Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Monday, November 16, 2015
moving back to ‘mom’ in the alter-reality
there's an alter-reality update tonight.
the machine is fixed, but i was at concerts the last two days. i'm hungover on four hours of sleep, so today is going to be about doing some filing and probably getting to bed early. i have an appointment tomorrow. so, i'll be back to work - seriously, and with intent - on wednesday.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ-_rMcOPD0&t=04m27s
the machine is fixed, but i was at concerts the last two days. i'm hungover on four hours of sleep, so today is going to be about doing some filing and probably getting to bed early. i have an appointment tomorrow. so, i'll be back to work - seriously, and with intent - on wednesday.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ-_rMcOPD0&t=04m27s
Sunday, November 15, 2015
14-11-2015: vampire belt & absinthe bust
concert footage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCI5CRdMB4c
review:
http://dghjdfsghkrdghdgja.appspot.com/categories/shows/2015/11/14.html
i seem to have been taken in on an urban legend regarding the absinthe....
"Absinthe has been frequently and improperly described in modern times as being hallucinogenic. No peer-reviewed scientific study has demonstrated absinthe to possess hallucinogenic properties."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe#Effects
that would explain why i didn't feel anything. the initial waves may have been psychosomatic and a consequence of expectation.
also note that i had to reupload this video to remove an approximately one minute section (beginning around 18:40) where the bar i was walking by happened to be playing a michael jackson song. sony claimed copyright over the entire vlog, the right to place ads of it's choosing on it and total control over revenue to those ads. to put it mildly, this is absolute bullshit. i have no intention of profiting directly from these vlogs (please visit my bandcamp site to support me financially), but the idea that i'd be allowing sony to profit from it because the bar i was walking by for forty seconds was playing a michael jackson song makes me want to vomit.
in order to prevent these kinds of absolutely frivolous claims, youtube should have an independent arbitration process in place that takes power away from claimants and puts it in the hand of a neutral third party.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCI5CRdMB4c
review:
http://dghjdfsghkrdghdgja.appspot.com/categories/shows/2015/11/14.html
i seem to have been taken in on an urban legend regarding the absinthe....
"Absinthe has been frequently and improperly described in modern times as being hallucinogenic. No peer-reviewed scientific study has demonstrated absinthe to possess hallucinogenic properties."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe#Effects
that would explain why i didn't feel anything. the initial waves may have been psychosomatic and a consequence of expectation.
also note that i had to reupload this video to remove an approximately one minute section (beginning around 18:40) where the bar i was walking by happened to be playing a michael jackson song. sony claimed copyright over the entire vlog, the right to place ads of it's choosing on it and total control over revenue to those ads. to put it mildly, this is absolute bullshit. i have no intention of profiting directly from these vlogs (please visit my bandcamp site to support me financially), but the idea that i'd be allowing sony to profit from it because the bar i was walking by for forty seconds was playing a michael jackson song makes me want to vomit.
in order to prevent these kinds of absolutely frivolous claims, youtube should have an independent arbitration process in place that takes power away from claimants and puts it in the hand of a neutral third party.
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Friday, November 13, 2015
Thursday, November 12, 2015
i am finally certain that i understand the problem, have fixed it and can resolve it if it reappears. after four months, you have to expect it's something simple.
the driver installation for the mixer has an error in it. the package needs to install two drivers: one basic driver (also used for asio) and a second driver on top of it (used for wdm). however, it was only installing the basic driver. so, i was getting various sound degradation and inconsistency due to the system using the wrong driver.
i was actually about to give up on the kmixer for the device. i wanted to verify i was getting a good sound out of asio, so i disabled wdm in the mixer and tested through cubase. it sounded right. out of curiosity, i re-enabled the wdm with the asio running and the secondary driver installed. it has since passed all stability testing; the issue seems to be resolved.
i have a higher confidence in stating i'm done, now, because i feel i understand it. i have some more listening to do tonight. i need to edit and upload a vlog from the last three days. i also need to eat. and, tomorrow i need to do laundry and test one more time. but, i'm confident i'll be back at this within 24 hours, and could even get some new mixes up by saturday.
i didn't notice this previously because the wdm installed disabled and i had to manually turn it on. i don't know why that behaviour changed.
the driver installation for the mixer has an error in it. the package needs to install two drivers: one basic driver (also used for asio) and a second driver on top of it (used for wdm). however, it was only installing the basic driver. so, i was getting various sound degradation and inconsistency due to the system using the wrong driver.
i was actually about to give up on the kmixer for the device. i wanted to verify i was getting a good sound out of asio, so i disabled wdm in the mixer and tested through cubase. it sounded right. out of curiosity, i re-enabled the wdm with the asio running and the secondary driver installed. it has since passed all stability testing; the issue seems to be resolved.
i have a higher confidence in stating i'm done, now, because i feel i understand it. i have some more listening to do tonight. i need to edit and upload a vlog from the last three days. i also need to eat. and, tomorrow i need to do laundry and test one more time. but, i'm confident i'll be back at this within 24 hours, and could even get some new mixes up by saturday.
i didn't notice this previously because the wdm installed disabled and i had to manually turn it on. i don't know why that behaviour changed.
i've been quiet here, i guess. troubleshooting updates in the vlog, if you're so inclined.
a little while back, i noticed that cycling the mixer was creating a new driver entry in the registry and realized this had something to do with the problem. i think i've finally figured out that the way to get the mixer to load properly is to turn it on before the computer starts. this may be a conflict with the soundblaster, but i'm not sure.
it says to do this in the manual, but i've basically never done this. it would require restarting the computer every day. so, i may have to prepare myself for some wrong sounding mixes, and need to adjust them. basically, everything is up for analysis right now.
i still need to do some testing, but i'm convinced i'm very close and should be done in the next 24-48 hours.
if it's a conflict with the soundblaster, i can at least point out that i had the soundblaster disabled for a long time.
and, the issue is wdm-specific, so it wouldn't really be relevant to the mixing over asio. i think i'm probably safe from having to redo anything.
see, the thing is that i wasn't sure it was wdm-specific. i thought it was. if i knew it was, i wouldn't have bothered with all this, but i couldn't know it was until i figured it out, right?
i think it's making sense now. but i've said that before.
a little while back, i noticed that cycling the mixer was creating a new driver entry in the registry and realized this had something to do with the problem. i think i've finally figured out that the way to get the mixer to load properly is to turn it on before the computer starts. this may be a conflict with the soundblaster, but i'm not sure.
it says to do this in the manual, but i've basically never done this. it would require restarting the computer every day. so, i may have to prepare myself for some wrong sounding mixes, and need to adjust them. basically, everything is up for analysis right now.
i still need to do some testing, but i'm convinced i'm very close and should be done in the next 24-48 hours.
if it's a conflict with the soundblaster, i can at least point out that i had the soundblaster disabled for a long time.
and, the issue is wdm-specific, so it wouldn't really be relevant to the mixing over asio. i think i'm probably safe from having to redo anything.
see, the thing is that i wasn't sure it was wdm-specific. i thought it was. if i knew it was, i wouldn't have bothered with all this, but i couldn't know it was until i figured it out, right?
i think it's making sense now. but i've said that before.
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Monday, November 9, 2015
Sunday, November 8, 2015
an early show in ferndale on a cool november evening
going to ferndale for a show is always somewhat of an adventure. it's a 40 minute bus ride from the tunnel, which means it's a 40 minute bus ride back, and the last tunnel bus is far too early - it's at 1:09, which isn't even after last call. that means the show would have to end by 11:30 to get back, and that had yet to happen. i can understand why they don't want to run all night, but they should run until at least 2:15 to give people a chance to get back from right downtown around last call. the thing is this: i'm not going to take a 40 minute bus ride out to ferndale and then leave early to catch the bus. if i'm going to go that far, i'm going to stay for what i'm there for, even if it means having to wait until the morning to get home. but, tonight i went specifically to see the opening band, and so expected to get home by leaving halfway through the headliner. as it happened, the headliner was done by a quarter after eleven, so i got to see the whole show and then get home. but, i shouldn't get used to that.
i was perusing the gear on stage, and just about ready to take some camera shots of it, when pinkish black came on a little earlier than i expected - pretty much 9:00 sharp. the set was exactly an hour, too. no sound check, and that was decisive. i started off a foot from the drummer, dead center, but realized quickly that the bass was coming straight at me and i'd need to move a little bit away to avoid the mic in the camera from distorting. so, that's why i shifted to where the camera shot is. but, i went back to the place i started at after i got my shot in and spent the rest of the show there.
the set was interesting, but i'm not sure exactly what to make of it. i spoke to the band after the set, and they acknowledged the mix was poor - that the synths and vocals were not loud enough to compete with the drums. but, it seemed to me that what was coming at me was more than just a mix issue. i'm fairly familiar with their previous work, and it really seemed like the drumming in the tunes had evolved dramatically in ways that often seemed rather off kilter. in multiple spots in the show, the drums fell into what were simple patterns that were punctuated by strange dynamics in volume and syncopation. overall, that converted the aesthetic from the claustrophobic pop sound that they're known for into something more schizophrenic that brought to mind acts like swans and skinny puppy.
because i'm familiar with the material, it kind of threw me a bit but i can't say i didn't enjoy it. what i'm just not clear on is whether turning the synths down focused more attention on the nature of the drumming, whether the songs have evolved over several years and this is some indication of where they're pivoting to or whether it was even just a tactic to compensate for the low volume on the synths (i.e. that the drummer couldn't really hear what was happening, and had to adjust). regardless, it certainly made the sound a bit more raw in converting the material out of headphone music and into something more live. they're worth checking out, but maybe don't expect the tracks to sound the same way they do on record.
here's a full set:
i got to see zombi as well, but i really wasn't expecting a lot from the set and wasn't particularly impressed by it. so, at least i wasn't let down - but i wasn't turned around, either. i'll give the drummer credit on the basis of pure talent even if a lot of it was derivative - it was easy to tell when he was trying to sound like phil collins or trying to sound like neal peart. but, the songwriting was mostly limp and repetitive post-rock, punctuated only by horrifically cheesy delves into the worst kinds of 70s prog. i'm a fan of the more creative sides of both of these genres, but the way they mix it up is just about the worst formula possible. i mean, tortoise spliced with floyd, or gybe! spliced with genesis, sounds like a great idea. that's awesome*awesome, which would have to compute to awesome. but, yes spliced with and so i watch you from afar is cheese spliced with cheese, and could only possibly produce cheese.
for example, there was one track where the drummer was playing something very reminiscent of a trick of the tail era collins (see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBcnjx05a1s), while the bassist/synth guy was moping out a two chord minor progression. i may have been heard thinking out loud that it sounded like what phil collins must have felt like the day that his dog died, which is not the thing of compelling music. there was another track where the drummer was literally playing the pattern to tom sawyer, while the synth guy did some kind of slow motion krautrock thing. i may have been heard thinking out loud that this was the chapter twain could never get published, where tom got baked and passed out near the creek.
silliness aside, they were also very tense. when people yelled in excitement "keep it going!", they defensively pointed out that it's only the second set of the show. i mean, shit. imagine somebody getting excited to see their favourite band at a show. clearly disrespectful!
but, i think that serves to explain what's wrong, here. these guys need to chill out a little. if they were to breathe a little, maybe the song structures would open up a bit, which would lead them to more compelling arrangements. it may not be sufficient, but i claim it is a necessary condition to get them to turn the corner on what they're doing.
vlog for the day is here:
http://dghjdfsghkrdghdgja.appspot.com/categories/shows/2015/11/06.html
i was perusing the gear on stage, and just about ready to take some camera shots of it, when pinkish black came on a little earlier than i expected - pretty much 9:00 sharp. the set was exactly an hour, too. no sound check, and that was decisive. i started off a foot from the drummer, dead center, but realized quickly that the bass was coming straight at me and i'd need to move a little bit away to avoid the mic in the camera from distorting. so, that's why i shifted to where the camera shot is. but, i went back to the place i started at after i got my shot in and spent the rest of the show there.
the set was interesting, but i'm not sure exactly what to make of it. i spoke to the band after the set, and they acknowledged the mix was poor - that the synths and vocals were not loud enough to compete with the drums. but, it seemed to me that what was coming at me was more than just a mix issue. i'm fairly familiar with their previous work, and it really seemed like the drumming in the tunes had evolved dramatically in ways that often seemed rather off kilter. in multiple spots in the show, the drums fell into what were simple patterns that were punctuated by strange dynamics in volume and syncopation. overall, that converted the aesthetic from the claustrophobic pop sound that they're known for into something more schizophrenic that brought to mind acts like swans and skinny puppy.
because i'm familiar with the material, it kind of threw me a bit but i can't say i didn't enjoy it. what i'm just not clear on is whether turning the synths down focused more attention on the nature of the drumming, whether the songs have evolved over several years and this is some indication of where they're pivoting to or whether it was even just a tactic to compensate for the low volume on the synths (i.e. that the drummer couldn't really hear what was happening, and had to adjust). regardless, it certainly made the sound a bit more raw in converting the material out of headphone music and into something more live. they're worth checking out, but maybe don't expect the tracks to sound the same way they do on record.
here's a full set:
i got to see zombi as well, but i really wasn't expecting a lot from the set and wasn't particularly impressed by it. so, at least i wasn't let down - but i wasn't turned around, either. i'll give the drummer credit on the basis of pure talent even if a lot of it was derivative - it was easy to tell when he was trying to sound like phil collins or trying to sound like neal peart. but, the songwriting was mostly limp and repetitive post-rock, punctuated only by horrifically cheesy delves into the worst kinds of 70s prog. i'm a fan of the more creative sides of both of these genres, but the way they mix it up is just about the worst formula possible. i mean, tortoise spliced with floyd, or gybe! spliced with genesis, sounds like a great idea. that's awesome*awesome, which would have to compute to awesome. but, yes spliced with and so i watch you from afar is cheese spliced with cheese, and could only possibly produce cheese.
for example, there was one track where the drummer was playing something very reminiscent of a trick of the tail era collins (see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBcnjx05a1s), while the bassist/synth guy was moping out a two chord minor progression. i may have been heard thinking out loud that it sounded like what phil collins must have felt like the day that his dog died, which is not the thing of compelling music. there was another track where the drummer was literally playing the pattern to tom sawyer, while the synth guy did some kind of slow motion krautrock thing. i may have been heard thinking out loud that this was the chapter twain could never get published, where tom got baked and passed out near the creek.
silliness aside, they were also very tense. when people yelled in excitement "keep it going!", they defensively pointed out that it's only the second set of the show. i mean, shit. imagine somebody getting excited to see their favourite band at a show. clearly disrespectful!
but, i think that serves to explain what's wrong, here. these guys need to chill out a little. if they were to breathe a little, maybe the song structures would open up a bit, which would lead them to more compelling arrangements. it may not be sufficient, but i claim it is a necessary condition to get them to turn the corner on what they're doing.
vlog for the day is here:
http://dghjdfsghkrdghdgja.appspot.com/categories/shows/2015/11/06.html
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
i've been recording, i just haven't edited or uploaded because i wasn't
sure which day was which. suppose you wake up at 4 pm and crash the next
day at noon, then get up at 6 pm and crash the next day at 7 pm. how do
you date that?
i wanted to edit tonight, but i'm already fading so it will wait until i wake up - clearly starting a new day on nov 5.
so , by tomorrow morning, there will be two vlogs for the last three days, probably with the 3rd and 4th combined into one day.
i wanted to edit tonight, but i'm already fading so it will wait until i wake up - clearly starting a new day on nov 5.
so , by tomorrow morning, there will be two vlogs for the last three days, probably with the 3rd and 4th combined into one day.
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Monday, November 2, 2015
Sunday, November 1, 2015
uploading circus for the alter-reality
i've been toying with whether or not i wanted to upload a promo for inrijected, being that it's rejected tracks, but have decided to due to the schedule (which would have otherwise had me focus on an offspring cover for three months at the end of 1998).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmte9lWII2c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmte9lWII2c
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