Status Report 8/25

My second monthly status report is here! There are a few developments to talk about, so let’s get to it.

First off, I’ve moved, as I mentioned was imminent in last month’s status report. As a result, I have had to downsize the studio considerably from previous iterations. I sold a bunch of synths (like the Kawai K4 and Hydrasynth) and other gear I wasn’t using before the move, and for the moment I am limited to a corner desk and what I can fit on it. Currently that’s the modular synth (more on that in a moment), a few controllers and my computer, plus an Ableton Move for some on-the-couch jamming and sketch padding. Once I get everything sorted a bit more, I will probably try to dig thru my packed stuff to find a couple key items – maybe one tape deck and the DrumBrute Impact – and that’ll have to do until I move again sometime in the next year (current location is decidedly temporary).

Luckily I have most of my other stuff in some “close enough” virtual version – opsix native plugin and MiniFreak V plugin cover most of what I am missing. No MiniBrute 2, but I can easily lay hands on my Strega and 0-Coast, or in the modular, if I need some fat analog monosynth. Not the same but it’ll do until I have more space…

I took the opportunity of the move to rearrange my modular synth layout, which I haven’t done for like… 3 years? It’s been a minute. The modular has also been largely static (as in no new modules added) for most of that time, which helps. I have added a few utility modules here and there, but nothing that required more than a minor adjustment (usually moving something from the main case to the separate controller case). 

The new layout isn’t wildly different – I actually stuck with the same basic concepts, just updated a few things. The main update is that I put the Benjolin and Panharmonium next to each other because like 90% of the time I am patching them together anyway. I also swapped the case’s orientation – I had been laying it on its back, essentially, and now it’s sitting “upright” on the little feet it came with. It meant I had to flip all my modules! But now it takes up considerably less space.

In other news, I am hoping to start streaming again as early as this week. May tweak things a bit based on stuff I have researched but it should be for the better. It’ll be on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@etherdiver) and I am going to start streaming Wednesdays in the afternoon – probably 12:30 p.m. California/Pacific Daylight Time. If it goes well/I am enjoying it, I’ll add a second day. Also going to do some occasional semi spontaneous late-night “hangout” streams that are a little less focused – I’ll announce those on social media as they happen.

In new music news, I continue to work on lots of little sketches and jams but haven’t moved anything substantially toward the finish line. I can feel something starting to stir in the mess tho, so it won’t be long. My brain will announce a direction for these tracks (current batch is a lot of relatively mellow Benjolin-based pieces that are still wild and woolly) soon and then things will start to fall into place as some will get turned into tunes, others into samples. Stay tuned!

And that’s it for this month. See you again in September…