grooved

Yeeeeeeaaaaaaaaahhhhh Man!!!! My new computer and software kicks ass!

Last night I sat down for a few hours and started learning GarageBand2 from scratch. So in the process of doing so I came up with a short new track consisting of the drum machine, bass & guitar. The track is titled "Grooved Analysis" and as always, I have absolutely no idea why. Check it out.

I also took the time to transcribe an old poem/lyric/whatever kind of writing you want to call it, and posted it on my writing page. I have countless notebooks to go through and transcribe yet so check back for updates soon because I plan on getting a few more out there within the next few days.

Recording Notes: The basic configuration was instrument, MobilePRE, mac mini, GarageBand2. I used no effects via software. Only effects from the amps were used, which was clean, slapped bass (through Hartke kickback) and distorted guitar (through Line 6 Spider). For this track, nothing is microphoned at all. Everything runs direct. I still need to do a fully microphoned recording to analyze the differences. I have a gut feeling (and based on a little experience) that the quality will improve if I mic it all. We'll have to see. Anyway, the beat was programmed and recorded first. The bass part was written and recorded second and the guitar part was the same - but done last. Just for the record, I think I'm going to enjoy using GarageBand2. It's pretty nifty. But eventually I want an extremely powerful computer so I can use even more sophisticated software down the road. I think I'll be good for a while though - and I need to be because money doesn't grow on trees!

As always, I'd be very interested in any feedback - even if the track's only a minute long. Of course, I'll take feedback on any and all aspects of my site, so please feel free to contact me.

mini

So I went out on a limb because I was desperate. I bought a mac mini the other day and I'm so freakin' glad. I only got the $499 version, but it's so cool. I was worried that the processor and RAM wouldn't be enough to record, but I was wrong. This computer can work! Since I've been using windows pc's for so long, getting new software is going to be a costly, timely hassle. Yet in the end, I believe it's worth it. Macs are so much more efficient than pc's, by far. Oh yeah, and I certainly would have loved the PowerMac G5, but they cost way too much. Anyway, the other hassle is transferring files and installing software for all my peripherals again. Hey, what can you do. At least I've got the tools now to produce pretty damn good, home recordings. It feels good man...dreams coming to fruition.

DRM

I just read an article about a new digital rights management alliance among the four largest media corporations and I'm not too pleased. Please seek out independent artists and buy from them directly. Let's not rely on the corporations to manage our creativity or success. Read my response to the article here: Yahoo! News Message Boards Entertainment News.

sites

FYI - Here is a list of artist pages that I have at different sites.

• dmusic
• IC-Musicmedia
• loopwise

I registered for these pages in an effort to collaborate with others and for general exposure. Plus, each of these sites have something different to offer to both the artist and the site visitor. It certainly can't hurt to have them.

beats

Due to my current living arrangements, I can't play my Tama kit very often. It is just way too loud. And it's a hell of a shame too because it's in mint condition and the tone is killer. As a result, I've been using my Boss drum machine to program beats to play to. It's easy to program and all of the sounds are pretty good. There are two distinct drawbacks though, and that's that the sound and timing customization is limited. It really sounds too perfect and it's impossible to create a "groove" or "swing" feel. So today I was floating around online looking for a good drum program for the pc. I found Hammerhead drums, some VTi-related drum banks and stuff (none of which I know anything about), and then I stumbled across this program called FL (Fruity Loops) Studio 5. The name is pretty lame, but this software is amazing! I downloaded the demo version and gave it a quick test drive. The customization options are virtually endless. Plus, you can add virtual instruments like electric guitar and totally customize every little aspect about the guitar's sound & timing. This program is just unbelievable. I had no idea software like this existed. So after trying it out, I've pretty much decided that I want this for good. With the demo version, I can't save the patterns I make so if I want to use this thing ongoingly, I need to buy it. They have several different versions based on feature availability. With something like this, I think I'd want the fullest version. I seriously believe that I can put this to use often - like maybe even every song until I'm in an apartment with more privacy/room to blast out on my kit. So I'm going to keep tinkering around with it for a few more days and then make a final decision on whether or not it's worth the money. If you want a pc program to make drum beat patterns with, then Fruity Loops appears to be the way to go and you should download the demo immediately. I am so impressed with it.

While on my surf this morning, I also happened to run across a seemingly cool recording forum. I didn't have the time to really go through the topics and all, but looking at their titles and seeing how active the message threads were, I went ahead and registered on the site. Maybe I'll see some of you fellow music recorders there. My username there is hexitt.

If anyone knows of any other sophisticated drum programs for the PC, please leave a comment with the name or link. I'd really appreciate it.

record

Alright, now we're in business. Today, I just picked up a USB audio preamp/interface made by M-Audio. This thing is so cool and the price was right! The name of the device is the MobilePre USB. It only has two channels to plug into, but with the use of software (like my Nero Soundtrax program), there are infinite possibilities. I can really lay as many tracks as the software can handle. Obviously, I'm extremely stoked. A big obstacle to recording has been my truly convoluted process. I had to run the sound from this thing to that thing and it was just so 'effin crazy. Now, all I have to do is plug in this little unit to my pc's USB port and proceed to record when the software's open. I don't even have to bother with my four-track any longer! Good shit, man. Now it's time to get busy! Stay tuned for new tunes.

While I was at our local music store, I took a few guitars for a test drive. I really like my Ibanez, but the Floyd Rose trem kit is an absolute bitch. Well, it has its pro's and con's. Mainly, once the guitar is in tune, it stays magically in tune forever - even with the worst abuse and I do play very hard. As a side note, I primarily play bass and when I play guitar, I have a tendency to use a lot of force since the bass requires a little strength to finger the notes, etc. Anyway, the flip side to this thing is that changing a single string is a total nightmare because the bridge is spring-loaded and there must be a perfect equilibrium between the tension of the strings along with the tension of the spring-loaded bridge. Furthermore, I have to unscrew an anchor block on the bridge to insert the new string and re-screw it back in. Once the new string is bolted in and wrapped around the tuning key, it takes a long time to get it into tune. And as you tune each string, it affects the others so it becomes a case where not only do I have one string to worry about, but all of them. Tuning, over and over until they're all set. It's such a pain in the ass.

OK, so I test drove the B.C. Rich Warlock and the Jackson (Randy Rhodes) Flying-V. I plugged into a Line 6 Spider II 212 combo, which was the closest amp to my own in an effort to match tones to what I'm used to. The Jackson sounded great - real raw tone in my opinion and I loved it. On the other hand, this is not a lap-playing guitar! I already knew this in theory, but I was convinced today when I tried it out. The Warlock was cool too, but the tone wasn't as decent. Also, the Warlock looks a little gimicky (although so does the V yet it's a classic) so I'm not too crazy about that. So in the end, I really dig the V, but I don't think I can handle ALWAYS standing while playing, especially during hours of practicing. It would make a really great live guitar so maybe I'll just hold off on that for a while. Additionally, I could put the perfect pair of EMG pick-up's in this Jackson - ya know - the big fat pick-up's with mad tone, whatever the hell they're called...

Ultimately, I want to find a guitar that's easy to string, solidly built and one that can handle detuning, along with a tremendous amount of abuse. I also have a very limited budget and that's why I was scoping those two out today. Ideally, I'd like a Les Paul, but they are so ridiculously priced. I guess they're worth their weight in gold, but I just don't have those kinds of funds right now. And I know I don't want a replica of any kind of guitar so even the Epiphone knock-off model is not an option. Really though, I'm very happy with the action and tone of my Ibanez so I'm not in any big rush to get a new guitar.

My ability to make and share music is dependant upon having the sufficient equipment, as you can see. Therefore, if you'd like to help support my endeavors, please click the PayPal button on the right and make a donation. Anything would seriously help and I'd be very, very grateful. If you haven't yet heard any of my music, please visit http://infinitegravity.net/music.html for samples of my work.

Finally, I have decided to remove the "art" link from my site. I certainly have my work cut out for me when it comes to doing my music. I simply don't have the time or other resources to take that on right now even with as much as I'd love to. And as I stated in a recent post, adding some of my writings to the site is a minimal proposition; therefore, expect to see some of that soon.

As always, please feel free to leave comments. I just added a site meter, but of all the people who run across this blog, only one or two people have ever left comments. Hey, I'm an average, humble guy and if you've got some decent advice, I'd be glad to have it. Like what I'm doing so far? Please let me know. Getting feedback is invaluable to me and I won't allow my ego to get involved. That's not what I'm about. I'm just trying to make some kick-ass metal. If you notice that I'm mislead about something or dead wrong, call me on it. I have thick skin and can handle criticism. I just ask that it's productive and not some bullshit. Who needs any more of that in this world?!

must

I simply must make more time to jam and record. I know it's beginning to sound like some sort of mantra or a broken record, but I'm serious. My fucking priorities are all mixed up. Maybe I need a time management course or something. Yeah, I'm getting frustrated with myself. I have a very busy life and I find it hard to find the time to do my music. And music is all I want to do! So, I guess I ought to make some adjustments and do my thing. I'll tell you one thing, having love in your life doesn't do much for jamming. I just need to develop a backbone and set some boundaries so I can afford myself the time I need to do the things I want to do. Discipline and time, that's what I lack.

Everything seems so wishy-washy anymore. For a long time I played often and learned a lot. My music was going in a direction. I guess I got distracted at some point - I don't know. The point of this rambling is that I've really been working long and hard so it's time I got my music career off the ground. I'm tired of making excuses and letting other things distract me. My life is trickling away and I'm not leaving until I go platinum! Just kidding...but creating a finished album and selling some CD's myself would really be a dream come true. If I chose to utilize my resources, this is all very possible.

I still have to upload some of my writings to my site too. That's an easy one. All I have to do is transcribe from the notebook to the PC and publish. I really have no excuse on this one. But I will say that my writings are rather colorful so I'm a little afraid to post them. I guess I have nothing to lose.

The art section is really just something I want to do someday. I'm pretty damn good at modifying pictures digitally, but I've never really accumulated anything I've ever done so I'd be basically starting from scratch at this point. So we'll put that on the shelf for now, but stuff will get done eventually.

Time is a fuck.

idiot

Check this one out: I bought the wrong fucking guitar strings. I've been practicing so much lately that I figured I'd go ahead and change the strings before they lose all life. So I take my ass down to the local music shop and grab a new set. Little did I realize, I actually bought ACOUSTIC strings instead of electric! What a stupid fuck! Now here's what's even worse, I'm sitting there changing the strings, tuning the D string when I finally realized my error. I kept trying to turn the pitch up as I was tuning, but the tension of the string wouldn't really allow it. Then I'm wondering if I got the wrong gauge so I look at the package and that's when I knew for sure. So back to the store I went - this time to get the right shit. I scored, changed the strings last night and I'm a happy bastard today.

In terms of recording, I haven't done shit. I have been playing every day for about two hours though and it's always well worth it. And obviously, most of what I do is not exactly recording-worthy so I've just been working on ideas. I'm experiencing some frustration programming drum beats though. Everything I compose on the machine sounds old and I guess I don't really feel like putting the effort in since I'm more interested in bass and guitar.

So if anyone has any beats they wrote on their Dr. Rhythm, please share them with me. I hope it all goes without saying so, but I'd give anyone credit if they deserved it - I understand the value of a good idea. I'd appreciate any help and one of the reasons I started all this online stuff was to collaborate with others.