Out There In the Real World albums

Recently I made a series of early morning recordings made in Box, Wiltshire, England during a stay at Real World Studios. These of sonic documents of a moment in time and place. One could call this Generative Ambient Music/Field Recording/ Musique Concrete.

Each track is named by time of day and my location during the capture of the sounds. There is no manipulation, mixing or processing on these tracks apart from fades at the Head and Tail.

As a binaural stereo recording, I urge Listeners to use headphones or earbuds to experience these soundscapes.

On my bandcamp you will find the 3 albums in this series called Out There In the Real World.

Here they are. #1 #2 #3

Music Out Of Thin Air #6

Over the past couple of weeks i’ve been delivering some of my soundscape and experimental electronic work to the music streaming services, instead of just hosting them on bandcamp. No profit motive here, but just another place where folks can listen.

Back during COVID Lockdown I developed a system to create ambient music tracks by figuring out a way to harness the breezes coming in thru my home studio window. The task and challenge was to make music using items that interact with air movement in some manner. Employing a 4 string aeolian wind harp placed in an open window and some sensors with Arduino boards, triggers get sent to my computer where a script gives MIDI instructions to a software instrument track in Logic Pro X. A contact mic attached to the harp also goes to Logic as a mono audio track. The script tells the computer what MIDI notes are available to chose from randomly and what tonal center (chord) those notes came be.

A session on a nice windy day can yield a solid hour or two of recordings. There is no editing involved beside selecting an In and Out point for the composition and duplicating the original tracks, giving them an offset and applying minimal effects. Ta da…music out of thin air.

I’m kind of fond of this one in particular. It’s a long player, #6 in my Music Out Of Thin Air series. Here is a link to bandcamp…it sounds as I intended…untouched by any of the services audio shenanigans.

Sony’s 360 Virtual Mixing Environment

Thanks to the San Francisco chapter of the Audio Engineering Society, I had the opportunity in March to experience Sony’s 360 Virtual Mixing Environment using 360VME and a pair of Sony MDR-MV1 headphones at The San Francisco Conservatory of Music. This technology allows mixers to work in headphones whilst working on Atmos and other immersive projects. I have tried a number of other platforms and must say that 360VME sounds fantastic and gives a very accurate representation of 360 sound field.

As much as I enjoyed to experience, I’ve haven’t taken the leap into 360VME since it is a subscription program and the personalized custom profile they created for me requires the Sony MDR-MV1 headphones to best match with the profile. For now, I’m sticking with the IYO VAD Pro platform for my headphone immersive work and critical listening. You can read more about VAD Pro in an earlier post here in my News & Muse pages.

Sunrise Salutation- College of San Mateo Electronic Music Festival May 13, 2026

A full semester has passed since I posted about the CSM Electronic Music Concert back in December. For the Spring semester I joined the school’s Electronic Music Ensemble. Throughout the months we would meet twice a week to perform pieces and exercises that Prof Krys Browboski brought to us. Members of the ensemble were also tasked with creating works of their own for the group to play. One of mine, which you can see/hear was performed at the Spring Festival and streamed on Youtube.

This improvisational composition is entitled Sunrise Salutation. In it, the ensemble members take turns interacting with a time lapse video using a structure that involves selecting notes from the tonal centers of Bmin7 and Cmaj7.

Watery Worlds at College Of San Mateo

I had the pleasure and honor of once again presenting at The College Of San Mateo's Electronic Music Concert on the evening of December 4th. The Subject is Water, as a liquid, a solid and a gas in a piece entitled “Watery Worlds”.  This work takes field recordings and manipulates them in Logic Pro X using various software instruments, synths and plugin tools.

You can experience Watery Worlds here- Watery Worlds

Record Store Day 11/28/25

I’m seeing that the JMA Vol4 box set has been further mined to offer Joni’s performances from the Rolling Thunder Revue tour….for a RSD vinyl release. While this is of interest to me due to my work on the project, it’s even more special since I was the Montreal Forum concert back on Dec 4, 1975. It’s remained a very memorable show for me even here 50 years later. Check it out!

And the Nominees Are....

To my surprise and delight last week’s announcement of GRAMMY nominees included a project that I worked on and have mentioned here previously, Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 4: The Asylum Years 1976-1980 box set. I am credited as Tape Transfer Engineer and Production Assistance for both of these. Wishing Joni and entire production team the best of luck at the awards ceremony.

Audium SF- 176 Speakers of Immersive Sound!

On October 24th, I went with some of my fellow College of San Mateo electronic music pals on a field trip to the Audium in San Francisco to experience program in their listening room that features 176 speakers. We got to hear their current offering, The Depths.

What is Audium? I think that their website best explains:

Audium is a place for the intersection of sound, space and deep immersive experience. Building on its history as a theater of sound, Audium is growing into a center for spatial sound art, featuring new programming and collaborations with artists from diverse communities. In the face of a world where attention is being tugged apart, Audium’s mission is to amplify perceptual awareness in worlds of sound and space. Our goal is to enrich, educate and bring our community together through immersive art forms and the use of space as an artistic tool. Audium is a canvas on which artists can stretch the boundaries of technology and creativity.  Listeners then sit in the auditorium, in total darkness, and are enveloped by 176 speakers in sloping walls, a floating floor, and a suspended ceiling. 

Sounds are “sculpted” through their movement, direction, speed and intensity on multiple planes in space. Live performance of composed works gives a human, interactive element to Audium’s spatial electronic orchestra.

High Sierra Coming Down

Recording continues here in October with George Croft. Just in time for his performance in support of Jason Isbell at The Ryman in Nashville, we have released “High Sierra Coming Down”. This one was recorded at Autumn Ridge Studios, Hands on Sound and in severl of remote sessions.

This track features: George Croft- lead vocal and acoustic guitar, Tyler Johnson- lead guitar, Rick Escobar- pedal steel guitar, David West- electric slide guitar, Mark Fassett- backing vocals, Will Mitchell- strings and piano.

Listen here on Apple Music or on Spotify:

High Sierra Coming Down

High Sierra Coming Down

To Be Enough

A belated big congrats to George Croft and all those to contributed to the recording of the first single off his next album. “To Be Enough” was recorded at Sound Union, Hands on Sound and several remote recording sessions.

This track features: George Croft- lead vocal and acoustic guitar, Tyler Johnson- lead guitar, John Avilla- bass, Paul Avilla-Drums, Mark Fassett- backing vocals and banjo, David West- backing vocals, Will Mitchell- acoustics guitar and organ.

Listen here on Apple Music or on Spotify:

To Be Enough

To Be Enough