So, yeah, today was a massive blow out. Why I bothered getting out of bed… well… I just don’t know. I suppose some grocery shopping did get delivered, so that’s something.
I guess it was an important day for me in one grim aspect, as it was the first time I’ve ever taken a taxi to the local shops, rather than simply walking it or taking a bus. My deteriorating eyesight has gotten to the point where basic mobility is now becoming a problem. A lifelong lover of independence, I’m now finding a basic component of my being broken before me. I did walk back though, which, for some strange reason, is much easier than going. I put it down to the gradient of the pavements, which shift considerably on this damn mountainside.
Still, after yesterday’s confidence boost, it all came crashing down with that sad landmark moment today. I’ve known since I was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa that this day would come, I just secretly hoped it wouldn’t.
Anyway, here I am now, trying to put all that behind me and get some new music tracks recorded! I can at least do that without a taxi… surely?!
INPUT LEVELS AND HOW YOU CAN PROTECT YOUR FAMILY
I’m not sure whether I’m creating the actual final percussion for a track or merely generating a metronomic guide. That will become clear to me once I hit the mixing phase. Right now, I just want to hear sound through my mixing desk and laptop, then find out whether the levels are safe. That is, safe for me to physically listen to with my ear holes and safe for the quality of the audio track itself. I need to keep things below the red, basically. Unlike my previous experience of using Audacity, there appears to be no input level indicator active. Erm… okay. Oh wait, there it is! I just figured it out as I finished the previous-but-one sentence! It’s because I’m monitoring through the mixing desk and not the laptop! See?! We got there in the end! I’m glad I’m doing this alone and at home. The idea of being surrounded by the pouting young members of a band, fidgeting and judging every confused silence I make, is unthinkable. That literally happened to me once and I stormed out in a huff. Very awkward. Right, once I finish this sentence, I shall attempt to navigate the level indicator on my mixing desk properly in 3… 2… 1…
STUDIO VLOG
One outlet for my sudden bursts of uncontrolled enthusiasm is to make YouTube videos. I often regret doing this, however, and end up deleting them once I’ve calmed down somewhat. I did have over a thousand videos uploaded at one point, mostly of funny gaming clips, but some of music equipment that’d just arrived at my home. They’re all gone now though, as they had somehow become burdens on my soul. And they needed excising! After all, I’m an old-fashioned internet user, one who’s here to try and make friends and have a laugh and maybe find love. If none of that’s happening, then I need to go back to the drawing board… of life! All of this can be written off, in all fairness, as a symptom of my cyclothymia, but it still affects my life negatively. Every decision I make usually comes back to haunt me like a hangover. After making this video whilst ever so excited about recording again, I’ll most likely wake up tomorrow morning and exclaim to nobody: “Wait, did I post a video on YouTube last night?! Holy shit!”. I won’t have been drunk, mind you, but the feeling of regret and humiliation will very much be the same. I’m sure I’ll have deleted it in a fit of anxiety before you get the chance to watch it, but life is what it is, I guess.
RUST REMOVAL
Buckle up for this exciting shit, bitches! During my 2-year hiatus from guitar playing, I’ve found the guitars I left out in the open have developed patches of rust on the strings. I’m sure this is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about, as I’ve tried out instruments in music shops that have the same problem. I had a moment a couple of weeks ago where I was all like: “Urgh, this means I’ve got to change all those bloody strings now!”, which would surely throw a spanner in the, erm, cogs of my enthusiasm. Did that work?! Oh never mind. But, yes, after grumbling to myself for awhile, I thought I’d search the vast knowledge base of the world wide web to find out whether rust can actually be removed harmlessly. Somehow, I had missed this very simple fact over the 45-years of my accursed existence. The simple answer is: yes, it can. Although, comically and not at all rage-inducing, a small bottle of cleaning solution will set you back nearly a tenner. I’m sure the same basic product, listed as a household cleaning product, can be bought at a local supermarket for £1. But, you know, guitars. I think the cleaning solution will be arriving tomorrow, along with a couple of boxes of plectrums (as constantly in demand as pen lids, paperclips, odd socks, and a fourth thing I can’t think of right now). My Jazzmaster really became stricken with Rusty String Syndrome, so I’d like to get that sorted so I can record with it. I actually forgot I had the Jazzmaster, as the repair guy at my local guitar shop fucked up the tremolo system while setting the instrument up for me. You know, for money. Jazzmasters are the cornerstone of the indie rock sound and look, so incorporating one into my legendary upcoming sessions is an absolute must!
Golly, some of the most mundane nonsense always sounds so much cooler when electric guitars are involved, huh?! It’s like space exploration. On Earth, there’s boring dirt surrounding us 24/7, so we ignore the very notion of it. But when NASA talks about MURDEROUS SULPHURIC SPACE DIRT FROM VENUS, it’s way more exciting, I say!
Well, I think I’ve bleated on enough for one more transmission. I believe I am gearing up to recording an instrumental track called: “The March of the Meshwesh”, which will be a very rhythm-driven ditty. The guitar parts I’ll improvise once the drums and bass are laid down exactly where they should be, so that’ll be a fun little creative challenge.
I’ve had a busy day and my eyelids are drooping, but that’s no guarantee of a good night’s sleep for poor old insomniac me.
Who knows what the tide will bring in tomorrow.
Do stay in touch, darlings.
Toodles!
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