Posts

I thought I’d update my blog to reflect recent changes in my life, and review what was good and bad about them, as I was doing before. The “Not Awesome” My overall health level has got a bit worse over the years. I have had limited success in losing weight. I was going for regular walks nearly every week with a friend of mine, but that has stopped lately. I find it difficult exercising while living in a city, as my favourite activity for excercising is walking, and there are not a huge amount of pleasent walking oppertunities around my area. I have been getting Ubers to parks and walking there. A posssible solution that I am actually considering is moving outside of the city, where there are a lot more pleasent walking oppertunities on my doorstep, and which would hopefully lead to a much more active lifestyle. The “Awesome” ...

I have been gradually adding parts to my PC so that it functions better for watching movies and gaming. Here are the components that I have used: Monitor – BenQ EX3501R 35″ Ultra WQHD Curved Monitor This monitor is great for watching movies and gaming as it is ultra-wide at an aspect radio of 21:9, 3440x1440, a VA panel with high contrast, and the monitor is slightly curved so that you get a cinematic experience. ...

Finally I have finished my Eurorack synthesiser! And I know many people say that ‘Euroracks are never finished’ but this one absolutely has to be, for financial reasons. I think that I have got to a place where I have every major feature common in most synthesisers, but in a modular instrument format. It is a great place to learn about different synthesis techniques. [gallery ids=“1945” type=“rectangular”] ...

I couldn’t find a concise guide to setting this up quickly so thought it was worth a post. To quickly get something working and create a https server using the above versions of openssl and node.js, do the following: Generate self-signed server certificate with no password sudo openssl req -x509 -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout ./csr.pem -out server.crt -days 3001 -nodes Use this node.js code to setup a server quickly const https = require('https'); const fs = require('fs'); const options = { key: fs.readFileSync('csr.pem'), cert: fs.readFileSync('server.crt') }; https.createServer(options, (req, res) => { res.writeHead(200); res.end('hello world\n'); }).listen(8000); Go to https://localhost:8000 and accept the certificate, you should see ‘hello world’

In January 2015 I put in an order for my first Eurorack case. Little did I know that I would end up filling that case and buying a larger one. Finally, 2 years and 3 months later, I have nearly finished assembling what will be the complete Eurorack. I have been buying a module or two per month, researching what I need and playing a lot with what I have got already to find out its limitations and areas for possible expansion. It’s much like incrementally building and upgrading a gaming PC really, although with very different results. ...

Looking at my past posts, you may notice that I didn’t set myself any goals for 2016. Looking back, this was a mistake, so I’m going to remedy this by setting some for 2017. Goals: Lose a significant amount of weight - this is very important for health reasons. Study maths courses - I intend to sign up for some maths courses at the OU. This will improve my mathematical knowledge, allowing for further study in subjects I’m interested in, plus allow me to work in more mathematically-heavy careers. This equates to 10 hours study per week, so it’s not a light commitment, but one I think I need to make. Exercise more - this is important as it improves my mindset, stamina, and makes me feel good. Not too many goals this time, but some important ones, and I think I’m in a good position to commit to these thanks to the support of my partner, and therefore I am in a position to improve my life. ...

This is my current studio setup. I have the following gear: Eurorack 9U case Eurorack 6U case KORG MS20 Mini Synth Roland TB3 Synth AY3 Chiptune Synth Roland A500-PRO Keyboard Controller Nord Drum Synth Macbook Pro with Ableton Live 9 Suite MIDI.OCD Polyphonic MIDI->CV Converter Samson Patchbay I am looking to sell my Acces Virus A and concentrate on filling up the remaining Eurorack case holes.

I am currently moving the blog, which was formerly hosted on Dreamhost, to Wordpress.com hosting. Most of the content is moved over already, I have to go through all the posts and tidy up the references, relink the images etc. Hopefully I will get around to this shortly.

In 2017 I want to build a relatively static hardware-based workflow. This is what I’ve chosen: The components are: Roland A-500PRO keyboard controller - https://www.roland.com/global/products/a-500pro/ Arpie MIDI Arpeggiator - https://www.tindie.com/products/hotchk155/arpie-midi-arpeggiator-kit/ CV.OCD Midi -> CV Convertor - https://www.tindie.com/products/hotchk155/cvocd-a-super-flexible-midi-to-cv-box/ KORG MS20 Semi-Modular Mini Synth Eurorack - https://www.modulargrid.net/e/racks/view/350623 Nord Drum Semi-Modular Drum Module - http://www.nordkeyboards.com/products/nord-drum Stereo Memory Man with Hazarai (Reverb/Echo Pedal) - http://www.ehx.com/products/stereo-memory-man-with-hazarai Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 Audio Interface - https://us.focusrite.com/firewire-audio-interfaces/saffire-pro-24 Ableton Push Controller (MK1) - https://www.ableton.com/en/push/

With my current setup, I’m trying to make as much music ‘out of the box’ as possible, away from the computer as I find it more fun. Synths: KORG Minilogue: I use this for a keyboard controller, and I use the 16 step sequencer to run simple sequences. It connects to the PC via USB and has MIDI output. I can also use this as a synthesizer its own right, it’s good for backing chords and pads. KORG MS20 Mini: I’m borrowing this from a friend. I will use it as a bass synth mostly. I’ve got a Harvestman English Tear module which connects it to my Eurorack. ...