another new Hollywood crush: Paula Patton

Here's another Hollywood starlet which got my interest: Paula Patton. She has not appeared in much yet which most people would immediately recognize, but she is quite charming and gifted as an actress. Anyway, another drive-by little mini-post due to time constraints, but I wanted to share a little bit of this delightful woman!

Another want for the synth wishlist

The Korg Kaossilator 2:

One of the main reasons why I am interested in hand-held, Pocket-sized electronic instruments is the infamous time limitation factor. Let's face it: who has enough time to do what they really love in today's existance? Between full-time work and un-paid/un-recognized overtime, chores, responsibilities, family, and everything else, one barely has enough time to indulge in life's pleasures, such as sleeping, eating at a decent pace, meditating, or just plain creating one own's personal art.


Granted many people would argue that if I did music using a laptop like about 99.9% of the electronic "musicians" (cough cough) out there today, I could probably get away by hauling around a semi-heavy and semi-cumbersome device. But I tried the laptop idea and aside from the fact it is a very cold and unwelcoming environment to work with, which also does not inspire creativity, is also not very transport-friendly. Have you tried making music on a laptop while commuting in the metro (and don't get me started on those horrible Azur STM métros which make travelling a real pain!)? Suffice it to say it isn't really an option.


When I saw the second generation of the Korg Kaossilator, I was quite impressed: about the size of one of today's "Smartphones" (nothing smart about them, and they even turn their users into braindead commercial-consuming Facebook selfie zombies), with a good amouont of versitality, this little beast of a device is a great alternative to hauling around an actual piece of gear. Because let's be blunt: if you are going to spend 60-90 minutes per day commuting to and from work, you might as well use that time to dig into that creativity and do something original.


However the Kaossilator doesn't really allow for much in terms of actual 100% original compositions. It does the basics quite well, sounds amazing, even has a sampler-like function, and is very user-intuative/friendly, but it doesn't have the versitality of a more complex set-up. So as I said, it is a wonderful little beast which I would LOOOOOOOVVVEEEEEEE to add to my arsenal and which would come in very handy when wasting all that time in the metro everyday, and would indeed help me feel like I am actually doing something musically. But I suspect that it could only take me so far, in the same vein as some of those free loopin and music making free apps on "Smartphones", who'se creating companies fold within a year and then offer zero support.

Latest Hollywood crush: Julia Jones

And so... my latest crush on a Hollywood actress is Julia Jones whom mopst would identify as a very secondary character (almost a couple of cameos, really) in one of modern day teenage-oriented vampire-light highly succesful movie series which launched a whole bevy of similarly-themed teenage-oriented movies with some kind of "supernatural" or pseudo-sci-fi(light) twist. I knew I recognized her when I saw her in the amazing film "Wind River", where she shines inexplicably even though she only appeared in 2 or 3 scènes! Anyway I could ramble on for ages about this but since I am doing this as a drive by from work, I have to finish it before I can even start! Anyway, enjoy!

Another synth wish; akai Timbre Wolf

Above: Here is another one of my "wishlist" synthesizers. However this one is very divided by synthesists everywhere. Some like it, some hate it with a passion. What`s good about this one is that it has it's own little step sequencer AND has a four voice "polyphony" which actually means you can sequence four individual "sounds" independantly. It's almost like having your very own little analogue "multi-track" sequencer, all in one small package. However one of the biggest downfalls of this one is how the actual filters and parameters for the sounds is somewhat limited, and not up to the standards of true analogists out there looking for synths that pack more "punch" or "bite". It's a great little addition to an already existing set-up, but it's shortcomings seem to be dividing the opinions of the target audience. If I could find one for dirt cheap, I am certain I could do something rather interesting when paired up with some of my other gear!