Collaboration Conspiracy To Drive Me Bonkers

I have definitely forgotten how difficult, complicated and irritating it can be to start work on a new music project, especially experimenting with new things to create a different sound. It's even more irritating when you're working with someone else who clearly doesn't understand what you want them to do. And that person seems to have the IQ of a rabbit - and it's a rabbit that has probably been dropped on its head quite a few times. It clearly brings forth the point that if one wants something done properly, one should do it themselves. 

Of course, that would be easier if I actually knew how to do what I wanted to do myself - hence the reason the other person is doing it instead. It's a shame they just can't follow simple instructions, and apparently can't understand plain English.  Propellerhead's Reason has always been one package that has driven me around the bend, and Reason 4 is even more of a bafflement to me than the previous ones. I can't wait until Reason 6 is finally in my possession - apparently it's set up in a way that even I can use, and it has more doo-hickies and whatsits that the other one (the one with said dropped-rabbit IQ) can use to make music sound better. It also collaborates with something called ReCycle ... Something that apparently is very useful in making nice samples for music integration. I do not even begin to understand what that's all about, but I am led to believe only good things will come of it. I will take their word on it. Honest. 

I have now at least been given a music program I can use myself - Music Maker MX - and a nice little USB mic (hope it works well) so I can actually sing on the bloody things - finally! (Thanks, Dad - much appreciated!). It will also allow me to - hopefully - put down vocals on my previous songs, having somehow managing to lose the original  (and only) copy of the vocal-inclusive tracks I had for the pieces. Having only the music instrumental tracks on another CD export of them left, it will at least let me recreate the original demos of the songs I had. And the best thing is that it has integrated online uploading options in the software - a very useful tool in this day and age. 

I  know the real reason I received this was so I could put vocals down on my Dad's songs (as opposed to mine), but at least it means he bought it for me and I didn't have to go to the bother of doing so myself. Backhanded compliment in there, I'm sure, but at least I end  up getting what I want.

Back To Music

Right off I’ll admit that I am bored. And so I have spent my day re-examining all my back catalogue of songs and putting them onto my new SoundCloud site, which I am rather impressed about - since it’s the first time I’ve done such a thing in years! After ignoring my music for so many years it was rather strange to dust off the old songs and not only listen to them again, but to put them up for (hopefully) other people to listen to as well.

I’ve been partly inspired by the boredom (there really isn’t much to do when no matter how many doors you try to kick down, they still won’t give you a job), but also partly inspired by inspiration of working with my partner and writing and editing one of my novels {“Rumour In The Truth”, if it ever gets published!}, which is also about a rather a disillusioned singer living in the Big Smoke. I got to remembering how much it is part of my identity, and today I went out fishing for my old material - since I actually don’t have anything new anymore, after accidentally losing yet another digital album. And by digital, I mean it stayed in music program format and never really made it to MP3.

The few I did export have now vanished (I have the case, but the CD seems to be long gone) and I therefore no longer seem to have any copies of them. The last time that happened I didn’t keep backup copies and someone got into my flat and pinched my laptop. This time round I have backup copies, but when my Mac died the program went with it and so I cannot resurrect what I made until I (eventually) manage to afford a new one, because they got written on the Mac-only GarageBand and I currently make do with a W7 tower.

I would have done it on Reason, if I actually understood it, and therefore would still have access to it. However, Reason is clearly for Rocket Scientists (or at least the sound engineer equivalent) and I have no idea what most of those twiddly-looking things are for. The fact I managed to write any songs at it at all I frankly put down to pure luck than anything else - although I am very pleased with the way Black Heart and Tangled Web came out (considering this fact)!

I now therefore cannot wait until I a) Get a new Mac, and b) Have Reason 6 installed on it, which is slightly more manageable, and has a voice recorder on it for the first time (and I now also have one of those Rocket Science-type engineer-type people to help me to - my partner actually understands this stuff and studied it - hoorah!). Then I can start writing the new stuff that has been coming into my head recently, which I have had no way of actually creating because I don’t actually know how to go about doing it with the program that we have.

You never know … It might actually be something I really like for a change!