I guess I’ll just leave this here.
Category Archives: Pointless Nonsense
By Request: Distinct Kicking Ringtone
One thing I like to do, as a writer, is essentially take requests. I’ve always thought that other people (musicians and non-musicians alike) have some great ideas, so I make sure to listen when somebody shares something. That’s led me to all sorts of stuff, from the opening bit on Dancing For Patriotism to the whole Bowling Is Metal album… even taking a lot of musical suggestions through the course of 30 Clubs in 30 Songs. Well, the latest instance happened when, about a week ago, I received a text message from my cousin Steve:
“Can you compose me an epic ringtone? Sayyyy 30 seconds? Maybe less?”
Well, Steve: Done and done. Here are two mixes: One as normal and one with a high pass filter at 150 Hz tailored for cell phones. Enjoy!
Posted in Music, Pointless Nonsense
Today Is My Brother’s Birthday
I guess I’ll just leave THIS here, then…
Posted in Music, News, Pointless Nonsense
FML Chronicles, Part 1: Making a Percussion Loop From Scratch
OK, I’ll admit it – that “10 tracks six minutes or longer” thing didn’t happen. So what now? Well, I’m happy to report that in its place came an idea for a new album, which I think I will call “FML”. The concept behind this album will be a day in the life of that person we all know who always seems to find reasons to complain. You know, that person who, say, clogs your Facebook/Twitter feed with constant missives on how much their life sucks. It’s already shaping up to be brutally heavy, quite complex, and probably the most manic album I’ve ever made. Should be fun!
I’m planning on posting some demos here as I piece this album together. I’m still fairly early in the writing process, but there’s enough to start demoing. This particular bit is an idea for a piano driven section near the end of the album. I wanted a unique drum loop to work underneath the simple piano bit, so I got to work recording three different patterns on three objects that were never intended to be musical instruments. The “bass drum” playing quarter notes is a suitcase played with a bass drum pedal. The sound on the left is a big ol’ metal lid played in a 3/16 pattern with a rubber mallet I got with a cheap little brass gong. Lastly, the sound on the right is a “2 + 3” 5/8 pattern played with a drum stick on a thick cardboard tube used for mailing posters. The three distinct patterns came together to make what I think is a really neat loop. Last thing: This was all recorded – piano included – on Reaper with a Yeti Pro microphone. NEW TOYS!
Enjoy this little taste and let me know what you think.
Posted in Music, News, Pointless Nonsense
On This Day Last Year…
…I started this blog. One year, 82 posts (this is post 83), and one big honkin’ baseball project later, Ed Makes Things is officially one year old! To celebrate, I’ve concocted a generic birthday song recording. No specific person/place/thing is sung, so this recording can be used for any occasion! AND it’s complete with the tuneless hacks, loud morons, and complete jerkfaces that ruin any birthday singing occasion (full disclosure: I’m usually a jerkface)! Enjoy this useless and totally self-indulgent piece of chaos.
Programming note: The next Christmas tune will be posted on Thursday as scheduled. And, for the record: The best day of traffic this blog received, as of the writing of this post, was October 21st… the day I posted THIS.
Posted in Music, News, Pointless Nonsense
Ed Makes Things 