EP - The Songs

 

So we put together an EP (Extended Play) with 5 of our vocal / instrumentals from the first 6 months of 2026 and put that on Bandcamp, and also made an 8 page booklet about the tracks, lyrics and the thinking behind it.

Not that anyone will play them. Even for FREE. Uploading to the void it is called.

More interesting for me is putting them, and the EP artwork on my Android phone for the Pulsar Music Player., where I can play them over and over and think about all the mistakes and things that should be different.

These have the vocal to think about. Like the singing lacks emoting and variation.  They are all more like Instrumentals with vocals sections, rather than songs, but that is because they were done as part of MUSIC+COMICS, and not traditional songs. 

At least I tell myself that.

This morning also put up the Comfort & Fear YouTube SHORT.

Not sure if the "cute" animation will attract or repulse with this one.

Other Things

I have Scrivener for notes and writing.  It is very much like a Software IDE, with a group of small text files, you can than place in order, move them around, then compile that into the final document.  It has a few tools to simulate a post it note view of the story too.

I rarely compile anything but use all the small notes files as memos.  I expected to be writing more comics with it, but I end up doing all that in Corel draw itself, as I much prefer the rapid prototyping approach where I do the comic quickly, then refine it, as I can move things around. I don't have the story all finished first then start the comic.  It is just way easier to finish things that way.

One of the many YouTube videos on my timeline was on useful free tools to replace the usual commercial productivity stuff.  I moved to LibreOffice with my move to win11.  I once considered getting Evernote for my phone, but never did, and see that the original promise of never loose any idea ever, was pre ENSHITAFICATION and isn't true now. 

Obsidian gets mentioned every so often, and I tried it today.  A bunch of .md text files, you can trivially add hyperlinks in, and to, other text documents in it. Text files can have images dropped in them, and has all the usual expected text formatting tools and spell checker.  But I see it has to copy the image file into your Obsidian projects folder, and not a system wide link. A least it looks that way at first go.

Reminds me a bit of building my core HTML website, except you don't have to use html to put in hyperlinks. 

Has easy ways to do dated log entries. Not something I need in retirement though. My diary is hand written in paper books, and I refer to that a lot, but automating it doesn't make that easier.  I keep a big Calendar too with key things on it, which makes finding the diary entry easier.  My diary is just a lined B5 notebook where I leave a line and write the date of the next entry. Some days I don't write anything at all, and those days just aren't in the diary. No wasted, fixed sized pages for days not needed.

Apparently the SEARCH in  Obsidian is really good.  TIMER plugins would have been useful in my consulting days, but not now.

It displays your web of links between your notes.  A few from my playing with it.

I guess that is more interesting after a time when you have forgotten some of the idea/notes you have and can rediscover them.

All in all, I don't think Obsidian is something I actually need any more, but would have loved 30+ years ago.  Will try it as a learning tool.  Finding stuff may be easier than just paper notes or Scrivener text files. Don't know. Most of the stuff I have seen as advantages seems overcomplicated and not relevant to me any more. To remember something, writing it out on paper with a pen works best for me.

Wife now back from her 10 day trip, and the time flew by. Feels like she just went to the supermarket.

I have had a few Boss pedals in my time, and sold most of them way before now. I see them more as performers tools, rather than for in the studio the way I work. Still have distortion, EQ and Wha pedal. I think the thing about them is, like McDonalds, consistent quality, powering, useability and availability is in their favor.  

It seems Japan isn't an important focus of the company now though, since I have been back in Japan. The BOSS IR-2 wasn't available in Japan till a year after all the overseas Youtubers and Sweetwater had them.  I had been after one, but ended up with the POD EXPRESS BLACK as being far more my thing anyway, and available.

The BOSS XS-1 has been mostly unobtainable anywhere for 6 months now. Seems strange. Could get a DROP as it is available but I can really do the same thing in my REAPER DAW.   Have an 8 string too, so really low isn't an issue either. The DROP seems to handle pinch harmonics better, but has a greater latency and sounds dull shifting down more than 3 semitones.

I worked in Roland Japan for 15 years. Met people from Roland RG, but have no memory of anyone from BOSS Japan.  Must have met a few, don't remember any. 

Michael started at the cinema here 2026/6/12. I have the same 1958 birthyear as Michael Jackson and it was a shock, but not a surprise, when he died of a painkiller/ anesthetic overdose.  Saw all the documentaries about his achievements then.  Oldest son has gone to see the film today and loved it. It isn't something on my go see list unless the wife wants to see it.

We can be found at ArtAndTechnology  KYOTO JAPAN

Comfort & Fear | That PTSD & Anxiety Song

 

So recorded some music, came back later, made up some lyrics and added vocals and made a draft of a song I now call Comfort and Fear.  Came back later again and changed the melodic 6 string guitar part. 

Made this 25 second miming my vocal as a joke using OBS and my webcam. I am doing a VOYAGER DOCTOR like thing in the above joke video with over emoting it all, trying to be human. I am not going to be doing any lip sync videos, that is for sure. 

Didn't spend long on the lyrics. Just trying different words, with a theme.  Actually 2 themes then try and sing them. Sounding right as a song is better than having the right meaning as text. 

The vocal chain this time doesn't use my VintageVerb, but ReaVerb with a LEXICON 480L plate IR. I can't hear the difference though. But I have a 2 echo stereo slap back delay before the reverb in this, rather than in parallel via sends the way I have done. Will keep this new way as my vocal chain till I get sick of it.

My vocal delivery is probably more "musical theater" than rock or metal, as I try and make the lyric very clear. Even if the words themselves end up being ambiguous.

The 8 and 6 string guitars used:

Made this DRAFT music+ comic on it about 2 stories around PTSD. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. 心的外傷後ストレス障害

I may change the lyric after I play it a bit and get completely sick of it, like I normally do. Having Nightmare twice in a verse seems wrong, and I may change it to something else. EDIT: I did in the version that will get put on Bandcamp.

On Bandcamp:  Comfort And Fear - The PTSD Anxiety Song

Years ago I used to fuss about the mix and mastering of my tracks. Was it close to "commercial releases" or not and what to do to fix that?  I don't bother any more. If the mastering, slow, spectrum looks reasonable, and it sounds reasonable to my (poor late 60s ) ears that is good enough for me, the one that will actually play them. 

Comfort and Fear can be interpreted in various ways. I have observed foreign residents in Japan all over social media having that "Comfort & Fear" thing.  I did the first time I was here in 1987 to some extent, but mostly from "I don't know how things work here" for the first years.  Changes to the Japanese VISA laws with new "language ability tests" for PR is sure to bring out the fear in many... I have PR already, so don't expect any issues, but they can always change that too. 

We can be found at ArtAndTechnology  KYOTO JAPAN

The Final Chapter | To KIX Airport

 

More singing, for a bit of it anyway. More like an instrumental with vocals in the chorus. I already put the track on Bandcamp earlier in the week, but to get more views have made a too long SHORT. 

In your late 60s, you are very aware you are in your final chapter of life. This year is 50 years since last year of High School. Grand children and health issues are normal.  This is pretty much aimed at the  class of '76. 

Living your life as you need too

Far from the noise and the chaotic view 

The pace of life is up to me now

In this final chapter we’re not looking back now

 

For those of us with health on our side 

In this final chapter we run as we please

 

Here's cheers to good health 

Not having to work at a career was a huge relief, and being above to do what you want is really great. For me that is mostly  going to a certain kinds of art exhibitions a few times a year, making my own silly music/ comics (with other hobbies) and go to cafe's once or week or so.  It is said your 60s are the best decade and I agree. No work and still healthy enough to go out and do things and get around.

Our cat is such a significant part of each day now. He is 10 years old and spends most of everyday, 22 out of 24 hours, close by me. He is in the chair next to me as I am typing this.  

My wife is in Poland with an old school friend and avid traveler for 10days. My wife will meet the polish girl she has been a pen pal with since junior High School.  It was my wife's friend that suggested they go. She has been so many places recently and usually goes on a tour by herself. Her husband doing his own thing.

I know of a few people my own age with terminal illness, and that the end comes to us all eventually. Sounds a bit grim, but I don't think it is. I think the thing to hope for is just to not suffer at the end. Stay as fit as possible, for as long as possible. And have fun in your remaining time and do what keeps you a happy camper.

This is Heavy 8 string guitar with Neural DSP Modeler , cheesy string machine, Inception synth lead. Has Metal guitar sounds but it isn't metal.

The "CLASS of  1976" reunion images in the short are AI generated.  I have played with AI a bit. It is another tool if used correctly. Shame most don't use it that way. Very little it generates is useful to me in all I have tried. I could do something similar myself, but that would take hours and the ROI isn't worth it. It gets across this aging thing well enough. It is actually the music that is main, but that is not what SHORT viewers are after.

It may seem I am implying I don't have long left, but I will probably have another 20+ years. The song is mostly about living your life the way you want till the end, when ever that may be. But I really didn't spend much time thinking about the lyrics.  Some of the original words I used couldn't be sung, so I changed them, to something that rhythmed better, and becomes more obscure.  

e.g:

Chaotic view  implies career, city commutes and the stress of working for a living. 

I was more worried about my singing and the mix than the actual words though, so they really aren't something I deeply considered first!

Other Things

The last few things I have done all have singing in them. Moral Constipation, Dragons Of Our Minds and Final Chapter say something, even if obscure and the lyric could be interpreted in other ways. Story Shaped Beats is even more obscure!  I like that, and want to continue, but probably comes across as mansplaining. But so much of the lyrics in music I have ever heard doesn't have anything significant to say other than I love you and lets have a good time.

It adds a more interesting dimension, and expands the comics I put with the music.  I had been feeling I was doing the same thing over and over again,  but lyrics changes that. 

There are so many things to try...

Next want to put in DUBSTEP sounds as well as heavy 8 string guitar.

COSMOS the TV series is available to watch on the INTERNET ARCHIVE.   I have recently been referencing things Carl Sagan said or wrote and I though I should revisit COSMOS. 

So bought the too book: 

Some weeks ago watched the movie of his novel CONTACT on Netflix too.  

To KIX Airport.  The Typhon this week, estimated to come through the KIX airport area the day she was to leave ended up moving on early so we had a rain free trip to KIX Airport by train.  She had worried about that a lot for a week before she was to leave. 

The "joke" picture I posted to X with myself, wife and her friend at KIX airport. She says this will be her last International trip. It is around 2 hours each way home to KIX airport and I helped her carry her things.  Glad I didn't have to catch an International Flight myself.  That is just too tiring and tedious these days.   

We had never used the train before. All previous times we had used a Limousine Bus from a nearby station instead. Unfortunately those services have now all been cancelled. It used to be a much more comfortable and faster trip. 

We catch the train to the Airport at Kyobashi station on the Osaka Loop.  The same train also later goes to Wakayama, but what they do is the first 4 carriages go to the airport, and the last 4 go to Wakayama. The train gets divided at Hineno station, the stop before KIX.  Never seen this before.  

It was also the first time to see the Enshittification of the once glorious tool Google Maps.  Now it doesn't give you the cheapest easiest route by default!  😡 

Back doing some Illustration concepts this week.  

Cooking isn't something I do very often now. The kitchen is my wife's domain. Gyoza and boiled eggs have been about it for my contribution for the last few years, but with wife away have done mashed potato and steamed broccoli to go with chicken and it is a nice feeling. At least for a short time. Can buy many prepared foods at the local supermarket and 7/11, but really simple home style isn't one of them.

Moral Constipation is a track and SHORT did a few weeks ago using my old dynamic microphone. Compared to the last 2 tracks using the e945, the vocals do sound much dimmer to me now. 

We can be found at ArtAndTechnology  KYOTO JAPAN

Dragons Of Our Minds | ex-Apple Designer Does a Car

 

A recent X discussion was metal songs have lyrics with dragons 😀

Carl Sagan's 1977 book discusses "The dragons in the dungeons of our mind", related to the "lizard" brain will still have. That isn't quite how they discuss the brain these days, but it works for some song lyrics with dragons that isn't cliche.

The evolutionary oldest parts of our brain is responsible for the lowest level fight/ flight/ pattern finding aspects of ourselves. The pattern finding appears to be the thing responsible for Superstition. And in recent years "Conspiracy Theories".

Lyrics:
The Power Of Intellect Power riding the sky
Power taking you high
The mind taking control
Superstitions will fall Power riding the sky
Power taking you high
Feel the current rise
Beneath digital skies The dragons in the dungeons of our mind
Bowing down to magical thinking Though dragons still linger inside,
Across the cosmic ocean, we stride.

I want my lyrics to mean something. Freak Kitchen and Rage Against The Machine have meaningful lyrics, but most bands don't. The only old Deep Purple song that meant anything was Mary Long, but their hits don't really say anything. The recent albums in 2025 and 2026 have changed that though.

But is my song here "metal"??? Sections with more RAMMSTEIN-ish riffing would help..

It isn't any common metal genre I know of. The guitar tones are metal though...

I keep coming back to Carl Sagan's writing. The pale blue dot. The dragons in the dungeons of our mind. Maybe as his TV series COSMOS had such a big impact on me when it aired in 1980?

The music here started as trying out YouTuber Glen Fricker's EQ before and after NEURAL DSP MODELER  on a quick 8 string guitar thing.

I did like the result I was getting. I then came back and added a little 6 string to the synth and drums. I made a MUSIC+COMIC and that, that included the above screen shot of reaper.

So expanding that with lyrics was my next thought. Something Cyber PUNK was my first thought, but the discussion on X a few weeks ago that much of metal had Dragons in the lyrics or something else cliche had kept coming back to that thought. DIO had a lot of that, and "kill the king" too. I had also drawn an original dragon and posted it to that thread.

So I did a quick test with 2 verses and liked that. Used my old dynamic Aston DM-50 microphone (a cheap Shure SM-58 look alike that isn't available any more) I had bought in a kit with a mic stand when I started using Reaper some 15 years ago. It was promising.

I had bought an "amazing for the price" Condenser Audio Technica AT-2020 many years ago as it was recommended in Sound On Sound Magazine and in Sydney Australia I had a large space and some acoustic treatment to use it in.  Used for a fair few things, but found it kind of resonant with my voice in that space, even if "bright and airy".  It picked up all the noises in the room though.

Now in Japan, in a tiny acoustically untreated space, I thought I should get a better dynamic microphone and see how that goes. Noise inside and outside the house is also a problem. The SM7B is the go to for everyone now days, but I didn't want to spend ¥64,900 as an old retired hobbyist.  I did consider carefully a SM-57 ¥15,253, rather than a SM-58 though.

Had looked at the prices of candidates on Amazon and Soundhouse and was considering them all. Then after a trip to a Mall Cafe, I visited the Shimamura Music there and they had the Sennheiser e945 for as good a price as anywhere, in stock, I could take home with me.  Another live vocals microphone, a bit brighter than a SM-58, that I had preferred in the few mic comparison videos I had seen on YouTube. More expensive than a SM-57 or SM-58. A more condenser sounding dynamic, but with the restrictive pickup pattern I needed.

So bought that. 

Seems good to me, so that is what the above MUSIC+COMIC uses. 

I probably need to investigate vocal setups more, but me actually singing is the biggest struggle. I "can sing", but part of being a real singer is the breathing, and that is something I haven't got a hold on.  I record a verse at a time, and have to edit out all the huge taking a breath sounds I make.  Another rabbit hole to go down.

Double tracking the vocals gives a tighter sound than triple tracking them. One track just seems too thin, without lots of processing. I have only a light vocal plate reverb on these.

But what really struck me about how I sing the verse "Power riding the sky Power taking you high " is it having a Ian Anderson of  Jethro Tull sound to it!

Could anyone tell the difference between the vocals in my MORAL CONSTIPATION and this with a different microphone?  I think I can. It is a bit brighter, may even cut through the mix a bit better. No one else would notice though.

So will I get more serious about the singing side? Yes, maybe...  still not bothering with a registered record label, associated costs or Spotify though.

In my GENRE, I am number1! I am also the only one my genre!

Other Things

Wife is off with an old, well travelled, school friend to Poland for a bit over a week. Hope that all goes fine.  She has had a Polish pen friend for 50 years and will finally meet her.  International flights aren't something I want to take anymore!

After the 50th Anniversary of Fairlight Instruments, some of the people behind the ill fated 30th Anniversary CMI 30A have introduced the FI-50 CMI during the week

What is in the process of being released now is a CMI I-II-IIx "Raspberry PI" on a CMI compatible card that replaces the CPU, Floppy, Graphics & MISC boards of original systems and can drive original channel cards with updated and modernized version of the last CMI IIx software release.  The system software and sound library all fits on an SD CARD.

An original Fairlight programmer wrote a script in his spare time, over the last almost 2 years to convert the original 6809 ASSEMBLER SOURCE to C++, handling all the memory mapping, and floppy drive schemes the original system did, and get it to run on a Raspberry Pi. He said he didn't implement a 6809 emulator at all, and left much to the modern C++ compiler to optimize. He then added a few new pages and features appropriate to the UI all existing computers use, but the CMI didn't.

This all runs much faster than the original system did.

Now that would be nice for maybe the 300 CMI IIx owners that still care about their ancient system, but doesn't seem like much of a win to me.

BUT, they also demoed a CMI II in a 3U 19" box during the 50th Anniversary Party they had in Sydney, that also has CMI-I channel card simulation (probably a single card) , including optional switched capacitor lowpass filters.  

Technically interesting, but I was never a CMI owner or user.  I developed some of the boards of earlier systems and the core electronics of the CMI Series III, but I feel rather distant from the cheering of this new version.  I don't need it. Doesn't have anything to do with me. 

REAPER does all I can use.

The EX-APPLE Designers EV car is here. It does not look as much like an Apple mouse as we had expected in 2022.  Expect the charging port is underneath  though 😂... (That would explain the tanking stock price!)

The cartoon I did on the day it was released, referencing a page from my 2022 HEAVY METAL GARAGE comic:

Hyogo Prefecture Museum of Art has the Ghost In The Shell Movie artwork exhibition from 2026/07/27 ~ 2026/08/30. Will be going to that, and the is a ROYAL HOST after, on the way back to the station😎.   

When I saw it on in Tokyo, I didn't think it was worth going to Tokyo for an overnight trip for it. Glad I didn't now.

The Masamune Shirow exhibit I did an overnight trip for last year ended up being in Osaka for a while and I should have just waited and gone to that. The exhibit was great, but the trip just knocked me out and I didn't have any energy to do anything for the time I spent in Shinjuku. 

A problem getting old.

Boomerang III Phrase Sampler PCB silkscreen: 

"May the music passing through this device somehow help to bring just a little more peace to this troubled world" 😍

We can be found at ArtAndTechnology  KYOTO JAPAN

Distortion & Other Guitar Pedals

A YouTube SHORT scheduled for 8:30AM Japan time Saturday 23rd May, on rating the guitar pedals we still have. I sold my Chorus, Delay and Compressor when I started using a PC based recording production system. Those are applied in the DAW now using Vallhala DSP and other plug-ins.  

Mostly using the POD EXPRESS BLACK at the moment. I don’t use any delay or the other effects in any of my patches for it. Just Amplifiers with and without Cabinets.  If no cabinet I use an IR in the DAW for more variety. 

I updated my last blog about the Sound Messe Osaka 2026 during the week, so don’t need to add more about that. But there were many pedals, and I didn’t try any of them. A guy I met at the evening event is a PEDALBOARD COLLECTOR & GUITARIST, it says on the name card he gave me in exchange for my stickers. A huge collection by the look of it some 2m x 3m when laid out on the floor! The only pedals I have been interested in for many years have been distortion, and am happy enough with the options I have now, and don’t need more.

Last year I did this water color storybook version of my Sound Messe Osaka 2025 experience:

It has had 11 views. I do like the look and character design and have considered doing a Sound Messe Osaka 2026 version of my day. The lack of views isn't a discouragement. 

Rick Beato first interviewed Billy Corgan a few years ago and that was when I heard SMASHING PUMPKIN's tracks like Jelly Belly for the first time. I then bought some 3 of their albums. I only got the Orange BIG MUFF some time after that and used it for a few things, then decided I prefer distortion over that kind of fuzz.

The music in this comic, rock I guess, in this short is only 55 seconds long. It has a break in the center, to change the feeling when the synth melody comes in and so not feel as repetitive.

All the stats I have on views is that that this is still far too long, and most bale at 2~ 5 seconds and 18 seconds is the limit for the current POPCORN BRAINED mass population. 

But who cares about what morons want?

Thing is, 55 seconds is still a really short piece of music that isn’t just an intro theme and not that satisfying to only be used in a short.  But even for this short thing, this is like 8 versions after the quick comic I made with it and posted to X a few days ago.  The more I listen , the more I find wrong with it and need to fix it.  Loose all perspective on it.

I could come back and make it longer with additional sections and lyrics. We will see how I feel.

Had wanted this to be heavier and more METAL, but that didn’t happen. Maybe next time. Thing is that isn’t the type of thing that is particularly popular to throw on a SHORT, so am conflicted to not reduce a possible audience even more.  

Other Things

It took me the week to recover from last Saturday’s Sound Messe Osaka 2026. Not sure I am over it even today. Glad I didn’t catch any nasty lurgies, so that was good, even as the percentage of mask wearers is way down now in such a crowded space.  

There are still lots of daily X posts of the demos, products and the happenings taken there. Exhausting following them all.  Just gets too much for me.

FB reminded me of an old comic strip I tried:

1)THE UNIVERSE IS A VAST PLACE…

2)LIFE IS EVERYWHERE. EVEN IF MUCH IS JUST AN ORGANIC OOZE CREEPING ALONG THE ROCKS.

3)JUST THING, WE EVOLVED FROM SOMETHING LIKE THIS…

4)AND IN A GALACTIC EYE BLINK, THESE GUYS WILL DEVELOP SOCIAL MEDIA AND BE MOANING AT EACH OTHER…

1)宇宙は広大だ…

2)生命は至る所に存在する。たとえその多くが、岩の上を這い回る有機物のドロドロした塊に過ぎないとしても。

3)考えてみれば、私たちもこんなものから進化したんだ…

4)そして、銀河の瞬きほどの短い時間のうちに、こいつらはソーシャルメディアを発明して、互いに愚痴り合うようになるだろう…

Having a successful strip in a newspaper would have been a dream come true for most cartoonists, then actually having to do it everyday would become an incredible burden for many years. But then there were many strips that started great, then become something that wasn't worth reading too.   

John Carpenter and Band have a HORROR Metal Album and matching Graphic Novel Coming out in August. Love the sound of the current track:   

I have bought 3 of their previous albums and need to add this.

Was planning to go to the opening session Friday morning of THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU. I hadn’t seen any of the streaming TV, so watched a  "YouTube catch up on Mando before seeing the movie" and the endless repeating "set out/ get double crossed/ get captured/ battle / escape/ rescued" with cute baby Yoda got really dull for me. Star Wars setting, Western Tropes and a powerful cute 50 year old baby. 

I didn't care to see it after that, or at least bother to get to a cinema for it. It gets reviewed as 2 TV episodes run together, the last one being dull.  

I didn’t bother to see the last 2 AVATAR movies either. Just don’t care about some things...

We can be found at ArtAndTechnology  KYOTO JAPAN