The incredibly cold and wet spring season we've had here in the UK seems to have finally given way to summer, so what a better way to make the most of the weather than a battery powered jam in the garden.
I've been building the rig in the video specifically to have something battery powered to jam and record on away from the studio but I was mostly thinking of writing on the sofa. But a few days ago we moved a sofa bed out of our cabin in the garden and it seems to have become garden furniture now, so this was a perfect place for a quick test of this setup.
It's perhaps not the best bit of music I've written but I had a few unexpected problems with my mini mixer being extremely quiet to begin which put me off my stride a bit. I ended up using the mixers mic inputs instead of line in which shouldn't have been necessary, but it works at least.
I'll make a vlog about the modular/semi modular 'Synth Tray' in a bit, but just quickly everything here is running on various rechargeable batteries and I'm using a Volca Modular, Bastl Kastle, Volca Beats (which I might replace with my Bastl Kastle Drum if it ever arrives....) Korg NTS1, Korg SQ1, Radio Shack Mixer, Korg SR1 'Sound on Sound' and a Suboos latern which has USB power to run the NTS1. There is a prototype board on there too but it wasn't used here. The reverb is provided by the Korg SR1 and the ambient sound is direct from my Sony HDR-CX240E and is played back dry. Molly the cat is on cable monitoring duties.