Monday, June 25, 2012

The Joys of the Software Synthesizer

 
Listening to some of my older tracks - available on Bandcamp - I'm often taken aback how how well they sound.  Yeah, it isn't musical genius, but there are some flashes of brilliance shining through my limited technology and keyboard prowess.  It seems that the more I play, the more I get a feel for what sounds right.  My latest tracks are just stronger and more interesting.  I can only hope that this trend continues as I try to make more and more complicated compositions.

But what has really surprised me lately is the new direction I've taken.  I normally am a hardware guy, being old enough to remember the days when playing music was expensive.  But now with Apps, Midi keyboards, and cheap computer interface boxes, it's possible to create without such a high entry price.  Sure, this allows more and more people to put out music - much like ebooks, websites, and blogging - but hey, down with the gatekeepers!  Up with People!  Or something like that.

Anyways, I've recently been playing with iPad software synths - Camel Audio Alchemy, DM1 drum machine, and Rebirth - along with a iRig to connect to my Akai MINIAK.  I've been taken aback how easy and powerful these tools are.  And the prices allow one to buy several bits of software, all at a price lower than a single DSI Mopho.  Sure, the pure analog sound of the Mopho has a strong appeal, but especially in the world of recording and added effects, such hardware - especially at the price - isn't always needed for the best sound.

More tracks coming soon.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

A New Project Communique Song



A different direction here: DM1 drum machine, Alchemy synth, and the DSI Mopho are multi-tracked to make this short dance/trance thang. A little Tangerine Dream still manages to bubble under the surface...

Friday, June 1, 2012

"New" Book now published on Amazon

  

This is a re-write of "Of Ghosts & Gunpowder" with a new title and cover, and some further changes to the content.  With the success of Headline on Amazon's Select KDP, I thought it best to take my favorite work and try once again to break it into the market.  The original "Of Ghosts and Gunpowder" will no longer be available from any retailer.

Starting on Saturday, June 2nd, Horror America will be available for Free.  This special promotion will only last four days, so have at it.
Move over Sherlock Holmes! When the supernatural game's afoot, helpless people call on the good Dr. Townsend to save them. Ghosts, the undead, werewolves, and more horrors that man was not meant to see are loose in 1870s America, so it's up to Captain Parker, a gunslinger for hire, and Dr. Townsend to stop the horror. Yet when Townsend's beautiful daughter falls under the spell of a mysterious suitor, their fortitude will be tested in a battle like no other. Written in a series of connected short stories narrated by Parker, this novel will keep you turning pages late into the night.