cheap beatz

I’ve been getting asked for this keypad to midi patch a lot recently so I thought I’d upload it.  You can get it here.  You’ll also need the free max/msp runtime from cycling74.com.  If you’re on windows you’ll need loopbe too.

and remember – Zeal’s live Melbourne debut this Friday!

roar.

Zeal returns to the stage in his Melbourne debut (sort of) with some tops bands.

It’ll be an awesome night of experimental indie-poptronica, ear melty goodness and I’ll be unleashing some new songs and brandishing some new stagecraft.  Woop!

Dig the facebook event for more.

on sphere

zeal has been appearing in interesting corners of the blogosphere in the last couple of days.  there’s an interview at fiese falle about process and gear.  they’re the sort of things that interest me in interviews so maybe you’ll be into it.

also, there’s a write up about my guitar hero to midi app AXIS on one of my fav blogs – hack a day.

the post has drawn out some entertaining flames like: “Get a haircut and a real job.  Also, learn to play the real guitar. It’s a lot more fun, I promise.”

upon reading that i got a hair cut and a real job and learned to play the “real” guitar.  it’s not as fun.

speaking of fun – fun new things to buy appearing soon and even fun new ways to buy said fun new things.   but for now…

bob out.

AXIS

My Xbox Guitar Hero to MIDI application AXIS is available now!  The videos below explain all:



Mac users:

  • Get AXIS 1.0 HERE.
  • You’ll also need the Tattiebogle Xbox drivers from here.
  • If you get the dreaded blinking green light there’s now a solution!  Check here.

Windows users:

  • Get AXIS 1.0 HERE.
  • You’ll also need LoopBe from here.
  • If the Xbox drivers don’t install automatically try here.

AXIS was built in Max/MSP.  If you’d like to adapt it for a different guitar or anything just get in touch and I’ll send you the source.

mixed maxed

so it took almost exactly a year to write and record and now my next album “with the moon alongside racing us home” is mixed!  complete! done!  finito! pung! bahoogled!  i made a lot of those words up, feel free to use them (CC non-profit, attribution, share-alike).

now all this mixing’s done i’m focusing on my live show and getting axis out into the world.  i’m also enjoying playing with max for live as an audio visual environment.  getting sensors to the party is the next step i think… like some sort of reactive audio-visual “thingy”.

artwork for the album has to be done too… might start on that now.

bob out.

working holiday

toyboardtoybellstoybuttons

new live show. midi video.

this is the little video patch i’m working on for the new show.  eventually it will do more fancy stuff like multiple layers, zoom, rotate etc.   the live show will probably involve fewer aliens…. but more robots.

wasps are sent for our enemies (run)

zeal-wasps

as promised, a brand spanking new track from my upcoming album.  download and share to your hearts content.

Zeal – Wasps

Wasps was sampled and sequenced on a PS2 using this software and some of the lyrics were borrowed from a Benny Hinn song.

New Weird Aus 3

It’s been picked up by New Weird Australia vol. 3, a way cool compilation of interesting Australian music.  CHECK IT!

and Rose Quartz picked it up almost instantly and said nice things like “this new Zeal track is some cool fucking shit.” READ!

with the moon alongside racing us home

that’s the name of my new album!  apparently not “with the moon along side racing us home” as is written on… THIS PROMO CD!

promos

i have some promos left from a very tiny run.  Three new tracks from the new album all in odd cases, no two are alike. Three to give away! just hit me up.  that’s right. i blunk.

assembly line

jah feet

spent the last two weeks finishing my new album.  i don’t think i’ve mentioned what’s it’s going to be called yet…  i don’t think i will now either.  but i will moon soon.  a few tracks are mastered and i’m being a one man CD duplication factory this very second, pumping out a small pile of cd singles.  feels like we should have been done with these lumbering circular plastic things 5 years ago.  catch up radio! next step, artwork.  it’s quite exciting.  you’ll like the album, i promise.  it makes mention of robots a few times and there’s this three note refrain that’s sprinkled through out the 15 or so tracks which all weave together.  it’s almost a concept album… just with a poorly defined concept…  more of a unproven hypothesis album.

axis xp at work

also on the work bench, for all you unfortunate souls, i’m getting AXIS up and running on windows… i say that but really xp’s alright.  the windows versions going to be minus a few small features just because of the way the windows drivers interpret the guitar (or unless someone else can fix it).  this is one big step closer to release meaning it will be out before the years up.

robot rebellion

i’ve been making stickers too.  as i promised: robots and swear words.  if you want one you have two options.  the hard way: print out the above robot on sticker paper and cut it out.  or the super easy way: enter my EP + sticker give away! there’s four days left and it’s super easy.

back to the assembly line for me.