New Studio – New Frontier – What’s Next

I find myself in a delightfully unusual situation. There was a time a few years ago when I thought my “music career” (such as it was) was over. I had nothing artistic to give to the universe and there was little or no point to even trying. It was like being stranded on some far away planet with little to no hope of ever leaving. In a little more than a week I will be in a very powerful creative position. It will be as if I have left the planet in a trans-dimentional spaceship.

Very, Very, Very Close

I’ve had a bit of a delay come up with finance issues. Not a show stopper, I just wanted to get things a bit more organized first to give myself a little more flexibility and get exactly what tools I want. I should be able to start ordering and bringing the vision into reality this Tuesday if all goes well.   Considering that music is essentially a ” hobby” with me, I don’t have any “delusions of grandeur” when it comes to making money. I just focus on the music and “give ‘er”. I use to get caught up in the process, but these days it’s all about the end results.

Some thoughts …

It took me a long time to learn the importance of things like “air”. A lot of the time what you don’t say can be as important (or more important) than what you do say. Implied naked can be more effective and powerful than full naked. And sometimes the beat is still  there even if you can’t hear it (or if the radio is off!)

Deep POD Control

For years I have wanted to get Sound Diver running on my laptop and working with my PODs. Tonight I finally did it. There was a few challenges getting there but I got though them OK (many hours later).

I already made a new patch that sounds like Steve Hackett stop by for a cup tea. I used the “Insane” amp module and with little upper midrange focusing using  fixed Wah, Low pass filter. It’s a guitar sound that really sings. I can’t wait to let loose on the Bas POD and see what I can get out of that.

There are some pretty wicked and organic sounds that you can get out of the PODs, problem is you really need a computer to get in there and tweak around.

Almost there – New CD On The Horizon

Except for for some new knobs and a few other twittery little bits of silliness I’ve almost got everything on the guitar side ready to go. I’ve high string my 6 string acoustic and checked the setup status of all my guitars. I’ve got a new D/A digital audio interface that I can use to dump a few tunes off of my DAT to computer for re-mastering (that’s for retro CD project called “Before They Called It Ambient” as well as use in the new studio setup.

I’ve been learning how to use Sony Vega so I can do my own video editing and production (when the time comes).

I’ve got all my audio mastering software installed and working and ready to go.

I will be ordering the rest of the stuff I will need for my new studio next week.

I have no music written (on purpose) for the new CD project. I’m going into the creation of this CD with just a few concepts and high level ideas what I want it to be about.

I’ve arrange financing for the purchasing some extra software from Eastwest Sounds (super happy, mad scientist laughing in background sounds inserted here).

What I believe I will end up with (after the smoke settles down) is a total unified and uncompromised CD that is unique and timeless (… well at least I hope so anyway).

The idea is to write the music in the moment and not go in with a predetermined projection. Kind of letting the CD write itself based on the main concept resources, technologies and mindset at hand. Sort of an aesthetic “MacGyver“ guerrilla approach.

I’ve tried this before and kind of fell short of success due to a lack of equipment, time musical experience. But that was over thirty-five  years ago and things are very different now (much better all round).

Since I don’t have to pay $150 a hour for studio time I have a lot of creative freedom and zero pressure from anything (other than myself). I am free to do whatever the heck I want. Yes the door is wide open to finally kick some real cosmic ass and worry if it’s too complicated or no one will understand it (spoken in a sarcastic Homer Simpson voice) . Cuz this time I HONESTLY DON’T CARE.

I’ve decided I’m not going to do this CD project (whatever it’s going to be called) for money for any other reason other than my own creative enjoyment. I don’t really care what anyone thinks about the results. However I know the results are going to be good.

So …

I paid my $5 bucks and I got my new sneakers now get out of my way, it’s my turn to drive damn the spaceship!

Look Ma, I Can Tune

That is, tune my ES 175D a lot easier (as apposed to the “tuning” from movie “Dark City“). I bought a set of Sperzels. I’m already using them on my 12 String and and they came installed on my Parker Nite Fly.

There nothing’s like the feeling drilling holes in a new $4000 guitar. I would say it’s about one notch down from defusing a bomb. I took my time and read the directions on the side of the box and then used the hole template. I then decided to forget the instructions on the side of the box and use my own methodologies.

I removed all of the Kluson tuners that came with the guitar and for each hole I did a dress rehearsal by loosely screwing the top casing to the tuner while the tuner was in the hole. I then lined up the guide post of the tuner so that it was line with hole for the top screw of the original tuner. I then gentle pressed the key from behind so that the guide post made a slight impression into the finish (which happened to be just below the screw hole

Reverse Super Bicycle Repairman (only no bicycles)

Although the are a few musicians at my day gig, their mindsets are totally unlike my own. I don’t mean to say I’m any better than they are. But I don’t consider myself to be a “regular” musician either  (I’m more of a Aesthetic Conceptual Facilitator). Although I’ve never heard any of them play their guitars, I would imagine some of them are most likely better guitar players than I.

I have no interest in “jamming” or even playing other people’s music. There is some deep motivation driving me to write and record original music. It’s a motivation that I haven’t seen in anyone else since I worked with my first band “Paralandra“   back in the mid-Seventies in my home town in Nova Scotia. Now that was a bunch of motivated people.  We all had the same vision and worked together as a unified group. We all went into dept up to our armpits in order to bring the project to into existence. Many times after band  a practice session we would pack up our stuff and come out and find 6 or more musicians standing around who were listening to us play earlier. What can I say, we were pretty good. Paralandra is still the aesthetic model that I work from today. In fact one of my earlier tunes  I wrote I named “I Paralandra” for just that reason. I am carrying on that musical tradition (for whatever its worth, it seems to work for me).

Lately the thing I’ve been thinking about most is much fun it’s going be when I get my new music studio. Being a one-man-band is one thing but being a one-man-orchestra-and-choir is really going to kick some cosmic memitudes. Don’t worry “memitudes” is not a real word, it’s Paralandrian for a unit of measurement of higher positive emotional and inspirational content, (i.e. Boy that guitar solo really had a high coefficient of cosmic memitudes!)

I still haven’t nailed down the concept that I will be working from for the next CD. I’m sort of waiting to see what I will be able to do with what I will have to work with. A lot of my past projects have been partially manifested by the sound qualities and ranges of what I had to work with. Ergo I can play bass like a maniac when I’m using a Rickenbacker 4001 as apposed to a ersatz Fender Precision or Ibanez something or other. For some people it works the other way around, they love Fenders and hate Rickenbackers. Ultimately it’s whatever it takes to get the job done. I can remember the first big Prog. Rock concert I ever went to, I expected that all the players would have perfect form and technical skills on each of  their individual musical instruments. That wasn’t the case but with the cosmic sounding stuff that came out of those speakers, who cares! I know I didn’t.

Back On Course

Well it’s been a little crazy the last 6 0r 7 months but things are  getting better and I am stating to see the light of day.

Getting on in years makes it a little more challenging to invest the energy into 2 and a half careers at once but I’m sort of pulling it off. However, the one thing I’ve been ignoring is my work on the web. I’m slowly changing that for the better. Exhibit A this entry.

I’m almost ready to assemble my new studio in the very near future. I have almost have decided what I’m doing for gear  and I have just a little more research left to do to finish it off.  Plus I have to wait a little bit in order to position myself financially but I’m so close I can almost smell those processors on the Mac Pro burning away!

I would of had the studio in place now it wasn’t for the new guitar and a few other surprises that came up. In any case we’re getting close and I’m already to rock.

How to get real value from old music gear

As you know technologies are constantly evolving at ever increasing rates of speed. You almost have to have a future traveling, time machine to stay current. And due to the demand and privileges that these technological advancements bring, the popular perspective takes what was cool and valuable and turns it into a door stop or bookend.

I could not believe how little some of the older equipment I own is now worth. Things I scraped and saved for that cost me $3000 or more 12 years are now worth $150 (on a good day). And unlike tube based audio gear, pre-CBS Strats or esoteric wine it’s not going to increase in value with age.

After I got over the initial shock, I decided to help boost the culture of my country and help a local musician get a leg up by giving him a bunch of old gear that I no longer use. That way I get some more room and someone deserving gets a break and I don’t have to go though the hassle of try trying to sell off all the stuff for next to nothing.

“One Man Standing” Music CD

I just release my new CD “One Man Standing” through http://www.cdbaby.com.

I never thought at the time I was recording it that this would ever actually be released. It was just suppose be a proof-of-concept writing experiment but it surpassed my expectations. I think was because it was one of the few times were I just wrote for myself. I didn’t worry about what or who it sounded like as long as I was putting out the energy and sound I was looking for.

I was sitting on these songs for years but after taking recent a listen I realize that the music was worth releasing. So I mastered it and created CD artwork and sent off for distribution.

It will be interesting to see what happens.

One Man Standing EP – Done!

After a lot of messing around, I finally got the songs where I want them sound wise.

There are only six songs but they work together well and the CD (EP) concept seems complete.

I also finished the artwork for the CD case and the top side of the actual CD itself. So it’s ready to go.

I have a one page web site set up in order to viralize the music but I’m not sure if I’m going to go with it just yet.

Will see -

Kevin