Video explains it all really….
I built a lego robot using a Raspberry Pi!
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Raspberry Pi in a PlayStation Case
So this is a little toy that I have made, it’s a Raspberry Pi in a Playstation One box, the video explains it all. This project was inspired by Johnathon Denmarks project over at Petrock. If you want to do this yourself and have PS controllers you will also need to get the game_con_gpio working for Retro Pi. It was fun, and it also gave me an excuse to finally buy a new Dremal tool…. Enjoy the video…
It’s On Like Donkey Kong
So this weekend just gone I was invited to play a set at an Old Skool Rave event. Besides the odd friends party or BBQ, sets are rare these days… It felt good to take over the decks in front of a real crowd, and didn’t they love it! Now, this may sound like I am blowing my own horn a little bit, but I’m going to say it anyway… I keep getting people telling me what an absolutely awesome set it was, in person, on Facebook and over the text messages…. well I’m thrilled that you all liked it and that it went down really well. I had spent about six weeks working through the back catalogue of tracks that I had personally created, I exported them from the old Pro Bars & Pipes files on the Amiga (yes Amiga! that’s what I used to write all my tracks on) and pulled them all into Cubase on my studio PC, I then set about remixing and re-mastering them all, in total I ended up with eight tracks that I thought I could play. Interestingly I made no changes to the structure of these songs but I did mix them in a modern way so they are much louder and brighter…. and boy! the difference is like chalk and cheese, the tracks could be modern tracks released just yesterday….
But don’t take my word for it, take a listen yourself. I have prepared a spacial mix for you all, I have re-recorded the set I play at the party, ‘It’s On Like Donkey Kong’….. I did change the track list slightly to include two of my tracks that I didn’t get to play on the night, but don’t stress they are just as good as all the others….. enjoy….
And as per usual you can get a direct download of the mp3 HERE
It’s On Like Donkey Kong by Steve Reaver on Mixcloud
K4r Firmware Update
So I own a Kawai K4r. I bought it off a guy on the internet from the US back in the early 90’s, this was way before anything like ebay or Gumtree existed and the transaction relied on me having complete faith in the seller and sending him a money order and hoping that he fulfilled his end of the deal and actually sent the thing to me! Well luckily he did and I now have a great synth. But, there has always been problems with it, mainly when using the filter in fast sweeps the sound would get choppy and clicky, I had read that this is due to a software problem but had been unable to find the necessary firmware to do the upgrade. So after some desperation I emailed Kawai in the US;
I am after a firmware upgrade for my Kawai k4 serial number 297547.
I would like OS version 1.4, P207C. I can do the upgrade myself. Can
you supply the ROM file or advise where I can download it from ?
… and low-and-behold I got a reply. Juan Escobar from Kawai sent me the firmware directly, you legend! So without further delay I programmed it up.
I already own a decent eprom program so it was just a matter of finding which eproms to use, and since I didn’t really want to mess with classic eproms because they are painfully slow I went on the hunt for a pin compatible replacement for the 27c256 that is used in the K4r. I found that the 27SF512 is a perfect EEPROM replacement, I also changed the battery while had it opened. The rom upgrade has brought this thing to life! it’s like I have a new synth, now I can filter sweep as much as I like and there are no noises! If you need to ROM image just send me a message….
EDIT: I’ve had so many requests for the firwmare that I will now put a link right here: P207C_K4r If anyone has any problems with me distributing this LET ME KNOW IMMEDIATELY!!
Yamaha mixers for sale
So I’ve listed a couple of Yamaha mixers on ebay. A Yamaha 03D and a Yamaha 01v. These mixers have been my babies over the years, but it’s now time to update. The plan is to sell both of these and get a shiny new Yamaha 01v96i, it will do everything that both these mixers do plus more.
Rode Videomic Pro
So I’ve splashed out and bought myself a Rode Videomic Pro. In what has turned out to be a vain attempt to fix the audio quality of recording made with my SLR. Don’t get me wrong, using this mic is better than using the built in mic, but generally speaking ‘top’ mics on cameras are never very good. I recently used it in a video production more-or-less as a guide recording, the sound that I ended up using came from my Zoom which was one hundered times better! But it was handy to have the sound from the top mic to help sync everything up. But what was real niffty and helped integrate things was installing Magic Lantern onto mt 550D, this gives a recording level meter tool to show the record level, most excellent and a much needed improvement for the camera.
May 1995 Remastered
Here’s a trip down memory lane. I ripped this mix off an old mix tape some time ago and when I listened to it again the other day I decided it was awful, the mixing was terrible and the sound quality was lousy. So I re-recorded and remixed the entire thing. Enjoy…..
Top 100 music blogs, yeah baby!
So my blog, this blog you are reading now, has been listed in the top 100 music blogs of 2013! This surprises me as much as it does you! You can take a look at it for yourself HERE. I Come in at number 90, right up there with BillFoolery and MrBrungle, which I have no idea what he is saying other than he has ‘Invisible Hands‘. I can now do one of two things, lift my game and try to get to number 1 or just continue doing what I have always done…. ie: not very much…. so considering that I never really expected to get this far with this blog I think I will just continue to do what I have always done…. easy! Now for the hard part, I need to add a picture to this article (because that is what I always do, and it looks real good on the page), so here is a nice picture of a rehearsal session we had the other night. I took the picture, on the right is Brad and on the decks is Alex…. we are putting an album together…..
Less is More
Finally it’s a new mix for you! An experiment with minimal house. Not normally the kind of stuff that I would play, but I figured I would take a listen and before I knew it I had made a mix. I could even be convinced to make a minimal track at this rate because I liked what I heard!
Jurassic Lounge
Over the last few weeks I have been involved with the Australian Museums Jurassic Lounge event, as a sound professional. This involved pushing equipment packers around and setting things up and most excitingly running the front of house desk for the bands we have had coming through! Over the last few weeks we have had The Walking Who, Shady Lane, Iluka, & Richie 1250 & The Brides of Christ all come through the venue and play gigs. The bands haven’t been half bad, most of them have record deals and all the social media that comes along with that, so you can go and listen to them. The guys have all been very happy with my work and are always stoked when we pump up the PA and they realise how loud it is and that they can hear stuff…. that’s always nice. Anyway this is all a bit late in the piece now since this season of Jurassic lounge has finished. But don’t be sad…. there will be a new season for Sydney siders this spring, and yours truly will be front and center ripping things up on the sound desk! Keep you eyes on this blog and I will be sure to let you know when things kick off……
Shady Lane @ Jurssic Lounge on 9th April 2013