CDex's list before adding new genres

CDex's list after adding new genres

While trying to rip a CD the other day I noticed that Breakcore was not on the list of pre-approved listening genres. Although it may indeed be an acquired taste I found it a bit insulting that it wasn’t on the list. Being a pull down list I wasn’t able to type a new genre directly into the field. Surely there was a way to add new genres to the list I thought.

Some quick Google searches didn’t reveal a method for adding new genres but it did reveal that a file called CDexGenres.txt resides in the program’s local CDDB directory. I anxiously opened the file to find that it was empty. I concluded that the program itself comes stocked with the default genres and this file was for new additions.

Unfortunately I had no way of knowing what format the program expected to see these new genre additions in. Again I queried the all-knowing Google. Only this time I used a special operator in my syntax to find any other copies of CDexGenres.txt that might be lingering around.

Having discovered a copy of the file that was not empty I was able to determine the correct formatting. Here’s how to add new genres to the list in CDex.

1. Navigate to CDex’s local CDDB directory. Mine is located at C:\CDex\CDDB\ but yours may be different. You can find the location of yours by opening CDex and navigating to Options->Settings->Local CDDB.
2. In the CDDB directory you’ll find CDexGenres.txt. Open the file in a simple text editor (like Notepad). If you double click the file the default Windows action is to open it in Notepad so that should work fine.
3. To add a new genre to the list use this format:
   Genre Number[tab]Genre Name[tab]Genre Category[return]
   It’s also important to note that you must include a Category and you must use tabs, not spaces, between the items. My new genres look like this:
   0      Breakcore      electronic
1      Dubstep      electronic
2      Retard Beats & Farting Sounds      misc

4. Save the CDexGenres.txt file and restart CDex if it’s already running. You’ll now find the new genres in your list.

Memorial weekend I’ll be performing at The Aquarium in Fargo along with Mark H, Male Enhancement Pill and Cheef. The Artbreaker, although scheduled, isn’t going to be able to make it and the hard style beats he brings will be  missed.

But come out anyway and enjoy the show.

The Aquarium
226 Broadway, Fargo, ND
Saturday, May 28, 201121+, $5 Cover

Scrounging around the house I had no trouble quickly locating several candidates for my ‘metal session’ \m/ (ascii devil horns are optional).

The metal sound makers would be a soup can, beer can, metal ruler, knife, and two pot lids of different size. I also fashioned a homemade violin bow but to compare it to the real thing would be an insult.

The homemade bow was made using a metal yardstick, masking tape, and heavy cotton thread/twine like that which you might use to tie up a turkey before roasting. Tying a string to two ends of of some sort of stick so that there is a bow in the stick is so basic I won’t bother explaining how I did that.

With everything prepared I began recording and discovered some truly horrific sounds: the squeals and screeching of tortured metal.

The pieces of thin beer can aluminum dragging across stainless steel pot lids proved to be a notable combination.  Sadly, the bow was a little disappointing but I believe my choice in thread and lack of rosin was to blame.

All in all my Metal On Metal experiment was a success. I will likely be revisiting this again in the future so don’t be surprised if you see a Metal On Metal II.

SndBnk_Metal-On-Metal_Sampler

The samples have been consolidated in a .ZIP file for your use. There are 72 recordings in two folders (straight & percussive) in .WAV format recorded at 44.1KHz/16bit.

Download Sound Bank – Metal On Metal [.zip]

My neighborhood is in close proximity to quite a bit of industry and the train yard servicing that industry is also close by. The sources of these sounds are trains, bridges, trucks, cars, puddles, and drains.

My field recording hardware admittedly has its drawbacks but the results are still worth sharing. I’ve edited the recordings down to some of the more interesting sounds.

SndBnk_Industrial_Sampler

The samples have been consolidated in a .ZIP file for your use. There are 9 files in .WAV format recorded at 44.1KHz/16bit.

Download Sound Bank – Industrial [.zip]

A short time back I was reading an article about using a telephone pickup coil to record EMFs created by everyday electrical devices.  The article on the Radium Audio Labs blog comes from the brilliant sound designers over at Radium Audio and if you haven’t checked out their award winning work I suggest you do for instant inspiration.

I wasted no time in locating and ordering a telephone pickup coil for next to nothing to make my own recordings. Walking around my place I quickly found a half dozen electrical appliances to try it out on.

It’s also interesting to note that while a pickup coil can record usually unheard EMFs it is equally capable of recording the EMFs of stereo speakers only without the background noise associated with regular microphones. I discovered the latter recording method lends a certain thin sound to music and voice while recording my alarm clock radio.

I have compiled a short example of the sounds I was able to gather around my place.

Pickup-Coil_Sampler

The longer recordings of each individual device have been consolidated in a .ZIP file for your use. There are 6 monophonic recordings in .WAV format recorded at 44.1KHz/16bit.

1. Laptop HD
2. Compact Flourescent Light Bulb
3. LCD Television
4. Microwave
5. Cell Phone
6. Phone Charger

Download Pickup Coil Recordings [.zip]

Most of the homemade violin bow articles I found were of the artisanal variety involving expensive wood, specialty tools and most importantly, skill. Then I stumbled on the Awful Horsehair Bow at Moonmilk.com.

Clever as it is to use such cheap materials, I’d end up spending about the same on the wood, hardware, etc. as I would purchasing a cheap bow on Amazon.com.

Quibbles aside, Moonmilk is a virtual warehouse of DIY din makers. Its purveyor Ranjit Bhatnagar has been constructing instruments of questionable construction and unique timbre since at least 1993.

There is no question that making your own instrument is a great way to acquire some wholly unique sounds. If a little inspiration is required a quick dig through Moonmilk should get the gears turning.

Obviously I am interested in creating dark and disturbing sound effects so I was incredibly pleased to find these videos showing how everyday items are used to make gruesome sounds.

The videos come from Tim Prebble’s sound design studio called Hiss And A Roar but the Website seems to be under construction for the time being.

Vegetable Violence from tim prebble on Vimeo.

Bowed Cymbal recording from tim prebble on Vimeo.

Now about the track. It’s a dark twisted atmosphere of eerie drones and the pained vocalizations of souls possessed by the supernatural make this one creepy audio workout. TDT says: “… is creepy as fuck cult ass exorcism soundtrack and documentation recording business.”

The sad truth is that I’ve been toying with the idea of doing something around exorcism for a long time now. “How long?” I hear you ask. Well, long enough that some of the samples used in this release were recorded some 6 years ago.

Lamentations aside, it’s here now and that’s a good thing. Even if it did take the better half of a decade to bear fruit.

Download TDT006 + TDT007 at darktapes.tumblr.com

Lacking very little new music to perform I endeavored to develop some new tracks after a long hiatus from music production. Inspiration struck and I began working on a conceptual album based on the retelling of an old black and white suspense story.

The performance went well (ignoring a false start error) and the results were recorded for posterity.  Sadly I was unable to complete all five intended tracks of my new album before the performance and was forced to make due with only three. Shortly thereafter a computer problem derailed the completion of the album and I still have yet to finish it.

For now, this live performance is all that exists of the new tracks. It’s a jungle break fueled ride through some dark and disturbing landscapes. Enjoy.

Year: 2009

Epilektric-Live@ThinkTank_Vol.4

This collection of techno tracks was constructed entirely on a Yamaha RM1X. Clips were constructed ahead of time but the arrangement was improvised. User Projects was mostly an experiment in creating tracks for live performance utilizing the Yamaha hardware.

Influenced by Detroit and Midwest techno and artists like Plastikman, Joey Beltram, DJ T-1000, Paul Birken, and the Drop Bass Network, these are straight-up techno tracks with a hard and dark bent.

These tracks are a little raw and unfinished with the occasional technical error. Being the unpolished experiments that they are I still feel they stand pretty well on their own despite their flaws.

Year: 2002

Download User Projects [.zip]

01-Epilektric-User Projects-U01

02-Epilektric-User Projects-U02

03-Epilektric-User Projects-U03

04-Epilektric-User Projects-U04

05-Epilektric-User Projects-U05