tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16951368214681973772012-02-16T12:09:52.857-08:00This blog is an outlet for me to explore and share some of my creative talents such as writing, music-making, digital design, field recording, and handicrafts. All of the content is speedily and thoughtfully crafted to be edutaining and expressive.ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.comBlogger581100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-67285098792235272902009-05-28T11:05:00.000-07:002009-07-31T08:10:02.492-07:00

So maybe it's cliche to have a rattle in Rattle, but honestly the title was borne in complete absence of the rattle and eludes to the quick rattle-evoking sound at the end of the longer melody passage, as well as at the beginning of the lead part. Anywho, this tune started with the mandolin rhythm part and was originally going to be another overtone piece (see the post, Overtone), but quickly

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-29151051134401301412009-05-20T10:21:00.000-07:002009-07-31T09:12:53.187-07:00

Here's one version of this idea. The "melody line" or theme is something that drops in once in a while when I'm whistling. The lead guitar track is one take. The title stems from the time signature, which is based on ten beats. It will change (the title that is).

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-57299866396570875542009-05-16T18:14:00.001-07:002009-05-16T18:32:08.285-07:00

I've been reviewing and reflecting on some of the early audio projects I created for this blog, and I'm amazed at how much I've learned about audio production. Looking back at the actual production files I can see all of the less-than-optimal recording, editing, and mixing methods I've employed, and note how my methods have changed through experience. I've come to understand that while I'm

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-63641300578624002002009-05-13T13:19:00.000-07:002009-07-31T09:16:09.413-07:00

This is a more polished version of "Wayback" (previous post), with improved presentation and streamlined parts. The rhythm guitar part came in a dream a few nights back. It's interesting to note that the rhythm guitar is in 6/8 while the bass is 8/8. The other tracks are more open to facilitate the convergence of these two time signatures. This track reminds me of Dr. Didg.

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-78261678747510757392009-05-08T10:48:00.000-07:002009-07-31T09:16:24.851-07:00

First post and composition in a while. Felt inspired to get back to my analogue roots. Enjoy!

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-11450714654435228182009-01-31T07:45:00.000-08:002009-07-31T09:16:43.448-07:00

Ableton session number three.

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-86168817188742896552009-01-27T16:08:00.000-08:002009-07-31T09:16:55.128-07:00

Another Ableton Live session.

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-56690774388840243972009-01-27T08:28:00.000-08:002009-07-31T09:17:09.171-07:00

This is a fun little ditty composed on Ableton Live.

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-78581349228907238842009-01-23T06:46:00.000-08:002009-01-23T08:33:24.433-08:00

I finally baked an honest loaf from the sourdough culture I started back in December. I shot it from this angle so you wouldn't see I already dug in on the other side. It's a nice dense loaf (the kind where you can eat one or two pieces and get pretty full) with a wonderful crumb, and the flavor is as rich and complex as a fine cheese. I still have to work on the crust a bit through refining oven

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-53611415107695771662009-01-21T05:15:00.000-08:002009-07-31T09:34:19.764-07:00

This piece was born out of an attempt to create a soundtrack for a web-based promotional video I created for a client. Thankfully it didn't work out at all for the video, because it's a hot tune! In this composition I'm gradually refining my approach to MIDI-based instrumentation, and hopefully getting a bit closer to the things I'm trying to emulate. That said, I hope listeners will be able to

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-37752559576136710002009-01-19T09:58:00.000-08:002009-01-19T14:36:42.807-08:00

I got hold of a new mother the other day. In this case, a mother is a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast that ferments a mixture of black tea and sugar into a refreshing and potentially health-promoting drink known as kombucha. I kept one other kombucha culture in the past (actually the new one is an offshoot of an offshoot of the original culture I kept), and never before realized the

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-44909482218907318112009-01-18T08:33:00.000-08:002009-01-18T12:12:30.819-08:00

It's a snowy day today. One of my favorite things to witness is when a pine bough gets overloaded with snow and suddenly lets loose a rush of powder - the trees must know I'm writing about them, because they just dumped a couple of the largest snow loads yet. I think what grabs me about these cascades is that there's a sort of hushed drama to the whole ordeal. The snow is moving rapidly, but

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-6141877074206166102009-01-14T19:20:00.000-08:002009-01-14T20:16:49.057-08:00

I'm looking at rainbow colors in the snow a lot these days. I try to make myself feel cold during my morning walks so that I can sit down at the computer and accomplish more than just blank staring. I've got a love-hate relationship with caffeine and technology. I'm on this Earth to make music, and to take care of a lot of monotonous business. I stopped eating breakfast because it seems like a

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-62511814041456324442009-01-12T18:18:00.000-08:002009-01-12T19:33:52.601-08:00

Lots of new species at the bird feeder the last few days. Mourning doves, blue jays, a diverse assortment of cryptically-patterned sparrows (including unconfirmed fox, chipping & song sparrows), a Carolina wren, Cooper's and red-tailed hawks, and downy and red-bellied (1) woodpeckers. The sparrows, titmice and juncos have become our regular regulars, so to speak. It's interesting to note how much

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-2882834694961794892009-01-11T17:27:00.000-08:002009-01-11T20:03:22.089-08:00

Video editing takes a serious toll. I'm currently developing a splash promo video for a client, and it's reminding me how incredibly absorbing video production can be - keeping track of so many simultaneous threads. For a while I said I could never produce video for a living because I'm not anal enough. I don't say that anymore. Aside from the gratifying feeling that comes when a video reaches

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-7494588312553376402009-01-06T12:36:00.000-08:002009-01-07T06:08:27.300-08:00

I put up a bird feeder in the back yard last night at about 9pm. The grey squirrels have been pigging out for most of the day. I'm trying to keep mental notes of distinguishing characteristics for each of the seven plus squirrels, and so far I'm fairly confident I've got two down pat. One of the two is a larger squirrel I'm calling Red, who has a greater predominance of red-tinted fir on his head

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-14508274667840120662009-01-04T08:31:00.001-08:002009-01-04T14:09:22.833-08:00

What do the following five locations have in common?Surabaya, IndonesiaStockholm, SwedenOviedo, SpainMartellago, ItalyLambeth, United KingdomPeople from each location have visited this blog within the last month. Thanks to everyone who's visited, and to Google Earth & Analytics for making the images available.

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-89964720072105900932009-01-03T13:34:00.000-08:002009-07-31T09:39:41.028-07:00

This is my first composition using a MIDI keyboard. It's amazing the difference in terms of flow both within the composition itself as well as with the creative process. I think the main difference is that I can hear my ideas in real time, which allows my train of thought to progress without the major breaks that occurred when I was manually writing each note into a MIDI map.

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-69608878188143427452008-12-23T15:22:00.000-08:002009-07-31T09:43:21.559-07:00

This musical composition is based on an idea I recorded early this year (the first vocal track that appears in the piece). I recently started organizing my database of vocal and instrumental ideas from the last few years, and this is the first of those to make it out of the perverbial gate. "Walk in the Woods" will be a confusing title for those who are familiar with my field recordings, but the

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-13258000366011871142008-12-23T08:02:00.003-08:002009-07-31T09:44:27.037-07:00

This recording is from spring 2007 in the Woodland Cemetery in Keene, New Hampshire. At that time, I was living about a quarter mile from the cemetery and could hear the frogs very clearly from my apartment. When I got down to the site and put the headphones on I was nearly blown away by the volume. As I listened longer, an eery quality began to emerge. The frog species featured in this

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-42281945441297390682008-12-22T19:25:00.000-08:002008-12-22T20:03:38.340-08:00

time to do it up with a smile on my face can you place it when it's racing by flying higher than a hawk beak curved swerve right while in flight it's a diet of mice with eyesight that can slice the air with a minimum of staring don't look long when the sun is glaring at you through the red-tinged feathersfilleted fish swish back and forth with their tales of woe pro or con something doesn't

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-47830283796582223072008-12-19T11:04:00.000-08:002009-07-31T09:45:22.121-07:00

This recording is from Maine's Mount Desert Island in May 07'. I was there for a field course on the ecology of the island, and captured this recording from the Black Woods Campground in the early morning before the day's planned adventure. The waves were roiling wildly following an intense storm from the day before, with lots of heavy breakers and regular spouts of fifty-plus feet. I remember

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-86830548190051268972008-12-17T06:14:00.000-08:002008-12-19T10:40:48.434-08:00

I recently upgraded the audio player for this blog from Fabricio Zuardi's original XSPF music player to Lacy Morrow's first updated version, and plan to upgrade once more to Lacy's most recent XSPF jukebox very soon. Some of the benefits of the first update include a snazzier appearance, the ability to scroll through audio files, a shuffle function, and the remaining time for the cued track is

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-56442434675080912142008-12-13T12:16:00.000-08:002009-07-31T09:52:13.424-07:00

This recording is from early summer 08' in a friend's backyard on George Street in Keene, New Hampshire adjacent to Robin Hood Park. I was tenting out and had my recorder handy. As I was drifting out of sleep in the morning the sounds of the eastern phoebe (pictured at right) and the distant woodthrush inserted themselves into my dreams, wherein they became the most beautiful sounds I've ever

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-62928881354911574152008-12-13T07:37:00.000-08:002009-07-31T09:58:31.986-07:00

7/4. 95 BPM. Eleven tracks including midi piano, midi organ, midi drums, midi bass, guitar, mandolin, and vocal tracks 1-5. I started this track with the opening vocal, and got the bass and piano where I liked them. I then composed the harmonies, which made the whole thing sound like it was evolving toward a major shift. That led me to develop the organ for the B part, and I then revamped the

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-14984197785898153862008-12-05T07:49:00.000-08:002009-07-31T09:59:26.964-07:00

126 BPM. Six tracks including midi piano, midi organ, midi drums, midi bass, djembe, and guitar. I started this track with the midi drums with the intention of composing something with a latin flavor. I then created the bass and organ parts and built out from there.

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-23064166650138473852008-12-05T05:04:00.000-08:002008-12-05T08:01:09.484-08:00

Finally finished the new hat just in time for a dose of winter weather. I had to start this thing a few times because of unfortunate mishaps. The worst was realizing that the free pattern I found on the Internet was about twice the size of my head. Didn't figure that out until the hat was three to four knit sessions along and could've passed as the body of a child's sweater. In the end, I

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-22700171162806550722008-12-04T09:11:00.000-08:002009-07-31T10:00:20.769-07:00

This recording is from late spring 08' at Antioch University New England. I happened to notice a large number of bees (dare I say a swarm) gathering pollen from an ornamental shrub in the main quad after a morning class. It sounded so lovely that I biked home to grab my recording equipment and was back to record within fifteen minutes. There are quite a few genera of bees represented in this

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-59049714121717293552008-12-03T06:53:00.000-08:002009-07-31T10:01:43.987-07:00

This recording is from early summer 08' at Crider Shelter on the Monadnock-Sunapee Trail. The roof of the shelter is tin and it was raining lightly as I woke up, which made for an awesome start to my day (really!). The rain gradually gets heavier and louder as the piece progresses. I set up my tent screen inside the shelter in order to keep the insects at bay. At one point during the recording a

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-15721553933786741252008-12-02T18:10:00.000-08:002008-12-10T16:20:05.963-08:00

Continuing with the theme of microorganisms from the last post, and to follow up on a reference from the much earlier post titled, "Fun Guy!!!", three days ago I started brewing up a sourdough culture using nothing more than flour, water, a mason jar, and an apple. First, I whipped up a watery batter mixture (flour & water) in the mason jar. Next I placed the apple over the jar opening so that it

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-90162153036906458952008-11-30T06:53:00.000-08:002008-11-30T11:19:53.157-08:00

Finished building my second compost bin (hopefully many more to come) last Wednesday afternoon, just in time for Thanksgiving. As with everything practice makes perfect, and this second bin is quite an improvement over my first attempt. The bin was constructed using five wooden pallets, four pieces of masonry, two rolls of chicken fence, four door hinges, two metal handles, and many nails.The

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-3142167984329948972008-11-26T08:10:00.000-08:002009-07-31T10:05:31.324-07:00

This was recorded on a friend's property from a small screened shelter overlooking a beaver pond. I spent the night in the shelter and set up the recorder before going to bed so it'd be as easy as rolling over and pressing the record button. There's a really nice mix of sounds in this piece including frogs, insects, many species of birds (winter wren, veery, oven bird, nuthatch, and others), and

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-58205756286687007852008-11-24T15:34:00.000-08:002009-07-31T10:06:14.698-07:00

4/4. 71 BPM. Seven tracks including vocal1, vocal2, vocal3, whistling, midi drum1, midi drum2, and midi piano. The whistling track came to me while cooking dinner. I stepped out for a minute to record before losing the idea, and then drafted the rest over the last few days.

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-3778039732225955902008-11-21T14:18:00.000-08:002009-07-31T10:06:56.547-07:00

This is my first ever field recording using a professional audio recorder (PMD 660 Advanced) with a decent mic (Rode NT5). This recording is from Pisgah State Park in southern New Hampshire in late winter 2007. The sounds in this piece were recorded on a small stream that was mostly covered over with snow and ice with the exception of this one small opening. I used one microphone because the

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-76224973111331401372008-11-21T11:12:00.000-08:002009-07-31T10:07:36.375-07:00

This is my first ever field recording. It was recorded at Gap Mountain in southern New Hampshire in mid February of 2007. This was before I possessed or had access to real recording equipment, so I wound up using a miniDV camcorder with the stock external mic. I hadn't really thought through the use of this recorder or I would have taped down the record button. As it was, I had to hold the

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-85173882639187788422008-11-17T19:33:00.000-08:002009-07-31T10:10:25.696-07:00

Time signature's a little funky on this one, but mostly 4/4. 130 BPM. Four tracks including vocals, mandolin, midi drums, and midi bass. In this piece you can hear my interpretation of the sub-class of overtone singing known as kargyraa. To learn more about overtone singing, check out Sed's Khoomei page.

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-37853482593551950662008-11-17T09:10:00.000-08:002009-07-31T10:15:39.464-07:00

8/8, 130 BPM. Four tracks including midi organ, midi drums1, midi drums2, and midi bass.

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-21388036954410330452008-11-14T14:54:00.000-08:002008-11-14T16:31:41.951-08:00

Unfortunately I don't have any before-and-after shots, but I just shorn my first dog - a Goldendoodle (half golden retriever, half poodle) named Fenway. Any dogs of the Doodle lineage are said to be hypoallergenic due to the claim that their hair doesn't shed, but I'm not so sure about this. The interesting thing about shearing a dog is that they're totally happy to receive the attention, and

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-4796727811533833162008-11-11T10:26:00.000-08:002009-07-31T10:23:01.179-07:00

9/8, 120 BPM. Seven tracks including guitar1, guitar2, guitar3, lead guitar, midi bass, djembe, and midi drums. I woke up with the right channel guitar line in my head last Thursday at about 5am. I originally recorded it as a vocal track so as not to lose the idea, and then whipped up this version over the last two days.Dec. 23 Update: I revisited this composition and found the right channel

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-60327651058921179332008-11-10T10:39:00.000-08:002009-07-31T10:23:45.269-07:00

8/8, 160 BPM. Three tracks including guitar, midi bass, and midi drums. Influences: Mad Professor. I'm also hearing horns over this - I'll keep you posted. The bass line for this was translated from a vocal track I recorded. The guitar rhythms were originally longer and more complex, but they sound much better stripped down to their essences - similar to carving a piece of wood or editing an

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-84830853652633806112008-11-07T04:51:00.000-08:002008-11-08T20:45:00.926-08:00

I believe that for most people there is one animal s/he most closely resembles in terms of appearance and mannerism. It's not always easy to make such distinctions (there are lots of animals out there!), but with the right kind of eye and a bit of patience it may eventually come together. I've had friends who are mountain lions, owls, crows, wolves, bears, horses, foxes, ducks, snakes, rabbits,

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-35188272928040077692008-11-04T17:33:00.000-08:002009-07-31T10:24:29.882-07:00

7/8, 95 BPM. Five tracks including guitar1, guitar2, guitar3, guitar4, and one midi drum track. Influences: Parliament, John Scofield, and The Allman Brothers. This one will probably get a little lead treatment sometime real soon.

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-69579954135952962052008-11-03T16:42:00.000-08:002009-07-31T10:32:35.775-07:00

6/8, 124 BPM. Five tracks including guitar1, guitar2, guitar3, and two midi drum tracks. Influences: Fela Kuti and Talking Heads. It's getting much easier to maintain a steady rhythm for recording. This time I kept everything very straight-forward. No fancy stuff. I'll likely clean this up a bit and throw in a vocal track or three sometime in the near future.

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-42316051634097693242008-10-31T06:28:00.000-07:002008-11-04T08:19:48.843-08:00

Library rhythm: There are giggles and barks, but only because it's Halloween. There's clicking, tapping, silence, the hums and wheezes of various machines. Other rhythms are slower or pulsed - an occasional deep breath following a period of concentration, a door shuts, a book is placed on a table, sliding paper, furniture rumbles upstairs. Everything is crisp, bright, organized. Inhaling is like

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-8984790841510377012008-10-29T11:38:00.000-07:002008-11-04T08:20:56.811-08:00

Sorry about the bad joke, but if you know me or if you've read any of my previous posts, you're probably already familiar with my passions for music, digital media, and writing. For those that don't know me, fungi, biking, and baking will come as somewhat of a surprise, possibly even a shock (but hopefully not a shock). If in the past you've used any detective skills to learn more about me, you

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-52035053473027712622008-10-27T14:08:00.000-07:002008-10-27T17:22:27.161-07:00

Just to reiterate, "noodles" are fast flowing free association writing with little to no filter. I've been reading Writing Down the Bones, by Natalie Goldberg, on and off for the past couple of years. It's been a real pleasure to read and very inspiring of this material. Keep your ears peeled for a recorded noodle one day soon.Here's a shorty from a few weeks ago:Hand beam fan of green peas can't

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-44110487199487545612008-10-27T13:13:00.000-07:002009-07-31T11:00:57.042-07:00

Had a little fun putting together an audio composition today. It's four tracks including guitar1, guitar2, djembe, and vocals. This composition is mostly influenced by Ethiopian funk, but maybe you have some other thoughts? With this project I realized how difficult it can be to stay in sinc with a slow rhythm (75 BPM) when you're really getting into a vibe. The recording and editing took place

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-2866820549628246622008-10-26T11:33:00.000-07:002008-10-26T11:53:51.638-07:00

Today I implemented a few minor design tweaks such as the favicon viewable in the address bar (it used to be the standard Blogger icon), a new banner image and background image, and I altered the texture under the menu and the horizontal bar below the banner. All of these tweaks and many more are explained at Tips for New Bloggers. Sorry about all the concrete, but I was fascinated by the many

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-48817656779669406472008-10-24T10:48:00.000-07:002009-07-31T11:02:55.518-07:00

Here's the first audio submission to my blog (click on the slim grey box above to start the player). Hopefully there will be many more audio tracks to come, as the purpose of this first submission is mostly to establish a process for posting audio here. This track is a straight take on an electric guitar with a bit of reverb, and it will remain untitled. Sorry I'm a bit out of practice.For those

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-59957826847548573292008-10-19T19:23:00.000-07:002008-10-26T08:58:33.776-07:00

"Cold feet" is generally used as a metaphor to signify misgivings about getting married, buying a house, or some other large commitment. Recently I set out to discover how this metaphor actually works by subjecting my feet to near-freezing temperatures for an entire night. Sleeping in a state park in an old and compromised sleeping bag, I was able to maintain a consistent temperature of forty

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-10800381679132136502008-10-18T13:09:00.000-07:002008-10-19T06:42:19.529-07:00

I had this dream a couple of weeks ago where there were a bunch of tarot cards appearing, all of them providing information of various sorts. From what I can remember of the cards in the dream sequence, one read, "put on pants," and another read, "vtmidget". Upon waking (at 2:30am), I proceeded to put on a pair of pants before rolling back into bed and then slept soundly for a few more hours. Two

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-33805545137325734802008-10-17T09:38:00.001-07:002008-10-18T13:42:29.140-07:00

Sorry about the delay since my last post. I know everyone must be dying to read another installment.My mother is in town on a two week jaunt, and we've been traveling all week visiting with family and friends. It's been about a year since she's been back for any length of time, so there's a lot of catching up for her to do. Me as well, since I've been extremely busy with grad school for the past

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-70128201425360361342008-10-10T10:34:00.000-07:002008-10-14T09:14:53.977-07:00

You may be wondering, "Why do I have this strange feeling when I visit this site now? It's almost like I'm being watched or something."You'd never know it to look at the main page, but I've set up a Google Analytics account to get a rough idea of how my audience changes over time. I also thought it might be fun to share any interesting statistical trends as they emerge. There are statistical

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-28044557746970926712008-10-09T16:55:00.000-07:002008-10-18T13:38:50.438-07:00

A while back, Richard Wagner and I started an environmental news audio podcast called Planet Home. Grad school robbed us of any free time and we were forced to give up after recording a handful of episodes, but I have plans to pick up this thread again one day soon. I plan to edit and release the best of the material we've recorded, and then check with Richard to see if he's into continuing the

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-1926311886739419302008-10-08T14:05:00.000-07:002008-10-22T14:23:12.377-07:00

This video is of a soundscape activity I led during commencement '08 at Antioch University New England.

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-66893055451529946672008-10-06T14:42:00.000-07:002008-10-06T17:24:46.103-07:00

I added some links to the sidebar at stage right:ArtistConk is my personal website, which I've been developing on and off for the past few years. It's kind of fun to have as a back pocket project for rainy days or periods of down time. At this point, I've pretty much outgrown the original server space I purchased for the site, and I'm in the process of migrating to a larger space that will allow

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-29941295986379982522008-10-05T08:29:00.000-07:002008-10-06T15:20:18.943-07:00

Took my first stab at a design upgrade for the blog by creating a new banner (look up). It's a little better, but still has a long way to go before I'll be fully satisfied, but for now I'm at least satisficed.You may be wondering, "What's the deal with the blog title, Grey by Design? 'Grey' is usually spelled g-r-A-y in America, and besides, it sets a totally depressing tone."I'm glad you asked

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695136821468197377.post-47891112707009394642008-10-03T13:05:00.000-07:002008-10-06T15:21:11.371-07:00

This is my first post on my second blog. I have another blog that I started before this one, but it doesn't have any posts (just music). You can view it here. I've also administered blogs for others in the past, but this is a little different in that this is my blog. I'll probably be tweaking the design of my blog as I go along by adding a custom banner and better style elements to make things a

ArtistConkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13146613237232644396noreply@blogger.com0