I’ve seen quite a few people sharing photos of jigsaws they are working on, during this time of lockdown and social distancing, so I thought why not share the jigsaw I am working on!
Yes, it’s time for a new computer – or mostly new, at any rate, I have some existing components I will be reusing to keep the price down.
Why a computer build, on a music page? Well, I think the computer is a musical instrument, it contributes as much to the final result as any guitar, keyboard, mandolin, etc.!
Now, I try to avoid “copy and paste”, generally playing each part each time, even though most of the time it doesn’t make that much of a difference – but those little subtle changes in each repetition can humanize it all. That said, it’s a great way to sketch out the structure of a track, which is a huge help. For more electronic pieces, that absolute repetition can be useful, but still it’s not what the computer is all about!
It is about having racks of synths and effects that I wouldn’t be able to afford, or fit into my apartment even if I could afford them. It is about making experimentation easy so you can just dive in and try things freely. It is about letting you focus on the music, and not on bouncing tracks because you are about to run out on the tape (yes, I used to have a Fostex 8 track reel to reel).
It is about being able to automate volume and other changes across a track, when with a mixing desk and just one pair of hands, you’d never be able to keep up. It is about freedom to change things, from takes to effects to EQ, with the knowledge you can just Undo and get back to something you already liked, once again letting you be more free with experimentation.
So I think the computer is a musical instrument, and that is not a bad thing! It doesn’t mean losing the human in the music at all 🙂 Feel free to comment on your thoughts about computers in music of course.
I stripped down an old case, ready for the new parts, which will be arriving over the next 3 or 4 weeks, and I will keep you updated on progress as I build myself a new addition to the musical family!
All the best!
Tom