tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196091072024-03-13T13:46:41.608-07:00ARP LogAn Ongoing Composition Project On The ARP 2600Ian Varleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549771851387122708noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19609107.post-20953637130756358452008-05-12T08:28:00.000-07:002008-05-12T08:31:30.675-07:00ARP Watch: Chronic DreamsHaven't been doing much ARPing lately, but here's an album that just came out on <a href="http://www.magnatune.com">Magnatune</a> that has a little of my ARP wizardry on it:<br /><br /><a href="http://magnatune.com/artists/albums/fourstones-chronic2/hifi_play">Four Stones - Chronic Dreams 2</a><br /><br />Listen to the song "Through The Glass", and you'll hear it.Ian Varleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549771851387122708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19609107.post-45520316787314028922008-04-14T20:23:00.000-07:002008-04-14T20:27:45.703-07:00Welcome, MatrixsynthI see that the kind folks at <a href="http://matrixsynth.blogspot.com/">MatrixSynth</a> posted a <a href="http://matrixsynth.blogspot.com/2008/04/ongoing-composition-project-on-arp-2600.html">note</a> about this blog. Thanks! I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't updated in months; that's primarily due to my having started graduate school this year, and just not having much time. But hey, hop on the <a href="http://arplog.blogspot.com/atom.xml">RSS feed</a>, and I promise there will be more eventually. :).Ian Varleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549771851387122708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19609107.post-24602349535655300202007-07-21T17:54:00.000-07:002007-07-21T18:55:38.445-07:00Recent TracksI realized recently that with the format of this blog, it's sort of hard to listen to the actual <span style="font-weight:bold;">music</span> (which is the whole point, right?). So I put in this handy new mp3 player that's got a list of all the tracks in it. It should auto-play, too. Nifty, no?<br /><br />More tracks coming soon, I promise. The office has been dug out, the ARP has been plugged in, and music shall flow once again.Ian Varleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549771851387122708noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19609107.post-24021715465734075322007-01-31T20:35:00.000-08:002007-01-31T20:55:16.380-08:00MovementAt the insistence of my friend Karl (aka "Liquid Faith"), with whom I've been working (albeit slowly) on an electronic music collaboration for some time now, I'm finally getting back to work on some ARP compositions. Today was the first in months. Here it is:<br /><br /><div align=center><table border=0><tr valign=middle><td><a href="http://ianvarley.com/music/arp/ARP2_01_2007-01-31.mp3"><img src="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/download_mp3.gif" border=0></a></td><td><a href="http://ianvarley.com/music/arp/ARP2_01_2007-01-31.mp3">Garnet</a> (mp3, 5.6MB)</td></tr></table></div><br /><br />Karl told me I had to make one that was at least 10 minutes. I tried, but all I got was 5 and a half. Hey, it's better than my usual (45 seconds). I didn't focus on any particular patch this time - just messed around until I got what I wanted. This is just 3 tracks - one on a tonic, one on the dominant 7, and one playing an ostinato. I slowly and carefully nudged the tuning and resonance around to get the interesting textures.<br /><br />And the name is for my friend <a href="http://tessence.blogspot.com/2007/01/40-weeks-today.html">Carrie</a>, who may or may not be having a baby today.Ian Varleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549771851387122708noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19609107.post-1134682148287833622006-09-09T21:24:00.000-07:002006-09-10T00:23:20.523-07:00Patch 2: Trumpet & French HornHere it is, in all of it's trumpety glory:<br /><br /><center><table width=350 border=0><tr valign=middle><td><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/02_TAFH_01_2006-02-19.mp3"><img src="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/download_mp3.gif" border=0></a></td><td><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/02_TAFH_01_2006-02-19.mp3">02: Trumpet & French Horn</a> (mp3, 2MB)</td></tr></table></center><br />Here's the patch:<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/02_TAFH_Patch.pdf"><img src="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/02_TAFH_Patch.gif" border=0></a></center><br />(Click for a full-size PDF.)<br /><br />I decided that this sound called for a more studied approach than my last one. An actual composition, written in <a href="http://www.finalemusic.com/">Finale</a>, sent to the ARP via MIDI. I would kill several birds with one stone: <br /> - learn how to get MIDI signals out of my computer; <br /> - avoid the latency problem on the mbox (because I can record each line separately);<br /> - take on a compositional challenge I've not done recently (4 part harmony)<br /><br />The composition took me longer than I expected. It'd been a while since I did any four-part composition or arranging, and even with the radness of having Finale play the parts together for me as I composed, it still took a long time. I'm happy with the results, though; it's got a steady rhythmic feel that makes it come off as alomst baroque, but the harmonic structure is more dense & modern (perhaps a little jazz influenced). The modal center of the piece keeps shifting, so it's not really in any one key. If you're interested, here's the score: <a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/02_TAFH_Score.pdf">PDF</a> | <a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/02_TAFH_Score.mus">Finale</a><br /><br />The tones don't exactly sound like trumpets or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_horn">french horns</a>, but you can (kind of) see the resemblance (sort of). I opted for a sound somewhere in the middle of the two instruments.<br /><br />Getting the composition to play on the ARP required a USB-Midi interface; I went to <a href="http://www.guitarcenter.com/">Shred Center</a> and picked up a <a href="http://www.zzounds.com/item--MDOUNO">Midisport Uno</a>. Another $40 dropped, but for a good cause.<br /><br />Recording the parts back into my computer was a bit of a trick, as Finale wouldn't play back midi while Protools was running (probably jealous). So I extracted the parts in Finale and exported them individually to MIDI, then imported those into Protools, which can play back MIDI and record audio simultaneously.<br /><br />The first pass sounded a little bit too synth like, so I dampened the envelope to sound a bit duller and re-recorded the parts at a slower tempo (which was easy after having imported those MIDI files into Protools). I had originally planned to manually add expressions to the tracks as I recorded them, but I didn't; I may do that for a future composition, but this time I decided to just let the parts stand.<br /><br />A little stereo separation and d-verb on the results to make it nicer to listen to, and it's a wrap. I may post some more compositions along this line, or I may just move on to my next challenge: Patch 3, "Trucker Bass". Seriously.Ian Varleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549771851387122708noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19609107.post-1154455286640389432006-08-01T11:00:00.000-07:002006-08-01T11:01:26.640-07:00file fixesWhen I moved hosts a few weeks ago, it escaped my attention that I messed up the paths on all the sound clips on this blog. Doh. Anyway, they're fixed now. More to come this week.Ian Varleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549771851387122708noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19609107.post-1149901935740434412006-06-09T18:05:00.000-07:002006-06-09T18:12:15.750-07:00Always We Begin AgainTap tap tap ... is this thing on?<br /><br />Ahem. So, it's been a while (6 weeks) since I've posted here. That is primarily because I haven't done a darn thing on this project. But don't lose hope! I've been commissioned to do a soundtrack for a short film called "A Mind Away", and I just started work today. That involved getting the recording setup back together, blowing off the dust, and remembering what I was doing. I sent the director the first scene rough today (after discovering, to my joy, that ProTools LE does in fact allow sync video editing) and I will moreover be doing a lot of work in the coming few weeks.<br /><br />I've also moved web hosts, so I'll have enough space to put all my tracks up for the world to enjoy. So far, I gotta say, <a href="http://www.websitesource.com">WebSiteSource</a> has been head and shoulders above any other host I've ever tried.<br /><br />I'm going to get in the habit of posting weekly on this blog, with something interesting to listen to. Also, patch #2 (trumpet and french horn) is done and I'll post it next week. And wait'll I tell you about my new "Video Game Music" project ...Ian Varleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549771851387122708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19609107.post-1140392558252574582006-02-19T15:30:00.000-08:002006-08-01T10:57:19.720-07:00Names & NotesAt a few folks' suggestion, I've decided to name to the tracks I've composed thus far. So:<ol><br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_2005-12-06_Norm.mp3">Giant In The Abyss</a></span> - Inspired by giant deep sea fish, like the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oarfish">Oarfish</a>.<br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_02_2005-12-29.mp3">Federation Aeronautique</a></span> - This piece strikes me as if it has to do with flying - perhaps being the first to fly, or being able to fly without a plane. Thus the <a href="http://www.fai.org">name</a>.<br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_03_2006-01-03.mp3">Schemhamphoras</a></span> - One commenter said this track reminded him of the movie <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi_%281998%29">Pi</a>, and I'd agree - I think the dark mystery of that movie reflects what this song brings up, something unutterable.<br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_04_2006-01-01.mp3">akkt</a></span> - Because I like that word.<br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_05_2006-01-02.mp3">My One</a></span> - A reference to a jazz standard that I quoted in the melody line. It's the only common song on two of my favorite jazz piano albums (<a href="http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/product.aspx?ob=prd&src=list&pid=10113">1</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Now_He_Sings%2C_Now_He_Sobs">2</a>).<br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_06_2006-01-05.mp3">Sonus Diei</a></span> - Titled after the <a href="http://www.soundoftheday.org">podcast</a> that inspired its creation.<br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_07_2006-01-07.mp3">Daniel's Lament</a></span> - Named after a character in the scene in <a href="http://www.sevenandahalfseals.com/">the movie</a> that I composed it for.<br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_08_2006-01-09.mp3">Snowflake Set</a></span> - Hat tip to one of my favorite <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isao_Tomita">electronic musicians</a>, which is, of course, a pervasive influence on this project. Thought this tune was reminiscent of his sound.<br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_09_2006-01-09.mp3">Simultaneity</a></span> - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simultaneity">Lots of stuff at once</a>.<br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_10_2006-01-10.mp3">Marufo Vega Loop</a></span> - Named after a <a href="http://www.nps.gov/bibe/backcountry/marufovegatrail.htm">trail</a> in Big Bend, the desert state park in TX.<br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_11_2006-01-14.mp3">Bloom, Wither</a></span> - Reminiscent of the mood of this music, I thought. And it has a hidden reference to a <a href="http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/j/j188.html">plainsong</a> I like.<br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_12_2006-01-14.mp3">Altostratus</a> </span>- In other words, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altostratus_cloud">grey skies</a>. <br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_13_2006-01-18.mp3">Anterograde Amnesia</a></span> - An effect of some drugs that make you lose you memory of things that happen while on the drug. That's common in date rape drugs. This piece was composed for a scene in a movie involving an unhappy prostitute.<br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_14_2006-01-18.mp3">Retrograde Amnesia</a></span> - The opposite of Anterograde Amnesia, this is when you forget things in the past. This piece reminds me of knowing that you have happy memories, but not being able to remember them.<br /></ol><br />I'll name all my future ones as I go, so as to avoid confusion.Ian Varleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549771851387122708noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19609107.post-1137987986951521472006-01-22T19:09:00.000-08:002006-08-01T10:58:24.040-07:00Read OnSo, the movie "Read On", which used music from my Arp Log project, premiered in Houston on Friday night. Since I was playing in Beaumont that night, I wasn't able to be there for the movie, but several folks told me the soundtrack rocked. That's cool to hear.<br /><br />Here are the remaining 8 tracks I provided for scenes in the movie. <br /><br /><table align="center" border=2 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0><tr><td><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_07_2006-01-07.mp3">01: Marimba Roll, Song 7</a> (mp3, 1.5MB)</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_08_2006-01-09.mp3">01: Marimba Roll, Song 8</a> (mp3, 1.2MB)</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_09_2006-01-09.mp3">01: Marimba Roll, Song 9</a> (mp3, 1.9MB)</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_10_2006-01-10.mp3">01: Marimba Roll, Song 10</a> (mp3, 2.3MB)</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_11_2006-01-14.mp3">01: Marimba Roll, Song 11</a> (mp3, 2.1MB)</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_12_2006-01-14.mp3">01: Marimba Roll, Song 12</a> (mp3, 2MB)</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_13_2006-01-18.mp3">01: Marimba Roll, Song 13</a> (mp3, 1.2MB)</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_14_2006-01-18.mp3">01: Marimba Roll, Song 14</a> (mp3, 1.3MB)</td></tr></table><br /><br />I think I've finally said all I'm going to say with the Marimba Roll patch, so next up is patch #2 ... the "Trumpet & French Horn" patch. (By the way, I noticed my google ads on the blog showing lots of ads for French Horns ... heh. Stupid google. <span style="font-style:italic;">Hey google! This is a blog about electronic music!</span>)<br /><br />If you have any particular favorites from this patch, leave them in the comments. I'll include the most liked ones in my final album (which I'm now thinking will be a culmination of all 100 patches in a single album). My favorite so far is #3, by a wide margin. #12 also has a nice desolate vibe to it. Anybody else?Ian Varleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549771851387122708noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19609107.post-1136486463355261052006-01-05T10:25:00.000-08:002006-08-01T10:58:51.416-07:00Patch 1: RevisitedSo, I've already finished most of track two (Trumpet & French Horn), and I was about to post it, but two things happened.<br /><br />1st: I realized that the volume of track one as originally released was too low (thanks for the heads up, <a href="http://www.heuristicsinc.com/">Bill</a>). So here it is amplified:<br /><br /><table align="center" border=2 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0><tr><td><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_2005-12-06_Norm.mp3">01: Marimba Roll</a> (mp3, 3MB)</td></tr></table><br /><br />2nd: I decided that I had a few more things I wanted to say in the Marimba Roll patch, so I created a few more. Furthermore, a Houston filmmaker (<a href="http://www.sevenandahalfseals.com/">Jeff Faulkinbury</a>) was interested to use some music like this in his upcoming film "Read On". So I went back in and did a bit more recording. Here are the first set of results:<br /><br /><table align="center" border=2 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0><tr><td><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_02_2005-12-29.mp3">01: Marimba Roll, Song 2</a> (mp3, 5MB)</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_03_2006-01-03.mp3">01: Marimba Roll, Song 3</a> (mp3, 2.6MB)</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_04_2006-01-01.mp3">01: Marimba Roll, Song 4</a> (mp3, 3.2MB)</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_05_2006-01-02.mp3">01: Marimba Roll, Song 5</a> (mp3, 3.3MB)</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_06_2006-01-05.mp3">01: Marimba Roll, Song 6</a> (mp3, 3MB)</td></tr></table><br /><br />I guess I should name them, but I haven't had time yet.<br /><br />I'll be doing a bunch more over the next two weeks, so stay tuned for new goodies.Ian Varleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549771851387122708noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19609107.post-1133935634534645712005-12-14T22:01:00.000-08:002006-08-01T10:59:20.086-07:00Patch 1: Marimba RollThe ARP patch book is a curious artifact. With patch names like "Trucker Bass" and "Small Barking Mutt", it's obvious that the authors had fun writing it. (The same goes for the <a href="http://guitarfool.com/ARP2600/Arp%202600%20Owners%20Manual.pdf">owners manual</a>, which is, oddly enough, quite funny.) So anyway, a romp through these hallowed pages may turn out to be more fun than I anticipated.<br /><br />That said, patch number one has a fairly mundane name: Marimba Roll. It's supposed to sound like ... well, mallets doing a roll on a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marimba">marimba</a>. Here it is: <br /><br /><center><table width=350 border=0><tr valign=middle><td><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_2005-12-06.mp3"><img src="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/download_mp3.gif" border=0></a></td><td><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_2005-12-06.mp3">01: Marimba Roll</a> (mp3, 3MB)</td></tr></table></center><br />Here's the patch:<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_Patch.pdf"><img src="http://www.droptrio.com/Friends/Ian/Arp/01_MarimbaRoll_Patch.gif" border=0></a></center><br />(Click for a full-size PDF.)<br /><br />Not very "marimba"-like I suppose. It actually came out sort of <a href="http://www.hos.com/">hearts of space</a>. That's not a bad thing, just not something I've ever done before. The spacy-ness (not to be confused with <a href="http://www.droptrio.com">spaceship-ness</a>) results from two factors. First, I am just learning how to use the instrument, and I didn't feel confident in tackling a musical style that would require more, how you say, finesse? Second, I'm still working through some recording issues on the MBox, and I can't quite overdub in real time with recorded tracks yet (there's a slight delay). I'll be a bit more adventurous as I figure that out (the next patch is "trumpet and french horn" ... watch out!)<br /><br />Where did this piece come from, musically? For starters, I've been spending a lot of time with Cygnus X-1 (a <a href="http://www.rush.com">Rush</a> tune, thanks to Nuje for the introduction), and there's a solo guitar part in it with fast octaves. This sound reminded me of that part, so I started out using that as a target in my mind. Things quickly descended from there, and I made lots of use of sweeping the faders for the filter frequency and resonance. I did 3 basic tracks of octave swells, and panned them left, right and middle (with a bit of reverb). I then added a noodly little background part (Uberjam referred to it as the sound of petting a soft, tubular underwater creature.) <br /><br />After about a dozen listens through, I decided it needed a little more "marimba" (that's the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_modulation">ring modulator</a> effect creating that mallet-striking-wood sound) and faded in a high moving line, with a stereo slap delay (so it sounds like it's way out to the left and right). That did the trick - not too overbearing, but still interesting to listen to.<br /><br />Let me know what you think!Ian Varleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549771851387122708noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19609107.post-1133922176516032492005-12-06T13:14:00.000-08:002005-12-06T18:22:56.556-08:00The Technical DetailsIn case you care about the technical details of this project, here's some info for you. You probably don't, so you can skip this entry. :)<br /><br />The first thing I had to do was get this ARP in playable condition. After my dad passed away, it had sat unnoticed in closets for years before it came to live with me in Houston. (Many thanks to my friend Erique, who kept it for years at his place in Saratoga, NY; thanks also to in-laws for giving it safe harbor in Beamont, TX.)<br /><br />I knew when the ARP finally came to me, it was not in playable condition. I didn't know what to do about that, though, since ARPs aren't exactly the kind of thing you bring down to the local instrument shop. Fortunately, a <a href="http://www.endmarketing.com">friend</a> in Houston gave me the tip that I'd best send it off to Mr. <a href="http://www.discretesynthesizers.com/">Phil Cirocco</a> in PA. <br /><br />Many months (and dollars) later, the ARP is restored to near it's original glory. Thanks Phil!<br /><br />The next step was to get a keyboard interface for it, since I was missing the cable for the original one, and opted not to have it restored. I've got a Midi controller keyboard sitting around, so that's fine, but you can't plug a midi keyboard straight into an ARP (midi not being invented until some 10 years after the ARPs creation). <br /><br />For this purpose, you need a MIDI->CV ("control voltage") converter. I found mine in the form of a JKJ CV-2 MIDI/CV box (similar to <a href="http://www.midiwall.com/gear/jkjcv5.html">this thing</a>) that I purchased online. You plug the keyboard into the converter, and then the converter can be plugged in to any of the jacks on the ARP (depending on which oscillator you want to control via keyboard).<br /><br />For recording, I started by taking the most obvious output (stereo headphones) and patching it into my computer. I didn't like this for 2 reasons: 1st, the jack seems to be only sending one stereo side, and 2nd, it's got quite a hiss on it. I searched for a cleaner signal, and found that if I take a line directly out of the left / right outputs that I had missed earlier, the sound is close to pristene. <br /><br />The setup from there goes:<br /><br /> -> <a href="http://www.presonus.com/bluetube.html">PreSonus BlueTube Preamp</a> <br /> -> <a href="http://www.behringer.com/UB802/index.cfm?lang=ENG">Behringer UB802 Mixer</a> <br /> -> <a href="http://www.digidesign.com/products/mbox/main.cfm">Protools MBox</a> <br /> -> <a href="http://www.digidesign.com/products/le/">ProTools LE</a> <br /><br />ProTools is running on a Dell 2CPU machine running windows XP. (Normally I'd prefer my mac, but the ~4-year-old iBook I have is crawling compared to this desktop, which is on loan from my place of employ. If I had my druthers, this would all be running on a big fat mac desktop machine with a huge cinematic display. Stupid money.)<br /><br />The Preamp is to give the signal a boost and warm it up some (it's a nice little tube preamp). I thought about putting my stereo compressor in the line (a Yamaha GC2020B) to make the end results a little more friendly to the average listener. But I decided against putting anything extraneous in the signal chain.<br /><br />So, anyway, now I'm off to the music store to buy a few cables (patch cables for the ARP as well as for my other outboard gear).Ian Varleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549771851387122708noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19609107.post-1133828614412837092005-12-05T16:16:00.000-08:002006-01-05T13:38:21.636-08:00A new adventure: ARP 2600Today I embark on a new project. I'm recording an album of music using nothing but an <a href="http://www.synthmuseum.com/arp/arp260001.html">ARP 2600</a>.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://www.ianvarley.com/esemplastic/arp.gif" border=0></center><br /><br />This project is in memory of my father, who bought this ARP new in the 70s. He was a pioneering electronic composer - a genius - whose light never shone far enough.<br /><br />He passed this ARP on to me, though, and I intend to use it.<br /> <br />This will be a learning experience for me, because I don't know much about the ARP. I understand the basics - oscillators, filters, envelopes, etc. - but I have no visceral knowledge of using this amazing piece of equipment.<br /><br />My method, at least to start out, will be to traverse the 100 patches in the ARP <a href="http://www.analogsynths.com/manuals.html">patch book</a>, and for each one, create a piece of music using that as a theme, or a jumping off point. Along the way, I'll think out loud about craft, composition, eletronic music, and the process of creation.<br /><br />My father died in the summer of 1997. I'd like to finish this album by the 10th anniversary of his death. Now I've said it, so I have to stick to it. :)Ian Varleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04549771851387122708noreply@blogger.com3