Part of an ongoing series detailing my adventures in Malaysia, visiting my wife's family.
Made the requisite pilgrimage to KL tower. At the base, there was a small Gamelan setup, and I was delighted to find musicians playing upon our return to the base. Here is a brief taste of the performance.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Malaysia: Frogs for sale
Went to the outdoor market again this morning. On Wednesday, we observed a different set of merchants including someone who sells fresh frogs.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Malaysia: Rooster
Part of an ongoing series detailing my adventures in Malaysia, visiting my wife's family.
I used to think the world's most useless pet was my cat. We've managed to breed a cat that can't even groom itself. She takes one lick of her mane, gets stuck and looks at me like, "Hey. A little help, here." That is pretty useless. Now, I know a family pet can be both useless and annoying. This is because my wife's mother keeps a rooster at her house. In the city. There are no hens around. The only thing it does is crow at 5:15am.
The last time we visited, the house was protected by a fish. An extremely ugly fish that obviously hated my guts. Every time I came through the front door, the fish would get so angry it would bash its head against the tank over and over, to the point of splashing water over the sides of the tank. This time, I have a rooster.
KL is close to the equator. Sunrise happens at the same time every day. The entire process is a languid affair, taking two hours to achieve full brightness. The chicken is very excited to have guests, so his crowing is even more prolific than usual. We discussed strategies to dampen the noise, such as taping his beak shut or placing him in a small room. I suggested a very small room at 350 degrees for a few hours. Om nom nom.
I used to think the world's most useless pet was my cat. We've managed to breed a cat that can't even groom itself. She takes one lick of her mane, gets stuck and looks at me like, "Hey. A little help, here." That is pretty useless. Now, I know a family pet can be both useless and annoying. This is because my wife's mother keeps a rooster at her house. In the city. There are no hens around. The only thing it does is crow at 5:15am.
The last time we visited, the house was protected by a fish. An extremely ugly fish that obviously hated my guts. Every time I came through the front door, the fish would get so angry it would bash its head against the tank over and over, to the point of splashing water over the sides of the tank. This time, I have a rooster.
KL is close to the equator. Sunrise happens at the same time every day. The entire process is a languid affair, taking two hours to achieve full brightness. The chicken is very excited to have guests, so his crowing is even more prolific than usual. We discussed strategies to dampen the noise, such as taping his beak shut or placing him in a small room. I suggested a very small room at 350 degrees for a few hours. Om nom nom.
Malaysia: Nasi Lemak
Part of an ongoing series detailing my adventures in Malaysia, visiting my wife's family.
Our first morning in Malaysia, the first order of business was to get breakfast, and that obviously meant Nasi Lemak.
Nasi Lemak is primarily coconut milk rice, with cucumber slices, anchovies, peanuts, hard boiled egg, and sambal, all wrapped in wrapped in banana leaf.
The next morning, I had the presence of mind to bring my camera and I took some video of the process. I managed to clumsily edit the result in Quicktime on my Dell Mini 9 and upload the video to vimeo.
Our first morning in Malaysia, the first order of business was to get breakfast, and that obviously meant Nasi Lemak.
Nasi Lemak is primarily coconut milk rice, with cucumber slices, anchovies, peanuts, hard boiled egg, and sambal, all wrapped in wrapped in banana leaf.
The next morning, I had the presence of mind to bring my camera and I took some video of the process. I managed to clumsily edit the result in Quicktime on my Dell Mini 9 and upload the video to vimeo.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Greg Kot's 'Ripped'
I was all set to get out my pitchfork, but it turns out I agree with most of what Greg Kot is saying about the music industry. Mostly, it boils down to the music industry still trying to wish their way back to the old model of doing business, which everyone knows isn't going to happen.
I typed out some of the things I disagreed with, but I decided instead to hit the delete key. I'd rather hear your reaction.
Ironically, I paid for the electronic version of his book Ripped: How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music, from Amazon. Maybe I'll return with a follow up post after I've read the book.
I typed out some of the things I disagreed with, but I decided instead to hit the delete key. I'd rather hear your reaction.
Ironically, I paid for the electronic version of his book Ripped: How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music, from Amazon. Maybe I'll return with a follow up post after I've read the book.
TipTop Audio Z2040
This is a short video demonstrating the TipTop Audio Z2040 filter. I always say short, thinking it would be a 3-4 minute video, but then it turns out to be double that, AFTER I've edited it down.
Demonstration videos are important for things like Euro modules because you usually can't try one out in person before buying it. So, I made a video that somewhat replicates the experience of holding and using the product. It seems strange but you sort of want to see it up close, turn it around in your hand. I hope you find it helpful.
If you're looking for entertainment, the video is a admittedly a bit dry. Towards the end I set up a polyphonic patch and play that for a short spell. I found myself wanting a couple extra voices of polyphony. Interestingly, the poly patch is just one oscillator per voice. With Volta providing the envelopes, an entire synthesizer 'voice' can be constructed using only two modules, the Z3000 oscillator and the Z2040 filter/VCA. Adding the breath controller involved adding some mixers to sum the aftertouch CV with the individual envelope CV, and sum the audio output of the three voices.
The poly patch was a BLAST to play. It provides a hugely satisfying analog sound. From experience, adding aftertouch or breath controller to real analog seems to instantly produce a Vangelis-esque sound, and I was anxious to try it out on a polyphonic patch.
US buyers can purchase the Z2040 at analoguehaven.
Demonstration videos are important for things like Euro modules because you usually can't try one out in person before buying it. So, I made a video that somewhat replicates the experience of holding and using the product. It seems strange but you sort of want to see it up close, turn it around in your hand. I hope you find it helpful.
If you're looking for entertainment, the video is a admittedly a bit dry. Towards the end I set up a polyphonic patch and play that for a short spell. I found myself wanting a couple extra voices of polyphony. Interestingly, the poly patch is just one oscillator per voice. With Volta providing the envelopes, an entire synthesizer 'voice' can be constructed using only two modules, the Z3000 oscillator and the Z2040 filter/VCA. Adding the breath controller involved adding some mixers to sum the aftertouch CV with the individual envelope CV, and sum the audio output of the three voices.
The poly patch was a BLAST to play. It provides a hugely satisfying analog sound. From experience, adding aftertouch or breath controller to real analog seems to instantly produce a Vangelis-esque sound, and I was anxious to try it out on a polyphonic patch.
US buyers can purchase the Z2040 at analoguehaven.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Disposable Music
I have a question for you. The majority of music you're listening to currently, when was it made? Do you routinely listen to music made ten or more years ago? If so, why? Is it because the music is genuinely good, or do you return due to nostalgia? Be honest.
Does music get 'used up' or 'played out'? When does it become acceptable to enjoy this music again? Are there elements that make you roll your eyes? Does it sound dated? Does this matter? What makes music disposable? What makes music timeless?
What makes music sound dated, and what makes music disposable are two separate issues, but they're intertwined in my mind.
The elements that date music, aside from stylistic period idiosyncrasies, usually turn out to be related to technology: production technique, drum machines, and synthesizers. FM piano patches, D50 bells, Phil Spector's Wall of Sound, gated reverb, Distorted Reality loops, orchestra hit samples, and autotune abuse are all examples of technology-driven technique that becomes tied to a particular era of music production. Fashionable one day, passé the next.
Tetris is still an interesting game without the gloss of technology. Sometimes a work of art transcends technological cliches.
Does music get 'used up' or 'played out'? When does it become acceptable to enjoy this music again? Are there elements that make you roll your eyes? Does it sound dated? Does this matter? What makes music disposable? What makes music timeless?
What makes music sound dated, and what makes music disposable are two separate issues, but they're intertwined in my mind.
The elements that date music, aside from stylistic period idiosyncrasies, usually turn out to be related to technology: production technique, drum machines, and synthesizers. FM piano patches, D50 bells, Phil Spector's Wall of Sound, gated reverb, Distorted Reality loops, orchestra hit samples, and autotune abuse are all examples of technology-driven technique that becomes tied to a particular era of music production. Fashionable one day, passé the next.
Tetris is still an interesting game without the gloss of technology. Sometimes a work of art transcends technological cliches.
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