Memories!

[Spogg]

...here's a couple tunes I put online recently.

Really nice tunes.

I particularly like Waterfall. For some reason it reminded me of early Pink Floyd around the time of More. Very evocative… of something!

Thank you

Spogg

[tulamide]

Oh, I love reading and hearing from your memories!

@marcelodantas
Yes, music is therapy! Expressing what you can't really describe in words was an important factor in gaining stability in my life. I live with my depression for almost 40 years now. And I would lie if I told you I wouldn't have those silly dark thoughts anymore. But I learned to accept them, and take them as a challenge. I say to myself, "oh don't be such a wimp, and live through it; you can end your life at any time anyway, so why not having another go"

Reading this it sounds more dramatic in English than in German, so don't get a false impression. I'm not on the edge or something. On the contrary, this and my music kept me alive for so many decades now. And it will until my life ends naturally.

And I know exactly what you said about "seeing people deeper". From all those musicians that I knew and said "oh, he/she is in a deep depression", nobody lives anymore. The only exception that I interpreted wrong was Amy Whinehouse. That came unexpected to me.


@Patrick
Thank you. Yes, back in the days I thought I wouldn't get older than 30. I'm glad I was wrong. I got to know so many good people and experienced some really beautiful moments since then, that I would have missed. But back then I lived with a family of pure evil. Physical and psychological torture up to the point, where I decided "if this means life, I don't want to live". It was only after that I discovered what life really means.

@Trog
Great! Trog, you may have accidentally invented jazz-metal fusion! Your song reminds me so much of Panzerballett. See here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27zgxgYYiEM
and here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAHrIOWpfIE
But it still defintely is punk as well. Awesome!

@Spogg
Thanks! The way you make compliments is always so valuable, because it matches my hopes!

I can't wait to hear and see more of your guys memories!

[Spogg]

This is a great topic!

I think I posted this before, but what the hell, I’m a moderator after all.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bzjq51qunxok ... 2p-la?dl=0

It’s some ancient and rather poor music I made in the 80s, but when I occasionally listen to it the memories of those times come flooding back. There’s a kit list included.

[HughBanton]

Wow all. I promise to check some of this out soon, all most intriguing.

However this week I've been given the task of vetting a set of 5.1 mixes that have just been produced of all our 1970s albums. (Because I'm the band member with home-cinema). Stuff we literally recorded 50 years ago, hard to comprehend in 2020. Especially since I'm only 17 3/4

( Wot? )

And nowadays record companies like to add endless 'previously un-released added-value bonus material'. Which is quite a trial to have to sit through. But hey, it's in 5.1 innit!

H

[tulamide]

@Spogg
That was a fun experience. I especially liked the long textures you set on "Tubes in Tubes". Reading the list, I stopped at Spectrum Sinclair, because it reminded me of a non-music related chapter in my life. I can't remember my age, probably 14 or 15, and in my tries to stay away from home as long as possible I discovered this electronic shop that not only showcased their home computers, but actually allowed to use them (much like they do nowadays with gaming on consoles). They had a Sinclair ZX-81. I quickly found out how to deal with the triple-function keys and when the seller saw me starting to program, he let me do my thing for hours. When I had a question regarding programming he answered. He even gave me valuable tips. His clever algorithm that allows for shuffling (randomizing numbers without any repeats), using two arrays is still burned into my head. Later then came the Sinclair Spectrum and I came by every day. He even saved my work, so that I could continue the next day. Without him, I probably wouldn't have embraced the C-64 when my school bought one, to program on that thing then. And therefore my whole life would have gone in a different direction. (My art teacher, who also led the film workshop I was in, was always convinced, I would become a director one day)

@Hugh
Now that the true professionals visit this thread, it happened what I was afraid of: I'm intimidated now. I hope you won't laugh about my simple music attempts!

[HughBanton]

@Hugh
Now that the true professionals visit this thread,

Oh stoppit. I'm only 17 3/4, haven't even gone to work yet. (Some truth in that ...)
I'm sure I'll lurv it.
H

[Spogg]

My first programming was on a ZX-81 I made from a kit. It was totally fascinating to me. I could write stuff that actually came up on our TV. Wow!!

But while I saw the potential it was only provided with 1k of ram. That meant you couldn’t create even one screen full of text.

So I bought the very expensive 16k ram pack which plugged into the back of the machine. Then I started to write a program which could make use of the new ram and screen space. I was making good progress until the ram pack fell off and all my work was lost.

The Sinclair Spectrum was such a huge leap forward!

[Spogg]

@Hugh
Now that the true professionals visit this thread,

Oh stoppit. I'm only 17 3/4, haven't even gone to work yet. (Some truth in that ...)
I'm sure I'll lurv it.
H

Inspiration for the next Van de Graaf Generator album?

[pshannon]

@Tula, That is a good person who would let you use their computers and save your work. There are plenty of people who give you the stepping stones to hopefully keep you moving forward in dark places. I believe in God, so I feel he tries to help us a long the way by putting people in our lives to get you by like that guy. Interesting on the director part, you may have been great at, but it would have been an extremely stressful and tough business. George lucas and his set at the star wars tatooine blew over in a sand storm if I recall. No one wanted his movie at first and was turned down by several. Yes, he made it, but wow that would have been some serious set backs.
Do you think in the end, would you be here in this forum today if you didn't have that computer store to play around with the computer?

@spog, I didn't know what you meant by building your own and your ram cartridge fell out? I didn't see this version of the sinclair. A poor design and I would have blown a head gasket for something like that. The later ones I recall were more popular for home computer use.
http://oldcomputers.net/zx81.html

My first computer I ever touched was in the 7th grade when I just moved into a new city/state. My first friend was my neighbor and he showed me the heathkit computer his dad and himself built. I was blown away and I was addicted. I would pester him all the time to work on his computer. My mom had a typewriter and I sat on that and programmed paper for months. I would take it over to my friends house and type in what I did. Yea, nuts?? Maybe that is why I got the computer, my mom was sick of my using her type writer for hours? My friend showed me this text adventure called Coleuses cave and I wanted to make my own!
That Christmas my parents got me an Atari 800 the original with 48k. I got Zork text adventure and it was amazing to me. I still have it today and booted it up 3 years ago. The tables turned, my neighbor started to want to come over and play with my computer now because of the graphics. lol Both of us ended up studying Computer science and we went into the IT field. I think if I didn't move to that house, I do not know where I would be today, I am sure I would end up in computers, but not sure when, I might have gotten into later who knows now. Thanks to my old friend!
Maybe I need to pull out Zork again. lol
@hugh - interesting project you are working on. You sound like a pro. Good luck.

[Spogg]

In the UK you could buy the ZX-81 as a kit, with or without a PSU (I made my own PSU). It was £50 IIRC. I think a lot more ready built (£99) and I was competent as an electronics engineer, so fortunately it worked.

In your link you can see the 16k ram pack pushed into the socket on the back of the case. After my incident I taped it onto the case so it couldn’t dislodge itself.

What fun!