Yesterday I finally managed to by a power supply for the guitar-multi-effect-gismo I lended from a friend. This one here:
Fun thing that happend at the electronics store: On the power supply's packaging it was not noted, whether it provides AC or DC current. So I asked someone from the store's staff: "Well, does it provide AC or DC current?" - "Why? Does it matter?" is what he answered...
So last night before the rehearsal I tried out the Korg thingy, attaching it to the rehearsal room PA and a Shure microphone. It works. Although it is quite hard to hear the effects when you're playing the trombone at the same time, I am pretty sure I will use it on stage soon. Some details maybe: The Korg needs a 9V DC power supply. It has one input and one to two (stereo anyone?) output plugs, and one for a volume pedal. I am not sure how good the built-in pre-amplifier works. I'll have to test it some more. Testing will hopefully be easy as the gismo also has a headphone output which I can plug directly into my Macbook and record it. Maybe that way I can asses the different sounds.
There is another device sitting on my desk at the moment:
But I don't know yet, if it works. Next week maybe.
Two weeks ago, between Christmas and New Year's, I attended the 26th Chaos Communication Congress (26c3) in Berlin, the anual hackers conference organized by the Chaos Computer Club. I had never been to any c3 before, and I didn't know anyone else attending. So I was rather excited about what would happen there.
One of the most interesting talks for me personally was Audrey Penven speaking about "Photography and the Art of Doing it Wrong", the essence of which was: Whenever you do something, and you make a mistake, or the technology fails you, try looking on the bright side and explore the possibilities these mistakes offer. Audrey talked a lot about doing photography in ways everyone else would consider wrong. But by doing it wrong, she - and many others - create wonderful art you couldn't do any other way. Too see what I mean you should look at Audrey's webpage and download the recording of her talk.
btw: Almost every talk at 26c3 was recorded and can be downloaded from the conference webpage.
To further illustrate this, I am happy to present one creative mistake myself. Of course it's a musical recording, specifically an early rehearsal recording of our keyboarder's top hit single "It's Not You". Here, her voice is amplified via a bass guitar amp only because the rehearsal room PA was not there that night. This makes for a great and very fitting sound in this song, and we'll have to play with that kind of stuff much more often I think. Here you go:
Hund: "Wuff!"
Ich: fall "Ouch" (denke: Was läuft mir dieser Scheißköter auf dieser scheißglatten Straße einfach so vors Fahrrad?)
Er: runzel (denkt: Will der scheiß Radfahrer etwa meckern?)
Ich: (denke: Selbstschuld! Was bremst du auch für nen Hund?) grins "Mmh, da bin ich wohl zu schnell gefahren."
Er: lächel "Joh, ist mir bei dem Wetter auch schon mehrmals passiert."
Ich: lächel
Er: lächel
Ich: "Tschüß"
Er: "Tschüß"
Yesterday I tested my macbook's built-in microphone (successfully!) and one of the results is a new recording of the Ugly Man tune. With lyrics this time, but no guitar.
Fun thing that happend at the electronics store: On the power supply's packaging it was not noted, whether it provides AC or DC current. So I asked someone from the store's staff: "Well, does it provide AC or DC current?" - "Why? Does it matter?" is what he answered...
But I don't know yet, if it works. Next week maybe.