I’ve had a few questions and comments regarding playing chords with axis.  Here’s how to do it in ableton:

This’ll only work in ableton but there might be ways to do this using comprable vst plugins etc.

The new Zeal set is coming together and the first of many Melbourne gigs is lined up for April.  Oh yeah, and did i mention I have a new album ready for release?  next few posts should be bigguns…

zeal has been appearing in interesting corners of the blogosphere in the last couple of days.  there’s an interview at fiese falle about process and gear.  they’re the sort of things that interest me in interviews so maybe you’ll be into it.

also, there’s a write up about my guitar hero to midi app AXIS on one of my fav blogs – hack a day.

the post has drawn out some entertaining flames like: “Get a haircut and a real job.  Also, learn to play the real guitar. It’s a lot more fun, I promise.”

upon reading that i got a hair cut and a real job and learned to play the “real” guitar.  it’s not as fun.

speaking of fun – fun new things to buy appearing soon and even fun new ways to buy said fun new things.   but for now…

bob out.

zeal has relocated to melbourne!  i’m building my new live set so all you melbournites – keep an eye out for shows in the near future.  right now i’m prepping the packaging for my new album “with the moon alongside racing us home”.

physical copies of the album will ship in awesome handmade sleeves with fun paper parts and bonus warm fuzzy feelings.  i might find a way to sneak fun stuff into the digital copies too.  lots on the horizon – vj shows, new video clip, maybe a even a tour and a new ep.  back to it!

My Xbox Guitar Hero to MIDI application AXIS is available now!  The videos below explain all:

Mac users:

• Get AXIS 1.0 HERE.

• You’ll also need the Tattiebogle Xbox drivers from here.

Windows users:

• Get AXIS 1.0 HERE.

• You’ll also need LoopBe from here.

• Quicktime’s required for the Heads Up Display.  I’d recommend Quicktime Alternative.

• If the Xbox drivers don’t install automatically try here.

AXIS was built in Max/MSP.  If you’d like to adapt it for a different guitar or anything just get in touch and I’ll send you the source.

so it took almost exactly a year to write and record and now my next album “with the moon alongside racing us home” is mixed!  complete! done!  finito! pung! bahoogled!  i made a lot of those words up, feel free to use them (CC non-profit, attribution, share-alike).

now all this mixing’s done i’m focusing on my live show and getting axis out into the world.  i’m also enjoying playing with max for live as an audio visual environment.  getting sensors to the party is the next step i think… like some sort of reactive audio-visual “thingy”.

artwork for the album has to be done too… might start on that now.

bob out.

this is the little video patch i’m working on for the new show.  eventually it will do more fancy stuff like multiple layers, zoom, rotate etc.   the live show will probably involve fewer aliens…. but more robots.

as promised, a brand spanking new track from my upcoming album.  download and share to your hearts content.

Zeal-Wasps.mp3

Wasps was sampled and sequenced on a PS2 using this software and some of the lyrics were borrowed from a Benny Hinn song.

It’s been picked up by New Weird Australia vol. 3, a way cool compilation of interesting Australian music.  CHECK IT!

and Rose Quartz picked it up almost instantly and said nice things like “this new Zeal track is some cool fucking shit.” READ!

that’s the name of my new album!  apparently not “with the moon along side racing us home” as is written on… THIS PROMO CD!

i have some promos left from a very tiny run.  Three new tracks from the new album all in odd cases, no two are alike. Three to give away! just hit me up.  that’s right. i blunk.

spent the last two weeks finishing my new album.  i don’t think i’ve mentioned what’s it’s going to be called yet…  i don’t think i will now either.  but i will moon soon.  a few tracks are mastered and i’m being a one man CD duplication factory this very second, pumping out a small pile of cd singles.  feels like we should have been done with these lumbering circular plastic things 5 years ago.  catch up radio! next step, artwork.  it’s quite exciting.  you’ll like the album, i promise.  it makes mention of robots a few times and there’s this three note refrain that’s sprinkled through out the 15 or so tracks which all weave together.  it’s almost a concept album… just with a poorly defined concept…  more of a unproven hypothesis album.

also on the work bench, for all you unfortunate souls, i’m getting AXIS up and running on windows… i say that but really xp’s alright.  the windows versions going to be minus a few small features just because of the way the windows drivers interpret the guitar (or unless someone else can fix it).  this is one big step closer to release meaning it will be out before the years up.

i’ve been making stickers too.  as i promised: robots and swear words.  if you want one you have two options.  the hard way: print out the above robot on sticker paper and cut it out.  or the super easy way: enter my EP + sticker give away! there’s four days left and it’s super easy.

back to the assembly line for me.

my EP This is how I hear your voice is now in delicious digital form.  you can stream it from this lovely little widget,  you can listen to it here, you can click share and tweet about it, you can click download and buy it for half the cost of the physical disc and you can click download and pay significantly more for it because you want to support my whimsical endeavors.  isn’t the internet great?  the EP will be up on itunes soon too so you’ll be able to do that whole thing too if you’d like.  i tend to avoid itunes after it ate my entire mp3 collection (TWICE) but maybe you’ve had better luck.

it’s all quite exciting and in celebration i have a free EP set aside for you.  just send me a tweet, leave a comment or send me an email answering this question:

how do you think YOU will survive the approaching inevitable robot uprising?

the best answers received before November 4th receive a copy of the EP and stickers with robots and swear words on them. robots and swear words!