This one is a bit long. Apologies.
I use the Boss-20XL Loop Station again, but I don't have a title like last time.
There are four parts, so it drags on.
Around 1:40 it all comes together though, kind of.
If you're a pal, you'll play the whole thing.
If not, go fuck yourself.
Just kidding.
Also, to Apple:
You took away video effects in iMovie so now I have to use Quicktime filters? They are awful.
Did everyone see how bad that was?
I recorded this with a great camera, the Olympus Tough TG-1.
The audio and video are much better than my iDevices. It saves a .MOV file.
I can import that into iMovie...fine, but I can do nothing to improve the visual appeal (much needed since the camera placement is only for audio).
Alright, so I'll try one of Quicktime's filters..."Old Film" - "Hair" effect:
I see my video's colors degraded and an occasional white vertical line slide around...cool?
It took 50 minutes to encode, so...awesome.
That's what you (imaginary) people (who actually take interest in my guitar plucking) get.
Peace & Love.
Unless you're into war & hate. Then go fuck yourself.
Really.
All parts are recorded with a Gibson ES339 through a Vox AC15C1.
The first part uses an EHX Pog 2 and Boss CH-1 at the bridge setting.
The second uses just the Boss CH-1 at the middle setting.
The third uses the Boss CH-1, Fulltone OCD, and Catalinbread Semaphore at the neck setting.
The fourth uses all of the pedals in the third, plus the EHX MicroSynth at the neck setting.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
pluck a week 2
Well, okay, a fortnight in this case. But we've been busy over here.
If you're stumbling over from lamebook, endure some redundancy...
I call this plucked piece: "A Distinct Lack of Ultraviolet Rays in Soid's Absence"
It's loosely (as in, entirely) based on Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine".
I get some help from the Boss RC-20XL Loop Station in case you had the raised brow, thinking, "The last time I saw slobscot, he had only two hands...and one of them was holding a burrito..."
Yeah, I only played one part at a time. The pedal lets me tap my foot to begin recording a phrase, play it, tap my foot again to start looping the recorded phrase, and repeat for additional parts.
Hellz yeahz bitches!
If you're stumbling over from lamebook, endure some redundancy...
I call this plucked piece: "A Distinct Lack of Ultraviolet Rays in Soid's Absence"
It's loosely (as in, entirely) based on Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine".
I get some help from the Boss RC-20XL Loop Station in case you had the raised brow, thinking, "The last time I saw slobscot, he had only two hands...and one of them was holding a burrito..."
Yeah, I only played one part at a time. The pedal lets me tap my foot to begin recording a phrase, play it, tap my foot again to start looping the recorded phrase, and repeat for additional parts.
Hellz yeahz bitches!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
pluck a week
New amp (Vox AC15C1) and guitar (Gibson ES339).
The DeVille and (one of) the LP is now in the Groveland music room.
*La Muñeca loves it when I buy new music gear.
I'm trying to record something every week, just to force myself to play and be accountable for playing something new (even if only to you). So, much will be improvised, single takes, and inclusive of mistakes (see 0:40 in video). We might try some different mics up in here too instead of the iDevice built-in mics. Get excited.
*That could be sarcasm or not...she doesn't mind. She knows I love it and she loves it when I'm happy. The issue is space since the "studio" is also the bedroom. In this instance I dropped from a 4x10" amp to a 1x12" amp, but I did pick up an amp stand, taking up a bit more real estate. One added guitar, and one moved guitar, so I guess it's a wash space-wise this time around...
The DeVille and (one of) the LP is now in the Groveland music room.
*La Muñeca loves it when I buy new music gear.
I'm trying to record something every week, just to force myself to play and be accountable for playing something new (even if only to you). So, much will be improvised, single takes, and inclusive of mistakes (see 0:40 in video). We might try some different mics up in here too instead of the iDevice built-in mics. Get excited.
*That could be sarcasm or not...she doesn't mind. She knows I love it and she loves it when I'm happy. The issue is space since the "studio" is also the bedroom. In this instance I dropped from a 4x10" amp to a 1x12" amp, but I did pick up an amp stand, taking up a bit more real estate. One added guitar, and one moved guitar, so I guess it's a wash space-wise this time around...
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Staying Fit, and Other Good
You know what stinks about apartment gyms?
This guy:
No really, he stinks. Like awful.
The good thing is that maybe it helps me to forgo the elliptical and venture a run around the "neighborhood".In addition, Google did a good thing today with their "doodle" (HTML widget in the Google logo of their home page above the search field):
This screen capture does no justice to the widget (which can be played).
Bob Moog's birthday is today. He's up there with my favorite humans.
He died of a brain tumor the year I graduated from the ICAM department at UCSD. To most of us around Mandeville, it felt like we lost a friend.
Check out the Bob Moog Foundation.
If you have an iPad, you owe it to yourself to try the "Animoog" soft synth. Musical inclination not required to have fun and enjoy the app.
Also, check out "Moog", a documentary of Robert Moog and moog synthesizers (streaming on Netflix).
Lastly, it's "moog" -- like "rogue" -- not like "goog"le.
"I'll tell you where I think it comes from. I think it comes from out there, you know, and it comes through me, into the instrument and then the music goes through you guys and the instrument, and then back out there."
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Darth Vader-Fish
Remember, 720p.
New life: Bengali Cardinal.
I liked 'Ben' but, having just seen the first three episodes of Star Wars (as in, ever), la muñeca likes 'Darth Vader' because it has black. She also claims to hear the storm trooper theme when she sees it...but I don't think it's that evil.
Maybe we can compromise on 'Darth Bender'?
Probably not. She tends to get her way.
New life: Bengali Cardinal.
I liked 'Ben' but, having just seen the first three episodes of Star Wars (as in, ever), la muñeca likes 'Darth Vader' because it has black. She also claims to hear the storm trooper theme when she sees it...but I don't think it's that evil.
Maybe we can compromise on 'Darth Bender'?
Probably not. She tends to get her way.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
What the flux?
It's been awhile.
Here's an awesome thing explained by someone passionate about it:
It's weird how little I deal with buckets and how often I deal with buckets...
The moog cluster flux should be arriving on my doorstep this week. Fuck yeah.
Google, you run YouTube right? Forget about the Blogger (which you also run) post interface and retain the 'Play in HD' option when embedding a video...
Douche bags.
Here's an awesome thing explained by someone passionate about it:
It's weird how little I deal with buckets and how often I deal with buckets...
The moog cluster flux should be arriving on my doorstep this week. Fuck yeah.
Google, you run YouTube right? Forget about the Blogger (which you also run) post interface and retain the 'Play in HD' option when embedding a video...
Douche bags.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Portio
More Portal-related videos up in here. You love it.
Portal was a game changer.
Mario was a game changer first.
Portal was a game changer.
Mario was a game changer first.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Pristine Marine
Here are some more artifacts of an expensive hobby, snapped by my life partner.
New coral:
Flash and Shrump:
Listening to
Crosses
Watching
The Hannibal Lector movies. Red Dragon & Silence of the Lambs are available to stream on Netflix. Hannibal, my favorite, you have to find elsewhere.
Playing
The Witcher 2
Portal 2 Co-op
New coral:
Flash and Shrump:
Listening to
Crosses
Watching
The Hannibal Lector movies. Red Dragon & Silence of the Lambs are available to stream on Netflix. Hannibal, my favorite, you have to find elsewhere.
Playing
The Witcher 2
Portal 2 Co-op
Friday, August 26, 2011
Portal Short
I thought this was well done.
Inspired by one of my favorite video games, Portal.
You really have to play these games to understand how epic the story and game play mechanics are.
Good job on the score, Mike Zarin.
Inspired by one of my favorite video games, Portal.
You really have to play these games to understand how epic the story and game play mechanics are.
Good job on the score, Mike Zarin.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Rloveution
Dad loves this.
Sorry for the quality. Stupid viacom, trying to protect their copyrights...
I'm almost to the point of abandoning voting altogether so as not to encourage the ass clowns, but I can get on board with most of what this guy is about.
Especially in the drab light of his regurgitating company.
Politik is good sometimes.
The daily show is good all the time.
Sorry for the quality. Stupid viacom, trying to protect their copyrights...
I'm almost to the point of abandoning voting altogether so as not to encourage the ass clowns, but I can get on board with most of what this guy is about.
Especially in the drab light of his regurgitating company.
Politik is good sometimes.
The daily show is good all the time.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
We The Living...Monsters
Pissed off artists are bad at math.
Imagine how ugly the pigs would be if they knew it was a 60% hike.
Let's pull together and provide some relief.
Lastly - shut up about the recession and your loyalty. If a $6 increase in your monthly entertainment budget is what breaks the bank, you should probably rethink your priorities. There's little room for loyalty in economics. People go where the value is to them. They don't pay more for less out of corporate "loyalty".
Imagine how ugly the pigs would be if they knew it was a 60% hike.
Let's pull together and provide some relief.
Lastly - shut up about the recession and your loyalty. If a $6 increase in your monthly entertainment budget is what breaks the bank, you should probably rethink your priorities. There's little room for loyalty in economics. People go where the value is to them. They don't pay more for less out of corporate "loyalty".
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Living Room Aquatica
La muñeca took some shots of the tank.
Long time readers will remember this was a gift from her at the end of 2009.
I did the transfer from the dead old tank in early 2010, so that puts this setup at about a year and a half old.
One or two tragedies along the way, but mostly, it's thriving.
Got some new coral (as of yet, unidentified species...anyone?).
It's bright yellow. "Highlighter coral" for now.
Click on the shots for high-res versions.
Skunk Cleaner Shrimp (Shrump):
As it would in the ocean, Shrump sets up cleaning stations for fish to come by and rid themselves of parasites.
Shrump likes to clean your finger too. Seriously, just drop it in there. Instincts are powerful.
Yellow Watchmen Goby (Spot):
Spot is usually more of a perching fish, but ventures out sometimes.
Swim? Meh, this rock is comfy...
Retreating to the man cave is my move too.
Firefish Goby (Flash):
Flash is fast and hard to capture on film without blur.
He has very nice colors though...and it would appear, a gut.
Long time readers will remember this was a gift from her at the end of 2009.
I did the transfer from the dead old tank in early 2010, so that puts this setup at about a year and a half old.
One or two tragedies along the way, but mostly, it's thriving.
Got some new coral (as of yet, unidentified species...anyone?).
It's bright yellow. "Highlighter coral" for now.
Click on the shots for high-res versions.
Skunk Cleaner Shrimp (Shrump):
As it would in the ocean, Shrump sets up cleaning stations for fish to come by and rid themselves of parasites.
Shrump likes to clean your finger too. Seriously, just drop it in there. Instincts are powerful.
Yellow Watchmen Goby (Spot):
Spot is usually more of a perching fish, but ventures out sometimes.
Swim? Meh, this rock is comfy...
Retreating to the man cave is my move too.
Firefish Goby (Flash):
Flash is fast and hard to capture on film without blur.
He has very nice colors though...and it would appear, a gut.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Analog Slob
Some new studio additions and swap outs over here in slobland.
Most noteworthy:
Moog (pronounced like "rogue", not like, um, "boob") Little Phatty Analog Synthesizer.
It's a monophonic synth (only outputs one note at a time), but that's okay because it is awesome.
Not awesome like that bird pooped on the car next to you and missed your recently washed car...
We're talking awesome like the cool side of the pillow in summer, glowing red tide sand, lover giving you a hug when you had a bad day, Los Altos Taqueria burrito (!) kind of awesome.
What's not awesome is that I'm not really a keyboard player...so, there's that.
But I pretend, kind of.
All parts (yes, even the drums) were made with the little phatty synth.
For percussion, I spent some time programming some white noise and filter envelopes (harhar|snort|har) for the high hat and snare sounds and some deep sine tones for the bass kick.
Then I assigned each of these samples to specific keys and BOOSH, I can tap out a drum beat.
The bass and high lead sounds were presets on the synth, I only changed the modulation slightly.
So again, I've posted some unfinished, unmixed, unmastered tracks.
But I learned some things. Progress is fun.
Netflix stream picks:
"Moog" - Awesome documentary on Robert Moog (founder of the synthesizer).
"Arrested Development" - So. Good.
"Example Short" - Just search for "example" and stream one of them. That's where I work, in Los Gatos. That guy moonwalking? Oh, yeah, he was a hired professional.
Most noteworthy:
Moog (pronounced like "rogue", not like, um, "boob") Little Phatty Analog Synthesizer.
It's a monophonic synth (only outputs one note at a time), but that's okay because it is awesome.
Not awesome like that bird pooped on the car next to you and missed your recently washed car...
We're talking awesome like the cool side of the pillow in summer, glowing red tide sand, lover giving you a hug when you had a bad day, Los Altos Taqueria burrito (!) kind of awesome.
What's not awesome is that I'm not really a keyboard player...so, there's that.
But I pretend, kind of.
All parts (yes, even the drums) were made with the little phatty synth.
For percussion, I spent some time programming some white noise and filter envelopes (harhar|snort|har) for the high hat and snare sounds and some deep sine tones for the bass kick.
Then I assigned each of these samples to specific keys and BOOSH, I can tap out a drum beat.
The bass and high lead sounds were presets on the synth, I only changed the modulation slightly.
So again, I've posted some unfinished, unmixed, unmastered tracks.
But I learned some things. Progress is fun.
Netflix stream picks:
"Moog" - Awesome documentary on Robert Moog (founder of the synthesizer).
"Arrested Development" - So. Good.
"Example Short" - Just search for "example" and stream one of them. That's where I work, in Los Gatos. That guy moonwalking? Oh, yeah, he was a hired professional.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
High res benefits
Celebrated 3 years of happiness with mi muñeca on April...the other day, I don't remember.
Just kidding.
Every time I tried to measure her ring finger, she woke up. So I couldn't surprise her with a...Chinese finger trap.
Instead I picked up a Nikon digital SLR camera. She's been talking about getting one and learning photography since forever (3+ years, anyway).
Since her iPod touch snaps are generally very cool, I figured she has an eye for this thing and it should be nurtured.
Maybe I was being subconsciously selfish, but I think I was right...
Attendance
Flash
Spot
Just kidding.
Every time I tried to measure her ring finger, she woke up. So I couldn't surprise her with a...Chinese finger trap.
Instead I picked up a Nikon digital SLR camera. She's been talking about getting one and learning photography since forever (3+ years, anyway).
Since her iPod touch snaps are generally very cool, I figured she has an eye for this thing and it should be nurtured.
Maybe I was being subconsciously selfish, but I think I was right...
Attendance
Flash
Spot
Friday, May 13, 2011
They forgot to draw my glasses, but Soid didn't.
Part 2. Soid didn't like that the authors forgot my glasses.
Or that she wasn't part of my life flashing before my eyes.
Fixed. Thanks doll.
Or that she wasn't part of my life flashing before my eyes.
Fixed. Thanks doll.
They forgot to draw my glasses
I have to admit I copped this from Casey's blog.
It's me more than I am though so I had to share here.
It's me more than I am though so I had to share here.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Fishy life
Remember, select 720p. It's HD or no D up in here.
After consulting the birthday boy, I've learned the little white spots everywhere are snail eggs.
Sea snails can change sex depending on the needs of their population.
As there are only two of this species, odds are the need is there.
Baby snails will get eaten by the fish, hermits, and skunk cleaner shrimp though, so I don't expect to be up in the middle of the night changing...water.
After consulting the birthday boy, I've learned the little white spots everywhere are snail eggs.
Sea snails can change sex depending on the needs of their population.
As there are only two of this species, odds are the need is there.
Baby snails will get eaten by the fish, hermits, and skunk cleaner shrimp though, so I don't expect to be up in the middle of the night changing...water.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Honest Money
If you know me at all, you know I love burritos.
Taquerias make burritos that are incomparable to Chipotle burritos.
It'd be like comparing gourmet Italian pasta to the pasta bread bowls you can order from Pizza Hut delivery. Except a bit different, because Chipotle burritos are actually quite tasty.
Normally, I order the chicken burrito with guacamole.
They've always written 'CG' on my burrito foil.
I know now that this designates 'chicken' and 'guacamole' to the cashier.
I never really put the two together before.
I figured they just thought I was a 'cool guy'.
Which, obviously, I am.
I was hurt for about 20 seconds tonight when the burrito foil only read 'C'.
I thought, I am wearing a pink shirt, maybe he just thinks I'm cool, but girly-ish.
Oh well.
Then the cashier said, "Chicken burrito, chips or drink, $6.66 please."
Perplexing how she knew the total before she attained if I wanted some chips or a beverage...but that didn't concern me. What concerned me was the price.
I pay attention to what I pay. And $6.66 was unfamiliar...
It all came crashing down.
I'm not a "cool guy", I just happen to love chicken and guacamole.
I tried to mask my pain with humor:
"Actually, I ordered guacamole, too...and I don't want my total to be associated with Satan."
She laughed, presented me with the higher total, and asked, "Do you really believe in that stuff?"
I handed her my credit card and replied, "I don't really know, but I believe in being honest."
As I returned to my car (since only schmucks dine in, Casey), a dollar bill scurried into my path with the breeze. I picked it up, made sure the serial number had no sequences of '666', and pocketed it.
Thanks God.
Be honest. It pays in the end...when people drop cash.
Taquerias make burritos that are incomparable to Chipotle burritos.
It'd be like comparing gourmet Italian pasta to the pasta bread bowls you can order from Pizza Hut delivery. Except a bit different, because Chipotle burritos are actually quite tasty.
Normally, I order the chicken burrito with guacamole.
They've always written 'CG' on my burrito foil.
I know now that this designates 'chicken' and 'guacamole' to the cashier.
I never really put the two together before.
I figured they just thought I was a 'cool guy'.
Which, obviously, I am.
I was hurt for about 20 seconds tonight when the burrito foil only read 'C'.
I thought, I am wearing a pink shirt, maybe he just thinks I'm cool, but girly-ish.
Oh well.
Then the cashier said, "Chicken burrito, chips or drink, $6.66 please."
Perplexing how she knew the total before she attained if I wanted some chips or a beverage...but that didn't concern me. What concerned me was the price.
I pay attention to what I pay. And $6.66 was unfamiliar...
It all came crashing down.
I'm not a "cool guy", I just happen to love chicken and guacamole.
I tried to mask my pain with humor:
"Actually, I ordered guacamole, too...and I don't want my total to be associated with Satan."
She laughed, presented me with the higher total, and asked, "Do you really believe in that stuff?"
I handed her my credit card and replied, "I don't really know, but I believe in being honest."
As I returned to my car (since only schmucks dine in, Casey), a dollar bill scurried into my path with the breeze. I picked it up, made sure the serial number had no sequences of '666', and pocketed it.
Thanks God.
Be honest. It pays in the end...when people drop cash.
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