Matthew Supert

I was in class this evening listening to a lecture from an IT Director discussing about new web technology and how the purpose of IT is supposed to change processes. So often I think most people associate Internet Technology with being the hardware of software sitting in their office or studio. Most IT professionals however see it as a new way to do something, not as the "thing" in and of itself, but rather how it is done.

I got to thinking during this presentation that it probably won't be long until we see Microsoft Office and programs like it being available completely online. Why bother downloading and installing the office software when instead you can simply open it up online, type what you need to and then instantly save, email or process the file?

Then I was suddenly struck with the idea of how cool this would be for music production. Think about this for a moment. In a music program like Fruity Loops, Cubase or even Logic, how much space does that program actually take up? From quickly looking around at different music programs, their sizes are generally only between 4-20mb. That can certainly be loaded through a web-browser online. Most of that file size is actually GUI.

Most of the file size in project files is taken up by wave audio information and when you comparatively look at these project files they really are not all that large. Maybe 10-20Mb themselves.

Imagine for a moment now a web service that puts all of this together. This service online could allow the user to create music completely inside the web browser. Take Apple's .mac online storage system and expand it to allow the user to upload their own sample libraries and plug-ins. Imagine then even that freeware samples and plug-ins could be stored in a general "Commons" for all users to use.

This system would create some really unique benefits. For one, software and hardware restrictions would largely not longer be considered a big issue for most users. The CPU load would be destributed to the service's computers, not the end users. Software upgrades for the software could be extremely cheap and efficient. Even rendering tracks can be extremely fast because the rendering load could be handed off to a rendering farm rather then having the user's cpu do it.

This process I would imagine could also make music collaborations extremely easy. Users could interact in real time to work on a project making sure they both have the same software and sample libraries. Everything would be seamless.

As Web2.0 continues to develop I see the need for hard drives continue to decline as online storage and database systems continue to develop. As a music composer I no longer would need to carry a laptop to the studio to make sure I had the correct software, plug-ins and sounds. I could simply load my project file onto a flash drive, take it to any internet connected computer in the world and plug it in to load my project file and continue my song. Depending on the project this project file could be anything from the traditional project file that we see now, allowing for even offline usage, or perhaps just a security key for me to access my online account.

Someday I think we are inevitably going to see a system develop just like this, and the people who jump on it first are going to be the ones that make the big bucks.

Tags: web2.0 online music software

As you may have noticed I have not posted in quite a few days. My computer troubles continue to persist and get worse. Not only does my computer have trouble now starting up but the internet is becoming "iffy".

My wireless connection shows that I am connected to my network, yet I am unable to get onto the internet many times regardless of the browser that I try to connect with. What makes matters even more weird is that I am receiving internet packet information and other programs on my computer can connect. Just my browsers cannot.

Argh, I just am so fed up. I can't wait to dump this computer for something new.

Tags: Microsoft Windows Dell computer problem

So it seems that my next computer purchase has been written into the stars. A few months ago I decided I was going to make the switch over to Macs. I have several reasons for this switch, but in summary I am basically just fed up with the Windows operating system. I used to love combing through configurations windows trying to optize my system, but I have now gotten to the point where I am sort of tired of being a nerd. How frustrating is it to have to have three anti-spyware programs, two anti-virus, a registry cleaner and a plethora of other tools on your computer just for it to run smoothly?

From everything I have heard about Windows Vista, it just does not seem to be very appealing with the high system requirements and the loads of DRM.

About two weeks I started to have problems with my Dell computer. It just simply refuses to start and is beginning to act like an old car where you have to turn the alternator a few times and pump the gas pedal to prime it. I don't even get the privledge of the blue screen of death on these startup failures. Instead I have to death with this brown green screen claiming that Windows has failed to startup. After initally running every software solution I could think of from defragging, to boot checking to registry cleaning, I have found out that my motherboard is most likely slowly dying.

To me this seems like a sign from the gods that it is time to dump Windows and move on to something new. I actually grew up using Macintosh PowerMacs and it feels sort of nice to go back to these computers. I am holding out to see what Apple releases in the next month with its rumored new Macbook (ibook) line.

Tags:fed up Microsoft Windows problems Apple Computer

Over on the messageboards that I moderate you have to be careful about the exact question that you are asking. Is it recreation or re-creation that you want to know?

If you don't write correctly you might just get a response like this from me:

Well for Recreation my synths like to usually play tennis on the weekends. They occasionally go camping with their friends Waldorf and Moog or take their EMU for a walk.

Tags: fun music joke nerd humor

Well, it has been done. The SP-808 has been bought by a good guy I know on some music forums. I am confident that it is going to a good new home. I am however now left with this confused notion of what to do. Looking at my music setup and needs I feel that there is no pressing issue for me to try to replace my sampler with something else. I seem to have made some great music the past year without using it much.

Do I perhaps invest in a sampler just to have a sampler in my setup for that odd occasion? I know at least one of my tracks was made stronger because of it. Then again I have always wanted to invest in nanoloop for some on the run 8-bit action. I see myself sitting on the nanoloop site however hesitant to click that buy button because, again I don't really need it. I don't have that dying urge.

Tags: Roland SP-808 sold personal thoughts

Chances are good, that if you are actually reading my blog then you would be intrested in reading more blogs about music production and electronic music. I rounded up a list below of the best music production blogs that I could find.
Whether it surpsies you or not I actually subscribe to all of their ATOM or RSS feeds and read them. If you know of any other good ones plase pass them my way. I am always up for some new blogs to waste my day on.

Topics range from music software, to production techniques, to just personal thoughts on the music industry. Bust out your favorite feedreeder and start reading.

http://www.musichardware.blogspot.com
http://www.musicsoftware.blogspot.com
http://www.livepa.blogspot.com
http://musicthing.blogspot.com/
http://laptopstudio.thunderguy.com/
http://www.audiomastermind.us/
http://createdigitalmusic.com/
http://www.pixelsumo.com/ <------performance art/VJ'ing
http://melodiefabriek.nl/
http://drumkill.blogspot.com/
http://c64music.blogspot.com/
http://beepsnort.org/
http://www.chinesenewear.com/gno/
http://www.dizzyobrian.org/Blog.html
http://matrixsynth.blogspot.com/
http://synthwire.blogspot.com/
http://synthosium.blogspot.com/
http://subtlenoisemaker.blogspot.com/
http://monopoly.web-log.nl/
http://maschinensound.de/blog/ <----------- In German
http://gnosticrocket.blogspot.com/
http://www.getlofi.com/

Tags: music production blogs internet personal thoughts

.:Ambient Music, Beginnings and Implications:.

I found this nice article online by Chris Melchoir that tries to outline and explain ambient music. As he states in his aricle, ambient music is extremely hard to define and I personally completely concur. Ambient music itself is such a diverse genre of music and any one particular definition may or may not hold up depending upon the listener of the particular piece.

The ultimate answer to this piece may not be to find a definition of ambient music. I think most ambient listeners and musicians would shutter at the notion of a concrete definition, but this article gives a nice insight trying to explain the qualities of ambient beyond just the sound.

Tags: web article ambient music definition

While I was growing up as a kid I was constantly told about how there are two different types of personalities in this world. Those who are considered to be creatives and those who are the logicals. The creatives are often times associated with the right-brain and the logicals to be associated with the left-brain.

Up until the computer age it didn't seem that people were afforded options where they could explore their left and right brains, and there did not exist many fields that explored both sides of the classification. I mean artists were generally relegated to being painters, musicians or dancers, while the logics were largely relegated to the math and science fields.

Looking at the progression of electronic music however, particularly computer based electronic music, the distinctions between these groups seems to diminish some doesn't in it? For example we have programs out there now such as Max/MSP where the musicians are literally programming their sounds with math. Trackers for years have turned music creation into the process of placing mathematical numbers, in HEX format no less, into well defined segmented mathmatical time frames. Modular synthesizers, digital DSP, analog has really blended the line.

It is curious to wonder if this progression of the technological age and the computer age will tear down the past common psychological perspectives of the left vs. right and the creative vs. logical. Maybe, we won't have to try to categorize people as a "one or the other" and perhaps we can allow and encourage everyone to explore both sides of their psychological personality. I am curious if anyone in the professional field will ever pick up this change in the younger generations as more and more of the general population is born out of the computer age.

Tags: personal thoughts left brain vs. right brain electronic music

Throughout my time of making music, I have come up with numerous hair brained ideas that I thought were fantastic, but ultimately did not come to fruitition. Chances are most artists have these crazy ideas floating around, but we are mostly to scared to tell people about them. I would safely bet that they are just as crazy as the ideas that I am about to type about here.

My first crazy idea came a few years ago when I was trying to find new and creative ways to make music. At the time I was beginning to stumble upon different forms of algorithmic music and I thought making an algorithmic album would be fun. For those who do not know what algorithmic music is, it is essentially music created by the computer from some parameters set by the user. The artist does not really create the music and the results are largely random each time.

While this seemed like a good idea at the time, the implementation of the idea was extremely difficult. I really could not develop anything beyond crazy noise.

My second crazy idea was to develop an art show where I showcased fractal artwork that I dabbled in while playing live music to the fractals. Again, while this idea sounded really cool, the actual execution was hard. As I began to create more and more fractal artwork I found that the costs of printing art for display was extremely expensive. When I initially researched it, the costs were around $100.00 per piece.

The third crazy idea was to develop my livepa act into a storytelling session. If any of you out there reading this are familiar with livepa shows or electronic music events, video and visuals are a common theme. The thing that was bothering me at the time however is that no matter where you seem to go the visuals are largely the same; abstract, random images that randomly or partially sync to the music.

My idea was to develop something with a little more meaning, where the music and the visuals were more closely connected and had direction. What I planned on doing was developing a shadow puppetry show where the music told a story. After again researching these ideas the difficulties of telling a story like this live without the feel of it being pre-recorded was extremely difficult. If I planned on doing live visuals and music then it would take many people to successfully execute the project. On the other if either the music or visuals were pre-recorded then the show would lose its live feel and ability for improvisation.

That brings us up to our forth and final crazy project. This one is actually still on my to do list, but we will see if this ever happens.....

This final project was initially designed to be a computer animated movie that chronicled the diary entries of a soldier in a future war. In this story no one knew the identity of the solder or which side he was on. The war would be one that had no inherent good or evil and the reader in this case would be able to take sides with either aprty of the war. To what this topic is exactly I don't know. (Ideas would be great.)

As the years sort of rolled by the idea has slightly changed. I have now modified it into a blog book format where the journal entries are posted on a blog and audio clips in the form of podcasts act as supplementals in forms ranging from music, to news broadcasts, to whatever. While this current idea seems a little more feasible, my excitement for the project grows while my realization for the project dwindles.

It seems every time I want to begin it I have another reason to push it off.

Tags: personal thoughts ideas failed

This is a new track that I have entitled Flutter By. It is a chill/ambient techno piece that features some really cool panning synths that almost talk to you. The track slowly builds throughout the piece and then finally ends in an odd relaxing climax.

Flutter By:
.:Lofi:.

.:Hifi:.

Tags: Flutter By ambient techno mp3 release