Happy New Year, and welcome back to the newsletter! It's been a while, but that's because I didn't have anything to share, and now I do. Presenting the latest Bud the Fish track for your listening pleasure, "Worlds Ending"! Check it out on YouTube here:
Concerning Bud the Fish…
I'm trying out a different music production process, one that should get songs made on a more consistent basis. I used the process to make "Worlds Ending", but right now it's only one song, so it's a fluke; if I do it again and it works, then it's a trend -- that's when I'll fill you in on it..
So, "Worlds Ending" technical stuff: this was all hosted in AUM, with Koala Sampler the star of the show. I sampled sequences and 2-bar loops from Figure into Koala, then used Koala's sequencer to put things together, with lots of effects from my favorites: MoogerFoogers, Other Desert Cities, ToneStack (to add some distorted grit to the lead sound), and Crystalline, among others. Lead, rhythm, and drums were provided by Figure; bass tracks, by the MicroFreak. Everything was sequenced by Koala, so this ended up going direct to 2-track with no overdubs.
Bits and Bobs...
This new year I'm only running with a couple of intentions I want to explore, as opposed to resolutions which are too often nebulous, pie-in-the-sky wishes that never materialize. In Bud the Fish's world, the main thing I want to do is introduce more of a 'live' quality to my songs; by that, I mean instead of merely composing a song and letting the sequencers play it back, I want to be able to either play it directly or manipulate things in real time. Filter sweeps, key changes, soloing/muting parts -- these are small things I can do already, so I want to expand upon that, utilize Loop Pro's control surface to drive the boat. I also want to get more guitar playing involved. If there's a long term goal here, it's so that one day I can do a live stream and actually perform a track.
(I played live in bands through the 80's and 90's, and let me tell you, there's absolutely no high like a live set where you and the audience are in perfect sync. None.)
The other unspoken intention for the year is to stay focused on music- and art-making, keep those creative rails greased, do my level best to keep my heart full and my spirits up. That means less mainstream and/or social media. I made the mistake of downloading Bluesky and Threads last month and I gotta say, I could NOT tell a difference between any of them and Twitter/X. So many angry people... jeez! My circle of friends and family in real life is quite small, but I prefer it that way because I always know they're true.. they're also less grumpy! Thanks, I'll stick with the less-grumpy, mmkay?
So, that's it for this newsletter. Nothing to report with Roadkill Puppy -- it just plods along, putting up doodles on the Roadkill Puppy Facebook page, so if you want to see what's happening there, check it out. Anyway, I've got files to archive and clean up, and then I gotta get ready for working on the next track. Time waits for no man! Or woman! Or..whatever!
Stay safe, my friends...