tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69728692024-03-19T00:30:29.834-04:00surrent.blogspot.comMusical crap and other noises by Jake.jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972869.post-29894063839885807802009-11-03T18:21:00.005-05:002009-11-03T19:09:42.417-05:00Shaft + BSAFHi faithful reader.<br /><br />I've been away for a while. I've been experiencing many wonderful things and making many changes in my life. I've gained over 90 points on my credit score. I've brewed some beer. I've gained at lost the same ten pounds at least twice. I got engaged to the awesomest female I know. And I've recorded a few things.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/Surrent-Shaft.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 100px;" src="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/Surrent-Shaft.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Shaft:<br />This recording is from a live set on July 18th at the Longhorn Saloon in Toledo, OH. I opened up for my friends and former bandmates in SHAFT! <br /><br />There are no overarching themes or intentional experiments in this piece. I was simply attempting to performing something that <span style="font-style:italic;">felt</span> right... I had originally intended to write a piece in memory of my dad who passed away on July 4th of this year. However, my ambitions were too large and I was unable to finish the piece in time. (Note: it's still not finished!) I did end up using 2 sections from that piece in this performance.<br /><br /><a href="http://cors.bghoio.org/jake/Surrent-Shaft.zip">http://cors.bghoio.org/jake/Surrent-Shaft.zip</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/Surrent-BSAF.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 100px;" src="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/Surrent-BSAF.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />BSAF:<br />This collection of recordings captures two different performances of the same still-untitled piece. I wrote it in early September in preparation for my performance on the Black Swamp Arts Festival Electronic Stage. I guess technically it's two pieces, but I've always performed them together and they are in related keys, so I'm calling it one piece.<br /><br />I was attempting to write in the tintintabbuli style invented by Arvo Pärt. From wikipedia: "musically, Pärt's tintinnabular music is characterized by two types of voices, the first of which (dubbed the "tintinnabular voice") arpeggiates the tonic triad, and the second of which moves diatonically in stepwise motion." The first section (clean delayed guitar) is using this composition method with a C major scale and an arpeggiated C chord. The second section (ebow guitar) uses a A natural minor scale and an arpeggiated A minor. These scale/arpeggio choices are not nearly as interesting as the ones that Pärt uses (ex. D harmonic minor scale w/ A minor arpeggio in Fratres), but the basic effect comes through. I expect to do more work in this style. :)<br /><br /><a href="http://cors.bghoio.org/jake/Surrent-BSAF.zip">http://cors.bghoio.org/jake/Surrent-BSAF.zip</a>jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972869.post-78069585248293409682009-02-02T08:29:00.004-05:002009-02-02T08:41:53.067-05:00Blithe Field - Swam HomeRecently, a fellow BG band, Blithe Field, took requests for remixes of their track "Swam Home." I dug the track a lot, so I figured, why not? I submitted my remix a few weeks ago and just found out that the album has been released.<br /><br />It's free. It's good. Perhaps you will enjoy it.<br /><a href="http://www.megaupload.com/?d=OUM9ZO0A"><br />http://www.megaupload.com/?d=OUM9ZO0A</a><br /><br />In other news, the tracks for my collaboration with R. Scott Oliver are all done, except for a little tweaking of levels, EQ, etc... Mastering I believe they call it. That album should be out soon on this blog, Modicum of Silence, and maybe even a label or two. Woo.jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972869.post-7241344910641645742009-01-14T09:11:00.004-05:002009-01-14T09:55:10.320-05:00More tracks from my still unnamed new project.This is from our second jam session. Much more confident than our last stuff, but still completely improvised, so there's definitely some rough spots. I played a little synth on this one and we did a Radiohead cover... Ha.<br /><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/JJM-20081211-1.mp3">Track 1</a><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/JJM-20081211-2.mp3">Track 2</a><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/JJM-20081211-3.mp3">Track 3</a><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/JJM-20081211-4.mp3">Track 4</a><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/JJM-20081211-5.mp3">Track 5</a><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/JJM-20081211-6.mp3">Track 6</a><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/JJM-20081211-7.mp3">Track 7</a><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/JJM-20081211.zip">All 7 Tracks</a>jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972869.post-45098800970659588492009-01-10T12:34:00.000-05:002009-01-10T12:55:53.716-05:00TragicPianoWork<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfbT5mncSl9HMu5Y-_0_LZmEhBe2gKsETQXrbadf3rFOPmnD4ZKF9MRkD5fRN_nLCK0Vg3DxTu5saZFjbQcYvYHrK6wbI74V59FE_gzUfxII1ycKtQU79zDkxbZcIC7uTSx57jLw/s1600-h/TragicPianoWork.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfbT5mncSl9HMu5Y-_0_LZmEhBe2gKsETQXrbadf3rFOPmnD4ZKF9MRkD5fRN_nLCK0Vg3DxTu5saZFjbQcYvYHrK6wbI74V59FE_gzUfxII1ycKtQU79zDkxbZcIC7uTSx57jLw/s200/TragicPianoWork.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289720200698972386" border="0" /></a>Tragic: One sequencer feeding several synths through bandpass filters. I modify the sequence in real time to progress from drone into something <span style="font-style: italic;">with a beat</span> back into a drone. Evil and mean sounding throughout.<br /><br />Piano: A sequencer playing into a piano into a delay. The sequence is a Cm11 chord played via a Sierpinski triangle shape. Very pretty at points.<br /><br />Work.1: A sequencer playing piano and organ through bandpass filters into delays. As the various delays play, they create beat frequencies and other combination tones that slowly resolve. Very drifty.<br /><br />Work.2: A sequencer playing a few different synths through bandpass filters into delays. The delay times are set very close to each other which creates flam/roll sounds that cascade across the stereo field. Clangy.<br /><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/Surrent-TragicPianoWork.zip">Surrent - TragicPianoWork</a>jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972869.post-62113049026057239842009-01-05T10:36:00.004-05:002009-01-05T11:21:49.993-05:00One long track with a pixelized cover... it's another solo recording!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYxlk-GuBQXEFekVqBaETqcc5oOeAX0ICSNJru77Q6cluFGI_C_fwzCPk682ChZZkiUgs5dgMFdETZP_mFaDi5lpsC3JAKxy4CB2zeDaiPxyoM00k0UFyJ5yPD3jsYjdOaGSDng/s1600-h/Harmonic+A.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYxlk-GuBQXEFekVqBaETqcc5oOeAX0ICSNJru77Q6cluFGI_C_fwzCPk682ChZZkiUgs5dgMFdETZP_mFaDi5lpsC3JAKxy4CB2zeDaiPxyoM00k0UFyJ5yPD3jsYjdOaGSDng/s200/Harmonic+A.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287834341038760610" border="0" /></a>I've become really interested in generative music systems recently. I'm especially interested in setting up loops that feedback on themselves - especially multiple loops that depend on and control each other. When setup properly, these feedback systems seem almost alive at times. It is my intention to someday program a fully computerized improv partner based on feedback loops that will listen to sound input and create accompaniments without any additional human interaction.<br /><br />This preoccupation has infected my brain... I woke up early Saturday morning with my head full of programming and recording ideas. Things like "Sierpinski Loops" and "Tracker Loop with Instability" and "Neighbor Harmonization" had come to me in that time between slumber and consciousness. They make sense to me, I swear.<br /><br />In those early, semi-lucid morning hours, I took the opportunity to quickly prototype a few of these ideas and began recording. Some setups were too stable and boring. A few created noisy and very unstable processes. Like Golidlocks: too hot, too cold. But this one was just right...<br /><br />It is a MIDI sequencer playing an A3(or A2 or A4... I can't recall) every 8 seconds. The sequencer feeds 4 different synths, a DX-10 sim, a JX-10 sim, an electric piano sim, and an acoustic piano sim. These synths are mixed together to produce a single tone. This tone is then fed into 4 spectral equalizers which pass only certain portions of the signal. Each of the 4 equalizers is connected to a long delay set to different lengths related to the 8 second loop. As the piece plays, I gradually adjust the instrument mix, equalizer settings, and delay settings to create several different sounds.<br /><br />While this system is not completely independent of human interaction, there are long stretches in this recording where I am not tweaking anything that still sound quite dynamic and alive. I'm certain with a little more programming to add some intelligence, this could be a very basic improvisational partner.<br /><br />Anyway, here's the track/album/EP/poop.<br /><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/Surrent-HarmonicA.zip">Surrent - Harmonic A</a>jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972869.post-26564361656355884082008-12-31T10:03:00.006-05:002008-12-31T10:47:44.580-05:00Two New Solo Joints.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAwySS1gqGcahY_x2q71wbBtfzZdPpJqy6hfWp3pfriLyFY2RIuz4kxp3KAkJGcZaRpMV8khi4gJoD7pcO1Wgq7eoBDsulwQ-jJ4sjyN1iqj-noktVAcp56WMP0tJhnza-SMlpg/s1600-h/20081218.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAwySS1gqGcahY_x2q71wbBtfzZdPpJqy6hfWp3pfriLyFY2RIuz4kxp3KAkJGcZaRpMV8khi4gJoD7pcO1Wgq7eoBDsulwQ-jJ4sjyN1iqj-noktVAcp56WMP0tJhnza-SMlpg/s200/20081218.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285972456363765394" border="0" /></a>First up, my last solo live set of the year. This was recorded at Ramalama Records December 18, 2008. Hence the title. Very creative, I know. I thought the set was "meh" at best, but everyone I've played it for seems to enjoy it so I'm passing it on to you, my loyal reader(s?).<br /><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/Surrent-20081218.zip">Surrent - 20081218</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESSvdquh3VRqrZrNNM4QydU7womm7MMiNB7YAcGlYs1cN8NxbmuVwfprc8lA1FEOpvPgvysKQ1zkx9gWvSx-vTwG4RIBNPNMWVqE_eLDJy5yq_H3ZnapqD7y0Bw_r1ffFJqmBWQ/s1600-h/The+Stranger+Line.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESSvdquh3VRqrZrNNM4QydU7womm7MMiNB7YAcGlYs1cN8NxbmuVwfprc8lA1FEOpvPgvysKQ1zkx9gWvSx-vTwG4RIBNPNMWVqE_eLDJy5yq_H3ZnapqD7y0Bw_r1ffFJqmBWQ/s200/The+Stranger+Line.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285974728305276994" border="0" /></a>Next up is a manipulation/remix of JB Smith's "The Danger Line." The original track is a 45 second piece of speech that I stretched to almost a half hour creating lots of weird swells with glitchy artifacts. I then fed it through some spectral delays and used the frequency and amplitude of the track to control the feedback and delay time of a tape delay plugin. Basically, whenever the volume of the track gets louder, the delays become thicker and longer. I also fed the signal through a pitch tracking EQ that would boost the most prominent frequency in the signal. I recorded two versions of the track and faded them to opposite sides of the stereo spectrum. Since each version is very slightly different from the other due to the dynamic nature of the plugins and effects, you hear some strange stereo effects as the track progresses.<br /><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/Surrent-TheStrangerLine.zip">Surrent - The Stranger Line</a>jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972869.post-74316672827823463852008-12-12T09:43:00.000-05:002008-12-12T09:44:13.753-05:00Upcoming Shows + New ProjectIt's an exciting time in the life of Surrent.<br /><br />First of all, I've got two shows coming up:<br /><br />Thursday, December 18th @ <a href="http://myspace.com/ramalamafafafa">Ramalama Records</a> in Toledo w/<a href="http://myspace.com/telemetrics">Telemetrics</a>. Show starts @ 7. FREE.<br /><br />Saturday, December 20th @ <a href="http://myspace.com/ricks_music_cafe">Rick's Music Cafe</a> in Northwood w/<a href="http://myspace.com/treenoleaves">Tree No Leaves</a>, Chad Foltz, <a href="http://myspace.com/grumblecaketheband">Grumblecake</a> and Telemetrics (Modicum of Silence showcase) Show starts @ 8. $7 door/$6 pre-sale. Contact me if you want tickets.<br /><br />More importantly, I've begun working with an <a href="http://www.myspace.com/jasongolba">old guitarist buddy</a> and a <a href="http://www.myspace.com/blushresponsedemos">drummer</a> on a new project. I'm finally back to playing my primary instrument, bass guitar. I don't want to put a label on anything, but the music sounds somewhere around post-rockish. Here are some samples:<br /><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/JJM-20081208-2.mp3">Track 2</a><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/JJM-20081208-3.mp3">Track 3</a><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/JJM-20081208-4.mp3">Track 4</a><br /><br />All tracks were completely improvised with no previous discussion or direction about what was to happen. We recorded very simply with just 2 microphones in the middle of the practice space.<br /><br />There's also another track, but it's 15 minutes long and doesn't get really rocking until about 10 minutes in. I couldn't find what key we were in for quite some time.... If you'd like a copy of it, send me a message.jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972869.post-72106165292487418802008-07-17T13:17:00.003-04:002008-07-18T14:38:15.901-04:00SSSS: Simple Symphony for Seven Sines<span style="font-weight: bold;">Requirements:</span><br /><br />7 sound reproduction units with basic tone and volume controls. Some examples include guitar amps, PA speakers, laptops, etc. Individual tones should not be too drastically different - 6 guitar amps with 1 laptop would be a bad choice. Effects can be used to shape the tones as long as the effected tone is remains similar to the rest of the ensemble. No delay, reverb, modulation, etc is to be allowed, but light distortion and equalizers may be used.<br /><br />7 devices capable of producing constant sine waves. Possible options: sine wave generator, CD player playing a sine wave track, portable audio player playing a sine wave file (lossless format preferred, though not required), or laptop running sine wave generation software. Devices must be capable of playing possible maximum length of piece.<br /><br />7 performers capable of operating the above equipment. Performers must be able to count to 40.<br /><br />1 random number generator which can be constrained to only produce numbers in a specific range.<br /><br />1 conductor.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Optional:</span><br /><br />Time keeping device. Options: metronome at 60 or 120bpm either heard live or through headphones, drummer hitting single drum on a quarter note pace at 60 or 120 bpm, conductor playing drums, etc. A live drummer could add a bit of interest due to the inherent inaccuracies of human timing.<br /><br />Mixing/PA equipment capable of panning sounds and sending master mix to external effects.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Setup:</span><br /><br />Before the performance, all sound reproduction devices will be arranged in a manner conducive to the performance space and audience arrangement. In a small space (ex. house, club), it may be interesting for the performers to encircle the audience, while in a large venue (ex. theatre, auditorium), it may be more feasible to have the performers in an arc on a stage facing the crowd.<br /><br />After placement, all devices will be balanced in volume and tone using a identical test tone. After sound levels have been balanced, all performers will mute their sound reproduction device and start their individual sine wave in whatever manner necessary for their respective device. The conductor will direct each performer turn up their sound reproduction device to it's maximum volume in order to verify the levels are still relatively equal. Slight variations in volume/tone are encouraged at this point.<br /><br />Frequencies for Sines:<br />128 Hz<br />144 Hz<br />162 Hz<br />182.25 Hz<br />192 Hz<br />216 Hz<br />243 Hz<br /><br />Note: if frequencies assigned produce unsatisfactory sound in any sound reproduction equipment, frequencies can be adjusted up or down as long as ratios between frequencies are maintained. (Ratios will be added later when I remember what they are.)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Performance:</span><br /><br />At the start of the performance, the conductor will use the random number generator to produce seven numbers from a range of numbers s/he has decided upon. The range 10 to 20 should work well. If the conductor has a certain number combination that s/he would like to use, this is allowed. The conductor assigns each number to a performer and decides the order in which performers will be cued. If the conductor wants to remove himself from this decision, the random number generator can decide the order.<br /><br />The conductor will cue the first performer to begin manipulating their volume so that they increase from zero to maximum volume in the number of seconds determined by the random number generator. The performer will then decrease the volume from maximum to zero in the same number of seconds. Example: if the random number generator produced 17, the performer would increase the volume from zero to maximum in 17 seconds, then decrease from max to zero in 17 seconds for a total cycle length of 34 seconds.<br /><br />Each additional performer will begin X number of seconds after the previous performer begins his or her cycle where X is their assigned random number. Example: Performer #1 is assigned 12, Performer #2 is assigned 17, and Performer #3 is assigned 15. Performer #1 is queued to begin by the conductor. Performer #2 to begins 17 seconds later. Performer #3 begins 15 seconds later, 32 seconds after Performer #1 began. After all 7 performers have begun their cycles, the conductor will step away from the performance and join the audience.<br /><br />Each performer should pay attention to the sounds coming from the other performers. If one performer notices another performer approaching maximum volume at approximately the same time as himself, an extra second of maximum volume can be maintained in order to explore the combination of the two tones. This is not a requirement.<br /><br />After an appropriate time, probably in the range of 25-40 minutes, the conductor will step in to cue each performer to stop his or her cycle. If possible, the performer will power down his or her sound reproduction device. After all performers have stopped and powered down their devices (and the metronome/drummer is stopped), the piece is complete.<br /><br />If the conductor or performers find this piece too boring to play, you can include the following performance options:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Performance Option #1:</span><br /><br />The conductor can continue random number generation throughout the entirety of the piece. The conductor will create new numbers at his or her choice and assign them to the performer s/he wishes. After the performer is assigned a new number, s/he completes the current cycle and then begins the next one.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Performance Option #2:</span><br /><br />If the performance space requires it, due to size or arrangement, you can mix together all the individual sine tones into a stereo mixer/PA unit. Each sine would have its own channel. Every tone other than the lowest is panned across the left-right spectrum to varying degrees. Three will be panned right and three will be panned left. The choice of which direction and how much each channel will be panned is left up to the conductor. Individual faders will be left at equal volume as long as front-of-house volumes are relatively equal. Faders will not be touched during performance.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Performance Option #3:</span><br /><br />In addition to mixing the tones together, the conductor can choose to send all channels through additional effects. S/he can vary the overall level of effects, but not the individual effect level of each sine wave. Some possible interesting effects could be light but warm distortion, ring modulator or graphic eq. No delay, heavy reverb, modulation or harmonizer effects allowed. A light reverb can enhance the sound in a small room.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Performance Option #4:</span><br /><br />If possible, a mixer/PA system with 4 or more output channels in a "surround sound" configuration can be used to place the various tones around the audience. Care should be taken to position the 7 channels equidistant around the 360 degrees of listening space.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Optional Ending:</span><br /><br />When the conductor decides it's time to end the piece, he can cue each performer to increase their sound device to its maximum level. This sound mass can be held for 10-20 seconds. The conductor will then cue each device to mute individually or as an ensemble.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Notes:</span><br /><br />All performance options can be combined on one performance, but the various options should not become the focus of the performance. Some of most interesting bits lie in the interactions between the pure sine waves.<br /><br />Effects applied to the ensemble should not be applied during the first half of the performance.<br /><br />It should be encouraged that the conductor, performers and audience move around occasionally to get a different mix of tones.jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972869.post-63697916021265911092008-06-19T16:17:00.003-04:002008-06-19T17:14:24.979-04:00Back from tour + more gear changes...So, I went on tour. It was pretty fun. 4 dates scheduled, 3 dates played due to a little mishap involving my hand and a portable grill - we had to cancel the Burlington show. We met a lot of people and played with a bunch of great bands: <a href="http://myspace.com/stonebabyband">Stone Baby</a>, <a href="http://myspace.com/carbonrecords">Joe+N,</a> <a href="http://myspace.com/centuryplants">Century Plants</a>, Kapala, <a href="http://myspace.com/latralmagog">LATRALMAGOG</a> and <a href="http://myspace.com/soporusbtv">Soporus</a>. We had a lot of great beer, recorded a few live shows, recorded a one hour session with LATRALMAGOG at Al B's estate, camped out for a few nights, and visited the Liberty Bell. Thanks again Al for letting us crash on your super awesome couch.<br /><br />Anyway, my gear situation... before North Hero went on tour, Kari and I had some rather tense discussions about the state of my gear. I like my computer. I do. A lot. But leading up to the tour, it was acting crappy. She had concerns about its stability. I changed software, bought a new mixer, just in case the computer died completely, we would still have SOMETHING.<br /><br />Now I'm taking it a step further. My last recording was marred by some pretty bad glitches. I didn't really mind or even notice while recording for a few reasons.<br /><ul><li>I was going for a very lo-fi sound.</li><li>I was recording through my guitar amp which attenuates that sort of noise.</li><li>I was playing a very "noisy" set which masked the unintended sounds.</li></ul>However, on playback the next day, the clicks were really getting to me. To be fair, there were many bits without clicks and glitches and the clicks and glitches were when I was driving the system the hardest, but I still don't want that to happen when I play live <span style="font-style: italic;">unless I intend to</span>. :)<br /><br />I began thinking about how to replicate my setup with hardware while at work yesterday. I told Kari last night that I was thinking about replacing my software with hardware slowly, one effect and a time, until I was mostly hardware based. I still plan on keeping my looper on the computer. It's just SO damn flexible. I can't find the same flexibility in hardware for anything less than a grand, so I'm sticking to it. Besides, I can play samples and use my USB-MIDI keyboard to play ssynths, etc. using the computer. It's really wonderful machine.<br /><br />Despite the wonders of modern computing, I understand the fragility of machines. Comparing a software effects setup to a hardware effects setup in durability is like comparing an egg to a bowling ball. I can't spill a beer on my laptop like I can on some of my pedals. My pedals never crash. My pedals have no copyright protection.<br /><br />There's also the latency issue. Even the best software setups, at my price range, have a latency that can be noticeable. Could I spend time tweaking stuff to make it better? Probably. Do I want to? I know I should, but I'm lazy! Luckily, I don't play music that requires highly-accurate timing.<br /><br />Today I posted a MySpace bulletin asking people to sell me their old gear to begin my transition. While waiting for responses, I realized I had a bit more money than I expected and that I could buy some almost all the gear I wanted. Woo! The first thing I decided on was the Boss DD-20. I've heard nothing but good things about this pedal. Cory from Stone Baby was actually using two of them when we played together in Rochester. I had deciced a long time ago that I wanted it, but just needed to pull the trigger.<br /><br />In addition to the delay, to properly simulate the rest of my software rig I needed an octave pedal, a reverb, a reverse sampler, a volume pedal and a modulation of some sort. I had a Leslie simulator in my rig, but there's no way in hell I'd pay for a Leslie, so something else would be needed... I decided to pull out my old Small Stone. That thing still rocks and it cost me no money.<br /><br />I spent all morning reading reviews and forum discussions, listening to samples, reading manuals, and surfing for prices. I decided to complement my DD-20 with a Marshall Reflector (Reverb) and a Danelectro Chili Dog (Octave.) I love this octave pedal. I used it when I played with SHAFT! on both guitar and bass. Totally awesome classic rock/analog synth sound. The Marshall has had a few reports of quality issues, so I'm a bit concerned with that, but I love the sound quality and the reverse reverb effect it has. That's right! Reverse + reverb: two pedals for the price of one. And speaking of price, I got the sales rep to knock 31 bucks off the original $120 price through a price match. Score! I also got the DD-20 knocked down from $220 to $200. Double score!<br /><br />So that's about it. I'm still going to use my computer as my looper, but who knows if I'll need it. I may decide it's unnecessary and just stick to all hardware. Who knows, I may actually start using an amp again instead of running into a PA!jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972869.post-3135647022523274892008-05-02T08:37:00.004-04:002008-05-02T09:09:56.103-04:00Gadgets Plugged. (Lots of audio nerdery and some music.)I gave up on Ableton Live. Yesterday was my official FU. I've been pirating it for the last year or so because several hundred dollars is a lot of money to be spending on something that I don't make any money doing. I don't mind paying decent money for guitars and other hardware, but software... eh. I suppose if I knew I could get guitars for free, I'd probably be pissed about paying 700 dollars for one too...<br /><br />Due to my pirating, the program starting freaking out on me about copyright violations. And then my audio streams started getting choppy and glitchy. After a while, it was too much to bear. Ableton, I am no longer a (non-paying but possible!) customer. You almost had me, too.<br /><br />I am now a Plogue Bidule user. Ultra-modular and ultra-flexible. Visual routing. Programming logic that far exceeds anything I've used previously (except Max/MSP, but again, too much money for me.) It's slightly less stable than Ableton Live was, but that's okay because Live was rock solid. The only time I've had any Plogue issues was when I was doing some weird routings during setup. Oh.... and it supports all the VSTs that Ableton 5.2 wouldn't. And only $75 with a fully functioning demo that will operate until June 1st.<br /><br />I was able to prototype my entire Ableton setup in Plogue in a little less than 20 minutes. I've since spent a few days reprogramming all my control surfaces. Last night, I got the guitar section completely done. Here's the setup currently:<br /><br />Guitar In => Audiowish Octaver => Audiowish Reverse Sampler => MDA Leslie => Apple MatrixReverb => Expert Sleepers Augustus Loop => Essej.net SooperLooper<br /><br />From SooperLooper, the output is split three ways. One output is just the raw sound from SL. The second output is sent through MDA Degrade to give that nice low bitrate sound. The third output is processed by MDA Dub Delay. All of these are mixed together and sent out of my main output and into my amp or whatever sound production device I'm using that night.<br /><br />I've got almost all of the important controls to the various playing surfaces available to me and I still have 25 buttons, 8 knobs, and 50 footswitches that could be configured. Yeah, it's a bit ridiculous and probably a bit of overkill. I love it.<br /><br />Anyway, after I finished getting everything programmed yesterday, I turned on the MacBook and let my mind flow. Not surprisingly, I made multi-layered drone. When you have 3 delay/loopers in your signal chain, it's hard to do anything but drone, I suppose. It starts out semi-melodic and ends mean and evil.<br /><br />Here it is: <a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/Surrent-gadgug.mp3">Surrent - gadgug.</a>jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972869.post-91456326318685383892008-04-08T09:31:00.002-04:002008-04-08T10:00:18.269-04:00Ripping off Steve ReichI was playing around with some new phasing techniques Sunday night. Unfortunately, everything I created sounds like old Steve Reich. On Phase2, I took a single phrase from a rant from an AA meeting. I then looped it a few times. I then duplicated the whole track a few times. In each of the duplicated tracks, I shortened the beginning portion of the song, then extended the last portion to make it the same length as the original track. This means that the multiple tracks slowly fall out of sync, then come back together at the very end of the track. A little different than Reich's process, but similar results.<br /><br />With Phase3, instead of looping the whole sample, I looped only portions of the sample. This gave the track some interesting changes in texture as one looped section transitioned into another.<br /><br />I plan on using the same techniques on some melodic material to see what happens, but until then...<br /><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/Surrent-Phase2.mp3">Surrent - Phase2</a><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/Surrent-Phase3.mp3">Surrent - Phase3</a>jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972869.post-84849549868679308142008-04-04T14:13:00.002-04:002008-04-04T14:19:11.677-04:00Stupid at work.I was waiting for something to finish up at work, so I decided to spent my down time playing in Ableton. I created 6 channels, each containing 3 MIDI loops. Each loop contained 4 notes, but were all different lengths but still related to each other in tempo. For example, my first loop was just 4 quarter notes. Then I created another loop that was 3/2 as long (6 beats), but still only 4 notes so each note became a dotted quarter. After that was a third loop which was 5/4 as long as the original, but still only 4 notes. Randomize. Play with filters. Turn things off and on. MUSIC!<br /><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/Surrent-Saw.wav">Surrent - SAW</a>jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972869.post-40876794872454515892008-03-27T11:22:00.002-04:002008-03-27T11:26:13.724-04:00The new sound of North Hero - Hip Hop for Kids.For a few weeks now, Kari has wanted to make up some hip hop beats to give to some kids she knows. Last night, we sat down and created our first beat. She was the producer and I was the engineer. It was a lot of fun. This is the new sound of North Hero.<br /><br />Not really.<br /><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/NH-HHFK.mp3">North Hero - Hip Hop for Kids</a>jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972869.post-47800423363710985892008-02-24T17:44:00.002-05:002008-02-24T17:48:30.153-05:00Our first label release. Pre-release version for cheap!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e176/mpathetiq/100_2711.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e176/mpathetiq/100_2711.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I made mention a few days ago about <a href="http://myspace.com/northhero">my band</a> being shown some interest by a label. Well, it looks like <a href="http://myspace.com/reverbworship">Reverb Worship</a>, a small CD-R label in the UK, has decided to release our album January February. We couldn't be happier!<br /><br />Before Reverb Worship agreed to release our record, we had already made a few copies to sell at our show Saturday. If you would like a copy of January February, send Kari or me a message and we can set up payment arrangements. The cost is $5 postage paid or $3 if you are local. I'll even hand deliver!<br /><br />I printed, scored, folded, cut, numbered and stamped each CD; this release is limited to 14 copies and I've got 10 left.<br /><br /><br />If you'd rather buy it from us at a show, our next scheduled performance is April 12th in Mansfield. Hope to see you there. :)jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972869.post-89502637119737165482008-02-22T21:36:00.002-05:002008-02-22T21:45:59.022-05:00Two new North Hero tracks. One new North Hero album -now with Label Interest™!!!I just posted some new North Hero music up on the ol' <a href="http://myspace.com/northhero">MyFace</a>. The two new tracks are "This Is Love" and "Darker, Darker". They are the first two tracks off of our next release, January February. We're clever, aren't we. Oh yeah... Label Interest™. It's really not a big deal. A CD-R label in England wants to release an album of ours. They do runs of 50-100 handmade CD-Rs. Our friends Stone Baby are releasing some music on their label as well, so that's totally cool! We've sent them January February. Perhaps they will enjoy it.<br /><br />Tour's coming along. Three dates now: May 24th in Rochester, NY, May 29th in Philadelphia, PA, and June 6th in Burlington, VT. We want two more in between May 24 and 29, but we're not too worried. It will be fun regardless.jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972869.post-28508120922512790292008-02-12T15:26:00.000-05:002008-02-12T16:26:27.274-05:00Surrent - Wastrel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYG9U5HL5Y3ZBk188oRivEFDhxi_w-QwrBqIbDUc-MjE5Yl0YYCghxGWau8-g_XYXXMqBDFw3Fk4LtBUo47AA8OlZ8tku6mF8T16IOAv-KcEOkU5083w_GDOfmtkIRq6RzKtKBfQ/s1600-h/Wastrel1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYG9U5HL5Y3ZBk188oRivEFDhxi_w-QwrBqIbDUc-MjE5Yl0YYCghxGWau8-g_XYXXMqBDFw3Fk4LtBUo47AA8OlZ8tku6mF8T16IOAv-KcEOkU5083w_GDOfmtkIRq6RzKtKBfQ/s200/Wastrel1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166197008495682850" border="0" /></a><br />I'm so sick of listening to music right now, but I have to keep at it. Recording and mixing three projects in three days (and four in a week) really wears on your ears. (Un)fortunately, I was unable to get together with my friend Matt to record, so I haven't driven myself to tears just yet. Also (un)fortunately, I don't think the North Hero session from Friday night was good enough to do anything with... maybe.<br /><br />On the brighter side, I'm very happy to say that my last session, my solo session, was definitely my favorite thing I recorded in the past week and probably my favorite thing I've recorded ever. I combined an acoustic guitar tuned CGCGC (Yes, I'm missing a string) played with a violin bow and my electric, which I played with both pick and bow. I recorded two takes, the first of which was recorded in its entirety. I forgot to set up GarageBand properly for the second take, so I only captured the first 6 minutes of it. Poop. I don't really mind, it got kind of horrible in the middle anyway. :) I've done no editing on these tracks other than adjusting levels and removing a few clicks. Also, if you listen carefully, you can hear my cat, Eh! Steve, making his recording debut!<br /><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/Surrent-Wastrel-lo.zip">Surrent - Wastrel</a><br /><br />Note: this is the low quality version of the album. I might actually try to do a real release with this, so I need to retain something of value!jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972869.post-78771885025666671562008-02-08T09:09:00.000-05:002008-02-08T09:23:17.634-05:00Wall of Sound ManipulationsIn my first post, I posted a session I had done with Steven Guerrero and A Useful Idiot. I have since manipulated the hell out of a couple sections of those recordings. Weird little beeps and boops get delayed to build very dense soundscapes. Number 2 gets particularly thick.<br /><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/WallOfSound-Manipulation1.mp3">Wall of Sound 1</a><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/WallOfSound-Manipulation2.mp3">Wall of Sound 2</a>jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972869.post-65881253941720035852008-02-05T10:14:00.000-05:002008-02-05T11:13:03.172-05:00Surrent v. A Useful Idiot - Score Duel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7OlvSiU0cEoKrUrbYdOYzh-tqOSyj4QY2MEVyHJnlyXNtv4LyfCG8xX_2ZceSBHsA7T74TVYj7-EOghU8rN8Yi5YADJpnnZCZa6qc4Z8_PFapUqynkSSAK_vu4tODcuboRBP1cA/s1600-h/Surrent+v.+A+Useful+Idiot+-+Score+Duel.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7OlvSiU0cEoKrUrbYdOYzh-tqOSyj4QY2MEVyHJnlyXNtv4LyfCG8xX_2ZceSBHsA7T74TVYj7-EOghU8rN8Yi5YADJpnnZCZa6qc4Z8_PFapUqynkSSAK_vu4tODcuboRBP1cA/s200/Surrent+v.+A+Useful+Idiot+-+Score+Duel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163529838383621490" border="0" /></a><br />One down, four to go.<br /><br />Dustin came over last night for a little twin-guitar improv action. The results were okay, not great. I think we played well and interestingly, but the sound quality of the recording is a bit... eh. Before he arrived, I had setup three microphones to capture the carnage: a large-diaphragm condenser on my amp, a dynamic on his amp, and a small-diaphragm condenser as a room mic. I got all the levels set and verified everything was sounding nice. However, Dustin plays a LOT louder than I do. When he started playing, I turned up my amp a bit to compensate but forgot to adjust the mics. Because of this, the mic on my amp was pretty much blown out the entire time and the room mic was overloaded occasionally. However, his mic sounded great. I was able to mix the room mic with his amp mic to get a usable sound. There are a few bits where it gets grainy and clippy, especially at the very end, but on the whole, I likes. I hope you do, too.<br /><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/SurrentvAUsefulIdiot-ScoreDuel.zip">Surrent v. A Useful Idiot - Score Duel</a>jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972869.post-90515083295426972852008-02-04T10:14:00.000-05:002008-02-04T14:44:53.406-05:00I'm not dead yet. More recordings this week! (and a North Hero teaser)I'm already running into the same problem I've had with other blogs I've done. I've got a ton of content to begin with, but then I give up or forget... I'm determined not to let this happen this time. But if it does, oh well!<br /><br />Anyway, here's the recording schedule for this week:<br /><br />02/04: <a href="http://myspace.com/surrent">Surrent</a> vs. <a href="http://myspace.com/ausefulidiot">A Useful Idiot</a><br />02/05-08: <a href="http://myspace.com/northhero">North Hero</a><br />02/09-10: Surrent vs. <a href="http://myspace.com/mesqua">Steven Guerrero</a>, Surrent vs. <a href="http://myspace.com/wlcmtvtnm">welcometovietnam</a>, and a solo Surrent recording.<br /><br />I'm planning on doing a pure drone album or series of albums. I've wanted to for a while, but it's so hard to commit to the drone. I used to not believe it, but playing slow is just as difficult as playing fast, if not more so. This weekend will be the first attempt. If it sucks, I will stop. If it doesn't suck, I'm sure I'll have a new release next week. :)<br /><br />The North Hero tour is coming along. We're solidifying the Philadelphia date right now and just got an offer for a show in Rochester. We also picked up a date at an experimental festival in Mansfield in April. Things are looking up!<br /><br />Anyway, here's a few tracks Kari and I recorded a couple weeks ago:<br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/20080123song1.mp3">North Hero - 20080123song1.mp3</a><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/20080123song2.mp3">North Hero - 20080123song2.mp3</a><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/20080123song3.mp3">North Hero - 20080123song3.mp3</a>jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972869.post-70057246063340079982008-01-24T17:24:00.000-05:002008-01-24T17:35:12.227-05:00We're going on tour!North Hero is going on tour. Not too bad for a band that just officially formed on Monday, eh?<br /><br />We just confirmed our first date: June 6th @ Radio Bean, Burlington, VT.<br /><br />I'm also working with <a href="http://ofsoundmind.wordpress.com">ET</a> on setting up a date with his band LATRALMAGOG in Philadelphia in the last week of May.<br /><br />We're also looking for dates in these areas at the end of May: Baltimore/DC, NYC, Albany, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, New England, etc.... Anybody out there got some shows they'd love to give us? Or millions of dollars? Or our own spaceship?jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972869.post-29343856380803161212008-01-22T10:56:00.000-05:002008-01-22T11:55:41.198-05:00North Hero - Hewn<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2w5L54uxWqP16jPlybktd6-VID3QQ9K60O3Wmr_vHECLLPphi7SCsy4GIYbNkVp8fCQ2j0nJA0VDLHQn_lXAh4GFeRPGZ55WZYicO_Gsc7PyJB2RCtmlDwDO1yQJSX4TtFNWYg/s1600-h/large.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2w5L54uxWqP16jPlybktd6-VID3QQ9K60O3Wmr_vHECLLPphi7SCsy4GIYbNkVp8fCQ2j0nJA0VDLHQn_lXAh4GFeRPGZ55WZYicO_Gsc7PyJB2RCtmlDwDO1yQJSX4TtFNWYg/s200/large.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158345120506408882" border="0" /></a><br />After playing together with Kari at my show last week, we decided to work on a semi-experimental improv/ambient project which would be a little more spacey and trippy than Luma and Chroma (and without drums).<br /><br />We had always worked in little ambient/noise interludes into Luma and Chroma, but now we were specifically going to concentrate on avoiding the Luma and Chroma style. We also decided to incorporate vocals. This is a first for me.<br /><br />Yesterday, we gathered in my living room to record ideas for a wedding processional that we are writing for some friends. After working on a melody and guitar line for about 2 hours, we started improvising. It sounded very good to our ears. I suppose when you play with someone for a year, you tend to get pretty good at improvising together...<br /><br />We ended up recording about an hour of improvisation. I've cut out the middle section where we left the room for a while, but otherwise this is uncut.<br /><br />You may notice I switch from my acoustic guitar to my electric after the first movement. Because of this, I might suggest to Kari that we remove the first movement, but until then, you get to hear it!<br /><br />If you like what you hear, please add us as a friend on MySpace: <a href="http://myspace.com/northhero">http://myspace.com/northhero</a><br /><br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/NorthHero-Hewn.zip">North Hero - Hewn</a>jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972869.post-60294806694637218812008-01-17T08:20:00.000-05:002008-01-17T09:54:14.128-05:00Surrent and Friends @ Rokbar, Downtown Toledo, 20080112Saturday was the big day.<br /><br />I had my birthday party/show at Rokbar (formerly the Woodshed). Nine different acts gathered together to make noise and sound over the course of the night (and to celebrate, I hope.) We had everything from drawn out Pink Floyd-esque interludes to dense walls of sound to a dude playing his beard. I got WAY drunk towards the end of the night, but it was my birthday, so piss off! :)<br /><br />I was hoping to record the whole night direct from the soundboard, but due to Rokbar's overly live sound, the sound guys normally don't mic any amps unless they are really small. Recording from the board would be useless. :( Thankfully, Dustin (<a href="http://myspace.com/ausefulidiot">A Useful Idiot</a>) brought his video camera and recorded a few sets. Mine was one of them. Hurray!<br /><br />Personnel:<br /><span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"><span class="on" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_CreateLink" title="Link" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);"></span>Kari - Keyboards<br />Jake - Guitar<br />Steven - Bass<br /></span><br /><embed src="http://lads.myspace.com/videos/vplayer.swf" flashvars="m=26290415&type=video&v=2" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="386" width="480"></embed>jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972869.post-24569850749076646342008-01-08T09:10:00.000-05:002008-01-08T11:53:22.295-05:005 Songs - Is it an EP?<a href="http://events.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.detail&eventID=393214.5954&Mytoken=16DD8308-99C8-4059-89A8E4C6E2117AE344435910">I've got a show coming up Saturday</a>, so last night I sat down to practice. I haven't played solo in a while (other than the previously posted EBow track), so I wasn't expecting much. I just knew I needed to get myself back in the "solo" mindset.<br /><br />I've had this idea in my head for a couple months of building a series of chords from sustained notes placed in individual loops, one note per loop. I wanted to fade in the note, then only grab the "meat" of the note in the loop so it would create an static drone until I overwrote that particular loop. As I continued to add single note loops, the harmony would slowly change, because my current Ableton setup only allows 4 simultaneous loops. Example:<br /><br />Loop 1: C<br />Loop 2: E<br />Loop 3: G<br />Loop 4: B<br />Loop 1 (overwriting previous Loop 1): D<br />Loop 2 (overwriting previous Loop 2): F<br />etc.<br /><br />In this example, I moved from Cmaj7 => Em7 => G7 just by changing one note at a time. The plan was to have a very glacial chord progression: slow, definite and forceful. Unfortunately, this plan didn't work so well. For some reason, I kept overloading my delays and causing crazy apartment-shaking feedback. I'm sure my sister appreciated that while watching TV. I did get a couple good tracks in that style (tracks 1 and 2), but on the whole, it was a disappointment. I think the results I did get are okay, but they weren't what was I hearing in my head.<br /><br />After screwing around with that idea I decided to just free form and see what happened. Tracks 3 and 4 are what happened. Nothing too special. In fact, I trimmed the tracks quite a bit to get something I was happy with.<br /><br />Then came the extended technique section. I laid my guitar flat on my lap and just made noises. Some pick scraping, some fretting directly on pickups, some EBow on the neck behind my fretting hand instead of over the pickups, and a little input jack abuse. I think the results were pretty okay! It was definitely the most fun track out of the five.<br /><br />Here's the final product:<br /><a href="http://cors.bgohio.org/jake/Surrent-20080107.zip">Surrent - 20080107</a>jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972869.post-62479140806060855672008-01-06T18:31:00.001-05:002008-01-07T09:54:55.779-05:00Luma and Chroma Lite 20080105Last night, I was goofing around on my gee-tar trying out various jazz chords that I had learned the night before. Kari asked me to sing her a song. I don't sing. I proceeded to <span style="font-style: italic;">attempt </span>to sing this little falsetto ditty. It was horrible. I continued goofing around on the guitar making little pop riffs and such. This inspired Kari to ask me to go play music with her. Here's the result. It's somewhere between Luma and Chroma style and Surrent style cuz I was screwing around with my EBow and occasionally creating loops. Cuz cuz cuz cuz cuZ cuz.<br /><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?fc3bcmmalyk"><br />Luma and Chroma Lite 20080105</a>jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972869.post-46936980362579543762007-12-31T17:54:00.000-05:002008-01-07T09:24:15.157-05:00My First EBow Track.For Christmas, Kari bought me an EBow. It's an electronic bow for guitar/bass/any metal stringed instrument I suppose. It uses a magnetic resonance loop thing to excite your guitar string allowing you to sustain a note as long as the battery has juice. It allows you to do swells like a violin, infinite sustain like a synth, and various other worldly tones. I've wanted one of these for a few years. I jokingly mentioned it to Kari 4 months ago that she should get me one for Christmas. Sure enough, that's what I got.<br /><br />Anyway, here's my first experiment with the EBow. It's like most of my improv work, a series of out of phase loops with a general harmony that shifts gradually over time.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?fwn909mydzj">EBow Experiment 1</a>jakehildrethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12598909224111160689noreply@blogger.com1