Using an iPad with a Boss RC50 Looper

The problem to solve is how to use back tracks in a live performance without the propagation delay that may take place in connecting to a computer.  (Just assume there's a Geek Alert for this entire bit)

Previously I had used a second computer with an audio interface to serve the tracks.  Output from the audio interface went to the mixer and it's an easy thing to add in live guitar / vocals / whatever.  An individual here has got my other audio interface and won't give it back so another solution is required.

A cable with mini-plugs can be used to take the audio output from the iPad and connect it to the Aux input on the Boss RC50.  Both ends are mini-plugs and you can get the cable at any Radio Shack or equivalent geek shop.

The RC50 has independent input volume adjustments for Instrument, Mike, and Aux so this permits setting appropriate levels.  The result then feeds over the Main output from the RC50 to the mixer where Nicecast traps it and sends it out over the network.  Every part of that up to Nicecast moves at lightspeed but Nicecast is irrelevant as it will encounter network delays in the transmission anyway.  Any delay added in propagation through the computer is trivial relative to the overall delay it will experience in any case.

IThis gives me freedom to do pretty much whatever I want in the show later on.  I tried using back tracks previously but the delay was a horror with echoes and there was no way I was going to do it like that again.  Now it's not necessary so, yah, I am MOST pleased!


Note:  Do NOT use this as a technique for loading loops into the RC50.  While it is technically possible to do it that way, it's less than desirable because your audio will move across a signal path in recording the loop whereas connecting the computer to the RC50 via USB means the transfer will go directly from disk to the RC50 memory without alteration.

In creating loops for the RC50, ensure they are saved as WAV files at 44K / 16-bit resolution.  Nothing else will be accepted.  After creating the loop, use the naming convention 001_1.wav for the first phrase of the first loop, 001_2.wav for the second phrase of the first loop, and so on.  Save these loops in a folder and then connect the computer to the RC50 via USB.  It's just drag and drop after that.  (If you want a detailed explanation, write a comment and I'll put one out here.)

On the Nature of Poetry - Updated

At one extreme is the work of Shakespeare.  The elegance of his sonnets sets a standard for poetry which possibly cannot be raised.

On the other extreme is blank verse in which one writes whatever one likes.  It doesn't matter if it rhymes, it doesn't even matter if there's any meter to it.

The reason the subject arises is that Cat was questioning the validity of the line in the Angel's poem that reads I don't want no credit.  This is very poor English and it's offensive to people who have worked very hard to learn the language as it's much harder to learn a second language than the first.  I said it makes sense as the Angel was using the poor English as a literary device to demonstrate her question of herself as an angel.  Am I enough, she asks.

Germany has a rich history of poetry from von Goethe, Bertolt Brecht, and many others.  Goethe is from the classical period whereas Brecht is relatively modern but adherence to linguistic discipline was important in both cases.

America has perhaps pushed poetry and English in more different directions than anywhere else.  Another example of it is e e cummings who deliberately makes his work unapproachable by omitting punctuation.  Again it's a literary device but whether it is a worthwhile device is for the interested student to determine.

As George Carlin often said, question everything.  That includes poetry and the adventures in poetic form in which America has engaged are intriguing in their diversity but whether that type of work has endurance remains to be seen.

There is one definite thing and that is there are no constraints to art.  Make it whatever way you like and let history judge its validity.  However, without risk, it is just another cover song and history will not remember it at all.

Update:

"Angel" by Sister Julie

Angel
Hovering, watching,
waiting in the wings--
My silver sparkled wings
They watch, watch over you

I am your angel and I save you
Whether you want me to or no--
I am your angel
and I save me

I give and I take and I give and I take
I don’t want no credit
Am I enough to save your soul
Am I enough
To save
You

And we rise into the sun
And the wings are not wax
They do not melt
We do not
Fall into the sea

You and me
I am your angel
I give and I take and I give and I take
We do not fall into the sea
And if I saved you,
Then you saved me.

I give and I take and I give and I take
I don’t want no credit
Am I enough to save your soul
Am I enough
To save
You

Morning Ride to Katakolon w/pics

Cat is less than impressed by artificial things but there's an obscene grandeur to cruise ships that fascinates me.  They're coming two-by-two to Katakolon these days as it is much warmer and it's very pleasant down there.  There were two in-port yesterday as well.

There's one tiny tugboat in front of the second one and it must have a beast of a motor in it to handle these monsters as it's the only one.

Contrasting the massive wealth of the cruise ships are the waterfront cafes as all of them are small and most or all are owned by families.

The size of these things gets me every time.  I see all the lifeboats along the side but I have a tough time believing they could really get everyone on the ship into them if a disaster came.  I'm sure they have the capacity for everyone but the tactical problems in managing so many people in a crisis can only be truly tested by having a crisis.


And here are enough taxis to support the D-Day invasion!  (I'm pretty sure every single one of them is a Merc!)

Dienstag Morgen Bericht: Kätzchen / Tuesday Morning Report: Kittens (Bild / Pics)

Die Kätzchen habe noch ihre Augen geschlossen.  Bald, ich danke.

(The kittens still have their eyes closed.  Soon, I think.)

Wir haben eine Kätzchen verloren und das ist traurig aber dass ist Natur. Ich glaube diese war Sonntag und heute wir haben noch sechs.  Ich habe die Kätzchen gesehen und sie war nicht angegriffen.  Ich weiß nicht was passiert ist.  Diese ist Natur.

(We have lost one kitten and that is sad but that is Nature.  I believe this was Sunday and today we still have six.  I have seen the kitten and she was not attacked.  I don't know what happened.  This is Nature.)

Report from Last Night's Show at Cat's Art MusikCircus

When last seen, Lefty Unplugged / Kevin Farrell was battling viral demons on his PC.  At the same time, Cat had to take her system down due to lightning storms in Bavaria.  Last night was definitely orchestrated by the Dark Forces and it's clear they don't like music very much!

Fortunately, Cat and I had talked earlier as we knew Lefty was having troubles and from that decided to hold off on any publicity for the show until we got a high sign from it that he was ready.  That never came so we never advertised anything.  That was very good as venue owners would rather eat worms than cancel shows.  It's also good the other way around as Lefty would have been disappointed if Cat couldn't be there for the show.

So Lefty couldn't play last night but here's a video recorded by my friend, Ron Bizzle, at Cat's Art MusikCircus in a previous performance:




I had told Cat if Lefty couldn't get there then I would play instead and that's what happened.  I decided not to post anything in particular and if anyone showed up then I would tell them what happened and everything would be fine.  And that's what happened!


For Tuesday Night:

Michi Renoir will return and, like last week, I will play a set after his show.  Janeel Kharg said he has a surprise for Cat this week but his shows are a surprise every week so it's not entirely clear what she means ... but that's what is fun about surprises.  Hopefully I'll find some surprises of my own and we will light it up tonight at Cat's Art MusikCircus.


Beware:  Geek Alert

Playing last night went off as a test of my equipment setup and Yevette Nishi showed up.  She's heard me screwing around with equipment many times so it was cool just hanging out.

I can cheerfully report there is no propagation delay the way I was doing it.  However, there is no way to use back tracks either.

There remains one more option for using back tracks as I can feed them from iTunes via the iPad into the looper as an 'instrument' and that's novel but hardly impressive technically or practically.  Nevertheless, it would work and it's worth an experiment.

There's an additional consideration in that running another input into the looper will attenuate the signal from the guitar so that means more knob-twiddling to get it all balanced.  I don't want to twiddle knobs, I want to play!

End of Geek Alert

"Angel" - Alan Fraser (audio Podcast) - Updated

"Angel" started with lyrics written by one of the Angels who saved me from strangulation.  We don't need to go into the details of it but the depth of it was real and my appreciation for what they did is huge.  You will see in the lyrics that she don't want no credit.  Angels never do.

Update:

Some idiot (i.e. me) left out one verse so I have re-recorded it.  I loved it that Cat knew it was ok to say to me the singing wasn't good enough on the previous version.

The result is on the Ride the Dragon podcast or you can link directly to "Angel Two" to play it.


Angel
Hovering, watching, 
waiting in the wings--
My silver sparkled wings
They watch, watch over you

I am your angel and I save you
Whether you want me to or no--
I am your angel 
and I save me

I give and I take and I give and I take
I don’t want no credit
Am I enough to save your soul
Am I enough
To save
You

And we rise into the sun 
And the wings are not wax
They do not melt
We do not
Fall into the sea

You and me
I am your angel
I give and I take and I give and I take
We do not fall into the sea
And if I saved you,
Then you saved me.

I give and I take and I give and I take
I don’t want no credit
Am I enough to save your soul
Am I enough
To save
You

About "The Angel Song" - Updated 2:00 pm

At first I was thinking it had to be sweet but angels don't play fookin' harps.

(Ed:  How do you know that?)

Because you can't get a harp onto a train and how can an angel save Casey Jones when he's high on cocaine if she can't bring her harp.

So then it went to Dbm6 which is fairly demented but Abm6 is all the way demented.

(Ed:  Angels are demented too?)

No.  I'm the one who is demented.  Seems to me it has to start demented or what is the angel trying to save.  It's not a love song except in a very long sense.

Here is Hendrix singing his "Angel" song:

What I'm doing isn't anything like that nor is it supposed to be.  The words to this are written from the standpoint of the Angel and what if the Angel is as fucked-up as whomever she is trying to save.

So ... demented chords!

The Devil is in this as well as that bastard has lived in my thumb for many years.  I stop frequently because my hand gets paralyzed by it.  Playing chords puts exceptional pressure on the thumb and that starts the countdown.  If not for the passion, I would have stopped decades ago as it really does hurt that much.  That, however, is not the point but rather it's about good and evil within the words and also within the playing of it.

So now my thumb has settled back down and I'll take another whack at it!

Update:

I was going to do a reading on top of the guitar chords but singing ist viel besser.  I'm taking some liberties with the poem but not in changing any of the words, only in repeating some for emphasis.

Update:

"Angel" has been mixed down and is ready for release.  I will send it to Cat to preview and then let the angel fly.

Boston Guy Smacks Down Alex Jones and an Asshat from Infowars (video) - Updated

Major tip:  Do NOT go to Boston and tell them an FBI conspiracy is what caused the explosion in Boston.  Alex Jones is the King of the Conspiracy Theory Asshats and he's on a channel called Infowars.

Update:  I hope you saw the video in time as it was priceless.  However, YouTube issued a take-down for it as they say it is harassing.  Presumably when Alex Jones delivers his maniacal conspiracy theories, it is not harassing the country; it's only harassment when a community chooses to defend itself against them.

Another Major Tip:  The language is absolutely NSFW!  (Not Safe For Work)

Excellent job, Boston Guy!  (I could find nothing on the identity of Boston Guy.  If you know, please pass it along in a comment as this cat definitely deserves a hat tip!)

Morgen Bericht: Kätchen / Morning Report: Kittens

Ich hatte gedacht vielleicht würde Mutti die Kätzchen bewegen nachdem ich hatte sie gesehen.  Nicht so!

(I had thought perhaps Mum would move the kittens after I had seen them.  Not so!)

Und auch hatte ich gedankt dass Herr Schwartz ist der Führer von dem Reservoir Cats aber nicht so.  Herr Schwartz ist jetzt Frau Schwartz!  Vielleicht der Vater ist Herr Grau.

(I had also thought Mister Black is the leader of the Reservoir Cats but not so.  Mister Black is now Mrs Black.  Perhaps the father is Mister Grey.)

What's Hot on the Blog

The blog was smoking yesterday and it's gratifying as I like to write, all the more so when people read it.  This is the Top Ten list from yesterday:

Entry	Pageviews
Heute ist ein schöner Tag mit Olivenbäumen in Grie... Feb 24, 2013, 2 comments	26
Martin Luther King Was a Republican Apr 28, 2013	20
Evolution of Eohippus (Horse) Feb 25, 2013	18
Clement Attlee, Voted Britain's Best Post-War Prim... Apr 11, 2013	14
How Gun Control Destroyed Australia Apr 28, 2013	14
Products the World Didn't Need: Loose-Leaf Marlbo... Apr 28, 2013	14
Sagrada Familia - Basilica in Barcelona, Spain (vi... Feb 21, 2013	12
Griechisch Autobahn Denkmäler Jan 19, 2013	12
Chlemoutsi oder Musik ... Musik oder Chlemoutsi Apr 28, 2013	10
Kreuzfahrt Katakolo im Regen Jan 25, 2013, 1 comment	9

(All the links are hot and will take you to the relevant article)

Forty percent of Top Ten are auf Deutsch.  Sehr interessant!

I appreciate the reads on the Martin Luther King piece as I do try to be objective, particularly when there is so little of that commodity these days.

The article on "How Gun Control Destroyed Australia" is very funny and I can say that as it isn't my comedy, I just bring it to you.  Nevertheless, the piece is accurate and people can make of it what they will.

Thanks for reading and I'll keep writing.

Chlemoutsi oder Musik ... Musik oder Chlemoutsi

Gestern war ich mit Cat reden und sie hat keine liebe für Felsen.  Ich auch.  Werde ich ihr ein Schloss zeigen?  Deutschland hat viel Schlösser!

(Yesterday I was talking with Cat and she has no love of rocks.  I also.  Will I show her a castle?  Germany has many castles!)

Ich weiß ich habe gesagt dass ich werde nach Chlemoutsi Schloss fahren aber wir werden keine Musik in das Schloss finden.

(I know I have said I will drive to Chlemoutsi Castle but we will not find any music in the castle.)

So, Musik!

Für Sonntag, ich kann nicht bis Nachmittag spielen.  Dies ist mein Regel aber nur am Sonntag.  Vielleicht wird Gott schlagen mich tot!  Ich weiss nicht (lacht).

(For Sunday, I cannot play before afternoon.  This is my rule but only on Sunday.  Perhaps God will strike me dead.  I don't know (laughs)).

So, bald muss ich spielen!

(Soon I must play!)

Martin Luther King Was a Republican

Well, this was the claim in a recent comment here on the blog and it was accompanied by the thought that the only place I learn anything is movies.

In fact, neither of the above is true.  Martin Luther King was not affiliated with either political party and I didn't learn this from a movie but rather from Wiki:  Martin Luther King, Jr

Something else I learned from the Wiki is that MLK was not born with that name but rather his father changed his name after a trip to Germany in 1934.  He changed his son's name from Michael King to Martin Luther King out of respect for Martin Luther the reformer.  This was interesting to me as I've been taking a great deal of inspiration from Germany in my own life so it was intriguing to learn of this.

Another thing that is probably obvious is that King formed his opinions regarding non-violent resistance from Mohandas Gandhi (i.e. Mahatma Gandhi).

In the comment mentioned above, it said LBJ sucked as a leader and would not have had anything to do with Civil Rights legislation if MLK had not forced him into it.  OK, so I accept the premise and let's find out if it's true.

An additional premise was that LBJ referred to black people, when speaking privately, as 'niggers' and this is true.  (History Learning Site:  Lyndon Baines Johnson)

However, from that same site, we learn that LBJ commonly worked with teaching black kids and working with black adults in Texas.  He was certainly aware of the political advantages later in courting the black vote but that couldn't have had anything to do with his activities as a younger man.

Johnson's political voting record prior to the Presidency is largely a Southern cliche and there's not much to be gleaned from it.  He was not typically supportive of civil rights legislation but his rationale was logical if not reasonable.  His positions were changing as he moved through the 50's into the 60's and it appears political expediency was a substantial part of that although he took risks he did not have to take.  For example, supporting Eisenhower in the Civil Rights Act of 1960 could not have made Johnson a big hit in the South.

It's claimed after signing Civil Rights legislation in 1964 that Johnson said, “I’ll have them niggers voting Democrat for the next two hundred years.”

Whether the above is actually true is questionable.  It's taken from a book by Ronald Kessler and who knows how many other witnesses there were.  I'd say it's probably about 50/50 whether he said it as know LBJ was not above using the word and certainly wasn't a virgin in political opportunism.

As to whether Martin Luther King forced Johnson to do something he would not have done otherwise, this is really speculation as there's no way to know.

To summarise:

Martin Luther King was a Republican:  FALSE

I learn everything from television or movies:  FALSE

Lyndon Baines Johnson was a political opportunist:  TRUE

Lyndon Baines Johnson used the word 'nigger' with some regularity:  TRUE

Lyndon Baines Johnson was forced into signing Civil Rights legislation:  QUESTIONABLE

At the same time, J. Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI and the closest America has ever had to a dictator, was treating MLK like a terrorist and LBJ did little or nothing to stop it.  As President he almost certainly knew of it so that speaks further toward LBJ being a political opportunist.

What is definitely false is Hillary Clinton's contention that Martin Luther King could not have accomplished anything without Lyndon Baines Johnson as I submit very few political forces on this Earth could have stood up to the validity of King's words or the power of the non-violent movement that grew up around them.  We saw the same phenomenon with Mohandas Gandhi as he stood up to the British Empire and it sure as hell did roll over.  Note that Clement Attlee was Prime Minister at the time so, extending Clinton's thought, should anyone believe Gandhi would have accomplished nothing without him.  I'll leave that to the interested student to determine.

Products the World Didn't Need: Loose-Leaf Marlboro

Here's another gift to the world from the American tobacco cartels.

Yah, loose-leaf Marlboro.  And conveniently labeled in Greek too.  The hypocrisy of slamming South American cocaine cartels continues to escape America.

There's a method to this as a it's a damn nuisance to roll a cigarette and that slows me down which is definitely good.  It's yet another approach to giving them up.  I know full well the only solution is cold turkey but a preliminary step in reduction is not a bad idea.  When I run out of this stuff, I jump.

Loose-leaf tobacco is very popular in Greece as it's much less-expensive than packaged cigarettes.  All of it I've seen comes from America where tobacco exports are much greater than internal consumption.  See above about hypocrisy.

How Gun Control Destroyed Australia

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Gun Control Whoop-de-doo
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Indecision Political Humor The Daily Show on Facebook

John Oliver from "The Daily Show" goes to Australia to find how the country has been laid to waste by criminals ever since sweeping gun control legislation was enacted.

Oh, wait.  No, it wasn't.

Whoop-de-fuckin'-do, mate!

(In case the video doesn't work here, you can watch it at The Comedy Channel.  Regardless of your position, it's quite funny)

Baby Bump - An Expression the World Didn't Need

The future Queen of England is carrying the future King of England within her and the news media report she has a 'baby bump.'  (CNN:  Behold Kate Middleton's Baby Bump)

It was charming what Dr Seuss brought to the language but I'm sure he hoped people would develop beyond his contributions.  There isn't much evidence of that, tho.

Oh Kate has a lump
You thunk
You thunk
But it's more than a lump
It's a baby bump

Perhaps I should switch to German altogether as Cat's command of English is better than many who speak it natively.

Part of the reason German is coming to me while Greek is close to impossible is that German and English are linguistic brothers.  The Angles, Saxons, Jutes and other Germanic tribes came to England in the Fifth Century and of course they brought with them their language.  Inevitably their language merged with very Olde English and the result is what we speak today except, of course, whatever Scots speak as to this day no-one understands them.  Scotland and Ireland are interesting in this context as they were not so much affected by the Anglo-Saxon invasion so that, in part, is an explanation for the very strong accents in both countries as both are much more strongly tied to the original Celtic languages.

Some think of German as harsh but consider fantastisch or minimalistisch as these arose in the discussion yesterday of Risot Rolna's music.  In both cases, the German is very similar to the English but the latter variations, fantastic or minimalistic, end with a quite hard 'ck' sound whereas the German variations end with a much softer 'sh' sound.

And if there is a more harsh or inelegant expression for the creation of life than a 'baby bump' then I submit one would be very hard-pressed to find it.

What's Hot on the Blog

It was a big day on the blog yesterday and here's what was hot:

Entry	Pageviews
The MusikCircus in Twelve Tones - Updated with RL ... Apr 27, 2013	27
Heute ist ein schöner Tag mit Olivenbäumen in Grie... Feb 24, 2013, 1 comment	26
Was Macht Katzen? Apr 27, 2013	21
Regulation of Seeds by the European Union Apr 27, 2013	20
Wo Geht Chlemoutsi? (Deutsch / English) Apr 27, 2013	20
Griechisch Autobahn Denkmäler Jan 19, 2013	18
"The Cock" (poem) Apr 27, 2013	15
Sagrada Familia - Basilica in Barcelona, Spain (vi... Feb 21, 2013	13
Blumen für Dich und eine Katze! m/Bilde (auf Deu... Apr 26, 2013	12
Kreuzfahrt Katakolo im Regen Jan 25, 2013, 1 comment	8

It's great to see the debut of Risot Rolna at Cat's MusikCircus coming in at the top.

It's a constant curiosity to me that articles in German do so well but analysis is boring so I will just continue to write.  I'm sure it didn't hurt that two of them featured cats but still the majority of articles most favored today were auf Deutsch.

I do get a kick out of older articles staying alive as one of the things I don't like about social networks is that anything happening today is forgotten tomorrow.  It seems that's not at all true here and I appreciate that very much.  I don't expect anything to live forever but I'd like to think something will survive more than twenty-four hours and people have been coming to some of them for months.