Steve Mueske

The first single from Whom Gods Destroy was released, and I can't stop listening to it.

I'm putting out snapshot EPs of 10 - 15 mins of music every two months, new work plus selected remasters from my back catalog. Started the project Dec 2022 and will continue this year. https://pentachrist.bandcamp.com/

There is, it's just called "Finished Works" now.

I create in 48 32, and tailor rendered files based on medium. It's pretty stupid that most aggregators want 44.1 16 bit, which is, literally, 38 years old in terms of quality. In each case, I dither for the release audience based on format requirements. The raw mixed file at 48 32 makes this pretty easy. I used to record and mix at 96 32, but the audiophile market is pretty small, and I doubt anyone can tell the difference between 96 24 and 48 24. I wish the market supported 32 bit floating point because that would be ideal. In terms of flexibility, this basic approach covers every market I am interested in. Mixing in 44.1 16 means you'll have to resample for any video applications. Downsampling is much better than resampling at a higher rate. FLAC supports 48 24, so that is what I shoot for.

Interesting piece. Glad I got the chance to listen.

Daniel Lopatin (aka Oneohtrix Point Never) is one of my favorite electronic artists. His brilliant new album "Again" was released on Friday, and The New Yorker did a great piece, part interview, part essay, on him. If you are curious, it's a great read. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/10/02/the-emotionally-haunted-electronic-music-of-oneohtrix-point-never?fbclid=IwAR2cOnC1sQOtlMkgLmeKeMrfkYvtWBiXMJFURhjX4c-Zwv7nt1yLT6G3y6s

Parallel to @Mahesh's post, I thought it might be relevant to introduce Brian Eno's take on "the loss of humanity in modern music." Eno would classify as a Boomer, but this doesn't service the argument of hooks and songs. It's not so neat as that. This is purely a mourning of the loss of imperfection, and I think it is an important topic not often addressed. https://www.openculture.com/2023/08/brian-eno-on-the-loss-of-humanity-in-modern-music.html?fbclid=IwAR08AveOSmC7-uMM0FMATi0HghFey1PuvzL_0ZCrimdxQXmJPA_RwziDMUE

I don't really have a horse in either race, and don't follow pop music, except in a peripheral sense, but from my experience her comments about Boomer nostalgia are spot-on. I think it's an intelligent response to Rick Beato's diatribes, but that's a whole different thing. I don't think he's railing against current pop so much as the safety of much of it. There are two different arguments here, and the threads of each are probably longer than I care to engage. I can say that she's right, like it or not the musical landscape is much different now. It's much harder to reach the levels both are talking about, but the underground is so much larger and easier to access as a fan. The problem is market saturation.

I don't know if this has been posted or not because I've not followed everything in this thread, but here is Nick Cave's take, which I found very interesting. A slightly different can of worms from music AI, but still relevant. https://www.theredhandfiles.com/chatgpt-making-things-faster-and-easier/?fbclid=IwAR0PLctosaIK1DLtYN5fYq-irKF6Ccd7rSqQnqD85EuxZbSbPq63BOGMRA0

My main DAWs are Reaper and Bitwig, though I occasionally use Studio One, Renoise, Mulab, and Reason. For audio editing I use Sound Forge and Wavelab. I use each for different reasons, but they're all just tools. They all sum the same and will produce great results. It's all about workflow. Right now, I gravitate toward Bitwig because the modulation capabilities are insane. Same with audio editing. Wavelab is the best audio editor on the planet, but when I want quick easy edits I'll use Sound Forge.

My interview on the Now and Xen podcast is up now. https://nowandxen.libsyn.com/072-steve-mueske

The interview this morning went well. The episode should be up later this month.

Last May, I participated on a Zoom panel for Microtonal Adventures Fest. This Friday, I will be doing an interview for the Now and Xen podcast talking about my transition to Pentachrist as a musical identity, in particular the fourth EP in a series of new releases as Pentachrist. Three and Four have a focus on microtonal tracks, and I'm excited to talk about this resurgent focus and how they fit into the larger project.

I finally broke down and upgraded to 14 Ultimate. I have way too much software, but with the 50% off, I couldn't resist. Will be my last upgrade (I hope) this year.

Hola! We're practically neighbors. I'm in the upstate area of South Carolina.