Hello, my name is Looptron.

Your name here.

Teehee. This is the first ever gig listing with the word "Looptron" in it. It gives you a warm, fuzzy, slightly nauseous feeling doesn't it?

This is really, really happening.

The set is coming together nicely, vaguely considering booking rehearsal space so I can practice everything at full volume, check for feedback issues, etc.

The "Play" pedal.

As a result of this conversation I'd like to introduce you all to the newest member of the band - the Play Pedal! OK, it's just a cheapo Boss non-latching footswitch that plugs into the sustain pedal bit of the synth but as we all know it's not what you plug it into, it's what you assign it to that makes the difference, and in this case it bumps along to the next "scene" in Ableton.

Weirdly enough, I never really properly thought about this but it makes life soooo much easier. I'm still reluctant to go for the full MIDI floor switch type rig though which might lead to a more sampling trigger-based approach. Each scene at the moment really just contains a drum loop and different ways of processing the inputs but I still have to perform all the basics...

Speaker for the deaf.

Finally caved and bought some proper nearfield monitors: A pair of Yamaha HS50M - as the Yamaha website says "if your mix sounds good on these it'll sound good on everything."

Guess what? All my mixes sound terrible on them. :-)

Oh, and they're not supposed to be sideways but when the only matched speaker mounts you own are a pair of empty software boxes you go for the maximum stability option. Plus, this way they look like  proper old skool NS10's that are so common in studio/gear porn.

Putting the final touches to the arrangement stuff today, prolly vocals and lyricising tomorrow and then hopefully it's just into tweaking and practice for the gig. Oh and at some point  this weekend there's drinking and movies and Harry Potter books and stuff to be attended to. But now......lunch.

Been listening to rough demos of the live tunes.

Notes

1.
- better phonetic definition on vocoder
- better timing on vocoder (check pitch before start this time!)
- more drum variation in first section
- (much) biggerdrums in second disco section
- improve midi for vocoder

2.
- Learn to play/sing the fucker.
- Another beepy electro part for the verses
- another section
- longer solo

3.
- second verse - needs sparkle, drop for second chorus, back for outro
- vocoder volume up, pre-bake the midi rather than take from Rhodes?

4.
- vocals, vocals, vocals
- more variation in the bass

5.
- drums need to get much bigger throughout
- Add a part B. Bring the guitar solo...?

6.
- some sort of sample over outro tape delay madness
- pre-bake midi for outro?

Release [First Draft]

this room is
much too loud
and these people
much too proud
but that don't help him
talk her round
and he says

you've got something
you have to say
so tell me tell me tell me

she knows (that)
he knows
so let go
so let go

attraction
has it rules
seduction
has it schools
that tell you
don't play it safe
and she says

you've got something
you cannot hide
so show me, show me, show me

he knows (that)
she knows
so let go
so let go

Copyright ©2007 Neil Sharkey, all rights reserved.

Do you have a card?

Woohoo. Cheesy business card type things. Idea stolen from the Cassette kids, (poor) design work by yours truly based on a garbled close up of my Telecaster and print-style execution by moo.com who print stuff direct from Flickr and the like. Cheap arse cameraphone shots do 'em no justice whatsover but they've come out luverly.

It's the first entry in the Shoebox Of Looptron Memorabila!