To Anyone Still Out There Listening...

Sometime in late 2019 or early 2020, I more or less stopped playing guitar altogether. Stopped practicing, jamming, or trying to write anything. The chaos of the last several years, as well as work and home responsibilities, took a toll and I didn’t have the time/interest/energy to put into music. 

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been participating in a fitness challenge that requires waking up at 5:00 to work out. After workouts, I've found myself with anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour every weekday morning before I need to start work, so for the last week or so, I've been practicing guitar again. Its amazing how much you forget when you haven't played in a couple of years.

Before I left my last band, our lead guitarist gave me this DigiTech RP300 effects processor. I never found a use for it until now - turns out it works great for early morning guitar practice while my wife is still asleep. (Somehow I don't think she'd appreciate me cranking up my "Wall of Doom" at 6:30 A.M. to run scales...) 

It feels great to be playing again.

Free Tool Alert: VSTs for Metal Guitar Tone

A few free tools I stumbled across on YouTube. The video below gives a great demo on how to use them. I'll be trying these out once I have more time to play guitar. Hopefully someone else out there finds these useful!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8EDqv3BvV0

NaLex Amp Sim Ninja - Amp & Preamp
https://nalexsoft.blogspot.com/2019/09/ninja-preamp.html

GVST Plugins (Noise Gate and Tuner used in video)
https://www.gvst.co.uk/downloads.htm

Ignite Amps NadIR - used as a cabinet simulator for guitar and bass (pre)amplifiers
https://www.kvraudio.com/product/nadir-by-ignite-amps

SSF Goes off the Zucker-Grid

All,

 This is to inform you that as of today, the Silent Sci-Fi page has been removed from Facebook permanently. Any future news or updates will be found here at http://silentscifi.blogspot.com, and SSF Vol. 1 through V will continue to be available at https://silentscifi.bandcamp.com, as will any and all future releases. Thanks to all who have followed and supported us, and we hope to see you all again soon.

 #deletefacebook

3D Printed Robot Mascots!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Aliens, Mutants, Robots of all configurations, after some delay, we are pleased to present the files for two of our mascots, free to download, print, assemble, and display in your recording space. We only ask that you share any pictures of your builds with us!

J1M: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2871226

Roadie: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2871239

More of our robot army will be coming soon. Watch the skies...

Presenting Volume V

 
Ladies and Gentlemen, Aliens, Mutants, Robots of all configurations, we are proud to present Silent Sci-Fi, Volume V. Thanks to all the artists who submitted tracks, and who worked long and hard to make this a great album!

 Volume V is free to stream or download at Bandcamp, and will be available shortly on YouTube.

 Silent Sci-Fi will return in January 2019. Watch the skies...

Volume V Deadline Update

Ladies and Gentlemen, Alients, Mutants, Robots of all configurations, an announcement:

It has come to my attention that there are some participants who would benefit from a slightly later deadline. In the interest of trying to include all who wish to participate, I am extending our submission deadline by one month. Our new deadline is May 1st, 2018. Hopefully this allows everyone who wishes to participate to do so.

Artist Profile - Splendid Obsolescence

Splendid Obsolescence 

Austin, Texas USA

Sometimes cinematic, sometimes ambient, sometimes punk, sometimes new wave, sometimes industrial, and sometimes just weird at its base, Splendid Obsolescence exploits a wide palette of psychoacoustic tricks and equipment in unfamiliar ways. A bass guitar may be more reminiscent of a harpsichord or a simple reverb trail may seem to be a casual violin line to the listener.  At the same time, traditional instruments recorded in traditional styles may intertwine to create complex yet minimal soundscapes.Simply put, things may or may not be what they seem on the surface.

Fan reviews from Amazon describe Splendid Obsolescence releases as follows: 

“Mango Stress Test” ...for fans of liminal soundscapes (intelligent electronica)....Crepuscular, liminal, and deep... these iterations of soundscaping take your mind into some potent grooves and fascinating furrows...highly recommended, especially for those who like :zoviet *france:, The Hafler Trio, Aube, and Psychic TV.  -L. Holton

And

“Oracle of the Snowbird” ...A beautiful nightmare...Equal parts industrial and ambient music, Splendid Obsolescence's auspicious debut, "Oracle of the Snowbird," pulls even the most casual listener into some sort of hallucinogenic dream-state; very appealing, yet a tad unsettling at the same time. And the classical minimalist's "Variant" format allows each piece to degenerate and regenerate sounds/voices in a most unexpected way. The overall effect of these 8 Variants on the main theme is a truly unique, and somewhat terrifying one. A beautiful nightmare... -Lord Harold

All Songs:
Copyright Splendid Obsolescence
Splendid Obsolescence Publishing (BMI)
All Rights Reserved

All tracks available for TV and Film master and sync licensing.
All tracks available for master and mechanical audio compilation licensing. 

Contact: bryan@splendidobsolescence.com

Website/Bandcamp: www.splendidobsolescence.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1iZWI9wkB8tHvZ7pC0VYZ9
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/splendidobsolescence/
Splendid Obsolescence releases are also available to purchase and stream worldwide on Amazon, ITunes, and many other independent digital outlets.