notetoself.net

One touch Betamax to HD-DVD converter

it has an unexpected feature. from thinkgeek. http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/betamaxhd.html?cpg=70H

stocking up on coffee this week

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i’ve nearly completed learning and configuring freenas for my home fileserver. i’m trying to move my noisy drives away from my room but still access them from my mac, squeeze-devices, and stepmania console. it’s finicky getting the various protocols all up and talking at the same time. spent a few hours last night trying to get a *UCKING windows NIC driver to work.) ..already sounding like a mac fanboy)

trying to sound fairly respectable on the maple leaf rag to record tonight on a mutual deadline with an old piano friend.

photo shoot tomorrow night for skunk art.

wednesday night … none of your business.

friday night, joining a group to shoot for the 48 hour film project with a break sat night to ride alpha-mission with scul.

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oh man, i have johnson envy.

it’s battery powered!

i really do want an old casio. i like the 4 bit sounds.

the headless donkey is scary and i want to ride it

it freaks me out the most while it is scrambling over ice.

http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/03/science-creates.html

analog wins today

my old ARP Omni-2 sounds really good to me. i’ve been playing with new synths alot for the past few weeks.. mostly just listening to the preset patches and doing some basic tweaking… and it wears on my ears somewhat. most of it hasn’t been inspiring. i just found some samples of my old ARP (which i sold on craigslist for less $ than the audio cables i use on the new synths), and the sound is more rich by a level of magnitude. it was pure analog with lots of noise from the old, dirty circuits. the sound was more complex, warm, organic and tangible. each development in modulation sounded more like experiencing a sunset over the pacific than merely seeing it in a home theater as a wireframe 3d animation like my virtual analog synths produce.

damn.

the jigsaw of electronic audio synthesis is coming together for me

it’s at that point in putting together a puzzle that there are enough pieces connected that the speed in placing the rest is logarithmically faster. i’ve got LFOs modulating my FM noise and filter resonance overdriving my oscillators.

this pretty toy comes in on thursday.

PCM audio

this is fun. here’s the PCM signal from my computer’s digital output. it’s nice to watch it flowing by, knowing how the signal is decoded. looks nicely non-distorted too, but the scope isn’t high resolution. someone recently told me that, across the sciences, a wave is a wave is a wave. the understanding that i gained of signal distortion and types of data transmission from some semi-advanced wireless networking classes is rolling over to analog and digital audio. next, i’ll compare the signal output from a cheap and expensive DAC.

we’re basically on the same wavelength

here’s my frequency.

i got a new toy.

synthiness

the pendulum of my attention seems to have swung back to synths for now. i’m focusing on learning FM synthesis now, and i’m thinking about putting together a modular system (although i have no XP with that yet). there are some diy kits for modules, and i am also learning electronics at the same time….. probably a good way to go. the nord stage synth section will do for now along with various VSTs. i have a PC based oscilloscope coming in next week, and that will give me visual and numeric reference to the perty sounds i’m making.

all my building projects and geek hobbies are taking all my time. that’s ok. i’ve had enough social life for uhh… a lifetime. the coming of spring will probably undo all that focus, so i’m just going with it for now.

geek overload

i’m using my olpc at the frostbite auction. geeks all around me lounging on whatever furniture-ish spot available. we’re maxing out a few access points, all bidding against each other with dunkin “coffee” in hand. one guy is standing with a matrix trenchcoat with a laptop in his backpack, handheld/presentation mouse, and VR goggles. i think he wins. gamache is still building the auction site as we use it. i’m browsing lots and suddenly there’s a search box!

coffee coffee coffee