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To celebrate the overhaul of my studio I'm throwing these ones out:

Overload (part 1) (final version added on Nov 16th)
Overload (part 2) (final version added on Nov 16th)
Overload (part 3) (final version added on Nov 16th)

Overload (part 1 + 2 + 3) as one song (final version added on Nov 16th)

Dunno if you ever seen this. It's by the Dutch collective "Jiskefet" but there's no language issue here.  

English Sports according to Jiskefet

[Islington 02 Academy 2 in London on Friday December 3rd]

Frost* are playing :-
Islington 02 Academy 2 in London on Friday December 3rd
Manchester Academy 3 on Saturday 4th December
The Robin In Bilston on Sunday December 5th

Just realized that yesterday and decided to go to the London gig and make a proper weekend out of it.

Which fellow Frosties* will I most likely:
- be running into that evening?  :shock:
- have to avoid that evening?  

IOW: who's going?!

FFS! This is always the hardest part about setting up a band or a project, ain't it?!

I've rejoined with the singer of my last band and it's going like a charm. Lovely times!
But we're trying to come up with a name for our project and for the love of God we can't come up with anything proper!

 

Every now and then we do run into something nice but then we find out:
- the name is all ready used by another band/artist
- the name turns out to be the same as that of a car diagnostic company or Russian porn site
- the name turns out to be the same as that of a potpourri discussion forum or the  Canadian indoor curling association

Does anyone have a good suggestion?

If you do you'll (eventually) get a free CD. Once we have enough material to fill a CD that is. 2 songs are in the sack; 8 or so more to go :?

cheers,

Ron

[SERIOUS REQUEST: please use this thread only for the project itself and the members who participate.The original thread is for talk / gossip / sidetracking / etc.]

SERIOUS REQUEST:
please use this thread only for the project itself and the members who participate.
The original thread is for talk / gossip / sidetracking / etc.

>updated on 12-08-10<

Right! Forget about the SoundCloud thing; it doesn't cut it. I've upgraded my Box.net account and that'll be the place for file handling. Here's a short explanation:

The Frost Forum Collab Song Box: how does it work:

There's a work directory that's only accessible by collaborators:
//http://www.box.net/files#/files/0/f/48618802/Frost_Forum_Collab_Song_(FFCS)
As you'll notice you won't have acces to it unless you've been added/invited as a collaborator.

To get access please drop me a pm on the Frost Forum containing your e-mail address. I'll then create your own personal folder and invite you to join. This is for collaborators only.

The public version of the FFCS will be accessible by anyone: //http://www.box.net/ffcs
But it's only to view and download the content.

So in short:
Anyone can listen and download the content on the public page/folder. That means that anything you upload as a collaborator can be listened at and downloaded by anyone. I want to keep that part of the process open. First of all because it's nice for everyone (whether you collab on this or not) to follow what's happening and it's also clear what is used for the song or not. Second because people might wanna jump in later. To be able to do that you have to be able to hear what's been done all ready.

But.... only "approved" collaborators can upload/edit/comment stuff in the FFCS box. This may sound a bit drastic but first of all I want to keep things manageable and second I don't want any bad spirits to mess with the content. Once you get access to the box it means full access as in "moderator/editor". So people who have no business being there can mess up the entire place. To be sure that won't happen I've created the "drop me a pm first" method. Don't worry, any member who requests it will get access and be able to participate. But at least we'll know who he/she is and if he/she is indeed a forum member over here.

That's not short is it?  :mrgreen:
The thing is a project like this is a big thing to handle and it's hard enough as it is to keep track on things. I hope this procedure will make it workable.

--------------------------------
I do have some ideas on an intro using Jem's "Sneeze From Hell" leading into Pedro's section but nothing is set at this moment. If someone has a farking great intro to spare then please do. First thing is to collect pieces that people all ready have and want to contribute to this epic collab. I will then finger out if any of it glues together.

The first 3 months or so are also for people to start working on stuff if they have ideas but nothing on HD yet. Which is the position I'm in myself at the moment. I have some stuff on HD but also have some ideas I still have to record.
Anyway, this is just day 1. So no rush. Just don't wait 6 months to contribute because that might be to late. Let's loosely set the deadline to .... Christmas or so, k?

Any input is appreciated of course!

Some tech specs:
- Files in mp3 are fine the first time around. If I need the wav.file I'll tell you about it.
- It's not forbidden to send wav.files but it's nice to keep the mb's low for now.
- please include tempo (bpm) and time signatures when you upload a file.
- In case of wav.files: 16/24/32 bit is all fine. Just make sure the sample rate is 44,1 kHz.

Go!  :mrgreen:

//http://www.dprp.net/reviews/201040.php#frost

Ladies and gentlemen
You can relax now
Your world is now officially a better place!

Trust me!...
(The Dividing Line)

Frost* are a popular music combo, who make pleasingly progressive sounds when they pluck, pound, prod and hit their instruments. And they do all this plucking, pounding, prodding and hitting with glee (you can buy it in tins you know). And relish. They have made two long-playing studio records since 2006. Which is about one every two years. Give or take.

This new live album, recorded @ RosFest in the United States of Good Ol' God-Fearing America is, dear friends, a complete and absolute majority winner on a number of levels. So I apologise in advance to Conserv-o-liberals and fence-sitters everywhere when I proclaim this is the best "modern" prog live album I've heard since ForEver.

First there's the best, and funniest, introduction to a gig you're ever likely to hear. So funny in fact that when I first heard it a little bit of wee came out.

Then you've got joyous, near note perfect live versions of Hyperventilate, Snowman, The Other Me, Black Light Machine and the wonderously epic Milliontown from debut album Milliontown and Experiments In Mass Appeal, Pocket Sun, Saline, Dear Dead Days, Falling Down and Wonderland from Experiments In Mass Appeal. Which makes it a great 'best of' kind of thing for those new to the band as well as a reminder to fans of just how fabulous these chaps are in the live arena. They don't play often but when they do they don't half make a good fist of it. The '3J's and a P' event at Summer's End promises to be an absolute belter. Get a baby sitter, or sell the kids to gypsies.

Every track is a standout but check out Black Light Machine or Milliontown if you want to know just how bloody good modern prog can get. The latter, for example, still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. And I don't have much hair left.

It's to be differentiated from Frostfest Live which Jonno reviewed recently, since that was a single disc of several of the tracks that appear here albeit in a strictly limited edition CD of 1000 copies. So, in about a hundred years it'll be worth millions. That had Hyperventilate, Wonderland, Black Light Machine, Story Time, Pocket Money, Saline, Dear Dead Days and The Forget You Song on it, so check out said (excellent) review by the erstwhile Mr O'Boyle, and the aforementioned DPRP reviews of both studio albums for the ins and outs of each respective track on TPE. Not sure though what Jonno means by "tight complex passages". If it's what I suspect it is then there are, I understand, soothing balms and ointments available.

For the hardcore fans, and making this an essential purchase (as if it wasn't already) is one new studio track, written by Mr Godfrey to commemorate the 10th anniversary of fab interweb radio station The Dividing Line. The song, a little tiny bit of which is quoted above, is called, unsurprisingly, The Dividing Line. And it's ruddy marvellous.

I'm a plastic bag of miracles, a pocket full of lie

Thus we begin. In a galaxy far, far away. Oh wait. That's something else. Where we do start is in an operatic, climactic frenzy. And this is only the beginning. The prog equivalent of foreplay, I guess. Then things get glam and Marilyn Manson-ish. Jem (I hope he doesn't mind me calling him that) lets rip with some skirmishing synth here and there but it's the pounding rhythms (Andy Edwards on drums, who combines stonkingly well with Nathan King on bass) that define the early part of the song before we get our breath back with a quieter vocal section and dreamy synth strings.

Things soon veer back towards the mentalist end of the spectrum again with electric violin (courtesy of Mark Knight), frenzied keyboards and a backward speaking section before a Transatlantic/Beard section puts things back on a more traditional, proggier keel. Or even a more lanotidart, reiggorp leek.

Full on Frost* riffage takes over, with tortured soloing (Godfrey, John Boyes and "Mrs." John Mitchell are all credited with geetars so I don't quite know who to credit) leading into the haunting vocals of (new to my ears) Tara Busch in a lovely duet with Dec Burke before Floydian slide guitar, sampled sound effects and an abrupt finish.

What a song. Enough to make a wife-beating drunkard forget about the football. And that's just the ones who have been playing.

And, rounding things off we have a bonus DVD that comes complete with a 42 minute documentary that goes behind the scenes in the run up to the RosFest gig, plus "laugh out loud" out takes and a 5.1 surround mix of The Dividing Line. If you have a 'things to before I die list' then add 'beg, borrow or steal a proper surround sound system to listen to this' to it. I've got 'Swedish twins' and 'tarmac a traveller's drive' still to do by the way.

As a brief aside, I've got to say that hearing the album your view of Nick (and his beautiful locks – listen to the intro) D' Virgilio as one of the best drummers in the cosmos will no doubt be reaffirmed – as the DVD documentary reveals he had about two days to rehearse all this stuff with the band and it's not, let's face it, simple music.

Four reasons, then, why you should sell your cat (or a kidney) to buy this. Two CDs, one DVD and pictures of the band dressed up as Battle of Britain pilots. What's not to like? To quote from Wonderland, "it's so right it's so right". Or as an audience member shouted after Black Light Machine "I think we just got frost*ed". Yes, you did.

Conclusion: 10 out of 10

BRIAN WATSON

Right on!  8-)

Ha! That's what the box says. Don't you just love advertising?! :mrgreen:
It is suppose to be shock free when dropped from 2 meters.  



Nice little LaCie Rugged 500 Gb HD. Ultra light too.
I bought it mainly because it spins at 7200 rpm instead of 5400 rpm most 2,5" HD do. And it's usb 3.0. But it's nice to know I can take it on safari if needed!

Hey ho, just so you know! (that rhymes btw)

-----------------------------
July 29th 2010 : Ghost Circus Duo Parts Ways

Due to creative differences between the two members of the Progressive Rock duo Ghost Circus,(C.S. Brown and Ronald Wahle) Ronald Wahle has decided to part ways from the duo.

Ron states: "During the writing process of the third album we noticed both of us getting back to our individual roots more and more. So far both our styles have blended perfectly to what has become know as Ghost Circus, but most of the tracks both Chris and myself delivered this time around sounded more and more like solo tracks. Now, anyone who's a song writer knows how mysterious and uncontrollable the process of writing and getting inspiration is. It either happens or it doesn't and you never know when it's going to hit you. And, even though both of us wrote tons of new material, hardly anything turned out to be Ghost Circus material. The magic between the two of us seems to be gone. So I find it time to resign from GC. That being said, I can't rule out any future collaboration at all. It might as well come back to us within a couple of years. Both Chris and myself would like to move on for now instead of waiting for the magic to reappear. Life is too short for that!  I thank Chris for the great times and I'm very proud of what we've accomplished. I wish him all the best and the friendship will remain. And I thank Shawn Gordon,(ProgRock Records) for all the confidence and support."

Ghost Circus will continue forward under the helm of C.S. Brown. ""While it is unfortunate that Ron and and I will not be able to continue our creative partnership, neither of us would choose to see Ghost Circus completely end at this point"   states Brown. "Ron has graciously given me the opportunity to carry on with GC and I will, eventually, be moving forward with it as a full band in the future. I wish Ron nothing but the best in his future endeavors and the door is always open for his return, should he ever want to."

Beginning in 2005, Brown and Wahle founded Ghost Circus as a trans-Atlantic duo and released two critically acclaimed albums on ProgRock Records: 'Cycles' in 2006, and 'Across The Line' in 2008. Both albums were written, recorded, and produced entirely via Internet collaboration between the duo in their respective countries of The United States,(Brown) and The Netherlands,(Wahle). More information about Ghost Circus is available at http://www.progrockrecords.com.

regards,

Chris and Ron
-------------------------------

So anyway! Life's to short for getting stuck so that's why both of us move on. Chris has just put together a band on his own and I started working on fresh material together with Maarten Beijen. He was the singer of my last band and a good friend since we met 10 years ago. It's not gonna be prog; first material sounds like a trance/dance/pop/jungle mixture.Well....... except the current thing we're working on because that's a song for the TFK tribute project. I mend to do this with GC so there you go.

Anyway, I might throw out some non used prog tracks later this year or maybe I hook up with another singer for those. Dunno yet.  

The ultimate (375 MB) vuvuzela sample library for Kontakt!


 :mrgreen:   :mrgreen:   :mrgreen:   :mrgreen:   :mrgreen: --> Video!

And forget about getting a new DAW; I'm switching to modular!!!!!!

//http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkDicou7Ii0&feature=related

I've been watching "modular synth" videos for about an hour now (yeah... it's 2 am and I can't sleep   ) ... and I do understand guys need a hobby...... but double U T F mate?!

Also, does someone know when the "meeting of the knobs 2010 will be?
//http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJhVwmgl9nE&feature=related

Anyone uses this little but powerful synthy?

I'm looking into a small midi keyboard for my mobile studio and ran into some EXTREMELY impressive YT vids about this synth. Of course this is not a midi keyboard ( but it can act like on obviously) but it sounds bloody awesome if you ask me but research told me it's not supported by Windows 7 and it's almost discontinued as we speak. I mean, wtf?! It's been on the market for only 4 years.

I know I know.... it's a small Korg synth and it doesn't have a nifty mic to power these ridiculous vocoders that seems to be a part of EVERY small Korg synth these days so the lack of that is the kiss of death for this piece of apparatus. What's up with that anyway? I mean I can appreciate the occasional vocoder but why does it have to be a part of every fricken small synth Korg releases?!

Hmmm.....
Apart from that I have to admit Korg builds some fine small keyboards (like the Micro-X, Micro XL, Micro sampler and R3) for a fair price all right.... They're about to release a Micro workstation; how sexy is that?!

So Ron, what on earth is the point of this thread then?

Hmmmm.... well, some one who tells me that the Micro-X isn't discontinued anytime soon and WILL be supported by Windows 7 anyway. I that case ..... it's mine!!!! 8-)




Did I ever told you my first synth back in 1985 was a 2nd hand Korg Polysix?!
I loved it for 4 months and then traded it for a Casio CZ-101!
I loved that for another 4 months and traded  it for a Siel Opera 6!
And then I switch back to  guitars for about 10 years until I bought a Kawai K4 back in 1995.
To end up with nothing but soft synths since 2002.

But anyway, does someone use the Korg micro-X and if not, why not?!  :cry:

Then again, I might as well side track completely and get me a X-50 that is basically a Micro-X .... uhmmm... XXL and get rid of my PCR-80 midi keyboard. Call me a librarian or a laborianarian but I'm a sucker for Korg sound engines all together as God is our witness and so help me God. (Not that there's anything wrong with Phantoms or Tritons but they're to expensive for my needs)

So yeah. Discuss!

Therefore ...... I'm taking a flight to Portugal this Monday to check out some of the local brands!  :mrgreen:

Word is the economy is down the drain over there (much like Greece and Spain) so I'm on a quest to get it back on its feet again. Wish me luck.

Cheers!  

This summer I'll be shopping for a new PC (Pentium Core i7, 4Gb ram) to replace my good old "workstation" (Pentium 4, 2 Gb ram). It will (just as the current one) have atleast 2 HD's; 1 (c: drive) for applications and 1 (d: drive) for recording. But with todays sample libraries (Superior Drummer, SampleTank, Wusikstation, Dimension Pro etc) the demand of Gb's is becoming an issues.

I've had sample libraries installed on both drives and didn't notice much difference in performance. Word is it's better to stream them from anything other then the c: drive though.

So with both issues in mind that leaves me with 2 options:
putting in a 3rd HD and put the libraries there ...... or ..... use an external HD for that. The big advantage of streaming it from an external HD is that I can use the thing also for my laptop (I have Cubase + all my plug ins installed on that as well to act as my mobile "studio"). The disadvantage might be the streaming speed.

The question I have:
Is streaming from an internal drive always faster (and perhaps smoother) then from an external drive or does it depend on the type of drive?

Thanks!  

PS: and I'll stick with Windows XP btw. Vista is poo and Windows 7 is to new; it will cause problems with hard/software no doubt). And I'll leave 64 bits Windows alone for a few years; support is still poor for that.

Last time I did it was 1990...... so it's been a while!

Went to Winterberg in Germany last Monday and Tuesday:


Trying to stay on my feet after 2 cups of "Jager" tea (60% water, 40 % Jagermeister!)


It was fun! And it's like riding a bike; you're back on track before you know it.  

Been a fan for a couple of years now and it took them ages to come up with album No 2 but the wait has been worth it! Their ARMISTICE album is fantastic! Full of driven and exciting pop/rock songs.

Check them out --> //http://www.myspace.com/mutemath

Ghost Circus will contribute to the newest Colussus project: A Tribute to The flower kings.

I'm personally VERY excited about this because TFK has been one of my favorit bands these past 10 years. We'll be doing a version of "What If God Is Alone" from their "Hotel Paradox" album. Estimated release of the "Triple CDs box-set including 80 pages booklet" is Sept 2010.

 

Hi ho!  

New RWA track. This one is called "FALL".
Lot's of gits and drums; barely any keys. Except for the bass part.

LINK!



Enjoy!  :shock:
Or not!  

Cheers,

Ron

ps: if anyone wants to do vocals to this track; be my guest!

Windows 7 launch party?!?!?!?!?!?!?!      

Suggestions for YOUR party!

Order your flying F*** here!

 

Interesting. I'm a fan of his work.

It's just....... well, usually there's a reason why this stuff hasn't been released before. Usually the artist simply didn't find it good enough. NDV did a great job finishing "The Shaming" but most of that was all ready recorded and Nick was a big part of that. I wonder how Kevin would feel about other people releasing this stuff. There are tons of examples of "unreleased" material by The Beatles, Bob Marley, Frank Zappa etc. that just should have stayed unreleased.

I hope I'm wrong though!  
If it turn out to be good stuff I'll still pick it up. But not without hearing what others have to say about it. I have more then enough "previously unreleased bonus track material" in my CD collection collecting dust.