piece of the π

wow this blog is stagnant

2011-06-09T00:15:00.001+08:00

yes it is

i'll post soon, hopefully

15.97km/L

2011-04-30T11:23:00.002+08:00

my hypermiling has paid off! I have successfully raised my fuel economy to almost 16km per liter, my best so far for city driving.

*Sora is a Hyundai Getz 1.5 Diesel CRDi

60kph speed limit at Commonwealth is not the solution

2011-03-15T22:52:00.003+08:00

Ok, i've been wanting to shout this out for a very long time: A 60kph speed limit at Commonwealth is not the solution!

It is a known fact that the whole stretch of Commonwealth avenue in Quezon City is very dangerous, hence the media dubbing it the "killer highway". The stats say 2 people die everyday by vehicular accidents. So the MMDA imposed a 60kph speed limit to make the highway safer.

60 fucking kilometers per hour. On an 18 lane highway. Wanna know why i think it's ridiculous?

Commowealth is a highway, and the widest highway in the country at that. Even smaller roads in Metro Manila and in the US have higher speed limits.
The newer cars today run more efficiently at higher speeds. Take for example Sora. RPM at 60kph is too high for 4th gear but too low for 5th gear. It's stressful for the engine and bad on fuel consumption. Most cars today run efficiently at the 70-80kph range. Also, try going at 60kph on a clear stretch of this highway.
The reason why there are a lot of accidents is not because of speed. It's because of:

Swerving. Buses and jeeps suddenly weaving in and out of their lanes to pick up and drop off passengers. Special mention to drivers who aren't patient enough to take the next U-turn slot and merge to the right carefully, instead take the U-turn directly across the place they're going to, then cross perpendicular to up to 9 lanes.
Undisciplined motorcyclists. These people are the very reason why the death by accident rates are so high. They are also part of the reason why the speed limit was imposed. And what's ironic is that they're the ones disobeying the speed limit most of the time. Apparently to them, using a motorcycle gives you the right to pass dangerously between cars, counter-flow and spill over to the opposite lane, and move through traffic in a beeline.
Pedestrians that do not know how to use a freaking overpass. Need i say more? People crossing directly under an overpass; People standing right under a "Bawal Tumawid. May namatay na dito" sign at the center island waiting to cross, sometimes with children in tow. I understand the extra effort it takes to climb up, cross, and get down an overpass. I have been commuting for 7 years through all kinds of tranportation (walking 1km, taking a tricycle, riding a jeep, taking the MRT, riding a bus, then walking another 500 meters; one way) almost everyday; and i have always used the overpass/underpass no matter how clear the street was and no matter how tired i was. A little effort goes a long way. You reduce your chances of death, and you reduce the stress you put on drivers who have to play patintero with you when you cross the road.
Few overpasses, shitty overpasses. One acceptable reason for #3 is that there simply is no overpass near enough for you to cross. The MMDA and QC government should instead focus on building more overpasses, rehabilitating old ones, and making these overpasses safer by good lighting and possibly 24/7 guards.
Enforcement and the MMDA's "no-contact policy". With the sorry state of the MMDA's equipment, tools, and vehicles; the speed limit can't be enforced effectively. Yes they have their radar speed guns to check speeds, but pointing it and checking speeds manually by hand still has human intervention and may be prone to bias, allowing a lot of other speeding motorists to get away with it. Also, how can they prove a speeding violation? Unless they can accurately and clearly take a picture of both your car and the radar speed gun showing your speed as it captured it (plus ensuring that the speed captured was indeed yours), this can be easily refuted.

I urge the MMDA to raise the speed limit to even just 70kph

Mr. Big Live in Manila

2011-02-21T01:31:00.002+08:00

Finally, the newly reunited Mr. Big will be here in Manila! I already got tickets!

It's wallscratching time!

2011-01-12T20:59:00.001+08:00

Check out my latest jazz fusion jam, Wallscratcher!

3rd track at my soundclick player!

Galit, by Pruweba

2011-01-03T21:31:00.002+08:00

rarely do i take pride in a song made by my own bands, but this one (by Bullet, Pruweba) just sends chills every time i hear it. Kudos to Bullet and his creativity!

Galit by Pruweba

happy new year!

2011-01-01T01:21:00.001+08:00

2010 had its ups and downs, but nevertheless was a great year. Let 2011 even be better..

Happy New Year!

merry christmas!

2010-12-28T23:11:00.000+08:00

merry christmas folks!

New Killer Lead Sound!

2010-11-23T21:36:00.002+08:00

ladies and gentlemen, after 4 lead sounds over 3 years, i now have my latest lead sound...and it's a monster!

Inspired by Derek Sherinian's monster lead sound, i created mine based on 2 analog waves from my Yamaha EX5. Unlike my previous lead sounds that relied heavily on effects, this new one was centered around the frequency modulation on VCO2 of both analog waves. The only effects i ended up using were chorus and delay, meaning the 2 analog waves were heavy enough by themselves. I also used a P5 wave from the AWM engine for the feedback effect. Another first is the use of both the modulation wheels of the EX5, MOD1 for the wah effect, and MOD2 for feedback effects. I am still working on the wah effect to make it better. In the meantime, check it out!:

Yet another stupid IPR violation

2010-11-19T21:01:00.002+08:00

Here is the new tourism logo for the Philippines by the folks at DOT; and below it is the tourism logo of Poland:

In the words of the Bear Jew of Inglourious Basterds, Fuck A Duck.

First, the Supreme Court's plagiarism and its embarrassing self-defense, now this? And they spent a whole lot of OUR money, OUR taxes for a copy of another country's logo and a stupid quote (gandah???)

WOW Philippines did well, and is still doing well. If you're gonna change something that ain't broke, at least make sure it's better...and not plagiarized.

Note: Picture posted was seen and taken from this site: http://spankyenriquez.blogspot.com/2010/11/plagiarized-pilipinas-kay-ganda-logo.html

Why the number coding scheme did not affect traffic, and why the MMDA is wrong with their justification that buses are half full most of the time

2010-11-17T22:48:00.008+08:00

Why the number coding scheme did not affect traffic

The MMDA implemented the number coding scheme for buses last monday. Apart from that, 99% of the city buses were not on the streets as there was a strike in protest against the new rule.

With that, the bus operators against the scheme claimed that it didn't do anything to ease traffic. I agree with that, as i myself was in the same old heavy traffic like any other day. BUT it was a good start.

The reason why nothing changed, is because the same number of private vehicles was traversing the same width of road. The yellow lane, which was still exclusive for buses and where private vehicles did not risk going in to, was as empty as shit. And it couldn't be used. So technically, it was removing the buses, AND the road with them.

The biggest change that was felt was the absence of unruly bus drivers who can't drive straight.

---------------------------------------------------

Why the MMDA is wrong with their justification that buses are half full most of the time

One of the MMDA's reasons why the number coding scheme will be implemented is because there are too many buses, and that most of them aren't even half full. I agree on the 1st part, but not the 2nd. The reason why you see half-full buses is not because there are too many buses. It is because of the routes of these buses. Try riding a Fairview-bound bus during rush hour at megamall, or anywhere in the middle of the bus' route. Of course there are a lot of empty buses, but there aren't enough Fairview buses, which are the ones people are trying to ride! The empty buses have routes that the majority of commuters don't take.

I challenge the officials of the MMDA to try to ride a Fairview-bound bus at ayala during the evening rush hour. And yet you see some buses with passengers you can count by hand.

To sum it up, the problem is there are not enough buses on the routes that the majority of commuters take. But yes, i agree that the sheer number of buses needs to be reduced.

Lessen the buses, space them out evenly focusing more on the routes with a lot of people, and viola! Check it out

Guess the disease

2010-10-22T21:06:00.002+08:00

On and off mild fever for 3 days
Rashes on the body with slight itchiness
No bleeding, no abdominal pain
Good appetite
No colds, cough, or flu
Platelet count OK

Guess the disease!

Verdict: Petron TurboDiesel vs Shell V-Power Diesel vs Caltex Diesel with Techron

2010-10-18T23:54:00.009+08:00

Let's score it by 1, 2, and 3; 1 lowest

Petron Shell Caltex

Price 1 2 3

Power 2 3 1

Fuel Economy 1 2 2

Total: 4 7 6

Shell is currently the best choice for Sora, with the most significant improvement in power. Fuel consumption is around the same with Caltex. And as for the price, 2.50php i think is worth what it adds to power and performace. Petron TurboDiesel is just too expensive.

Pruweba (formerly Ydeia) is looking for a drummer!

2010-10-10T19:59:00.003+08:00

Pruweba, formerly known as Ydeia is a fusion group combining elements of pop, prog rock, acoustic, and ethnic music. Pruweba is currently comprised of Bullet Dumas (vocals, guitars), Marc Inting (bass), and KC Tan (keyboards).

If you are an above-average drummer, open-minded, and can carry a tune, contact me through this blog.

Verdict: Petron TurboDiesel

2010-10-01T22:16:00.009+08:00

1 or 0, all or nothing. Petron TurboDiesel vs Caltex Diesel with Techron

P C

Price 0 1
Power 1 0
Fuel Economy 0 1

I went around 500kms on a full tank of Petron, while i got about 600kms on Caltex.

Petron gave a noticeable improvement in power, but the difference is not that significant.

Petron Turbodiesel is 4php more expensive than regular diesel, while Caltex is as cheap as regular diesel.

With the added power to price ratio, it's not enough for me to shell out ~200php extra on a full tank.

It's still Caltex Diesel with Techron for me. Next up: Shell V-Diesel!

Mike Portnoy leaves Dream Theater

2010-09-28T23:04:00.002+08:00

kinda old, but if you haven't heard about it yet, yes Mike Portnoy has left Dream Theater. He's official statement claims he wanted a break, but the band wanted to continue, so he decided to leave.

Not being rude here, but i think this is a very refreshing change for the better. IMO, DT was all about Portnoy. His influence on the band buried the other members like Rudess and Myung. These guys have a whole lot more to offer than what's on their past 4 albums. I hope with this new era, they can finally step up. This would make me listen to DT again.

Petron TurboDiesel and Shell V-Diesel

2010-09-13T21:35:00.005+08:00

Interesting new stuff for the diesel users out there. Petron and Shell just introduced new diesel variants apart from their regular diesel fuel. These "high performance" diesels supposedly boost performance, increase fuel efficiency, and protect the engine.

I just tried filling up with Petron's new Turbodiesel today. To see the effect better, i went as low as possible on my fuel before going on a full tank of this new variant. At around 4php more expensive than the regular DieselMax, we'll see if it's worth the cost.

Also, i might try Shell's new V-Diesel, which is around 2php more expensive than their regular Diesoline Ultra.

I have been a long time user of Caltex Diesel ever since they introduced Techron on their diesel fuel. Before that, i was a Petron user (mainly because i had an SM Advantage card and there was a station right across the house). I have used Shell just once.

New Songs for my Fusion Band

2010-09-05T09:28:00.002+08:00

Check out 2 new songs i made for my project Jazz Fusion band. Check 'em out and spread the word!

Pumpkin Soup

18 Shoulders

this just in

2010-09-01T15:31:00.001+08:00

I'M FUCKING OVERWORKED AND FUCKING UNDERPAID

Antoine Dodson - Well, obviously we have a rapist in Lincoln Park!

2010-08-17T09:33:00.002+08:00

This guy became an overnight internet sensation when an unidentified man broke into his house and got into bed with his sister. He rushed to help but the assailant was able to get away. When it got in the news, he was interviewed:

Now the creative guys at Auto-Tune The News turned his interview into this:

2 weeks on 1 full tank of fuel

2010-08-10T21:22:00.003+08:00

2 weeks, 1 full tank. Familiar? haha

Anyway, i was able to successfully maximize my fuel consumption to 2 weeks on just 1 full tank. The 2 weeks consisted of my typical weekly travel that includes daily trips to the office and back, trips to manila, and weekend lakwatsas and gigs. The full tank was around 43 liters (45 minus the 2 liters left before i filled-up for the test). Talk about fuel economy!

Vehicle used: Of course, the one and only Sora! ~> Hyundai Getz 1.5 CRDi (Diesel)

I saved a snail from impending death yesterday

2010-08-06T21:50:00.004+08:00

Halfway to redemption!

I saved a snail yesterday. Now it could live to die another day. As i was about to leave for office yesterday morning, i saw a snail on the driveway. Based on my estimate, the right rear tire of the car will squash it right down when i back up. For a second, i completely forgot about it and went on with preparing my stuff. When i opened the gate, i accidentally kicked it, and this is where it all came back...

Around 2 years ago, i accidentally killed 2 snails, 3 hours apart, with my feet. As i was leaving for a gig at Freedom Bar, i accidentally squashed a snail as i stepped out the door. It was dark, and i couldn't see the steps. It was a weird crushing-shell then squishy-slippery feeling. Poor snail. Nevertheless, i went on to the gig.

3 hours later, coming home after the gig, again walking in the dark, i accidentally stepped on and killed another snail, a few inches from where the corpse of the previous snail still lay. Turns out, the poor thing had a companion, and it took his/her buddy 3 hrs to get to him/her. And it got there as i unknowingly stepped on the same spot, killing it.

... Remembering that incident, i moved the snail, which was now enclosed in its shell as a defense mechanism, to a grassy part where it wouldn't be seen.

1 snail saved!

Kirida Gigs!

2010-06-06T21:25:00.003+08:00

Check out Kirida on the following dates:

~> Tuesday, June 22 @ Kaboom Bar, Timog (across GMA), Sugar Hiccup Bar Tour

~> Saturday, July 3 @ Obsidian, Ortigas

~> Saturday, July 24 @ Al's Bar, Parañaque

bitch

Charice’s ‘done deal’ sparks row -> Another case of poor journalism

2010-06-01T22:29:00.005+08:00

Charice’s ‘done deal’ sparks row

By Pocholo Concepcion
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 17:14:00 05/29/2010

Filed Under: Entertainment (general), Celebrities, Television,Conflicts (general), music

Gig post

2010-05-22T09:28:00.002+08:00

Long time no post. Here are some gig news and updates:

~> Kirida will be playing at Mag:net Katipunan on Friday, May 28. This is the first official gig of the band

~> I just finished a session gig for Nimbus9 last Thursday, May 20 at the Music Museum. The gig was ok

MMDA sues QC vice mayoral bet

2010-04-14T21:53:00.006+08:00

MMDA sues QC vice mayoral bet

3-term dad, supporters ‘attacked’ clearing team

By Niña Calleja, Julie M. Aurelio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:50:00 04/13/2010

Filed Under: Eleksyon 2010, Election Violence

MANILA, Philippines—The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Monday filed charges against a Quezon City councilor who is running for vice mayor and two of her supporters after they allegedly attacked a group of MMDA personnel who were taking down illegally posted campaign materials.

Named in the complaint for grave coercion and direct assault filed by MMDA Legal Service head Rochell Macapili with the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office were Janet “Babes” Malaya, the running mate of Rep. Annie Susano, and two of her supporters who remain identified.

Based on the complaint, members of the MMDA’s Sidewalk Clearing Operations Group (SCOG) were taking down campaign materials posted on North Avenue near Elliptical Road at around 11 p.m. on Saturday when a white Toyota Fortuner stopped beside them.

The workers said Malaya alighted from the sport utility vehicle and shouted invectives at them while two of her supporters started shoving them away and even threatened to shoot them.

A police team, however, which was passing by the area, put a stop to the commotion.

MMDA Chair Oscar Inocentes said in a statement that his men were “nearly beaten to death” by the “arrogant and lawless goons of this equally arrogant and lawless candidate.”

“They have yet to be elected but they no longer obey the law. What more if they are already in power?” Inocentes said.

He added that the posters being taken down by the MMDA workers were displayed outside common poster areas designated by the Commission on Elections.

“We will not spare any candidate or party who will be found defying the law,” Inocentes said.

According to him, he has declared war on candidates, local officials, police and barangay personnel who will try to hamper the MMDA’s campaign against illegally posted election paraphernalia in the metropolis.

Sought for comment, Malaya said there was no basis for the case filed against her by the MMDA.

In a phone interview with the Inquirer, Malaya confirmed the North Avenue incident on Saturday although she wondered why she was being singled out by the agency.

“I introduced myself as a councilor when I saw my supporters questioning the MMDA. I asked them why only my posters were being taken down. The MMDA workers told me that [they were just following] orders. Now why only me?” she said.

“Why are they singling me out? Kawawa naman ako. I don’t think I am a violator, if any, there are many other candidates out there who should be charged first,” Malaya added.

She also said that some of the posters on display may not be hers but could have been reproduced by her rivals and posted outside designated poster areas.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

==> Now what does that have to do with the fact that you and your supporters verbally and physically assaulted people who were just doing their jobs? guh

Oh No My Eyes

2010-03-21T22:35:00.006+08:00

i finished a new song over the weekend. It's called Oh No My Eyes, and it's of the Acid Jazz genre. It peaked at #11 on the SoundClick charts (Acid Jazz category). Check it out!

*EDIT*

It peaked at #5 on the SoundClick charts!!!

*EDIT AGAIN*

It peaked at #4 on the SoundClick charts!!!

MaHaSa live videos!

2010-03-18T19:36:00.002+08:00

Finally, we now have uploaded videos! Audio quality is not that good though. This was shot at Mag:net, Katipunan sometime 2008..

Perfect Lady

Strong, Proud, Free

New Song Clips

2010-03-13T17:47:00.003+08:00

I have updated my SoundClick page and uploaded a couple of songs:

These are riffs for my project progressive fusion band:

Degrees of Freedom

Blood Sport

Surfing The Elevator

This song is by YDEiA (name to be changed soon):

Political

-------------------------------------------------

Check out these songs on my SoundClick page, or check out the widget on the left panel of this blog!

Brand New Heavies in Manila!

2010-03-09T21:32:00.004+08:00

Brand New Heavies in Manila! Cucu and i got to watch an amazing show by the pioneers of Acid Jazz. The show started really late, but it was worth it! And maybe because it was so late, the organizer gave away validated parking tickets. Parking at Sofitel is expensive: 50php for each succeeding hour!

The sound guys were annoying though. There were technical problems the whole night from the opening acts (Sinosikat?, Mishka Adams) up to BNH. What was more annoying was this stupid idea of theirs to turn everyone's volume up to hide the technical glitches. So by the time it was BNH's turn, everything was so loud it didn't sound nice anymore. Also, Simon Bartholomew's guitar couldn't be heard at all despite the number of times he signaled to turn his volume up.

The show was great nevertheless. They were even thanking everyone for coming, when we should be the one thanking them for coming over. What's more, they even hung out with the people who stayed behind. Here are some pics:

Andrew Levy's stompboxes:

With Simon Bartholomew:

With Jan Kincaid:

major setback

2010-02-04T22:16:00.003+08:00

MaHaSa hit a very high roadblock. Choy is no longer with the band, and we're currently looking for a bassist. Anyone interested?

Now this makes me wonder on the future of my project prog band

congratulations RV!

2010-02-01T21:18:00.001+08:00

congratulations RV on passing the nursing board exam!

new experimental, instrumental band coming up!

2010-01-12T23:06:00.004+08:00

after months and months of finding people, i finally have a complete lineup to start the prog/jazz/fusion/rock instrumental project group i've been planning for months now. Here's the lineup:

Rap Caliwag - guitars

KC Tan - keyboards

Choy - bass

Paolo Caliwag - drums

The Caliwags were my bandmates in the long-gone soundskool-era band Kidja. Choy is choy from MaHaSa. We're gonna start working on some material in the following weeks. You'll hear from us soon, so watch out!

new monitor!

2009-12-30T23:25:00.004+08:00

as promised, i now have a new 19" LCD monitor! Unfortunately, i had to go for an AOC, as it had the longest warranty among other brands such as LG and Acer. Well anyway, i now have an AOC 919SW:

merry christmas!

2009-12-24T21:37:00.001+08:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

...and a Happy New Year!

Rant on stage monitors

2009-12-23T00:03:00.003+08:00

do you know what i hate the most about live stage setups? Stage monitors that do not work or are not properly setup! Especially on occasions where i line-in straight to the mixer, i am at the mercy of the stage monitors. And around 80% of the time, i can't hear myself! Or when i do hear myself, i can't hear the rest of the band! And what's even worse? If there's a keyboard amp, but it doesn't work!

On the brighter side, i will soon be buying an 18.5in or 19in LCD monitor to replace my 6 year old AOC 15in CRT, which is by now blacking out every 5 minutes or so. My hands are also swollen due to the regular slapping of the monitor to get it to work.

Updates!

~> i'll be going home to Tacloban on New Year's day! Problem is, my flight is 4am, and i don't have a place to stay to wait it out. It would be too dangerous to leave at exactly 12am, so i have to leave as early as 8pm on new year's eve. I'll be in Tacloban for 5 days

~> i miss my long naturally wavy hair:

Have a blessed trip Nanay

2009-12-15T23:22:00.001+08:00

Nanay (grandmother) passed away last friday. She was the heart of the Tan family. Have a blessed trip Nanay! Rest peacefully...

Bambi meets Godzilla

2009-12-07T22:25:00.002+08:00

this is genius! This old cartoon started Marv Newland's animation career

I.D.: Identity Tattoo Photo Exhibit

2009-11-21T09:49:00.003+08:00

I.D. is photographer Bert Bainto's first solo exhibit. The exhibit opens on November 21 (today!) 6pm at Rafa's Deli+Cafe and runs until December 21.

YDEiA will be playing an acoustic all-keyboard set tonight at the exhibit opening. Bert is a mutual friend of YDEiA's Bullet and Rafa's' Patrick. Do check it out.

Shell ordered to pay P7B in taxes

2009-11-16T22:24:00.002+08:00

full story here: Shell ordered to pay P7B in taxes - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

Now i couldn't resist to write something about this. As you may have read in earlier news, EO839 was implemented at the height of the devastation of tropical storm Ondoy to limit the price of petroleum. Naturally, it didn't take long for the big 3 to start complaining; and Shell finally sued and filed a petition to lift the order.

Lo and behold, Shell has just been ordered by the Bureau of Customs to pay P7.34B (read: Billion) in taxes for importing unleaded gasoline and declaring it as a blending component (therefore no tax). And that does not include penalties yet. How can a big reputable company have the nerve to complain and even file a case in court while it has its own stinking 3-pronged tail cheating at the back? For all we know, they'tr just hoarding stocked petroleum to pressure the government in lifting the freeze due to "low supply". Pay up before you go asking us consumers more than what we actually get from you!

Now, the price freeze will be lifted due to pressure from the big 3, and we are expecting fuel prices to increase as much as P14 per liter in the coming weeks.

Now on Facebook

2009-10-27T22:15:00.003+08:00

After a looooong time of thinking, i finally decided to join facebook and see what the craze is all about. Look me up if you know me.

Just 10 minutes into my profile editing, i tried to change my display name. Lo and behold! Due to Facebook's active filtering system of name changing, it wouldn't accept the name 'KC' because it "has too many capital letters". wow

Album Review: Dream Theater - Black Clouds and Silver Linings

2009-10-12T23:49:00.006+08:00

Ok, another Dream Theater album is out. I'll keep this review short:

There is a 3-disc edition of this album which consists of (1) Main album, (2) Covers, and (3) Instrumental Versions of the Main Album. I'll focus this review on the main album and some of the instrumental versions.

Track Listing:

1. A Nightmare to Remember

2. A Rite of Passage

3. Wither

4. The Shattered Fortress

X. Restraint

XI. Receive

XII. Responsible

5. The Best of Times

6. The Count of Tuscany

First of all, congratulations James LaBrie! This is probably his best voice since Scenes From A Memory. His voice is back, and although not as rough as the Awake album, it's definitely better than the past 3 albums. Now before the next part, i would like everyone to know that i am a big fan of Jordan Rudess and he is my main influence. One thing that bothers me especially in this latest DT record is that he relies too much on feedback effects on his solos. I miss the Kurzweil days and the straight forward phat signature JR solo with just enough feedback effects. I find his Korg lead sound too "synthesized" in the sense that it already lacks body and thickness. The Kurzweil lead, although older, is still much superior to me.

On to the review..

The first track, A Nightmare to Remember, is my favorite song in the album. It is also one of the heaviest. Kick ass riff and the realistic goth voices that Rudess demonstrated on the last NAMM show. The melodic middle part is very pleasing to the ears. Also, the instrumental version of this song is the best among the instrumentals.

Next up is the single, A Rite Of Passage. The main riff of this song reminds me of a Razorback tune. The highlight for me is the instrumental part. Great riffs and solos from Petrucci and Rudess. Rudess also plays his iPhone solo in the last part of the keyboard solo. Great shit.

Wither, is on the melodic side. The song is good, nothing outstanding, but good enough.

The Shattered Fortress is the last of Portnoy's AA suite that started in the 6 Degrees album. It was good to hear the memorable riffs of the previous songs again, but the song for me was too structured that way and it lacked transitions between parts. Since they put together different riffs from different songs, i feel it was too rushed just cramming all those great riffs into one song. The song picks up well however when the vocals starts, then some good solos. The soft melodic part going into The Root Of All Evil riff is also my favorite.

The Best Of Times is Portnoy's tribute to his late father. The song is great in a melodic sense. Great string sections from Rudess and a melodic solo from Petrucci.

Lastly, The Count of Tuscany. Great intro! One of their best intros for me. Too bad they didn't go back to it the rest of the song. Now if you would notice i do not have any comments for the rest of the song. Well, the song is great, but i wouldn't consider it a standout.

All in all, this album is a good one, better than Systematic Chaos and Octavaruim, although these 2 albums have their moments as well. But this is definitely one of their better albums

Album Review: Porcupine Tree - The Incident

2009-10-02T23:06:00.005+08:00

Porcupine Tree's latest album, The Incident, is now out!

Their latest offering is an epic concept album with the first half dedicated entirely to the title track. The second half comprises 4 songs. This album is probably PT's heaviest work to date. I also hear influences from Steven Wilson's solo album Insurgentes.

Disc 1: The Incident

I. "Occam's Razor"
II. "The Blind House"
III. "Great Expectations"
IV. "Kneel and Disconnect"
V. "Drawing the Line"
VI. "The Incident"
VII. "Your Unpleasant Family"
VIII. "The Yellow Windows of the Evening Train"
IX. "Time Flies"
X. "Degree Zero of Liberty"
XI. "Octane Twisted"
XII. "The Séance"
XIII. "Circle of Manias"

XIV. "I Drive the Hearse"

Each song on the 14-song title track depicts true-to-life 'incidents' that Steven Wilson found interesting to write about. It starts off hard and brutal with Occam's Razor then fluidly continues to The Blind House with PT's trademark heavy riffs + relaxed stanzas combination. Next is the quick track Great Expectations with a great chorus, and is sort of a crossover for the next track, Kneel And Disconnect. This track continues the acoustic part of the previous track, then continues with atmospheric pads and dark pianos on Drawing The Line. This track doesn't really do much for me. The intro is nice but i find the chorus 'common' and it doesn't seem to fit the song. But this is compensated on one of the biggest tracks, The Incident. The intro reminds me of Sleep Together from Fear Of A Blank Planet. The eerie deep drone-like sequence gives me the goosebumps every time. Then there is the heavy riffs before going into the chorus. This is one of the best tracks in this album.

Next up is the short 'Your Unpleasant Family', which a lot of people could probably relate to. Yellow Windows of the Evening Train is Richard Barbieri's synth-time. Next is another strong track, Time Flies, with acoustic guitars and Steven Wilson's favorite 6/8 time signature. The song goes dark in the middle with an eerie guitar solo.

Degree Zero of Liberty goes back to the startling intro, then moves on to Octane Twisted. Soft intro then great heavy 5/4 riff at the middle. Next is a favorite combination of mine, The Seance then going into Circle Of Manias. I like the transition from soft calm to hard pounding riffs and drums. I like the blend that they use on the distorted guitars. Last is I Drive the Hearse. The title of this is song is really cool, and the song is as soft and slow as a hearse as well.

Disc 2

1. "Flicker"
2. "Bonnie The Cat"
3. "Black Dahlia"
4. "Remember Me Lover"

The second disc has 4 separate tracks. It starts with Flicker, which reminds me of Anesthetize. It has a good acoustic riff and great vocals by Steven Wilson. Next track is a personal favorite, Bonnie The Cat. Very catchy drum and bass riff and spoken word blending. Then there's the very heavy second part of the song and probably one of the heaviest riffs they ever made. Black Dahlia is credited to both Wilson and Barbieri which explains the atmospheric feel of the song. The last song is Remember Me Lover starts off slow but will leave you with an ending that will definitely make you remember.

---

This album is definitely a masterpiece, and may take some time to grow on you if you're used to the straight forward In Absentia or Deadwing albums. You need to listen to it..now!

welcome to the world Lyle!

2009-09-27T18:13:00.002+08:00

i would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Nor and Larla, and welcome my first nephew, Lyle..

congratulations and welcome to the world Lyle!

so, how is your life today?

2009-09-04T23:28:00.004+08:00

ok, so i'll be making a recap on a previous post in this blog. Around a year ago, i posted a list of stuff that i wanted and needed. Let's see how i did so far..

---------------------------------------------------------------------

NEED

~> i really need to buy new pc parts. My pc is as slow as ever, and i am having a very hard time trying to keep up with the speed it offers. I need to buy a new motherboard, processor, ram, and power supply. I can't work, record, and surf properly anymore. On top of that, i also want a laptop. Estimated overall cost: 10k ~> i have a new (old) pc, and it's working fine..i guess i can tag this as partially accomplished

~> i need a car. There is a very good offer in my hands, and i don't want to miss it. Yes it is cheaper to commute and most of the time even more practical, but there are times that i just... really...need...a car. Estimated overall cost: 180k ~> i am proud to tag this as accomplished. Never have i imagined i could get this within a year of this post

~> i need a D.I. (direct inject) box. I need this for recording and when playing live. Estimated overall cost: 1k ~> got this as a christmas gift. Accomplished

WANT

~> i want to buy the Korg Triton Studio that is currently on sale at Yupangco. In just a few months, the selling price went down almost 50%. Damn you Yupangco. A Korg workstation would be the perfect addition to my rig (which already consists of Roland and Yamaha boards). I need the workstation power that only Korg can offer. The Triton Studio provides 1500+ programs and combinations. That is what i need especially with the growing complexity of MaHaSa's songs. Estimated overall cost: 63k ~> Pending. Since i had to spend a lot (see above), i couldn't afford this anymore. Maybe sometime in the future, as this isn't really a priority

~> i want to buy an mp3 player with a lot of storage capacity. My ancient player can hold only 1gb worth of songs. That was ok before, since i only used it during travel. Now, i also use it most of the day. So i really need more capacity, and a rechargeable power source (batteries would cost a lot with the frequency of use). I don't like iPods, so im looking at the Creative Zen. First of all, the sound quality is good. Secondly, compared to other brands, it has the largest storage capacity on its price range. Estimated overall cost: 7k ~> this is accomplished. I was able to get an 8GB mp3 player at half the price of an 8GB Creative Zen

~> i want to buy a mixer, so i can record faster and easier. I need it for my 'mini home studio'. Estimated overall cost: 6k ~> this is pending. I will need some moolah for this. For now, i have my D.I. box

~> i'm not really a photography enthusiast, but i would like to buy an SLR camera for cucu, who is interested in the art. Estimated overall cost: 30k ~> Pending. i'm still saving up for this

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wow, this is interesting. i can say i did pretty well so far..hard work pays off after all..

2009-08-23T23:11:00.003+08:00

Found a live version of this incredible song..

The Real Folk Blues by The Seatbelts. Cowboy Bebop soundtrack:

Natalie Portman Rap

2009-08-14T00:06:00.004+08:00

Freakin' cool video

Natalie Portman as guest on SNL. I couldn't find an uncensored video that could be embedded

Natalie Portman's rap SNL | Viral/Other | SPIKE.com

'put my foot down your throat, 'till your shit's on my shoe' - haha!

Must hear: CAB

2009-08-11T21:41:00.004+08:00

i've been into jazz fusion lately, and the technical proficiency of artists of this genre really amaze me and inspire me to practice harder. Right now, i'm listening to CAB a lot. CAB is a grammy nominated supergroup composed (originally) of Tony MacAlpine, Bunny Brunel, Brian Auger, Patrice Rushen, and Dennis Chambers. They have released a couple of albums, and the latest just this year. The album CAB 2 earned them a grammy nomination, and is one of their best works:

i have yet to listen to their latest album Theatre de Marionettes!, but im sure this is another great piece of work. i'm hoping to create a jazz fusion group soon, just for fun..

No Money, Sad News

2009-07-25T22:51:00.002+08:00

~> i just wasted 1k php on something that should'nt have happened. I am really short on finances

~> goodbye ate abi, you will be missed

Bawal Tumawid

2009-07-18T08:43:00.001+08:00

MMDA signs should be like this:

source: http://tunaynalalake.blogspot.com/

Bagwis The Evil Cat - Revisited

2009-07-15T22:50:00.002+08:00

i just listened to this song for the first time in months, and wow! What a refresher! This is probably one of the best songs i have created, and probably the best chorus i have composed so far. When listening to it, it's good to close your eyes, relax, and let the song take you to a state of euphoria.

Try it! You can find the song on my soundclick widget at the left panel. It's the first song on the list 'Bagwis The Evil Cat'

Jordan Rudess - Notes On A Dream

2009-07-08T22:40:00.005+08:00

Jordan Rudess' latest solo album is already out. This is an all acoustic album, featuring acoustic piano (although Rudess didn't use a real piano here) versions of Dream Theater songs. This is his first acoustic album since 4NYC.

This album is a nice piece of work. The songs are really soft and melodic, with each tune spiced up by his own improvisation; very relaxing

stagnant

2009-07-06T22:06:00.003+08:00

wow, this blog has been stagnant for a while now. I've been too busy to regularly post, and a lot of things have already happened. Here are some stuff i can recall:

~> just changed the header picture of this blog

~> choy is back on board MaHaSa

~> we've got a heavy song coming up, and i mean metal

~> sora got her first dent, and hopefully the last

~> i'm looking for a dynamic drummer for YDEiA (but we have to change the name). One who could carry a tune too

~> koko krunch is so good

~> Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen is not at all good

That's all for now!

i'm back!

2009-06-15T22:28:00.002+08:00

After 3 weeks without a functioning LAN card, i now have a faster PC and am now back online! Lots of stuff have been happening since my last post, and i can't recall anything to post. But anyway, it's good to be back...

New music stuff coming!

2009-04-20T23:16:00.003+08:00

Very long time no post!

For now, i have exciting news..well at least for me..

~> 2 new Hiromi Live DVDs are coming out!

~> Porcupine will be releasing a new album in a few months!

~> Liquid Tension Experiment will finally release a live concert DVD! Recorded from their 10th anniversary concert

Lots of new stuff coming out, hope i get copies of all of these..

----

I'm thinking of naming my EX5 'Tarkus', the half armadillo-half tank creature in ELP's epic album. It suits it well as my EX5 is heavy and built like a tank

----

If it weren't for the rain in the past 2 days, i could have melted due to the heat

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I now have SoraAoi aka the Majestic Ham aka Deadwing!!!

4th Philippine Jazz and Arts Festival, Hiromi's Sonicbloom and Spyro Gyra!

2009-03-02T14:23:00.008+08:00

We got tickets for the first day of the event featuring Hiromi's Sonicbloom and Spyro Gyra, both jazz greats. It's surreal. For a long time i could only watch them on videos, and yesterday i was able to watch them live and even talk to them!

We arrived at rockwell as early as 1pm to attend Hiromi's workshop. I wasn't feeling well during the weekend, but hey i can't afford to miss this. I was probably the luckiest, as i got lost and accidentally walked by Hiromi 2 times alone in the organizer's area. Too bad i wasn't quick enough to get a picture or an autograph (argh!!!), but at least i was able to say hi. The workshop was a bit dissappointing as i was expecting a more technical question and answer part. Turns out, i don't think there were any other keyboardists in the small crowd. But hey, she gave us 2 great perfomances.

We lined up at around 4:30 for the main event at 6pm, since it was free-seating. I think we were one of the first 10 people in line. Cool stuff happened, as Tony Grey and David Fiuczynski went out to chat around! I was able to get a few words and pics with them. Real nice fellas. Here's a quick shot of both of them:

Chaos followed however, as the guards had some sort of miscommunication and jumbled up the lines, prompting some oldies to start a verbal tussle and taking things in their own hands, literally taking charge of who's supposed to get in first, thus getting us into the arguement as well since we were the real first in line. Stupid oldies.

We got a good seat, except for the guy in front of me who's head covered my line of sight. Anyway, the show was great, awesome technical musicians:

Here's the cool part. After the show, the few of us who stayed were permitted to go near the stage! I got some cool shots of their gear:

Hiromi (Yamaha C3 Grand, Nord Lead, Nord Stage):

This is the first time i was able to see a live Nord board. Hiromi's personal hard case is also pictured.

Fuze's cool custom double-neck guitar, and Fuze after the gig keeping his setup:

I forgot to get a pic of Tony's bass. I got all of them except Hiromi to sign my D.I. box however. After the show, security suddenly got really tight and for some reason a lot of people mobbed her and were suddenly rabid fans, which i really regret as i could have gotten it when i bumped into her alone before the show.

We then ate dinner and got back for Spyro Gyra. These grammy award winning guys are really jazz greats.

This would go down as one of the best and memorable concerts i have ever gone to, most especially because i finally got to watch one of my keyboard heroes live. I do hope they come back next time.

AVG Free finally detects Autorun.inf

2009-02-19T21:51:00.002+08:00

Well, i haven't really plugged flashdisks in my pc's usb port for a while now, and lo behold! I tried it tonight and the dreaded Autorun.inf was detected!

For those who aren't familiar, Autorun.inf is a virus that exploits the autorun feature of windows. So whenever you plug in an external storage device carrying the virus, you're pc is sure to be infected once the device is detected and loaded with windows autorun activated.

The big players of course were able to release an update quickly. But for a free version anti-virus, it's cool.

1st gig of the year!

2009-02-12T21:25:00.002+08:00

We will be playing live for the first time this year on February 28, Saturday.

MaHaSa @ 6underground, Pearl Drive, Ortigas

c/o Skunky Funk Productions

It's a saturday, it's in the center of the metro, and it's sweldo day. What excuse can you make? So do come!

Album Review: Steven Wilson - Insurgentes

2009-02-07T22:34:00.004+08:00

Now, i'm a big fan of Porcupine Tree, and Steven Wilson as a songwriter and producer. I recently got his first official solo album which was released late last year. Entitled Insurgentes, it is named after the longest avenue in Mexico city. It was recorded around the world, and includes big-name guest musicians such as Tony Levin and Jordan Rudess. Of course, Gavin Harrison, one of the best drummers i have seen, plays all the drum tracks for this album.

This album is more of an experimental piece of work, as it explores influences that you won't ordinarily hear with PT. There's a lot of shoe-gaze influence and drone music on most of the tracks. And if you think PT's lyrics and songs are dark, wait till you hear this album. Although still a bit psychedelic, the songs are more eerie and haunting. And yes, Steven Wilson never fails. Here are some of the standouts:

The album starts off with the single, Harmony Korine. This song reminds me of Fear Of A Blank Planet. Very catchy riff and chorus. Perfect 1st track, it introduces you to the feel of the album. Definitely a crowd favorite.

Abandoner is an eerie song, with electronic beats, strange pads, and steel guitars. This is where you will witness the drone influence, with the use of heavy distorted synths.

Salvaging, an eerie but catchy song. Great riff and cool choruses. Again, the drones. Tony Levin contributes his bass chops here.

Veneno Para Las Hadas which means Poison For The Fairies is one of the lighter songs of the album. A lot of nice pads here, and a dark grand.

No Twilight Within The Courts of the Sun would definitely be my favorite track off this album. It starts with a cool bass riff, and goes on with some guitar noodling. After all the noise, the vocals come in. I always get goosebumps on that part. Then comes in Jordan Rudess with an eerie piano solo. Lastly, the song ends with a surprise!

Significant Other sounds like it would come from a PT album.

The title track Insurgentes is also a standout in this album. Some good piano accompaniment to Steven Wilson's cool, soft voice. There's some Koto here courtesy of Michiyo Yagi.

The special edition contains a bonus disc with additional songs. Great additions to this already great album.

Overall, Insurgentes is an experimental masterpiece, a separation from PT, but a good one. People who aren't really patient may not appreciate this album. So when you listen to this, relax, clear you thoughts, and be patient. Let Steven Wilson take you on a ride in his vision..

Face Your Manga 2

2009-01-30T00:21:00.003+08:00

Ok, the last time i tried this, it didn't look like me. So i'm giving it another shot. I'm not good in doing this stuff, so here's what i came up with:

Made a clean version and a gruffy version, which is most of the time the way i look.

Wacha think?

How Keyboards and Odd Time Signatures Changed My Musical Life

2009-01-20T21:47:00.004+08:00

Prologue:

For those who do not know, i have held different intruments throughout my musical life. So far, i have played drums, bass, guitars, and percs for many different bands. Now that i am concentrating on just 3 bands (yes, JUST 3, unlike before), i have found my niche, and that is the keyboard.

Aside from the obvious musical and performance power that it gives, being a keyboardist opened my mind to a lot of musical possibilities that i haven't even thought of before. With the keyboard, creative juices started to flow freely, and i became more active in song writing (not lyrics). Music to me was no longer just a set of chords, notes, and (typical) arrangements, but a whole endless map of creative possibilities. I was no longer restricted to the common musician's thinking, to the typical sounds that you hear. I realized the true freedom of making music. Also, as a keyboardist, i dwelled deeper into sound, how it is made, and how it is manipulated. I was now into sound design as well. Keyboards gave me the freedom not just to manipulate sound, but to create and design sound!

Before i concentrated on keyboards, i had a 4/4 brain. Meaning, my brain was locked on the 4/4 time signature. A lot of people can attest to this, and i'm sure the majority are the same. For the non-musicians, listen to the radio, and count along with the music. You will notice that all the songs you hear are always composed of sets of 4, 8, or 16 beats.

Then i discovered Odd Time Signatures.

I discovered that odd-time meters exist; That the off-beat and wrong counts that i have heard before were supposed to be that way. I didn't really pay attention, and it took me quite a while to get accustomed to playing along with these time signatures. Kudos to my bandmates at MaHaSa for introducing me to this kind of music. I started slow, learning the ropes on this curious type of music. One thing let to another, and soon i was creating music with odd-time signatures without even counting.

My mind opened up again.

Once again, i discovered a new world, a new road that was unexplored by my previously shackled musical mind. It was like going under and discovering the 90% unseen part of the iceberg. Anything was now possible to me when it came to music. I was creating music that i couldn't imagine making a few years ago. I was free to compose uncommon arrangements; free to design sound and use it anywhere, AND still sound ok! And even though music became more complex, creating them was a breeze, because there was freedom. You don't have rules, you can do what you want, your creativity is not hampered by "mainstreamity" (a term i use to describe the music that you typically hear, what the record labels want you to hear).

Epilogue:

I now play keyboards exclusively, and i am happily creating and playing music as i please, the way it really should be.

Start The New Year Right

2009-01-04T18:29:00.003+08:00

Now that i have the chance to sit back and write a lenghty post, here are some updates..

~> I spent the last days of 2008 lying down on the couch and watching TV because i was sick. For 3 days, i was shivering, not because of the cold weather, but because i had fever. I couldn't move a lot because my head ached with the slightest movement. I was also naseuous the whole time so i couldn't eat well. I was really hoping it wasn't dengue, and i took Paracetamol round-the-clock. Then whaddayouknow, on New Year's Day, i was already ok.

~> I spent lunch and a few hours after at Cinco, where it was my grandparent's 59th wedding anniversary. Nor, Larla, and I then proceeded to Starbucks to fill-up the stickers for their planner.

~> What other way to start the new year right than to clean my room! After a whole afternoon of dusting and moving stuff around, my room is now more spacy and breathable. With the help of the many hooks around my room, i was able to arrange my bundle of cables. And with a new lamp given to me on my birthday, i was able to give an artistic ambient feel to the room with a little clever positioning. My room now looks and feels like an artist's/musician's nook, which is what it's supposed to be.

~> I was able to make a new tune today, and i made the mistake of not recording immediately. Now i forgot the 2nd half of the riff. Spilled and wasted another cup of creative juice. Crap.

~> It says in the news that the weather will most probably pour unto February. Good. January is now officialy my favorite month. The weather's great, my ideal kind of weather. The sun is shining, but the temperature is cool. Perfect.

~> Back to office tomorrow. I didn't even feel the vacation. I have a whole month's worth of work to do for the first three workdays of the year. I will be on leave on thursday and friday since it's JT's wedding, and i will be at Tacloban until the weekend.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-02T18:22:00.001+08:00

Wasn't able to post on Christmas Eve, and wasn't able to post on New Year's Eve. So here's my late greeting to everyone..

Happy New Year!

New Gear and Gadget

2008-12-27T21:29:00.004+08:00

New gear and gadget!

Gear:

I need a D.I. (direct inject) box when performing live and recording at home. The Samson S-Direct Plus does the job with additional perks. Most notable is that it is a stereo DI box, very rare for these kinds of gear. This was specifically m

ade to cater to instruments with more than one output signal like *ehem* keyboards. This way, you can go stereo outputs with just one box. Also, it has optional phantom or battery power.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gadget:

After a lot of persuasion from myself, i finally bought a new mp3 player. I admit, it's cheaper than your usual players, and it's not well known either. But hey, it gets the job done, and since it has customizable EQ, i have no problems with sound quality. And where else can you find an 8gb player that's half the price of it's counterparts?

Takipsilim, Twilight Filipino Version

2008-12-24T01:18:00.005+08:00

Now i'm not a rabid, die-hard fan of Twilight. Just heard this around and checked it out. This is just hilarious.

Can't our local TV networks create anything that isn't a rip-off of something? Wow, whatever happened to the so called creativity of Filipinos. We boast about having talented and creative minds, and this is what those minds come up with? I have seen short film projects by students and even the special effects are better than what we see on our teleseryes and movies. And i haven't even mentioned the content (theme, acting, script, etc.) yet.

This issue has already caused an uproar among the book's/movie's fans, and so far, i haven't seen a positive comment. There's even a petition here .

side note: This goes the same as well to our music industry

i had a nosebleed moment. literally.

2008-12-03T22:45:00.000+08:00

updates!

~> it's almost christmas, and i need to do some christmas shopping. So far, i don't have any ideas on what gifts to buy

~> there's an Abanilla reunion this coming sunday. I hope i still get to watch the lame-excuse-to-earn-a-lot-of-money fight between Oscar Dela Hoya and Manny Paquiao

~> this week and the next will be a very busy week (as usual), so this might be the last post for another indefinite time

~> MaHaSa @ Mag:net, Katipunan on friday, december 12! Do come and watch

~> i had a nosebleed for the first time in more than 8 years. 'twas quite a shock and i felt a bit light-headed after seeing a lot of blood on my hanky. Funny thing was, it happened right after a 'nosebleed moment' stupid conversation. My nose took it literally

new layout

2008-11-29T15:40:00.000+08:00

a new layout once again! Credits to obbie and abbey for the fantastic shot. salamats!

Tristram

2008-11-29T01:40:00.000+08:00

For the people who have played and who are still playing Diablo 2, here is tristram done on a guitar. Got it from youtube:

KC's Lead 3

2008-11-15T15:00:00.000+08:00

just a few minutes ago, i finished my newest Lead Sound, and boy is it a monster. I plan to tweak it more; add more gain on the low notes, and boost the mids. Hopefully, by the next MaHaSa gig, i will already be using this newest lead sound. I'll post a sample as soon as i start recording

i need money

2008-11-02T00:31:00.001+08:00

ok, i have the problem that everybody has: money. I have a long (and expensive) list of stuff i need and want to buy:

NEED

~> i really need to buy new pc parts. My pc is as slow as ever, and i am having a very hard time trying to keep up with the speed it offers. I need to buy a new motherboard, processor, ram, and power supply. I can't work, record, and surf properly anymore. On top of that, i also want a laptop. Estimated overall cost: 10k

~> i need a car. There is a very good offer in my hands, and i don't want to miss it. Yes it is cheaper to commute and most of the time even more practical, but there are times that i just... really...need...a car. Estimated overall cost: 180k

~> i need a D.I. (direct inject) box. I need this for recording and when playing live. Estimated overall cost: 1k

WANT

~> i want to buy the Korg Triton Studio that is currently on sale at Yupangco. In just a few months, the selling price went down almost 50%. Damn you Yupangco. A Korg workstation would be the perfect addition to my rig (which already consists of Roland and Yamaha boards). I need the workstation power that only Korg can offer. The Triton Studio provides 1500+ programs and combinations. That is what i need especially with the growing complexity of MaHaSa's songs. Estimated overall cost: 63k

~> i want to buy an mp3 player with a lot of storage capacity. My ancient player can hold only 1gb worth of songs. That was ok before, since i only used it during travel. Now, i also use it most of the day. So i really need more capacity, and a rechargeable power source (batteries would cost a lot with the frequency of use). I don't like iPods, so im looking at the Creative Zen. First of all, the sound quality is good. Secondly, compared to other brands, it has the largest storage capacity on its price range. Estimated overall cost: 7k

~> i want to buy a mixer, so i can record faster and easier. I need it for my 'mini home studio'. Estimated overall cost: 6k

~> i'm not really a photography enthusiast, but i would like to buy an SLR camera for cucu, who is interested in the art. Estimated overall cost: 30k

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From about.com:

Definition of Money: Money is a good that acts as a medium of exchange in transactions. Classically it is said that money acts as a unit of account, a store of value, and a medium of exchange. Most authors find that the first two are nonessential properties that follow from the third. In fact, other goods are often better than money at being intertemporal stores of value, since most monies degrade in value over time through inflation or the overthrow of governments.

--------

i need money

2008-11-01T11:25:00.000+08:00

check out this weird instrument. It's called a "Hang Drum"..cool sounds....

2008-10-21T23:23:00.000+08:00

looooooooooong time no post. I've been very very busy for the past 2 weeks, so here are just a few updates:

~> my mug died last week, and i don't even have a picture to commemorate it here
~> i'll be leaving for tacloban on friday for larla's wedding on the 25th. Then i'll be back on the 26th
~> my eyebags are as large and heavy as ever

that's all for now..

2008-10-01T13:22:00.000+08:00

ok i've been really curious about these new avatars cropping up. I finally found the site and tried it myself.

2008-09-30T18:44:00.001+08:00

last official day at AUB..

it's surreal.......

2008-09-28T22:41:00.000+08:00

MaHaSa gig!

Yes we'll be playing live again (after a long time) this Friday, October 3 at Mag:net Katipunan..
Do come and watch, we'll be playing a new song!

2008-09-20T18:33:00.000+08:00

Ok this is gonna be a geeky, nerdy keyboard post. So if you're not at all interested in music technicalities, STOP here. But if you are curious and just want to read anyway, go on..

The Evolution of KC's Lead

I am currently using 2 lead sounds that i personally designed using my EX5. I'm working on a third lead sound (and so far failed miserably in getting that fat, heavy, screaming sound).

I. KC's Lead

My first official lead sound was created using AN (Layer) + AWM. 2 analog waves and 2 AWM waves. At this time, i was so excited with using the analog engine of the EX, hence using the voice type with the most analog waves. Since i was still new to the EX, a lot of default settings were left untouched, and i mostly tweaked the filters and effects. The other elements consisted of Sine, Saw, and hybrid Square-Saw waves to make the sound fatter. A sine wave was used for the feedback effect. I actually got a decent lead sound with manual feedback effect triggered by the sustain pedal. It also had a lot of highs (i used a high-pass filter in one of the wave elements) and got quite painful in the ears when triggering the feedback effect on high notes. I also cut back a bit on the distortion effects, and concentrated more on compression and ambience. Modulation wheel 1 (mod1) was used to toggle the feedback effect on and off, while mod2 was used to control the level of gain for the distortion effect. This lead sound was used for most of the gigs of MaHaSa. This lead sound can also be heard in Bagwis The Evil Cat (you can hear the song in this blog). I posted this lead sound on some forums to get some feedback. Comments were ok, but the most notable feedback was that it wasn't 'fat' enough.

II. KC's Lead 2

Now that i was more familiar with the powerful synthesis of my EX5, i started developing a new lead sound. This time, i was more detailed in the design. I used AN (Poly) + AWM, 1 analog wave and 3 AWM waves. Although the analog wave was the backbone of this sound, i focused a lot on the other elements. Again, a sine wave was used for the feedback effect, but this time it wasn't that effective. Focusing on the mids, i used a Band-pass filter (BPF) on some of the elements and tweaking the voltage-controlled-oscillators (VCO) to that effect. The finished product was a lot fatter this time and less highs, but no effective feedback.

III. KC's Lead 3 and so on

While learning from Jordan Rudess' Keyboard Wizardry video, i finally was able to catch the sound of his lead on it's own and 1 note at a time. With this as a basis, i started developing my 3rd lead sound. With JR's lead in mind, i created my lead sound with much more tweaking and not leaving any pitch, oscillator, filter, LFO, control, or effect untouched. This was also the first time that i used AN + FDSP (formulated digital sound processing). FDSP, along with VL (virtual acoustic synthesis) are unique powerful syntheses courtesy of Yamaha (product placement!). Using the Seismic property of FDSP, my lead sound now had that roaring effect, with powerful attack. This proved to be a problem later on because the attack was too much, making smooth (sound) slides on fast runs impossible. I spent a whole afternoon tweaking the pitch, filters, and VCO's of each element (note that each element has a lot of these controls). A little distortion was added to have more grit. I also dedicated some time for developing a good feedback effect. With all these tweaks, the sound got overboard and the final sound was weird and unstable. Low notes had more legato, high notes had too much feedback. Mid notes had little feedback, and when using the sustain pedal, volume was affected as the pedal was being used. I will definitely be starting over from scratch because this sound has little hope of recovery with all the tweaks i made.

~~~

This is just a rant on myself with wasting a lot of time making a crappy lead sound. haha
But anyway, this is also a way to show people that being a keyboard player is not at all easy, especially if you are into sound manipulation and the like. I will post another geeky article, this time about performance setups with my EX5..

2008-09-18T23:25:00.001+08:00

YDEiA multiply site now up...

2008-09-13T20:29:00.000+08:00

YEARBOOKYOURSELF.com
Got this from Mahal. Some pics really look real. This is rather scary..

Visit My Photos - 26 Pics

YearbookYourself

2008-09-03T22:44:00.001+08:00

i forgot what site was this

just a few updates..

~> it's just the middle of the week, and i'm already totally burned out. I can't even stay up and awake more than 3 hours after i arrive home

~> i haven't started recording the keyboard parts for the last song of the MaHaSa EP (because: see above). I can't get the creative juices flowing because my brain is so freaking tired. I hope i could finish it by next week

~> i passed by Audiophile (Robinson's Pioneer) earlier today and checked out the Korg TR-76. In fairness, even as the keys were 'plasticky', it wasn't as bad as the X-50. It felt more like Roland synth action keys. And i actually liked the piano sounds better than my Roland Juno-D. The TR was actually quite good, considering it to be way cheaper than a triton or the M3. Not too much sound manipulation but hell of a workstation. The best thing about it? Weight. The thing is very light at 9kg for a 76-key. My EX5 is 20kg. But of course it's because of the fantastic semi-weighted key action. Nothing beats the EX5 in that area, but the weght comes with it

2008-08-30T21:55:00.000+08:00

New Gear!
As you can see, i now have the space saving two-tier keyboard stand!

2008-08-23T02:52:00.001+08:00

some short updates...

It's the start of a 3-day weekend, and as you can see, i'm making the most of it (it's 3 in the morning). Here's the gameplan for this weekend..

~> MaHaSa jam @ roaa on saturday 3pm. So most likely i'll be spending the whole day preparing for the jam

~> cucu and i will be going to greenhills on sunday to check out the dresses there (for Larla's wedding)

~> monday is a free day, so anything goes

~> i'll be busy arranging some songs again. Epilogues (MaHaSa) is now ok and we'll be arranging it on the jam. I just got a new song by Mahal and it sounds really good. i'll be working on that as well

~> i've been reserving 2-tier keyboard stands for weeks now and JB keeps on selling them before i can go to the store to buy. i need a 2-tier stand to save space

~> i plan to get (when i have the money) a direct inject box and hopefully a mixer, to complete my 'home studio'

that's all for now

2008-08-16T14:09:00.001+08:00

i just discovered yesterday there is such a thing as Elevator Music, or Muzak in popular terms.

From Wikipedia: Elevator music, also known as lift music, piped music or muzak, refers to the gentle instrumental arrangements of popular music designed for playing in shopping malls, department stores, public toilets, telephone systems (while the caller is on hold), cruise ships, airports, on television shows, doctors' and dentists' offices and, of course, elevators. The term is also frequently applied as a generic (and often derogatory) term for any form of Easy Listening, smooth jazz, or Middle of the Road music, or to the type of recordings once commonly heard on "beautiful music" radio stations.

Now here's a good idea to use my techno/electronica songs on. But i'll bring it to a whole new level..

2008-08-08T11:32:00.000+08:00

Review: Deadwing (by Porcupine Tree)

I have been listening to a lot of Porcupine Tree lately. I was intruiged by Steven Wilson's vocals in Tarkus from Jordan Rudess' album 'The Road Home'. I must say, PT is a very good progressive rock band. Their music is the type i would like to listen to while on a long bus trip over the countryside, all the while looking out at the changing scenery as day turns to night and back again.

Their latest offering is Deadwing, an album based on a screenplay written by Steven Wilson and Mike Bennion, and essentially a ghost story. If their is one thing that PT has that makes me listen, it is the way the sound catches my ear and brings me to a dreamy state, even during work. Here are some of the tracks that i recommend:

1. Deadwing ~> The album starts off with a smooth keyboard intro then goes into a heavy, guitar driven riff. One of the more catchy songs of the album. I wish that there was more to the guitar solo however.

2. Shallow ~> Great intro, great instrumental part at the middle. Great bass work as well. This caters more to metal heads. Another higly recommended track.

4. Halo ~> Cool beats, great intrumental from the middle all the way to the end. King Crimson's Adrian Belew has a guitar solo here.

5. Arriving Somewhere But Not Here ~> The masterpiece of this album. If you're a prog fan, this song caters to you. Amazing build-up as you go along the song. From the great synth intro to the acoustic vocal part then going into a heavy instrumental. Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt contributes some solos and vocal harmonies here.

Some say PT is the new generation Pink Floyd..I kinda agree..

2008-08-03T10:25:00.000+08:00

New Gear!
I now have an M-Audio SP-2 sustain pedal. The universal keyboard sustain pedal from M-Audio. What's good about this pedal is that it has a polarity switch, making it compatible with any keyboard. And it's also cheap, around 1k less than the yamaha and roland pedals. yeahh

2008-07-27T15:34:00.003+08:00

Review: The Dark Knight

Being a fan of one of the classic comic superheroes, i was very very excited to watch this movie, even watching it the day after its opening which i don't usually do. I usually wait around a week before watching a movie so the theaters wouldn't be packed. But i just could not resist watching this movie as soon as it came out.

What can i say, this movie really lived up to the hype! The best Batman movie so far. Christopher Nolan has definitely revived this franchise into record breaking blockbusters. If Batman Begins was nice, TDK was even better. This is the first time i have seen a movie like this reach 9.7/10 on imdb.com and 95%/100 on rottentomatoes.com . The whole movie, 2hrs and 35mins (yes, it is that long) has no boring moment, from start to finish. Add to that the cool actions scenes and great acting from the cast. The dialogue is also very good, the type that makes you quote it and use it over and over again.

The highlight of this movie, as you probably know already, is Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker. And as you probably know already, he definitely gave a very superb portrayal of Batman's arch nemesis, worthy of an Oscar. Ledger's Joker is just plain evil, an absolute being that doesn't want anything less than chaos and misery. You wouldn't even notice Ledger acting as the joker, because HE WAS the joker in this movie. That is how good he played the Joker. Jack Nicholson's joker? nah!

Credit given also to the rest of the cast (Bale, Caine, Freeman, Oldman, Eckhart) for excellent portrayals of their characters.

Scenes to watch out for:
1. Pencil Trick ~> This scene will go down in cinematic history
2. Joker/Harvey Dent hospital scene ~> Probably the most powerful scene in the movie, and the suggested scene for Heath Ledger's oscar nomination (if it pushes through)
3. Why so serious? ~> just watch
4. The Batpod
and more!!!

I will definitely start collecting the Batman series again!

2008-07-25T00:10:00.001+08:00

2 songs uploaded! These songs (Arabian Rave, Tip Tap Toe) however are old songs, recorded using the Roland Juno-D. I was testing the orchestral sounds on the unit, and was suddenly inspired by Jordan Rudess' orchestral demonstration on the Korg Oasys. So i recorded on the spot the noodling that i did with the orchestral sounds, and a bit of rock on the last part..the result: Tip Tap Toe. Arabian Rave is a short clip that i recorded while noodling with the sitar sounds of the Juno-D

enjoy!

2008-07-17T11:22:00.001+08:00

New stuff on the blog! I added a music player widget (see panel on the right) just below the MaHaSa songs. This is where i'll be uploading whatever songs or sounds that i recorded at home. This would mostly be techno/electronica/industrial with a dash of progressive rock.

For my first upload, this is a short song i recorded the other night. The title 'Bagwis The Evil Cat' was inspired by the cannibalistic cat named Bagwis, who ate her own newborn kitten. Hope you enjoy it! I will be uploading more songs soon, so stay tuned!

~`~,~`~,~`~,~`~,~`~,~`~,~`~,~`~,`~,~`~,~`~,~`~,~`~,~`~,~`~,~`~,~`~

MaHaSa will be playing at Mag:net, Katipunan on saturday, july 19. This will probably be the last gig with Choy at the low end. Choy will be relocating permanently, so he had to leave the band. Good thing is he's willing to finish recording the EP before leaving. So hopefully we can start recording Neneng as soon as possible.

For me, the one thing that defined MaHaSa's sound today is Choy's bass. His bassy tone and terrific riffs helped shape the heavy 'proggish' (proggish because we are not prog) rock that we now play.
Choy was and is the perfect bassist for MaHaSa, too bad he has to go..You will be missed..

2008-07-11T11:58:00.001+08:00

just some short updates..

~> i don't like the way my hair is growing, so i got a haircut..Now i've got a clean cut again

~> tomorrow's gonna be the first time i'll be bringing my EX5 for a practice jam with MaHaSa. This would be the first time that i will attempt to commute, with that heavy blue bastard in tow.

~> the reason why i'm gonna be doing what i said above is because it costs me a great deal of money to ride a taxi. Plus the fact that it's already impossible to get a taxi whose driver doesn't ask for an additional 20 or 30 to your fare.

~> i heard that the minimum fare for public utility vehicles will increase again next week. Times are hard, and i already feel the brunt of it.

that's it for now..stay tuned...

2008-07-01T18:36:00.000+08:00

I don't really have any updates around this time..
So i'll just leave you with some very cool shots of my EX-5 during our gig on Dodjie's birthday, courtesy of Mahal:

2008-06-19T17:06:00.000+08:00

got this from a link in the EX5tech.com forums. Original article can be found here.
F0r the synth geeks:

The Top 40 Signs That You've Been Hanging Around Synths and Samplers
Too Long:

40. You not only tap in time to the indicators on your car, but know
how many BPM they flash at.
39. You go to hear an orchestra with your girlfriend, and while she
listens to the beautiful music, you calculate the polyphony required
to reproduce it.
38. In addition to your in and out trays at work, you also have one marked
'thru'.
37. Last Christmas you synced your Christmas tree lights to your TB-303.
36. The accelerator on your car has aftertouch.
35. Your cat's name is Octave.
34. You expect the cutoff frequency of your door to change when you turn
the knob...
33. Your girlfriend/wife drapes a wig over your favorite synth to remind
you what she looks like.
32. You step out of your studio and realize that your family moved and you
don't have a clue when it happened.
31. You have "Frequency" and "Resonance" tattooed above your nipples.
(Don't ask where the pitchbend is...)
30. Your daughter's new boyfriend has tattoos, rides a Harley, and doesn't
have a job. But you don't mind because his name is Roland.
29. Your telephone answering machine message took 2 days to write and
produce.
28. There is no couch, coffee table, dinner table or chairs in your
apartment; only racks, mixers, keyboards, cables and power cords.
27. You have bass bins for end tables.
26. It is dangerous to walk around in your own living room at night.
(See 2)
25. There's a giant yellow ball in the sky, and your not quite sure
what it is, but when you go outside it burns out your retinas and
makes your skin glow.
24. You wait until 12:01 A.M. to read the on-line music classified
ads and can effectively scan them in under a minute.
23. You neer answer the phone. (Hmm...I wonder if it's to get
people to listen to the answering message you spent so much time on
in 29?)
22. When all your significant other has to say, "Oh no, not another
one" and you know what they're talking about.
21. If you just like to sit in the dark and watch all the pretty
lights blink and glow.
20. If you perk-up on Sundays when you hear the word "Prophet".
19. You would rather fiddle with your synthesizer's knobs than
fiddle with your girlfriend's/wife's knobs.
18. Somehow, you haven't been able to budget for clothes for 2+
years, but you have found thousands of dollars to buy gear.
17. Your girlfriend/wife goes to bed, You go to your STUDIO.
16. Your friends say "Why would you pay $XXX for that piece of
crap?" and you glare back and actually get offended...
15. You can tell the difference between 12dB/24dB filters by ear...
14. You prefer "analog" instead of "digital" home appliances
because 'they just work better '
13. You start wondering if you can obtain a 24 db neural implant to
filter your ever-increasing tinnitus problem.
12. You devise a method of connecting your CV sequencer to a mains
relay to trigger the coffee machine every 1,024 gate pulses
11. Every piece of clothing you own has a synth manufacturers logo
on it. You scam them for free every trade show you attend. This
allows more money for the important things in life.
10. Your wife/girlfriend leaves you. You go into a depression for a
while, then decide you can win her back with a simple, touching and
heartfelt song, written especially for her. 6 months later, you are
still mixing it.
9. You go to a trade show. You rush over to the brand new synth on
display, fiddle for 5 minutes, declare it "a piece of crap" and then
go on to tell the company reps how it works, where the PCM samples
came from, and offer to do them better samples from your own analog
wardrobes all in a very loud voice. They give you an embroidered
tour jacket on the condition that you go away NOW. (see 11)
8. Synth manufacturers call YOU for technical support.
7. First thing you think of after sex is turning on your synths.
6. You get excited about talking electronic toys and try to subvert
them into saying bad words or doing weird stuff so you can sample
them.
5. You dream of finding a $50.00 Moog 55 at a garage sale, and after
you've thought of it, you stop at every one you see!
4. You carry around a picture of your modular in your wallet to show
everyone.
3. Your monthly power bill is always in the triple digits.
2. You have a rack-mounted microwave oven.
...and the the #1 sign that you've been hanging around synths and
samplers too long:
You understand every last term and joke used in this article

2008-06-10T12:58:00.000+08:00

New MaHaSa song!

The latest song that we recorded has now been uploaded!
Check out the song on this blog or check it out here

enjoy!

2008-06-03T09:17:00.000+08:00

GEAR!

I got a Yamaha FC-5 to complement my EX-5..So i now have a sustain pedal and a footswitch for patch increment that would cycle through my sounds throughout a performance. Nice pedal, heavy duty and very good "action", if i may call it..

GIGS!!!

June 14 ~> MaHaSa @ RJ Bar, Makati (Sebastian Bach Productions)

June 21 ~> MaHaSa @ Mag:net, Katipunan (Wagon Trip Experience)
with The Haneps, Eternal Now, One Big Jesus, Flicker Fusion, and more..

June 28 ~> MaHaSa @ RJ Bar, Makati (No Front Act Production anniversary)

everyone's invited!

2008-05-28T08:58:00.000+08:00

Updates!

~> my body's aching all over. Played basketball with my officemates last night and for some reason, even with the stretching, warm-ups and all, almost every part of my body's got muscle ache

~> we ate at Mcdo after playing, and i encountered a very irritating incident (well, at least for me). I ordered a sundae for dessert. The girl at the counter who took my order accidentally put too much ice cream in the cup, just a little above the usual amount. Now this other service crew girl kept on repeating with a loud voice to service crew girl#1 RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY FACE: "wag yan wag yan! gawa ka ulit!". Ok, no problem with me if you want to replace it because it's a bit more than the average, but at least DON'T SAY IT IN FRONT OF THE CUSTOMER!

~> i'll be having a custom made keyboard case by next week, so i can use my EX-5 for the June gigs of MaHaSa

~> june will be a very busy month for MaHaSa, since we have a gig on almost all the saturdays of the month

~> Movies to watch: Speed Racer, 21, and most especially: The Dark Knight, coming soon!

2008-05-14T17:16:00.000+08:00

Introducing the newest member of my rig...the Yamaha EX-5! (not actual unit pictured). The monster synthesis machine of Yamaha is finally under my fingertips.

What can i say, this beast is HEAVY! Just carrying it upstairs to my room had me sweating. I still have to figure out what case design would support the size and weight of this unit. Same goes with bringing it around for gigs.

Soundwise, as every sound-sensitive keyboardist has said, the EX-5 is a monster with its synthesis capabilities. I have yet to unlock its full potential, and when i do.....

It has a 76-key velocity-sensitive keyboard, just the right length for me as of now(61 is not enough, 88 is perfect, but i'm not prepared to handle something that big yet), and a whole lot of controllers that give me a wide array of sound manipulation capabilities.

My only gripe is its workstation capabilities. Unfortunately, as a workstation, the EX-5 is not enough to meet the demands for the performances and settings i use. There are workarounds, but i can still feel the limitations.

It would take me around 3-4 weeks to set it up for MaHaSa, so i would probably be using it next month.

yahuuuuuu!!!

2008-04-28T17:36:00.000+08:00

Gigs!
For the first week of May, here is the gig sked:

MaHaSa @ Mag:net, Katipunan on Friday, May 2

The Amandas @ Route 196, Katipunan on Saturday, May 3

If you're in the vicinity, not doing anything, or just wanna enjoy some good music over the weekend, do come!

2008-04-25T15:21:00.000+08:00

What Time of Day Are You?

From the blogs of Martin and Mahal.. Here's my time:

You're 6:49 a.m.

You're the time of day right around sunrise, when the sky is still a pale bluish gray. The streets are empty, and the grass and leaves are a little bit sparkly with dew. You are the sound of a few chirpy birds outside the window. You are quiet, peaceful, and contemplative. If you move slowly, it's not because you're lazy ? it's because you know there's no reason to rush. You move like a relaxed cat, pausing for deep stretches that make your muscles feel alive. You are long sips of tea or coffee (out of a mug that's held with both hands) that slowly warm your insides just as the sun is brightening the sky.

Coincidentally, that is the time i usually wake up.

2008-04-15T11:07:00.000+08:00

time for some updates!

~> The weather is unforgivingly hot this summer. i can't stand the heat even without direct sunlight. And worse, the aircon in the office is busted. akk

~> I'll be playing basketball again later (after how many months, years maybe) after office with some of my officemates. We'll see if i still know how to play and if i can still run. uhh

~> Looks like MaHaSa will be recording 1 more song for its EP: 'Neneng', the longest song we have to date (clocking at 12-15 minutes when played live). whew

~> MaHaSa and The Amandas won't be having gigs for the next few days, giving me some time to record at home and work with some new songs. yey and whew

~> I now use earplugs regularly during practice sessions and gigs (except when playing). I want to preserve my hearing and avoid tinitus. Hearing is one thing you wouldn't want to lose when you're older. nyah

~> Since getting sick a few weeks ago due to stress and lack of sleep, i noticed that the beverages i buy are usually hydrating liquids like rush, gatorade, etc. I guess that's a new good habit. ting

2008-04-11T10:55:00.000+08:00

I am Zetsu!

2008-04-02T17:35:00.000+08:00

MaHaSa and The Amandas @ Freedom Bar, Anonas on Saturday!
Also, The Amandas will be playing at 6undeground on Friday

~> i was sick since monday, and now i'm feeling better. That's just the update for now..

2008-03-25T18:04:00.001+08:00

i'll be going to The Amandas jam later in 6underground, so i'm staying a bit here in the office. So while i'm still here, i'll just post the gigsked:

April 1 ~> The Amandas @ Saguijo, Makati with other bands from the Sampaguita Tribute Album

April 4 ~> The Amandas @ 6underground Live&Raw, Pearl Drive, Ortigas

April 5 ~> MaHaSa, The Haneps, and The Amandas will all be playing in Freedom Bar, Anonas for the Bandstand.ph Anniversary. This is the first time two of my bands (MaHaSa, The Amandas) would be playing in the same gig.

Do come and watch..

thanks!