Serum

Agile Gossip

Another day, another Stepic track. Seriously, this thing is amazing. I’m obviously in that new love phase, but the more I learn, the more capable and deep I realize this thing really is. One of the features I mentioned when I first got it a few days ago is the ability to sequence MIDI control change messages. I was really excited about that, except I could never get it to work. After an email exchange with the author, I determined that the problem lies with Digital Performer. Apparently it doesn’t support “legacy” MIDI messages for VST3 plugins.1If you don’t know … Continue reading

Random Strudels

I bought a new tool. Yes, I buy a lot of tools, and most of them end up gathering digital dust when the newness wears off. In this case, though, I think I may have stumbled upon something that not only isn’t available in any of my other tools, but goes so far beyond what I expect that it could fundamentally change how I write certain tracks. The tool is called Stepic, and it’s a step sequencer. Here’s where it gets fun. Step sequencers aren’t new. They go back to the very beginnings of electronic music and are, in general, … Continue reading

Predator

Yesterday’s track ultimately became a reminder of one of the most effective cards I’ve ever gotten from Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies cards: Don’t avoid what’s easy. And in that spirit, we arrive at today’s track. Because … Continue reading

Red Hill Danger Zone

Note: This post was written in 2025 and backdated to appear on the day I wrote and published the track. In past years, I’ve had “requests” come from friends to try different styles or write about specific topics. One of the most successful of these was 202’s Spicy Bee. I never guarantee that I’ll actually take the request – Song-A-Day is already stressful enough on its own without having to satisfy an audience, and inspiration isn’t always a predictable thing. I do, however, try my best to at least give   it a try. This year, the request was “do … Continue reading