hand first, to make sure i've got all the settings i need put aside. as mentioned, it's not a short process.
i'm still leaning towards blaming it on that codec install, but who knows, really.
well, i've now managed a little over two days of cold turkey. i've got to know the new son lux record a little better. i've worked my "watch later" list up over 2500 videos, which takes me until the end of 2014 and may very well last me until the end of 2016. if i last, myself, until the end of 2016...
that's now pretty comprehensively dealt with and it's time to get back to work.
i haven't left the house since friday morning. that's how it is when i'm not smoking. and, the machine has indeed been off for a little over 50 hours.
it's now time to take a deep breath and see what happens. i can have no patience. i must immediately begin the reinstall if anything is amiss.
that's now pretty comprehensively dealt with and it's time to get back to work.
i haven't left the house since friday morning. that's how it is when i'm not smoking. and, the machine has indeed been off for a little over 50 hours.
it's now time to take a deep breath and see what happens. i can have no patience. i must immediately begin the reinstall if anything is amiss.
Saturday, July 25, 2015
at the end of june, i sat down to quickly
remix a number of old tracks into a record of instrumental industrial
music. i ran into two problems. the first was that i was going to need
to carefully time shift the individual parts into place. this was time
consuming, but overcome. second is that my gear is randomly changing
tonal qualities on me. i haven't really figured this out yet and do not
know if it's resolvable.
i've decided i'm best off avoiding the entire thing for several days, and going back to it. i'll be catching up on my news feed over the next few days and re-approaching this on monday at the earliest.
in the meantime, this is the sum total of what i've been trying to put together over the last few weeks. the first seven tracks are likely perfect mixes. the rest of them are a little unstable, due to inconsistencies in the gear they were created on that have yet to be isolated, resolved and corrected.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inriclaimed
i've decided i'm best off avoiding the entire thing for several days, and going back to it. i'll be catching up on my news feed over the next few days and re-approaching this on monday at the earliest.
in the meantime, this is the sum total of what i've been trying to put together over the last few weeks. the first seven tracks are likely perfect mixes. the rest of them are a little unstable, due to inconsistencies in the gear they were created on that have yet to be isolated, resolved and corrected.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inriclaimed
Friday, July 24, 2015
8 days wasted on figuring out why i can't get consistency out of the gear.
those 8 days - and the ten before it - were supposed to be spent on quickly mixing an old project. that requires focus. and, focus is correlated with nicotine. i kept telling myself i'd be done tomorrow. and, it's now near the end of a month i wanted to be cold turkey over.
i have no confidence in the gear at this point whatsoever. i'm going to reinstall, but i'm almost certain that it's broken and the reinstall won't help.
so, i'm going to let myself de-nic now. which means the project is on hold for several weeks. i'm probably going to sleep for most of the weekend.
the fact is that this is very depressing, and the combination is that i'm going to be angry and grouchy.
those 8 days - and the ten before it - were supposed to be spent on quickly mixing an old project. that requires focus. and, focus is correlated with nicotine. i kept telling myself i'd be done tomorrow. and, it's now near the end of a month i wanted to be cold turkey over.
i have no confidence in the gear at this point whatsoever. i'm going to reinstall, but i'm almost certain that it's broken and the reinstall won't help.
so, i'm going to let myself de-nic now. which means the project is on hold for several weeks. i'm probably going to sleep for most of the weekend.
the fact is that this is very depressing, and the combination is that i'm going to be angry and grouchy.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
except that when i sat down to do it, the device had lost all the bass it was demonstrating all morning and sounded like i was listening to it through a tin can telephone.
i'm going to eat. and then i'm going to prepare to reinstall. i feel i have no other option. i feel at this point that even if it were to be functional when i finished eating it wouldn't last long enough to be useful.
i'll figure out the amp issue after i reinstall. i need a consistent signal, first.
i'm going to eat. and then i'm going to prepare to reinstall. i feel i have no other option. i feel at this point that even if it were to be functional when i finished eating it wouldn't last long enough to be useful.
i'll figure out the amp issue after i reinstall. i need a consistent signal, first.
and, now the device is inconsistent again. ugh. i may actually have multiple inconsistencies. or i may be driving myself insane.
the nad is actually really not very flat. it has a very compressed sound that i recognize as a vacuum tube because i'm a guitarist and guitarists have this romantic notion of vacuum tubes. i can see why this would be perceived as a good thing in a variety of situations. and i could even see using it as a mastering device. but that's a very bad quality to work into mixing into a digital environment, as it's going to smooth over the rough parts. it's immediately obvious.
i remain left with very few useful conclusions. the cord *seemed* to make a difference, until the device got weird. it's hot in here, i should let it cool off...
i'm just going through so many possible combinations that i'm unable to rule out the possibility that i'm playing tricks on myself.
if you've been following this page, this isn't the first time i've gone through these gear crises, and they seem to resolve themselves randomly. i rarely figure out what the cause actually is before it dissipates.
are there psychological factors? temperature? air pressure? neither has been stable here this month; we're going through extreme swings in temperature and humidity, jumping from what seems like october and back into july. existential loss? finishing these tracks as instrumentals is something i've been putting off for 15 years. &etc.
even if i conclude it's psychological - and that's a hard thing to even consider when you're sure you're hearing dramatic differences - i'm still stuck until i can be certain of consistency.
but i know that, previously, when i've realized it might be psychological, it tends to evaporate.
one thing that i will say is that i've heard enough of these tracks in what seems like their proper state that i can conclude that i will not be remixing the first seven tracks.
i just wish i could understand why they don't sound the same way every time i listen to them. it's really something that shouldn't happen. ever. a recording should always sound the same on the same gear. this isn't quantum physics. there are wavefunctions. they're causal. it's repeatably demonstrable. i should have consistency.
dammit...
i should chill out and eat.
the nad is actually really not very flat. it has a very compressed sound that i recognize as a vacuum tube because i'm a guitarist and guitarists have this romantic notion of vacuum tubes. i can see why this would be perceived as a good thing in a variety of situations. and i could even see using it as a mastering device. but that's a very bad quality to work into mixing into a digital environment, as it's going to smooth over the rough parts. it's immediately obvious.
i remain left with very few useful conclusions. the cord *seemed* to make a difference, until the device got weird. it's hot in here, i should let it cool off...
i'm just going through so many possible combinations that i'm unable to rule out the possibility that i'm playing tricks on myself.
if you've been following this page, this isn't the first time i've gone through these gear crises, and they seem to resolve themselves randomly. i rarely figure out what the cause actually is before it dissipates.
are there psychological factors? temperature? air pressure? neither has been stable here this month; we're going through extreme swings in temperature and humidity, jumping from what seems like october and back into july. existential loss? finishing these tracks as instrumentals is something i've been putting off for 15 years. &etc.
even if i conclude it's psychological - and that's a hard thing to even consider when you're sure you're hearing dramatic differences - i'm still stuck until i can be certain of consistency.
but i know that, previously, when i've realized it might be psychological, it tends to evaporate.
one thing that i will say is that i've heard enough of these tracks in what seems like their proper state that i can conclude that i will not be remixing the first seven tracks.
i just wish i could understand why they don't sound the same way every time i listen to them. it's really something that shouldn't happen. ever. a recording should always sound the same on the same gear. this isn't quantum physics. there are wavefunctions. they're causal. it's repeatably demonstrable. i should have consistency.
dammit...
i should chill out and eat.
yup. it's the cord.
or at least interference. which explains the randomness, and why it seems to work better at night.
excuse me while i line the walls with aluminum foil...
it wasn't happening before, so i probably just knocked in a weird position or something.
i should be able to get it right by playing around with it.
hopefully.
if not, the other cable seems to work better. which is a little counter-intuitive. i was connecting with quasi-fancy gold plated rca cords. the ones that seem to work better are a step down. the thing's just gotta conduct, and it's not like i'm putting it under any pressure, so i can't imagine how it could have gotten damaged.
or at least interference. which explains the randomness, and why it seems to work better at night.
excuse me while i line the walls with aluminum foil...
it wasn't happening before, so i probably just knocked in a weird position or something.
i should be able to get it right by playing around with it.
hopefully.
if not, the other cable seems to work better. which is a little counter-intuitive. i was connecting with quasi-fancy gold plated rca cords. the ones that seem to work better are a step down. the thing's just gotta conduct, and it's not like i'm putting it under any pressure, so i can't imagine how it could have gotten damaged.
naw. that didn't do it either. but i am pretty convinced it's something to do with the amp - either the circuitry or the jack.
i happen to actually have a better amp :)
i've been using an old jvc, which is pretty consumer grade. it's just what that system has had connected to it since...2007? about that.
i mean, all i was looking for was a flat signal. the quality of the amp was only important in so much as it didn't interfere with the signal. and, it generally didn't. at least until now.
around 2009 or so, my dad gave me a much higher quality NAD receiver. it was out of request for a very flat receiver to act as a amplification system for my pod, because i'd learned that the pod tended to sound bad through guitar amps, because i was sending an amp sim through an amp and it was just getting all mucked up. he knew audio gear better than i did, so i let him figure that out and the nad is what i got. it's been sitting in a corner for years, waiting for me to use it in a live situation. i can state at this point that that's not likely to happen.
but, an extremely flat receiver sounds just about perfect right now.
if this doesn't work, it pretty much has to be the audio cable. i've worked in tech support. you're supposed to swap out the cables first. nobody does. i'm going to laugh for the next twenty years if it's a cable.
i happen to actually have a better amp :)
i've been using an old jvc, which is pretty consumer grade. it's just what that system has had connected to it since...2007? about that.
i mean, all i was looking for was a flat signal. the quality of the amp was only important in so much as it didn't interfere with the signal. and, it generally didn't. at least until now.
around 2009 or so, my dad gave me a much higher quality NAD receiver. it was out of request for a very flat receiver to act as a amplification system for my pod, because i'd learned that the pod tended to sound bad through guitar amps, because i was sending an amp sim through an amp and it was just getting all mucked up. he knew audio gear better than i did, so i let him figure that out and the nad is what i got. it's been sitting in a corner for years, waiting for me to use it in a live situation. i can state at this point that that's not likely to happen.
but, an extremely flat receiver sounds just about perfect right now.
if this doesn't work, it pretty much has to be the audio cable. i've worked in tech support. you're supposed to swap out the cables first. nobody does. i'm going to laugh for the next twenty years if it's a cable.
how's this for a novel cause? always the last thing you check. and, i can construct a chain of logic, too.
a few weeks ago, i noticed my mp3 headphones were shorting a little and i wasn't sure if it was the phones or the player so i checked them through the amp in the studio. the amp is a standard 1/4 jack. both my studio phones and my mp3 phones are 1/8. so, i need an 1.8th-->1/4 converter that sits in the amp. they're those big plugs, you've seen one around. i had to take the studio phones out of the converter to check.
as i was checking to make sure it's not the amp before i reinstalled by swapping the phones direct from the mixer, i noticed it was a little dirty.
cleaned it off, and it *finally* sounds crystal clear.
hopefully that holds. but, dammit. who'd have guessed that?
(it was the player that was shorting, not the walking phones. it's an old sansa. and it's ultimately probably just dirty, too, but i'm going to need some kind of cleaner to get in there.)
a few weeks ago, i noticed my mp3 headphones were shorting a little and i wasn't sure if it was the phones or the player so i checked them through the amp in the studio. the amp is a standard 1/4 jack. both my studio phones and my mp3 phones are 1/8. so, i need an 1.8th-->1/4 converter that sits in the amp. they're those big plugs, you've seen one around. i had to take the studio phones out of the converter to check.
as i was checking to make sure it's not the amp before i reinstalled by swapping the phones direct from the mixer, i noticed it was a little dirty.
cleaned it off, and it *finally* sounds crystal clear.
hopefully that holds. but, dammit. who'd have guessed that?
(it was the player that was shorting, not the walking phones. it's an old sansa. and it's ultimately probably just dirty, too, but i'm going to need some kind of cleaner to get in there.)
ok.
i'm being very cautious with this, but i do believe that i've established enough consistency in sound that i can start remixing some of the tracks that i uploaded last week, and that ended up with warped mixes. i don't know what the solution was, but it seems to be ok. for now, anyways.
i'm going to have to be very slow with this, and i'm kind of paranoid, so i'll have to be constantly checking on the laptop, which i believe is at least a neutral system [even if the hardware is kind of crappy]. hopefully, i should get a mix or two up today.
but, i'm at my last straw. if i have any evidence of warped tone levels whatsoever, i'm going to immediately pull the plug and reinstall.
i'm being very cautious with this, but i do believe that i've established enough consistency in sound that i can start remixing some of the tracks that i uploaded last week, and that ended up with warped mixes. i don't know what the solution was, but it seems to be ok. for now, anyways.
i'm going to have to be very slow with this, and i'm kind of paranoid, so i'll have to be constantly checking on the laptop, which i believe is at least a neutral system [even if the hardware is kind of crappy]. hopefully, i should get a mix or two up today.
but, i'm at my last straw. if i have any evidence of warped tone levels whatsoever, i'm going to immediately pull the plug and reinstall.
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
now, i'm just confused...
the m-audio windows out started off ok, but got very thin by the end of the record. but, the whole crux of the problem is that i can't isolate what the mix actually sounds like. so, i cycled the amp and it righted itself. sort of. it was better, anyways. is it just the bloody amp? it can get dusty in here, i guess.
well, one way to be sure of that would be to recreate the problem through asio and then fix it, and i'm having difficulty doing that. now, it sounds great through asio. consistently.
if it turns out that i just need to dust the amp...well..at least it's an easy fix. but, ugh. and, if somebody decided to leave me alone? well, thank you very much.
it's time to sleep again. another wasted day with really no progress on isolating the problem. annoying...
the m-audio windows out started off ok, but got very thin by the end of the record. but, the whole crux of the problem is that i can't isolate what the mix actually sounds like. so, i cycled the amp and it righted itself. sort of. it was better, anyways. is it just the bloody amp? it can get dusty in here, i guess.
well, one way to be sure of that would be to recreate the problem through asio and then fix it, and i'm having difficulty doing that. now, it sounds great through asio. consistently.
if it turns out that i just need to dust the amp...well..at least it's an easy fix. but, ugh. and, if somebody decided to leave me alone? well, thank you very much.
it's time to sleep again. another wasted day with really no progress on isolating the problem. annoying...
unfortunately, at this point, what i've been able to confirm is inconsistency across both cards over asio. it's the same type of error - the bass moves from clean and crisp (which is what i want) to muddy and undefined, the high mids cut in a way that makes the guitars sound flat and a few other things. it's at least repeatable, if random. there seems to be about five different settings that come in and out without warning. i can get it to go back to "normal" by cycling, but it doesn't stay there.
i don't think this is repeatable with the m-audio card using the windows mixer, but i need to test it a little more strenuously. if i can't repeat it, i have to conclude it's a broken asio. this at least suggests the hardware is not broken, which is positive.
you normally fix this by reinstalling drivers. but, it's starting to seem as though the codec install broke something a little deeper that repeated driver reinstalls aren't fixing and that a full os reinstall is necessary to address. i mean, i'm pretty good in the registry, but it's a labyrinth that one cannot really navigate.
i can't mix on the m-audio card through the windows mixer - even if i'm able to determine consistency. it's just a lower quality signal path that just doesn't sound as good. i can't finish this and then reinstall, i have to reinstall first.
an os reinstall will cost me about a week because i have some scripts to update. but my hands are tied. i still have to determine consistency over the m-audio card via windows, but it's pretty clear at this point that the codecs fucked the registry and that's what i'm going to have to do to fix it.
i guess if i installed windows streaming stuff, it might have prioritized itself over asio and then not removed itself fully. best guess, anyways. if that's right then i should in theory be able to find all the right values in the registry and reverse them by hand. but, that would likely take longer to figure out than a reinstall will take.
the way it's cutting in and out is like it's being mapped wrong somewhere.
i don't think this is repeatable with the m-audio card using the windows mixer, but i need to test it a little more strenuously. if i can't repeat it, i have to conclude it's a broken asio. this at least suggests the hardware is not broken, which is positive.
you normally fix this by reinstalling drivers. but, it's starting to seem as though the codec install broke something a little deeper that repeated driver reinstalls aren't fixing and that a full os reinstall is necessary to address. i mean, i'm pretty good in the registry, but it's a labyrinth that one cannot really navigate.
i can't mix on the m-audio card through the windows mixer - even if i'm able to determine consistency. it's just a lower quality signal path that just doesn't sound as good. i can't finish this and then reinstall, i have to reinstall first.
an os reinstall will cost me about a week because i have some scripts to update. but my hands are tied. i still have to determine consistency over the m-audio card via windows, but it's pretty clear at this point that the codecs fucked the registry and that's what i'm going to have to do to fix it.
i guess if i installed windows streaming stuff, it might have prioritized itself over asio and then not removed itself fully. best guess, anyways. if that's right then i should in theory be able to find all the right values in the registry and reverse them by hand. but, that would likely take longer to figure out than a reinstall will take.
the way it's cutting in and out is like it's being mapped wrong somewhere.
the cool edit experiment didn't have a large effect, but i did a second reinstall and played with some of the buffer settings in foobar and am getting closer to establishing a correct level of consistency. it's a time-based thing, so we'll have to see.
i've got the sequence lined up in cubase over asio to test it against. worst case scenario, i'll have to mix it from there. it's actually a relatively good strategy, because i can just fix the eq on a track by track basis, then import it into the original file.
this is annoying, but it's a necessity. slowly. surely.
i've got the sequence lined up in cubase over asio to test it against. worst case scenario, i'll have to mix it from there. it's actually a relatively good strategy, because i can just fix the eq on a track by track basis, then import it into the original file.
this is annoying, but it's a necessity. slowly. surely.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
actually, i need to backtrack on the previous statement. i'm able to get the correct tone and dynamics out of every single one of these tracks through the soundcard in the laptop, indicating that i really haven't created any kind of consistency and am really no closer to figuring out what the hell is going on. i'm also able to get the right tone and dynamics from the playback card in the pc, indicating that the files do in fact sound the way i mixed them - i just can't get the mixer i mixed them on to play them back with the dynamic and tone i mixed them with, on that mixer. bizarre.
it's time to sleep a little. but, the only other aspect of this i can pin anything on is foobar. so, i'm going to want to bypass foobar when i wake up and see what it sounds like streaming through the mixer from cool edit. if i can establish consistency through that process, i'll have to conclude it's a problem with foobar.
that doesn't make sense to me, though. it's random. the issue is i can't get consistency - the same song sounds different when i listen to it twice in a row. how could the software not provide consistency? but, i've been through this before - i know foobar is not exact reproduction. and, if i can get exact reproduction from cool edit through the same hardware chain then i'm left with no other conclusion.
cool edit is entirely self-contained. it doesn't rely on windows like foobar does. if i end up blaming foobar, i'm still blaming windows. and it reduces to something i'll probably require a full reinstall to actually fix.
for right now, knowing that i can mix it through asio and have it sound right through cool edit is good enough.
summary:
1) they sound good through the mixer, from cubase.
2) they sound good through the other card in that same pc.
3) they sound good through the laptop (with headphones).
4) but, they sound bad through the mixer, from foobar.
5) tbd: do they sound good through the mixer, from cool edit? if so, it must be foobar.
but.
i'm using foobar for the m-audio playback, too. so, it wouldn't be merely foobar, but foobar's ability to stream wdm. and there might be a setting.
but i have to verify the claim, first.
it's time to sleep a little. but, the only other aspect of this i can pin anything on is foobar. so, i'm going to want to bypass foobar when i wake up and see what it sounds like streaming through the mixer from cool edit. if i can establish consistency through that process, i'll have to conclude it's a problem with foobar.
that doesn't make sense to me, though. it's random. the issue is i can't get consistency - the same song sounds different when i listen to it twice in a row. how could the software not provide consistency? but, i've been through this before - i know foobar is not exact reproduction. and, if i can get exact reproduction from cool edit through the same hardware chain then i'm left with no other conclusion.
cool edit is entirely self-contained. it doesn't rely on windows like foobar does. if i end up blaming foobar, i'm still blaming windows. and it reduces to something i'll probably require a full reinstall to actually fix.
for right now, knowing that i can mix it through asio and have it sound right through cool edit is good enough.
summary:
1) they sound good through the mixer, from cubase.
2) they sound good through the other card in that same pc.
3) they sound good through the laptop (with headphones).
4) but, they sound bad through the mixer, from foobar.
5) tbd: do they sound good through the mixer, from cool edit? if so, it must be foobar.
but.
i'm using foobar for the m-audio playback, too. so, it wouldn't be merely foobar, but foobar's ability to stream wdm. and there might be a setting.
but i have to verify the claim, first.
so, i'm now pretty much convinced that i've fixed the problem and established consistency in what the device is producing. but, the results of that aren't always positive. in some cases, it's pretty bad. i knew the gear wasn't really behaving, but i can only deal with what i can actually hear. the first three tracks are spot-on perfect. after that, it gets pretty messy.
the general problem is that the mixes are treble-heavy and sort of tinny. this is actually backwards; they're meant to be very bass-heavy. i guess the device was sort of exaggerating the bass, so i cranked the treble in response. then, when i was playing it back, it seemed like the bass was cutting in and out. but i can tell now that what was happening was that it was distorting and coming back, and i was mixing it in the distorted position, then getting pissed off when it righted itself.
so, i need to apologize for the bulk of the mixes i've uploaded over the last few weeks. they are not good. but, the gear was fucked.
that means i have more work to do than i thought. but i get the impression that these are fixes i can do at the master eq level; it's going to be mostly be an across the board cut around 10,000 Hz - and in most cases, it's going to be undoing what was actually a boost at that frequency.
moral of the story: don't mix on a broken mixer.
10 kHz was the frequency of the treble knob on the tascam that i mixed it on originally. i boosted at that frequency in an attempt to emulate what i know i did all those years ago. it seems high, but it's not arbitrary.
the general problem is that the mixes are treble-heavy and sort of tinny. this is actually backwards; they're meant to be very bass-heavy. i guess the device was sort of exaggerating the bass, so i cranked the treble in response. then, when i was playing it back, it seemed like the bass was cutting in and out. but i can tell now that what was happening was that it was distorting and coming back, and i was mixing it in the distorted position, then getting pissed off when it righted itself.
so, i need to apologize for the bulk of the mixes i've uploaded over the last few weeks. they are not good. but, the gear was fucked.
that means i have more work to do than i thought. but i get the impression that these are fixes i can do at the master eq level; it's going to be mostly be an across the board cut around 10,000 Hz - and in most cases, it's going to be undoing what was actually a boost at that frequency.
moral of the story: don't mix on a broken mixer.
10 kHz was the frequency of the treble knob on the tascam that i mixed it on originally. i boosted at that frequency in an attempt to emulate what i know i did all those years ago. it seems high, but it's not arbitrary.
right now, i think i had the right idea but it could be a few different causes.
i uninstalled the drivers, uninstalled cubase, reinstalled both and then ran my fancy registry wipe that just decimates everything in windows. media player. explorer. almost all the services. it's just ripped down to the kernel. in the process, i realized that the user mode driver framework got reinstalled somewhere along the way, and i don't really know how or where that got involved. it's actually something that i wipe out in the registry sweep. it's gone now. it might have been something that was interfering with the drivers, too.
but on top of all the windows media garbage that got installed was some real audio drivers. i don't know how that got on there. nobody has used real audio for anything in, like, *decades*.
whatever it was, i'm back to the sweet spot i was looking for. i think that it should hold. that means i might have to redo a few of the later mixes. but, that's just fine with me - what i needed was a clean sound to get the mixes down in the first place, and i think it's finally there.
the registry sweep also perked the pc up a little. i guess it had picked up some crap over the last two years. i actually don't think i've ever gone this long between reinstalls, but it's a function of the fact that it's set up to be stable....
regarding this fucker at the mixing desk theory, it's obviously rather ridiculous to think somebody is remixing my material from a distance. but something that's maybe a little less ridiculous is the idea that i'm under audio surveillance due to my political rants. realaudio is low quality for music, but it would be useful for sending small file sizes out. and, if they're under contract, they're going to keep using it. if they're picking up a signal in here from somewhere and routing it through the out on the pc, the ambience is going to affect the sound quality. and, while i wouldn't expect the driver reinstall to address that, i *would* expect the registry wipe to. it's pretty dramatic.
at the end of the day, i don't really care if the cops have a mic in here. i mean, i'd rather they didn't, for obvious privacy reasons. but, they're going to do what they're going to do, and it's not really that big a deal to me. i fantasize about myself as a historical figure; that's raw data of some historical interest, as i often talk to myself. but, where it gets bothersome is when it's invasive. it's the same deal as with these annoying characters that show up on my facebook that seem to be some kind of executable. read and log my facebook. whatever. don't inject executables into the text, it's fucking annoying.
and, so i need to put the request out: if you're going to have me under audio surveillance, and i can't prevent, at least please have the courtesy to not do it in such a way that affects my ability to create. i have three computers in here that you can route the signal through, if you have to. the laptop i'm typing this on is a vanilla 7 with a webcam and will provide you with far greater abilities to get data. just leave my recording pc alone, please.
i uninstalled the drivers, uninstalled cubase, reinstalled both and then ran my fancy registry wipe that just decimates everything in windows. media player. explorer. almost all the services. it's just ripped down to the kernel. in the process, i realized that the user mode driver framework got reinstalled somewhere along the way, and i don't really know how or where that got involved. it's actually something that i wipe out in the registry sweep. it's gone now. it might have been something that was interfering with the drivers, too.
but on top of all the windows media garbage that got installed was some real audio drivers. i don't know how that got on there. nobody has used real audio for anything in, like, *decades*.
whatever it was, i'm back to the sweet spot i was looking for. i think that it should hold. that means i might have to redo a few of the later mixes. but, that's just fine with me - what i needed was a clean sound to get the mixes down in the first place, and i think it's finally there.
the registry sweep also perked the pc up a little. i guess it had picked up some crap over the last two years. i actually don't think i've ever gone this long between reinstalls, but it's a function of the fact that it's set up to be stable....
regarding this fucker at the mixing desk theory, it's obviously rather ridiculous to think somebody is remixing my material from a distance. but something that's maybe a little less ridiculous is the idea that i'm under audio surveillance due to my political rants. realaudio is low quality for music, but it would be useful for sending small file sizes out. and, if they're under contract, they're going to keep using it. if they're picking up a signal in here from somewhere and routing it through the out on the pc, the ambience is going to affect the sound quality. and, while i wouldn't expect the driver reinstall to address that, i *would* expect the registry wipe to. it's pretty dramatic.
at the end of the day, i don't really care if the cops have a mic in here. i mean, i'd rather they didn't, for obvious privacy reasons. but, they're going to do what they're going to do, and it's not really that big a deal to me. i fantasize about myself as a historical figure; that's raw data of some historical interest, as i often talk to myself. but, where it gets bothersome is when it's invasive. it's the same deal as with these annoying characters that show up on my facebook that seem to be some kind of executable. read and log my facebook. whatever. don't inject executables into the text, it's fucking annoying.
and, so i need to put the request out: if you're going to have me under audio surveillance, and i can't prevent, at least please have the courtesy to not do it in such a way that affects my ability to create. i have three computers in here that you can route the signal through, if you have to. the laptop i'm typing this on is a vanilla 7 with a webcam and will provide you with far greater abilities to get data. just leave my recording pc alone, please.
i think i've got all the files out. the next step is seeing what's left in the registry to wipe out. then, i'll have to reinstall the drivers. this shouldn't be an epic process; i should be able to tell if it's making a difference in about an hour.
but, i'm thinking that the issue is that the windows media network shit was interfering with the alesis drivers. it's all consistent and makes sense. hopefully i'm right.
but, i'm thinking that the issue is that the windows media network shit was interfering with the alesis drivers. it's all consistent and makes sense. hopefully i'm right.
i think i've isolated the problem.
what i'm noticing is that if i cycle the mixer, it sounds good for about a second before it clicks into some weird tone. and i've noticed that disconnecting from the internet seems to make a difference. the mixer connects via firewire, so it's possibly a bandwidth thing.
a few weeks ago, when i was trying to get html5 to read flac natively through an ogg container [i was a little confused about how that works], i installed some codecs. i then uninstalled the codecs. but, they left some windows media files sitting on my hard drive - including some drm files and some network files.
i set this pc up to completely wipe out windows media. in hindsight, that codec install was actually somewhat foolish, as it undid something i spent months doing back in 2007. i could always reinstall - the wipe process is worked into the install - but i'm hoping i can do this manually.
what i'm noticing is that if i cycle the mixer, it sounds good for about a second before it clicks into some weird tone. and i've noticed that disconnecting from the internet seems to make a difference. the mixer connects via firewire, so it's possibly a bandwidth thing.
a few weeks ago, when i was trying to get html5 to read flac natively through an ogg container [i was a little confused about how that works], i installed some codecs. i then uninstalled the codecs. but, they left some windows media files sitting on my hard drive - including some drm files and some network files.
i set this pc up to completely wipe out windows media. in hindsight, that codec install was actually somewhat foolish, as it undid something i spent months doing back in 2007. i could always reinstall - the wipe process is worked into the install - but i'm hoping i can do this manually.
Monday, July 20, 2015
i've ruled out the instrumentals, meaning i've got tentative mixes done for everything except "schizoid", which is now going to be my focus. but it means the issues with the devices absolutely have to resolve themselves, because getting that specific bass tone is a delicate thing. which means i'm going to have to resort to driver reinstalls if it doesn't fix itself by the time i get back to it.
with the heat, i don't sleep much - and i like that. but it's time for two or three hours, anyways.
with the heat, i don't sleep much - and i like that. but it's time for two or three hours, anyways.
Sunday, July 19, 2015
this bass cutting out is just..
it almost sounds like an mp3. that muddy, cut-out bass. it's driving me bonkers.
i think i finished the first part of the inriched suite this afternoon, but i again have to wait for the bass to come back before i can declare the mix complete.
and, ultimately? it's depressing to spend a long time on something, then be unable to hear it correctly. then, i get tired. i'm going to sleep on it...
schizoid is almost done, it's just the bass that needs to be mixed. that's last. the second part of the inriched suite will be faster, as the guitars require less attention. i'm toying with the idea of ding a mix of "stupid". and, that's it - i can close this and move to the next aleph-disc.
it almost sounds like an mp3. that muddy, cut-out bass. it's driving me bonkers.
i think i finished the first part of the inriched suite this afternoon, but i again have to wait for the bass to come back before i can declare the mix complete.
and, ultimately? it's depressing to spend a long time on something, then be unable to hear it correctly. then, i get tired. i'm going to sleep on it...
schizoid is almost done, it's just the bass that needs to be mixed. that's last. the second part of the inriched suite will be faster, as the guitars require less attention. i'm toying with the idea of ding a mix of "stupid". and, that's it - i can close this and move to the next aleph-disc.
Saturday, July 18, 2015
omm
initially written in 1994. first full recording in 1996. recreated in mar, 1998. reclaimed & remixed on july 18, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/omm
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/omm
i've also uploaded the first five mixes of the expanded side of inrimixed. i'll have to remind myself to post these to the correct dates on the time line later.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inrimixed
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inrimixed
i'm sure your mom is probably a very nice person
initially written in 1994. first full recording in 1996. recreated in mar, 1998. reclaimed on july 18, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/im-sure-your-mom-is-probably-a-very-nice-person
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/im-sure-your-mom-is-probably-a-very-nice-person
Friday, July 17, 2015
that was a frustrating day. i wanted to get more done. i still haven't isolated a problem with the tone controls, but i'm largely ignoring it for now by using the other sound card, which isn't exact reproduction but is at least controlled. i'm starting to think it might actually be foobar. i've noticed before that some files sound differently through foobar than they do through cool edit, out the same card. i let it sit for a few more hours and uploaded a few new mixes to youtube as front-ends for inriclaimed. and, now i'm wide awake due to the weather, which is going to prolong the day until probably at least noon. there is indeed very hot air coming in, which tends to keep me wide awake. 36 hour days awake. i'll no doubt be back at it shortly.
it's about two weeks before i transition into period 1.2 on youtube, btw. that's a big change and should generate a different type of reaction when it rolls out, as the earliest demos wil be taken off the front page and replaced by the electronic versions. i kind of can't believe i had the discipline to leave them up there for a year and a half, actually.
it's about two weeks before i transition into period 1.2 on youtube, btw. that's a big change and should generate a different type of reaction when it rolls out, as the earliest demos wil be taken off the front page and replaced by the electronic versions. i kind of can't believe i had the discipline to leave them up there for a year and a half, actually.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
confused (instrumental)
initially written in 1997. recreated in feb, 1998. reclaimed july 5, 2015. remixed july 12, 2015. electronics added on july 16, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/confused-instrumental
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/confused-instrumental
confused (vocal mix)
initially written in 1997. recreated in feb, 1998. reclaimed july 5, 2015. remixed july 12, 2015. vocals and electronics added on july 16, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/confused-3
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/confused-3
cnusodef
initially written in 1997. recreated in feb, 1998. reclaimed july 5, 2015. remixed july 12, 2015. deconstructed on on july 16, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/cnusodef
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/cnusodef
the tone controls on the gear just won't stay put, and it's driving me slightly mad.
it's been a problem for a while. i've noticed disconnecting from the internet has somewhat of an effect; i think it's because i'm connecting over firewire, and it's a bandwidth thing. but, even if i control for that, i still can't get it to stay put. which has led me to theories about a fucker at a mixing desk that just won't fuck off.
what happens is that the bass randomly gives out. but then it randomly comes back.
rational explanations would have to be related to a driver issue, but the problem with that is that there doesn't seem to be a pattern, except that it kicks in for certain songs, which isn't the kind of pattern that makes sense. the drivers would not know this. a fucker at a mixing desk would know this.
i just need to state it again: there's no way to interfere here that can come out well. it's just a waste of my time. right now, specifically, i have a strong control in the bass for "fuck the dead". i'm not going to be modifying anything until the control is clear.
i want to get a mix up - i think it's done. but, uncertainty on the tone controls is forcing me to hang on to it a little.
when i think the tone controls are where they should be, it sounds just about perfect. but, then i notice there's a touch too much treble. and when i check the control, the bass has given out. so, i'm leaning towards that extra treble being related to the bass giving out, rather than being in the mix and needing to come down. if it would just stay put, i could fix it or upload. until i'm sure it's staying put, i'm stuck repeatedly checking to see if it's staying put. which is ultimately just an annoying waste of time.
what i'm noticing is that if i turn it off and on, the bass is there to start, and then slowly fades - i can hear the filter on the high end coming into focus (because it's more audible than the low end falling out). i'm going to turn it off for a few hours, eat and try again.
this is a hard block. i can't do anything until it stabilizes. the next step will be reinstalling drivers.
but, i...i just don't think it's actually a driver problem.
it's been a problem for a while. i've noticed disconnecting from the internet has somewhat of an effect; i think it's because i'm connecting over firewire, and it's a bandwidth thing. but, even if i control for that, i still can't get it to stay put. which has led me to theories about a fucker at a mixing desk that just won't fuck off.
what happens is that the bass randomly gives out. but then it randomly comes back.
rational explanations would have to be related to a driver issue, but the problem with that is that there doesn't seem to be a pattern, except that it kicks in for certain songs, which isn't the kind of pattern that makes sense. the drivers would not know this. a fucker at a mixing desk would know this.
i just need to state it again: there's no way to interfere here that can come out well. it's just a waste of my time. right now, specifically, i have a strong control in the bass for "fuck the dead". i'm not going to be modifying anything until the control is clear.
i want to get a mix up - i think it's done. but, uncertainty on the tone controls is forcing me to hang on to it a little.
when i think the tone controls are where they should be, it sounds just about perfect. but, then i notice there's a touch too much treble. and when i check the control, the bass has given out. so, i'm leaning towards that extra treble being related to the bass giving out, rather than being in the mix and needing to come down. if it would just stay put, i could fix it or upload. until i'm sure it's staying put, i'm stuck repeatedly checking to see if it's staying put. which is ultimately just an annoying waste of time.
what i'm noticing is that if i turn it off and on, the bass is there to start, and then slowly fades - i can hear the filter on the high end coming into focus (because it's more audible than the low end falling out). i'm going to turn it off for a few hours, eat and try again.
this is a hard block. i can't do anything until it stabilizes. the next step will be reinstalling drivers.
but, i...i just don't think it's actually a driver problem.
so, i actually got a lot done tonight, which is nice to re-establish after the last ten days of calculating intersection points.
the electronics only disc is happening, but i'm starting to seriously think it's best appended to the existing remix disc, which is currently very glitchy and strange. i'd have to do it in a side a / side b format. if i end up renumbering, i might not. i finished five tracks for this overnight and ruled several out.
inrinterpreted was meant to be redone versions of the tracks, but it looks like only two are going to get this treatment, and the additions to both will be minor. i've completed a new version of confused over night, with added synth bass and piano. i'm going to have to listen carefully tomorrow to see if i'm sure everything else is complete. if it is, there are a handful of tracks i'd like to release remixed and with vocals and this will become an inrinterpreted ep. i finished four tracks for this.
the condition i want to set for there being a single for any of these songs is that they have to exist in compilable form across all possibilities. i've decided i'm not doing chiptune versions of any of it. so there has to be a 96/97 demo, a 98/99 demo and a modified remix to act as a lead track. should i hold to this, the confused single is complete - but i'm not uploading it until i figure out how i'm labelling it.
i believe i've worked out all possibilities for the first 11 tracks. that means i'm about half done.
right now, the headache is going to knock me out a little early...
weather is shifting; i feel it in my head and stomach. it's been cold. i think it's actually warming up.
the electronics only disc is happening, but i'm starting to seriously think it's best appended to the existing remix disc, which is currently very glitchy and strange. i'd have to do it in a side a / side b format. if i end up renumbering, i might not. i finished five tracks for this overnight and ruled several out.
inrinterpreted was meant to be redone versions of the tracks, but it looks like only two are going to get this treatment, and the additions to both will be minor. i've completed a new version of confused over night, with added synth bass and piano. i'm going to have to listen carefully tomorrow to see if i'm sure everything else is complete. if it is, there are a handful of tracks i'd like to release remixed and with vocals and this will become an inrinterpreted ep. i finished four tracks for this.
the condition i want to set for there being a single for any of these songs is that they have to exist in compilable form across all possibilities. i've decided i'm not doing chiptune versions of any of it. so there has to be a 96/97 demo, a 98/99 demo and a modified remix to act as a lead track. should i hold to this, the confused single is complete - but i'm not uploading it until i figure out how i'm labelling it.
i believe i've worked out all possibilities for the first 11 tracks. that means i'm about half done.
right now, the headache is going to knock me out a little early...
weather is shifting; i feel it in my head and stomach. it's been cold. i think it's actually warming up.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
open
originally created in april, 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. reclaimed july 4, 2015. remixed july 15, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/open
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/open
why (vocal mix)
initially written in 1996. recreated in april, 1998. a failed rescue was attempted in 2013. reclaimed july 12, 2015. vocals added july 15, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/why-4
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/why-4
ogyanemob
initially written in 1993. first full recording in 1996. recreated in dec, 1997 and again in jan, 1999. reclaimed on july 2, 2015. remixed on july 15, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/ogyanemob
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/ogyanemob
dohgye
initially programmed in 1997. digitally modified in feb, 1998. reclaimed june 29, 2015. remixed july 15, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/dohgye
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/dohgye
werso smidits
originally written in 1996. recorded in feb, 1998. reclaimed june 28, 2015. remixed july 15, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/werso-smidits
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/werso-smidits
ants followup
hi.
i haven't really looked into it much, but i don't think i can prove that it's the plants - just because ants and plants are both everywhere. even if the plants did attract them, i have little faith that removing them will take them away. and, honestly, that wasn't really what i was thinking. if it was roaches, i'd be a bit more concerned about the plants, but not ants...
my hypothesis is that it's related to the weather. it's been an unusually cold and wet summer. ants like it warm and dry. so, the cold and wet soil has led them to migrate, and they ended up in the house. it's less a pull hypothesis and more a push hypothesis - it's less that something is attracting them to the house and more that the weather is forcing them to explore, and they happened to stumble upon the house.
that said, something else that's recently changed is the barbeque in the front. and, i don't think i need an article to prove that ants are going to want to be around where there's a barbeque, as anything that gets dropped will become food. further, you can clean a barbeque, but you can't *really* clean a barbeque. maybe you could ask if they've seen ants around it and keep an eye on it.
but, again, i don't think that's the reason. i think it's the weather.
there's a study here, but there's lots of more info on the topic out there:
http://news.stanford.edu/pr/01/ants45.html
i think the only option is barricading them out. and hoping it warms up soon...
j
i haven't really looked into it much, but i don't think i can prove that it's the plants - just because ants and plants are both everywhere. even if the plants did attract them, i have little faith that removing them will take them away. and, honestly, that wasn't really what i was thinking. if it was roaches, i'd be a bit more concerned about the plants, but not ants...
my hypothesis is that it's related to the weather. it's been an unusually cold and wet summer. ants like it warm and dry. so, the cold and wet soil has led them to migrate, and they ended up in the house. it's less a pull hypothesis and more a push hypothesis - it's less that something is attracting them to the house and more that the weather is forcing them to explore, and they happened to stumble upon the house.
that said, something else that's recently changed is the barbeque in the front. and, i don't think i need an article to prove that ants are going to want to be around where there's a barbeque, as anything that gets dropped will become food. further, you can clean a barbeque, but you can't *really* clean a barbeque. maybe you could ask if they've seen ants around it and keep an eye on it.
but, again, i don't think that's the reason. i think it's the weather.
there's a study here, but there's lots of more info on the topic out there:
http://news.stanford.edu/pr/01/ants45.html
i think the only option is barricading them out. and hoping it warms up soon...
j
it's not done yet, but i've replaced a few mixes and it's roughly in it's final form. the first 11 tracks and inricycled sequence are final.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inriclaimed
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inriclaimed
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Monday, July 13, 2015
so, i'm not posting any more etas on this.
i did got through the first dozen tracks yesterday, and did produce a few cleaner mixes that are now final, although they haven't been uploaded yet. i then spent all day playing with the bass in schizoid, without really getting anywhere but a broad understanding of what i can't do and a better grasp of what i want to do. it's split into 4 tracks, based on (open strings low register), (open strings high register), (finger), (pick). they'll need to be modeled, compressed and equalized differently. but i'm just not getting the first part to click; i wish i had a parametric eq with more points, so i can create a more complex curve. i may have to look into finding one. i could also maybe graphic it first. it just doesn't want to find the sweet spot, and i'm thinking i might need to use a different tool.
so, it's going to be at least tomorrow. but i do think that it will speed up once this is figured out.
i did got through the first dozen tracks yesterday, and did produce a few cleaner mixes that are now final, although they haven't been uploaded yet. i then spent all day playing with the bass in schizoid, without really getting anywhere but a broad understanding of what i can't do and a better grasp of what i want to do. it's split into 4 tracks, based on (open strings low register), (open strings high register), (finger), (pick). they'll need to be modeled, compressed and equalized differently. but i'm just not getting the first part to click; i wish i had a parametric eq with more points, so i can create a more complex curve. i may have to look into finding one. i could also maybe graphic it first. it just doesn't want to find the sweet spot, and i'm thinking i might need to use a different tool.
so, it's going to be at least tomorrow. but i do think that it will speed up once this is figured out.
Sunday, July 12, 2015
no longer confused
initially written in 1997. recreated in feb, 1998. reclaimed july 5, 2015. remixed july 12, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/no-longer-confused
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/no-longer-confused
i still don't fully understand this.
initially written in 1996. recreated in april, 1998. reclaimed july 5, 2015. remixed july 12, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/i-still-dont-fully-understand-this
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/i-still-dont-fully-understand-this
Saturday, July 11, 2015
my gear or my ears or my coffee level or something wasn't co-operating last night, so i jumped to reconstructing "mom" - which i knew was going to be time consuming because the album version has multiple cuts. it took a few unconventional approaches to line it up, but it got done a few hours ago. that was longer than i intended, but i've now got everything lined up except "viewless" and will be back to mixing this evening. unless i fall asleep, i should have everything up except the inriched suite before the sun comes up - and be finished some time tomorrow.
Friday, July 10, 2015
fyi: ants
hi.
hope you're well.
i think i have a responsibility to let you know that i'm noticing some significant ant infiltration in that side area, with the door and the windows (under the steps). now, i want to be clear. i'm not talking about loose ants. i've seen a few here and there - nothing alarming. what i'm talking about are actual ant hills along the window sill. they seem to be burrowing through the wood, as evidenced by these mounds of what look like shaved wood chips. all i've ever seen are a few patrolling the entrance, but it suggests that they want to move right in.
i noticed this a while back, but i thought it was just loose dirt. i cleaned the room up at the beginning of july. tonight, the wood mounds are back. this time, i sprayed them.
there seems to be a large network of them in the front yard. i've seen swarms of hundreds out around the sewer grate, where i smoke. they seem to have two entrances, there. what that suggests to me is significant tunnelling under the front yard.
i don't have any suggestions. i've sprayed the area. but i don't go in there very often. i guess what i'd be more concerned about is the question of whether what they're doing is structurally damaging. as mentioned - they seem to be eating right through the windows. that can't be good...
j
hope you're well.
i think i have a responsibility to let you know that i'm noticing some significant ant infiltration in that side area, with the door and the windows (under the steps). now, i want to be clear. i'm not talking about loose ants. i've seen a few here and there - nothing alarming. what i'm talking about are actual ant hills along the window sill. they seem to be burrowing through the wood, as evidenced by these mounds of what look like shaved wood chips. all i've ever seen are a few patrolling the entrance, but it suggests that they want to move right in.
i noticed this a while back, but i thought it was just loose dirt. i cleaned the room up at the beginning of july. tonight, the wood mounds are back. this time, i sprayed them.
there seems to be a large network of them in the front yard. i've seen swarms of hundreds out around the sewer grate, where i smoke. they seem to have two entrances, there. what that suggests to me is significant tunnelling under the front yard.
i don't have any suggestions. i've sprayed the area. but i don't go in there very often. i guess what i'd be more concerned about is the question of whether what they're doing is structurally damaging. as mentioned - they seem to be eating right through the windows. that can't be good...
j
Thursday, July 9, 2015
i didn't post an update yesterday. i ended up taking myself to the hospital; i'm not going to explain it, other than to say that the doctor concluded i'd imagined the situation. i don't think that's true, but i was describing something unknown to science, so there's no resolution to it. i'll post if i'm able to prove my claims.
i managed to get the second part of the inriched suite lined up yesterday, which was lengthy because i ended up doing it twice. a second revision when i get back to the first part is going to be to split the right channel off, because there's a lengthy delay in the master. i'm not sure what caused that. it's not audible in the track, but it makes it difficult as a reference file. splitting the right off converts it to mono, which allows me to sync it by splitting channels.
i did a full relisten last night and am going to have to turn the treble up a little on "confused". besides that, i think i'm happy with the mixes that are up.
when i got back from the hospital, i forced myself to get a decent amount of sleep, because i've been in the up phase of the manic cycle over the last week. i think i got ten hours of sleep last week, total. well, i'm focused and eager. that's what happens. with anything my head is in. i get lost, and don't sleep.
i lost most of the day on a grocery run. the damned store still didn't have soy milk. i had to go to the furthest one today, because the major brand in the second furthest one is kind of low on fortified nutrients, and that's the point of drinking the soy milk. it had no b6 and half the d. useless. i need my d. i get dark in the summer because i'm part italian, but at the end of the day i'm mostly scandinavian. but i'm not a pirate anymore, so i don't live on fish. the mercury scares me, actually; i avoid it.
by the end of the night, i hope to have confused and schizoid mixed and uploaded, and to mostly have 'mom' lined up for mixing tomorrow. i have every intention of being done in 48 hours and moving on to the mixes.
i'm shying away from the idea of these singles, because i think i'm going to be doing several mixes of other songs. i kind of prefer the idea of a broad remix record. and, in fact, i already have one in the sequence that could be extended by 45 minutes. that's what i'm working around, anyways. if i end up with a surplus of mixes, i'll think about it. but, not renumbering has benefits.
i managed to get the second part of the inriched suite lined up yesterday, which was lengthy because i ended up doing it twice. a second revision when i get back to the first part is going to be to split the right channel off, because there's a lengthy delay in the master. i'm not sure what caused that. it's not audible in the track, but it makes it difficult as a reference file. splitting the right off converts it to mono, which allows me to sync it by splitting channels.
i did a full relisten last night and am going to have to turn the treble up a little on "confused". besides that, i think i'm happy with the mixes that are up.
when i got back from the hospital, i forced myself to get a decent amount of sleep, because i've been in the up phase of the manic cycle over the last week. i think i got ten hours of sleep last week, total. well, i'm focused and eager. that's what happens. with anything my head is in. i get lost, and don't sleep.
i lost most of the day on a grocery run. the damned store still didn't have soy milk. i had to go to the furthest one today, because the major brand in the second furthest one is kind of low on fortified nutrients, and that's the point of drinking the soy milk. it had no b6 and half the d. useless. i need my d. i get dark in the summer because i'm part italian, but at the end of the day i'm mostly scandinavian. but i'm not a pirate anymore, so i don't live on fish. the mercury scares me, actually; i avoid it.
by the end of the night, i hope to have confused and schizoid mixed and uploaded, and to mostly have 'mom' lined up for mixing tomorrow. i have every intention of being done in 48 hours and moving on to the mixes.
i'm shying away from the idea of these singles, because i think i'm going to be doing several mixes of other songs. i kind of prefer the idea of a broad remix record. and, in fact, i already have one in the sequence that could be extended by 45 minutes. that's what i'm working around, anyways. if i end up with a surplus of mixes, i'll think about it. but, not renumbering has benefits.
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
gah...
17 years is a long time to remember things.
it's coming back to me. i didn't like the bass part for about a twenty second portion near the beginning. it's two basically identical ten second parts in sequence. so, i deleted one of them and looped it. you can actually hear the splice if you listen closely.
what that means is that the reference file is useless. we're only talking about fractions of a second in the splice, but that's what i'm correcting for. it's not lining up because it can't line-up.
however.
it's a short part. what i ended up doing for the guitars and the bass was setting two points (on both sides of the part in question) and shifting the files so they line-up. that should create perfect time, so i couldn't understand why it wasn't. but of course it isn't - it can't be due to the splice. but, they are in time with the original master, except over that point. and they are consequently in time with each other, which is what is important. if i do the same thing with the drums, it will also line-up in the imaginary position and solve the problem.
i'm glad i at least understand. i've studied a lot of math, and had no question what i was doing was theoretically correct. i thought i was dealing with some kind of floating point error. and, this should speed me up...
actually, i think that i should start this from scratch, now that i have an understanding of what's happening. but, i'm going to skip this for now and focus on the second half of it.
17 years is a long time to remember things.
it's coming back to me. i didn't like the bass part for about a twenty second portion near the beginning. it's two basically identical ten second parts in sequence. so, i deleted one of them and looped it. you can actually hear the splice if you listen closely.
what that means is that the reference file is useless. we're only talking about fractions of a second in the splice, but that's what i'm correcting for. it's not lining up because it can't line-up.
however.
it's a short part. what i ended up doing for the guitars and the bass was setting two points (on both sides of the part in question) and shifting the files so they line-up. that should create perfect time, so i couldn't understand why it wasn't. but of course it isn't - it can't be due to the splice. but, they are in time with the original master, except over that point. and they are consequently in time with each other, which is what is important. if i do the same thing with the drums, it will also line-up in the imaginary position and solve the problem.
i'm glad i at least understand. i've studied a lot of math, and had no question what i was doing was theoretically correct. i thought i was dealing with some kind of floating point error. and, this should speed me up...
actually, i think that i should start this from scratch, now that i have an understanding of what's happening. but, i'm going to skip this for now and focus on the second half of it.
yeah. it took me 21 hours of straight file manipulation to get these tracks lined up. that's a lot of newton's method, and a lot of failing before it got synced right. if you want to hear why this was such a time consuming thing, check out the album version and listen to the guitar/bass interplay carefully, especially in the bridge. there's a lot of notes being thrown around off the beat, so it had to be done extra carefully to ensure it didn't end up a mess.
this won't be a lengthy mixing process, but it will have to wait until tomorrow.
for those just tuning in, i have four separate outs from an old 4-track recording that i'm remixing, mostly to take the vocals out. the way digitization works is that it doesn't preserve time perfectly. so, these four tracks came off the cassette out of time with each other. so, they need to be carefully time-shifted before they can be mixed down, and there's not really a way to do it besides trial and error.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/16-viewless
this won't be a lengthy mixing process, but it will have to wait until tomorrow.
for those just tuning in, i have four separate outs from an old 4-track recording that i'm remixing, mostly to take the vocals out. the way digitization works is that it doesn't preserve time perfectly. so, these four tracks came off the cassette out of time with each other. so, they need to be carefully time-shifted before they can be mixed down, and there's not really a way to do it besides trial and error.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/16-viewless
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
i put schizoid down, thinking that the inriched suite would be faster, but the bass part (again) is causing me grief - it's a question of lining it up, and i can't get a reference in the file so i'm stuck doing it by ear. well, there's a reference in the middle, but that's a much more involved process than setting something at the start. the syncopation in the track is very in depth, so a small shift will put the whole thing off. i'm close, but i may have to wait until tomorrow to finish this (i thought it would be done around friday).
Monday, July 6, 2015
i've been mixing "schizoid" all day. the bass just won't work itself out. it's partly a function of how i recorded it all those years ago; part of it is with a finger, part of it is with a pick, there's staccato and open string - and it's all in the same file. so, i keep hitting sweet points that work for a few seconds, and then losing them when i adjust to the nxt part. if i were to do this nowadays, i'd split all these into different parts and mix them separately. it's looking like that's what i'm going to have to somehow do with this.
this isn't the one i thought would be lengthy; that's "mom". the other two i have left to do are the songs in the inriched suite.
i wanted this done before "lunch", and to at least get three tracks done today, but my ears are starting to get funny so it's "stop listening and come back fresh in a few hours" time.
at the least, this will be done before i sleep. it's just the bass. but the bass is key. hopefully, i should at least get a start on the inriched suite, too.
this isn't the one i thought would be lengthy; that's "mom". the other two i have left to do are the songs in the inriched suite.
i wanted this done before "lunch", and to at least get three tracks done today, but my ears are starting to get funny so it's "stop listening and come back fresh in a few hours" time.
at the least, this will be done before i sleep. it's just the bass. but the bass is key. hopefully, i should at least get a start on the inriched suite, too.
Sunday, July 5, 2015
the last few have been lengthy because the guitar channel of the four track has had upwards of ten parts in it. so, it meant cutting the file up, running it through separate eqs...
there's four left for inriclaimed. three should be relatively easy. one is likely to be a headache.
i've moved the shorts from inricycled b over; this release will replace that one, and will be the new inri009. i don't want to destroy the shorts, but the release is now superfluous. depending on how many more mixes i generate, it may be a double - or they may end up scattered.
so, i'm stepping back from the three singles. if i can work this material in without renumbering, that's preferable.
there's four left for inriclaimed. three should be relatively easy. one is likely to be a headache.
i've moved the shorts from inricycled b over; this release will replace that one, and will be the new inri009. i don't want to destroy the shorts, but the release is now superfluous. depending on how many more mixes i generate, it may be a double - or they may end up scattered.
so, i'm stepping back from the three singles. if i can work this material in without renumbering, that's preferable.
yup. i still fuck the dead.
recorded in jan, 1998. reclaimed july 5, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/yup-i-still-fuck-the-dead
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/yup-i-still-fuck-the-dead
i still don't fully understand this. (initial upload)
initially written in 1996. recreated in april, 1998. reclaimed july 5, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/i-still-dont-fully-understand-this
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/i-still-dont-fully-understand-this
no longer confused (initial upload)
initially written in 1997. recreated in feb, 1998. reclaimed july 5, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/no-longer-confused
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/no-longer-confused
Saturday, July 4, 2015
just say no to mood altering prescription drugs
recorded in april, 1998. reclaimed july 4, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/just-say-no-to-mood-altering-prescription-drugs
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/just-say-no-to-mood-altering-prescription-drugs
Friday, July 3, 2015
i'm getting caught up on a few tracks that need to be perfectly synched. it's just a matter of time.
the instrumental compilation will be called "inriclaimed". further interpretations will be on "inrinterpreted".
most of my bass parts are fairly loose, so they have space. there's just a few that are really tight with the drums and need a lot of careful synching.
the instrumental compilation will be called "inriclaimed". further interpretations will be on "inrinterpreted".
most of my bass parts are fairly loose, so they have space. there's just a few that are really tight with the drums and need a lot of careful synching.
Thursday, July 2, 2015
sample used without permission (initial upload)
initially written in 1996. recreated in jan, 1998. reclaimed july 2, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/sample-used-without-permission
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/sample-used-without-permission
i was planning on ramping down today and hermiting for the next two weeks, but everything's been pushed back a day due to the fact that i can't find any soy milk. that means i'll be doing laundry tomorrow, instead, and could conceivably have something up by the end of the night. on the other hand, if there's no soy milk at the grocery store tomorrow then i'm in for a long day looking for it. it's the central part of my diet. i get almost everything i need from my daily smoothie (1 banana, 5 strawberries, two scoops of cherry ice cream and roughly 300 ml of vanilla soy milk). they had the plain soy milk, but it was for a higher price than i'd normally pay for the vanilla and, like....the vanilla is essential to the smoothie. i may crack tomorrow and get it, but i'm not going to be happy about it. i also can't get the light stuff, because it's my primary source of fat.
note to world: fat from milk is good. if you want to lose weight, eat less big macs, don't cut the healthy fat out.
i'm done all of the tracks that i specifically wanted to *remove* the vocals from. there's still a few that i'm not sure about yet; i'll have to mix them with vocals, and then decide what i want to use. i'm leaning heavily towards a full instrumental, and just dropping the vocal remixes on to the aleph disc. i've already decided that i'm not swapping anything into the main records, largely because these aren't exact replicas - pretty much everything is missing a fill or an overdub that i added at the productions stage and have no way to recreate. that needs to stand as it is.
half of me would like to work it into the second inricycled, which is now becoming superfluous. the idea was to put together some ideas that stripped the vocals out. now, i'm stripping the vocals out altogether. i may decided to retain it as a shorter mix tape (the mix tape portion is only about 30 minutes) and strip the full tracks out. i'll figure this out when i get it all in front of me. but, if i decide to backtrack on the singles, after all, it could get me through this without renumbering.
note to world: fat from milk is good. if you want to lose weight, eat less big macs, don't cut the healthy fat out.
i'm done all of the tracks that i specifically wanted to *remove* the vocals from. there's still a few that i'm not sure about yet; i'll have to mix them with vocals, and then decide what i want to use. i'm leaning heavily towards a full instrumental, and just dropping the vocal remixes on to the aleph disc. i've already decided that i'm not swapping anything into the main records, largely because these aren't exact replicas - pretty much everything is missing a fill or an overdub that i added at the productions stage and have no way to recreate. that needs to stand as it is.
half of me would like to work it into the second inricycled, which is now becoming superfluous. the idea was to put together some ideas that stripped the vocals out. now, i'm stripping the vocals out altogether. i may decided to retain it as a shorter mix tape (the mix tape portion is only about 30 minutes) and strip the full tracks out. i'll figure this out when i get it all in front of me. but, if i decide to backtrack on the singles, after all, it could get me through this without renumbering.
in some neighbourhoods, the boogeyman is slightly more than an imaginary monster
initially written in 1993. first full recording in 1996. recreated in dec, 1997 and again in jan, 1999. reclaimed on july 2, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/in-some-neighbourhoods-the-boogeyman-is-slightly-more-than-an-imaginary-monster
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/in-some-neighbourhoods-the-boogeyman-is-slightly-more-than-an-imaginary-monster
use value is somewhat difficult to define in the human propensity towards artistic expression
recorded in jan, 1998. reclaimed june 29, 2015. remixed july 2, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/use-value-is-somewhat-difficult-to-define-in-the-human-propensity-towards-artistic-expression-2
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/use-value-is-somewhat-difficult-to-define-in-the-human-propensity-towards-artistic-expression-2
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
skaters (electronics only mix) (initial upload)
initially written in 1997. recreated in jan, 1998. reclaimed july 1, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/takers
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/takers
thug culture is enforced by the media from the top down
initially written in 1997. recreated in jan, 1998. reclaimed july 1, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/thug-culture-is-enforced-by-the-media-from-the-top-down
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/thug-culture-is-enforced-by-the-media-from-the-top-down
hey god (electronics only mix) (initial upload)
initially programmed in 1997. digitally modified in feb, 1998. reclaimed june 29, 2015.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/hey-god-electronics-only
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/hey-god-electronics-only
an interview with cornel west
he's consistently so great to listen to. that part at the end made my day.
rap news 33
the papacy nowadays is a kind of a supreme court of the church, rather than an executive or legislative branch. what it does is codify perspectives that are already in practice. he's saying this now because followers of the catholic faith - and let's not forget that catholicism is a minority religion in the heart of the empire, which is based on protestant values - have already come to this conclusion. it's leading from behind. preaching to the choir...
likewise, if he ever comes out in favour of restricting oppression to homosexuality, it will be because it's already established.
infallibility? decrees of god's will? hardly. it's just a reaction to the grassroots. you could even call it a type of crude democracy.
the effect will be minimal.
i mean, the moonseed perspective is exaggerated here, but the broad view amongst american christians remains that the pope is an agent of satan. that's hardcoded into virtually all of the protestant denominations. american christianity is and always has been a violent reaction to catholicism. the more the pope speaks like this, the more the dominant narrative is upheld, about climate change being a globalist/satanist plot - because the pope is their guy.
conversely, insofar as this is relevant in latin america and africa, what the church provides is a place for organizing movements, rather than any guiding principle. and, if it starts meddling too much into something that is happening independent of it's control, it's more likely to act as a co-opting and dispersive force.
in order to be effective, this movement needs to be secular. that doesn't mean rejecting religious people. it just means keeping religion out of it.
it maybe exposes a cynical truth, though: perhaps all we have left is prayer. perhaps we're at that base level of hopelessness.
ZYX
+deathtokoalas It is a good set of Commandments to live by for humanity. For those of either secular & religious persuasion. I salute Pope Francis for reminding us
I am an atheist , but believe we should take heed these words, regardless of the source. The Pope has over a billion followers. We cannot divest them of their religious beliefs, nor why we would want to.This message is so clearly a universal force for good, not dependant on religious persuasion.
deathtokoalas
+ZYX well, i think there's a lot of reasons to want to, but it's not the point. the church is approaching this from a "bait and capture" approach. you want to think of it as a type of "green capitalism".
likewise, if he ever comes out in favour of restricting oppression to homosexuality, it will be because it's already established.
infallibility? decrees of god's will? hardly. it's just a reaction to the grassroots. you could even call it a type of crude democracy.
the effect will be minimal.
i mean, the moonseed perspective is exaggerated here, but the broad view amongst american christians remains that the pope is an agent of satan. that's hardcoded into virtually all of the protestant denominations. american christianity is and always has been a violent reaction to catholicism. the more the pope speaks like this, the more the dominant narrative is upheld, about climate change being a globalist/satanist plot - because the pope is their guy.
conversely, insofar as this is relevant in latin america and africa, what the church provides is a place for organizing movements, rather than any guiding principle. and, if it starts meddling too much into something that is happening independent of it's control, it's more likely to act as a co-opting and dispersive force.
in order to be effective, this movement needs to be secular. that doesn't mean rejecting religious people. it just means keeping religion out of it.
it maybe exposes a cynical truth, though: perhaps all we have left is prayer. perhaps we're at that base level of hopelessness.
ZYX
+deathtokoalas It is a good set of Commandments to live by for humanity. For those of either secular & religious persuasion. I salute Pope Francis for reminding us
I am an atheist , but believe we should take heed these words, regardless of the source. The Pope has over a billion followers. We cannot divest them of their religious beliefs, nor why we would want to.This message is so clearly a universal force for good, not dependant on religious persuasion.
deathtokoalas
+ZYX well, i think there's a lot of reasons to want to, but it's not the point. the church is approaching this from a "bait and capture" approach. you want to think of it as a type of "green capitalism".
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