Doctor Deathray

Do you make #video projects and you need some music? I’ll give out my latest full album, Nowhere, for use for free. I can include instrumentals of all tracks as well. Anyway. I hope I can spur some creativity or help a project.

I want to go to some shows soon. I need to find some open mic nights and such, and I need to find a new group of degenerates to play music with. I want to start streaming with a purpose. I dabbled at it a few times, but I didn't ever do a deep-dive into it. This is a wonderful time to dive into it and give myself an opportunity to play with it! I would love to play with other musicians again, so if you know anyone in the Houston area, hit ya girl up.

I do need to give myself grace. I recorded a lot of scores for @ajroach42@retro.social recently. Filibus, Way Down West, OUTLAW!, and some video game music. It's been fun! Prior to the move, I was also working on a new EP. I need to get back to that, but I also need to get my studio stuff unpacked to do that. Today will probably be at least finding the boxes that everything is in. I did perform at open mic nights and such while I was in Chicago. I didn't do as much music as I wanted to. I moved in winter, fell into a down swing, hurt from the cold, got laid off, and lost a bunch of friends in pretty short succession. These are factors, but I want to do better soon.

If you want to listen to some neat projects I've worked on, I would really appreciate it! OUTLAW! is a great silent film, and I did a spaghetti-western inspired score for it. I'm super happy with it and it's fuzzy goodness. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-mM58GxDcg&t=1559s

One more music shoutout, Red Hot Empty. I love these degenerates, and I got to play bass with them for a good while. The first/only recording I'm on is the Red EP, but I did mix most of their stuff. Ok, and that's enough reminiscing/shameless self-promotion for a minute. https://redhotempty.bandcamp.com/album/the-red-ep

Letters From Nowhere Vol. 3 features a couple of outtakes from Nowhere and two other tracks! One old and one new, but both new recordings. It's my latest release in general, and I'm really happy with how things turned out on it. https://doctordeathray.bandcamp.com/album/letters-from-nowhere-vol-3-when-where

Listening back to some of these tracks, we were such a killer band.

Nowhere is my latest full album, and it'll likely be my last with the Implements of Destruction. I miss them dearly, but maybe we'll figure out a way to do another project remotely, or I'll travel back to do some fun stuff. https://doctordeathray.bandcamp.com/album/nowhere

@ajroach42@retro.social cool shit indeed!! Miss y’all, and I’m happy to still do cool shit with y’all.

I forgot the tagline for Letters From Nowhere 3 was "something old, something new, something borrowed and so much blue." I'm clever.

You know what? Free live version of the album, too. This is the release show from 3 years ago. I'll probably keep this one free/pay what you want. Why not? There were technical problems. There was frustration. But there was also amazing energy, from the crowd and onstage. It was an absolute blast and one of the highlights of my musical career. Anyway. Not a lot of people have downloaded this, so, free if you want it! https://doctordeathray.bandcamp.com/album/doctor-deathday-live

@paninid@mastodon.world @nagaram@gts.thinkstoomuch.net A cyberdeck is a small, kitbashed computer. A lot of times based off a SOC like a raspberry pi or other small computer. Mash a screen and a keyboard typically in some kind of homemade case (3d printed, crafted, etc. ) and you’ve got a cyberdeck. Often related to the cyberpunk aesthetic, I’d personally use it for word processing and music, but I also have a specific use case. I haven’t made one yet, but I wanna.

Guitar Spa Day is where I fix, clean, restring, and tune-up my guitars. At least the ones I have with me, which are my favorite. There’s another one or two that I really want to grab next time I’m in Georgia (at my partner’s parents’ house), but I’m finding what I really need, can get away with, and what makes me happy. It’s fewer guitars than it used to take.

The other benefit of working on the laptop first is, of course, the portability for writing. I do write on my current laptop, but a distraction-free device would be great for me. I like simple devices! I use iPods! I have a gameboy advance! I have a Nikon CoolPix! I get distracted on my phone too much I’m distracted on my phone right now! I have things I should be doing.

I think about my old laptop. I think about the iPod touch I’ve got. These devices would be full of distractions with the right software on them, with the ability to access the Internet, but instead they are now limited in their functions. And I’m kind of into that.

I want to build a cyberdeck, eventually. I like cyberpunk. One of my pinned posts is about building our own cyberpunk dystopia. We’re already there, it’s just boring. Anyway. The point of that is that I wonder what a “cyberdeck” like build would be for someone with my, less-than-knowledgeable, capabilities would be. I like to this about the iPod touch. I like iPods. I’ve established this fact a lot. There’s a lot of love these days for the classic, click wheel iPods. There is not as much love the the iPod touch. I think that’s a shame! I can run a Bluetooth keyboard with it. It has a headphone jack! It has a (not-so-great but kind of vibe-y) camera! I could put together a quick “kit” that would be personal to me. I could make a little case for it. Headphones, folding keyboard, and an iPod. Couldn’t hack into the mainframe, though.

WHOA. An iPod touch can be used with an external display?? Fun expansion ideas down the road.

And tomorrow is Guitar Spa Day!

It is funny to me that what used to be a distraction device has become a simple device as it gets left behind. I don’t think there are any browsers that would still work with it unless I took it into Linux.

I am a fan of “if it gives you inspiration, it’s good.” But, also, fewer instruments means more time to really get to know each one. But that only goes so far! As in: I really only need: One acoustic. One resonator because I consider it very different than an acoustic, but it could replace it. A few of electrics (2 main guitars, one backup for gigging) (I could pair down if I needed to) One bass is just fine and dandy One banjo is plenty Which means I can get rid of: Three project electrics One semi-hollow guitar One hollow-body electric Two acoustics A banjo A bass But some are sentimental. Some aren’t. But I should pair down.

@pizza@goblin.camp @timmy@goblin.camp Did you do it? Did you chill?

@pizza@goblin.camp @timmy@goblin.camp Well you have a plan for the next five years, then

Then I have the Blue & White G3 server. I never did much with it, but power pc is fun. The first family computer we had ran OS8. The old games were a ton of fun.

So. What does my tech layout look like in our current cyberpunk dystopia? A lot more boring than it should. An M1 MacBook Air for portable and general computer stuff. Some recent-ish generation iPhone. I can’t keep up. A Mac mini m4pro for audio (and now some video) production. A circa 2020 iPad Pro with a super long crack in the screen, but it still works. These are boring things. My DAW is Logic, which is apple-only, so I’ve been in this eco-system since 2009. Well. OS8 to windows 98 to XP to Leopard. Anyway. Boring things work, but they’re not as *fun* for me. They work! I like the things I make! But my phone bits of kit are: A gen 1 iPod shuffle (my first iPod) A gen 2 modded iPod mini (pink) A gen 6 iPod classic A gen 7 iPod touch (maybe gen 6? It’s 32gb and I really want a larger capacity one when I can afford it) Nikon CoolPix BoxyPixel modded GBA. I don’t carry all of these things. Usually it’s just the MacBook Air, my phone, and maybe the GBA and camera. But what if that were different? How can I untether myself more?

A phone is a usual necessity in this day and age. There are dumb phones, but this isn’t a thread about what I *could* have, because making use of what we *do* have or can use, save from e-waste, repair, anything like that. I’m really pondering a simple everyday carry based on what I have. Work requires the more modern laptop. But what about when I’m not working? What if I just want to write? I could write on any number of devices. The iPod Touch could be the most fun. The old MacBook could also be fun. I need to see what sparks joy. Also what I can get files off of. USB drive into the old laptop makes sense. Can I get notes and files off the iPod? I know I can get music and video *onto* it.

I’m more likely to work on the MacBook next. It’d be nice to have a music and writing machine that doesn’t need access to the internet. That does also cause the issue of any new music purchases need to be transferred to it, and I’ll probably need to upgrade the hdd to a higher-capacity ssd. Could go external, but, convenience, and I’m dreaming right now. I think it’s on Snow Leopard, if I remember right? I don’t recall what my last OS update was. It’s been a minute.

@Owlor@meow.social @MountainTownToys@retro.social @video it’s a great film and I had a blast scoring/translating it!

@reb@retro.social MORE TEA MORE TEA

@MountainTownToys@retro.social these are so good!!!

@SrRochardBunson@universeodon.com Viva La Vinyl!

@mdhughes@appdot.net see that’s kind of a vibe. Simplicity. Or at least closer to it

I can totally get files off and onto an iPod touch with the lightning camera adapter thing. So. Maybe my “cyber deck” adjacent rig is: iPod touch Small keyboard Battery bank Lightning to USB adapter Would it look silly to pull into a coffee shop with an iPod? Sure! That’s not the point! The point is a quick writing and music device (my two primary needs) in a portable, semi-modular system.

It's #BandcampFriday ! And that means it's time for Doctor Deathray's Bandcamp Mega Thread! I will be linking to my favorite artists, and I encourage you to support them! First up, I have to do some shameless self-promotion. Nowhere is my latest full-band album, and I absolutely love it. It's got grit, it's got vibes, it's got energy. It's been described as "graveyard blues" and "goth psychedelia," and I'm really into that. https://doctordeathray.bandcamp.com/album/nowhere

@ktneely@infosec.exchange that does sound like what I’m trying to accomplish

@MatthewKay@musician.social thank you thank you!

@ajroach42@retro.social literally so stoked for it

@steven@zeroes.ca sort of and yes! I can do some light woodwork

O hey. It's #BandcampFriday ! I'll do my usual mega-thread in a bit, but let me remind you I have music available here: https://doctordeathray.bandcamp.com/album/nowhere Here: https://hurlyburlyandthevolcanicfallout.bandcamp.com/album/kumiai-ki-the-mighty-labor-union-mech Here (I'm not with the band anymore, but I am on this EP and I mixed/mastered it): https://redhotempty.bandcamp.com/album/the-red-ep And other label stuff here: https://analogrevolution.bandcamp.com

It's #BandcampFriday and I've got new #music ! "Dead Man" is a creepy story song, perfect to usher in the October season. This single is one of several songs I've been working on, but it felt the most ready and most appropriate to share today. Featuring percussion from Mike Gruwell, it's a chilling tale to sooth your ears. https://doctordeathray.bandcamp.com/track/dead-man

Going to put out a single tomorrow for #BandcampFriday ! Now to pick which one. I’ve got 5 in the pocket.

@ktneely@infosec.exchange bookmarking!

@steven@zeroes.ca that is *totally* fair. And my 3d rendering skills are not great.