I do hope this isn't accurate: # Started working on the RSS feed for Carousel. All the basics are done but I need to work out how I'm going to handle permalinks seeing as there is only one page and different posts are just items in a list. 🤔 Well, that didn't take long to … | Continue reading
Chris mentioned that he is reluctant to create a blogroll in case he 'might offend someone if I don't include them' or later removes them. I think this is where the 'readroll' concept (that's what I'm going to start calling it) is good as you're just listing what you read. This i … | Continue reading
There has been a lot of talk recently about blogrolls, they seem to be making a comeback. That's good! As always, Dave Winer is taking a 'fresh look' over at blogroll.social by combining a roll with a feed reader. Rather than just seeing a list of blogs you can drill down to see … | Continue reading
# I've taken the first steps towards making a blog based on Sparks. It has become a full page carousel in which you swipe left & right to view different posts. Here's a first look: Can't see the video? Click here to watch... As with my other platforms, double-click a post when lo … | Continue reading
I've taken the first steps towards making a blog based on Sparks. It has become a full page carousel in which you swipe left & right to view different posts. Here's a first look: Can't see the video? Click here to watch... As with my other platforms, double-click a post when logg … | Continue reading
# I'm still curious as to what a blog based on the Sparks concept might be like. Perhaps the biggest issue is if a carousel for previous posts would be practical, would it scale? Maybe it could load incrementally as you scroll. 🤔 I started thinking about a blog entirely b … | Continue reading
I'm still curious as to what a blog based on the Sparks concept might be like. Perhaps the biggest issue is if a carousel for previous posts would be practical, would it scale? Maybe it could load incrementally as you scroll. 🤔 I started thinking about a blog entirely bas … | Continue reading
# As was the case back in 2022, I was referred to occupational health by my line manager for an initial consultation on my health issues (physical and mental) and how it is impacting me at work. That call was on Wednesday. It was scheduled for an hour but we overran because a lot … | Continue reading
As was the case back in 2022, I was referred to occupational health by my line manager for an initial consultation on my health issues (physical and mental) and how it is impacting me at work. That call was on Wednesday. It was scheduled for an hour but we overran because a lot h … | Continue reading
# After another break, I've been wanting to come back to the blog but been struggling with what to write, what to say. It's all seemed a bit pointless but I know that writing is part of how I deal with things so I should get back on the horse. I thought I'd trick myself into it b … | Continue reading
After another break, I've been wanting to come back to the blog but been struggling with what to write, what to say. It's all seemed a bit pointless but I know that writing is part of how I deal with things so I should get back on the horse. I thought I'd trick myself into it by … | Continue reading
There were no posts on 20/03/2024 | Continue reading
There were no posts on 19/03/2024 | Continue reading
There were no posts on 18/03/2024 | Continue reading
There were no posts on 17/03/2024 | Continue reading
There were no posts on 16/03/2024 | Continue reading
I'm annoyed at myself. In the rush to get the track up last night I broke my golden rule: listen to it in at least three places. I didn't and then realised after uploading that it didn't sound great. I'm still getting used to to mastering in Ableton Live but that's no excuse for … | Continue reading
Just managed to get the new track go/no go up while it was still 303 day. Mad moment of panic as I realised a channel has accidentally got muted after I uploaded the audio so had to redo it. | Continue reading
Happy 303 day! I'd love to get the new idea finished today in honour of the day but not sure if I'll have time. #acid | Continue reading
Getting reacquainted with an old friend over lunch. | Continue reading
So, scleritis was confirmed. Swelling within the eyeball, photosensitivity, pain just moving the eye. I'm on two lots of drops — one lot of steroids to heal the eye and another lot to dilate the pupil so that it doesn't get 'stuck'. This makes it a bit weird when one eye is blurr … | Continue reading
What's a guy to do when sat in the waiting room of the Rapid Assessment Unit of the Lancashire Eye Centre apart from make stuff live on Bandcamp. They use the term "rapid assessment" very loosely. A couple of days ago I started having issues with my right eye and it felt exactly … | Continue reading
The second track for today is now available: photonik. 134 BPM acid electro banger with a nasty, distorted 808 boom. | Continue reading
The first track of today's double-header is now live on Bandcamp: (r)evolution. It's a 132 BPM rolling acid groove with a dirty Reese bassline. | Continue reading
Looks like the floodgates have opened. It'll be two tracks getting released tomorrow, not just one. Sat down last night and wrote this acid electro banger with that 808 boom! File: photonik_clip.mp3 | Continue reading
I don't do weeknotes, usually because I tend to post quite frequently so would just be repeating myself. That's not been happening so this is whatever it is... Having not written anything on the site for two weeks, blog posts or journal, is a pretty reliable barometer of my menta … | Continue reading
Sleep schedule is a bit messed up — crashed earlier and now up late. I was trying to work on the new track but hitting a bit of a wall, so I started messing around with something a bit different. It's a bit more housey than usual. File: housey.mp3 | Continue reading
Still testing positive today. Not sure if it's covid, the antibiotics I'm on, or a combination of the two, but I have such an awful taste in my mouth. On a positive note, my ears aren't ringing as much today so managed to spend a while working on the latest track. There's a rewor … | Continue reading
Had a dream where I was on a train, going home. A woman was being obnoxiously loud on her phone. "Did my Christmas cards get delivered?" A pause, then "Happy New Year? When am I supposed to give them out?" I. Lost. My. Shit. 🤣 | Continue reading
Went to the doctor earlier and was given different, stronger antibiotics. My chest is mostly clear but I have confirmed sinusitis. She also instructed that I do a covid test as there is a lot of it about and she had her suspicions – that would be why she was wearing a mask and al … | Continue reading
A classic example of my 'binge & dump' behaviour is the web comic Questionable Content. I have been reading it on and off for the past couple of years or so but don't remember how I found it. Someone must have mentioned or linked to it at some point – if that was you, thanks! If … | Continue reading
Just as we thought we were getting over the last bout of symptoms the next nasty cold hit the house. It's aggravated all of the previous symptoms with a vengeance, including my cough, but my wife has it worse than me – probably still a hangover from the sepsis and her body not be … | Continue reading
I'm trying to be good and not obsessively listen to my work in progress on repeat like a crazy person. I'm not crazy, honest. Well, maybe just a little. | Continue reading
Hopefully I've now got the code from my test page working so that links will now get passed as facets to Bluesky. 🤞 | Continue reading
Settling in for a (hopefully) productive session... | Continue reading
The difference in latency between Reason and Ableton Live is crazy. Ableton seems so much more efficient than Reason — with more audio tracks I can still reduce the audio buffer and not have any dropouts. Also did a quick test sending midi from Ableton to the MS-1 and then record … | Continue reading
Ableton Live was getting any sound from the mixer and I thought I was doing something wrong. I completely forgot that this also happened with Reason. Apps need to be granted permission to use the microphone (which includes all audio inputs) but Live hadn't prompted. As previously … | Continue reading
Loving this from Sara Joy: an RSS panel based start page. | Continue reading
Completed the monthly backup ritual this morning. Should anything happen to the site it's good to know that I can fully restore it. In other news, I actually started taking a semi-proper look at Ableton Live earlier. Got a beat and baseline in but it was more about getting used t … | Continue reading
Awful weather, resultant slow traffic, reports of debris on the road, a big accident and subsequent road closures and diversion. 7 hours later... | Continue reading
I'm hoping that an enforced break will mean I return to the new track I'm working on with fresh ears. I've got most of the components worked out [^rb] but need some inspiration for the arrangement and a particular synth section. I'm also in two minds about layering things up. I'm … | Continue reading
At the third time of asking, we're finally going down to Norfolk to see the in-laws tomorrow. We've had to cancel both previous arrangements (mid December and the start of the year) due to illness. While things still aren't 100% we're well enough to make it and there is nothing c … | Continue reading
I've started setting up the newsletter on Buttondown. I thought I'd customise as much as possible (still plowing through) but here are the unsubscribe options: | Continue reading
My mission, should I decided to accept it: reassign all the midi channels on the gear and dive deep into sound design on the MS-1. | Continue reading
Finally got round to updating /music with the most recent gear and an embed for 'Tales from the plastic box'. Also decided to add a wishlist so I can keep track of what I want. I'm definitely sold on the idea of a newsletter so will look to get that set up over the weekend. I ima … | Continue reading
Jim Nielsen writes about the origin of online handles and wondering where they come from. I've written about this in the past but can't find it for some reason, so here it is again. My original blog from 2003 was called 'randomelements' but that wasn't the first time I used the n … | Continue reading
I'm thinking about setting up a newsletter for the music side of things. I'm leaning towards using Buttondown but have had others suggested. What does anyone recommend for clean and ridiculously simple? | Continue reading