The Bass Geek

The writing I’ve done about digital music to this point centers around basic uses of hardware and software in simple, how-to form.  Ripping CDs and organizing music libraries?  Basic home recording?  Putting up your podcast?  All covered.

A friend of mine recommended a new chapter over the weekend, though - one focused on more social uses than technical uses.  Specifically, she wants a chapter dedicated to the etiquette of digital music.  Where and when to use it, and when to put it away.  More Emily Post than Steve Jobs.

I suspect that this particular issue could be solved quite easily with a simple sentence.  Something like “When you’re walking with your significant other along a canal, river or other body of water, keep the headphones out of your ears.”  My friend, as you can see, was interested in a very specific etiquette issue.  And thus, the issue is solved.

But hey, if anybody else sees a need for this, let me know.  I’m currently spending quite a bit of time enjoying the Steelers opening weekend victory, but I can fit some writing in somewhere.

For once, I’m using more effects pedals than the lead instrument, and it seems to be working out well.  Last weekend’s gig demanded a more lo-fi setup than I normally run (no PA means no computer), so I broke out everything but the Digitech Whammy for the show.  The octaver and Q-Tron worked fairly well in simulating the synth tones I normally use, and it was fun having the distortion to kick in for emphasis.

There’s also the aesthetic value - I’ve heard more than one comment about how the laptop seems a little out-of-place with the retro-lounge vibe of the group.  Not the sounds, mind you - just the look of the technology.  I can accept that (although the geek in me seethes a bit), so I’m now thinking of what I can do to mask the laptop’s inherent laptopiness onstage.  Ideas that spring to mind are a drink menu, a bamboo screen, or some kind of grass skirt.

I never thought I’d consider a grass skirt for a laptop.

I spent a little time working with iZotope’s iDrum (the hip-hop edition - I am not a club kid) this weekend, and it gets decent marks from me.  It’s still not up to “live” performance level (which makes me rethink my initial objections to BeatMaker), but it is a handy drum machine application.  My only complaints are that the kits don’t come with a blank slate (you have to go in and edit pre-created beats or save the kits under another name and edit those) and there’s no real export function.  The samples are passable, though, and the interface is easy enough to deal with once you get used to it.

It also makes a handy metronome, if nothing else.  I’m not sure why metronomes and “guitar toolboxes” with tuning notes, chord charts, etc. are the first thing to pop up in portable devices (a grand tradition started with the Palm series), but they’re always the first thing listed when I look up music apps.  A couple of bucks more, and you’ve got something with a little more variety and usefulness.  Just a changeable sample alone is worth the price; metronomes are valuable tools, but the makers still use an annoying click or beep instead of something more aurally satisfactory.  And it beats the cheap standalone I had to buy for the bass book photo shoot last year.

Sidenote:  This weekend’s Zombiefest at Key Cinemas was a joy to attend.  My colleagues and I weren’t able to stay through the bitter end, but we took in the majority of the films with zeal and gusto.

SimplifyMedia has put together a little package that allows music to be streamed from a home base computer to other devices, including the iPhone and other machines. My brief tests have encountered no problems, and it’s a pretty cool thought that I can access music on the handset and not have to worry about filling up the hard drive (my 60GB iPod is currently bloated and staggering under its full conditions). My only worry is the portable battery life - heavy 3G usage would no doubt shrink my listening window. But it’s a handy idea for work or scooting about town.

I’m a little less enamored with BeatMaker’s potential, enough that I can’t see purchasing it based on reviews that claim there’s latency in the pads. Devices and programs like this are made or broken on their ability to provide real-time response to a musician’s playing. It was the most frustrating part of working with older sound cards and MIDI devices for me, and I’ve got no desire to go back to square one.

To be fair, a lot of these programs seem like a land rush for prospectors, with the reasoning that it’s better to get the apps out there and the name made familiar and then work on the finer points. And it’s unfair to expect high performance from a handheld device right now. Hell, ProTools is just getting around to debuting on OS X Leopard, and that’s on a full-fledged computer and operating system. So it’s possible these things will get better - that’s why software always seems to have new releases and updates. I’m just not panning these waters yet.

The tech editing for the third edition of Home Recording For Dummies is completed. Since it’s already been through two generations, the basic stuff (principles that home recordists have followed for years) still applies and gets good results. Most of the work revolved around updated software and plug-ins (and that’s a never-ending chase), which made me want more software. And that’s not pretty. At least with physical gear, you’re holding something. It feels real. Purchasing software is a nebulous thrill, because you’re never quite sure what you’re getting into when you install it. There’s a visceral thrill in playing a new instrument or stomping on a new pedal. Not so much with the start of a program.

Otherwise, the weekend was spent either at the ACT, various and sundry First Friday activities (including a visit to the Brass Ring Lounge and an exhibition of the old artifacts salvaged from the previous tenants), or in front of the TV investing way too much time in Soul Caliber IV. It’s time for twelve steps.