I'm working toward a sound: looped trance and dubstep, played on live instruments instead of built in a laptop. Guitar, bass, and layers I stack in real time.
The newest piece is a Line 6 HX Stomp XL. It's an effects processor, and paired with my TC Electronic Ditto X4 looper it lets me build a part, loop it, and play over it. I'm still learning it.
Letting AI write my first HX Stomp preset
I didn't build my first preset by hand. I described the sound I was after to an AI, and it wrote the preset file for me, which I loaded straight onto the HX Stomp. The sound I asked for was dubstep wobbles. The AI built the preset around a Boss EV-30 expression pedal, running a throb filter along with a bass octaver and Facial Fuzz. I played with the settings until I found one I liked: a slow throb with the pedal all the way back, and a fast throb when I push it forward.
Here's a short clip of me playing guitar by the windows, with the fall trees outside.
The other new thing is a bass, though it isn't new. My dad gave it to me. He bought it when I was about eight, the same Christmas I got a guitar, and he never really played it.
I showed my dad this video, and he said, "I think that bass is a lot happier with you. It's been suffering here not being played, and you're finally giving it some love."
He's right. It feels good to play it.
I'm going to start playing this out, beginning with an open mic next week.
If you want to see where this goes, follow along at tjm.art.