Blog

  • The Sound

    I recently read about The Sound, and looked them up, and am so glad I did.

    Great songwriting, interesting and varied sounds, so much I like.

    No idea how they passed me by 40 years ago!

  • mu:zines

    Loads of interesting archive magazines here, reproduced from scans, I could spend days browsing the site.

    A particular favourite is Electronics and Music Maker, which I used to buy occasionally, in prehistory.

  • Novation Circuit Tracks

    As part of me belatedly wanting to play more and create music, I wanted a standalone Groovebox type thing, to noodle around with creating patterns and beats, and after minimal research, decided on the Circuit Tracks

    First impressions are good, I like the synth sounds you can get and tweak, and even I managed to quickly get into how to create with it.

    Yes, it’s limited, you’re not going to create a full song with it, but that’s not what it’s for.

    However, the software engineer in me wants to be able to interface with it a little more, maybe just to pull in MIDI sequences to play with, and to export the same to work on further.

    So, maybe more to come here 🙂

  • 3D Printing Puzzling

    If you enjoy puzzles, especially those involving spatial awareness, I offer and unusual outlet – 3D design for printing.

    In particular when using a code based design tool such as OpenSCAD, it’s a challenge, but an interesting one, to generate and position shapes by coordinates and transforms in a 3D workspace. The coding aspect isn’t too daunting, and there’s almost instant feedback in viewing the result on screen.

    The actual 3D printing of the real thing is a different matter, I’m thinking more of an art form to get that right, but sometimes still needed as feedback.

    I’m finding it a mindful exercise in a way, much like other puzzles.

  • Some Live Music Videos

    I love to see old videos of favourites playing live, often more so than the studio recordings, I just like to be able to identify who is playing what.