So here we are at the end of the first month in 2023. It seems time keeps flying by and sometimes I wonder what I have to show for it. In reality a good amount of progress has been made on the computer side of the update with a majority of the 3rd party software being loaded. The core DAW software has been running for several months and in use, but additional add-ons and supplemental elements can be many (likely too many) and quite time consuming to put in place. Those software toys have been years in the accumulation and so getting them loaded takes time at getting the latest version, establishing the new authorizations, then testing that each component functions and in some cases deciding I really don’t need some feature and again removing it. I’m probably about 80% finished with that phase and the larger element remaining will be to re-establish the sound libraries for keyboard, guitar and other music production. Most of the those sounds are already on the system – just need to make the connection on the new computer to their associated players.

In the meantime I’ve also spent time redesigning the patchbays and seeing how many I can eliminate altogether. Also there’s been the ongoing myriad of ideas bantered and tested for the best placement of the computer monitors. This element is complicated by the planned addition of a 2nd set of audio monitors. You can’t hear properly if you can’t fully see the speaker. I think a solution is in the works, but only a final in-place layout will decide if that idea gets the final stamp of approval. Onward and forward.

Well another year has flown by. Did it go faster or am I just realizing more how a minute passed is never retrieved and there’s less of them ahead of me than behind? Whatever the case, we’re at a new year.

On any number of fronts it was an escalating year of chaos and fluctuation. War and strife, money markets, health and food sources, and weather seemed to be front and center most every day. These issues were most often on the negative side of our concerns and news reports – and not without cause and importance. If we focused on just those issues we should have had cause to be greatly affected by them.

But, those topics are only part of the overall picture. Life is continuing on. We’re getting together with people again after the long 2 years of limited interaction. There are neighbors, families and longtime friends who are still there and welcome a visit or conversation. Longtime and past clients welcome us to their homes for a meal and relationship. Babies are being born and the cycle of living continues. The spirit of life and purpose our Creator placed within us is not being squelched (although many would like it to be).

So I hope we continue on with what is on each of our plates. We can’t fix everything, and I often find I’m not that good at distinguishing between all the needs around calling for attention and what’s my individual (and family) responsibility. But one thing is certain, I will only be accountable for what was given to me – not for the assets or actions of someone else. May I be able to look back another year from now and see progress in running the race well – and a part of that being that I’m well on my way with the studio upgrades. (Why do I keep hearing a rolling can?)

This past Saturday I traveled to the Loess Hills of Iowa to assist with the removal of some dead trees. One of the men working on this project owns cabins in that area and also a small town convenience store/cafe. Adjacent to where most of the cabins are is a small public pond that is apparently Home Sweet Home to a beaver or two (or more). So what does all this have to do with tackling a big job. Well just this, two examples of how to do it were visible near the pond – the beavers providing the evidence. They had gnawed two rather sizeable trees, causing the one to topple already and the other would have soon followed with a few more nights of activity. As we were examining the chips of wood and torn off bark, it became very apparent how these trees met their demise – one gnaw at a time. The beavers weren’t overwhelmed by the size of their job, they just tackled it a bite at a time and kept at it. Eventually they had their desired result.

So we came away with an object lesson in strategy and perspective. When faced with an enormous obstacle or task, we need to just take it a step at a time, stay at it consistently and the job will get done in due time (maybe I can apply that to getting all the studio upgrades accomplished). And oh, my friend obtained permission to remove the two tree trunks that had been “destroyed”, and at least one of them will hold residence in his store as a conversation piece (or platform for a duck decoy) – and maybe a reminder or two about tackling huge jobs.

On a side note, the studio is extremely quiet right now. The old Pro Tools system has been turned off – one major step toward the goal.