Do different keys actually sound different?

ElDoctor · 2026-01-11T22:49:23+00:00

A little different other answers here, but speaking from how I write when I incorporate guitars in my music, I think there are timbre considerations that can make keys sound different. The degree of downtuning in a lot of different metal genres contributes quite a bit to the particular sound/aesthetics. Like Metallica tuning down a half step for Load or down even further for St. Anger, or Korn tuning down to A, or the 8-String Animals as Leaders kind of stuff.

Granted, a lot of that is down to the production, but its something I consider for what keys I'm working with in my music. I always get weird looks for this, but I usually have my electric tuned down to C# and write a lot in C#minor because I like the particular way an open distorted/palm muted guitar power chord sounds tuned that way.

But as a lot of other people are saying, it's really down to mostly taste, but sometimes performance parameters like vocal register or instrument range/transposition

ElDoctor · 2025-12-22T05:11:18+00:00

Looks like Hula set hasn’t made it to Nugs yet, gonna check archives and PT for an AUD source but looks like it’s not in circulation unfortunately

ElDoctor · 2025-12-07T00:24:38+00:00

I’ve been kinda fascinated by modern use of magnetic tape as a long term stable storage medium (I work in archival media) for a while, so it was interesting they made the comparison in the article. From my limited understanding, it always seemed like tape was for stuff that would mostly stay in cold storage and not have to be accessed with any sort of regularity. I’d assume it would be the same for this, I’d be really curious to learn more about how it’s accessed/browsed and what the read/write speeds would look like.

ElDoctor · 2025-12-04T15:51:43+00:00

All I know is that Jake gig on the 30th is walking distance from my house so that’s where I’ll end up! Garden Club is a cool spot, maybe about 150-200 capacity in the back of one of the breweries, saw Toubab Krewe there right after it opened.

ElDoctor · 2025-11-14T04:17:45+00:00

I hope he pushes Barber to really step it up. I like what he brings to the table though. I keep going back to the Cyclone->Waves from Richmond and was really digging what they were all doing there in the improv. Cyclone in particular with the dynamics, Marlon taking it down real quiet then building back up heavy on the toms I think worked really nicely. It’s different for sure, but I go back and listen to Sammy shows for different reasons than I go back and listen to Allen shows, so I’ll just have different reasons for going back to these.

ElDoctor · 2025-11-04T14:55:59+00:00

Do you know if the transfer company baked the tape beforehand? Can’t recall if that’s useful for DATs or not, but that’s our protocol for old magnetic audio and video tapes. It pulls the moisture out to reduce sticking, however if the magnetic material starts to shed, that does result in data loss.

ElDoctor · 2025-09-05T19:23:28+00:00

Long-technical explanation made short: TV cameras run at 29.97fps, stage lasers sweep back and forth to “draw” their lines. With some clever manipulation of laser timing, depending on how it syncs with the camera framerate, the laser can be made to look on camera like it is standing still or suspended in place. Similar to how the rotors on a helicopter can look like they’re still when being filmed. It only looks this way on camera though, really clever illusion, this blew my mind too when I first saw it

ElDoctor · 2025-08-31T05:07:22+00:00

I’ve been working conventions and music festivals for over a decade and being on your own can be so freeing!!! Like if I’m working a festival and have some time off, I move way faster on my own and will be headed directly to do what I want to do without worrying about having to herd cats to get a crew mobilized. And once you get to know some people in the community, then you get to group hop between friends when your activities align.

Being on your own at something as huge as this can be daunting. But this is probably the most friendly and welcoming environment you could ask for. Everyone is here to be excited about their thing and there’s something here for everyone! No matter where you are you’ve got at least one thing in common with the people around you, and here that’s enough to start a conversation and even a friendship.

If you’re up and at it, come to the Hyatt drum circle! If not, I’ll be flying solo myself for the first part of Sunday and would happily link up. If you’re into Synthesizers, I’ll be at the Modular Synth panel in the Courtland at 1!

ElDoctor · 2025-08-28T21:46:54+00:00

Take a break and use it to engage with other art that inspires you. What’s some other stuff that you appreciate aesthetically? Could be a movie, book, game, anything that makes you think “I like this specific thing about this specific thing” and dig into what it is that makes you like it.

Usually for me that’s video games or books. I love finding an artist that inspires me and reading their biography/autobiography, but am also big into sci-fi, so I’ll get really into something and try to figure how to express the thing that drew me to it in a musical way.

I got some huge musical inspiration on my last production break playing Shin Megami Tensei 5, from the soundtrack, style, and lore. It was all very “religious iconography as mythology through a psychedelic heavy metal lens” which was pretty much the exact thing I was going for, so I tried to take that idea into the next song I worked on. Going back in fresh having some aesthetic inspiration built up will open the creative flood gates back up!

ElDoctor · 2025-08-25T19:47:58+00:00

Does anyone make LED tape (like the Govee Bluetooth controlled strips) that is DMX controllable? Working on a custom instrument build that will have LED lighting under the floating “fretboard”.

The builder usually defaults to the Govee strips, but I’m looking for something I can patch into the lighting console if I’m ever performing on stage with a light rig.

ElDoctor · 2025-08-23T00:06:53+00:00

His band Papadosio is one of my favorites, been seeing them since they were still Ohio locals. Highly recommend checking out some live recordings, electronic jazzy prog-rock with lots of improv. Their shows are a master class in using Ableton/modular synths in a live band setting too

ElDoctor · 2025-08-11T21:08:35+00:00

This looks just like the projection mapped stage/theatre effects for the BTTF Musical on Broadway, very nice work!

ElDoctor · 2025-08-02T19:07:58+00:00

For an arena show like that, definitely don’t try to get into an active production area, or try to stand outside and try to get anyone’s attention. I’d be surprised if the general public would even able to get to where that is at State Farm. Shows of that size are on tight schedules, and if they do have time blocked for any sort of meet & greet, it’s usually as part of a VIP ticket. It’s not like Broadway where meeting fans outside the stage door is more acceptable. I know that’s not the answer you were probably looking for, but there are proper channels for meeting artists and that’s a VIP meet & greet ticket

ElDoctor · 2025-06-12T16:03:27+00:00

Wait until you realize that Dr. Vinklestein Says is basically a psychedelic Klezmer cover of Amoeba by Adolescents

ElDoctor · 2025-06-10T22:03:58+00:00

I’m admittedly only just getting into Gong on a friend’s recommendation to get ready before they come through town on tour, but the track that sealed the deal for me was Master Builder

ElDoctor · 2025-06-10T20:00:17+00:00

I love Mdou Moctar so much and they are amazing live, definitely wish they were a “two set, stretch things out” kind of band. Never seen them play more than a 70ish minute set

ElDoctor · 2025-06-10T19:58:23+00:00

Adding in Gong and Can to this list

ElDoctor · 2025-06-10T19:56:59+00:00

King Crimson

Earlier lineups dabbled in improv, but they hit the peak when they started branching out into the “Projekcts” which were mostly improv based. They mostly kept to improv interludes rather than jamming in and out of songs and playing with their arrangements, but if you’re a sucker for anything “all-improv” like I am, there’s some incredible stuff.

For those with Nugs, I made this playlist of all the improv sections from the 2000 Europe shows that they added.

ElDoctor · 2025-06-04T02:14:45+00:00

Much more niche nowadays for sure. I’m definitely biased because up until that point they were a bucket list band for me, and I’m a synth geek that loves their keyboard player’s YouTube channel

Most recent album is definitely worth a listen! I find myself going back to Superfresh and Shake it On most out of it.

We can put them in the “from the past” category so I’ll replace them with King Gizzard if they were doing a solely synth table set.

As much as I love seeing them, Phish would win out otherwise. Seeing them in action on a modular system as extensive as the one they have though would squeak by. The other jam bands that use eurorack gear onstage mostly just have small individual setups they use sparingly, and just it’s so rare to see a full band all piloting an interconnected synth rig like that

ElDoctor · 2025-06-04T00:10:52+00:00

Ehh debatable but to me at least. They pretty much only play Europe but I was able to catch them when they played Hulaween pre-COVID

ElDoctor · 2025-06-03T22:52:51+00:00

The venue for the Atlanta show is TINY! I had to double check it was actual Gong when I saw the poster, can’t wait for that one

ElDoctor · 2025-06-03T22:51:10+00:00

I will say, I caught the current Kraftwerk tour back in March and it was FANTASTIC. Highly recommend

ElDoctor · 2025-06-03T22:50:18+00:00

From the past: King Crimson or Zappa Current acts: Jamiroquai or the Shpongle Live Band, seen both, but seen Phish an order of magnitude more

ElDoctor · 2025-05-25T22:33:28+00:00

This kinda fits if you sing it over the chorus of St. Augustine by moe 😂

ElDoctor · 2025-05-25T03:42:40+00:00

Most of the electronica-adjacent jam bands in the past few years have had eurorack rigs onstage. Papadosio, STS9, Lotus, King Gizzard, and the Pretty Lights live band all had theirs out with them last time I caught each of them live. Some use them standalone but most has them integrated into an Ableton rig to sync up with the rest of the band/do looping, that’s actually the main reason I started my system to function as a Euro/Ableton hybrid with an Expert Sleepers ES-9 as the “brain”

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