My WSG blog is featured on musicfromouterspace.com. Thanks, Ray!

I finished my WSG, or at least I have it in operating condition. What’s a WSG, you ask? It’s an all-analogue sound generator. I created a separate mini-blog in honour of this occasion which documents the construction of my WSG. You can view it here.

I’ve started the assembly of a WSG. In addition to the normal circuit, I’m going to attempt a few extra modifications. My grand plan is to document the construction, then use it in a few tracks for all to hear. Yes, making my own analogue sound generator does make me a nerd, but I’ve been a nerd for some time now. I’m just a cool nerd. Who among you would NOT relish taking a bunch of random electrical components and, armed with a solder gun and vu meter, form a unique noise making device that boasts a totally analogue signal path? See, you’re a nerd also. I’m putting mine into a small suitcase-type enclosure, in Synthi style.

Writing about the Synthi makes me think of EMS. Check out the website for some cool old-skool photos. Looking through the list of great EMS synths reminds me of London- one of the first EMS synths was even named the Portabello at first. What is it about London that fascinates me? Of all the places I’ve visited, London is where I would return first. Something about the city resonates with me, and I feel more at home there than I do in my own city. The pace, the diversity, the underground, the history, the style, the curry… if you go, skip the traditional tourist stuff for a while and simply walk around. One of my favourite things to do is buy a brie sandwich; my customary London lunch- one Brie and tomato sandwich around noon- has the ability to sustain me well into the evening, and it makes for an inexpensive (£2) lunch. And don’t forget the Punjab on Neal Street. One thing about the UK- it seems there is a higher level of preparedness on the part of the audio teams in clubs. They take what they do seriously and it makes for a great experience.