New DDM Track – “Out on the Scene” – Download and share for free!!!

New DDM Track – “Out on the Scene” – Download and share for free!!!

New Track!!! - Sick Tricks by DDM on SoundCloud - Hear the world’s sounds

Sick Tricks by thisisddm on SoundCloud - Hear the world’s sounds

DDM on CBC Music - Free Streaming Radio, Videos, Songs, Concerts & Playlists

DDM on CBC Music - Free Streaming Radio, Videos, Songs, Concerts & Playlists

New DDM track - Far Away

New DDM track - Far Away! Download and share for free, all proceeds will be donated to freedom!!!

http://thisisddm.tumblr.com/post/74138056940/new-ddm-track-far-away-download-and-share-for

MOOG - A Documentary (Parts 1 to 3)

I’m really, REALLY, interested in the new line of Minifooger pedals, especially the MF Drive with its “expression pedal control of Filter Cutoff Frequency”.  I’ve always known of Moog’s reputation for highest quality in everything it builds but this may be the first piece of gear I can actually afford to buy (plus it’s a DIRT pedal!!!!!).

Curiously, I had to find out more about Moog, the company, and I pretty easily ended up on their YouTube page.  After watching a few performance and demo videos , I settled on the playlist accessible by clicking here.  It’s a 3 part documentary about - you guessed it - MOOG.  There’s also a 4th video of deleted scenes definitely worth watching.

As per their own description: 

"In celebration of Bob Moog’s 79th Birthday we are proud to present:

Moog | A Documentary Film by Hans Fjellestad

Moog, the film, takes us inside the mind of this legendary figure as he shares his ideas about creativity, design, interactivity and spirituality. To this day Moog continues to shape musical culture with some of the most inspiring instruments ever created.”

Hope you enjoy.  Thanks!

Electric Guitar Setup Guides - know your axe!!!

I'm just a guy, but... I strongly believe anyone who plays a guitar (or any instrument) should understand how it is put together and how it should be maintained in order to get the most out of it.  Whether you need to upkeep your "billion dollar most significant other for life" or the cheap little Strat copy you found in a garbage bin, you should know what you're working with.
There are obvious, hugely impressive differences (which I won't get into details about here) between $5000 "custom shop" guitars and $300 lower quality, mass production starter types, but the truth is, most of us can only afford the latter.  Fear not, however, dear slinger!  The possibility to transform a "cheap" mass produced guitar into your own customized battle-axe of the gods lies in the ability to properly set up, upgrade (if necessary) and maintain your guitar to achieve it's highest level of performance.  The best part is, there are people (lots) on the www that provide guidance, tips and expertise on how to get 'er done.
Before you begin, you'll need to know what all the parts are for and how they can be tailored, within their limitations, to suit your needs.  For the most part, lower end guitars are copies or similar style versions of Gibson Les Pauls and Fender Stratocasters and Telecasters.  By this I'm referring to the bridge types, nuts, tuning pegs, pickups, electronics, bodies and neck types.  If you learn about the basics for each of these three guitar types, you'll be able to confidently setup almost any guitar - whatever quality - which can upgrade your axe from completely useless to incredibly amazing.  (There are exceptions where more complicated hardware and electronics are used - i.e.: Bigsby Vibratos and Floyd Rose tremolos, etc...)

Here are some links from the "big guys" I use most which I think are both very useful and educational:

Really basic starting point: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/parts-of-an-electric-guitar.html

Gibson style guitars with tun-o-matic bridges: http://www2.gibson.com/Support/Tech-Tips/Basic-Guitar-Setup.aspx (there are also links at the bottom of this page to very useful resources)

Fender Stratocaster types: http://www.fender.com/en-CA/support/articles/stratocaster-setup-guide

Fender Telecaster types: http://www.fender.com/en-CA/support/articles/telecaster-setup-guide

Other Fender guitar types (Jazzmaster, Jaguar, Mustang, etc...):  http://www.fender.com/support/articles/fender-guitar-setup-guide

For Bigsby Vibratos: http://www.bigsby.com/vibe/products/vibratos

Floyd Rose tremolos: http://www.floydrose.com/catalog/tremolos

For pickup height adjustments there are too many opinions mostly because it depends on what guitar the pickups are in, the types of strings on the guitar, electronics and the personal preference for the type of sound you're after.  Most pickup and custom guitar part manufacturers do offer guidelines on their websites so check them out.

Once again, hope this helps and let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.

Thanks!!! - DDM

The Resurrection of the Blog

It's getting cold, which means - TIME TO RESURRECT THE BLOG!!!!!!
It's been a long time since the last post here but that doesn't mean I haven't been up to anything or haven't discovered anything new and amazing worth sharing, I've just not been so "bloggy" the last little (long!) while.  Anyhow, I'm back and will commence the posting just in time for hibernation - uh, I mean WINTER - so stay tuned!!!!

DIY Effects Pedal Resources

When people see effect pedals that I've built for myself, the first thing they ask is "how did you build it?".  Well, if you're a "not-even-close-to-being-a-pro" DIY pedal geek like me, you'll know that building even a simple boost or fuzz circuit can be a frustrating task.  From sourcing the layout and materials to actually putting the thing together, it can be quite the project.

There are a lot of people DIY'ing effects devices nowadays and there is so much info out there on the internet, but some of it is either too advanced for me or not useful at all.  So, for those of you interested, I've gathered some links to sites and pages I've come to rely on for planning and building pedals which may also be useful to you.

It took a lot of time and effort (read: "a lot of mistakes") to find the right resources for me, based on my ability (how easy the info is to follow), how consistently available the info is and how reliable the info is (nothing worse than reading someone's instructions and then realizing, after going slightly insane from confusion, that they don't know what they're talking about!).

Anyhow, here's a list of the typical project steps I take and links which apply to each:

1. Learn the basics (and a whole lot more):  http://www.geofex.com/effxfaq/fxfaq.htm - The Best info starting point


2. Finding an effect you'd love to build:  http://www.effectsdatabase.com - just about every pedal I've ever heard of and links to samples and information.


3. Finding a Vero layout for the effect:  There are a few different sites but this is my fav: http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.ca - as per the site, "...a collection of vero and tagboard guitar and bass effect layouts that we have put together covering all of the classic and popular effects in ever growing numbers."  (http://www.sabrotone.com is also pretty cool but not as extensive).


4. Sourcing the parts:  http://www.a1parts.com, http://www.sayal.com, http://www.activesurplus.com - the best spots I've found in the GTA, however you can buy components online from a gazillion dealers...


5.  Construction: http://www.sabrotone.com/?page_id=386 and http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.ca/2012/04/vero-build-guide.html - both great guides but Sabrotone wins because of the extra info and details.

Additional info if you (like me) require more detailed or visual explanations:

Wiring diagrams and details:  http://gaussmarkov.net/wordpress/thoughts/wiring-up-a-1590b - great guide; http://www.beavisaudio.com/techpages/StompboxWiring - great diagram; http://www.sabrotone.com/?page_id=3451 - more options.

Components, guides and info:

1. Resistor colour code guide: http://www.bpesolutions.com/atechnical/resistorqv.pdf


2. Transistor Guide for when you can't source the right transistor and need an equivalent: http://alltransistors.com/transistor.php

Learn to Solder: just listing this because, if you don't know how to solder, well then you won't be able to solder ;)  (If you search the internet for tutorials - there are tonnes.)

That's pretty much everything I need and use for building an effect pedal.  You can also try layouts for mini amps like the Noisy Cricket I built and other useful projects that'll keep you busy and stockpiled on and off the pedal board.

I hope this info is 'You'-sful and helps make your DIY pedal build a more enjoyable experience.  If you have any other suggestions for links to add, please let me know.

Thanks! - DDM

FREE D.D.M. Downloads!!! - All D.D.M. songs available for FREE!!!

All D.D.M. tunes are available to download for FREE so please, help yourselves!!! 

Also, as many of you know, I've LOTS more material that isn't posted so, if there's something from the past that you want (including stuff like the "No Love Lost" Joy Division cover, older dMusik or Dovercourt stuff, etc...) but can't find, just let me know and I'll send it off to you.

Enjoy!!!

New Song Upload, "Stone Wall" - By DDM

this is a song about "the sky that covers imperfection, pure connection protected by the wall" -  the stone wall.  This one goes well with a No. 7 Chablis on the rocks with cherry coloured steak muffins on rye:

By popular demand, "Mass Assembly" EP - revisited

People have been asking what's up and going on with Mass Assembly.  Well, in short, not much.  MA's been on a very long hiatus and nothing upcoming is planned.  However, I thought I'd post the EP for those of you who haven't heard it and might care to listen.

"Mass Assembly" features Bill Broad on guitar, Davy James on bass, Bruce Brandau on drums and me singing.  It was recorded and mixed by Taras Petryk at serpentOne sound.  Hope you enjoy and, who knows, maybe some interest might awaken the beast...

New song upload! "Oh Ya Whateva" by D.D.M.

Another brand new tune inspired by lack of inspiration and the birth of meaning to an unexpecting mother. One more addition to the Just a Man explanation.  Get it?  Cool.

(If you'd like to purchase this or other DDM tunes, you can find them at http://thisisddm.bandcamp.com.  Thanks!)

Noisy Cricket!

I built this from a vero layout I found at http://www.sabrotone.com/?attachment_id=35. It's a very cool little 1/2 Watt amp that's really good with pedals and surprisingly loud through the right speaker. It runs on a 9v battery, sounds really clear and warm and is very responsive to your playing. I thought I'd share it but you must please excuse the guitarist for he knows not what he does.  You should get the basic idea anyhow...

New Song Uploaded - "Dust to Lust" by DDM

"Another song born and raised to be acknowledged. I could not control the lyrics that escaped from out of the point of my pen so the point has been made heard, accompanied by beaten notes and sung in wails from burning mouths. Beware the approaching, for they have no cause..." -unknown

New song uploaded - "Eleven" by D.D.M.

Here's a new song I wrote and recorded yesterday. It's about the end of time and the universe being a malevolent benevolence and the warnings we never see and the awareness of nothing and about, like, when you think you own something made of leather but then it rips and laughs at you yelling "I'm not real leather, hahahaha!!!" and just stuff like that, you know?...(I don't know what it's about but it is a song that wasn't two days ago...)

DDM Set Rehearsal - 7/21/12

So, as you may have noticed, I've got a couple of shows coming up in August and, just so you know, a whole lot more in the works.  You also may know that I'll be playing solo - without a band.  This, for some reason, seems to be confusing a lot of people so, I decided to post a basic, no frills recording of a "set" rehearsal made yesterday afternoon - just me, my guitar and some tunes I hope you'll enjoy.  There're some covers I may or may not be playing at any given show and even a couple of really old tunes from way back some of you might remember (please expect and excuse the usual, guaranteed screw-ups generated straight from the deepest depths of my being...)

Joy Division - No Love Lost (Cover by D.D.M.)

I recorded a cover of Joy Division's "No Love Lost" because it's one of my favourite songs ever and I thought I'd post it here and not on some regulated 3rd party website that would take it down (sorry). Anyhow Ian Curtis gave me permission to do this in a dream and until the Superior Humans Who Rule tell me that that's not valid enough, it'll be up. I kind of arranged it my own way from memory and all the takes are one off's so, it may be a little different from the original (it might even be totally wrong- haha). Hope you enjoy!

My Acoustic Goes Electric, (just like me...)

Ya, I know this is going to look like a million other YouTube videos out there where people show off their gear and the mods they've done and all that kind of stuff but that's not what I'm going for here.  All i'm saying is, if I can do this, anyone can! I cut some cable, screwed some holes, soldered some wires and made some connections. I filmed basic clips after each stage and ended up putting them together as they now exist in the video below.  If you care to view it, here it is: a very short, basic video clip showing what I've done to my innocent little Ibanez acoustic guitar.  (Pardon the terrible acting, I didn't realize I was actually being filmed by myself.)  ;)

I have added a Tone pot and some knobs which make everything sound much better...

 

D.D.M. on Twitter, video content and upcoming shows

So, D.D.M. is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/thisisddm.  I just started following people today and, for the most part, they're all bands or solo artists (like me).  It's cool to know what's happening for artists I like and I think Twitter's the best for that.  If you care to, you can follow D.D.M. on Twitter for updates to the website like new songs, blogs, videos or whatever gets added.

Which brings me to Videos. No videos are up yet because there are no videos ready to upload yet.  There will be soon enough.  I'll be trying out some home made movie making skills I haven't really learned yet and posting the vids as well as some live or recording footage up on the site and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/thisisddmvideo.

Which now brings me to upcoming shows.  I've played hundreds of shows in millions of bands but none yet as D.D.M..  I'm soooo itching to get playing though and will commence booking in roughly 2 minutes (or however long it takes me to finish writing here).  So, check in to the Gigs calendar whenever you feel the urge to see what's upcoming and if you'd like to book D.D.M. click on the "Contact" link in the main menu above.

Thanks, talk to you soon! - DDM

Imagine - The Story of the Guitar

I watched this just a while ago and enjoyed it so much, I thought I'd share it. It's a 3 part BBC documentary which I've set up in a play list on YouTube.  You can watch it by clicking HERE.
The following description is taken from the BBC website:
"Alan Yentob embarks on a three-part personal journey to discover how the guitar became the world's favourite musical instrument. Beginning with the rise of the acoustic guitar, the series takes him from an ancient Middle Eastern ancestor of the lute, to the iconic guitars draped round the necks of Bill Hailey and Elvis Presley and beyond.
Featuring interviews with Bert Weedon - the man who taught Britain to 'Play in a Day', Pete Townshend, Bill Bailey, flamenco player Paco Pena and classical guitarist John Williams."
My personal favourite part is at 3:53 of Part 1 where Pete Townshend explains his earliest intentions for his weapon of choice (actually, anytime Pete Townshend speaks is my favourite part, haha).  I hope you enjoy...
(Special thanks to YouTubers JJAAHH and logix2010 for uploading the vids.)