Changes Coming

Recognizing that changes are coming may be the most important sensitivity a person can know during their life time.

Just sayin'.


—HHNET

Irons In The Fire

Now that it's my holiday time and dogHOUSE is inactive until after new years I am asserting my efforts to finish constructing the new HHNET websites for 2015 and dedicate more time to recording songs.

HHNET

Windows 8 Bit Me Again

After a smooth factory recovery of Windows 8, I installed the few apps I use and as usual DISABLE Windows updates and things were smooth sailing.

Then a couple hours later I made adjustments to a secondary Admin login and restarted the PC and suddenly Windows 8 is downloading updates and installing them. After the update and another restart, this 3.4GHz i5 turned into quicksand and had serious right.click context menu wait times and hangups! There was no escape other than to sign.out of the account, but even my Admin account desktop was trashed in the same manner.

So, I absurdly chose to try a System Restore. I chose the Restore point which would put the machine back to where it was at PRIOR to the Windows update. I CAN READ. Windows clearly displayed that to be the case.

The System Restore took 1 hour 5 minutes to complete for 60GB of 2TB HDD. Worse yet, System Restore did NOT reinstate my PC's status prior to the updates. It returned the machine to a new Windows 8 install. None of the software applications I installed, nor Stardock's Start8 or Fences was present. Further, NONE OF MY SETTINGS were saved as System Restore said they would be.

I performed a new Factory Recovery from DVD and was back to square one in LESS time than the System Restore screw up consumed! What a joke. Mac.OSX would never behave like this, nor HAS it ever behaved like this with regards to moving forward or reverse in time with the operating system.

So, for this install of Windows 8, I disabled Windows Update appropriately AND made registry edits to ENSURE that Windows CANNOT turn the damn updates on again!

And all I did was get on the PC to format two SD cards with SDFormatter. Sheesh.


HHNET

Learning Takes Time

One thing that surely has not been overlooked by me, is the sheer fact that it has taken me over four years to learn how to use the audio equipment that I purchased in order to record music.

Today, getting involved with recording music can cost less than the price of an iPad and about $500 dollars of gear. In fact, you can get started using the iPad's built-in mic. Of course, depending on the acoustics in the room or place you are recording can and will make a difference in the quality of what you are recording. However, there are a myriad of virtual synths that you can play and record directly on the iPad and will deliver stellar audio quality. So, if you're not singing, your music can sound highly polished and most of the iOS apps can share with services such as Soundcloud, YouTube; and of course you can share those to Facebook and other social services if you like. Additionally, it is easy to create your own website and publish your tunes there. I have somewhat lagged in this department for good reason. Soon, I will have a dedicated site just for my artist name of HappyHarryNET and NASAV_studios.

Wearing all the hats [one man job] takes lots of time and "learning".


HHNET

Camping With Grand Kids

While the lake mountain weather is gorgeous, I'm gonna grab Jennie and go camping with Kathy and the grand kids.


HHNET

01X and Facebook

Am disconnecting the 4416 [digital router] from 01X and jacking strait FireWire from both 01X and MOTIF.XS to LogicPro9 > the easy, strait forward way to dive into familiarity in order to bang out a new song. Where as this is my blog I will express a few details that I forego posting to Facebook which I am very close to fully disconnecting.

First, perhaps you think to yourself, he's a musician and recording artist and he's talking about disconnecting from Facebook? I thought social media was a publicly known component to marketing yourself online. But, that's really not true. Sure, perhaps you may sell a few more CD's or downloads based on the zillions of users you "Friended" but it was never about that for me; but I think there was a moment when I felt that mattered. For me now, Facebook was an opportunity presenting itself to me. 1)A place where grabbing copies of photos of family and friends without needing to get a hold of them, or take their photo or ask for copies of photos they showed me at their house. So this feature of Facebook interested me from the beginning. 2)Once creating my recording group on Facebook, it quickly grew into an additional musical playroom for me, with peers who work at the professional level that I do. Of course there are thousands of users who are in fact learning or trying to, or they bought equipment and have not learned how to use any of it > same for musical instruments. [again] Of Course, none of this has to do with writing a song OR already having a song to record. So grabbing family & friends photos and being useful and helpful to anyone in the recording groups; which now this is about 8,000 users. So, yes. Less than 1% of all users online sharing something about their interest or sharing a story with regards to their recording project, less than 1% of them are really doing it; or certainly have the ability to do so. In my personal 01X group there are five (5) users who are the real deal; I am 1 (one) of those 5 (five) >>grin<<

My late father & step-mother who passed 4 days apart, has certainly focused my lenses with regards to creativity, direction and production. I try to remain 24/7 in a mode where I am simply waiting for opportunity to present itself to me. This is a very powerful and successful space to live in. I have my sadness for obvious reasons, but I was gifted with sadness for the sake of music. I have always desired to write love ballads with the intention to write, create and record a song that emotionally rips your heart out and throws it across the street. I have always loved listening to somebody's song that does that exact thing to me. It's very inspiring; it's haunting.

My physical life is very good and is a blend of usual arthritis, aches & pains, temporary mobility conditions and toss in some 60 hour screaming headaches to frost the cake. But [again] none of this has to do with hearing songs in my head, or writing a song from scratch or recording any of that material.

Anyhow, I said what I said and now I'm gonna go reroute three (3) pieces of gear and bang out this song. I think you'll really like it, because I really like it. It's not my song and I like getting excited to record another artists song; and I have some big surprises for the author when they hear my version!


HHNET

The Times They Are A Changin'

Nothing about me is required or needs to be said > Stay the course.


HHNET

Rearranging the Studio

A lot has happened since 2010 and exiting the motor home. Project studios take time to hand-craft and make your workflow. After moving three times [since the RV] my workflow has really been compromised. Landing here in the mountains has been a blessing. It is great to have an improved dedicated space to set up my gear and hand-craft my new workflow here.

I'm rearranging how I do things. When technology changes it can be both good and bad. In my case it's both. In 2007 I bought into Yamaha's mLAN and 01X. This hardware took me over two years to learn how to use. By the time I became fluent with the digital mixer, mLAN drivers had already become incompatible with both MacOSX and Windows. In order to keep using 01X I elected to stay with MacOSX 10.6 and Logic Studio.

2010 was the, "Year of the iPad". Now everything has changed! iOS audio recording became an easy, intuitive, way to capture and process audio. Additionally, there is a plethora of iOS synthesizers, virtual instruments and effects. Enhancing this creativity are class compliant (CC) USB and HUI control devices which make controlling the software easy.



Now the issue is, "integrating" my legacy hardware to be useful with the new iOS technology. In order to accomplish this, a Class Compliant USB audio interface is necessary. I chose to use the Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 which is a eighteen (18) channel input and eight (8) channels output, MIDI IN/OUT, S/PDIF and ADAT.
Connections are:

Yamaha MOTIF XS6, MOXF8, Korg i3 and VoiceLive 2 all connect to AW4416 INputs. These signals can be routed to the four (4) OMNI OUT to the Focusrite 18i8 XLR INputs OR they can be routed to four (4) of the eight (8) channels of ADAT OUT to the 18i8 ADAT INputs.

This enables all of my hardware to be included in my audio and MIDI setup while enjoying the convenience of having both FireWire 01X and Class Compliant USB audio interfaces that can be used with both my MacBook to Logic OR directly to my iPad using Auria.

This is a significant improvement to my workflow and doesn't kick any of my gear to the curb simply because it's old or there are no drivers available. Instead, this maximizes all of my gear and makes the recording process much easier as well.

With this new arrangement of audio, MIDI and control surface routing I can:

• directly to iPad via Class Compliant USB audio interface with Auria, Cubasis and Garageband on iPad3 and having total compatibility with Core Audio iOS apps
• to Logic and Cubase using 01X mLAN digital mixer
• to Logic and Cubase using MOTIF XS via mLAN and peer-to-peer FireWire
• to Cubase and Logic using MOXF with USB HOST
• to iOS iPad Core Audio apps using MOXF with USB DEVICE Yamaha i-MX1 MIDI

It is my intention and hope, to power up my project studio by March and get back to recording my tracks. Nearly three (3) years ago I left the studio with three (3) songs done and scrapped one (1) of them since finding better ways to achieve things. 2014 is going to be a very musically, exciting, banner year for me!

HHNET

Winter At Cobb

We're really enjoying life here in the mountains in Cobb. It's absolutely beautiful every day. Was hoping for a White Christmas but that did not happen. Weather has been Spring-like but I am sure this will change soon enough.

NASAV_studios construction per se, is nearing completion and I am looking forward to powering up in a month. I have been saying this now for a few months. I am having some challenges with my arms and hands since both surgeries.

Stay tuned.


HHNET

Summer Sampling

Jee, it's already mid-summer. Anyhow, I am taking time to better learn the Integrated Sampling in the Yamaha MOTIF XS workstation.

Last week I recorded/captured some very nice bass samples from my friend's Ibanez bass with active pickups. I plan to slice them up and create something new using the samples and then add other musical elements in the XS.

More and more, I am enjoying recording and creating music all using the MOTIF XS and no other tools.

A typical session consists of a microphone jacked into my vocal processor which is then jacked into the XS AD INput to the sampler. This hardware setup all fits inside my keyboard case so, one case of equipment (MOTIF, mic and mic stand) is literally all you need to seriously record and create music. And, I am very glad that I am taking time to learn this aspect of the MOTIF better.

In the recent past, I used the XS mostly with 01x and LogicStudio on my MacBook. And, I still enjoy working this way and plan to do so much more after I get the 37" LED monitor mounted in the studio. But, the sheer portability and power of the MOTIF XS makes it a clear cut winner. The only major hardware difference compared to working with 01x is not having motor faders on the XS; and it is not annoying. Of course, I would prefer the XS to have motor faders and it ahs been discussed at great lengths on Yamaha's Motifator.com website, and it is not going to [ever] happen; more than likely do to expense and demand. Most users now are working with USB audio systems and only elite users are concerned about flying faders, rotary encoders and other hardware which eliminates having to use the mouse on a computer.


I also record my MOTIF XS using my iPad. I have the AKAI EIE 4channel USB audio interface. This way I can jack my MOTIF in stereo and my vocal processor in stereo and record everything (with effects) all in one take. Of course, I can do the same thing directly in the MOTIF strait to USB stick as a WAV file. However, during recording there are a few modes you cannot access, such as transpose and fader volumes.


Summer 2013 here in Cobb amongst the tall pine trees is superb!

HHNET

XBOX One

Being an active XBOX 360 user I was anxiously waiting for the unveiling of the new Xbox from Microsoft.

After watching the #Reveal video for 5 minutes, I was unimpressed with Microsoft's presentation for a number of reasons.

First, they began selling me on the idea of their beliefs and concepts about what I should realize as my reality for gaming, TV and entertainment. This bored me to tears. I am a gamer. Show me the new console! Show me the new features!

Well they finally did get to showing me the new console; nearly 30 minutes later. And, again, many of the features having to do with television and watching movies. Which for me, is now managed superbly using AppleTV and Netflix on my iOS devices; and occasionally on my Windows PC.

The XBOX One surely is a powerful 64-bit console. But I use a wireless controller when I play games. Further, I am not interested in playing games using Kinect. And, if new games that come out require Kinect, then it will force me to Sony Playstation4.

One feature about the XBOX One that annoys me is the hand gestures. If you're holding the controller in your hands, why would you set it down just to make hand gestures to use the operating system. Perhaps you don't truly need to do this and they are simply showing how to command the console using Kinect. But for the controller-minded gamer, this makes no sense whatsoever.

Also the new console turns on and signs you in when it sees you. Does this mean that every time I walk into my living room and just by chance happen to look in the direction of the XBOX One, that it is going to turn on and log me in? I find this rediculous. Logging into XboxLIVE is not a difficult or complex task using a wireless hand controller.

Further, I am glad the new XBOX One now has a Bluray drive. This makes sense because the stores already have been phasing-out the DVD movie inventory and Microsoft needed to get the XBOX up to speed anyhow. I am sure the new NextGen games will require the Bluray's massive storage space. But in hindsite, Playstation3 has had Bluray all along and in years I have not seen any real graphic improvement having 50GB game discs. But from what I saw during the presentation, the XBOX One NextGen games truly do look "nextGen".

Microsoft is vague about the release date stating only that the console will be available "Holiday 2013" which this alone does not appeal to me. Moreover, they have not "revealed" any pricing information, something that Microsoft severely needs to learn from Apple when they announce new products.

I am guessing the new XBOX One will sell for $399 or more. Whereas I am not a cableTV watcher I am already not interested in the new console. I own a quality Phillips™ Bluray player and 5.1 optical surround system so I won't purchase an XBOX One to watch movies. And my current movie-watching is managed using AppleTV and Netflix on my iOS devices.

With regards to this topic, the only upcoming home entertainment purchases that I can see happening will be: A) 60-inch, 240Hz LED TV, B) a new 5.1 surround system to replace my 7-year old 300-watt, Sphere-X 360.system (which is still working just fine!)

To add insult to injury, the new XBOX One does NOT support any XBOX 360 games or XBOX.LIVE.ARCADE games! This is a serious mistake that really pushes me into buying a Playstation4 for console gaming.

So, what is the verdict? I will continue playing using both my XBOX and XBOX.360 consoles. I still have NEW games to play on the 360 and don't see my burning out on the 360 even in the year 2014. And, Playstation4 is now in the back of my mind.

HHNET

Digital Piano Purchase

In my previous blog I discussed some details about my shopping digital pianos. I continued my research for quite some time before making my final decision.

After much thought and consideration I have chosen the Yamaha MOX8. The MOX8 was not my favorite graded hammer keyboard. But, it's very playable and its other features out-perform the majority of the other stage pianos and digital pianos.

My primary wishlist was:

• 88 weighted action keys
• Transpose ability/function/control up on deck

The MOX8 has weighted action keys and Transpose function up on deck. In addition, the MOX8 is providing me a security blanket in the DAW/Recording department in that it offers 4-channel USB audio recording and no latency monitoring. This is but another way to create and record music in lieu of my other gear failing or becoming obsolete altogether.

Additionally, like the MOTIF XS the MOX8 has a multipart editor allowing for complete internal control of the synth. You can also create VST and mixing templates. This allows you to control your VST plugins using the front panel controls of the MOX8. This alone is a stellar feature, besides the fact that the entire control surface of the MOX8 has been integrated out-of-the-box for Cubase.

The MOX8 arrives today and I'm excited to play it in the new recording space.


HHNET

Decisions, Decisions.

Currently, I am shopping for a 88-key, weighted hammer, digital piano. Over the past couple months I have scoured the Internet reading reviews and forums and to date, I have read over 40 PDF product manuals. I have visited the San Francisco bay area 3 times to visit various music stores where I could get my hands on the main three pianos I am interested in. Today I spent another 2 hours in San Francisco trying digitals and here are my notes.

I checked out the Roland 700NX. Very nice keybed (right on par with CP5, a bit different) clean piano sound and nice interface. I also enjoyed playing it and I noticed the wood keys straight away. Bummer on the transpose which must be held down for 2 seconds before getting a menu. But, playing this keyboard, gives me "hope" about the A88. NEXT.

Korg Kronos is a very neat synth, a bit pricey, that I would be interested in learning; like how I felt back when I bought into MOTIF.XS, however, Kronos is pricey and not as nice as the 700NX and also does not sport live.transpose. NEXT.

Kurzweil PC3LE8 nice piano sound, plays nice, but I just didn't like the keybed; felt like plastic, no transpose. NEXT.

AKAI MPK88. Keyboard just okay. Knobs and sliders I already have on MOTIF.XS, entire keyboard felt cheap. NEXT.

Yamaha MOX8. Very much duplication of my MOTIF.XS (which isn't a bad thing) and my familiarity of XS makes this board easy to play. The plastic graded hammer action is easy to play and grows on you quickly. I thought about using this board to play samples and plugins, but then my mind wandered to Roland's A88. The MOX8 also has no.brainer vocoder, USB audio interface, and remote.DAW controller; which is a step up from my XS6. But right now I am buying 88.weighted keys. Transpose is spot.on.nice right up on deck and works great!

Roland FP4F. Nice piano; as is 700NX. no transpose. NEXT.

Yamaha MOTIF.XF8 could be my real solution; but if I go this route, I will probably sell my XS6. I have a Korg.i3 so this gives me a 61-synth key for organs, etc. But I would want to sell my XS6 first to apply that money towards MOTIF.XF8, will have to sleep on this idea. My MOTIF.XS6 has all the extras which could command an easy $2400 selling price to the right customer. 1gb.sampler.ram, FC3.damper, mLAN.firewire, $600++.samples, brandnew.wheel.case, onstage.pro.x stand, unopened.unregistered CubaseAI and all printed manuals.

Yamaha CP5. This keyboard did not surprise me at all. What I mean is the CP5 is in its own world. Other keyboards call themselves stage.pianos but this is the real deal. From the moment you power it on to the gas.flourescent display, the CP5 breathes an entirely different feel. The interface is NOT intuitive; but it IS Yamaha, which still feels nice. I LIKE THE KNOBS. The CP5 is designed to be played live and the controls are made for you to taylor that experience. All of the sounds in the CP5 are excellent. It will take me some time to get up to speed with the Spectral Component Modulation controls, but inside of an hour using the CP5, already, the buttons and knobs were making "Yamaha-sense" to me. The shorter.throw wooden keybed on the CP5 played nicely and responded well. Although the keystroke seemed short, the SCM offers very smooth sensitivity at all velocity levels. From zero to pounding on the keys and everything in between. I was impressed. Transpose. I had read ahead of time about it using a single knob to advance 1/2 steps. When I got to the store, I immediately pressed Transpose and turned the knob 1 click. I wished the click was firmer but inside playing for 45 minutues I goofed twice using the transpose. Not bad, 28 successful transposes in 30 tries; and by that time I had got better at using the knob. I can live with the knob in lieu of the other qualities this keyboard breathes.

For those of you who may have asked, what about PhantomG? CP33? CP50? Well, stack them up on the no.transpose pile. NEXT.

WHICH ONE TO BUY:
Strait away either the CP5 or A88 appear to be my best choices. I wish I was paying cash. Guitar Center is selling their floor model CP5 for $1600 which is $1000 off the price! But, I am buying at AMS with other studio gear on 8.payments. I walked away satisfied that I played a Yamaha.CP5 today. My fingers felt like they got a little workout, but nothing like playing Yamaha's Balanced Hammer (BH) like on the XS8 and XF8. The MOX8 is a really good choice if you don't have any other synth in your collection, but for me, it duplicates a bit too much and the idea of using a MOX8 to play sounds in my XS6 just seems plain dumb. But, I would do it. The MOX8 is very capable. On the other hand, playing the CP5 to drive sounds in the XS6 makes sense now. But then my mind wanders and I say do that with the Roland A88 and save $1500.dollars! I really did like the Roland.RD700NX but honestly, the transpose button is part of my playing style and IS a deal breaker for me.

So, do I sell my MOTIF.XS6 and buy balanced hammer MOTIF.XF8? or do I get the Roland.A88 to master my MOTIF.XS6? or do I go for the gusto and buy the CP5 as if its the last piano I ever buy? decisions, decisions; will give much more thought and run all this through a few more spreadsheets.

SCORECARD:
Feel? Yamaha CP5
Practical? A88 with XS6
Solution? XF8 sell XS6
Price? MOX8


HHNET

Effort

Many people [I think] wonder why people blog, Twitter and post status updates on Facebook. Although I am no expert on this phenomenon, I do understand the dynamics of why blogging is important, as I will attempt to explain here. Effort.

In 1993, I sustained a brain injury during the course of a car vs. motorcycle accident. Since that time, I have battled what seemed to be insurmountable challenges which took great effort to overcome. Today some of this is still true, whereas I still deal with the onslaught of morbid headaches. But, for the most part, I have won the war with headaches.

This past eighteen-months is another story, for I suddenly was stricken with ulnar neuropathy in  both of my arms. This condition appeared with little or no warning. Due to fear, I began scrambling and playing guitar and piano more than I usually would, but it was not helping. And as the days and weeks went by, I was losing ability. Here is where sheer terror began for me.

On January 14th of this year I had my first surgery for ulnar decompression. I've been told the surgery was a success in that, during the surgery they found exactly what was causing the problem. However, while I am recuperating post-surgery, it is very frustrating and disappointing in that I have not regained ability and the numbness and original problem(s) are still present. This faking it until you make it, doesn't work too well with me. Nor am I accepting it very well. Some people might be led to say, "getting old ain't for whimps" and they would be correct. And although there is some accuracy to that statement, it really isn't what is troubling me the most.

Creativity through my hands has always been a huge benefit in my life. And even during the horrendous brain injury experience, I had full use of my hands! Lately, I have even said outloud, "give me a headache any day, but give me my hands back".

A few months ago I began using speech to text translation tools, such as Siri Dictation on my iPad. While this is convenient and works very well, I would be a liar if I said I wasn't upset about the fact that I was needing to use such a tool. I appreciate that this utility is available to me and without question it is helping very much. But, I am not quick to accept needing such a device. There is a part of me that thinks if I accept this to be true, then that sets into motion the possibility of losing ability altogether.

Now months later, I luckily won my battle with depression. And, did so without becoming an alcoholic. Other people who I have spoken to about this condition were not so lucky. It is very trying and takes great emotional effort. It isn't like a challenging job where more energy, time or patience may be required. I have energy, I'm now retired and have time; and contrary to popular belief, I have much more patience than most people give me credit for. But, in this case, they would be right. And perhaps, this would be my first time to admit to my impatience in this matter. I am use to Harry fixing things with record-breaking speed. But, this is not the case now. And, when the thought of your mortality kicks in, then you're in trouble. But again, this is also true. Afterall, I am 59 years of age, and as much as I would like to believe I am 9 years old; the fact is, I am not.

So, with all of this said I am redefining my efforts. Taking clear and concise inventory in order to implement the best choices that I can possibly make now.

In order to refuel my musical vocation, I am having my instruments reworked with hopes of them being able to be easier to play. I have found a new guitar I plan to order which will also help in this quest. I've decided to take another stab at setting up my music studio in a new location, with better tools, better technology and a more realistic attitude with regards to what I expect from my efforts.

Standing back and looking at the big picture, I now see this as the same story that has been unfolding for the past 30 years; this is simply another chapter to that same story. But until very recently, I did not know this. Everything in my life always came to me so easily. Not that everything was given to me in life. But rather, I did not have to expend much effort to do anything. I was smart. I was quick, agile, witty and knew how to navigate everything. Then I grew up [a little bit]. Now I must expend effort too. The same effort every body else must exert every day of their lives. And perhaps this helps me to join the human race all the more. Now I have something more in common with everyone.

Now I must apply effort.

Survival Simplification

Well, so much for blogging every week. But, I will keep trying to blog once a week.

January 14th I had surgery on my left arm for ulnar neuropathy. Thus far, it seems like nothing is better post surgery, to the point of being worse.

Music has declined. No guitar playing. Hardly ukulele but I keep trying. I am able to tinker with the MOTIF synth but I become physically tired quickly. Some days my hand and arm are tired when I wake up. This is a disturbing new truth for me.

Of course, as you might suspect, using computers of any kind has become an enemy to my hand and arm. Including iPad. Many days, just holding the iPad is asking too much.

So, what's next?  Well, I am contemplating that. I know that I am going to need to shift my life into a new direction. This is not going to be a pleasant decision. I know, for now, that music is going to get put on the back burner [again] for "x_" amount of time. This is most disturbing and emotionally upsetting for me. But, hey... that's life, right?

The first thought that comes to mind is survival simplification. This entails doing whatever  creates the least amount of stress for my hand and arm. Also, the main thrust here is to improve the quality of life as well. Obviously, computers need to take back seat, as in like 90% of the time. How does a person do that? I suppose I am going to learn how.

Getting Up To Speed

Gee whiz, it is 2013 already!

Some of you know that I have not blogged in quite some time. Lots has happened since the last time I shared about my life here.

I have committed to blogging once a week now and hope this becomes interesting to a few of my fans. Since I began the 01X iPad Recording group on Facebook, more people with my same interests have joined me making life much more appealing.

Right now I am dealing with ulnar neuropathy in both arms and hands. That's a fancy medical term meaning I have numbness and fine motor control issues. JAN 14th I had surgery on my left arm and it is recuperating well, although numbness is still present. It will be close to 6 months post surgery before any determination can be made whether or not the surgery was truly a success. And, as of now I am electing NOT to get the surgery done for my right arm. My right hand is 90% percent better than the left and unless I notice things getting much worse in my right hand, I am not going to complicate things with surgery.

Recording >sigh< what can I say. We moved two times since our leaving behind the NASAV motorhome in 2011. My studio space had been basically eliminated. I had set up in a temporary fashion in other locations, but never was able to create what I consider to be a productive space with workflow.

Now nearly 2 years later I feel exhausted from the lack of production. I lost a lot of momentum and kinetic energy since the RV studio setup. A few months ago I was determined to figure out a way to setup here and get back to recording. The idea of having a couple portable stands with my gear on them appealed to my thinking. Setting up usually requires nothing less than a 6-foot table and this time around I really didn't want to set up that way. Thus came the idea of StudioStands™ which I drew onto paper, then redrew on my iPad using iDraw and I submitted the design to Nedtronics for consideration. A month later the parts were already getting milled and machined and by Christmas 2012 they were ready for pickup. I had a couple extra ideas for the stands which delayed my taking them until JAN 2013. So now I am excited to finally use them in my new studio.

So, as the titile of this blog implies, I AM getting up to speed again and I will blog about it here weekly as things progress.

Exciting Times

It's been awhile since I have blogged. Been busy with a mixture of motor home life, writing and recording songs, learning more and more about recording, teaching myself how to use audio gear, website design and content creation, and then the iPad.

Things have settled down somewhat. Of course, when I say this, I don't mean to suggest that I have completed my original projects that I had set out to achieve some four years ago. Far from it. I am now just nudging up to production and completion of some projects while others are still burning the midnight oil.

When I said "settled down" what I was trying to describe is that I have studied and learned a wrath of knowledge, across a large precipass of technology and topics. Using iPad now fuel injects my reading life about 6 hours a day. Now I am in the groove with many of my daily and nightly activities which still account for the original design of many projects that were dreamt up years ago.

Such as recording music. This idea has turned out to be a much larger undertaking than I would have ever imagined. Starting with the idea of a studio in a small motor home to learning many new pieces of hardware and software in order to use the equipment involved to record said music. Then there are the songs themselves which always need adjustment and arrangement. But, I'm in the groove and on track, and bit by bit, song by song, my record album moves forward. A few times I thought I would quit, and choose to release a single song. Some people have asked me, "Why don't you?" And, my answer is, "I set out to record a record album of 10 songs, perhaps more, and for the sake of the principle, I shall continue my effort".

Meanwhile, the end result of recording music and replicating CD's will require websites. Now the design and content creation for HappyHarryNET has been on the back burner for years now. I haven't submitted much content to my site in quite some time. The site has been "functional" for those who lean on its usefulness. Web traffic has drastically reduced in three years, after all, I don't SEO or run any advertisement to draw traffic to my site and that is just as well because there is no new content anyhow. But, this is changing soon.

Recently I have delved into Adobe's Creative Cloud program and I am enjoying the new apps and cloud system. Additionally, the TouchApps for iPad really enhance this entire package. It is great to relax and draw wireframe layouts, with text, colors, menus and animation. If an idea works you load it from the cloud into Photoshop, Illustrator, Fireworks, Muse or Dreamweaver on the Mac and go full boar with it. This is a game changer because I used to do most of this on a legal pad. Now, there is no more double work. My ideas are captured and stored in the cloud. Then those ideas can go directly into the appropriate app to further enhance, embellish or produce their final results. The quality is stunning also.

Same goes for songwriting. I use GarageBand on iPad to capture immediate musical ideas. GarageBand for iPad is great because everything captured goes to the cloud, so no musical ideas are lost. They are easy to recall and my songwriting production has tripled. I can easily go back in time and work on songs, take the songs into Logic Studio for production or sometimes I will produce them right in GarageBand and flush out an idea quickly. The iPad has relaxed this entire operation. I no longer have to race to my MOTIF workstation to capture a song idea. Now the MOTIF is Step_2 in the chain and I like it.

Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion is a great operating system and it's like having a new Mac! My MacBook is almost 4 years old and to this day seems like a brand new computer. My almost 3 year old Toshiba Qosmio i7 power house laptop is gathering dust. I have grown weary with the repetitive problems associated with Windows. Since my using iPad, my tolerance for such frustrating hardware and software has become zero. Thus, I am really enjoying the Mac again. The iPad is now a content creation tool and is serving me well.

If all of this was not enough, I am specializing in technology research and have began the incarnation of a new podcast that will probably be called, "The PowerHouse Show". Right now we're kicking around some ideas and testing various spots to see how we wish to do this. I am choosing a couple people to co-host the show with me. I think I will initially release the show as a SpreakerCast and to Facebook. If the show survives that, then we will move on to the iTunes Store with a Podcast. It is my hope this project will survive to evolve into a video show.

HHNET

A New Chapter • NASAV Ends

After living, full time, for six years in the NASAV motor home, it became time to retire her from service.

Eight years ago the idea of moving out of the city and retiring to the RV lifestyle was planned on paper and NASAV was born. It is an acronym which stands for North American Surrealistic Adventure Vehicle.

My idea of constructing a recording studio in a 27.foot motor home was challenging. However, it is amazing that I created a very top-class and productive studio inside of 6x5.feet of space! There are photos on my blog here; try searching the word "studio".

Prior to our purchasing the motor home, I created the NASAV logo which initially began on a yellow legal pad. I hand drew the general idea of the logo font along side of an American flag. The first mock-up was drawn using pencil and Sharpie marker, while the American flag was quickly sketched using Crayola crayons. Soon, the NASA worm font was introduced for the logo letters. I acquired the font from a disgruntled, retired, ex-employee at NASA who wanted me to have the original PostScript font. The lettering was constructed and edited using Adobe Illustrator version.9 and the .AI file was emailed to a vinyl lettering shop. They special ordered a flat.black.rubbery vinyl for the lettering. The flags were custom ordered from a store that only sells American flags and flag accessories, including flag stickers.

It was only a couple weeks after the final logo mock-up on the wall above the 8.foot computer table that we purchased the motor home. During our first two weeks living in the RV we prepared and applied the NASAV lettering and American flags. The truck's engine hood, front grille, all bumpers, wheel skirts and trim that ran along the RV shell were are painted flat black.

We moved four times in six years and did not travel as much as we had originally planned. This was because we found some VERY nice places to live where the air ranks 9th place in the entire United.States and we had unparalleled privacy.

Moving out of NASAV was bittersweet and a new chapter has began as we take residence in a very quaint small house nearby.

The new location offers tremendous studio space which I feel will enable much faster production of my up and coming record album slated for Q4.2012.

HHNET

Cold Winter Changes

NASAV_studios - December 2011 - in cabin not RV

When I began to type this blog I almost typed, "Cold Water Morning" by Neil.Diamond because that song was playing in my head when I began this blog.

Winter is upon us and the temperatures have dropped. I am living in hot showers to keep my bones from Carbonite Poisoning. Headaches have been enhancing my production schedule. We're not living in the RV motor home now but rather a rental cabin. A little more space, of course more money and a few benefits that I do appreciate. The big picture don't change much for me. I burn rubber when I'm on my feet because I don't know which day will bury me in morbid pain which will consume a week of my life.

Jennie [my ukulele] has been a good friend whom I've enjoyed spending time with. I have become quite accomplished on this instrument in such a short period of time and it is so much fun to play in banjo tuning.

The studio is functional and I love that my design works anywhere in the world. No matter where I take my kit, once I am set up, everything is identical. This makes for great workflow and production.

On another note, I just bought a Nintendo.3DS and I enjoying it during my leisure hours such as in my favorite chair and when lounging around in bed. I plan to SLOT1 the 3DS and I do plan to include everything.3DS on my upcoming and redesigned SLOT1 website. The website is functional now; I just don't list it on my main site. You can access my SLOT1 site below:

http://happyharry.net/slot1

Meanwhile, my iPodTouch32 and iOS.5 rocks - very productive platform. MissToshiba is managing the latest and greatest PC games ala Steam and Impulse (GameStop) plus my 200+ Real.Arcade games that I usually install a couple dozen of them. They are great games to play in between the heavy hitters which can simply be overwhelming when you're not in the mood.

I'm still shopping 6.string.electric guitars such as Gibson.Les.Paul, LP.Flood, Carvin and Rickenbacker. I am very pleased with my Dean.Boca.12 electric and the Ibanez.AEL20 acoustic.electric.12 has seasoned a bit and plays real nice now. Drumtracks are still getting designed and arranged ala Drumcore3 as a VST in Mixcraft5 on MissToshiba. Then I LAN them over to the MacBook and into LogicStudio. I've grown to like creating drumtracks in the bedroom where [in my mind] space appears to be clear of chaos and other spacial matters that block creativity and stump productivity.

Now 58 years of age, I am looking into moving out of the United States. But nothing will happen in coming year. I wish to finish my first record album and that time is also needed for logistics and mobility planning anyhow.

It is my sincere wish that each and every one of you enjoy your holidays including Christmas. More importantly, make it a point to spend time with the people you like and love. Do nothing else; and if that means spending time with yourself, that's okay too.

I know that I love me so I understand! >grin<

HHNET

Steve Jobs - Farewell My Friend

A year ago I purchased an Apple iPod Touch with 32GB of memory storage. Since buying this post.PC.device, my life is no longer the same. It was only a matter of days when I began to realize "neurological improvements" in my health while using this device. Simple tasks that I need every day became a breeze to accomplish. It was less than 2 weeks and I had already began doing my serious work on the iPod rather than jumping onto my i7.Toshiba or using the MacBook in the studio. There was no need. I bought the Apple Bluetooth wireless keyboard and used one of my IMAK ergoBeads beanbags as a prop for the iPod; which by the way works wonderfully when remote such as Starbucks or where ever. Within weeks I had tried, tested and purchased some apps that enable me to do EVERYTHING and more, than I was doing using my PC and Mac laptop. Of course, I use my Mac and LogicStudio with a Yamaha.01X automated digital mixer with little or no compromising with any aspect of audio recording.

My point for blogging this morning is, I do not live the same way as I used to one year ago. And this is SOLELY because of the iPod.touch and its hassle-free, ease of use. Mind you, I originally purchased my iPod.touch to use my Evernote database that I had created on the Mac and Windows machines. I didn't buy my iPod for music, movies, TV and games. Little did I know that I would soon be enjoying all of that too. But, I bought it so I had access to nearly 7,000 database entries dating back to post brain injury 1993.

Apple (FireWire) Sony (iLink) and Yamaha (mLAN) each chipped into this fast data transfer protocol with the exception being Yamaha gave their FireWire technology away free to the industry which enabled users to send and receive 32 channels of digital music data, including controller data for digital mixers, all using one 6-pin FireWire cable. [meanwhile it appears as though we are still waiting for USB 3.0] and I think Apple's Thunderbolt [again] will become a powerful data transfer interface for audio, video AND data transfer. Meaning SSD and HDD connections using Thunderbolt.

In honoring Steve Jobs, I am not recording music this week or using my Mac. This may seem silly, but for me, I simply wish to reflect on his legacy and his quote, "Stay hungry, stay foolish".

I will comfortably reside on my iPod.touch as I do daily. My website will continue to display Steve Jobs' memorial photo and my site will function with my basic content. Trust me, much more is coming soon.

HHNET