Yesterday was some planning and some dealing with long-delayed learning: how to use a piece of equipment I bought some weeks ago to help with live WaveForms (a Behringer Ultralink by name). The conclusion after a couple of hours cable-plugging and dial-twitching with Plague is that it would be fine for a permanent desktop setup but is too big and complex for the kinds of places I play. Then I spent some time I’d promised myself in tutorials for FL Studio, a software studio package I’ve had for years, of which I typically use 10%, but have never found the time or the best way to learn. That, however, was the start of a typical session of PC trouble. FL Studio wasn’t accepting audio input; this led me to update my sound card driver; this cured the problem, but suddenly (inevitably) Cubase refused to work and, after a couple of tries, to even open. With the clock ticking on my daily objective of ‘one piece of musical output per day’, I had to revert to a Windows restore point, accept the FL problem and, thankfully, Cubase came out of its sulk.
I then did a quick, sketchy recording of an unperformed song from last year or the year before called Dorothy’s Book. Piano, two voices and a long space for some loopy eccentricity. Or not. In the evening a drive to Edinburgh to meet friends.
Re your WaveForms….did you know Robert Fripp is doing a Soundscape set supporting Porcupine Tree at the Glasgow Carling Academy in December?
Yussah – I’ll be there. I have to listen to Porcy Tree I suppose to get to know it, but I’ll be there for Bob’s Bleeps and Drones.