Neil Fein's Blog

Today I recorded Eyes Up Front, the "kinder, gentler" version (or call it the slow fingerstyle version, I guess). This is basically the version I played at the last open mic I was at (21 Dec 2006), with strings and a few other instruments. The vocal is a dummy, those are always hardest for me to lay down. Although it's heartening that even a dummy vocal of mine is this good.

Studio version ("Kinder Gentler" version), 3:34, 4.9mb


Still learning to use my new microphone, which I used for the acoustic guitar track. The levels came out very well, and the sound of the guitar is very clear and full, although a bit hollow. And it picks up the fan of my iMac far too well. I don't want to make an isolation area, but I may have to.

Technorati tags: music, recording, microphone

Labels: microphone, music, notbike, recording

Arecibo On the Air - In progress version, bars 1 through 33 (out of 419).

The Arecebo interstellar message of 1974 was part of the SETI program, and the first (and so far the only) radio message intentionally sent to interstellar space. (Here's an the Wikipedia article about the message. Carl Sagan also has accounts in the books Cosmos and Murmurs of Earth.)

I came up with this idea in 1990 or 1991, but could never make it work. I even contacted Frank Drake (I think I heard back from his assistant).

The general idea is to take the message and turn it into music. Hopefully I'll be able to finish this. I'd like to send a copy to Frank Drake when it's done.

Technorati tags: music, astronomy, SETI

Labels: astronomy, music, notbike, SETI

At the open mic tonight at PJs in Highland Park, the Mens room has a speaker where there's either recorded music playing or you cvan hear the performers. Today, you heard both simultaneously. Dylan with a techno beat, dude.

Set list:

There's That Song
Eyes Up Front (slow fingerstyle)
When I Was a Monkey

Some feedback issues, and I think I had a half-dead battery. (Rassafrassa Peavey PA speaker...)

Tags: music

Labels: music, notbike

Playing at PJs open mic tonight. I'll be on stage at 8:30.

Tags: music

Labels: music, notbike

Progress on Audio Drama:

• Script:
  • Pursue an original script idea, until the end of November
  • If no original script is forthcoming by 30 Nov, adapt an out-of-copyright story.
  
  
  • Have written first draft of "Morning: The First Day". Halfway through second draft. Targetting finished second draft by 17 Dec 2006.


• Director:
  • Still unknown.


• Actors:
  • A great, big, unknown. Casting after there's a script. (2w Dec2006?) 17 Dec 2006
  
  
  • Nest step: Start sending out feelers for casting.


• Hardware:
  • The proof-of-concept is direct-to-hard-drive location recording. Need to use an older G3 Mac. Are any available for use? No. Would involve upgrading Bruce's G3 iMac.
  • BTF has a G3 iMac, but it needs more RAM.
  • Would Audacity work with the current RAM on the G3 iMac?
  • If no Macs are available, use my G5 iMac, although it's not exactly portable. Now that's it's the only option, the G5 iMac seems amazingly portable.


• Mics:
  • Use the C1 if it shows up on time (on order)
    The C1 has arrived, but may be a little too sensitive. Will try using the C1, with the MXL2001 as a backup mic.

Tags: audio

Labels: audio, music, notbike

After being attacked by a bread knife, I have a nasty cut on my left hand, so playing guitar has been tough. I can play piano fairly well, if a little clumsily.

I've got a few songs in the hopper, one new one that I'm still playing with -- Midtown, the newer of them, is mostly done, I think. I played it live the other week, and I think it needs a little practice.

There are also two older songs I've resurrected -- The Art of the Pause, and Let's Pretend.

The Art of the Pause is difficult lyrically. It's about someone I used to know who tended to get lost in social overcomplications, so the words are appropriately convoluted. But this has the tendency to lose the listener, so I need to mitigate that.

It used to be a slow song, but I seem to be headed towards a livelier implementation. It sounds good on electric guitar with 60's fuzz-box sound. (I was able to play electric guitar a little on Sunday night, so my finger is healing.)

Let's Pretend is another story. The song is very good, I think, but the chorus is too much of a cliche. Unfortunately, I don't know what to replace it with!

I like the music -- a slow, insistent tango -- but I need to bring the key down to G. Which sucks, because I recorded a trumpet track version a few years back by Steve Fineman. Unfortunately, that's in A. Grumble grumble. I suppose I could always pitch-shift the track, but that on top that I'd need to transfer it from minidisc (via analog)... well, I might as well have Steve re-record it. Will start on the new basic tracks as soon as I finish the lyrics, since I'm not certain how long the chorus is going to be.

Tags: music

Labels: music, notbike

How to play "Infinite" or "Wraparoud" style Scrabble.

I like it beause there's more of a tendency to build longer words, and the board fills up more evenly. Like the regular rules, but if you build a word up to one edge of the board you can continue it on the other side. The corners end up being contiguous.

It's an odd way to play, and the scores tend to be somewhat higher. But all players have the same opportunities and frustrations.





Tags: music

Labels: games, notbike