...dreams, schemes & the pursuit of that which gleams√
Here are some projects I'm working on... or at least mulling over. Any thoughts you might have are likely of interest...
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Modular Analogue Synthesizer...
Here's my schematic for a Eurorack format Modular Analogue Synthesizer.
It's a 3 VCO, 3 ADSR, 3 VCF, 6 LFO* concept... relying entirely on Modules manufactured by our friends over at Pittsburgh Modular:
It's a 3 VCO, 3 ADSR, 3 VCF, 6 LFO* concept... relying entirely on Modules manufactured by our friends over at Pittsburgh Modular:
...below are some details from above, showing the two stages of this design.
...as well as the controls of the ADSR, VCO, VCF & LFO
I've found a few places that sell Modules online. But even better, there's a brick & mortar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn!!!
I don't live that far from the 5 Boroughs & will actually be headed down that way in early September. I CERTAINLY intend on dropping in on these folks√
That was part of the motivation behind hooking up this page. If I'm down there with some questions,
I can reference the design above. Now I've just got to find a steady place to hang my hat & save
up $2600! Hahaha! :P ...& actually, the plans I've posted here rely on this desktop style case:
I can reference the design above. Now I've just got to find a steady place to hang my hat & save
up $2600! Hahaha! :P ...& actually, the plans I've posted here rely on this desktop style case:
It would probably be a good idea to buy a case like this instead. One that I can more easily transport:
I use Reason for nearly everything I do & since Propellerhead introduced "External MIDI Instruments", this idea has become more & more appealing:
If I can ever get it together & start actually building this thing, I'll post the progress here!
*VCO = Voltage Controlled Oscillator, VCF = Voltage Controlled Filter, VCA = Voltage Controlled Amplifer, ADSR = Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release ( also referred to as "Envelope" )
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
My friend Matt sold me this desk & a really cool, 70s Steelcase style chair ( it may, in fact be Steelcase? )...
...the desk was in SUPER abandoned condition when I got it, but I really like the chair. I knew I needed a desk & figured it would be fun to paint it.
The idea has been in my head since I made the purchase, like 2 years ago :P I'm just now getting around to manifesting it. The paint is mostly stuff I salvaged. As such it's really watery. This is taking forever. Luckily the victim of my living room takeover has been exceedingly patient√
...the desk was in SUPER abandoned condition when I got it, but I really like the chair. I knew I needed a desk & figured it would be fun to paint it.
The idea has been in my head since I made the purchase, like 2 years ago :P I'm just now getting around to manifesting it. The paint is mostly stuff I salvaged. As such it's really watery. This is taking forever. Luckily the victim of my living room takeover has been exceedingly patient√
This is what it all looked like when I bought it...
...yeah, the desk was pretty ate up!
These days, it's been more "ate on"...
The chair was good though :]
...I'm sitting in it right now√
...but I digress
So I started off by priming the thing, cause it was a wreck.
I'm using mask in hopes of keeping my edges straight & in an attempt to ensure they line up ( top & bottom ).
Surprisingly, it seems pretty straight ( pats self on back :P ).
...yeah, I mentioned that the paint was super watery garbage, right?
....these pictures are not of the 1st coat :[
They might even be the 4th!
Actually, probably only the 3rd. I've done at least one since though!
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
I scored a Tube Driven Wollensak T1500! Now what they hell do I do with it?! :P
My Brother was cleaning out a basement for some old folks & I guess the gent used to be a freelance producer of audio for radio commercials & the like. My Brother said the guy was in his eighties. So, I'd imagine he's been at it since at least the mid 50's.
Judging by this piece of equipment, assuming he bought it new... he was recording in the early sixties. I'm not sure exactly what will come of it, I don't even know if I can get tape for it. As a matter of fact, it might be broken ...but I figured it would at least be a good idea to document this arcane contraption! Ladies & Gentlemen, I present to you... the Wollensak T1500 Reel to Reel Tape Recorder:
My Brother was cleaning out a basement for some old folks & I guess the gent used to be a freelance producer of audio for radio commercials & the like. My Brother said the guy was in his eighties. So, I'd imagine he's been at it since at least the mid 50's.
Judging by this piece of equipment, assuming he bought it new... he was recording in the early sixties. I'm not sure exactly what will come of it, I don't even know if I can get tape for it. As a matter of fact, it might be broken ...but I figured it would at least be a good idea to document this arcane contraption! Ladies & Gentlemen, I present to you... the Wollensak T1500 Reel to Reel Tape Recorder:
Everything SEEMS to work... now I've got to track down some tape, a Dynamic Mic & an XLR to 1/4 cable. Then I'll be able to make some test recordings. I hope the Tubes are functional. I'd imagine they could be pretty hard to replace. You probably can't even get them new any more. I might wind up trolling Flea Markets & E-Bay before too long! This seems like a can of worms... but it would be really nice to be able to record to tape! We'll see what happens. I'll keep you posted√
...here's a gang of photos I snapped when the light was real nice :]
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Still painting the desk! ( ...& quite a ways to go!!! )
I'm almost done with the base layer ( Brown, Grey & Khaki ), but I'm working with at least 3 more colors. They will be odd width stripes, breaking up these existing ones. I'm going to start with Yellow over the Brown, Orange over the Grey & Red over the Khaki. Which in this picture is nearly indistinguishable from the original off White primer I laid down. Check further back, for images of the desk before I added the Grey. Those provide a more accurate depiction of it's hue.
So, of course I'm going to have to re-tape the whole thing to accommodate the new stripes. As the Warm Colors seem to be notoriously thin pigments, I imagine that phase will take even longer!
I'm almost done with the base layer ( Brown, Grey & Khaki ), but I'm working with at least 3 more colors. They will be odd width stripes, breaking up these existing ones. I'm going to start with Yellow over the Brown, Orange over the Grey & Red over the Khaki. Which in this picture is nearly indistinguishable from the original off White primer I laid down. Check further back, for images of the desk before I added the Grey. Those provide a more accurate depiction of it's hue.
So, of course I'm going to have to re-tape the whole thing to accommodate the new stripes. As the Warm Colors seem to be notoriously thin pigments, I imagine that phase will take even longer!
The Grey is a bit better though. It's Behr "Porch & Floor", which I actually purchased. As opposed to finding in some basement.
This is only the first coat!
Not sure if this is the second or third.
If it looks streaky, that's cause it's still wet.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
I've set to work making videos for my currently released albums...
I was originally thinking I would do a video for each tune, on each release. But as I'm only getting started on the 7th tune of an album I released in April of 2011... & there are 13 more releases... it's looking like that's kind of a tall order! We'll see. Anyhow, here's the 1st 6 tunes from "Alone in the Dark at the Kitchen Table" ( it contains 8 tracks in total ), which... of course, you can download, in it's entirety for $1 @ Caalamus.BandCamp.com.
Or you could OBVIOUSLY just watch it on my YouTube channel. Which may be more sensible... since stupid YouTube makes it impossible to share a playlist... & instead, I have to post all six videos individually :[ Kinda silly.
( YouTube.com/CaalamusTube )
Track 1 "Min Kvinde Tværs der Havet" from "Alone in the Dark at the Kitchen Table" by Caalamus
I was originally thinking I would do a video for each tune, on each release. But as I'm only getting started on the 7th tune of an album I released in April of 2011... & there are 13 more releases... it's looking like that's kind of a tall order! We'll see. Anyhow, here's the 1st 6 tunes from "Alone in the Dark at the Kitchen Table" ( it contains 8 tracks in total ), which... of course, you can download, in it's entirety for $1 @ Caalamus.BandCamp.com.
Or you could OBVIOUSLY just watch it on my YouTube channel. Which may be more sensible... since stupid YouTube makes it impossible to share a playlist... & instead, I have to post all six videos individually :[ Kinda silly.
( YouTube.com/CaalamusTube )
Track 1 "Min Kvinde Tværs der Havet" from "Alone in the Dark at the Kitchen Table" by Caalamus
Track 2 "Arto Lindsay is High" from "Alone in the Dark at the Kitchen Table" by Caalamus
Track 3 "My Brother's Keeper" from "Alone in the Dark at the Kitchen Table" by Caalamus
Track 4 "Suspicious Machinations" from "Alone in the Dark at the Kitchen Table" by Caalamus
Track 5 "Elliptical Orbits" from "Alone in the Dark at the Kitchen Table" by Caalamus
Track 6 "the Transfiguration of Karen Nelson" from "Alone in the Dark at the Kitchen Table" by Caalamus
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Guess what?!
I'm STILL painting the desk! Hahahahaha! ...& probably will be for a while longer, as I have other things to do with me life. Also, I live with my Brother & although he says he doesn't mind... I've decided only to monopolize the living room when he's gone for the weekend or whatever. I am making some progress. But it's slow going. I was COMPLETELY right about the Orange being translucent ( that's what I'm working on now). The Red & Yellow were
surprisingly creamy√ ( that's the step I just finished )
I'm STILL painting the desk! Hahahahaha! ...& probably will be for a while longer, as I have other things to do with me life. Also, I live with my Brother & although he says he doesn't mind... I've decided only to monopolize the living room when he's gone for the weekend or whatever. I am making some progress. But it's slow going. I was COMPLETELY right about the Orange being translucent ( that's what I'm working on now). The Red & Yellow were
surprisingly creamy√ ( that's the step I just finished )
...here's what the Khaki/Grey/Brown phase wound up looking like
...after I took off the tape.
In the end, the lines are pretty straight & there's little bleed :]
So I re-taped it all...
& set to work on the Red/Orange/Yellow phase.
But I forgot to clean one of the brushes. So, I had to wait overnight for it to dry.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
I just released this album yesterday...
A bit of a departure from my normal, Rhythm based stuff... focusing instead on Drone,
Musique Concrète, Soundscapes, ect. Have a listen you might like it. It's a free download√
Musique Concrète, Soundscapes, ect. Have a listen you might like it. It's a free download√
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Here's something I've been working on, in one form or another... since 2006.
...it's my first Vocal oriented, Singer/SongWriter type project :]
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Here's an update on that desk...
It's almost done! ...er, well it's as done as it's going to get for now. There's only a little bit of the drawer left to be painted. Actually... I've been using it for so long that I need to retouch it now :P I don't have any pictures of it completely painted... or as I said, complete save for the drawer. But here's the latest photos I've got.
It's almost done! ...er, well it's as done as it's going to get for now. There's only a little bit of the drawer left to be painted. Actually... I've been using it for so long that I need to retouch it now :P I don't have any pictures of it completely painted... or as I said, complete save for the drawer. But here's the latest photos I've got.
This is the final taping phase where all of the colors were near complete. It only ever had the Brown/Grey/Khaki base & the Yellow/Orange/Red stripes.
As I said, there are no shots of it peeled... & now I've been sitting at it for so long that it needs a rather serious retouch. But I'll post some current shots before too awful long. Maybe in the spring, when I'm getting ready to take it out on the balcony & clean up the lines... finish the drawer. There it is√
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
This is the finished Prerelease of my second Full Length Album!
The writing is all finished. The Track order decided. Now all I've got to do is finish up the packaging... oh yeah & "master" it!!!! :[
GUH! I have no idea what that really even means!?! ...& what I do understand... makes it seem as though my attempts shall indeed be an exercise in futility without a proper room & a Reproduction Chain FAR superior to that which I can afford. Although, I do now own some Presonus Eris E 4.5 Monitors & a pair of Audio Technica ATH M50x Headphones! So, at the very least ...I can bounce the stems, give it a better mix, tame some peaks... hopefully getting the whole affair a bit louder... & then set all the tracks to a consistent level.
The writing is all finished. The Track order decided. Now all I've got to do is finish up the packaging... oh yeah & "master" it!!!! :[
GUH! I have no idea what that really even means!?! ...& what I do understand... makes it seem as though my attempts shall indeed be an exercise in futility without a proper room & a Reproduction Chain FAR superior to that which I can afford. Although, I do now own some Presonus Eris E 4.5 Monitors & a pair of Audio Technica ATH M50x Headphones! So, at the very least ...I can bounce the stems, give it a better mix, tame some peaks... hopefully getting the whole affair a bit louder... & then set all the tracks to a consistent level.
...I have to say, the work I've done in these new monitors is sounding WORLDS better! So, I'm hopeful as per the results of my first "mastering" project.
I should also mention... in case you're one of the 3 people that read this, a similar looking post was further up the page until like 45 minutes ago. Those versions of the tracks were older & some of them not even finished in the writing stage.
Thanks for listening!
I should also mention... in case you're one of the 3 people that read this, a similar looking post was further up the page until like 45 minutes ago. Those versions of the tracks were older & some of them not even finished in the writing stage.
Thanks for listening!