Side quests and beat machines
Trying to get the creative juices flowing 🧃
I feel like everyone has one a skill that they just stopped doing it. There’s also the skill that you wish you could learn but have no natural talent for. For me those skills are music and drawing, respectively. Once I graduated college, I didn’t really have time to dedicate to making a mid-ass beat that I’ll probably delete the next morning. So I just stopped doing it altogether.
Drawing was also a skill that I’ve always wanted to learn. I took so many art classes that I was basically forced to declare art as my minor, but my professors graded all of my projects with C at best. Still, art was (and is) one of my favorite side quests and I’m always on the lookout for a fun way to practice.
in this issue
🎛️ Teenage Engineering EP-40
🧑🎨 Don’t draw a box
🧱 Brick
🎛️ Teenage Engineering EP-40
The main way that I’ve been making music over the last few years has been with Teenage Engineering products. What started as an obsession with the OP-1 synthesizer led me down a rabbit hole or random synths and beat machines. Including the EP-133 K.O II sampler which came out a few years ago. It’s a small box that looks like it was made by LEGO that you can record sounds with. Then you take those sounds, organize those sounds into structured beats, and then play them back with various fun effects. It’s not the most professional tool for making music but it’s so fun. And the limitations of the device make it perfect for unprecious 20-minute jam sessions.
The newest version of this product is the EP-40 Riddim Supertone which was announced last week. It’s heavily inspired by the sounds and artists from Jamaica and the font, colors, samples, and overall design of the device reflect that. Technically, it’s still just a sampler. So it functions very similarly to the EP-133 that I already have, but it does have a new synth engine, more memory, and a live looping mode not to mention a hand-held microphone you can plug in called the Ting. True, the Ep-40 is basically an expensive toy but if you’re not a professional musician and just want to mess around with different sounds and cool effects, I’ve really been enjoying the EP devices.
🧑🎨 Don’t draw a box
One of my earliest memories is going to the local laundromat with my dad and playing Pictionary (a game where one person draws something and the other has to guess what it is) while waiting for our clothes. I was doing pretty good at first, guessing cats, cars, and whatever else you draw for a child. But then he stepped it up a notch. He drew his own hand holding the pencil drawing on the pad that was on his knee. Complete with the hole in his pants and everything. I lost that round, and I’ve remembered it ever since. I was mind-blown. I’ve always wished I could draw with that level of realism, but the best I can do is a cube. Not even a realistic cube, just the one where you draw two squares on top of each other and connect the corners. So when I saw this video the other day saying “Don’t draw a box” in the thumbnail, I took that personally.
I’ve watched a ton of “how to draw” videos and always give up. They usually give good advice but rarely give any actionable things you can do if you’re starting from zero. I needed the couch to 5k equivalent of drawing. Finally, this video explained why I suck at drawing in a way that clicked. I recommend watching the entire 9-minute video if you’re interested, but he recommended a daily drawing practice that I was inspired to try. It’s 100 days of drawing every morning for just ten minutes. Then once you complete that, pick a simple a 30-day project to work on. Everyone knows I love me a good project.
🧱 Brick
In the last hour that I’ve been writing this, I have picked up my phone three times for absolutely no reason. I have the same song on repeat, everyone who would want to contact me is still asleep, and I already checked social media when I was making my coffee. It’s just a tick. Thankfully, the Pixel has this “Flip to shh” feature that automatically turns on Do Not Disturb mode when you place the phone face down. Still, if I need to check the time, set a timer, or change the song I have to pick it up, which turns off Do Not Disturb. So I’ve been looking at (and trying really hard not to buy) the Brick.
The Brick is a physical object that blocks certain apps on your phone when you tap your phone to it. Then the only way to unblock those apps is to tap your phone to the brick again. It basically toggles on and off custom lists of apps. When I first saw this I couldn’t believe that people actually pay money for something like this. But I can’t get it out of my head. I’ve tried and failed multiple times to set up a something similar with a handful of NFC tags I bought off Amazon and a combination of Macrodroid and Tasker (powerful but confusing AF Android apps) and I haven’t yet nailed the exact functionality I’m looking for. After two or three failed attempts at recreating this, the Brick is now looking very tempting to me. Especially since the app has a simple and clean UI for changing things. If you have a way to replicate this functionality let me know! You’ll save me about $60.
Special thanks to Cool Supply members:
Abstronautica, Taylor Cash, Ben Sorensen, Daniel Hernandez, Becca Farsace, Abraham Perez, and Charles Malave
❤️
