Thistle Do! January Wk 2, 2024
Tamworth HO! Band In A Box Review. Readin' n Writin' plus Happy Snaps!
Hit the Road Jack!
Actually, it’s a thousand kilometres to Tamworth, we’re going to need two tanks of fuel, no cigarettes, some butterscotch lollies, two packs of Fishermans’ Friends (yes, I am still addicted to them, and I’ll thankyou very much for not mentioning it!) and my night driving glasses.
Ok, now you can ‘Hit it.’
Folks, by the time you read this, Doll and I will be over the border and running free.
Also, we’ll be missing an hour of our lives thanks to Daylight Savings.
Still it could be worse. We could have Daylight Savings in Queensland…
If you’d like to follow our adventures in semi-real time, pop over to Facebook for regular Dolly Wrangling updates.
Review: Band In A Box
Ok, I’ve been trying to record some basic songs at home for a while. But I need to go slightly next level for a mate who wants to record some of his tunes and burn them to CD or onto a memory stick.
What I wanted to do was create music backing tracks starting with drums, overlay the bass, add rhythm guitar and fiddle around with some lead guitar. Then, once it was all recorded, burn in onto a CD, give it to them to sing-a-long with, then, once they were ready, record their voice over the top of the music.
We used to do this back in the day with a 4 or 8 track tape player. It was a pretty simple process.
Now we have state of the art technology to record music but, unfortunately, I’m clearly missing the chromosome required to work out how to do this.
It’s part of my electrical, mathematical, technology disability. Basically, I’m the Anti-Dilbert.
So, after much research, trials, YouTube tutorials and several visits to The Land of Frustration and Disappointment, I shelled out a couple of hundred bucks for Band In a Box.
After several hours of fiddling round, I found myself once again wandering, in stunned disbelief, deep (soooo deep) in The Land of Frustration and Disappointment.
This was my attempt at a Heavy Metal tune using BiaB:
Now, call me fussy, but I don’t think what I’ve created here resembles anything I would label: Heavy Metal.
At best, it sounds like a soundtrack from a 1990’s video game. Mario Cart springs to mind.
Plus, I’m embarrassed to tell you how long it took me to make that tune.
All I’m going to say is, in the time it would take me to operate this (or a similar programme) at a level that wouldn’t make listeners guffaw, I could learn to be a virtuoso piano player.
So, as they say in the classics (Warner Bros Looney Tunes), “Back to the ol’ drawing board.”
Or Apple’s Garageband?
Readin’
This week I’m roaring through Jay Shetty’s book, ‘Think Like a Monk’.
The backstory goes like this: Jay was studying Business in a London university and one day a monk visited his class and spoke about selflessness and living a minimalist lifestyle. Jay was so impressed, he followed the monk round Britain on his lecture tour.
As you do.
Afterwards, to his parent’s distress, he spent time living as a monk in an ashram in Mumbai, India, before returning to the corporate world in Great Britain as a social media advisor, possibly to his parent’s great delight.
He started a podcast, which was wildly successful, before writing ‘Think Like a Monk’, which was also wildly successful.
My friend, Lisa, has cheerfully loaned me her copy (once I managed to prise it out of her hands before outrunning her back to my car).
What have I taken out of it so far?
Well, having wealthy parents and a university degree meant Jay was able to take a walk on the mild side to find himself, but it certainly wasn’t a holiday, and to his credit he did make it count: he became a better human being.
So, not a complete waste of time.
The book isn’t exactly groundbreaking (so far), but it’s easy to read and makes some interesting points with humour.
Will I be a better human being by the time I’ve finished reading it?
Hope so!
Ritin’
No writing this week, apart from what you’re reading now. I know, I’m slack. Sue me!
Creatin’
This week I spent far too much time fiddling with music writing programmes. Sadly, I’ve created nothing I’m proud to put my name to.
BUT, I have been practicing 10 minute meditations each morning, and I think they’re rather soothing, inspiring and calming.
And if anyone disagrees, I’ll punch their scones in!
Happy Snaps
This calendar caught my eye in a local coffee shop… honestly, there are no words:
You stay classy Gladstone!
Still, there’s only one left and, yes, I am a tad miffed I didn’t think of it first…
Also we took some time out to watch this movie from 1976 starring a very young Bruce Spence… and nobody else even remotely famous.
Pics from the Art Gallery / Museum which should be filed under ‘Things I’m glad we no longer do to turtles.’
Big tides rolled into Gladdy Town this week too:
Hey, thanks for dropping by and a BIG Welcome to our newest subscribers. Ta for joining us!
Cheers,
Gb