restless

[Marksman45]

I am so restless lately. Keeping myself occupied constantly, but I have to change occupation periodically, not from boredom, but from a feeling that there's something I should be doing

I've been plowing through all my books and music, looking for something I can't define, or manage to find either. Some specific atmosphere or attitude or imagery, some specific *style*, some sort of arcane something --
I have a craving, but I'm not sure what it is for, I can't find that drink or snack or substance that "hits the spot"

I'm all over the place. I want to do a million things right now
I want to work on my album, but I can't due to computer problems
I want to work on an interactive fiction program I've been writing, but I can't sit still long enough
I want to participate in S8 stuff, and I read the posts, but I can rarely think of anything to respond with
I want to draw and paint, but I'm not feeling it
I want to take up archery, but I don't have the resources

Maybe I need a woman. Or a drink or a cigarette.
But no, I already know that wouldn't help much

[mousey1]

I think it's the weather man! I'm blaming the weather! I've been feeling so hangdog lately. I need a good shot of spring, a good dose of springtime sunshine.

Or maybe I just need a kick in the ass and a "snap out of it" slap. Either way today's another day and I better get atter!

Thanks for the post....I commiserate!

There's so much I want to do but I've got this....
"Eh, what's the point." attitude.

"This too shall pass."

[Marksman45]

the weather...

I was born with the wind in my soul.
I cannot begin to describe the beautiful loneliness I feel everytime I hear that wind blow through the trees.
The wistful longing for something indistinct, when I sit under a tree in the autumn with the falling leaves all around or in the spring with the daffodils in bloom around me.

When I write a poem in this mood, it so often comes out as a longing for a woman and her love, but that's not actually the source.

It's a loneliness and a longing that I doubt any woman could ever fill. "Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys. They'll never stay home and they're always alone, even with someone they love" -- a cowboy such as that has the lonely plains wind in his soul

Nick Drake had a song that went like this:

"I was born to love no one,
no one to love me
Just the wind in the long green grass,
the frost in a broken tree.

I was made to love magic,
all its wonder to know
But you all lost that magic
many many years ago"

I've always been subject to this longing; I think that since I've become a more active and constructive and extroverted person lately that it's just manifesting itself in this restlessness

[Lightning Rod]

Lightning Rod is pulling his hair out.
Why do you have to be a technician before you can be an artist?
I can't get one of these fucking computers to record sound.
I'm going nuts. I've got drawers full of material ready to go, and
I can't get it recorded. arrghhh

[Marksman45]

What exactly is the problem, Clay? Is it hardware or software?

I've found that hardware-wise all that's necessary is a stereo soundcard and a cheap microphone to plug into the back of the computer. And enough RAM and enough processor speed to run the software. And speakers of course.
An added bonus is a soundcard with a MIDI controller in port, so you can send compositional information directly from a synthesizer (or other MIDI instrument if you got it; I hear they make MIDI guitars and flutes and all kinds of crazy things).

My problem is my soundcard. Gonna need a new one entirely.
Actually, I'd be best off just getting a new computer entirely. My computer is horribly outdated and on its last legs. I hear that computer components are only designed to last for 4 years. Making them to last longer would be a waste of time and energy, since by 4 years they'd be well obsolete anyway

As far as software, and as far as recording, I have become convinced that Adobe Audition is the way to go. Of course, it's unnaturally expensive ($300).

As far as software, and as far as composition & arrangements, Anvil Studio, a MIDI sequencing program, is the way to go. It's free from anvilstudio.com

[Lightning Rod]

This is very frustrating, Mars

We're using Macs here so there are no soundcards. We've bought no less than six interface gizmos to try and resolve this problem. I've used a variety of recording and music generating applications including Sound Forge and Anvil and Cakewalk and ProTools. That was on a PC platform. The computers we are working on are crammed with graphics applications and files for our work. I'm thinking of buying a $500 mini mac (that is faster and has more memory than either of our G-4s) and use it as a dedicated recording device. You are right about the hardware obsolescence thing. I suppose I could just wait till next Thursday when they are sure to come up with a wireless device that will read your mind and produce the music for you.

[Doreen Peri]

The major problem we're having, Mars, is that the mic isn't getting enough of a signal.

Over a year ago, we inadvertantly bumped a patch cord which was connected to an amplifier and it loosened the jack out of the back of the Mac ..... so we can't plug a mic directly in the back of the mac. We need to go into the computer another way.

The device we just purchased is calleed a Tascam US-224. We were assured by the clerk at the music store that this would meet our needs and it should considering everything I've read about it online and in the documentation.

But somehow, we still can't get enough signal from the mic when we use Cubase or Pro-tools, despite the fact that we've gone through the settings instructions more times than I can count ..... all weekend long.... I gotta headache from it.

Macs are supposed to be excellent for recording audio ..... used by pros and all that.... We're miffed. We've decided we're either idiots or the gods are trying to tell us that nobody really wants to hear this shit anyway.

lol

[Marksman45]

In most of my recording, I've had to amplify the mic signal by at least 12dB, sometimes as much as 20.
When I was using a mic that plugged into the back of my PC, this was easy 'cause the driver for my soundcard had a "microphone boost" option that pre-amped the mic signal by 20dB.
Most recently I've been using a mic that plugs into a USB port and have had to amplify the signal manually with my software.
(Then I have to do some pretty in-depth equalization to make up for the shortcomings of the microphone, which tends to pick up more overtones than the real sounds. And if it's something other than Dream & Shadow Huntsman Group, I probably have to clean up the line/room noise.)
My only real experience is with Cool Edit/Adobe Audition, I've never worked with anything else, but using the "Normalize" command, listed with the "Amplify" and "Pan/Expand" and such commands, automatically amplifies the signal as much as it can without distorting it. I imagine that any professional sound recording program would have a "Normalize" command; have you tried this or something akin to it?

I haven't used a Mac to record audio, but I very quickly discovered the shortcomings of a PC in that arena. Urg, painful stuff

At least you guys have reliable instruments. I don't own a single instrument that operates properly. Both of my guitars have necks warped so as to be increasingly sharp as I go up the fretboard, requiring various microtonal variations in tuning to properly play various songs. My banjo's 5th string won't stay tuned to the standard frequency. My mandolin has a couple frets popping out. Only 3 drums of my drumset have heads, and none of them are a bass drum, and my hi hat is crooked, and I have only one cymbal stand for one of two ratty old tarnished cymbals that sound less like cymbals than some of my cymbal substitues. And my electric piano has blown speakers and is a fire hazard.

[mousey1]

I'll just ignore all this computer mambo jambo as it is beyond my ken. And I know no one wants my input, my port of reference is nil, it's all usb or is that uBS or just plain BS, I dunno. I make no sense.

I like the way you describe yourself Marksy. Very poeticly, poeticly correctly. I like that Nick Drake lyric, and I tend to agree. Never lose the magic, a grand idea, 'cept that life intervenes.

Anyway, you're young, the world is your oyster, makea some pearls!

[Marksman45]

Don't worry, mousey, I'm not losing any magic
If anything, as of late I've been gaining
I'm on my way to becoming a wizard, you know