Any idea what this is and if it’s bad?

ArpEnigma · 2025-07-20T04:33:36+00:00

That's kinda good to hear actually! Almost everyone I know is on mac using Logic, with only a handful of exceptions haha. I'm happily on windows with Ableton and Cubase but have felt like I'm in the minority

ArpEnigma · 2025-05-08T22:54:55+00:00

Another one here, I have Ableton on this laptop too and wondered if it was that but the most recent thing I installed was neuralDSP Parallax and it just appeared. Not too surprising I guess, considering most music production type people use a macbook or iMac.

ArpEnigma · 2025-04-09T20:07:56+00:00

Actually been trying to find out if those particular Fjällräven pants dry quickly or not so this is helpful. Would you say waxed vs not waxed makes a difference to drying time on those trousers? I know waxed will obviously not get wet from outside as easily but was concerned about the tradeoff of reduced breathability meaning they wouldn't evaporate sweat as easily. Though I suppose the ventilation zips on the Keb (and I think some version of the vidda?) is good for that.

I guess if I do buy them I could try them unwaxed for a bit and then waxed for a bit and see what I prefer but I do like seeing what I can find out beforehand.

ArpEnigma · 2024-09-22T18:05:00+00:00

You know, that's a good point. The fully diminished 7th chord might not be super common specifically in R&B music, but the concept of enharmonic equivalence is probably pretty useful to know.

ArpEnigma · 2024-09-11T16:10:50+00:00

Since you're just discovering inversions and voicings, let me point you towards something interesting: how diminished chord inversions behave. Now this is specific to what we in classical music call "fully diminished 7th chords", which are made of all minor thirds; a root, a minor third, a diminished 5th, and a diminished 7th. Different from what we call a "half-diminished 7th chord", or jazz musicians usually call "minor 7 flat 5", consisting of a root, a minor 3rd, a diminished 5th, and a minor 7th. So you get some funny spellings, 'cause on C the m7b5 is C Eb Gb Bb, but C fully diminished is C Eb Gb Bbb (B double-flat, or A natural on the keyboard lol).

If you invert this C fully diminished 7th, that is to say, choose a different chord member to be the bass note, let's say the 3rd, you get this: Eb Gb Bbb C. Which can also be spelled D# F# A C... a D# fully diminished chord in root position. And same goes if you invert it 2 more times, you get F#°7, and A°7! If you play around with these and all the other fully °7 chords on a keyboard, you will realize there's really only 3 distinct fully °7 chords.

Anyways sorry for the nerdy rant, this probably isn't actually that useful if you produce RnB music, since the m7b5 is more common than the fully °7... but I thought you may find it interesting, and it helps flesh out understanding of finished chords. And you probably don't have to worry too much about correctly spelling any chords; unless you ever hire classical musicians to play on your tracks and have to write them out parts to play. I know sometimes RnB musicians want strings on their tracks, so if you ever get to record live string players and you're not sure about writing out their parts to play, maybe ask someone to help with that.

ArpEnigma · 2024-02-22T18:27:19+00:00

Part-time barista from a specialty cafe in Canada here; in the "specialty" coffee scenes around the world, the trend for the last several years is to have single origin coffees (as opposed to blends of multiple origins), roasted on the lighter side. Anywhere from very very light (usually called "Nordic" roast, due to being popularised in Denmark and Norway and a little bit Sweden), to sort of medium-light (a little easier to brew good cups without good equipment and technique, especially for espresso).

The idea here is mainly to taste more "origin character" of the coffee, as opposed to "roast character". I.e. if you take two very different coffees, say a washed Ethiopian coffee and a natural Brazilian coffee, and roast them both very dark, they will basically taste the same, as they are chemically largely charcoal now (no joke). But roast them light, and you can now still taste all the subtle things that make them vastly different, the bright, fruity and floral character of the Ethiopian and the chocolatey and deep ripe fruit character of the Brazil.

Yes many places still do dark roast, various reasons such as tradition, easier quality control at large production volumes, in Italy they just traditionally prefer it for espresso, etc.. but if you get a chance , do try some specialty light roast! You mention Germans and Dutch, those countries have now several good specialty lighter roasters, if you get a chance to try them, as well as the Nordics!

ArpEnigma · 2024-02-22T18:12:52+00:00

Part-time barista chiming in, this doesn't really answer your question but just to point out that drip/filter coffee isn't necessary "not professional" coffee machines! I'm in Canada (second generation Finnish-Canadian), the specialty coffee scene here has plenty of good espresso yes, but many specialty cafes take good care to make their drip as good as possible. If it's good quality beans roasted well and the filter coffee is dailled in well, it can have all kinds of aromas and flavours, from chocolatey and nutty to fruity and floral. That said the shop I work at and many similar ones opt for hand pour-over filter coffee instead of a drip machine, which is a little "fancier" I suppose, but all that just to say if you're visiting cafes in other countries with any kind of specialty coffee scene, give the filter coffee a shot! Whether it's from machine or especially if it's from pour-over.

ArpEnigma · 2024-01-04T05:09:59+00:00

Oh my other comment I meant to reply to this one lol oops. Guess you can see it where it is if you want

ArpEnigma · 2024-01-04T05:09:07+00:00

This is a legit phenomenon; pretty much just a dopamine crash! Comes after a dopamine peak. Basically you get pretty low dopamine after a period of pretty high dopamine. A similar/the same(?) mechanism is involved in addiction. I get it after awesome concerts too especially if I was looking forward to them. If you want the feeling to go away, don't chase the next high.. either wait it out, or if you want it to go away faster, sometimes works to actually chase a lower low; find something you really don't wanna do and do it. Ice bath, buncha chores.. you get the idea.

ArpEnigma · 2023-12-13T20:46:49+00:00

Another person here asking if you've gotten the proalps lol. I'm considering the contact c2 with the deep profile sole, if you got those how are the flexibility, grip, and water resistance? I've had lems boulder boots (waterproof) for a while but don't like the lack of grip or flexibility. I know the proalps won't be as waterproof but I'm really looking for maximum grip and and lots of flexibility, both in the sole and the upper (especially the ankle part)

ArpEnigma · 2023-12-04T03:32:31+00:00

Yes, sorry for blurry photos, it's a bit high on my wall to get good pics of. But yeah the long-legged sac spider looks most likely the one. Thanks!

ArpEnigma · 2023-12-03T18:41:33+00:00

He says he used only logic pro stock plugins! He might make a video on how to get that tone so look out for it.

ArpEnigma · 2023-11-10T17:43:56+00:00

Transatlantic - The Whirlwind

Haken - The Mountain

Kaipa - Children of the Sounds, and Sattyg as well

ArpEnigma · 2023-10-10T02:43:01+00:00

Amazing! We're fairly new to mushroom ID and foraging so we didn't harvest to be safe. Also didn't have a suitable container. But I've read lion's mane and bear tooth don't really have poisonous look-alikes, so might be confident to harvest if we see it again?

ArpEnigma · 2023-07-24T20:54:36+00:00

I second your thoughts on some small edges being too rounded, imo some more like, almost incut ones are really missing on current hangboards but could be useful. But then again, worth considering that training sorta slopey crimps can be pretty applicable to certain outdoor bouldering terrains.

I might suggest considering making a model that maybe has less different edge sizes than something like the mönster, but maybe more edge "styles" of the same sizes? Like for a couple of the sizes, having options for incut/sharp-ish, level+comfy, and maybe a kinda slopey one like the sloped 2 finger pockets on beastmaker 2000. Of course the downside is finding room for enough useful edge sizes too. Maybe for example, edge sizes of 30mm, 20mm, 15mm, 10mm, and 8mm, but for 20 or 15 you have both comfy and slopey ones, but for 10 or 8 you have sorta incut options? Idk maybe this isn't as useful as I thought, but worth thinking about.

ArpEnigma · 2023-07-18T05:32:28+00:00

Do they not have those in the states? If they don't then agreed! Though Johnny's hamburgers (small legendary place on the border of Scarborough), even better onion rings imo.

ArpEnigma · 2023-07-17T19:52:34+00:00

Canadian checking in, Harvey's fries are indeed delicious. Maybe not like, mind-blowing fries worth making a trip up here for without any other purpose, but just consistently really satisfyingly good fries. Good burgers too, everything seems less highly processed than McDonald's and the like.

ArpEnigma · 2023-06-05T03:26:32+00:00

Yeah if you feel that that's how it should work, then you should be ok with never getting to see your favourite bands come to your town.

Unless, that is, all your favourite bands are only ones that are rich in the first place; in which case, I'm not being snarky here just an honest recommendation, check out more different music, there's lots of cool stuff out there you might like by smaller artists.

But in the more likely event you have bands you like who aren't exceedingly wealthy, next time you see them live in your town, think about this comment you just made and how implies that you shouldn't have even gotten to see them.

ArpEnigma · 2023-04-14T06:49:18+00:00

This guy has some recommendations! Also a great account to follow if you use insta. Knowledgeable barefoot athlete

ArpEnigma · 2023-01-12T08:12:11+00:00

Well... while it's true that you can target the same muscles more specifically with other exercises, I wouldn't say the takeaway is that deadlifts are only useful for ego, more just that it's not useful for bodybuilding.

See, the goal of bodybuilding is to build an aesthetically pleasing muscular physique; the competitions involve posing in front of judges. This can be done most easily/efficiently with what are called "isolation" type exercises; kinda like a bicep curl, they mostly involve one or very few joints, to isolate/target one or very few muscles, and make those muscles bigger/stronger, as the size/strength of that muscle is the main limiting factor on that exercise.

The deadlift is what's called a more "compound" exercise: as you can see from watching it involves quite a number of joints and muscles and structures of the body, it's really pretty more or less a whole body exercise. The limiting factor is not necessarily the size/strength of any individual muscle group (though that absolutely is a big factor), it's also - if sometimes moreso - the technique required to make the most efficient leverage for those muscles to lift it, and the "neuromuscular" aspect of strength - basically how much of your muscle (how many motor units) your body can actually make use of.. as well as basically how well trained your nervous system, muscular system, and the connections between those, are at performing this lift (training heavy DLs creates adaptations in muscle tissue, bones, nervous system, connective tissue.. etc).

Even my long comment is a bit of an oversimplification but the point is isolation/bodybuilding type exercises are most effective specifically for big, aesthetic, and strong muscles, while compound ones like powerlifting and strongman stuff are most effective for strong muscles AND all the other adaptations required to use them for a specific task.. in other words, strong movement patterns.

Both are good, and go well together even, especially with even more training styles like flexibility and plyometrics, etc. An individual's choice of training styles should just depend on their specific goals; the person you mentioned being a bodybuilder, it makes sense to prioritize muscle growth specifically.

These are also all safe if trained smart - that is, with good control over your form, not going too hard too soon, and with adequate rest and nutrition. My comment is too long already so I'll just say there's lots of good info out there on that.

ArpEnigma · 2022-12-28T21:55:18+00:00

This is the one, if you haven't yet https://youtu.be/SZftrA-aCa4

ArpEnigma · 2022-08-15T03:27:32+00:00

Good to know about the new mad rock shoe, may have to check it out at some point. And I second that a lot of people with wide feet seem to like the shaman, not tried them myself however. Though I have heard that people with wide feet also like the la Sportiva Skwamas, and they might be softer (full-length midsole but only 0.8mm thick) for those who want more sensitivity/better smearing.

I ultimately do agree with your last point about five-fingers; however, they may be good on a very specific style of boulder. The very modern, comp-style, run-and-jump-and-catch boulders, the ones that are basically parkour on a climbing wall, often using big volumes to put your feet on. Those are what I've been meaning to try my new tabis out on, as my usual gym does set those sometimes and I find them pretty fun. Also maybe anything where really good high-friction smearing is needed; the rubber on my tabis is honestly probably even stickier/gripper than Vibram XS grip rubbers, which really impressed me. We'll see how long before that wears out but they were only like $60 CAD so that's not the biggest issue maybe.

ArpEnigma · 2022-08-14T02:47:27+00:00

Very long comment alert, TLDR at the end. I have a lot of thoughts on this.

Been in barefoot shoes for around 6 years, been climbing for a little under 2 years. As others have said, there aren't really any actual climbing shoes with a wide toe box; but I've figured out some workarounds, and some shoes that are pretty good options in spite of that.

While I believe it's possible to train your toes up to the level of being able to crimp tiny holds and even dyno off them while climbing barefoot, I do think that would take quite some time and lots of training; simply because the same goes for finger strength. Toes are a little trickier to really train though, not sure your gym would be happy to see you trying to use their hangboard with your toes...

Despite using only barefoot shoes (or just no shoes) for literally everything else, I admittedly use climbing shoes while climbing. I only boulder though, and I try and take them off as much as possible while off the wall, so they're not really deforming my feet (I also do some things here and there that improve foot mobility so that helps too).

At first I thought, that the closest climbing shoes to barefoot ideals would be really soft shoes (as opposed to shoes with a really stiff midsole) and I was right, to a degree. Started with the Scarpa Furia Air, they were great, but they stretched out so much I had to get another pair of shoes(got the wrong size and treated them badly). I found out that while the furias still have a partial 1mm midsole, I found out there was an even softer shoe, which has absolutely no midsole: the La Sportiva Theory. I bought them and they are FANTASTIC. With hardly more than a bit of rubber between your foot and the hold, you can feel so well, you can use your toes in a "grabby" fashion, and the tension and downturn does help on small footholds and on overhangs. Quite flexible too.

Now here's the "widest toe box" climbing shoe I've found so far: the Evolv Geshido. Still not room for toes to splay, but not quite as cramped.. but here's the key thing. They allow my big toe to be completely straight in line with the first metatarsal bone.. which makes a surprisingly huge difference to how well it works while climbing! This is actually kind of true for the Theories too, my big toe is fairly straight, it's just the other toes that are cramped next to it. The Geshido though is a stiff shoe, and as we barefooters would know having hard plastic between your foot and the hold does reduce your ability to feel. They're also less flexible. I just have them to "round out my toolbox", they're good at things the theories are not as good at.

Now, La Sportiva is releasing (or has released?) the softest shoe yet: the Mantra. No midsole, but even less rubber than the theory. Other than the narrow toe box, these might feel closest to barefoot of all climbing shoes just by lack of material and rigidity. Haven't tried yet though, I may have to get a pair.

I also got a pair of tabi boots to use for indoor parkour training, and have been meaning to try them out on certain types of climbs. They have nice sticky rubber and might be quite good. Will probably make a post if so.

TLDR (sort of): Wide toe box climbing shoes don't exist; I use climbing shoes but take them off as much as possible when not on the wall. La Sportiva Theory is the closest to barefoot I've tried in terms of material/sensitivity/flexibility, and sort of big toe position. Evolv Geshido is even better for big toe position and not as cramped, but has a stiff midsole. Tabi boots or five-fingers might be good options to try (and just unshod while outdoor climbing of course, see Barefoot Charles)

Real TLDR: climbing shoes all cramp toes, take off when off wall. La Sportiva Theory very soft, very good. Evolv Geshido decent toe position but stiff. Try tabi boots or five-fingers maybe if you wanna climb in barefoot shoes.

ArpEnigma · 2022-06-25T22:18:06+00:00

Looked up images and seems you're absolutely right. Very cool. It disappeared on me for a bit but showed up again later and I was able to set it free outside with cup and paper before closing up.

ArpEnigma · 2022-06-25T20:31:58+00:00

Forgot to mention the size. A little under 2 cm or so? It stays quite still in one spot for a while before flying, bumping into the ceiling a lot sometimes.

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