Volume 12

Posts 276-300
Friday, July 4, 2008
to
Monday, July 28, 2008
F RI DAY , J U LY 4 , 2 0 0 8

Just For Fun #12

Happy July 4t h

From all of us at Metal XOR Studio

Posted by - Mune Mud - at 9:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Just for Fun
SA T U R D A Y , J U L Y 5 , 2 0 0 8

Studio News: Equinox Dulcet

Met al XOR St udio is proud t o int roduce

This is the newest music project at the Studio. It is a solo project from Jason that
uses nothing but instruments and sounds from within the computer. The songs are
new age flavored and each one sounds like it has its origin in a different culture.
This project is the basis of the new weekly Sunday feature called Ethical Travels.
This Sunday will be an introduction to the new feature and details how Equinox
Dulcet music will be presented.

This is an exciting new project that has been in the works for nearly two years.
Now is the time to share it with the world. Come back Sunday for the unveiling of
this new endeavor.
Posted by - Mune Mud - at 5:30 AM 0 comments
Labels: Studio News
SU N D A Y , J U L Y 6 , 2 0 0 8

This Day in Studio History

It was on this day in 1998 that the Studio first used the audio editing software Cool
Edit. With this program the songs could now be mixed down from the 4-track
master into the computer and be edited with effects, cleaned up, or re-arranged.
Once the songs were finished in Cool Edit they were put in a play list and the
cassette copies of an album were made from that list.

Prior to this software, once a song was recorded on the 4-track master it was
finished, it just needed mixed down. But now songs, or parts of the songs, could
be changed after they were recorded. This new process was first used for the
Isthmus album Parabolic Dish Festival Volume 1 which was released in July of
1998.
Posted by - Mune Mud - at 5:30 AM 0 comments
Labels: This Day in History
SU N D A Y , J U L Y 6 , 2 0 0 8

Ethical Travels #0: Introduction

When I took two weeks off from work in September of 2006 for the birth of our
son, I used my spare time (when he was sleeping) to record some new music. It
was different than anything I had recorded before. But once the two weeks were
over and I got back to real life, I lost the free time I needed to complete a new
album.

The songs have been in the computer for almost two years. I don't want to wait
until I eventually have time to finish the album, so I have decided to release one
of the seven completed songs each Sunday for the next seven weeks in the form of
a Sunday blog feature called Ethical Travels. The new music project is called
Equinox Dulcet. After all seven songs have been released they will be compiled on
a CD and it will be the first Equinox Dulcet EP, titled Ethical Travels. Hopefully in
the future I can complete the project and release the full-length album in its
entirety, titled Ethical Travels on a Green Planet.

I have set up a new site to document Ethical Travels and Equinox Dulcet. Click
here to visit the site. Each Sunday this blog will have a link to a new song and story
at the other site.
Posted by - Mune Mud - at 9:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Ethical Travels
M ON DAY , J U LY 7 , 2 0 0 8

This Day in Studio History

On Wednesday, July 6, 1994, I found out we had a wireless microphone beltpack at

work that was ordered by mistake and could not be used. I asked about it and was
told I could buy it.

The next day, which was fourteen years ago today, I bought the unit for $25. I
brought it home and attached it to the back of my electric guitar and used it as a
wireless unit for my guitar. In theory it worked great, but since I was doing most of
my guitar playing sitting down in the Studio, I took the unit off and put it in
storage for future use.
Posted by - Mune Mud - at 5:30 AM 0 comments
Labels: This Day in History
M ON DAY , J U LY 7 , 2 0 0 8

Single #10: Reflection

Song name: "Reflection"

Album name: Sleep State F
Release date: November 18, 1997

Tracks
1. Reflection (album version)
2. One Second
3. Reflection (instrumental)

Song History
This was the second single from the 1997 Mune Mud album Sleep State F.

Jason had just watched a documentary on TV about prophecies and predictions

about the end of the world. After the show finished he got up, turned the TV off,
and recorded this song. The bridge in the middle of the song was taken from an
unused NueroMud song from 1995 called "Midnight at ____ Bridge".

Track Breakdown
The first track is the version that appeared on the album.

Jason stayed at some relatives' house for a week while they were on vacation. He
took his 4-track recorder, his guitar, his delay pedal, and a microphone and
recorded four songs that week. They were basic and recorded quickly. Two of
them, "Contact" and "Overfed", appeared on Sleep State F. "One Second" was one
of the two unused tracks, the other being "Sepia". This was the first place this song
was made available.

The third track is the instrumental version of the album track.

Posted by - Mune Mud - at 1:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Singles
T U E SD A Y , J U L Y 8 , 2 0 0 8

Studio News: New Host Found

I reported last month that I was having problems with the site that hosted all my
audio and document files. I'm glad to announce that the problem has been solved.
I have found a new site to host my files. I had to try a few different sites to find
one that met my requirements, but it has been found.

Over the last week I uploaded all the files to the new site and fixed all the links
that had become broken when the last host closed. So all links are back and
working properly.

And in all the new linking I found a new MP3 "jukebox" for this site. It can be found
in the sidebar on the right side of the page. You can play every song that has been
featured on this site in the Listen Online feature. The player is too wide for the
bar so it cuts some of the song titles off, but I will address that some time in the
future.
Posted by - Mune Mud - at 5:30 AM 0 comments
Labels: Studio News
W E D N E SD A Y , J U L Y 9 , 2 0 0 8

This Day in Studio History

It was on this day in 1996 that the first Isthmus album, Electric Field Donut, was
release.

Happy 12th Anniversary

Posted by - Mune Mud - at 5:30 AM 0 comments
Labels: This Day in History
W E D N E SD A Y , J U L Y 9 , 2 0 0 8

Equipment File #19: Josef Bremen violin

Josef Bremen violin

This violin was purchased for $50 in the mid 1990's by the Studio. It was to
eventually replace the string sounds used from the keyboards but never quite
achieved that much use. In fact, it was only used in one recording, "Intercostal
Communication", from the 1999 ORC album Purging the Great Abyss.

It still rests in Metal XOR Storage in case the Studio needs a real violin sound again.
Posted by - Mune Mud - at 1:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Equipment File
T H U R SD A Y , J U L Y 1 0 , 2 0 0 8

Article: Album of the Week Summary

The weekly Album of the Week feature that has appeared every Sunday since the
beginning of the blog has come to an end with Album of the Week #45. As new
albums are released you can expect a new Album of the Week post to be made.
Below is a complete list of the albums in the order they were featured.

#1. Mune Mud Mune Mud (debut album)

#2. Mune Mud Olympus
#3. NueroMud ...Libra 971
#4. NueroMud Nine Days Wonder
#5. NueroMorgue Devis Tortura
#6. NueroMorgue E. Phantasmata
#7. Binary Pipedream Binary Pipedream
#8. ORC Purging the Great Abyss
#9. Harry and Jason The Vintage Years Volume 1
#10. Isthmus Electric Field Donut
#11. Isthmus Lambskin Temple
#12. Isthmus New Mexico Igloo
#13. Isthmus Ideas
#14. X-Selsior One Way
#15. Isthmus Parabolic Dish Festival Volume 1
#16. Isthmus Parabolic Dish Festival Volume 2
#17. Nikki and Jason Love Songs
#18. Mune Mud Underwater Problem Factory
#19. Mune Mud Pryme Material
#20. Mune Mud Devaulted
#21. Mune Mud Monograph
#22. Mune Mud Equation of Time
#23. Mune Mud Sleep State F
#24. Mune Mud The Search for Metropolis
#25. Mune Mud Hobson's Choice
#26. Mune Mud Hobson's Second Choice
#27. Mune Mud Singles Collection
#28. The Two-Tones Heimlich Maneuver
#29. Paige Watson My First Album
#30. Mune Mud Mune Mud (re-release)
#31. --- Merry Christmas to Me
#32. --- The Deuce
#33. --- Diversity au Troi
#34. --- Quardaphonic
#35. --- Songs to Enjoy
#36. --- Best of Harry and Jason
#37. --- Best of Harry and Jason II
#38. --- Best of Darrin and Jason
#39. Mune Mud Olympus 10th Anniversary
#40. Mune Mud Underwater Problem Factory 10th Anniversary
#41. Mune Mud Pryme Material 10th Anniversary
#42. Mune Mud Equation of Time 10th Anniversary
#43. Mune Mud Sleep State F 10th Anniversary
#44. Isthmus Parabolic Dish Festival 10th Anniversary
#45. Mune Mud Precursory 33
Posted by - Mune Mud - at 5:30 AM 0 comments
Labels: Article
F RI DAY , J U LY 1 1 , 2 0 0 8

Web Log #7: Posts 151-175

This seventh entry contains posts #151-175.

Web Log 07 (151-175) - Upload a Document to Scribd

Posted by - Mune Mud - at 5:30 AM 0 comments

Labels: Web Log
SA T U R D A Y , J U L Y 1 2 , 2 0 0 8

Collector's Corner #26

This is the advertisement that was emailed to promote the 2002 Mune Mud
Underwater Problem Factory 10th Anniversary Edition CD Extra.

Collector's Corner 26 - Upload a Document to Scribd

It was also included on the CD as part of the bonus content.

There was never a paper version printed so this ad will live forever in the digital
domain.
Posted by - Mune Mud - at 5:30 AM 0 comments
Labels: Collector's Corner
SU N D A Y , J U L Y 1 3 , 2 0 0 8

Ethical Travels #1: Moon Spell

Ethical Travels begins with "Moon Spell"

Click here to enter. . .

Posted by - Mune Mud - at 5:30 AM 0 comments
Labels: Ethical Travels
M ON DAY , J U LY 1 4 , 2 0 0 8

Single #11: From Cousin B

Song name: "From Cousin B"

Album name: The Search for Metropolis
Release date: December 4, 2001

Tracks
1. From Cousin B (album version)
2. Camilla
3. From Cousin B (instrumental)

Song History
This was the first single from the 2001 Mune Mud album The Search for Metropolis.

This song is a very strange mix of themes, all pulled together to tell a very strange
story. The first source was from Jason's job. Doug Fleenor is a brand of lighting
equipment they use where he works. The second source was from the 1953 movie
The Long, Long Trailer starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. This has always been
one of Jason's favorite movies, so there are lines and sound clips taken from the
movie for this song. And the third source came from a Beatrix Potter story called
"The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher". In fact, the title of the song comes from the way
Beatrix Potter dedicated the book.
Track Breakdown
The first track is the version that appeared on the album.

Jason, his sister, and his cousin used to hunt for ghosts in their house when they
were really young. His sister once had a nightmare about white mannequin people
haunting their upstairs, so after some investigating they came to the conclusion
that one of the ghost's name was Camilla. This song was written about Camilla and
their ghost hunts. It was recorded during the Metropolis recording sessions but not
used on the album.

The third track is the instrumental version of the album track.

Posted by - Mune Mud - at 5:30 AM 0 comments
Labels: Singles
W E D N E SD A Y , J U L Y 1 6 , 2 0 0 8

Equipment File #20: Vega wireless system

Vega wireless system

The story of this wireless unit can be read in a recent post here. To summarize, in
1994 this wireless unit was accidentally purchased where I work and they had no
use for it. So I bought it from them for $25. I attached the belt back to the back of
my electric guitar to make the guitar wireless, but since I have always done most
of my playing sitting down in the studio I soon removed the unit and continued
using a cord.

This unit is in Studio storage in case it is ever needed again.

Posted by - Mune Mud - at 5:30 AM 0 comments
Labels: Equipment File
W E D N E SD A Y , J U L Y 1 6 , 2 0 0 8

This Day in Studio History

It was on this day in 1996 that the Mune Mud album Monograph was released.

Happy 12th Anniversary!!!

Posted by - Mune Mud - at 1:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: This Day in History
F RI DAY , J U LY 1 8 , 2 0 0 8

Web Log #8: Posts 176-200

This eighth entry contains posts #176-200.

Web Log 08 (176-200) - Upload a Document to Scribd

Posted by - Mune Mud - at 5:30 AM 0 comments

Labels: Web Log
SU N D A Y , J U L Y 2 0 , 2 0 0 8

Ethical Travels #2: Caravan of the Wilds

Ethical Travels continues with "Caravan of the Wilds"

Click here to enter. . .

Posted by - Mune Mud - at 5:30 AM 0 comments
Labels: Ethical Travels
M ON DAY , J U LY 2 1 , 2 0 0 8

Single #12: Ocean Body

Song name: "Ocean Body"

Album name: The Search for Metropolis
Release date: January 1, 2002

Tracks
1. Ocean Body (album version)
2. Ocean Body (demo)
3. Ocean Body (instrumental)

Song History
This was the second single from the 2001 Mune Mud album The Search for
Metropolis.

The original version of the song, now referred to as the demo, was recorded in
August of 1995. It was recorded during the NueroMud Nine Days Wonder sessions,
but ended up being a Mune Mud song when re-recorded in July of 2000. The newer
recording is what was used for the album. The album version was longer than the
original, there was an extra verse after the solo and the end was longer. The song
was recorded about a friend who had taken a vacation to California.

Track Breakdown
The first track is the version that appeared on the album.

The demo version of the song was actually the first version recorded five years
prior to recording the album version. The ending on the demo was cut short
because the 4-track master tape ran out. It was never used on an album because it
didn't seem finished, but it was good enough to be the b-side to the newer
complete version of the song.

The third track is the instrumental version of the album track.

Posted by - Mune Mud - at 5:30 AM 0 comments
Labels: Singles
M ON DAY , J U LY 2 1 , 2 0 0 8

This Day in Studio History

It was on this day in 1998 that Isthmus released Parabolic Dish Festival Volume 1.

It's been a fast ten years!

Posted by - Mune Mud - at 1:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: This Day in History
W E D N E SD A Y , J U L Y 2 3 , 2 0 0 8

Equipment File #21: Shure SM-57 mic

Shure SM-57 microphone

This is the microphone the Studio used starting back in 1990 with the Mune Mud
debut album. It was mainly used for vocals, but occasionally it was used to mic the
guitar amp for a fuller sound. It was used until the late 90's when the Studio finally
got a Shure SM-58 microphone.

This mic is still in storage and ready to be used again.

Posted by - Mune Mud - at 5:30 AM 0 comments
Labels: Equipment File
F RI DAY , J U LY 2 5 , 2 0 0 8

Web Log #9: Posts 201-225

This ninth entry contains posts #201-225.

Web Log 09 (201-225) - Upload a Document to Scribd

Posted by - Mune Mud - at 5:30 AM 0 comments

Labels: Web Log
SU N D A Y , J U L Y 2 7 , 2 0 0 8

This Day in Studio History

It was on this date in 1996 that Metal XOR-B Studio was taken down. After nine
months of use it was time to move the Studio once again. It was moved back to a
prior location, the same place where Circle IX Studio had existed a couple of years
earlier.

For more information on Metal XOR-B, click here to read the Studio Chapter
feature that gives a detailed account of that Studio.
Posted by - Mune Mud - at 5:30 AM 0 comments
Labels: This Day in History
SU N D A Y , J U L Y 2 7 , 2 0 0 8

Ethical Travels #3: Antikythera Mechanism

Ethical Travels continues with "Aerikythera Mechanism"

Click here to enter. . .

Posted by - Mune Mud - at 6:30 AM 0 comments
Labels: Ethical Travels
M ON DAY , J U LY 2 8 , 2 0 0 8

Blog News: 300th Post

This is post #300!!!

It is rapidly approaching the one-year anniversary of this blog. Not bad for
originally hoping to keep it going for at least 2-3 weeks. And when I first started, I
expected to post 2-3 times a week. In doing the math, I have ended up averaging
more than twice that many! So I can certainly say that this blog has been a success
in my mind.

As for future content... there's more to be had. And I have no doubts that I will
soon be typing up #350. See you there.
Posted by - Mune Mud - at 5:30 AM 0 comments
Labels: Blog News

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