Saying reverb is important to music production is like saying that Jesus is “kind of popular”: the level of passion can’t be stated plainly; it demands some sort of humorous understatement. So, as I’ve just finished a tune-up on my custom spring reverb, I figured I’d write about it! I previously covered Impulse Reverb (a.k.a. […]
As sure as rain will fall, stated tech specs invariably inflate what the product can do. Various features are fonted and gaslit with a knowing wink, then vaporize as soon as the rubber hits the road — Oh. That’s not what I thought that meant. Other woes belched from the from the technology horn include, […]
With all the groundwork laid out the previous time, ’twas time to actually start making things more useful! I decided to add a gate input, so I could sync the SK-1 to my other gear… and to build a breakout box for the port I added last time… click on for more.
Recently, I moved. Re-building my setup in a differently-shaped space has caused me to evaluate things much more consciously. I found myself coming back to an idea I’d had a year or two ago: Foot pedals for the computer. My wrists go carpal mashing the shift key while coding or playing games, while my feet […]
This is part of a series of posts about the Casio SK-1. For more, see the introduction page. Stage One: I Accidentally A Pattern (Intro) I’d had a long day at the office. I wanted to mess about with some music stuff, but I figured I was too wiped for any sort of serious effort. […]
The Casio SK-1 is a sampler. Press a button and yell into its mic, and it will staidly BLARP, indicating it has stored your exclamation. Either that, or it will crash and not BLARP. If it doesn’t crash, you can then play your voice on the keyboard: it shifts the pitch to match the notes. […]
Manuals, by and large, deserve their terrible reputation… but, some are hidden gems. Don’t miss them.
The big manufacturers of music equipment (such as Roland, Korg, and Yamaha) have been increasingly dissapointing to synth-heads over the last few years. I outline why I think this is, and find a few rays of hope.
GAS — Gear Acquisition Syndrome — is a situation in which an electronic musician acquires way more equipment than (s)he needs. In this post, I attempt to break it down into phases. Plan your angle of attack so you can avoid GAS!
More and more these days, you hear about people turning to Circuit Bending for strange and unique sounds. Synth Do-It-Yourself (building your own music electronics) is the step after Circuit Bending. Are either worth the effort? What sort of ROI do you get? Where to start?