TATICLINE February, 2000
// Monthly Music E-Zine 90 Subscribers
Table Of Contents
Opening:
Message From the Editor
Letters From Our Readers
Columns:
In Tune -- Simak Wordmacros Healing Winds
The Zen of Tracking -- Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
Screen Lit Vertigo -- Mind Control by Bad Karma party-version
Call to Keyboards -- As the Scene Turns
Features:
Interview with Virago / Level-DNostalgia
Proposal -- Static Line Expands
Closing:
Credits
Message From the Editor
Got yourselves a fairly full issue this month. Not only do we have a
full stack of regular columns, but we got ourselves a special interview
with Virago, a pretty well known graphician. I also provide you with a
little insight about the future of Static Line which explains why there
is an interview with a graphician this month.
As always, im looking for columnists. If you choose not to read the
feature titled Proposal, I got the short version. If you could write
a column about any form of electronic entertainment, please let me know.
Specifically, id like more demo related writers, more GFX and 3D
rendering related writers.
The website will be updated a day late this month. As I write this,
is almost 12:30am, and I still have to wake up in 5 hours to get to
work. Those of you lucky enough to be on our listserv will get delivery
on time. For those of you who arent, I appologize that it was
published late.
Until next month...
--Coplan
Letters From Our Readers
-- Letter from Keskitalo--
hiya
A good issue, though Im not the greatest fan of the best of xxxxx -
thing its probably very useful. Remains to be seen for my part actually..
Virts article was wwerry gooood too.
What Smash said in the letters from the readers was very very important
I think. It really doesnt matter to worry about how are the people going
to see what we are doing if we arent doing anything worth to show.
Not that I meant we demoscene werent doing anything, it is just
good to be reminded what really matters here. We do not have any
responsibilities for popularity or making profit - not everyhting
in this world should be commercial or as succesfull as possible
help me here.. you know what I mean, although too many people
believe everything should be, without really giving a thought.
Another matter or is it really?, Ive been doing a little voluntary
work for a big BBS system here in Finland with a recognizable tracker
population in residency, throwing around a little feedback on what
comes to the file areas.. much influenced and inspired by In Tune I
suppose. :- And I find it strange not many other people are doing it
too. Its rather easy actually, for me, I shell my player FT2 or IT
and write into a text file what comes to mind while listening to the
song occassionally checking out some patterns or other more technical
stuff on the module if theres some nice trick or techinque to compliment
for, or a failure to give a little instruction, in my capablity and then
send it to the BBS. Not really a big thing, althought a little bit of
will and minding is in order to actually realize this.
When I get feedback on my feedback, its positive. The writing has been
received thats btw very nice to know as a writer. Even a little
sensible feedback is good and feels nice, I know that by myself.
So the strange part comes here: often when, for instance I get a
return favor comments on my modules for comments on theirs theres
that old little disclaimer saying well, this isnt any real critics,
but..
Are we a little scared of writing there?
Try it! I for myself dont think someone couldnt do it much better than
me Coplan for instance g but that doesnt really matter. Coplan cant
review all the songs. And that little commentary, ideas and help is damn
important or atleast very much in order. All the commentary Ive been
given, when been given that is, always give a sort of second opinion and
give me ideas I otherwisely wouldnt have thought of - and thats, for me
atleast, a real resource.
erm, thats it. Not that it was proper but..
--Keskitalo / tempo.pkbrp formerly known as Puolikuu
eino.keskitalo@purkki.mbnet.fi
- Reply from Coplan:
For those of you who dont have access to my mailbox which is everyone
-- so I guess this applies to everyone, Keskitalo and I came up with an
outline that will allow you all to take the opportunity to offer your
constructive criticism about current songs. Read Proposal for more
information.
Anyhow, thanks, as always, Keskitalo for writing us. Its always good
to hear from you, and everyone who sends us mail.
--Coplan
In Tune
Simak Wordmacros Healing Winds
By: Coplan and Setec
-- Introduction --
Well, Setec is out on a little skiing trip. I wish I was with him.
But, since im not, ill be flying In Tune solo this month. Thats too
bad, because this is a special review -- at least it is for me.
Simak Wordmacro currently a member of Chaos Theory, who I always knew
simply as Wordmacro, is a former student of mine. He came to the scene
a couple of years ago how long has it been, and somehow we met up.
He has always had a lot of talent as a music writer -- but his skills
with tracking needed some work. Well, I helped him get started in the
scene -- and then I sat back. I am quite amazed to hear how much he
has improved over time, but youll see.
I bring you Simak Wordmacros
-- Coplan --
First, let me start off with the samples. Many of the samples in this
song were created by Wordmacro. Anything with me next to it are
his, obviously. These samples are clean, conceise and down right well
done. I have two sound cards now: A Gravis Ultrasound as always, and
my new Sound Blaster Live Platnium Pro. Needless to say, if I play a
song without filters on the Sound Blaster, youll notice bad samples
quickly. The Gravis does a good job of hiding faults. This was an eye
opener for me the Sound Blaster anyhow and Im going to start making a
big deal about samples from now on.
Samples that I must point out as being both of good quality, and a
reasonable amount of originality: Tambura, all of the Flutes, and the
Jazzy Drum. Youll see how he uses the Jazzy Drum sample to his benefit
in this song -- but it wouldnt be wise to use this sample when you want
some crisp percussion.
Now, on to the song. From the introduction, you dont learn anything
about the song. That is not to say that its a bad thing. I expected
some sort of middle eastern peice the first time I heard it even after
the first signs of percussion kicked in. Now, about that percussion at
the beginning -- this is the best place to see how he uses that cool
Jazzy Drum sample. Listen quickly, because it doesnt last too long.
The full blown percussion and the exceptional base line come in next.
The base line is something else that I need to point out in this song.
It isnt so passive as many people write music. A lot of people write
music with base guitars simply because they are expected. The base
tends to become something that adds nothing more than depth and
thickness to a song. However, in this song, the base tends to become
part of the song. It changes, it is dynamic. At times, it can even be
as important to the melody as the lead instruments. When IT is mellow,
the song becomes mellow well, more mellow than the song already is.
In order 18, we come to my first peeve of the song. At the very end of
the order -- we have a few short drum rolls of sorts. Whered that drum
come from? It has a higher pitch than any drum elsewhere in the song?
Having the snare of a pitch like that sounds somewhat fake when placed
in a retrigger function. When you retrigger, expect the appearance of a
higher pitch anyhow...keep it normal.
So, how about those dynamics? We got ourselves a simple tune here. But
its catchy. And it is a harmonic pleasure? Why is that? Well, if you
read Dilvishs Zen of Tracking a few months ago, youd be able to
understand why. Simplicity, simplicity simplicity. Ill say it again:
Simplicity. Getting any ideas here? Notice that the lead instrument
tends to be very simple in what it plays. It doesnt try to dazzle us
with fancy riffs, it doesnt even attempt to be complex. Good, its
better that way. Youll also notice that all the short notes and the
riffs with any bit of complexity are in the background -- like that 80s
Organ that pops in every once in a while. That isnt such a unique
style, but its a time tested antic. Your songs will most likely sound
better if the lead is simpler than the background.
Now the closing. I am impressed on one level. That is a rather smooth
tempo change that allows us to shift into a much dimmer movement of the
song. Kudos. BUT, everything after the tempo change doesnt align very
well with the rest of the song. It didnt ruin the song, mind you, but
it didnt truly add anything to it either. That begs the question about
its existance. But, in Wordmacros defense, it is nice, and it is an
efficient closer.
As a whole, I am rather proud of Wordmacros accomplishments over the
years. I am happy that he can create a song such as this with so many
movements, and so many dynamic transitions. I am impressed that a song
like this is so complete and styled. I guess the tracking skill isnt a
limitation anymore.
--Coplan
Song Information:
Title: Healing Winds
Author: Simak Wordmacro
Filename zipped/unzipped: ct-healw.zip / si-healw.it IT 2.14
File Size zipped/unzipped: 423 kb / 938 kb
Source: http://www.chaosthoery.org
Alternate: http://ic.l7.net/statline/current.html
In Tune is a regular column dedicated to the review of original and
singular works by fellow trackers. It is to be used as a tool to expand
your listening and writing horizons, but should not be used as a general
rating system. Coplans and Setecs opinions are not the opinions of
the Static Line Staff.
If you have heard a song you would like to recommend either your own,
or another persons, We can be contacted through e-mail useing the
addresses found in the closing notes. Please do not send files attached
to e-mail without first contacting us. Thank you!
The Zen of Tracking
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
By: Dilvish
A friend of mine recently leant me a book called Drawing on the
Right Side of the Brain, by Betty Edwards thanks, Julia!. After
reading through it, and concentrating on some of the exercises, I
noticed something that struck me. The exercises are intended to shift
the brain from the L-Mode sequential, language, problem solving
skills to the R-Mode spacial, non-sequential, multi-dimensional
skills. While practicing the exercises, I noticed that the shift I
experienced is identical to the first step into crossing over into the
spiritual realm that I am so fond of discussing in this column. This
may be a key to willfully entering the spiritual realm any time you
desire it... something I myself have never been able to achieve, no
matter how many times I find myself there by accident, or through more
extreem measures such as fasting, fervent prayer, and deep meditation
all of which take hours, or even days to achieve the goal.
Im not particularly fond of the writing style used in the book, or
the amount of writing it takes the author to get down to the point, but
I recommend learning the differences between right and left brain
functions, and learning how to activate the right side of the brain
willfully. Its very important to heighten this mostly dormant side of
your cognitave abilities in order to more fully understand yourself, and
the environment you live in.
After learning a few good exercises that help in awakening the more
creative half, you will be considerably closer to the mode of thought in
which everything just seems to fall into place, and make perfect sense.
The book describes a shift in which you turn off your left brain
functions in order to let your right brain take over. I agree that
while you are learning and becoming more familiar with the right side of
your brain, it is very important that the left does not try to interfere
- but in order to reach farther, its important that you opperate on
more than half a brain!
While in a purely right brain state, language becomes difficult, or
even impossible to grasp. Time and sequential data seem to fade away,
and you have a heightened awareness of space, contrast, form, balance,
and proportion even as it relates to music. Often, this mode of
thought is not compatible with the more sequence oriented left brain
functions - IF you allow one half or the other to dominate.
What all the scientists and art teachers are missing here is that it
is possible to achieve a near balance - a state not unlike riding a
bicicle, where the weight shifts back and forth between right and left,
opposing each other, but opposing in harmony that allows you to stay
focused on the task or tasks at hand.
With only the left side of your brain functioning, you understand
wave physics: frequency, amplitude, waveshape disturbance, etc, but you
totally miss the groove. The part that makes all of that translate
into art.
With only the right side of your brain functioning, you get all of
the groove, you understand that the emotion you put into playing can be
heard in your music... hitting the keys harder makes the energy in the
song jump, but you may be missing out on subtle touches that could be
added by knowlege of how to introduce sideband frequencies that might
produce interesting effects, or complex polyrhythms, and synchopation
that require and understanding of the mathematics involved.
Once you find this balance, and begin to follow it in musical
execises, composition, and performance, after a while, you may begin to
percieve something further - a state of conciousness even deeper than
L-Mode, or R-Mode, or even Whole-Mode. This is the state I call the
Spirit-Mode. In this state, you are aware of time, yet somehow not
subject to it - aware of the people, the spaces, the music, and the
physics all around you, yet not a part of it. In this state, you are
capable of almost super-human feats.
Reaching this state requires a *lot* of practice, a *lot* of
discipline, and a *lot* of patience, but when you reach it, you will be
more at peace with yourself, who you are, what you are, and what your
purpose is - and all of that translates into some truly fantastic music,
fantastic performances, fantastic morals, and a far greater sense of
self-worth, and respect for others.
Here then, is an assignment. Begin to explore R-Mode. Check out
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, or something similar - make
sure that it has exercises designed to awaken your dormant right side,
and then practice the exercises. Familiarize yourself with them
thoroughly. This process should take about 2 months. Ill be back
next month to give you another assignment.
- Dilvish
http://cooltext.com/dilvish/philosophy/
P.S. Dilvish never gives an assignment that he wont complete himself.
When he gives advice, he follows it. Right now there are papers
scattered all over his desk with sketches, puzzles, and drawings from
the exercises. Ask your Uni profesors if they do their own homework!
Screen Lit Vertigo
Mind Control by Bad Karma party version
By: Seven
Found at www.scene.org
2nd place at Elevator 2000
System requirements:
2 MB HD, VESA 2. No info-file, and Im not in the mood for guessing.
Test Machine: PII 350 64MB SB16, Win98 in dos-mode BOOTGUI 0
DOS: works with a DPMI-manager, like Dos4gw mind.exe
Win: Works fine.
The demo:
Last year at Proxy99, Bad Karma placed first with Millenium Fever, a
very simple demo code-wise, but with nice design and feelings. With
Mind Control, they show they have improved since then: 32-bit effects
like radial blur, saturate-added firework particles, texts that appear
with X/Y fades... So theyre now on the normal level : Ok, the
blurred rotozoom on particle-ized pictures is something original, but
the best thing of the demo is still the story and design. The full title
is An essay on mental health: Frankenstein government communist
control, and the demo is stuffed with pictures of UFOs, aliens,
dictators, voice-samples like go for a head-shot, they might be wearing
bullet-proof vests or texts like they always come at night so I cant
sleep. Apparently made by paranoid X-files-fans, but also with some
humor, like the greetings under the label Hello you worldwide computer
god parroting puppet gangster slaves : Theres also a lot of nonsense
flashing at the bottom of the screen at subliminal speed, but I get a
headache when trying to read it. The pictures are mostly photos, with
the exception of the alien head and maybe that dictator is pixeled
too. Anyway, the images serve the story, theres never a 10-second
break of the admire my hand-drawn hi-color picture-type, as that
simply doesnt fit in here.
The music is the reason why I dont re-watch this often. Its 100
drums, bass, beeps and shrieks, while I prefer a soundtrack with at
least a tiny bit of melody. Granted, it fits the demo well and all
effects are perfectly synced to the beats, and there is some variation
a slower and more quiet tune during the brainwave-part, f.e., but its
just not my style.
Overall:
Mind Control certainly deserved the second place, it has OK code and
very good real design, in a time when design is almost synonym for
high-res anti-aliased lines : The music is the weakest part, and also
the color scheme is a bit too monotonic for my taste why use hi-color
if 3/4th of the effects are gray?. But overall its a nice demo, so
check it out!
--Seven
Call to Keyboards
As the Scene Turns
By: Coplan
-- Introduction --
Ok, Ill admit that this month is more of a rant than a debate.
However, I think that many of you will have quite a bit to reply after
you hear me out.
-- New Topic: As the Scene Turns --
As I look at my own group as of late, I cant help but to feel as
though Im a man lost in the desert. Me, the tracker and the desert
an unknown place -- the new scene. So, I got all sorts of depressed
for a little while, but then it hit me: This isnt the scene I knew,
or grew up with.
So...whats out there? What do we hold in our future? Guess what
folks! The scene is mutating. No one is controlling it, no one has any
way to stop it -- but its ever changing, and we cant help it. To
survive, we have to go along with it.
Groups? Since Hornet folded, and since space is limited on any other
server, we resort to groups for comfort. Do they help? No.
Essentially, the group gets nothing out of a given member anymore. A
group is purely a place to release with. Store my files please!
Interaction? trax hasnt been the same for quite some time. Do we
need interaction? Yes. Does it need to be music related? Apparently
not anymore. You got people jumpin in trax asking about favorite
movies, and games. I dont know how many times Ive been asked to jump
in Quakeworld from trax.
Where are they going without even knowing the way?
Ill admit, I dont know what the scene has in store for us. But Im
done moping around. Im done trying to make excuses. The scene isnt
what is used to be. Either play along, or get out. Im going to play
along.
Shameless Plug: Static Line is going to be my main focus in the scene
anymore. Im still going to write music, and Im still going to release
with Immortal Coil, dont worry about that. Im sure everyones
precious groups are still going to be around. But groups dont work
like they used to -- you cant depend on them for feedback and
information like you used to. Call them depots -- because they arent
social places anymore. You shouldnt expect that from them. You want
information? Read things like Static Line, or Demojournel, or United
Trackers, or so on. You want music? You gotta find it yourself. It
has been a long while since anyone has recommended that I listen to a
given tune and Im a critic, you think people would. You want to know
whats wrong with your tune? Be direct...ask someone. No one is going
to offer you favors if you dont ask -- especially in the scene.
Its not a party anymore folks. Its a whole bunch of singles running
around the net. Wake up! One person isnt going to make a
change...not even one group. The scene is a big boulder sliding down a
cliff. You end up destroying yourself trying to stop it.
Youre opinions here, please.
--Coplan
Interview with Virago / Level-DNostalgia
Getting Deep Into the Psyche of a Famous Scene Graphician
By: kozmik
Interviewed 21/01/00 by kozmik in pixel on irc.grolier.net
kozmik How long have you been in the scene?
VIRAGO Too long :
kozmik About...And how old are you know?
VIRAGO Err...Gee...Its starting to look like an interview...Short
one though : ...Anyways... 23 :
kozmik And you do gfx right, what year did you submit your first compo
entry?
VIRAGO Err.. 98 ..
kozmik What would you say your style is does it compare to any earlier
styles, if not have you been at least influenced, and if so by
whom?
VIRAGO Oh shit :.. now its getting difficult
VIRAGO I have no specific style, but I like pictures that look painted
on canvas or pixeled, and not too realistic take a picture if
you want realistic things ...And I like stuff from Rembrandt,
Michelangelo etc... Not influenced by scene gfxians...
kozmik So would you say you are first a graphist and then a scener,
unlike maybe most gfx artists in the scene who grew up with
deluxe paint for example?
VIRAGO I started drawing on paper like a lot of scene gfxians, and
had some studies in drawing/oilpainting/calligraphy...But I
started pixeling on C64 as soon as I learned English and
understood the program :
kozmik Why do you think that even though you started with limited
capacities inherent to the C64, you grew up to have a
painter style instead of designer style like most oldschool
guys?
VIRAGO Probably because I kept on drawing and painting on canvas more
then I pixeled on C64, I just enjoyed it a lot more then
pixeling pixeling with a joystick is not something Id
recommend :
VIRAGO ... Thats why I dont enter compos that often :
VIRAGO Because its all scanning smudging... I entered once long ago.
kozmik What compo entry was that, which party, which year, what result,
and where you happily surprised about the result or not?
VIRAGO Compo entry was called dont let the world turn grey I
think, party was bizarre 98, year was 98, result was first, and
I was rather surprised, since Acryl was in that compo as well...
but that was the only known gfxian as well 7 entries in total or
something like that.
kozmik What do you think about the naked woman issue in GFX democomps
you do like Danny, right?
VIRAGO Danny is a good friend of mine, but I dont like drawing naked
women myself, never did it, never will do it either...But
Dannys pictures just look good and I know theyre not scans,
Ive seen him at work : just not my style.
kozmik Do you see sceners are outcasts or people who stand out
alluding to your favourite movie Braveheart :?
VIRAGO Youve read my ojuice entry I guess? :...No...Sceners are not
outcasts...Well...Maybe a bit in a way, because theyre working
on pretty new things, digital art etc...I guess they stand out
in a way, doing some great stuff, but not outcasts... :
kozmik Btw... download pixel winner of Bizarre98 at:
ftp://ftp.scene.org/pub/parties/1998/bizarre98/gfx/b98gfx4.zip
VIRAGO Ah...You found it?...Cool :
kozmik But regardless whether you submit an entry or not, you like to
attend demoparties 9 listed. What do you get from it?
VIRAGO I go there to meet people and friends...Not to enter a compo or
to win anything...
kozmik Can you tell me about Level-D and its main driving forces
ideals etc...?
VIRAGO Eell...Level-D is a musicgroup, doing new age/ambient/chill and
those kinda styles...We dont really have any driving forces, we
just wanted to be a different group that the rest of the music
groups.. all people in Level-D are good friends however, and I
met quite a lot of them in real life as well now...We dont have
a dictatorship or anything, just a bunch of friends releasing
something now and then : nice line :
kozmik Whats your view on the money getting to the scene like
Audiophonik to which 2 of Level-D artits participated to, do
you see that coming for graphists too some day?
VIRAGO I have no problem if ex-sceners want to make a job out of their
hobby, nothing wrong with that...A lot of scene gfxians work for
games companies etc...
kozmik Rob Winter is also Manager Director of Level-D records, do you
ever disagree on the paths to take and if so what would be your
advice to other groups about group management?
VIRAGO I never had any problems with Rob or Johanne for that matter...
Sometimes our opinions about things are different, but thats
normal, and we always work it out without fights...A group based on
friendship is a good thing, we never even kicked someone out of
Level-D : Thats impossible.. our members live all over the
world
kozmik So friendship always comes first. Was/is it like that in
Nostalgia also?
VIRAGO All people in nostalgia were good friends of mine when I joined
them yes...Worked on some projects with them before...
kozmik Is keeping the planet clean one of your prerogatives just saw
your Biz98 entry...?
VIRAGO Yep...I love nature...And Jenny
kozmik What is the most hurting thing somebody portraying himself from
the scene has ever told you without mentionning his/her name?
VIRAGO Stealing something and releasing it under his/her own name I
guess.
kozmik What does Level-D mean? Where did you get the idea of such
name for your demogroup?
VIRAGO Ehm...Well...Level-d isnt a demogroup, and I didnt come up
with the name...However, someone told me it comes from X-files,
where theres supposedly a level-d which is the level where
all alien experiments are done etc...
kozmik If Someone wanted to make friends with you at a demoparty, what
would be 1the worst and 2best sentence to say to you?
VIRAGO The best : hi, the worst you rule : Of course, nobody would
say you rule to me anyways Rephrase : nobody would say
you rule to me and mean it anyways
note:DannyTBL then screams Virago YOU RULLLEEEEEEEEEEE friend!
kozmik About Fix-ups pre-arranged results at demoparties, are they a
myth, are you aware of any, and if so which demoparty which year?
VIRAGO I dont think there are pre-arranged results, but there
definately is bad compo organising...Stupid preselections, and
people voting who didnt even see/hear the productions...Big
names win, even if their entry sucks.
kozmik Most demoparties ORG ask you to give up your rights/copyrights
so they can distribute the party entries. Where do you draw the
line as giving up these rights? And do you have a better/more
fair idea on how the ORGS ought to handle such rights?
VIRAGO They can do whatever they want with the entries, as long as they
dont sell them I guess. and there is no better/more fair way to
do it, without going to official copyright organisations, and
basically they dont care much about digital art yet...
kozmik Are you aware of digital signatures for graphists? Does it work
well and if so what is the best program for you?
VIRAGO It doesnt really work well, and scene gfx are often copies from
beaty magazines or something, so its hard to put your own
copyrights on those, even in youve redrawn the picture, or
perhaps only parts of it...Copyrights is a delicate matter, and
actually needs some studying to fully understand it.
kozmik Occasionaly on IRC you might run into a person who disagrees
with you and might start typing things like F* you gay
asshole! - To your knowledge what is the average age of
sceners in 2000?
VIRAGO The average age is different per country I think.. in Holland
for example the average age is pretty low, yet in France its
somewhat higher.. so its hard to give an average age...For Dutch
standards Im an old scener, and im only 23, so :
kozmik What are the best graphic ressource you know of
tutorials/examples/help etc...?
VIRAGO I dont know...I sometimes look at gfxzone, but mostly I like
watching at real, painted art... possibly Im old fashioned or
something...I also dont really like the designs of the demo
moral hard candy for example... I like details, yet not overly
detailed and too realistic...But gfxzone and some friends Danny,
Made, Assa, 3daddict, etc... are my resources...
kozmik If you could go back in time, what would you like to change
regarding your work/involvement in the demoscene as advice for
starters?
VIRAGO I would probably have choosen a 100 graphical education instead
of car mechanics and basic computer informatics :
kozmik If you had one single advice to give to 1 2d-program authors,
and 2 3d-program authors, what would these be?
VIRAGO To 2d program authors I have no comments, Ive been using
photoshop for a loooooong time, and its just great, and gfx2 is
great for pixel work...And 3d program authors...Well...Get rid of
the damn bugs! especially kinetix :
kozmik If you had to choose between spending your life in the moutains
or on the seaside, which would it be?
VIRAGO Oh...Easy choice, mountains, definately!
kozmik What are your plans for the future as far as your demoscene art
involvement goes?
VIRAGO Well...Im moving to Norway pretty soon, after that Ill probably
need some time to get settled there, but Im just gonna continue
scene work until i dont enjoy it anymore, or have no time for it
anymore but i always manage to find some time, so : Ill
probably be around for quite a while longer.
kozmik When you draw on computer and you know you are on to something
worth pursuing because the results on the screen already please
you do you get excited like a rush and if so what state of mind
do you switch into?
VIRAGO Well...All my gfx start out on paper except for webdesigns and
3d work...Then I scan the paper sketch, and ask some opinions...
If people like it, Ill continue...I dont like to/cant judge my
own work.
kozmik Do you sometimes work so long on a graphic that you actually get
fed up with it, and if so, do you have any remedy to that as
help to other graphic artists - what is the SHORTEST and LONGEST
period you have worked on an entry?
VIRAGO I have it all the time, and my remedy is to just let it rest for
a while and start a new picture...I draw very slow, mainly
because I like details, and that painting like style, which is
hard to draw with a mouse no, I dont have a wacom tablet or
anything, just a simple mouse :...Shortest period Ive spent
on a picture is 30 minutes 30 minute compo at pixel, longest
time about 150-175 hours over a period of 8 years, started as
oilpainting.
kozmik Who has really helped you who do you wish to thank?
VIRAGO Depending on with what they helped me with, Id like to thank
Danny and Made a lot, Orion, Slackjaw and Nogsf for helping out
with Level-D really well, everyone in Level-D of course, Lluvia,
Dr.yes, Flan, Ps, Shodan, Sparcus, Therew, Jal, Druid, ehm...
Louie, Lowlife, gfxtwins, and all other scene-friends Ive ever
met...And of course the sweetest girl I know, Jenny non-scene
for inspiration with her poems :
kozmik What do you think is your best quality and your worst?
VIRAGO I think im pretty good at organising, yet I always organise too
much at the same time.
kozmik Finally, what do you think is the demoscenes best quality and
its worst?
VIRAGO Best quality is the friendship between people from different
ages/cultures/countries, worst quality is probably the rivalry
between group which gets out of hand sometimes.
kozmik How can people contact you if they wish to know more about
Level-D?
VIRAGO By email would be the easiest way I guess : martijn@level-d.com
kozmik Anything else youd like to add?
VIRAGO nope.. :
kozmik Ok then its a wrap! Thank you Virago and good luck with Level-D
and Nostalgia!
Proposal
Static Line Expands
By: Coplan
First of all, I have heard rumors that there are a select few people
that believe that Static Line is in its final year. I garuntee you, we
have many years to come. So, let me just discredit those rumors right
now.
In fact, we are planning on expanding slightly. Mind you, not
significantly.
First, the obvious:
New Guest Reviews -- Keskitalo, in his letter this month, has provoked
a rather interesting idea. What if everyone had an opportunity to
review a song, a demo or some software? Im going to take this
opportunity to invite anyone who is willing to write a review to do so
and forward them to me, Coplan coplan.ic@rcn.com, and I will review
them for possible publishing in future issues of Static Line. Possible?
Well, we pride ourselves on quality -- and I will make no exception
here. If you write a review, please take the time to be clear and
understandable. I will not publish non-quality articles.
New Content Possibilities -- Up until now, I would have to say that Ive
only accepted articles dealing with demos and/or music mostly music.
There are other electronic hobbies out there, and I am going to start
opening the doors to them. These hobbies include video editing as
based on a computer, 3d scene rendering useing bryce, 3ds max/vis,
form-z, Rhino, etc, computer based animation, Computer based Graphics
GFX, and so on. If you or anyone you know might be able to offer
something towards along these lines, please contact me.
Now, behind the scenes:
Web Site -- for those of you that visit our website, you probably
noticed some changes. Thanks to SeaEye of Immortal Coil for providing
us the graphics. Please realize that the web page is not yet completed.
The code needs a little refinement. If you notice any bugs or problems,
please contact me.
Web Space -- in a few weeks, we may be switching to a new server. I
will have the new URL sent out to the listserv without delay. I will
also have it posted on the old web site. I hope to make this
transition a smooth one.
As always, thank you for your patience and understanding.
--Coplan
Editor: Coplan / D. Travis North / coplan.ic@rcn.com
Assistant Editor: Subliminal / Matt Friedly / sub@plazma.net
Web Manager: Dilvish / Eric Hamilton / dilvie@yahoo.com
Columnists: Coplan / D. Travis North / coplan.ic@rcn.com
Dilvish / Eric Hamilton / dilvie@yahoo.com
Setec / Jesper Pederson / jesped@post.tele.dk
Seven / Stefaan / Stefaan.VanNieuwenhuyze@rug.ac.be
Virt / virt@bellsouth.net
Staff Writers: Louis Gorenfeld / gorenfeld@vrone.net
SiN / Ian Haskin / sin@netcom.ca
Technical Support: Draggy / Nicolas St. Pierre / draggy@kosmic.org
Jim / Jim Nicholson / jim@kosmic.org
Static Line on the Web: http://www.ic.l7.net/statline
ftp://flerp.scene.hu/scene/DiskMag/StaticLine
To subscribe to the Static Line mailing list, send an e-mail message
to majordomo@kosmic.org with subscribe staticline your e-mail in
the message text. You will then be asked to confirm your addition to the
mailing list. Expect a new issue during the first weekend of each
month.
To unsubscribe from the mailing list, send an e-mail message to
majordomo@kosmic.org with unsubscribe staticline your e-mail in
the message text. Your subscription will then be removed.
If you would like to contribute an article to Static Line, be aware
that we will format your article with two spaces at the beginning and one
space at the end of each line. Please avoid foul language and high ascii
characters. Contributions should be mailed to Coplan
coplan.ic@rcn.com.
See you next month!
-eof---------------------
// Monthly Music E-Zine 90 Subscribers
Table Of Contents
Opening:
Message From the Editor
Letters From Our Readers
Columns:
In Tune -- Simak Wordmacros Healing Winds
The Zen of Tracking -- Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
Screen Lit Vertigo -- Mind Control by Bad Karma party-version
Call to Keyboards -- As the Scene Turns
Features:
Interview with Virago / Level-DNostalgia
Proposal -- Static Line Expands
Closing:
Credits
Message From the Editor
Got yourselves a fairly full issue this month. Not only do we have a
full stack of regular columns, but we got ourselves a special interview
with Virago, a pretty well known graphician. I also provide you with a
little insight about the future of Static Line which explains why there
is an interview with a graphician this month.
As always, im looking for columnists. If you choose not to read the
feature titled Proposal, I got the short version. If you could write
a column about any form of electronic entertainment, please let me know.
Specifically, id like more demo related writers, more GFX and 3D
rendering related writers.
The website will be updated a day late this month. As I write this,
is almost 12:30am, and I still have to wake up in 5 hours to get to
work. Those of you lucky enough to be on our listserv will get delivery
on time. For those of you who arent, I appologize that it was
published late.
Until next month...
--Coplan
Letters From Our Readers
-- Letter from Keskitalo--
hiya
A good issue, though Im not the greatest fan of the best of xxxxx -
thing its probably very useful. Remains to be seen for my part actually..
Virts article was wwerry gooood too.
What Smash said in the letters from the readers was very very important
I think. It really doesnt matter to worry about how are the people going
to see what we are doing if we arent doing anything worth to show.
Not that I meant we demoscene werent doing anything, it is just
good to be reminded what really matters here. We do not have any
responsibilities for popularity or making profit - not everyhting
in this world should be commercial or as succesfull as possible
help me here.. you know what I mean, although too many people
believe everything should be, without really giving a thought.
Another matter or is it really?, Ive been doing a little voluntary
work for a big BBS system here in Finland with a recognizable tracker
population in residency, throwing around a little feedback on what
comes to the file areas.. much influenced and inspired by In Tune I
suppose. :- And I find it strange not many other people are doing it
too. Its rather easy actually, for me, I shell my player FT2 or IT
and write into a text file what comes to mind while listening to the
song occassionally checking out some patterns or other more technical
stuff on the module if theres some nice trick or techinque to compliment
for, or a failure to give a little instruction, in my capablity and then
send it to the BBS. Not really a big thing, althought a little bit of
will and minding is in order to actually realize this.
When I get feedback on my feedback, its positive. The writing has been
received thats btw very nice to know as a writer. Even a little
sensible feedback is good and feels nice, I know that by myself.
So the strange part comes here: often when, for instance I get a
return favor comments on my modules for comments on theirs theres
that old little disclaimer saying well, this isnt any real critics,
but..
Are we a little scared of writing there?
Try it! I for myself dont think someone couldnt do it much better than
me Coplan for instance g but that doesnt really matter. Coplan cant
review all the songs. And that little commentary, ideas and help is damn
important or atleast very much in order. All the commentary Ive been
given, when been given that is, always give a sort of second opinion and
give me ideas I otherwisely wouldnt have thought of - and thats, for me
atleast, a real resource.
erm, thats it. Not that it was proper but..
--Keskitalo / tempo.pkbrp formerly known as Puolikuu
eino.keskitalo@purkki.mbnet.fi
- Reply from Coplan:
For those of you who dont have access to my mailbox which is everyone
-- so I guess this applies to everyone, Keskitalo and I came up with an
outline that will allow you all to take the opportunity to offer your
constructive criticism about current songs. Read Proposal for more
information.
Anyhow, thanks, as always, Keskitalo for writing us. Its always good
to hear from you, and everyone who sends us mail.
--Coplan
In Tune
Simak Wordmacros Healing Winds
By: Coplan and Setec
-- Introduction --
Well, Setec is out on a little skiing trip. I wish I was with him.
But, since im not, ill be flying In Tune solo this month. Thats too
bad, because this is a special review -- at least it is for me.
Simak Wordmacro currently a member of Chaos Theory, who I always knew
simply as Wordmacro, is a former student of mine. He came to the scene
a couple of years ago how long has it been, and somehow we met up.
He has always had a lot of talent as a music writer -- but his skills
with tracking needed some work. Well, I helped him get started in the
scene -- and then I sat back. I am quite amazed to hear how much he
has improved over time, but youll see.
I bring you Simak Wordmacros
-- Coplan --
First, let me start off with the samples. Many of the samples in this
song were created by Wordmacro. Anything with me next to it are
his, obviously. These samples are clean, conceise and down right well
done. I have two sound cards now: A Gravis Ultrasound as always, and
my new Sound Blaster Live Platnium Pro. Needless to say, if I play a
song without filters on the Sound Blaster, youll notice bad samples
quickly. The Gravis does a good job of hiding faults. This was an eye
opener for me the Sound Blaster anyhow and Im going to start making a
big deal about samples from now on.
Samples that I must point out as being both of good quality, and a
reasonable amount of originality: Tambura, all of the Flutes, and the
Jazzy Drum. Youll see how he uses the Jazzy Drum sample to his benefit
in this song -- but it wouldnt be wise to use this sample when you want
some crisp percussion.
Now, on to the song. From the introduction, you dont learn anything
about the song. That is not to say that its a bad thing. I expected
some sort of middle eastern peice the first time I heard it even after
the first signs of percussion kicked in. Now, about that percussion at
the beginning -- this is the best place to see how he uses that cool
Jazzy Drum sample. Listen quickly, because it doesnt last too long.
The full blown percussion and the exceptional base line come in next.
The base line is something else that I need to point out in this song.
It isnt so passive as many people write music. A lot of people write
music with base guitars simply because they are expected. The base
tends to become something that adds nothing more than depth and
thickness to a song. However, in this song, the base tends to become
part of the song. It changes, it is dynamic. At times, it can even be
as important to the melody as the lead instruments. When IT is mellow,
the song becomes mellow well, more mellow than the song already is.
In order 18, we come to my first peeve of the song. At the very end of
the order -- we have a few short drum rolls of sorts. Whered that drum
come from? It has a higher pitch than any drum elsewhere in the song?
Having the snare of a pitch like that sounds somewhat fake when placed
in a retrigger function. When you retrigger, expect the appearance of a
higher pitch anyhow...keep it normal.
So, how about those dynamics? We got ourselves a simple tune here. But
its catchy. And it is a harmonic pleasure? Why is that? Well, if you
read Dilvishs Zen of Tracking a few months ago, youd be able to
understand why. Simplicity, simplicity simplicity. Ill say it again:
Simplicity. Getting any ideas here? Notice that the lead instrument
tends to be very simple in what it plays. It doesnt try to dazzle us
with fancy riffs, it doesnt even attempt to be complex. Good, its
better that way. Youll also notice that all the short notes and the
riffs with any bit of complexity are in the background -- like that 80s
Organ that pops in every once in a while. That isnt such a unique
style, but its a time tested antic. Your songs will most likely sound
better if the lead is simpler than the background.
Now the closing. I am impressed on one level. That is a rather smooth
tempo change that allows us to shift into a much dimmer movement of the
song. Kudos. BUT, everything after the tempo change doesnt align very
well with the rest of the song. It didnt ruin the song, mind you, but
it didnt truly add anything to it either. That begs the question about
its existance. But, in Wordmacros defense, it is nice, and it is an
efficient closer.
As a whole, I am rather proud of Wordmacros accomplishments over the
years. I am happy that he can create a song such as this with so many
movements, and so many dynamic transitions. I am impressed that a song
like this is so complete and styled. I guess the tracking skill isnt a
limitation anymore.
--Coplan
Song Information:
Title: Healing Winds
Author: Simak Wordmacro
Filename zipped/unzipped: ct-healw.zip / si-healw.it IT 2.14
File Size zipped/unzipped: 423 kb / 938 kb
Source: http://www.chaosthoery.org
Alternate: http://ic.l7.net/statline/current.html
In Tune is a regular column dedicated to the review of original and
singular works by fellow trackers. It is to be used as a tool to expand
your listening and writing horizons, but should not be used as a general
rating system. Coplans and Setecs opinions are not the opinions of
the Static Line Staff.
If you have heard a song you would like to recommend either your own,
or another persons, We can be contacted through e-mail useing the
addresses found in the closing notes. Please do not send files attached
to e-mail without first contacting us. Thank you!
The Zen of Tracking
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
By: Dilvish
A friend of mine recently leant me a book called Drawing on the
Right Side of the Brain, by Betty Edwards thanks, Julia!. After
reading through it, and concentrating on some of the exercises, I
noticed something that struck me. The exercises are intended to shift
the brain from the L-Mode sequential, language, problem solving
skills to the R-Mode spacial, non-sequential, multi-dimensional
skills. While practicing the exercises, I noticed that the shift I
experienced is identical to the first step into crossing over into the
spiritual realm that I am so fond of discussing in this column. This
may be a key to willfully entering the spiritual realm any time you
desire it... something I myself have never been able to achieve, no
matter how many times I find myself there by accident, or through more
extreem measures such as fasting, fervent prayer, and deep meditation
all of which take hours, or even days to achieve the goal.
Im not particularly fond of the writing style used in the book, or
the amount of writing it takes the author to get down to the point, but
I recommend learning the differences between right and left brain
functions, and learning how to activate the right side of the brain
willfully. Its very important to heighten this mostly dormant side of
your cognitave abilities in order to more fully understand yourself, and
the environment you live in.
After learning a few good exercises that help in awakening the more
creative half, you will be considerably closer to the mode of thought in
which everything just seems to fall into place, and make perfect sense.
The book describes a shift in which you turn off your left brain
functions in order to let your right brain take over. I agree that
while you are learning and becoming more familiar with the right side of
your brain, it is very important that the left does not try to interfere
- but in order to reach farther, its important that you opperate on
more than half a brain!
While in a purely right brain state, language becomes difficult, or
even impossible to grasp. Time and sequential data seem to fade away,
and you have a heightened awareness of space, contrast, form, balance,
and proportion even as it relates to music. Often, this mode of
thought is not compatible with the more sequence oriented left brain
functions - IF you allow one half or the other to dominate.
What all the scientists and art teachers are missing here is that it
is possible to achieve a near balance - a state not unlike riding a
bicicle, where the weight shifts back and forth between right and left,
opposing each other, but opposing in harmony that allows you to stay
focused on the task or tasks at hand.
With only the left side of your brain functioning, you understand
wave physics: frequency, amplitude, waveshape disturbance, etc, but you
totally miss the groove. The part that makes all of that translate
into art.
With only the right side of your brain functioning, you get all of
the groove, you understand that the emotion you put into playing can be
heard in your music... hitting the keys harder makes the energy in the
song jump, but you may be missing out on subtle touches that could be
added by knowlege of how to introduce sideband frequencies that might
produce interesting effects, or complex polyrhythms, and synchopation
that require and understanding of the mathematics involved.
Once you find this balance, and begin to follow it in musical
execises, composition, and performance, after a while, you may begin to
percieve something further - a state of conciousness even deeper than
L-Mode, or R-Mode, or even Whole-Mode. This is the state I call the
Spirit-Mode. In this state, you are aware of time, yet somehow not
subject to it - aware of the people, the spaces, the music, and the
physics all around you, yet not a part of it. In this state, you are
capable of almost super-human feats.
Reaching this state requires a *lot* of practice, a *lot* of
discipline, and a *lot* of patience, but when you reach it, you will be
more at peace with yourself, who you are, what you are, and what your
purpose is - and all of that translates into some truly fantastic music,
fantastic performances, fantastic morals, and a far greater sense of
self-worth, and respect for others.
Here then, is an assignment. Begin to explore R-Mode. Check out
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, or something similar - make
sure that it has exercises designed to awaken your dormant right side,
and then practice the exercises. Familiarize yourself with them
thoroughly. This process should take about 2 months. Ill be back
next month to give you another assignment.
- Dilvish
http://cooltext.com/dilvish/philosophy/
P.S. Dilvish never gives an assignment that he wont complete himself.
When he gives advice, he follows it. Right now there are papers
scattered all over his desk with sketches, puzzles, and drawings from
the exercises. Ask your Uni profesors if they do their own homework!
Screen Lit Vertigo
Mind Control by Bad Karma party version
By: Seven
Found at www.scene.org
2nd place at Elevator 2000
System requirements:
2 MB HD, VESA 2. No info-file, and Im not in the mood for guessing.
Test Machine: PII 350 64MB SB16, Win98 in dos-mode BOOTGUI 0
DOS: works with a DPMI-manager, like Dos4gw mind.exe
Win: Works fine.
The demo:
Last year at Proxy99, Bad Karma placed first with Millenium Fever, a
very simple demo code-wise, but with nice design and feelings. With
Mind Control, they show they have improved since then: 32-bit effects
like radial blur, saturate-added firework particles, texts that appear
with X/Y fades... So theyre now on the normal level : Ok, the
blurred rotozoom on particle-ized pictures is something original, but
the best thing of the demo is still the story and design. The full title
is An essay on mental health: Frankenstein government communist
control, and the demo is stuffed with pictures of UFOs, aliens,
dictators, voice-samples like go for a head-shot, they might be wearing
bullet-proof vests or texts like they always come at night so I cant
sleep. Apparently made by paranoid X-files-fans, but also with some
humor, like the greetings under the label Hello you worldwide computer
god parroting puppet gangster slaves : Theres also a lot of nonsense
flashing at the bottom of the screen at subliminal speed, but I get a
headache when trying to read it. The pictures are mostly photos, with
the exception of the alien head and maybe that dictator is pixeled
too. Anyway, the images serve the story, theres never a 10-second
break of the admire my hand-drawn hi-color picture-type, as that
simply doesnt fit in here.
The music is the reason why I dont re-watch this often. Its 100
drums, bass, beeps and shrieks, while I prefer a soundtrack with at
least a tiny bit of melody. Granted, it fits the demo well and all
effects are perfectly synced to the beats, and there is some variation
a slower and more quiet tune during the brainwave-part, f.e., but its
just not my style.
Overall:
Mind Control certainly deserved the second place, it has OK code and
very good real design, in a time when design is almost synonym for
high-res anti-aliased lines : The music is the weakest part, and also
the color scheme is a bit too monotonic for my taste why use hi-color
if 3/4th of the effects are gray?. But overall its a nice demo, so
check it out!
--Seven
Call to Keyboards
As the Scene Turns
By: Coplan
-- Introduction --
Ok, Ill admit that this month is more of a rant than a debate.
However, I think that many of you will have quite a bit to reply after
you hear me out.
-- New Topic: As the Scene Turns --
As I look at my own group as of late, I cant help but to feel as
though Im a man lost in the desert. Me, the tracker and the desert
an unknown place -- the new scene. So, I got all sorts of depressed
for a little while, but then it hit me: This isnt the scene I knew,
or grew up with.
So...whats out there? What do we hold in our future? Guess what
folks! The scene is mutating. No one is controlling it, no one has any
way to stop it -- but its ever changing, and we cant help it. To
survive, we have to go along with it.
Groups? Since Hornet folded, and since space is limited on any other
server, we resort to groups for comfort. Do they help? No.
Essentially, the group gets nothing out of a given member anymore. A
group is purely a place to release with. Store my files please!
Interaction? trax hasnt been the same for quite some time. Do we
need interaction? Yes. Does it need to be music related? Apparently
not anymore. You got people jumpin in trax asking about favorite
movies, and games. I dont know how many times Ive been asked to jump
in Quakeworld from trax.
Where are they going without even knowing the way?
Ill admit, I dont know what the scene has in store for us. But Im
done moping around. Im done trying to make excuses. The scene isnt
what is used to be. Either play along, or get out. Im going to play
along.
Shameless Plug: Static Line is going to be my main focus in the scene
anymore. Im still going to write music, and Im still going to release
with Immortal Coil, dont worry about that. Im sure everyones
precious groups are still going to be around. But groups dont work
like they used to -- you cant depend on them for feedback and
information like you used to. Call them depots -- because they arent
social places anymore. You shouldnt expect that from them. You want
information? Read things like Static Line, or Demojournel, or United
Trackers, or so on. You want music? You gotta find it yourself. It
has been a long while since anyone has recommended that I listen to a
given tune and Im a critic, you think people would. You want to know
whats wrong with your tune? Be direct...ask someone. No one is going
to offer you favors if you dont ask -- especially in the scene.
Its not a party anymore folks. Its a whole bunch of singles running
around the net. Wake up! One person isnt going to make a
change...not even one group. The scene is a big boulder sliding down a
cliff. You end up destroying yourself trying to stop it.
Youre opinions here, please.
--Coplan
Interview with Virago / Level-DNostalgia
Getting Deep Into the Psyche of a Famous Scene Graphician
By: kozmik
Interviewed 21/01/00 by kozmik in pixel on irc.grolier.net
kozmik How long have you been in the scene?
VIRAGO Too long :
kozmik About...And how old are you know?
VIRAGO Err...Gee...Its starting to look like an interview...Short
one though : ...Anyways... 23 :
kozmik And you do gfx right, what year did you submit your first compo
entry?
VIRAGO Err.. 98 ..
kozmik What would you say your style is does it compare to any earlier
styles, if not have you been at least influenced, and if so by
whom?
VIRAGO Oh shit :.. now its getting difficult
VIRAGO I have no specific style, but I like pictures that look painted
on canvas or pixeled, and not too realistic take a picture if
you want realistic things ...And I like stuff from Rembrandt,
Michelangelo etc... Not influenced by scene gfxians...
kozmik So would you say you are first a graphist and then a scener,
unlike maybe most gfx artists in the scene who grew up with
deluxe paint for example?
VIRAGO I started drawing on paper like a lot of scene gfxians, and
had some studies in drawing/oilpainting/calligraphy...But I
started pixeling on C64 as soon as I learned English and
understood the program :
kozmik Why do you think that even though you started with limited
capacities inherent to the C64, you grew up to have a
painter style instead of designer style like most oldschool
guys?
VIRAGO Probably because I kept on drawing and painting on canvas more
then I pixeled on C64, I just enjoyed it a lot more then
pixeling pixeling with a joystick is not something Id
recommend :
VIRAGO ... Thats why I dont enter compos that often :
VIRAGO Because its all scanning smudging... I entered once long ago.
kozmik What compo entry was that, which party, which year, what result,
and where you happily surprised about the result or not?
VIRAGO Compo entry was called dont let the world turn grey I
think, party was bizarre 98, year was 98, result was first, and
I was rather surprised, since Acryl was in that compo as well...
but that was the only known gfxian as well 7 entries in total or
something like that.
kozmik What do you think about the naked woman issue in GFX democomps
you do like Danny, right?
VIRAGO Danny is a good friend of mine, but I dont like drawing naked
women myself, never did it, never will do it either...But
Dannys pictures just look good and I know theyre not scans,
Ive seen him at work : just not my style.
kozmik Do you see sceners are outcasts or people who stand out
alluding to your favourite movie Braveheart :?
VIRAGO Youve read my ojuice entry I guess? :...No...Sceners are not
outcasts...Well...Maybe a bit in a way, because theyre working
on pretty new things, digital art etc...I guess they stand out
in a way, doing some great stuff, but not outcasts... :
kozmik Btw... download pixel winner of Bizarre98 at:
ftp://ftp.scene.org/pub/parties/1998/bizarre98/gfx/b98gfx4.zip
VIRAGO Ah...You found it?...Cool :
kozmik But regardless whether you submit an entry or not, you like to
attend demoparties 9 listed. What do you get from it?
VIRAGO I go there to meet people and friends...Not to enter a compo or
to win anything...
kozmik Can you tell me about Level-D and its main driving forces
ideals etc...?
VIRAGO Eell...Level-D is a musicgroup, doing new age/ambient/chill and
those kinda styles...We dont really have any driving forces, we
just wanted to be a different group that the rest of the music
groups.. all people in Level-D are good friends however, and I
met quite a lot of them in real life as well now...We dont have
a dictatorship or anything, just a bunch of friends releasing
something now and then : nice line :
kozmik Whats your view on the money getting to the scene like
Audiophonik to which 2 of Level-D artits participated to, do
you see that coming for graphists too some day?
VIRAGO I have no problem if ex-sceners want to make a job out of their
hobby, nothing wrong with that...A lot of scene gfxians work for
games companies etc...
kozmik Rob Winter is also Manager Director of Level-D records, do you
ever disagree on the paths to take and if so what would be your
advice to other groups about group management?
VIRAGO I never had any problems with Rob or Johanne for that matter...
Sometimes our opinions about things are different, but thats
normal, and we always work it out without fights...A group based on
friendship is a good thing, we never even kicked someone out of
Level-D : Thats impossible.. our members live all over the
world
kozmik So friendship always comes first. Was/is it like that in
Nostalgia also?
VIRAGO All people in nostalgia were good friends of mine when I joined
them yes...Worked on some projects with them before...
kozmik Is keeping the planet clean one of your prerogatives just saw
your Biz98 entry...?
VIRAGO Yep...I love nature...And Jenny
kozmik What is the most hurting thing somebody portraying himself from
the scene has ever told you without mentionning his/her name?
VIRAGO Stealing something and releasing it under his/her own name I
guess.
kozmik What does Level-D mean? Where did you get the idea of such
name for your demogroup?
VIRAGO Ehm...Well...Level-d isnt a demogroup, and I didnt come up
with the name...However, someone told me it comes from X-files,
where theres supposedly a level-d which is the level where
all alien experiments are done etc...
kozmik If Someone wanted to make friends with you at a demoparty, what
would be 1the worst and 2best sentence to say to you?
VIRAGO The best : hi, the worst you rule : Of course, nobody would
say you rule to me anyways Rephrase : nobody would say
you rule to me and mean it anyways
note:DannyTBL then screams Virago YOU RULLLEEEEEEEEEEE friend!
kozmik About Fix-ups pre-arranged results at demoparties, are they a
myth, are you aware of any, and if so which demoparty which year?
VIRAGO I dont think there are pre-arranged results, but there
definately is bad compo organising...Stupid preselections, and
people voting who didnt even see/hear the productions...Big
names win, even if their entry sucks.
kozmik Most demoparties ORG ask you to give up your rights/copyrights
so they can distribute the party entries. Where do you draw the
line as giving up these rights? And do you have a better/more
fair idea on how the ORGS ought to handle such rights?
VIRAGO They can do whatever they want with the entries, as long as they
dont sell them I guess. and there is no better/more fair way to
do it, without going to official copyright organisations, and
basically they dont care much about digital art yet...
kozmik Are you aware of digital signatures for graphists? Does it work
well and if so what is the best program for you?
VIRAGO It doesnt really work well, and scene gfx are often copies from
beaty magazines or something, so its hard to put your own
copyrights on those, even in youve redrawn the picture, or
perhaps only parts of it...Copyrights is a delicate matter, and
actually needs some studying to fully understand it.
kozmik Occasionaly on IRC you might run into a person who disagrees
with you and might start typing things like F* you gay
asshole! - To your knowledge what is the average age of
sceners in 2000?
VIRAGO The average age is different per country I think.. in Holland
for example the average age is pretty low, yet in France its
somewhat higher.. so its hard to give an average age...For Dutch
standards Im an old scener, and im only 23, so :
kozmik What are the best graphic ressource you know of
tutorials/examples/help etc...?
VIRAGO I dont know...I sometimes look at gfxzone, but mostly I like
watching at real, painted art... possibly Im old fashioned or
something...I also dont really like the designs of the demo
moral hard candy for example... I like details, yet not overly
detailed and too realistic...But gfxzone and some friends Danny,
Made, Assa, 3daddict, etc... are my resources...
kozmik If you could go back in time, what would you like to change
regarding your work/involvement in the demoscene as advice for
starters?
VIRAGO I would probably have choosen a 100 graphical education instead
of car mechanics and basic computer informatics :
kozmik If you had one single advice to give to 1 2d-program authors,
and 2 3d-program authors, what would these be?
VIRAGO To 2d program authors I have no comments, Ive been using
photoshop for a loooooong time, and its just great, and gfx2 is
great for pixel work...And 3d program authors...Well...Get rid of
the damn bugs! especially kinetix :
kozmik If you had to choose between spending your life in the moutains
or on the seaside, which would it be?
VIRAGO Oh...Easy choice, mountains, definately!
kozmik What are your plans for the future as far as your demoscene art
involvement goes?
VIRAGO Well...Im moving to Norway pretty soon, after that Ill probably
need some time to get settled there, but Im just gonna continue
scene work until i dont enjoy it anymore, or have no time for it
anymore but i always manage to find some time, so : Ill
probably be around for quite a while longer.
kozmik When you draw on computer and you know you are on to something
worth pursuing because the results on the screen already please
you do you get excited like a rush and if so what state of mind
do you switch into?
VIRAGO Well...All my gfx start out on paper except for webdesigns and
3d work...Then I scan the paper sketch, and ask some opinions...
If people like it, Ill continue...I dont like to/cant judge my
own work.
kozmik Do you sometimes work so long on a graphic that you actually get
fed up with it, and if so, do you have any remedy to that as
help to other graphic artists - what is the SHORTEST and LONGEST
period you have worked on an entry?
VIRAGO I have it all the time, and my remedy is to just let it rest for
a while and start a new picture...I draw very slow, mainly
because I like details, and that painting like style, which is
hard to draw with a mouse no, I dont have a wacom tablet or
anything, just a simple mouse :...Shortest period Ive spent
on a picture is 30 minutes 30 minute compo at pixel, longest
time about 150-175 hours over a period of 8 years, started as
oilpainting.
kozmik Who has really helped you who do you wish to thank?
VIRAGO Depending on with what they helped me with, Id like to thank
Danny and Made a lot, Orion, Slackjaw and Nogsf for helping out
with Level-D really well, everyone in Level-D of course, Lluvia,
Dr.yes, Flan, Ps, Shodan, Sparcus, Therew, Jal, Druid, ehm...
Louie, Lowlife, gfxtwins, and all other scene-friends Ive ever
met...And of course the sweetest girl I know, Jenny non-scene
for inspiration with her poems :
kozmik What do you think is your best quality and your worst?
VIRAGO I think im pretty good at organising, yet I always organise too
much at the same time.
kozmik Finally, what do you think is the demoscenes best quality and
its worst?
VIRAGO Best quality is the friendship between people from different
ages/cultures/countries, worst quality is probably the rivalry
between group which gets out of hand sometimes.
kozmik How can people contact you if they wish to know more about
Level-D?
VIRAGO By email would be the easiest way I guess : martijn@level-d.com
kozmik Anything else youd like to add?
VIRAGO nope.. :
kozmik Ok then its a wrap! Thank you Virago and good luck with Level-D
and Nostalgia!
Proposal
Static Line Expands
By: Coplan
First of all, I have heard rumors that there are a select few people
that believe that Static Line is in its final year. I garuntee you, we
have many years to come. So, let me just discredit those rumors right
now.
In fact, we are planning on expanding slightly. Mind you, not
significantly.
First, the obvious:
New Guest Reviews -- Keskitalo, in his letter this month, has provoked
a rather interesting idea. What if everyone had an opportunity to
review a song, a demo or some software? Im going to take this
opportunity to invite anyone who is willing to write a review to do so
and forward them to me, Coplan coplan.ic@rcn.com, and I will review
them for possible publishing in future issues of Static Line. Possible?
Well, we pride ourselves on quality -- and I will make no exception
here. If you write a review, please take the time to be clear and
understandable. I will not publish non-quality articles.
New Content Possibilities -- Up until now, I would have to say that Ive
only accepted articles dealing with demos and/or music mostly music.
There are other electronic hobbies out there, and I am going to start
opening the doors to them. These hobbies include video editing as
based on a computer, 3d scene rendering useing bryce, 3ds max/vis,
form-z, Rhino, etc, computer based animation, Computer based Graphics
GFX, and so on. If you or anyone you know might be able to offer
something towards along these lines, please contact me.
Now, behind the scenes:
Web Site -- for those of you that visit our website, you probably
noticed some changes. Thanks to SeaEye of Immortal Coil for providing
us the graphics. Please realize that the web page is not yet completed.
The code needs a little refinement. If you notice any bugs or problems,
please contact me.
Web Space -- in a few weeks, we may be switching to a new server. I
will have the new URL sent out to the listserv without delay. I will
also have it posted on the old web site. I hope to make this
transition a smooth one.
As always, thank you for your patience and understanding.
--Coplan
Editor: Coplan / D. Travis North / coplan.ic@rcn.com
Assistant Editor: Subliminal / Matt Friedly / sub@plazma.net
Web Manager: Dilvish / Eric Hamilton / dilvie@yahoo.com
Columnists: Coplan / D. Travis North / coplan.ic@rcn.com
Dilvish / Eric Hamilton / dilvie@yahoo.com
Setec / Jesper Pederson / jesped@post.tele.dk
Seven / Stefaan / Stefaan.VanNieuwenhuyze@rug.ac.be
Virt / virt@bellsouth.net
Staff Writers: Louis Gorenfeld / gorenfeld@vrone.net
SiN / Ian Haskin / sin@netcom.ca
Technical Support: Draggy / Nicolas St. Pierre / draggy@kosmic.org
Jim / Jim Nicholson / jim@kosmic.org
Static Line on the Web: http://www.ic.l7.net/statline
ftp://flerp.scene.hu/scene/DiskMag/StaticLine
To subscribe to the Static Line mailing list, send an e-mail message
to majordomo@kosmic.org with subscribe staticline your e-mail in
the message text. You will then be asked to confirm your addition to the
mailing list. Expect a new issue during the first weekend of each
month.
To unsubscribe from the mailing list, send an e-mail message to
majordomo@kosmic.org with unsubscribe staticline your e-mail in
the message text. Your subscription will then be removed.
If you would like to contribute an article to Static Line, be aware
that we will format your article with two spaces at the beginning and one
space at the end of each line. Please avoid foul language and high ascii
characters. Contributions should be mailed to Coplan
coplan.ic@rcn.com.
See you next month!
-eof---------------------
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