The sound of a kick drum... miles away... buried deep within the earth.
 

Wolfgang Voigt's Gas Box 10LP +4CD set has just arrived. Of Voigt's*countless one-off side project monikers, it is his work as Gas which has gained the most critical acclaim. And for good reason - this is some of the finest dark ambient minimal techno you could ever hope to find. And after sixteen years of various abridged and modified reissues, Voigt has presented the albums Zauberberg,*Königsforst, and Pop in their entirety, along with a bonus disc featuring "Tal 90", (previously released in Various - Pop Ambient 2002) and "Oktember*B" from the Oktember EP from 1999.

http://i.imgur.com/0wWQ7FEl.jpg

The set is housed in a sturdy slipcase with embossed jackets for each release.*The discs are contained in glossy black paper sleeves with GAS logo printed on both sides. The accompanying hardcover 12" x 12" art book with digital images of the Königsforst also contains four CDs of the music from the set.

Inspired by Voigt's youthful LSD experiences in the Königsforst (a German forest situated near his hometown of Köln), served as the inspiration behind these releases. Voigt claimed that he wanted to "bring the forest to the disco, or vice-versa".

Wikipedia offers an excellent description of the Gas sound:

http://i.imgur.com/IJsjiACl.jpg

It also notes that critics have described Gas music as, "similar to hearing a band playing very far away, underwater, or from behind walls." By any measure, this is a milestone ambient box set and an essential piece of any ambient record collection.

ahhhh was going to ask you if got that. I am super jealous. wish it included his first album as well, which is for whatever reason underappreciated.

I was similarly surprised when I saw that it wasn't included. The Nah Und Fern 2LP comp is similarly lacking in that dept.

Excellent grab, my man.

An Epic Hip House Anthem
 

Just arrived from the UK - after years of stalking this rarity it's finally mine. Distributed in France in 1991, this is the limited edition picture disc of the most monumentally epic hip house / electro-thrash single ever to destroy a pair of speakers.

http://i.imgur.com/9dOp0KNl.jpg

It is complete with relentlessly thumping dance beats, over-the-top sampled cheeseball guitar riffs, and Deep Purple's Glenn Hughes screaming to the storm, "I WANNA SEE YOU SWEAT!" ad infinitum. Throw in the bizarre historical mythos of The KLF discovering the lost continent of America in the year 992 and you've got a ridiculous dance hit that only The KLF could concoct.

http://i.imgur.com/AG9lwA9.jpg

Don't miss the insane video for the single - "America, What Time is Love?"



"This is what the KLF is about. Over and out."

Stopping in quickly to share a bit of happiness from my world. I've just finished framing four newly-acquired pieces for my office.

Below the limited edition Eno & Hyde art print is the aforementioned KLF pic disc.

And long-overdue, I've added two essential female electronic music composers to my 20th-century wall - Daphne Oram and Delia Derbyshire!

But the most exciting piece is the giant Electric Love theremin schematic mapping all of the great pioneers of electronic sound in beautiful silver foil ink.

This office truly is my sanctuary!

http://i.imgur.com/Lyn5BBwl.jpg

Just had a seizure from looking at ISB's nerd room.

Oh you just wait, Batty. I'll post the other 3 walls shortly... it's dork central.

And I officially request that you change your username to "innerspacecowboy" cause that's how I always see it anyway.

im super jealous, that's an awesome set-up. +1 for the famous lamp we get to look at in all of your vinyl shots :D

While I can't promise that, I did put together a Christmas gift for the Batlord.

Tonight I shot a gallery showcase of my nerd haven. Captions included. I welcome your ridicule.

Check it out!

I lvoe that you went back to that avatar.

Coming Soon to Innerspace: The Time Machine
 

While this week's post is not necessarily musical, it is perhaps my most exciting post to date, and I'm confident that many of my readers will share in my exhilaration.

2016 has been a monumentally nostalgic year, likely due to my age and as a bit of reactionary escapism from the seemingly endless barrage of tragedies which have befallen us this year. More so than ever before, I've been transforming my home into a palace of beloved objets d'art and memories of wonderful moments from decades (or even centuries) past. My reading has been largely cultural criticism, political revolutionary texts, and music manifestoes from my favorite periods in history, and similarly, my cinematic explorations have been a journey through cult classics from the silver screen to the present.

One classic film has always remained close to my heart - the 1960 film adaptation of H.G. Wells' The Time Machine. My father shared the film with me via a VHS copy he taped from a broadcast on AMC in the 1980s. I was captured by the regal Victorian style of the time traveler's home. I quickly adopted red velvet draperies, antique wood furniture, and fringe-shaded oil lamps for my own personal style, and have been refining that decor for 20 years.

http://i.imgur.com/zYvU0iXl.jpg

In 2012 a rosewood Denon DP-60L vintage turntable became my pièce de résistance.

http://i.imgur.com/4IN5iFcl.jpg

And in 2013, the film resurfaced in my life when I purchased a 1971 painting by a local artist celebrating the movie. It had been acquired directly by a reseller and comic collector when it was painted but was never owned or displayed until my discovery of the piece forty years later. And as luck would have it, there was an ornate decorative Victorian style frame its exact size sitting a few feet away in the same shop. I didn't hesitate for a moment and took them both home.

http://i.imgur.com/tBJ0BDRl.jpg

So when nostalgia crept back into my mind this winter, I went back to that fateful film and the fantastic journey of the time traveler. I began scouring eBay, Amazon, and other marketplaces for a brilliant piece of official merchandise to celebrate the film in my own home. I quickly discovered that there is actually very little in the way of official merch for this magnificent film. A seller on Amazon offers a low-res bootleg print of the theatrical poster, but a genuine copy will set you back $600 and there is nothing offered in between.

http://i.imgur.com/KMUQKrAl.jpg

But it was off the beaten path that I found the greatest treasure any Time Machine devotee could ask for. While there are two independently-engineered advanced model kits available in the $200 dollar range, both are far beyond my level of ability to assemble and paint. However, on a humble website named Time Machine Models, a gentleman designs and handcrafts several working models of the Machine with varying levels of complexity. His latest design is absolutely breathtaking, and he offered to build one for me once he’s settled into his new home.

The latest model, based on the design of the full-scale Machine has a solid walnut base, brass rails and ornaments, and velvet seat cushions. The dish is turned with a new style motor that is built into the hub of the dish and eliminates the need for an external bearing wheel, providing a smoother and quieter operation. The control lever which activates the motor and lights is removable and comes in its own tiny display box.

http://i.imgur.com/1EltRMhl.jpg

And better still - The Invention is available in The Tantalus Box from the film to truly showcase the piece properly.

http://i.imgur.com/cc7MMPjl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/GYcYIMXl.jpg

Here is The Time Machine in action. (All images and video are property of TimeMachineModels.com.)



The project is estimated to take twelve weeks to craft from start to finish*and will be a splendid tribute to the memory of my late father’s initiating me into the world of science fiction all those years ago.

But wait! I do have a musical connection to close this feature after all!*In anticipation of the project, I've ordered an original pressing of the dramatic score to The Time Machine!

http://i.imgur.com/QdCxTMWl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/2nD82Zbl.jpg

These are indeed exciting times. Happy new year everyone.

And this is why I voted your journal the best.

New Year - New Gear
 

My favorite headphones for the past 5 years have been the Sennheiser HD-380 Pro series. I thoroughly tested them against the ATH-M50 (their closest competitor) and preferred the Sennheiser model in every category of comparison from comfort, design aesthetic, durability, transparency of audio signature, and portability. (The HD-380 Pros ship with a wonderful semi-hard shell travel case.) You can check out my original comparative review from 2011 here.

http://i.imgur.com/tObfj55l.jpg

After 5 years, I’ve replaced the earpads once, but the replacements are third-party aftermarkets and have already separated from the frame after only a few months. I’m considering investing in a new pair and am exploring alternative models.

In April of last year, I picked up a pair of AudioQuest Nighthawks - the company’s flagship headphone. Aesthetically they are absolutely brilliant and precisely the style I’m after. They wed both vintage and contemporary design with their liquid wood finish, biometric diamond-cubic butterfly latticework grills, and retro-style dual headband. (Check out my featured images and more design details from this entry to Innerspace.) But of course, what matters most with headphones is their sound signature, and I quickly found that while the Nighthawks deliver a punchy and powerful sound for live and rock recordings, that they were somewhat lackluster in their delivery of classical, ambient, and electroacoustic works.

http://i.imgur.com/AZ6HSvzl.jpg

The features I most desire in a headphone are supraaural closed-back leather earcups, detachable cables, passive noise cancellation, and studio-style sound signatures which focus on transparency rather than colorization. These will primarily be used in my listening room and in bed, which are both low ambient noise environments. Comfort is another key factor as I do not want fatigue to distract from first-listens to subtle and nuanced recordings like ambient, space, and drone works. I’m eyeing the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 cabled headphones as a potential upgrade.

http://i.imgur.com/PkitWkal.jpg

But before I jump into a new pair, I’m going to hold off until I pick up the AudioQuest Dragonfly Red USB DAC. Universally acclaimed as the finest portable DAC at its price point, the device has been sold out from all licensed distributors twice since November of 2016, so I am just awaiting the next replenishment. I am hopeful that the Dragonfly Red will correct the somewhat disappointing (but fully understandable) performance of my Android cell phone, Chromebook, and my desktop in playback of FLAC and 320CBR audio from my server.

Stay tuned!

I'm looking into getting a new pair myself, and am surprised that so many good headphones are actually reasonably priced (around $150). I listen to primarily metal and rock and need something that focuses on long-term comfort, as I kind of live on my computer and wear headphones pretty much 99% of the time even if I'm not listening to music. Any recommendations or suggestions on what qualities to look for?

A Diamond in the Rought for Sport Headphones
 

My latest entry prompted several headphone recommendation requests, and the first was resolved with great success so I will share it here for anyone interested in the same market.

A friend was interested in activewear headphones for use while exercising at the gym. Bluetooth was a key feature as they wished to pair the cans wirelessly with their iPod Touch. Her budget was $200. She wanted an on-ear style as IEMs inevitably fall out of her smaller-than-average ears.

I related to her my experience with Sennheiser behind-the-neck style on ear headphones and did some research to see what was available in Bluetooth in that format.

Sport behind the neck on-ear wireless headphones with Bluetooth technology is an incredibly tiny, tiny niche market. As such there is very little in the way of articles or features showcasing the best models. Matters are further complicated by the fact that behind-the-neck Bluetooth cans are not listed among all the other headphones on Amazon, but instead are tucked away quietly under Cell phone accessories.

But exploring that small category quickly revealed that there are very, very few models available with the behind-the-neck on-ear build and that most of those which qualify have only a handful of customer reviews on Amazon. The average cell phone accessory headphones are IEMs and have only 1-300 reviews, which did not instill any degree of confidence as to their quality.

Surprisingly, there was one single product which is the diamond in the rough of this otherwise quiet market. The Kinivo BTH240 headphones have a 4-star average review from over 5,100 buyers who each sing its praises in great detail. The 240 series was apparently a significant improvement over the previous Kinivo model in several categories, including improved battery life, a sleeker new design, increased number of pairings, and an added micro USB charging port.

http://i.imgur.com/rvEpefxl.jpg

The model is incredibly lightweight at only 73g, is foldable, and comes with a velveteen storage pouch. It works with the iPod Touch and a variety of other devices, and the battery is good for ten hours of active use. Users with smaller than average heads and ears expressed that they wear them with incredible comfort and that after 45 minutes of intense running the headphones hadn’t budged an inch. They are also incredibly resistant to sweat and are fantastically durable.

http://i.imgur.com/E8FKGkPl.jpg

And the price? The MSRP is $49.99 but Amazon offers the BTH240s in a variety of colors for only $24.99. My only gripe with these headphones was not the product itself but that, curiously, all colors were priced the same except for pink, (the color my friend was excited to find), which was not 24.99, nor the MSRP of $49.99, but THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS. eBay reflected the same price, and the only two sellers Google returned with a lower price were red-flagged by uBlock Origin as being less than trustworthy merchants. The fact that "lady tax" is still an issue in 2017 is appalling, but my friend will settle for the standard black model.

So if any of you are interested in a quality Bluetooth sport headphone, give these a try.

I'd be more than happy to assist, Bat! There are several factors to consider. If you'd like, shoot me your answers to the following and I'll look into it for you.

1. What build style are you looking for? IEM, on-ear, or supraaural (over-the-ear)?

2. Are you interested in noise cancellation, either active or passive? Do you have a preference between the two? (If your mother's basement is fairly quiet then this may not be an issue.)

3. What is your budget?

4. What model(s) have you preferred in the past?

5. Do you prefer a heavily colored sound signature (mega bass or peaked highs and lows), or are you looking for studio headphones with a flat signature (good if you'll be doing any mastering or digitally transposing analog recordings).

6. Are there any other features you're interested in, such as wireless, Bluetooth, durability, portability, rich aesthetics, battery life, etc?

7. What is your content source? Listening directly from your PC? Is it mostly 320CBR or lossless? Are you using a dedicated DAC?

Let me know and I'll be happy to make a recommendation.

Oh snap, I was just hoping for a sentence or two. You don't have to go through all that trouble but I'm not gonna look a gift audiophile in the mouth.

Over-the-ear.

Nah. Little noise in the house.

I'll tell you when I have one lol, but definitely no more than $200.

I know next to nothing about headphone models.

Uh... I honestly don't know as I don't have the best ears in the world for sound differences, or at least I haven't owned enough pairs of headphones to be able to know. But I imagine I'd prefer something with enough bass/peaked highs and lows/whatever-I-don't-know to make a thrash metal song ****ing thump. Sorry I can't be more help here.

Not really. Except like I said long-term comfort.

PC, 320, and wtf is a DAC?

Right on, bro. Thanks for any help.

I noticed the last picture on your Imgur album mentioned a recording studio?

Didn't know you make/use to make music dude! What instruments do you play and could you produce some pics of your studio? I'm going more seriously into production and want to do something with audio production for a living (despite not having much skills as of yet beyond lo-fi).

You should know by now that brevity is a foreign concept to me. Ask for a sentence, you'll likely get a dissertation. :)

But based on your answers, the answer is clear - you want a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-M50x.

For years they've been acclaimed as a favorite over-ear headphone and one of the best-performing models in their price range. While I personally favor the HD380 Pros over the M50s, it's because I preferred the transparent sound signature of the Sennheisers to serve as studio monitors for ambient music and analog-to-digital transposition.

You are looking for something entirely different in a pair of cans. And the M50s deliver exactly what you're after. Their sound signature is "V" shaped, with clear and pronounced highs and punchy, subwoofer-sounding lows. If you had no discretion and just wanted muddy, overwhelming bass, I'd tell you to get a pair of Dre's Beats and call it a day. But I give you far more credit as a listener, and the M50xs will reward your ears with quality performance and dynamic, lively sound.

Their build quality is universally-lauded so you don't have to handle them with kid gloves. When you spend over a hundred dollars on headphones, they should give you many years of value, and these will certainly do the trick. And comfort is one of the highlights of this model. You can leave them on for hours with minimal fatigue.

The x is the newer version of these headphones, which you can pick up new on Amazon for $139 or certified refurbished for $109. They are the #1 best-seller in the DJ Headphone category. The x upgrade also means you can detach the cables, which is great if you ever need to replace a damaged cord. With 3,548 customer reviews
and an average score of 4.6 out of 5 stars, you can buy with confidence that these will really serve your needs well.

http://i.imgur.com/zohGoHsh.jpg

Thanks, Tristan. Yes, I used to make a variety of music. In my late teens I had a grunge/punk band like every other kid in the 90s. I played electric guitar and lead vocals, and was a songwriter as well. I also have a 12 string Fender acoustic which I used as a solo folk artist. I recorded a few albums by age 21, self-produced in my studio. Distribution was very limited, mostly among friends.

I also mentored a young woman who became fascinated by the ambient music I'd introduced her to. I set her up with CE2k (that was Audition before Adobe bought it), and taught her how to mix down tracks and in no time she produced some wonderful ethereal choral ambient material. When I last checked in on her she has made quite a name for herself in the music scene after she moved down south as a vocalist and guitarist. I'm glad to see she's using her talent.

Every now and again I consider composing leftfield ambient music. I would have a lot of fun transforming found sounds and abstract field recordings into longform compositions. But there's seriously enough of that in the world.

Rad.

What was the woman's name if I might ask?

And nothing wrong with producing music for yourself either man, even if it's not original it can still be used for personal reasons and gain.

Sweet, dude. Will definitely look into that. No I don't want Beats as I've heard they sound like trash for anything other than hip hop. There's a lot more to making Slayer kick your ass than a big bottom end. And I do listen to other forms of music fairly often so I still want something that isn't entirely sonically myopic. The detachable cord is also a big plus as I have the tendency to **** cords up and would be paranoid about being stuck with the world's most expensive paperweight.

How trustworthy is "certified refurbished" btw?

The term suggests that the manufacturer has sanctioned their refurbishing work, but the term is not what matters here. The seller is K&M Certified Refurb, and they have a 5 out of 5 stars, 100% positive rating in the last 12 months from 34 contented buyers.

If those figures satisfy your measure of the reliability and integrity of a vendor, then by all means, buy refurbished. I did for my Sennheisers and bought four pairs over a year for myself and for friends. Each was as good as new and I saved a bunch of money.

Happy to be of service.

I'd gladly pay full-price for a pair of bombass headphones, but a savings of $30 is certainly nothing to sniff at. Thanks for the help, bro.

After the Heat
 

This afternoon I revisited a stand-out track which appeared on three related collaborative albums by Brian Eno, Dieter Moebius, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, and Conny Plank - the key figures of Cluster and Harmonia.

"The Belldog" appeared on After the Heat (Sky, 1978), Begegnungen (Sky, 1984), and on Old Land (Relativity, 1985). The track features Moebius and Roedelius' trademark cyclic melodo-rhythmic electronic loops and sparse, atmospheric and ethereal space which was a characteristic standard of the Berlin School. There is a dark and sinister quality to this track which marries well with the ominous dystopian air of Eno's minimal lyrics.

The vocals are presented with the familiar echo delay effect which was quickly established as Eno's signature sound on Before and After Science just one year prior to the release of After the Heat. This effect lends an alienesque and detached property to his already otherworldly music - an effective representation of man's strange futuristic world at the technological dawn of the 1980s which was readily adopted by a flood of new wave and synth-pop bands in the years that followed.

"The Belldog"'s lyrics paint an image highly reminiscent of key scenes from the 1927 silent film, Metropolis - most notably the depictions of Freder arduously slaving away at a 10-hour shift frantically pulling clock-hand-like levers. And the second verse recalls the Eternal Garden scene from the same film.

The lyrics are brief but impactful:

Most of the day, we were at the machinery
In the dark sheds that the seasons ignored
I held the levers that guided the signals to the radio
But the words I received, random code, broken fragments from before

[Instrumental interlude]

Out in the trees, my reason deserting me
Oh, the dark stars cluster over the bay
Then in a certain moment, I lose control
And at last, I am part of the machinery

Where are you?
And the light disappears
As the world makes its circle through the sky

Have a listen to this wonderful song. It captures many of the best qualities of each of the collaborating artists.

I haven't listened to that in years. It's quite a gem for sure.

Indeed! Frown - a local musical peer of mine joined me for brunch today and raised the fact that every time we attend a record show, attendees have told me that I should really start a radio show or podcast. They've commented that I've a great voice for radio and that the conversational dynamic between my friend and I would make for an engaging listen. He is somewhat of an authority on space rock, 90s noise, and stoner rock/metal, while I am better-equipped to speak on my own genres of expertise. There is a sufficient overlap of our interests that would make conversation productive.

He romanticizes the halcyon days of NPR and other public radio programs which offered a communal ritualistic "fireside chat" sort of experience and invited me to collaborate with him on that sort of a project, (web-based or otherwise). The key idea is that the community at large has no attention span for long-form article reading in the age of rapid-fire social media, and that a podcast might have a greater accessibility for a larger listener base.

Any thoughts?

I did a free jazz hour twice a week at my college radio station. There's really nothing to doing a radio show and it's a hell of a lot of fun. Also if you can actually discuss the pieces in an interesting way (which I'm sure you can), you're already light years beyond most people and it can help build an actual fan base that'll give you more drive to keep it going.

I'd go for it.

I second this. Surely there are tons of college radio stations around NY if you're interested in that aspect, but I'd definitely check into a podcast as well.

Can't say I've seen any film versions of The Time Machine, but I read the book this summer. To be honest, I was disappointed. However, I might check out that movie now, to see if it's more enjoyable.

Cheers for reading such a classic! Take the film with a grain of salt - remember that it was 1960. Accept that they took some liberties with straying from the original novel. But in the end, it really was a sci-fi cinema classic.

And oh yes - it's shot in METROCOLOR!!!!

How would you go about learning how to make a minimalistic home studio (just like the basics), and what cost would I be looking at?

I'd give your show a listen for sure. I've found some great stuff browsing the links in your sig btw - most recently Skalpel's self titled.

Thanks! Glad you're digging the list. If you enjoy Skalpel's s/t I'd also recommend the following future jazz staples:

Amon Tobin - Bricolage
Amon Tobin - Supermodified
Cinematic Orchestra - Motion
Funki Porcini - Fast Asleep (conk out tunes)
Hidden Orchestra - Night Walks
Kruder & Dorfmeister - The K&D Sessions (an undisputed downtempo classic)
Mr. Scruff - Trouser Jazz (having a bit of fun with it)
Royksopp - Melody A.M.
St. Germain - Tourist (classy downtempo jazz)
St. Germain - St. Germain (more energetic with a smart dose of world music)

or for darkjazz -

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - From the Stairwell
The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation - Anthropomorphic

And if any other members are enjoying recordings from my lists, by all means shoot me the titles you enjoy and I'll fire off a list of related essentials.

An excellent question. I already have a dedicated sound room with an audio workstation so I was halfway there. The room has no electronics with moving components, a near-zero noise floor, and plenty of dampening elements so echo is a non-issue.

Since my PC soundcard does not feature multitrack inputs the first thing I'm picking up is a basic mixer. I needed one with two 1/4" auxiliary inputs, a few component inputs, and a USB out. An engineer friend who mixes sound for film recommended the Alesis Multimix 4 USB FX 4-Channel Mixer with Effects & USB Audio Interface which is $94.99. And if you need more inputs there is an 8-channel unit for $149.

I've got a decent Shure XLR mic from my music recording days so I'll just need one more mic, but I'll need tripod boom stands so that I have my hands free for the shows. These AmazonBasics Tripod Boom Microphone Stands are only $17 each.

I'd considered picking up desktop mic stands but my engineer buddy advised against it as resting my and my cohost's arms on the desk would generate unwanted noise if we used desktop stands.

The next essential is to pick up pop/plosive filters for each mic. (These eliminates the terrible clipping you hear on amateur podcasts when the speaker uses harsh consonants like the words beginning with the letter "P".) Plosive filters are really inexpensive but make you sound far more professional. Pick up a windscreen like this one for $11.99.

I'm a Linux user so for software I'll be using the multitrack recorder in Audacity to record the channels coming out of the mixer. Audacity is free and available for Windows users if that's your poison. I used to produce using Syntrillium's CoolEdit2000 way back before Adobe purchased it and redubbed it as Adobe Audition. If you've already got Audition or ProTools, you're all set with software, but Audacity will do the job just fine for free.

I should definitely note that eHomeRecordingStudio.com published a wonderful feature walking user who are new to home recording through all the basics. It even includes purchase links with a variety of options for all the necessities. They've broken the guide up into four sections - users starting fresh in their bedrooms, users who've got a dedicated and acoustically-treated sound room in their home, semi-pro studios, and a final section for professionals.

Check it out here!

Hey Trollheart... add these last two features to my Guru List. :afro:

I actually bookmarked that page yesterday! Thanks for detailing your purchases!

I must ask though, what would be the benefit of mixing a track outside of Audacity with the Alesis, as opposed to doing it in program? I'm still quite a newbie to all this.

^
Awesome. I'm pretty familiar with Amon Tobin and St Germain, will definitely have to check out those others.

No prob - it's a matter of technological limitation. The integrated sound card on the motherboard of PCs is ****e. That's why people buy external DACs and such. And that limitation is terrible for recording, as most onboard soundcards can only handle a single stereo input at a time. So I could only record one mic line, or external sound source in real time. Useless for two gents chatting into dedicated mics with a third stereo channel of line level audio.

That's where the mixing board comes in. It handles input from multiple dedicated stereo channels simultaneously, with controls for input levels, effects, etc, and transmits that audio data via USB to the PC. This preserves each independent audio channel and assigns each automatically to a separate channel in Audacity, granting me the flexibility to adjusting the individual recordings separately in post production.

Does that help?

Of course! Very informative all of this, thanks again!

My superpower - I can spot an ambient record from 350 feet.
 

Just moments ago, I came across a user in a music community who posted this photo as his current spin -

http://i.imgur.com/mBFdq9dl.jpg

The cover stopped my scroll wheel action in its tracks, as my brain latched on to an unfamiliar specimen of a well-established established trope. We've got a sparse aerial shot of wintry mountains. We've got two words set in sans serif lowercase type. Ladies and gentlemen... this is a minimalist ambient drone record.

Sure enough, the artist name - loscil is taken from the "looping oscillator" function of the same name in Csound. Loscil is the electronic/ambient music project of Scott Morgan, from Vancouver, British Columbia, whose self-released debut, A New Demonstration of Thermodynamic Tendencies caught the attention of Kranky Records who promptly signed him up for a record deal.



And yet somehow, in all my years of ambient travel (3,950 ambient albums to date), loscil had evaded my radar. I'm remedying that immediately and really enjoying the cold, isolated sound of this album.

Now I just need a superhero name based on my power.