Big News on the connectivity front. I spent �30 on a box which connects between coaxial and optical SPDIF. I now have a path which goes from Wavelab via USB to my Tascam 428 digital mixer and then on coaxial SPDIF to the box. Thence on optical SPDIF to minidisk. The Tascam will mix an analog input into the digital flow . My first foray is a Wavelab constructed chord sequence looping while I use the EM1300 into a Tweed simulation on the Behringer to explore some single string events. I have put around 4 minutes down onto the Minidisc which sound OK for a first stab. I have used the auxiliary input on the Behringer to take the airsynth � so the piece is more of a conversation between some barmy almost human sounds and the vintage Japanese Les Paul development. There is something about this realtime execution which I feel comfortable with. The Bodyspace Lullabye came (somehow) through this.

All this despite a hangover from last night�s jollity at the Warwick Hilton. I was on Mike South�s table. His band is playing at Robin�s Nest 2 in Billston next Wednesday. Mike is a great country guitarist � he uses a B bender Telecaster which provides pedal steel like fluidity. He also has a new varitone electric which have never heard the like of before � it simulates a wide range of classic guitars eg Ricky 12 string or Guild 1950s � besides the obvious ones. What will they think of next?

I had mentioned to my boss that there�s an EC seminar on IT in the workplace of the future in Brussels that day. Black country guitar or LA avant guitar? Mike said he would like to write a Lullabye. He has been listening to Serious Music which I think he quite likes.

I have decided to get my studio power amp overhauled � it is a Yamaha with 50 watts aside. I bought it second hand in Coventry but it developed an intermittent fault and so yesterday I delivered it to the Hi Fi shop round the corner. My idea has always been that with a good quality medium sized power amp, I could use my small Behringer mixer as a front end and get a couple of speakers on stands to act as a small gig PA. The mixer is fine and has a lot of routing in it � I just need to sort amp before I search for speakers. I am wondering adapting a silver case to keep it cosy as it travels round.

Washing desperately needs to be done in my cave � esp shirts which seem to have run out. Tesco is very good for cheap socks as an alternative but this approach is limited.

I mailed some pics and quotes to Peter C � a good one about how Les Paul first started thinking about guitar acoustics � in 1928. He listened to country vocalists playing with a band and noticed that their flattops were bass heavy close to but sounded good through the single mike they had to work with. Paul analysed how the sound was being processed by the mike. Also a quote from F Frith about taking guitar pickups and telephones apart in the soon to be Spaceward zone and one from Teo Macero about customised devices to process Miles� CBS recordings � unknown to the Prince of Darkness. Long spoon time. You might say that these three strands merge in the Zornzone esp with Bill Laswell on bass reprocessing electric Miles and FF on guitar busking with the master of gametheory.