JS Ohlander » public album

Public Album Update 12 – New Track – 007 – More octave effect and playing with drums

JS — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:21:55 +0000

Been a Little While

It can be way too easy to let a few weeks slip by in the middle of a project.

Now that I’m actually consciously aware of it, I can re-dedicate myself to this project in order to stay on track from now on. If I spend too much time away (even a few days), things start slipping away. It’s all about momentum and I’ve noticed that anymore than 2-3 days away has a large effect on my momentum for this project.

Cassette Tape Digitization Project – JS Audio History

In the meantime, I’ve recently started a very large undertaking for a very personal music-related project. I’ve got a slew of old cassette tapes with hours of music from my past bands, personal experiments, and other music related projects from my past. For years I’ve wanted to get these tapes digitized to MP3 for not only digital backup but also personal preservation. I take my musical past very seriously and even though it wasn’t always the best music I could write, I love every second of what I wrote in the past.

It’s helped to make me the musician I am today.

I’ve been using a pretty cool device that allows you to convert your old cassette tapes to MP3 files via USB. It’s easy to work with and I’m pleased so far.

I’ve tested the machine already and used it to go through each and every one of my cassettes to see what’s on them. I’m still missing a few tapes that I’m unable to find, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find a ton of music and audio that I didn’t even knew still existed!

This project has been very nostalgic and deeply emotional for me so far. Part of the reason I’m doing this project is to take stock of where I’ve been and make peace with the past to fully allow myself to move forward with this new music project and the rest of my music career.

Expect updates and many audio samples from this project in the coming months. It’s a large undertaking and I have no idea how it’s all going to turn out…

007

This is the last short piece I wrote a few weeks ago. This piece works again with the bass octave/distortion effect, but what I really wanted to do is experiment with some drum kit type samples. I programmed some pretty standard drum “kit” beats into this piece where I have one bass riff repeated over and over. I’m not sure how percussion/drums is going to work into my sound as I develop it, but I wanted to experiment either way.

Octave/distortion with drum kit experimentation…

……

In addition to the tape project, I’ve got a few other important and time-sensitive projects on my plate to get completed by the end of the year. But I am making writing a top priority.

More soon…

~ JS

Public Album Update 11 – New Track – 005 – VST synths and Octave Effects

JS — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:04:25 +0000

Coming Together

It’s amazing to watch even my own work as things start flowing more and more effortlessly. It’s like the old metaphor of peeling the onion layers away…each time I peel a new layer, a new world opens to me.

With that, I’m still in the early learning/experimenting stages of all of my equipment, but each time I work on a new piece (or an old piece), I’m learning new tools. These tools are developing into skills that I will not have to relearn, only hone as they get more sophisticated.

Damn, that feels good.

The last few weeks I’ve been experimenting more with VST instruments. VSTs are a tool I’ve been working with for a few years, so I am no stranger to the power and quality of VST plugins. However, I’m finding out that Renoise has even finer controls and greater flexibility when working with VSTs.

Bass vs. Electronics

I’m still in the heavy bass-writing phase, as I’m trying to work more with the instrument to break old patterns and integrate new ones so they become second nature. This is allowing me to pound through many different bass parts which I can easily add a bass drum to in Renoise and build a track from there.

For now, this procedure works just fine.

I’ve also discovered that my bass effects board (which I’ll talk more about in an upcoming ‘tools and equipment’ post) has an octave effect on it, which I’ve been wanting to experiment with for years. I’m loving the effect and in the new track below, you can hear how different my bass sounds with it.

I’m planning on experimenting with as many different effects and effect pedals as possible. I really want to dial-in as many incredible sounds as I can.

005

So, what happened to 003 and 004? Well, they exist and I will post them next time, but I wanted to get this one up because it shows some significant growth.

Octave/distortion, VSTs synths, and more…

I’m also getting more into melody, which is something I didn’t work with very much in my noise rock days. Like I’ve said before, I have no idea where my sound is heading with this project. I’m just along for the ride…

More soon…

~ JS

Public Album Update 10 – New Track – Changes to 001

JS — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 06:13:12 +0000

A Lot to Learn

I’ve been working a lot in the past few weeks behind the scenes. Renoise is so feature-rich and I have a quite a lot to learn, but I’m very blessed to be learning by doing. I can guarantee that the stuff I am writing now will sound so amateur and weak compared to what I will be writing and what it will sound like months from now. I learn extremely quickly and I’m excited to see what more I will discover with this program, which is fast turning into a literal dream music program/system for me. I’m trying to justify using other music programs, but for now Renoise is fulfilling my every need perfectly.

002

First is a new piece that I’ve started working on. Warning: this can be quite abrasive, so turn your speakers down and prepare:

I realized that I recorded the bass parts extremely loud and may have to re-record them, but maybe I should just keep it over-the-top as it is now.

This track is very disjointed and each ‘part’ may eventually be turned into its own track, or I may just smooth this one out and keep these all in this track somewhere.

I really love the feeling of this piece so far. I especially love the way I feel when I play it on my bass.

001

Here is a quick update to 001. I threw in a better, more smooth sounding bass drum, which rounds the track out nicely.

I’m not sure where I’m quite going with this track yet. I love the way it sounds now, but when I try and work on furthering it nothing else is coming to mind.

Thoughts for Update 10

This whole project has been exactly what I needed to get me started writing again. What I’ve always been looking for in my entire music career is not only something I can truly believe in, but something I can do for life. Each time I’ve worked with or started bands in the past, there was always a feeling that this could end at any time. I wanted something I could build and do for the rest of my life. And now I have it. I will never ‘break up’ with myself, I’m not going anywhere, I’m not going to form a new band…

Going ‘solo’ is the best thing I’ve ever done.

I have no idea where my sound, style, and direction is heading…and I love it. I don’t have a firm ‘sound vision’ in mind, but I have a firm and strong feeling about how this will all end up.

~ JS

Public Album Update 9 – First Sample Up! – Renoise Registration – Thoughts

JS — Tue, 26 May 2009 05:09:37 +0000

Renoise Has Been Registered!

As you can see from the above image, I’ve finally registered Renoise. This will allow me to export my tracks to WAV format, which I can convert to MP3 and post up for you to hear.

First Official Sample of ‘Public Album’ is Here

Alright, the wait has been long enough. Posted below is the very first sample of the ‘Public Album’ project. The player you see below is how all the samples for this project will be posted. Give it a listen and then I’ll explain more about how things are going below.

001

How Writing Will Work

So, let me explain things. The above track sample is called “001″ because this is the first track I have written for this project. If I work on this track more, it will still be called “001″ and when I create the next new track, it will be called “002″. I will be adding tags to each post where I work on each track. So if you want to hear the development of “001″, for example, you can click on the tag “001″ and start from the beginning.

What you’re hearing is a few bass lines I wrote, recorded, and added to the tracker on top of some simple drum tracks. Until further notice, this is how I will be creating my tracks: writing bass lines and putting them to drum parts. While I am writing this way over the coming weeks, I have a very big project ahead of me – organize and go through all of the thousands of instrument samples I have installed. Once I go through and organize all the samples, I will be able to start fleshing the tracks out with more instrumentation. Thus, the songs will (and this project), will grow.

~ JS

Writing Has Started – Plans – Public Album Update

JS — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 22:31:43 +0000

The Writing Process Has Begun

I’ve officially started the writing process for Public Album this week and it’s going extremely well.

My approach for this project in regards to writing the actual music, is something that I’ve never quite done before. The way I used to write was to spend a lot of time tinkering around on the bass and/or my computer in order to come up with a part that really spoke to me. Once I came up with that part, I’d either bring it to a band, or I would work it in my tracking or other music program and try to take that into an existing song or create a new track altogether.

I’ll be honest: that old process was always stressful and difficult for me and led to a lot of “dry periods” in my musical life.

This new approach is a complete 180 for me.

What is that approach?

Simple: I’m writing songs instead of parts. It’s extremely refreshing and has taken the pressure off of me to create.

It sounds like a simple change, but it’s a completely new way of writing for me. Let me explain how this works…

Now when I’m writing, I’ll either do one of two things: I will still tinker around or I’ll make a song or part in my head come alive. It doesn’t take me long to find something that something “hooks”. Once I get there, I’ll record it and work it into its own song starting with just that part.

That’s it, really.

I’m not concerned at this point in the writing stage about whether or not the song is “good”. I’m just creating tracks/songs. That’s it. I can feel free later to dump the track, take it apart, or further refine it into a complete song.

I’m sure a lot of other musicians write this way, but for me, it’s been a complete revelation and 180 from my previous creation style. I can’t say for sure if it’s going to hold up for the entire duration of this project or in the future, but for now, it’s one of the best changes I’ve ever made to my writing.

I’ve always wondered how some musicians would book time in a studio for weeks to “go write a record.” That always boggled my mind because I never approached songwriting with just “writing songs” and then dumping the 20-50 that aren’t as good as the 10-12 that get released. Maybe those musicians were on to something…

The other benefit of this style of creation, is that I get to learn Renoise by doing. Instead of pouring through documentation and testing each and every effect and feature of the program (like I used to do), I’m now writing as I figure out all the ins-and-outs of Renoise. One of the side benefits is that my learning curve is much smaller and my retention of how the program works is much higher.

Actual Audio Up Next Week!

Yes, that’s right. All this Public Album stuff isn’t just talk.

As I mentioned in my last post, Tools and Equipment Part 2, Renoise needs to be registered in order for me export my work into a WAV file for posting on this site. I’ll be registering Renoise this week and I’ll put up my first audio track shortly thereafter.

So far, I’m only working on one song but I may have more to post by then. As with the nature of this project, you’ll get to see some of these tracks grow larger, and others will get dumped and probably never worked on again.

This project should prove to be very interesting for me and for you, my readers, to see how a song is created from scratch…or at least how it’s created by me.

What’s Next for Public Album?

Besides the continual writing process using Renoise and my bass, my theme for this project is Exploration. Even though I know that Renoise will be my main tool, I want to experiment with as many different music programs that I’ve never bothered to try as possible. Who knows…one of these programs may really work for me.

In addition, I’m going to explore as many other musical and related, but non-musical avenues as I can. I want variety. I want as much stimulation going into, through, and out of this project as humanly possible…in every regard. I may work with different people, different ways of doing things, new programs (like I mentioned), new dietary and health habits, different equipment…virtually a cornucopia of input and experimentation.

~ JS

Tools and Equipment Part 2 – Tracking Software – Public Album Update

JS — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 00:47:04 +0000

Renoise 2.0 - My new music creation toolkit.

In my last post I talked about the different equipment I am using to create Public Album with. Specifically, I referred to my history with (and affinity for) tracking software.

Between the time I discovered and used ScreamTracker for DOS and now, I migrated to a Windows based tracker called MadTracker. MadTracker is an incredibly rich and amazing tracker that I had much success with over the years. However, in the last couple years, I’ve noticed a considerable drop off in updates and news for this tracker.

I was planning on using my registered version of MadTracker, despite the lack of updates, for Public Album until I recently discovered another tracking program that has come to prominence in the modern tracking scene: Renoise.

I had not heard about this tracker until just about a month ago. Within 15 minutes of first discovering it, reading about it, and seeing videos of it in action I completely fell in love with it.

While I was never a tracker “expert” during my ScreamTracker and MadTracker years, I developed quite a proficiency with the basic ins and outs of creating music in a tracking environment.

Modern trackers (like Renoise) have become so incredibly feature rich, that I could see myself using this tracker almost entirely for my project and beyond. So many of the little quirks and problems of trackers from the past have been solved through the years of tracker development. The environment inside of a tracker is approaching a complete audio solution.

I am so excited about the prospect of utilizing Renoise, it’s very difficult to to put this into words. I haven’t been this amazed and inspired by a piece of software in a long, long time.

The full demo can be downloaded for free, with the only major feature missing being that of exporting the sound files to WAV. I will need this feature when I start posting my music snippets on JSOhlander.com, so I have decided to register the program. I am completely confident that not only will this be my main tool for music creation and production, but the authors and programmers of this software are dedicated to continued updates and support.

I’m going to jumpstart this project by using my current sample bank on my system to learn Renoise. Learning by doing is my motto for this project. I’m going to learn the ins and outs of Renoise while creating. I’ve already gone through the basic Renoise tutorials and my old tracking skills are easily coming back.

When I do register the program, I will be posting my snippets right here in my blog posts using a flash-based player. I’ll be recording separate bass parts and using the player to post those as well.

Because this album is “public”, I won’t be posting every little snippet I work on. I’m planning on posting audio only when something a little more significant is put together.

I’ll be as suprised at how this project unfolds as you will.

Tools and Equipment Part 1 – Public Album Update

JS — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 06:21:53 +0000

What Equipment are you using to create Public Album with?

That question is going to require a little bit of background information.

I’m going to answer it very simply for you: electric bass and a tracker.

4-String Standard Electric Bass – Nothing Fancy

I’ve been playing electric (not stand up) 4-string bass since I was about 13 or 14. This really was my first true introduction to the fun side of music. I had taken piano and took up trombone in my childhood, and while I had some fascinating experiences with each, it wasn’t until I picked up the bass that I felt I was finally give permission to create.

That’s when I truly fell in love with music.

At a very young age, I was introduced to (through my older brother) and listened to heavy metal and punk (Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Metallica, D.R.I., Voivod, Exodus, etc.)

When I picked up the bass, I still listened to a lot of that stuff but was also getting into the sound at the time (Nirvana, Primus, Tool, Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, KMFDM, etc.)

It wasn’t until the mid-90′s that I stumbled upon a band called KARP, which completely and utterly changed my life and musical tastes forever. I will definitely get into that story in a later post.

Suffice to say, when I picked up the bass, it was “heavier” music I was attracted to learning. I briefly took lessons from some music store hack, then moved onto a truly underground local music guru who gave me a deep, broad understanding of music and technique.

Since the time I picked up the bass, I started creating my own music. I was never really interested in doing covers or learning other people’s music. I jammed with anyone that was interested in playing and formed some bands in high school.

There is much more to talk about during these formative years, but for now, that explanation will suffice to describe what I mean when I say “bass”.

A Little Program Called Scream Tracker

In the mid-90s I starting getting interested in the BBS scene, which (if you are unfamiliar) is kind of like an early Internet. A single computer with a phone line could host their own networking system where others could call in and interact. These systems could also be networked to create an email system and so forth.

One of the incredible benefits of being part of these systems, were the aspects of filesharing. Having access to free programs and Shareware programs and all manner of computer goodies at the time were indispensable for those of us who loved working on our computers all day long. One of the types of files that was commonly shared at the time were sound files. There was no MP3 files at the time, but a lot of what I started running across were different files ending MOD and S3M. I kept getting frustrated that I couldn’t open these files on my system until I eventually realized they were specifically designed to run on a software program called a Tracker. Specifically, the program I found was a DOS program called Scream Tracker.

For those unfamiliar with Trackers, I will list the great definition from Wikipedia here:

“Tracker is the generic term for a class of software music sequencers which, in their purest form, allow the user to arrange sound samples stepwise on a timeline across several monophonic channels. A tracker’s interface is primarily numeric; notes are entered via the alphanumeric keys of the computer keyboard, while parameters, effects and so forth are entered in hexadecimal. A complete song consists of several small multi-channel patterns chained together via a master list.”

What’s important is not that I found Trackers, but what the Tracker could do for me as a musician. It opened up an incredibly freeing world where I could control the sounds and sequences down to the smallest, most precise detail I possibly could. This allowed me to literally create almost anything I wanted in any way I wanted without relying on expensive instruments, other musicians, etc.

I quickly fell in love with this type of creation and while simultaneously working with my various bands as a bassist and writer, I was “tracking” in my bedroom on my computer. I did this nearly every week all the way through the end of the 90s and learned so much.

As with my bass story above, I will get more into my experience with tracking as this Public Album project rolls on.

Over the years, I’ve been tracking on and off and in 2000, I started working on combining tracking with bass. I hadn’t had much success as I found it difficult to synthesize the two very different types of music and creation. I got a lot of practice on trying, however, as I worked on it nearly every day from about 2002-2004. After becoming frustrated with not going where I was hoping it would, I put everything aside when I found raw foods in 2004 and put my musical life on hold.

During the last few years there were moments in time where I would pick up either one and give it another shot, but I’d immediately become frustrated with the results and stop doing it for longer and longer periods of time. However, I knew that I would eventually come back to music in some form or fashion later.

—–

At this point, when I conceived of the idea for public album in 2007, I first thought of coming back to this combination.

One thing that being involved in the natural food world taught me, is to never be married to an idea. One day, you may believe something is good for you and the next find totally different information or have an experience that completely changes your mind. Because of this revelation, I’ve decided to remain completely open to discovering different ways of creating music.

But there are a few facts I can guarantee you:

1) I will be playing bass forever. It is my instrument.
2) I will start Public Album with my bass and with a brand new Tracking program that I’ve discovered, which I am extremely excited about.

In the next few posts I will get into more detail about which program that is and what my current bass setup is like.

Right now, I’m not looking forward to trying this combination out again, but I do feel like once I get in the groove of it, I will fall in love with it all over again.

Music.

JS — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 06:51:25 +0000

This announcement has long been coming.

A while back I announced my intention to start a music project called “Public Album”. Since that time, I have not been quite in alignment with the idea and have focused my attention on many other things.

Now I am ready to proceed as planned.

Music

Along with my last two posts on this site (Self-Development and Self-Empowerment), this post is designed to describe the third component of this website, JSOhlander.com: Music.

I’m not going to dive into my past right now and tell you everything about Music and how it all got started in my life for two reasons: one, it’s probably a pretty boring story to read all at once and two, I will reveal all the details over time as it pertains to any helpful or inspirational content I can provide for you.

For now, this article will serve a description of what “Music” means for this site and in turn, what it means to you, the reader, of this site.

When you see “Music” as part of my site description, I’m referring to creating, performing, and releasing my Music. I am not referring to talking about other people’s music, reviewing it, etc. I may touch upon certain aspects of the Music of others as this site evolves, but for the purposes of how this site will evolve, a lot of it will have to do with the development and sharing of my Music.

This site will serve as part vehicle for my true Purpose in Life, which is Music. For example, I am, as of this writing, officially launching my Public Album project. This project will be ongoing for a while and you can follow me along as I create a new set of Music from scratch through this website. I will also post any updates about performances, releases and such on this site as well. Something you’d expect on a band’s website, for instance.

The other aspect of Music I am going to talk about on here is the business side of music. On JSOhlander.com, I will utilize my venture back into Music to serve as a grounds of spreading useful information to you about certain business, marketing, philosophical, and practical sides of creating and sharing Music.

I am very good at teaching extremely practical information to others and I’m positive you will find many useful concepts and tools as this site progresses, not only in relation to Music, but any and all concepts leading to the Ultimate Goal: Living the Best Life Ever.

——-

If you haven’t yet, check out my introduction to Public Album here to find out what it’s about and why I’m doing it.

Songs to Hear, Juice Feasting Update, Public Album Update

JS — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 04:03:11 +0000

“New” Song to Hear

Head on over to my MySpace page to hear some “new” songs I put up. People have been asking me what my music was like in the past, so until I have some Public Album stuff to show you, head on over there to check ‘em out.

Juice Feasting?

Haven’t been juicing as much as I’d like lately. It’s really easy to not juice when you’re not forcing yourself to juice all day. I’ve come up with a happy compromise, though: I’m planning on fully Juice Feasting Friday through Sundays each week, while doing as much (or as little) juice as I want the rest of the week.

We’ll see how that goes.

Expect Public Album to Pick Up Momentum

That’s all for now,

~ JS

Juice Feasting Day 15 and Public Album Update

JS — Wed, 14 May 2008 06:46:00 +0000

Time for another Juice Increase

As I wrote in my last post, I broke my 8 days of only Juice and took on a Modified Juice Feast. Since then, I’ve consumed anywhere from 1-4 quarts on any given day, in addition to some raw and cooked foods.

I’ve noticed a dramatic decrease in my energy and clarity since then. Interestingly, my body has been signaling me to do more juice. Over the past few years while eating a mostly raw food diet, I’ve gained an incredibly useful skill: listening to my body’s natural signals. Once you can tune into it, it’s absolutely clear what you should be eating, although it’s still a learning process.

I’m planning on continuing with my version of the Juice Feast to completion. As I mentioned above, I’m ready to move back into more juicing again. I’m planning on consuming 3-4 quarts a day minimum along with some salads and tasting other recipes that Heidi and I are developing right now.

Public Album: The Ball is Rolling

Finally made some time to sit down and get my fingers working again on my bass. Nothing to show yet, but I’m shifting my paradigm back into a regular music schedule.

For those who don’t know, my setup is:

Electric bass guitar.
Electronics, written, mixed, etc. on my laptop using various programs.

You’ll hear it when I do.

Till next time,

~ JS

JS Ohlander » public album

Public Album Update 12 – New Track – 007 – More octave effect and playing with drums

Been a Little While

Cassette Tape Digitization Project – JS Audio History

007

Related Posts:

Public Album Update 11 – New Track – 005 – VST synths and Octave Effects

Coming Together

Bass vs. Electronics

005

Related Posts:

Public Album Update 10 – New Track – Changes to 001

A Lot to Learn

002

001

Thoughts for Update 10

Related Posts:

Public Album Update 9 – First Sample Up! – Renoise Registration – Thoughts

Renoise Has Been Registered!

First Official Sample of ‘Public Album’ is Here

001

How Writing Will Work

Related Posts:

Writing Has Started – Plans – Public Album Update

The Writing Process Has Begun

Actual Audio Up Next Week!

What’s Next for Public Album?

Related Posts:

Tools and Equipment Part 2 – Tracking Software – Public Album Update

Related Posts:

Tools and Equipment Part 1 – Public Album Update

What Equipment are you using to create Public Album with?

4-String Standard Electric Bass – Nothing Fancy

A Little Program Called Scream Tracker

Related Posts:

Music.

Music

Related Posts:

Songs to Hear, Juice Feasting Update, Public Album Update

“New” Song to Hear

Juice Feasting?

Expect Public Album to Pick Up Momentum

Related Posts:

Juice Feasting Day 15 and Public Album Update

Time for another Juice Increase

Public Album: The Ball is Rolling

Related Posts: