Around Christmas
So I talked to Pat Lenertz of the Fargo-Moorhead band, The Legionairres, on Facebook today. He has collaborated with various artists within the Fargo-Moorhead area to produce a Christmas album for his family and for anyone that wants a little bit of holiday music for this season.
Here are the artists which have perforrmed on this album:
Travis Atwood (from Carmen the Cactus): Bass/Vocals
Pat Lenertz: Guitars/Vocals/Production/Arrangement
Nickie Lenertz: Vocals/Sunshine
Trevor Pearson: Drums
Cody Connor: "Guitar Blue Christmas" / "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"
Kyle (from Carmen the Cactus): Guitar
Aaron Peterson: Guitar on "Au Lang Syne"
Steve Pearson: Mandolin
Below you may download some Christmas cheer, or stream it directly if you have quicktime. Remember right-click + save as to download.
Happy Holidays :)
Drummer Boy
Au Lang Syne
Silent Night
12/1/08
This past weekend Mike and I met up at his place in Barnesville to try out a few DS applications in combination with his Nord Wave Synth which is made by Clavia. We learned a few things about future improvisations and also found that somethings just don't work when it comes to live performance with the DS.
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Here's the things that worked well and made it onto the website:
SoundCells - Excellent program, allows you to either play in C major or A minor, and allows for a drone at low C. We used this program when we performed the improvised piece below labeled "While the Blackness Goes On." It turned out to be very easy to play melodies on top of the synth and it was fun experimenting with the guitar effects pedal chain. Very responsive and has no issues with syncing to something, because it doesn't have any.
ElectroPlankton - Used in the improvised song below labeled "ElectroPlankton on the DS." Found we can use electroplankton as a drone, and modulate it's output with the guitar pedals to achieve different effects.
ToyPiano - This toy piano program works really good in live performance. The keys are large so there is less room for screw-ups, the touchscreen response detects when you roll your stylus over the keys, and the app itself creates a nice bass frequency. SoundCells and this prog help ease melody making to a great extent. This was used in Mike's composition called "The Electric Fence"
Axe - Axe is kind of a gag all around, but it's a lot of fun to play with. It constantly loops allowing you to express yourself on the Kaoss Pad for endless hours. However, I discovered that by using a tap tempo delay and then adjusting it's effect level it will allow you to vary it's output a little bit and go double-time.
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Here's the things that need to either by scratched out or improved on:
ProteinDS - Turntable on the DS isn't all that useful, you can't really sync anything up to anything else, and the scratching is a little lame or just too damn hard to do on a touchscreen.
BeatPad, BlipTracker, DrumMe (The drum homebrew) - It's pointless to make any sequences using BeatPad or BlipTracker, you are better off composing them on a laptop and then rehearsing with it all laid out. Drumming on the DS can be tricky, because the touchscreen doesn't always respond accurately. The one cool thing we figured out was that distortion and reverb make these lame drums sound like industrial drums. Very heavy and dark.
NitroTracker - We haven't released it's potential yet.
CellDS, RepeaterDS, GlitchDS - They have a few things to offer, they are more of accessory apps. CellDS is somewhat useful, but it leads to infinite looping which can make things boring. RepeaterDS varies in BPM, which can screw everybody up. GlitchDS offers strange sounds and has nice programming options, probably the best out of the three for live performance.
DS Sampling Keyboard v1.2 - Haven't used it in live performance yet, but it allows us to record and playback samples on a virtual keyboard which adjusts the pitches of the samples. Only problem may be hearing someone's voice in the recording and then hearing it thru the DS afterwards. Singing through a Mic and then having the DS right by it recording might work well though.
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I fell asleep after staying up at Mike's house till 6 A.M. on 12/1/08. The cats wouldn't move off the couch, so I let one of them nap a bit on me before I went to sleep. Woke up feeling the harshness of smoking too many cigarettes late at night, and had some raisin bran for breakfast. Nothing like a little milk to clear out the lungs :) I watched "Mr.Woodcock" and was mildly amused for a few brief moments before I headed home to do all this work on the webpage. I now have a video editing software for my JVC camera and I don't have to bang my head against a computer monitor anymore. I takes about 1 or 2 hours to get new content uploaded to youtube. The tricky part is that Youtube takes it's sweet time when it processes the files; but it keeps the webspace free from large files, and both Starlach and I can't complain about that.
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New Discoveries:
I've got my old DM2 turntable working again, but this time around I've installed an app that lets it use MIDI. You basically can pick a sample of your choice and then play it using the pads as pitches. Works alright, but it is a little sketchy at times.
I also have my Yamaha DGX-205 keyboard working w/ MIDI now, which will allow us to do even more.
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11/24/08
Harshstar's Electronica Experimentation
Last night Mike (Nord Wave Synth made by Clavia), Starlach (Ipod Touch & Nintendo DS), and I (Nintendo DS) attempted a performance using the Digital Playground concept.
The setup basically consisted of running everything through my Tascam and into the "audio-in" on my stereo, except for one Nintendo DS we ran through my Ipod Lamp in a ghetto fashion. We simply did not have enough headphone jacks to do the job right :)
We also recorded a few videos of the performance, which will be online shortly.
In terms of performance, we found:
--The Nintendo DS emits a strange output/hiss when you plug it into a mixer. Sub-par cabling, or the nintendo ds's output may be the problem child. I also found that getting a consistent signal on track levels, and managing the resulting distortion is troublesome. Almost need another person to run the boards.
--One person operating 2 kaoss pads at the same time is harder than hell.
--Synching all devices to share the same tempo and starting simultaneously is tricky (Axe Homebrew can work by having one person start the program on two Ds's at the same time; but, it doesn't work well with two people trying to sync it)
--We need devices that can maintain the core of a composition/jam, and allow for experimentation on others. I was thinking that two Ds's using the Korg Ds-10's multiplay would work, or if we used my Yamaha keyboard's tap tempo we might be able to hold the whole thing together.
--A real synthesizer trumps the capabilities of the portable devices, but the portable devices add a different aspect to the performance.
--Starlach and I need to have the same music apps on both Ds's, matching r4 kernels, and find out which programs work the best "together" in a live performance.
--Some homebrew music apps differ in their output volume. Thus, a real loud sound sample can throw off everybody, or a quiet sample will not be heard without over-driving the mixer's output signal.
--Electroplankton adds a nice soothing quality to a performance, but it has no way of adjusting it's tempo. Korg Ds-10 synth is a wonderful program but it doesn't have a tap tempo
--We need to change up the drum patterns by using the Korg Ds-10 synth or by using the drum beats on my Yamaha keyboard. It would also be cool to perform breaks within the jam, but synching this may prove to be difficult.
--Real instruments would be beneficial.
--Operating at a low volume level works wonderfully.
--The main trick is keeping the jam fresh without the audience getting bored, or worse yet the performers.
--It may be possible to trigger samples using Moonshell.
Pedals that would be beneficial during a jam:
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Digitech Rp-300 - patches can be saved at specific volumesZoom GFX 707- patches can be saved at specific volumesBoss Digital Delay DD-6Boss Pitch DelayRockTek Chorus
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Pedals that might cause problems:
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11/19/08
Proposed the Digital Playground idea to band members, and they liked it :) Mike and I jammed out with just 1 ds and his nord wave synth, and came across some discoveries.
The gameplan for the DS':
1st DS) The korg ds-10 synth has a drum capability, combine that with a person playing digital drums on top of it, drum triggers to samples.
2nd DS would provide melody in a freestyle form using the kaoss pad feature and the keyboard
3rd DS could have Electroplankton on it or some homebrew apps installed.
Other ideas:
Triggering samples from the moogsynth, getting an Ebow for an electric guitar, having real percussion on top of these electronics in live performance, and thinking about playing music that has an emphasis on video game music stylings.
Multiple operating systems = Definately Possible.
We dabbled in the idea of using at least 20 guitar pedals to mix the ds's through. Essentially it would require a very large and slanted table in which the pedals were mounted by velcro; basically making a minature wall of pedals you could operate during performance. To make it easy for freestyle effects, you would simply place a sticker or paint each guitar pedal's modulation knobs, and then you would leave gain levels at a constant with only slight deviation. Therefore, you could bring people on stage to have a try while you a jamming over the mix with the rest of the band.
This is the list of gear between Mike and I.
Dan
1) Boss Ds-1 Distortion
2) Boss Mt-2 Metal Zone
3) Boss Dd-6 Digital Delay
4) Rocktek Chorus
5) Arion Octave
6) Jimi Hendrix Wah
7) Danaelectro Flanger
8) Digitech Rp-300 multi-effects
9) Zoom Gfx707 multi-effects
Mike
1) Boss Super Distortion
2) Morley Wah
3) Zoom Bass multi-effects
4) Boss Bass multi-effects
5) Boss Ds-1
More are soon to follow in this quest to becoming supersonic musicians, but there will always be a point where too much is just too much. You will have to draw the line on how much electronic sound is really needed for a particular piece of music, and whether it is beneficial to the piece or not. There is a possibility that some guitar pedals may get removed from the chain, and that some things may never work in a live situation. We'll just have to see where it takes us, and from there we can figure out exactly what we want to do.
Kaufman.
11/17/08
Changed the home page format, modified my existing graphics, and wrote a lengthy update that was destroyed by my crashing website program :( So this will be my second and hopefully last attempt at today's update. **Google Notebook save me with your documentation wonder**
A lot has happened since my last update, and I think you should know the reason why new content has not been added in awhile. One of these reasons involves a restaurant that broke my tooth, and the other involves getting a band together. Add a cup of laziness to that mix, and you have a month without updates :) ...sorry.
For my birthday I acquired a JVC camcorder, so I will be posting guitar lessons, audio demonstrations of various gear, recording tutorials, video game reviews, jam sessions, new songs, and hopefully a film if I get real good at it. I've never done it as a full-fledged hobby so we will see what comes of it. Plus, I will be teaching my roommate how to play the guitar at the same time.
I should be able to upload some new mp3's sometime soon, once I get my hands on previous recordings. My plans for the future involve releasing new material without actually recording/mixing/mastering a new album; I'll simply give you some videos to watch instead :)
The Digital Playground
So I've come up with a new idea that uses portable gaming systems, a digital drumset, and real rock instruments. I like to refer to it as the Digital Playground.
The Digital Playground consists of this:
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## 2 or 3 Nintendo Ds' running homebrew software such as NitroTracker, BlipTracker, or Axe, which will then be combined with the use of the Korg Ds-10 synthesiser.
## An Ipod Touch that uses the iGuitar and iBass, as well as any other music programs that are available on the portable device.
## A Digital Drumset that will allow a band to play anywhere in the dead of winter, reduce volume, and easily record/rehearse without microphones
## A Nord Wave Synth made by Clavia to enhance the synthy-ness of the songs
## Two electric guitar players to give it some rock
## An electric bassist to fill in the low notes, and add to the bass drum.
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With this setup a band will be able to play and record anywhere, anytime, and at any volume. By simply routing everything through a mixer during rehearsal, we will be able to separate all the tracks, output the mix through a headphone amp, and upload the recorded practice to the internet after rehearsal.
The greatest aspect of this concoction is the use of memory card data. The Ds uses memory cards that allows information to be transferred between them. Thus, this wil allow each member to make his own piece, upload it to a ftp server, and then have other band members work out a full part or add a little tidbit every now and then. Thus, there will be no limit to how many songs a band can write while eating ramen noodles, and there will be no frustration about composition. Band members will not need to physically meet, and when they do they will have material ready to go.
The only issue is the use of different operating systems and recording software. Yet, this can be combated by rendering each track to whatever file format is needed by the user's operating system and uploading those files to a individual directory on a ftp server. The only trick is that only one person can work on someone else's track when approved by an administrator, otherwise you will have multiple versions of a song.
That's all my ideas so far for the Digital Playground.
10/13/08
Donations page has been validated. Make a donation if you'd like.
10/10/08
New music has been added to the MP3 section. Check it out.
10/8/08
MP3 Section up and working perfectly, there will no longer be any .wma file formats
10/8/08
Rebuilding the mp3 download section
-some songs were only half converted to mp3 format; thus you only got half of the song in all reality.
*got some freeware programs to combat this
Looking to add more downloads in the near future.
Kaufman.
