Not One, Not Two, But Three Turntables ¹
Okay, well, being as how Dubstep seems to be the theme of the day for a variety of reasons …
Phuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh Q, Rollins!
Whilst we’re on the topic of lonely hearts … (you can blame herself for that particular thematic detour)
But … as I do so like my sonata form synthesis ² (and not just in music)
Actually, however, the title and the pre-amble are misleading: this isn’t about three, four (or even eight ³) turntables at all … or about Dubstep … nor even love, death and/or robots … it’s about the fact that
I CAN HAZ THREE MONITORS!!!
You see the Trigger Finger and Kaoss Pad here … well, they’re not any more.
I was getting frustrated with only two monitors: the second you open even only a handful of VSTi and/or VSTfx, you can’t see the timeline or the mixer and that’s no good — so, a third monitor on which to leave open a spectral analyser, master EQ and the main synth(s) I’m working with, without cluttering my view of everything else, or losing them behind whatever other synth/fs I open up to tweak … that’d be fine, you get me?
The problem is though that my laptop wasn’t chosen for how many monitors it can support but for the specs and, above all, CPU (it’s an i5, not an i7 ⁵).
I’ve been threatening to get a (rather expensive) dock and increase the number to four (or, potentially, even five) but was persuaded by the same friend who gifted me the WiFi AP that it would be an expensive mistake to spend the money only to discover the graphics driver wouldn’t support more than two and, instead, to try a spare USB-to-VGA/HDMI/DVI converter they’d send me first — then, if it didn’t, no harm done and, if it did, I could always spend the extra money, if I wanted to.
Which (cutely impetuous though I may by nature be) I could see the sense of and, so … grumbling as I did so … I graciously agreed to take them up on their kind offer.
Well, it arrived today and
I CAN HAZ THREE MONITORS!!!
WOO! YEAH!
But this post would’ve been rather dull, if it had only been about how I now have three monitors, wouldn’t it?
So, you got some music too … and an education in musical form and how it relates to the principle of thesis/antithesis/synthesis in other dimensions as well as well — you’re welcome, you ingrates.
There look … music and technology and Philosophy — a post even Jacky can enjoy 😀
Right … all I’ve got to do now is say nothing to my benefactor about it and wait for them to enquire — at which point I can offhandedly remark “What? Oh … yeah … that. Yeah, it arrived <a long time ago>. What? Oh. Yeah. Yeah, it works. Whatever” … because ‘Gracious’ and ‘Humble’ are my middle names 😉
Nah … I’ll send them a message in a moment, thanking them and expressing my delight — it’s the least I can do (definitely cheaper than paying them for it 😉)
—
¹ Only three? … I’ll need more than that for what I’ve got in mind!
² If you ever get the opportunity to get your hands on the Techno/Hardhouse/Harddance version of Lose Control by Alex Calver and Wayne A, take it — it’s a masterclass in both sonata form and concision.
³ Yes, I really am that much of a smartarse showoff: I could do what I want with two and a laptop, but where’s the fun in that, when I could wow everyone with four and a laptop with four virtual decks on it instead of just a loop trigger and/or Ableton instead? ⁴
⁴ Yeah, yeah, there’s a queue of people who wanna punch me in the mouth, get to the back of it …
You lot can have your turns after the groupies have had theirs 😜
⁵ Things might’ve changed in the meantime but, back when the i7 was new, it was poor for music production (horrible latency) and the i5 was the better choice and latency makes a difference even when you’re just recording a DJ set, so the i5 was the weapon of choice for the discerning/demanding who didn’t want a Mac.
