Modern Game 4 Lyric Videos, Argus v1.61

Yesterday, bought more wood for shelves part 2, plus some for a future wardrobe.

Mixed the new Modern Game a little, making important changes. Most of the changes are movements from the bass, adding or enhancing higher frequencies. I also prepared for more vocals, for the last track 'The Trees', although today I realised that I'll have to re-record the vocals for the B-Side to 'Masculinity Two' too, a strange and fear-laden song called 'The Games Played As Children'.

Today, a long and often frustrating day creating the overlay text for animated lyric videos for these songs. I wanted to get the basics of the subtitles for every track. It's past 7pm and all are just about finished, apart from those two tracks that need new vocals. The subtitles were complicated by the fact that the three extant music videos are 30 FPS, when I now typically animate (and create the subtitles) at 25 FPS, so three of the videos had different timing and different frame numbers. A change I made to the last version of Argus also stopped my ability to split up the Set Modulator events, so I re-added the feature and therefore updated Argus to v1.61.

I've generally felt cold, weak, ill and anxious to the point of despair; yet used this as an incentive to work as steadily as ever. I like these songs more and more, even though I've heard them thousands of times, and it's important that the words and meanings, their art, is shared as best I can. So, the job of making the videos is, I think, necessary, so the faster I can complete this necessary job the better.

Other jobs on this album are those new vocals, and the lyric overlays for those; new cover artwork; updating the lyric booklet (one word has changed in the lyrics, and some capitalisation, I even spotted a glaring error); a new iTunes Digital Booklet; mastering and final balancing; dividing the tracks; admin and registration of the new works; final videos created, compiled, uploaded.

The last of the Electric Sprout songs should be coming very soon, so I must also master that. My hopes of remastering or re-recording The Myth of Sisyphus this year are perhaps overly ambitious, especially as I need to transcribe the sheet music for that. I must also complete the new shelves this month, and perhaps a painting for the Nantwich Open Art Exhibition... and I'd hoped to record some audiobooks and perhaps work on a new book.

Onwards we battle.

Binary Quantum Gravity

I've been thinking about some issues regarding gravity, and the need for gravity to be quantised, not for reasons of unifying any current laws of physics, but due to philosophical problems with classical gravity.

For gravity to operate, the curvature of space at every point needs to be stored. Mass shines out its existence at the speed of light with a ray of communication. Some points of space are more curved than others, depending on the strength of the gravity, but in essence this 'strength' is a simple result of the density of the rays emitted from the massive object. Let's assume these rays are streams of particles, the so-called graviton.

In classical gravity, this curvature of space can vary smoothly; sometimes shallow, sometimes steep. I presume that in a place without mass, space would be flat.

Space must be divided into tiny cells, grids, which store information like this. If not, there would be no sense of scale, no root, things would slide to infinity. Classical gravity has this problem, quantum mechanics does not; and the quantum must be correct. There are no infinities in the universe. One infinity would create another, and quickly and infinite number of infinite everything. If we find or need infinities, we, I submit, are wrong.

So, space is divided into cells which store information on the curvature of space into time. What sort of value is this? We may imagine it's a variable quantity, a 'steep' curve, a 'shallow' curve, no curve, an 'infinitely steep' curve. If this were the case then what value is the curvature of space on the boundaries between cells?

Thinking of this reminded me of the problem of dithering a sound wave into a low-bit resolution. I've written another piece here about audio dithering and quantum mechanics but I'll recapitulate. When digitising a smooth wave, we can assign a value to the nearest number that the wave amplitude corresponds with, sort of like fitting the wave into a series of boxes and choosing the nearest box to the current amplitude. See here:

Were are converting our nice smooth wave into 8 bits of digital, the 8 boxes on the right. Value 1 is exactly in the centre of the box, so that's perfect for the top box. Value 2 is not in the middle of a box, but it has a nearest box, so we put it there. Value 3 is on a boundary though... which box do we put it into?

We can choose top or bottom consistently, but there's something not quite right about it, because the reality we are trying to represent is that the sound is half way between, not in one box or the other.

The solution to the problem is dithering. We choose a random value, roll a dice so to speak, and 50% of the time we choose the top box and 50% of the time we choose the lower. For Value 2 we choose the upper box most of the time, but sometimes choose the lower box. This random value doesn't add 'noise', it makes the results more accurate; and quantum mechanics does the same thing. Dithering in this way is how and why quantum mechanics can be both accurate and random, and how it can avoid infinities by using random values in a digital arena.

Gravity must do the same, because without it any storage of analogue information on a cell-by-cell level would create inaccuracies across the cell boundaries. So, the curvature of space must not be a variable quantity, but a binary one. At each cell of space, space is flat or infinitely curved; that is all. What do we mean by the curvature of space, and flat and infinitely curved when we have already railed against infinities? General relatively shows that spatial dimensions are curved into the time dimension. Objects move fully in space, and the faster they move, the slower they move in time. At the speed of light, an object is moving fully in space and not at all in time. Stationary objects are not moving in space but moving fully in time. As an object accelerates, its movement through time decelerates.

This seems like a smooth, analogue process, but I postulate that it is not, that it is merely two extremes. At every point we either move fully though space at the speed of light, or move fully though time and are stationary. These are the only two values for the curvature of space: zero and one. Thus the map of the spatial curvature of our solar system is not smooth, analogue, and 'greyscale', but black and speckled with white. Compare these two photographs:

The latter is a binary image of the former, it uses only black and white dots, yet from a distance, the level of grey can be inferred due to random scattering. It is in this way, I postulate, that the curvature of space is stored. Objects which move though this space move, on a per-particle basis, fully through space or fully through time, but on average, it appears that the whole object is gliding through space-time in the correct proportions.

Problems regarding infinite spatial curvature in the centre of black holes vanish; objects are either stationary or moving at the speed of light. Everything on a quantum level is only doing either of these, and in our macroscopic experience changing rapidly between the two to produce the illusion of something in between.

Looking for a Lover Version 4

Two days of work mostly on The Modern Game. Recorded new vocals for 'Looking for a Lover' and 'Coming Back to Earth' yesterday, as well as Deb's vocals for our Christmas song, and have added all of these today. 'Looking' was always a bit of a production struggle. I always thought of the song as a Thriller-era Michael Jackson song, so I wanted some staccato-style vocals, but these carry a limited tone. The first two versions of this song used relatively normal vocals throughout. Version 3 used band-limited vocals with a scratchy telephone sound, which sounded rather nice. The new version uses a bit of both, and the fourth verse doubles up the vocals in octaves for a time, then breaks into the higher pitch before the chorus.

'Coming Back to Earth' by comparison is very similar to other versions, but does benefit from new, richer vocals for the plain verses, and better bass balancing.

I've also tweaked the mixes on all tracks. 'Beyond Mars' has higher pianos. I have a book on mixing. The most useful tip, the only useful tip in the book, is that all mixing desks have a high pass (bass-cut) switch and that most tracks are high passed. They cite a piano as an example of what not to high pass, which is terrible advice. Pianos and vocals are almost the only things that are always high passed. Every piano on a rock or pop song is twinkly and pushed into the high frequencies. A natural classical piano is quite muffly most of the time, and fits very closely within the frequency range of a voice, which is why it's best moved up, even the bass notes are high passed; if not especially so because they can so easily boom.

All songs are now finished apart from 'The Trees', which needs new vocals, and the final mixing and mastering. This is only the first half of the remaster; the new art and new lyric videos will probably take longer than the music.

I'm unhappy with my CD shelves, which are drooping in the middle by about 9mm. A shelf should be considerably heavier than the weight of the objects on it; this rule is one I've only just made and discovered after making these. Well, version 1 of everything is always, and should always be, about learning. I can re-use the screws, fittings, and everything apart from the wood, so a second version of the shelves is now in planning.

Modern Game 4 Recording

Things feel bleak at the moment. The economy seems to be depressed, even considering this is a traditional annual low. I feel hounded by requests and favours. I expect things come in waves, so can hope for some glimmers of success. Christmas Tails is getting some nice publicity courtesy of local journalist friends, so this is one positive. Andrew send me his tune for the album today. On the face of it it's a simple rendition of 'O Little Town of Bethlehem', yet, as in all of his music, he's managed make it full of fun and joy.

Another glimmer is my singing. The most recent, third, Modern Game re-recording was at the start of 2022. I recorded new vocals for 'Love in a Hopeless World' and 'House of Glass' today and am astonished at how much easier I found the process than before, and how much instantly better the results are than those of a mere 3 years ago. So, 3 years can be a long time.

I will keep some of the old vocals. The distorted rock vocals in 'Coming Back to Earth' are fine. The hard part now is the general mixing, which is down to the complex and non-standard arrangements with many of the songs. 'Two Kinds of Animals' has huge quiet bits, then an explosion of sound effects, vocoder megaphone speech, and other things which can't be 'mixed' in a true sense, so these sections can throw off checks of global balance. The pop songs like the two I recorded today are much easier; most were broadly fine but benefitted from less bass and a few more high pass filters.

In bleak times or times of plenty we must work just as hard, steadily heaving our rock.

Last night was the television joy of Celebrity Traitors, a rare example of a contemporary programme I've watched. In this case, Deb and I watched it all together over the weeks. It was a gripping series, and genuinely moving to see Alan Carr win.

Tonight is the preview of the Castle Park Open Art Exhibition and Colin from Galleria Balmain should be there, which will be nice. I must sell a painting here, and if so it will be 'Song of Experience'...

Now, I must attend to my outfit.

The Modern Game 4, Phone Irks, Aldora Britain

A day of work on The Modern Game remaster. It's amazing how much my voice has changed and improved since even that 3rd recording of it. Some tracks didn't really benefit much from new vocals, so some are more or less complete. 'Masculinity Two' was remixed a little. New vocals for 'Beyond Mars' and 'Two Kinds Of Animals'. Mars is a complex mix, it's largely piano, strings, vocals; a lot of mid-range sounds, not much bass, and even fewer high frequency sounds.

I had a message that my phone is not 4G compatible; hugely annoying as my mum bought this phone a couple of months ago from a phone shop with the specific aim of buying 4G phones for myself and herself. It seems that neither hers nor mine is 4G and that she was mis-sold. I did suspect my phone wasn't; the little '4G' symbol wasn't on screen, and my phone is full of bugs and doesn't appear to be a UK phone (the only city available in the time zone settings is Beijing). Similar (but again hopefully 4G) phones are now in short supply and expensive, so two for £70 have been ordered, with a long wait and a hope that these will work.

Aldora Britain published my interview, then asked for payment, which was explicitly stated as not necessary beforehand. Despite that, I of course expected this. Aldora Britain have something of a nagging and scamming reputation, but it's a good enough article, and I am, at very least, in a small group with the other artists in the issue. If I had an interview in a magazine I'd buy the magazine, so I made a voluntary payment. I will wait to see how far they promote their magazine.

Music Dream, Christmas Tails Cover Reveal, Prometheus v3.77

I watched an episode of Tracking Sounds  on YouTube, featuring 'Madam Who?' last night. What great pop songs she writes and produces. After the hour of listening, I listened to many of her singles. Pure pop, great melodies, intelligent lyrics. I can hear the Go-Go's influence.

I slept badly. I dreamt that I was set to meet Pete Saxer, for a long stay of some sort. While all packed and ready I'd set my watch oddly, and confused the alarm time and the actual time so I missed the bus in great disappointment. A second dream featured myself and Deb, playing in a music performance. A band of 4 or 5 young men, boys to us, were playing as a band too. I discussed synthesizers with them. Their instruments were simple, amateurish in their way, but they had youth and the joy of naïve mistakes.

Today, I completed a text interview today from a music zine and record label called Aldora Britain. I noticed that I am (rather than 'we are') in the local press with a Christmas Tails story written by Jonathan White. This was sent out before the cover creation day, a second story was submitted very recently with photos from the day, including photos of the artists.

It's also the public 'cover reveal' for the album. Here it is:

Most of today was spent fixing a bug in Prometheus, a rare thing now. The program can set an parameter in a playing instrument, track, or the whole song. Since v2.20 in 2010 these can slide from one value to another, so I can, for example, gradually fade down the volume of a track, or turn up the reverb wet. In all this time I've never faded two different parameters over the same space of time. This is quite legal and was designed to be possible, but the logic of what to fade to was a bit scrambled and didn't work. In fact I can start a fade of, say, pitch, and end the fade as, say, amplitude and, until today, the second value would be considered pitch! In all of the years I'd not noticed this obvious bug.

So I spent today fixing this. I also added the feature to automatically name a track by the first instrument played on it. So, now Prometheus is at v3.77.

I'm feeling very musically inspired. I've started the basic admin of the remaster/re-recording of The Modern Game. Listening back, there are some vocal elements that I can do much better today. Some of the first version vocals, the weak but emotional 'All The Broken Flowers' will be kept. I want to get this all out of the way, and the next one, so I can work on new things.

Fall in Green Production, CD Sorting

Today, finalised the music for the Christmas Tails Fall in Green track. Deb wrote the words a couple of weeks ago. I started by experimenting with keyboard sounds and modified the 'Tron Flute' to be something like Tron Strings, a sort of crackly and band limited string quartet. I played a few chords while mentally running though the words. The melody was largely in the bass, the music was essentially some chords which shifted majestically.

Today I experimented with a few layers, but this fundamentally live piece worked largely as played. I've added a deeper bass for some parts, and added an alien clarinet sound here and there. One final thing was adding some ambience, some live scenery, so I took a live recording. I think all is ready for Deb's vocals.

Everything was complete by 1pm.

Most of the day was spent updating my old CD collection, those 'second rate' discs without cases. I've created, printed, and cut new artwork for the CDs which lacked it and assembled many with new cases, including the 9-discs of Daniel Barenboim playing the complete Beethoven piano sonatas. A lot of these 'second rate' discs are best-of discs. I'm unsure what is worth keeping, though some are decades old and hold a special memory, rather than being good quality music. I can re-buy some, like 'Heart and Soul', the T'Pau album. Some, like Bucks Fizz' Legends (I can hear you applaud my taste) are out of print. I always preferred actual albums rather than anything best-of.

I may bin a few. Lots of discs have already been binned today. Aphex Twin (boring, a gift), even a Missa Solemnis; I don't need lots of versions of this. I'm wondering whether it's worth keeping my 9 CDs of the complete Bruckner Symphonies, when I found them forgettable. I'll keep Sibelius and Mendelssohn, and probably the Wagner Operas. My aim should be to create a palette, a wide gamut of quality. I'll keep Punishment of Luxury, and The Mothers of Invention album for now. I'll ditch Abba Gold, and all of Yes with joy. 'Owner of a Lonely Heart' is an interesting production, but even that, their only hit, is hardly a good song; and everything else Yes ever did is massively worse. I don't have that Trevor Horn album anyway.

Frodsham, CD Shelves, Winter Party Poster, Au Revoir Distrokid

Frenetic days. A trip to Frodsham yesterday to deliver my three paintings to Castle Park Arts Centre, then back home and a quick type up of Wednesday's event to form some sort of press release.

Then, putting up my CD shelves, which was exhausting. Drilling the wall and fitting the rawl plugs wasn't not too difficult, but the screws did not want to go in, they entered half way and spun like crazy, until forced. I half think that the speed of the screw was causing the plug to melt or twist somehow. After this, a trip to Deb's for some more tweaks, mostly aesthetic to the alcove shelves.

Today I moved by CD collection from one set of drawers to the new shelves. I now have the sort of CD shelves I could only have dreamed of in the 90s, and perhaps even then secretly wanted.

I love jewel cases, and often throw away CDs which ship in those horrid cardboard cases. My old theory was to amass 100 CDs, and cast away any that were worse than those 100, thus evolving the best 100 CDs evet; but I found myself wanting more than 100, so I kept some. These were mostly filed, disc only with minimum artwork, in one of those books where the plain discs can be slotted in. That book now presents a problem, I want to remove those discs and put the discs back into CD jewel cases.

This will take days. I want to make and print my own artwork for each disc, I at least need to see the spine. I already feel overwhelmed at the work.

I had news that my talk at Macclesfield College due this week, in planning since July, has been magically cancelled yet again. This date has already been set three times. I can't afford to waste more time on this.

The album cover is finalised, the big public reveal set for Wednesday. Another job done today was the design of the poster for the Crewe Library Winter Party, and the final cancellation of my remaining Distrokid releases. I must, therefore, get working on the fourth recording of The Modern Game this month. My priority though, is finishing the music for the Fall in Green Christmas Tails track. This is becoming urgent.

Onwards I dart.