tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36875112011-11-27T19:06:26.974-06:00News, software reviews, production tips, and rambling opinions <br> from 11011011, an obscure electronic musician.11011011http://www.blogger.com/profile/05472906212338283647noreply@blogger.comBlogger131100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687511.post-16557793168170956352008-06-02T23:28:00.001-05:002008-06-02T23:28:53.530-05:00

So this is what I get for taking a music break. At some point a while back, I blindly said "OK" to installing a new AirPort driver patch for Mac OSX. Seemed innocent enough.Flash forward to yesterday. Pretty much all of my demo tracks and works in progress in Ableton Live were making crappy static and buzzing noises. Like, speaker-breaking grade chop.Turns out, it was the little driver from

11011011http://www.blogger.com/profile/05472906212338283647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687511.post-56013332819395027412008-06-01T00:30:00.001-05:002008-06-01T00:30:51.768-05:00

It's a brand new year, and I've produced nothing cohesive enough musically to try and post. I've been in the process of dialing back all the virtual gear I use to minimize the knob fiddling off and on for about six months now, and it's paying off. The challenge now is to find quiet time to take some cool random bits of sound and turn them into something musical. This is a pretty typical hurdle

11011011http://www.blogger.com/profile/05472906212338283647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687511.post-74578265389519096492007-03-05T14:03:00.000-06:002008-05-31T19:36:20.109-05:00

1. Start with a MIDI clip of a drum beat (this is the only MIDI clip you'll need!)2. Run it through two different drum machines, or at least two different drum sound patches (any drum plugin which uses, say, C1 as the 1st sound, D1 as the second, etc)3. Put some heavy effects on the second patch, like an envelope filter, bit reduction -- whatever sounds edgy to you4. Run the same pattern through

11011011http://www.blogger.com/profile/05472906212338283647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687511.post-55140764774473327502007-03-02T01:50:00.000-06:002007-03-05T15:38:17.297-06:00

Ok, I updated my 11011011 logo gear store. For now, I'm using CafePress, trying it out again. It's been some years since I used their services (six to be exact), so let's see how they do. One thing I love is they have black shirts now. Excellent! Go check it out (don't download the CD tho, it's for me to play with -- there's only one track).Visit the 11011011 store at CafePress!

11011011http://www.blogger.com/profile/05472906212338283647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687511.post-25957983951767673382007-02-25T15:36:00.000-06:002007-03-02T02:49:53.316-06:00

Why is it that the progressive rock band Yes is always identified as "the progressive rock band Yes"? What makes them so special? Why do they get that privilege? Where are all the other "progressive" rock bands?While I'm at it, why does iTunes put so many artists in the "alternative" genre? It's supposed to be stuff with distorted guitars, emotionally detached singers, and two note chords over a

11011011http://www.blogger.com/profile/05472906212338283647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687511.post-56387634109866278322007-02-25T15:02:00.000-06:002007-03-02T02:51:23.915-06:00

So, I think ther must be some gunk undr my laptop kybrd which is keeping me from accurately typing crucial letter. This is cmpounded by my innat inability to spel and my occasional fumbled keystroles which produce the wrong ketter entirelu. Even worse, Blogr doesn't support inline spellchacking for Safari, my favite interweb browser. So I'm sp screwed.

11011011http://www.blogger.com/profile/05472906212338283647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687511.post-61236137796855648572007-02-25T14:16:00.000-06:002007-02-25T15:02:29.911-06:00

An olde video from Olde English Comedy.These guys are almost Kids in the Hall funny. But with less men in dresses. Unfortuntely. Because who doesn't like that? I know I do. And how.

11011011http://www.blogger.com/profile/05472906212338283647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687511.post-71360480486983107992007-02-24T17:29:00.000-06:002007-02-24T18:21:00.497-06:00

Just an angry, angry dude making an ad to sell campers.I swear I had this guy as a coach in high school. Of course, where I went to school they had coaches teaching civics and health. Which might explain why I'm such an unhealthy slacker.

11011011http://www.blogger.com/profile/05472906212338283647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687511.post-60179338181835025642007-02-23T13:20:00.000-06:002007-02-23T13:47:38.733-06:00

I can't say enough about this quirky little thing. It makes no pretense whatsoever about "realistic" drum sounds. It's pure digital, and I absolutely love it.Put out by Sonic Charge and priced US$89 for download or US$129 for a unique package, it was just outside my impulse buy sweet spot, but it was worth it.It's extremely versatile. In addition to percussive sounds, I've been using it to make

11011011http://www.blogger.com/profile/05472906212338283647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687511.post-64574658935822279392007-02-23T02:07:00.000-06:002007-03-02T02:51:10.347-06:00

The alert reader will notice a bit of a gap in this blog. I've spent the last few years moving musically, technically and geographically. It's been a hell of a ride, and I'm finally settled in with my new studio and am freshly inspired. Hopefully the next entry will show up in less than five years.

11011011http://www.blogger.com/profile/05472906212338283647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687511.post-799523502002-08-07T16:06:00.000-05:002007-09-19T17:15:10.486-05:00

Oh, now that I'm hot to get this rich, choral sounding pad synth, the author (Big Tick) goes on holiday! I hate waiting. Go check it out, but don't get hooked for a few weeks, because the demo won't save presets:Big Tick Audio SoftwareFor only US$39, this thing is golden. But, like Big Tick's freeware 'Cheese Machine', it'll seem quiet. Be patient, and crank up the volume in your mixer. Worth a

11011011http://www.blogger.com/profile/05472906212338283647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687511.post-799521682002-08-07T16:02:00.000-05:002007-09-19T17:15:10.496-05:00

Sonic Syndicate (now known as Synapse Audio Software) makes a VSTi synth that, frankly, had been becoming a big disappointment to me. When I bought it, I was completely smitten with some of the sounds it made. Excellent quality, with big fatness like you want a synth to have. The problem? Taming the beast to fit into a song was nontrivial.I started playing with it again last night, and discovered

11011011http://www.blogger.com/profile/05472906212338283647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3687511.post-799049392002-08-06T15:11:00.000-05:002007-09-19T17:15:10.509-05:00

Quick take: A small, fast, flexible electric guitar synthesizer. Totally worth trying the demo and probably worth the US$59 to buy your own copy.http://www.refx.net/products/Slayer.htmOkay, this is an interesting beast. There have been a lot of attempts to capture the essense of an electric guitar in a digital synthsizer and only recently do we have a couple of serious contenders. Slayer is one

11011011http://www.blogger.com/profile/05472906212338283647noreply@blogger.com0