100,000 Views!

I'm happy to report that Notes and Volts has reached another milestone with 100,000 views recorded!

I know this isn't a huge amount in internet terms considering that the average Boy Band member can amass more views with an Instagram picture of his half eaten canolli. But when it comes to the non-mainstream kind of stuff that happens here, 100K is great! It's nice to know there are that many fellow geeks experimenting with music electronics out there.

In other news, the Notes and Volts Youtube Channel has reached 700 subscibers with over a quarter of a million minutes watched. That equates to six solid months of me blathering on about stuff. Terrifying when you think about it!

Notes and Volts has also started a Facebook Page (Yeah, I know....but you kind of need one these days). Why not drop by and show it some love!

I started this blog on a whim back in 2011 without any grand plan or expectations. I could never have dreamed of this much support.

I want to thank all the great people I have met and who have supported this blog over the years. I hope you continue to find this an interesting place to visit.

Now to get back to backlog of projects I am planning for future articles. So until next time - Onward and Upward!

Dave.

TEKBRANE - Album Available NOW!

** This album is offered as Pay What You Want **
That means you can have it for FREE or whatever price you wish to contribute. Enjoy!
Get it at http://tekbrane.bandcamp.com/album/tekbrane

TEKBRANE is an experimental electronic music project that allows me to take the projects I make on Notes and Volts out for a test drive. The inspiration for the music comes from my fondness for the old school sounds that emanate from classic synths and computers.

You can check out full songs and videos at the Official TEKBRANE website or by using the player above. Watch the video below for a quick sample of the album.

If you find this blog remotely helpful or interesting and would like to help out, simply go to the TEKBRANE Bandcamp page and pick up a copy of the album. For a few dollars (you can contribute more if you're particularly awesome) you can help grease the wheels of this geek train. Everybody wins! You get some music, and I get some help purchasing parts for future projects that I can share.

Thanks for your support!

Dave.

TEKBRANE Trailer

I'm very excited to share a project I have been working on for the last couple of months. I started out trying to make a demo song for the NaV-1 synth but, I have a tendency to get carried away with things once I get into them. Soon I was adding more instruments here and there and before I knew it, my simple technical demo somehow turned into a full fledged album!

This new project is called TEKBRANE for lack of a better name and I'm finishing up the final tweaks on the debut album. This will be an experimental electronic music project that will allow me to take my synths and various electric doodads out for a spin and generally 'geek out' once in a while.

I made a suitably geeky trailer that you can check out below. More to come soon!

Uzebox - DIY Video Game Console

Demo, Review, & Building Tips

 

Time for a little fun! I recently picked up an Uzebox. What is that you ask? The Uzebox (pronounced use-box not ooze-box) is a DIY, open source, Video Game console based on an ATmega644 microcontroller. It comes with an memory card loaded with versions of some retro classics to get you playing right away. But that's only half the story. Since this console is completely open source, you can dive in and program your own games.

It comes in kit form ready for you to build and boasts the following specs:

CPU: ATmega644 microcontroller
Total RAM: 4K
Program Memory: 64K
Speed: 28.61818Mhz (Overclocked)
Colors: 256 simultaneous colors arranged in a 3:3:2 color space (Red:3 bits, Green:3 bits, Blue: 2 bits)
Resolution: Up to 360x224 pixels (tiles-only and tiles-and-sprites modes)
Sprites: Up to 32 simultaneous sprites on screen at any time
Video output: NTSC Composite and S-Video (Works without changes on most PAL/SECAM TVs)
Sound: 4 channels wavetable, 8-bit mono, mixed at ~15Khz and output via PWM
Inputs: Two NES/SNES compatible joypad inputs
Options: MIDI-in interface and s-video output

I purchased the kit from Adafruit at a price of $75 U.S and have been enjoying the retro-gaming goodness that oozes (no pun intended) from this little console. Be sure to pick up a 9-volt adapter and extra controller while you are there (not included in kit).

Watch the following video for details of the kit, building tips, and demos of the games.

Final Cut Pro X - Video Experiment

A bit of fun

I have been trying to get more familiar with Final Cut Pro X lately and for me, the best way to learn is to play. The product of my last session is this 'Music Video' for the song Callisto from my SoundCloud page. I made it by 'tastefully' applying some of the basic filters that come with Final Cut to some random video footage.

WARNING: Watching this video may induce seizures! Enjoy!

Summer is Awesome!

All fun and no work makes Dave a lazy......

Hey everyone. I hope you all had an amazing summer (or whatever happens in the southern hemisphere at this time of year). I know I did. But too much fun can make a person lazy and do horrible things like not update their blogs for long stretches. Well summer's almost over and it's time to get back to work! Well, I haven't exactly been sitting around in flip-flops and bad Aviator shades this whole time.

One big project has been converting my basement (which previously resembled something that would make a hoarder sad) into a half decent woodworking shop.

Workshop Before - Depressing...

Workshop After - Ahhhh!

You see, I have been making electronic gizmos for many years. But when it came time to build enclosures for these projects, my efforts have been.....umm.....lacking.

Exhibit A - Brownie pan MacGyver

Exhibit B - I don't need no stinkin' case!

Exhibit C - Oh the humanity!!

Hopefully from this point forward, my projects will be surrounded by nothing but the beauty of wood and old-world craftsmanship (or at least look slightly less crappy). So expect some articles on this.

NaV-1 case under construction

I have also been working hard on the NaV-1 Arduino synth project. I'm in the middle of programming a menu system and adding an EEPROM to the circuit so you can edit and save multiple patches. I'll be posting this tutorial soon.

So summer is officially over and it's time to get back to business with newfound determination and......What's that....Well I guess one more round of Frisbee Golf won't hurt anyone....

How to write AWESOME Lyrics! Top 10 tricks!

Kicking off the Month of April with a Masterpiece!!

Do you want to write AWESOME LYRICS! If you are a songwriter, the following article will be the most important thing you will read in your lifetime! It's like the Rosetta Stone wrapped in bacon! It's just that good! Just follow these 10 sure fire tips and you will be wearing Gold Plated Diapers in no time. Just be sure to give me at least 10% of your royalties...


1 - The Citaaay: Things are always happening in the city. If you aren't in the city you are probably trying to get back to the city. And if you can use an actual city name in your song, all the better! (Keep in mind, nothing rhymes with Tonawanda). No need to mention rural folks in your song unless it involves them moving to the city at some point. Glen Frey's gold records seem to agree...

'Cause you belong to the city
You belong to the night 
living in a river of darkness, beneath the neon light
You were born in the city
Concrete under your feet
It's in your blood, its in your moves
You're a man of the street


2 - Street, Beat, Heat: You can build an entire career with this rhyming gold! Apparently the Street has a Beat that causes you to feel the Heat. Perhaps you should move your Feet? Move your feet to the beat on the street. Feel the heat of the street beat....This stuff writes itself! From the works of Toni Basil..

Street beat, she goes walkin' down the street
Street beat, she just knocks them off their feet
Street beat, she goes walkin' out the door
Street beat, she don't want him anymore


3 - Night Fightin': Stuff goes down at night. There is a lot of Fightin' in the Night. And what are you fighting for? The Light! Or perhaps Your Rights. A lot of the time you are just Runnin' in the Night. Shadows are something you will find in the night. You should run from them. But you know things usually end up Alright! The great Lionel Ritchie put it best. This always brigs a tear to my eye...

We were running with the night
Playin' with the shadows
Just you and i
Till the morning light


4 - Hearts: Don't use the word "Love" in your song. Replace it with the word "Heart". And always, Always, pronounce it with a weird pseudo British accent so it sounds like "Haaaht". A Heart is a good thing to search for when you're fightin' in the night in the citaay. The great Don Johnson used this to great effect.

Tell me what you feel now
We´ve got a heartbeat
Baby is it real now
We´ve got a heartbeat
Heartbeat!


5 - Dancin': According to the rules of pop song-writing, people are always supposed to be dancing. Dancing is the most important thing in life by far! If you ever see someone not dancing, it is your solemn duty to tell them to "get up and DANCE!!" I'm tired....From some band I've never heard of...

No, No Body Stop. Everybody Move
Get Up And Dance Get Up And Dance
Move Your Body B-b-body
No, Nobody Stop. Everybody Move
Get Up And Dance Get Up And Dance
Move Your Body B-b-body


6 - Huntin' Animals: When it comes to love, every man is a Hunter. And his prey? Fine lookin' Ladies! That's why Leopard print spandex was invented. Ladies love being treated like a wounded Gazelle. Use this to your advantage! The great Don Dokken knew what time it was when he wrote..

I'm a Hunter
Searchin' for Love
On this lonely street again


7 - Cry, Goodbye: Sometimes you may need to write a sad song. You only need to know these simple phrases. When we part you break my Heart. I will Cry when you say Goodbye.
I'll be Sad if you treat me Bad. Boyzone knows what the ladies like...

I'm never gonna say goodbye
'Cos I never wanna see you cry
I swore to you my love would remain
And I swear it all over again
I'm never gonna treat you bad
'Cos I never wanna see you sad


8 - Sexy Body: Correctly pronounced as "Bodaaay". I want your body. Move your Body. This is basically a euphemism for genitalia. End of story. From the great Freddie Mercury...

Give me body give me-
Body - body - give me
Your body don't talk
Baby don't talk


9 - Baby, Lady: Every artist needs at least one Baby-Lady song in the ole' repitoir. If you put your song writing pen to paper and the first word to come out isn't "Baby" or "Lady", YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG!!  Justin Bieber mastered this trick while he was still in utero. Ahhh, the student has become the master...

I'm your b-baby lady,
I wanna hold you like a Snuggie.
You're my baby, lady.
And I'm your lady, baby.
It's time to roll,
Let's go to the park.


10 - Hot Heat:  Global warming has insured that Things are no longer cool. Cool is for Arthur Fonzerelli and other old dudes from the 50's. Things are Hot!! Make sure to pronounce the extra silent "T" in HOTT! Where there is Heat, there is usually Fire. What else burns like Fire? Desire! And that fire has only one place to go...Higher! Rick James wrote the following while wearing a gladiator outfit in his velvet lined hot-tub...

And you tuned on my fire, baby
And you burn me up within your flame
Took me a little higher
Made me live again


There you go! Everything you need to know to become a master song writer! To show you how it's done, I touched my diamond encrusted song-writing quill to paper and the following gold spilled forth...Watch and learn! You're Welcome!
If you think you can do better, write your "masterpiece" in the comments below..


Fightin' for a Heart in the Night (in the city)


Verse
Runnin',
in the street at night
lookin' for a heart
Ready to fight


Feel the heat on the street
move my feet to the beat of the citaay


Im a hunter of love
and my fire's getting higher for you


Chorus
You got to stand up and dance in the light
You got to run from heat of the fight
When your lookin' for a heart
in the night


Hey, North Dakota!


(Sax solo!)

1000th Visitor!!!

Notes and Volts has just received its 1000th visit!! That's about 950 more than I was expecting when I started this blog. The viewer was located in France and stopped by to read the new Arduino Midi post. So, to this person and all the folks who have checked out my little space on the web, I give my sincerest Thanks. My next milestone....have someone actually leave a comment... Dare to dream..

Dave.

Happy New Year from Notes and Volts

Happy New Year and a big thanks to all the folks who visited in 2011!

I've got a lot of new things in the works for 2012 including DIY Synth projects, some Arduino stuff, and tips on how not to electrocute yourself.

Notes and Volts is now on Twitter. Click on This Link or go to http://twitter.com/#!/NotesAndVolts to follow!

Have a great year!

Dave.

Power On!

Welcome to Notes and Volts. This is a blog about music, electronics, miscellaneous geekery, and my lifelong struggle to become proficient in any one of these endeavors. These subjects have been a passion for most of my life, and through the years, I've picked up a trick or two I'd like to share.
There will be posts about guitars, circuits, and ways to combine them to seriously piss off your neighbors.  Electronics, for fun and evil. And all types of geeky pastimes like retro gaming and cool old boxes that go beep.  And for God's sake, if you see me reaching for the wrong end of the soldering iron, leave a comment!

Dave