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.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
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
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