lotusCast - The official blog & podcast from lotuspike

Snow on April 24? Don’t worry! Be Happy!

So I finally upgraded my version of Ableton Live, which I have been lovingly crafting some sketches for my upcoming project.

So, I am finding that upgrading, before it feels beneficial, can be somewhat disturbing and can really, really suck.

I upgraded to a newer version, while still not the latest (v. 4.0.4) , it is newer, and was alleged to fix a clicking / static noise issue with ReWire and MIDI controller movements. In doing so, not only did it not do anything to solve my issues, but now ReWire fails to work at all. Nice.

This is the error I got >

if anyone has any insight, feel free to have at it.

More later after I get things moving again.

DP

It’s been a while since we added to the blog. Sorry to add to it with a rant…

I am mixing a few things as I approach a CD project, and so far it pretty much is the hardest damn thing i’ve ever attemtped music-wise.

Not sure why i’m struggling this much this time around…it’s not as if I haven’t done this before.

Jeff took a listen and we both agreed it still needs some EQ work and the mix is all up front. Jeff suggested maybe splitting the stereo audio to independent monos to create some more spatial presence. Overall, I have to rip it apart and start again to make room for everthing where it sits more comfortably.


Here is a sample of what i’ve got >

So, yesterday morning when I was driving into work, I was listening to some music that was really well mixed. This got me thinking about making a list of my “favorite mixes”; i.e., albums that I think are exemplary in mix quality. I’ve started a list here. If you read this and want to add some of your own, please feel free to use the comments on this post.

• Peter Gabriel: So, Passion
  
• Steve Roach: Mantram
  
• Robert Rich: Bestiary
  
• nine inch nails: The Fragile
  
• Fluke: Risotto
  
• The Art of Noise: In No Sense? Nonsense! (probably the oldest item on the list)
  
• Fleetwood Mac: Rumours (whoops, no! much older than TAoN…)
  
• Madonna: Ray of Light
  

These are albums that, in my opinion, are so well-recorded that they’re interesting to listen to even if they’re not your favorite style of music (although I note that I’ve chosen albums on which I actually do like the music…). These are seductive recordings — I don’t mean musically seductive, Barry White-type seductive, but I mean that the recording is so good that the sound seduces you into attentive listening.

You decide. On the left: Jerome Bettis. On the right: Marvin Gaye.

OK, so here are the “founders’ picks”, or “recent favorites”, which we would say we’ve have been listening to most recently - most of them released fairly recently (in the last year…or so) :

DANIEL:

Steve Roach and Vir Unis - Blood Machine
Ian Boddy - Chiasmata
Steve Roach - Life Sequence
Numina - Sanctuary of Dreams
Brian Eno & J Peter Schwalm - Drawn From Life
Adham Shaikh - Fusion
Eno/Budd - The Pearl
H.U.V.A Network - Distances
AES DANA - [ Memory Shell ]
Robert Rich - Open Window

I find that my listening goes in phases. One week, nothing electronic or ambient at all, other times only radio streams (OEM RADIO, Groove Salad (somaFM), Drone Zone (somaFM), Digitally Imported - Chillout), and other times nothing at all. There always seems to be jazz around…Coltrane (naturally), Ella Fitzgerald, Hancock, and plenty of old school. Even some Charlie Parker (I highly recommend Birdland NYC 1949)

However, if you ask me what’s in my most recently played items in iTunes today, that list above is a safe bet.

…back to the grind.


JEFF:

These are the CDS that stood out to me this year. I will say that this has been a surprisingly “quiet” year for music. There wasn’t a whole lot jumping out at me as “WOW”. Nonetheless, these CD’s deserve merit.

Chad Hoefler -Twilight in the Offing [hypnos]
Roach/Sellig/Metcalf - Mantram [projekt]
Darshan Ambient - Autumn’s Apple
Patrick O’Hearn - Beautiful World [self-relelase]
Robert Rich - Open Window [self release]
Numina-Sanctuary of Dreams [hypnos]
Arc - Blaze [DiN]
Adham Shaikh - Fusion [self release]
Steve Roach - Life sequence [self release]
Ian Boddy - Chiasmata [DiN]
Lanterna - Highways [self release]

For myself… I only listen to what Daniel tells me to listen to.

So, after nearly hurting myself trying to sort this out…I’ve done it! I found a way to blog these images from the Inaugural lotuspike event @ the Mattress Factory from January 7, 2005.

For those who might be curious and could not be there, this is what it looked like:

I’ll begin my blog entries with a quick review of something non-musical…homebrewed beer.

My wife gave me my first homebrew kit for Christmas this year, and we are just now, this evening, tasting it after three weeks of fermenting and priming. Do we need a food and drink area for this stuff?

Anyway, here are the tasting notes :

Tasting notes (by Erica De Angelis) :
The fizzing sound started with the slightest (less than an 1/8) twist of the cap, and the smell of the beer was noticeable immediately after. My bottle didn’t have much fizz, but the flavor was semi-sharp, although it never made the entire journey to crisp, and the smooth texture (Guinness-y) finish started too soon after the sharpness ended. I liked the smell, loved the flavor and appreciated the amber color but it was a bit flat at the finish.

Tasting notes (by Daniel Pipitone) :
While I know for a fact that each bottle was carefully primed with an equal amount of sugar, there was substantially less carbonation in the bottle I opened, versus the bottle Erica opened. While the aroma was nice, a bit strong, and hoppy, it seemed over-carbonated. The taste was downright fruity, or so it seemed, although not crisp. A tiny bit flat with “chunky” large carbonation. Smooth, pleasant taste at room temperature. Being that this is my first homebrew experiment, and one bottle was just right and the other not quite right, I have hope.