Isochain 3 Days On: Week 2

I did not feel like the high position deadlift or the middle position Zercher Squat worked my glutes as much as the Zercher Lunge. So I replaced both exercises with the Zercher Lunge. This exercise is a unilateral exercise, and thus takes up twice as much time as a bilateral exercise since it has to be done on each side. So my Day 3 routine just has the two exercises - Zercher Lunge and Calf Raise.

My Calf Raise sets on Tuesday were cut off by my grip wearing out. I understand why some people think that lifting straps/hooks should never be used. However, I think that if my grip is getting a decent enough workout from the Drag Curl, shrugs, and rows already, then it's ok to use my lifting hooks for the Calf Raise. The objective of the Calf Raise in the 3 Days On program is to stimulate calf growth, not target my grip. How can I stimulate calf growth if I let my grip prevent me from training my calves to failure? So for Friday I decided to use the lifting hooks

In this video, this trainer claims that most people do not need to do the Front Raise, because they target the front delts, which are active in most pressing exercises anyway. He also mentions that a front delt vs. rear delt imbalance could lead to more shoulder injury.

I was thus convinced to eliminate the Front Raise from my Day 1 routine. I moved the Tricep Kickback out of the Day 3 routine into the Day 1 routine. To work the rear delts, I added the Rear Delt Pull to the Day 3 routine.

Monday - Day 2

Zercher Lunge
Calf Raise

Tuesday - Day 3

Rear Shrug
Hinged Tricep Kickback
Seated Row

Wednesday - Off

Thursday - Day 1

Shoulder Press
Hinged Tricep Kickback
Drag Curl

Friday - Day 2

Zercher Lunge
Calf Raise

I tried a variety of chain settings for Hinged Tricep Kickback. I searched for a position that would minimize the load on my lower back. I settled on a setting that puts the bar fairly close to my butt and below the butt. This allows me to lean forward only a little, which does not seem to make my low back work as hard as a more pronounced lean.
For the Friday session, I used the lifting hooks with the Calf Raise. They do not totally removed the load from my grip but did decrease the load enough to let me perform the exercise for a longer amount of time, and at slightly heavier load.

Isochain 3 Days On: Week 1

I realized that "3 Days On" means 3 days of training, then at least one day off. That's why in the book The Ultimate Isometrics Manual, the schedule has workouts for Days 1-3, then Day 4 as an off day, before repeating the cycle of days. The book does say that if training 3 days in a row is too hard to recover from, then add one or more rest days to your schedule. With that in mind, I scheduled 4 workouts for this week.

Monday - Day 1

Shoulder Press
Front Raise
Drag Curl

Tuesday - Day 2

Regular Deadlift (high angle)
Zercher Squat
Calf Raise

Wednesday - Off

Thursday - Day 3

Rear Shrug
Hinged Tricep Kickback
Seated Row

Friday - Day 4

Shoulder Press
Front Raise
Drag Curl

This week was more about learning all the exercises that were new to me, than training hard to stimulate muscle growth. I spent more time and effort searching for good chain settings and body positioning than really burning the muscles. It's the first week, so it can't be helped.

Isochain: Transitioning to 3 Days On Program

In the book The Ultimate Isometrics Manual, the Burn Count program is purported to build strength by holding a load for a progressively longer amount of time. It is also purported to build muscle. I tried it last year for about 6 weeks and gained some strength, but as noted, I forgot to measure my biceps with sewing tape. Tape measurements at the start of Burn Count and at the end would have provided useful data for measuring gain in muscle size (hypertropy). I did not observe obvious hypertrophy in the mirror.

The book has a page entitled "Pro Tip: Isometric Bodybuilding". It mentions research indicating that stress to the muscle and depletion of ATP-PC energy system in the muscles are strong triggers for muscle growth. It also mentions research indicating that muscular fatigue/failure - not load or volume - is the key factor in triggering hypertrophy. The page concludes by referencing Burn Count as the program based on these findings. However when I compare the Burn Count guidance to the guidance for another Isochain program called 3 Days On, the latter program seems to match the research more closely, with 3 sets of 20-45 second holds per exercise, and a shorter rest period (20-30 seconds). Burn Count recommends 60 seconds of rest between holds, which seems like a rather long rest for a hypertrophy-focused routine. If the goal is to drive the muscles to failure - deplete APC-PC as much as possible - shorter rest between reps makes more sense. So, for the goal of stimulating muscle growth, I decided to try the 3 Days On program

The 3 Days On guidance in the book is to set Isochain to Feedback Mode, and try to apply enough force during the 20-45 second hold so that muscle failure is achieved within this time frame. One issue with Feedback Mode is that the Isochain timer is not available in this mode, so I would have to use an external timer. I feel like I would struggle to coordinate using the external timer, with executing a proper rep of the exercise. Also, I'm not really sold on relying on my own imagination/perception to regulate the force output during the exercise. Thus, one modification to the program is to use Load mode on the Isochain instead of Feedback mode. Load mode does have the timer function, which will start as soon as I reach the target load. Being able to set a target load would help me ensure that I am applying enough force to induce muscle failure within the 20-45 second timeframe. It should not take long to find suitable target load values. This week I tried some of the exercises and was able to identify target loads for them. For the rest of the exercises, I'll work with an arbritrary target load, and use the average force reading to help find suitable values.

Another modification to the book guidance is the exercise selection and order. This is the lineup I'm envisioning:

Monday

Shoulder Press - same as book
Front Raise - same as book
Drag Curl - A Red Delta Project favorite because the biceps work harder than on the regular curl, especially if the bar is at a lower position than what the video shows.

Wednesday

Hack Deadlift/Behind The Back Deadlift - Doing first instead of last because it wears out the forearms if mixed grip is not used.
Zercher Squat - does not demand extreme wrist flexibility like Front Squat and works the abs more
Calf Raise - Doing last instead of 2nd because the grip will need a break after Deadlift

Friday

Rear Shrug - Front Shrug stimulate upper trap growth while Rear Shrug stimulate increased thickness.
Hinged Tricep Kickback - Another Red Delta Project favorite because it involves shoulder extension which lights up more muscle mass of the triceps. Also, weak shoulder extension was found to be one of the strength deficits that may cause more stress on the elbow.
Seated Row - much safer for lower back than Bent-over Row

There's one more thing that needs to be done before starting 3 Days On or any hypertrophy program: Measurements! I got a sewing measurement tape and measured the widths of my arms, shoulders, chest, and calves, with the muscles in as relaxed state as I could get them. Accurate measurement is impossible because it's way too easy to squeeze the measured body part just a little too tight, because of the pliabilty of skin, muscles, etc. However, if there's any hypertrophy at all after 6-8 weeks of 3 Days On training, there should be a difference in measurement, even if there's an error of plus or minus half an inch. I don't believe looking at myself in the mirror is a reliable means of assessing progress in muscle growth. Tape measurements, even if not 100% accurate, should give me data that is more useful than simple visual judgement.

Isochain 6x6: Last Session

Another Monday brings another 1-Rep Max Test day. Results:

Zercher Lunge - 90.1 (based on weaker leg scores)
Shoulder Press - 75
Seated Row - 138.4667

Zercher Lunge performance gain so far has been minimal, when comparing to the 81.9 lb. result that was recorded end of 2021. Most of my progress in this exercise has been in mobility - being able to get the the thigh closer to parallel to the floor thanks to improvements in hip and ankle mobility.

Shoulder Press performance, compared to the end of 2021 score of 57 lbs, is almost a 32% strength gain for the current year.

Seated Row 1RM was not tested end of 2021. Strength gain compared to the start of the current 6x6 cycle was only about 8%. I'm ok with that though, as I rarely put in as much effort per rep as I did on the other exercises. I was wary of possibly hurting my low back, even though I was also aware that the body positioning should put the low back at much, much lower risk than the standing bent-over row.

Before the Monday session, I was thinking of training under 6x6 for 8 weeks, then switching to the Geoff Neupert Easy Muscle program. Easy Muscle is said to be adaptible to any equipment, and the clean-and-press is one of the featured exercises. I intend to use a kettlebell for clean-and-press. That all said, my shoulder still does not feel good when reaching overhead, or when I press the kettlebell overhead.

One option was to continue 6x6 for two more weeks, then see if there is any improvment in the shoulder's pain-free range of motion. The 6x6 program for Isochain has received positive reviews from fellow Isochain users for both strength gains and hypertrophy. However, 6x6 by design is meant to deliver mostly strength gains with some hypertrophy. Another option is to switch to a hypertrophy-focused program on the Isochain, and see if 6 weeks of training under that, combined with RMT Club swinging for shoulder rehab, will increase the pain-free ROM. One thing we know for sure is that isometrics, with or without Isochain, poses practically zero risk of further joint damage compared to any dynamic form of exercise.

I chose the hypertrophy program with Isochain. I'm not convinced that I will achieve the necessary pain-free ROM for overhead pressing within 2 weeks, even with RMT club swinging. I think there's a better chance that I'll achieve this goal in 6-8 weeks on another Isochain program plus RMT Club swinging. I think the longer period of favoring isometrics over dynamic training - for strength and muscle - will be more of a factor in shoulder healing than adding muscle mass in and of itself. That said, adding muscle mass is a priority for health benefits such as maintaining blood pressure at healthy levels.
Some finds:

Neck extension against wall for improving posture
Ring face pulls for improving posture
Trap-3 Raise (Y-fly) for improving shoulder mobility and posture
Mobility exercises for preventing/relieving pain from computer slouching

Isochain 6x6: Week 6

Monday session began with a Zercher Lunge set that felt a little tougher than usual. I gradually realized that I had left the Isochain set to the same length as for the Seated Row, which is only 2 links away from the carabiner assembly attached to the Isochain handle. This is the shortest chain length I've worked with yet for Zercher Lunge, which in turn demanded a little more mobility in the ankle, hip, etc. The 1RM scores were surprisingly high despite the slightly more demanding positioning, with a PR of 92 lbs. for the left leg. Shoulder Press performance took the usual Monday dip. Seated Row performance was average.

Wednesday session performance was surprisingly worse than the Monday session's. Seated Row force in particular dropped from 142.2 lbs to 127. Shoulder Press force dropped under 70 lbs. for the first time since the switch from high angle to medium angle.

Friday session performance was improved. Zercher Lunge right leg force was back in the low 80s. The left leg max force was 14 lbs., which makes no sense becuase the target load was set to 63 lbs. - the beeper would only start beeping if I hit the minimum 63 lbs. of force, and only continue beeping until the long beep signaling the end of the 6-second hold if I had maintained that force. I don't know if it is because I pressed the Max button too soon. Seated Row force was again lower than expected at 129 lbs. I don't know if it's because my body was still exhausted to a degree from the Zercher Lunge set. Before this week, the exercise order was Zercher Lunge (alternating legs), Shoulder Press, then Seated Row. This week, I changed the order so that Shoulder Press would be last, because the chain setting is the same for Zercher Lunge and Seated Row. Not having to change the chain setting saves some time. The primary purpose of the Zercher Lunge is to train the squat muscle chain, but it also works the upper back, because upright posture is required to support the load in the elbows. It could be that the upper back and perhaps even the lats had not recovered sufficiently from the Zercher Lunge set, by the time I started the Seated Row set. So, changing the exercise order to save a few seconds of time to change the chain setting does not seem to be working out. The Shoulder Press force was back in the low-mid 70s.

I have a lingering issue with my right shoulder, which I suspect was caused by training Pike Pushups with Accommodating Resistance on the parallettes. I remember some sessions in which I really strained to push myself up, even with the attempt to shift body weight to my feet to reduce the resistance (accommodating resistance) so that I could push. I did not feel shoulder pain during the exercise. However, my shoulder started to feel sore sometime after the workouts. Over time, the soreness started to accumulate, to the point where reaching outward or towards my opposite armpit started to hurt. That was when I decided to stop practicing Pike Pushups with AR, but it was too late.

Shoulder Press on the Isochain under the 6x6 protocol seems to be helping. However, since I already have an RMT Club, I thought I would try this exercise to see if it helps

Isochain 6x6: Week 5

Monday session was the latest 1RM test session. Results:

Zercher Lunge - 90.2 (based on weaker leg scores)
Seated Row - 135.8

I set the chain 2 links lower for Zercher Lunge, because my hip and ankle mobility improved enough to get into the lower position, with the thigh closer to parallel. The chain was also lowered for Seated Row, by one link, because I felt confident enough to position the elbows a little further forward without curving the lower back. I don't think these chain setting changes affected my 1RM scores that much. The scores show improvement over the last 1RM test session. I did not test my 1RM Shoulder Press becauase I already did that last week. Instead I just practiced a normal 6x6 session for that exercise.
Wednesday session performance was my strongest for the week, with a PR of 76.4 lbs. in the Shoulder Press.

Friday session performance was, of course, not as good as Wednesday's but it was a solid session.

Youtube find of the week - what Dan John thinks are the exercises nobody does but should:

I understand that not everybody agree with Dan John, but his reputation as a fitness trainer is well-earned.

Isochain 6x6: Week 4

Monday session - Zercher Lunge performance was decent, despite one failed rep on the right leg. Seated Row performance dipped from Friday. My right shoulder felt fine during the 1st 6-second hold of the Shoulder Press, but immediately felt sore as soon as I released pressure.

That afternoon, I decided to test my 1-rep Max in the Shoulder Press at the middle angle, following the 1-rep Max protocol from The Ultimate Isometrics Manual. My official score, after recording the 3 attempts and calculating the average, was 69.9333 lbs. Compared to my official 1RM of 57lbs. which was recorded on 12/31/2021, the strength improvement is about 22.7%.

The reason I was training the Shoulder Press at the high angle was to see if it would relieve the pain in my right shoulder that can appear when reaching overhead at certain angles, and sometimes when I try to lie on my right side in bed when I'm going to sleep. The verdict so far is that it doesn't seem to be working as a pain reliever. I felt some shoulder irritation after some reps at that angle. I did not feel any irritation in my shoulders, after any rep at the middle position. So, I'm going to train at the middle angle for the remainder of this 6x6 cycle. It's a more satisfying angle to train at as well, because I can feel my muscles working harder and applying more force than at the high angle.

I forgot to set my alarm clock for the Wednesday session. I woke up just in time to get ready to go to work. So I did the 6x6 session in the evening instead. As part of the warmup, I practiced ATG-style split squats to try to improve my Zercher Lunge technique, as the Zercher Lunge is basically the same movement but with a load supported in the crooks of the elbows. I scored 79.6lbs max on the last rep for my right leg on the Zercher Lunge. I was not able to record a max force score for my left leg because I forgot to press the Time button to activate Timed Mode. After a few seconds of effort, I pressed the Time button, then pressed the AVG button by mistake. When I pressed the MAX button, the display read about 14lbs. The target load was set to 60lbs, so I should not have been able to initiated Timed Mode with only 14lbs of force. Hopefully I won't screw up next time! The Shoulder Press and Seated Row sets went better for me. It just felt good to feel my push chain working at 6x6 intensity for a full set.
I felt like the Friday session was a strong finish for the week. Right leg Zercher Lunge performance was ok, but my max on the last rep for my left leg was 90.6, which is a PR. I also hit a PR on the Shoulder Press with 73.8lbs on the last rep. My Seated Row performance was relatively more modest, but the max force was still nearly 10lbs. over the 1RM.

I've been trying a variety of hand placements for the Shoulder Press. I've settled on setting the hands at roughly shoulder width. Part of the technique is protracting the scapula, which activates the serratus anterior muscles. This hand placement seems conducive for the serratus anterior contracting harder and contributing more to the Shoulder Press.

Isochain 6x6: Week 3

6x6 program guidelines in the The Ultimate Isometrics Manual say to re-test 1-rep max scores every 2 to 4 weeks. The test results would set the target loads to work with until the next 1-rep max test session.

So Monday session was the 1RM test session. Results:

Zercher Lunge - 84.9333333 (based on weaker leg scores)
Shoulder Press High - 42.4
Seated Row - 131.2667

The lower numbers for Zercher Lunge and Shoulder Press, compared to the 1RM test before the start of the program were not a surprise, because of the switch from the longer, lighter tension spring to the heavier spring that was shipped with the Isochain. Applying the 70% of 1RM guideline, the target loads for the Zercher Lunge and Seated Row will be a few pounds higher. The Shoulder Press target load will remain at 30lbs.

For the Wednesday session, Zercher Lunge was down for the right leg, with the target load being 3lbs higher. Left leg performance was more solid. Shoulder Press performance was about the same as last week. I beat my 1RM score in the Seated Row, but I've been careful about not straining too much, for fear of hurting my lower back, even though this exercise is known to be safer for the back than the standing Bent-over Row.

Finished the week with another decent session. No breakthroughs, but the results for the legs were closer to even in the Zercher Lunge. After the session, I did some drills from GMB Recovery, and some Elmements-inspired locomotion practice with emphasis on hamstring mobility and shoulder rotators.

Isochain 6x6: Week 2

Monday session - performance was weak, with multiple failed reps. I still worked through the 6 reps per exercise, being mindful of technical cues such as not leaning to the side or forward during Zercher Lunge, squeezing the butt and straightening the legs during the Shoulder Press, and pulling towards the belly button and locking the knees during the Seated Row.

Wednesday session went much better, with the best left leg performance yet in the Zercher Lunge, a max force score higher than tested 1-rep max in the Shoulder Press, and a Seated Row max force 20lbs higher than the tested 1RM score. One change I made for the Shoulder Press was to use a slightly narrower grip, having been influenced by Red Delta Project videos like this one:

Switching to a narrower grip for the Shoulder Press resulted in greater force output. The force output was confirmed by the Isochain, but I could also feel that I was applying more force too. The narrower grip makes it easier for me to engage more muscle along my push kinetic chain.

I finished the Friday session feeling stronger, even though the 1-rep max testing session this coming Monday may not reflect that, due to the first test session being done with the longer and slightly lighter tension spring for the Shoulder Press and Zercher Lunge

Isochain 6x6: Week 1

Sometime last year, I bought a porch swing spring with 700lb capacity. Isochain ships with a high load capacity spring to solve the zero loading reflex (aka "cortical inhibition") problem - your CNS (central nervous system) will allow you to exert more force on a moveable object, but will limit your force production if it sense that you are exerting force against a solid wall or other immovable object. I'm not sure what the exact load capacity of this spring is but I read it may be around 1000lbs. Some fellow users have observed that it stretches when you apply at least 110lbs of force. Thus, there has been speculation that if you're not strong enough to make the spring stretch - you cannot produce 110lbs of force - a spring with a lower load capacity should enable the load reflex at a lower threshold of force. I have noticed that I made the fastest strength gains in Isochain exercises in which I could generate more than 110lbs of force - such as Hack Lift and Bent-over Row.

So that's why I bought the 700lb load capacity spring. I thought I would use this spring for the shoulder press and Zercher lunge, because my max force is less than 110lbs for both exercises. Unfortunately, I don't appear to be strong enough to stretch this spring either, for either of those exercises, based on my Monday performance. Whatever the minimum force is to stretch this spring, it's higher than 90lbs. If I can't stretch the spring, I won't benefit from load reflex.

So for the Wednesday session, I decided to use the spring that was shipped with Isochain for all 3 exercises, to save the time I would have spent switching springs. I tried to compensate for the greater length of the porch swing spring compared to the factory spring, by setting the chain length accordingly. I think the Isochain bar was still a little lower for Zercher Lunge, despite the attempt to compensate, so the difficulty was greater than with the porch swing spring. The greater difficulty caused my muscles to fatigue more quickly. Thus, I failed to complete the full 6-second hold for 2 out of the first 4 reps of the set. Per 6x6 guidance, I lowered the target load by about 10% - from 63lbs to 57lbs - and was able to complete the set at the lower load. No shame in working at the lower load until the next 1-rep max test session. My shoulder press actually went up after the spring switch. My seated row went down a little, because I was a little spooked by the cracking sound I heard from my spine during the Monday session. I finished the seated row set without issue, paying attention to not letting my lower back round and pulling towards my belly button, which seems to activate the abs.

For the Friday session, I tried to apply a bit less force in the Zercher Squat, so that my muscles would not tire as quickly, and I could concentrate more on my body alignment. The lower 57lb load helped. my last-rep max force readings were actually higher than for the Wednesday session. I was similarly conservative with my force output for the Seated Row, although of course I was just being protective of my lower back. I focused on straightening my legs to stretch the hamstrings, pulling towards the stomach to engage the abs, and keeping the chest up to prevent rounding of the back.

Isochain 6x6: Planning and 1-Rep Max Testing

After several months of calisthenics, with the last several weeks focusing more on hypertrophy stimulus, then a couple of weeks of rest, it's time to go back to Isochain for strength focused training, with my favorite Isochain strength training program, 6x6. The book Ultimate Isometrics Manual, citing the work of Dr. Yuri Verkhoshansky, states that 6 repetitions of 6-second isometric holds is most ideal for strength gains. 6x6 is built on that. I like it more than the Promethean programs. Under the Promethean protocol, the trainee is always trying to work towards ever higher target loads, and will eventually achieve a target load that is so high that they will not be able to do 6 reps of 6-second holds, or even have enough strength to hit the target load for a 4th or even 3rd rep. . In 6x6, the trainee tests for 1-rep max for each selected exercise, then trains at target loads that do not change until the next 1-rep max test session. The target load does not get as high as in Promethean, so that the trainee can concenntrate on good alignment, technique, etc. without the temptation to sacrifice those things in a desparate attempt to make at least 4 reps.

The 6x6 exercises in the book are Front Squat, Shoulder Press, Bent-over Row, and Shrug. However, the consensus among the Isochain user community seems to be that you can select any exercises you want, as long as you follow the general guidelines for 6x6. Going by Red Delta Project's chain training terminology, for this program I have elected to select one exercise for each of the 3 movement chains, and none for the 3 support chains - flexion, extension, lateral. Some members of the Isochain community have found creative solutions for working the support chains with Isochain. However, in the interest of saving time, I will focus only the movement chains. Time will tell what free gains I might make on the support chains by strengthening the movement chains under 6x6. The selected exercises are:

Zercher Lunge - The squat chain exercise, which may also carry over to all 3 support chains.. It's one of Red Delta Project's favorite exercises for Isochain, and the linked video explains why.

Shoulder Press High Angle - The push chain exercise. I've continued to have intermittent shoulder issues while reaching overhead. Working at this position should help shore up my weaknesses there, and improve shoulder stability.

Seated Row - The pull chain exercise, and yet another Red Delta Project favorite. I also prefer this over the Bent Row as it is much safer for the low back. I'm working out of a low angle on this one, so that my elbows are in front of my ribs. The biceps seem to get more activated here than at the high angle with my elbows behind my ribs and the bar very close to my stomach.

About 2 weeks ago I tested my strength using the 1-Rep Max protocol from the Ultimate Isometrics Manual, and got these results:

Zercher Lunge - 90.3 (based on weaker leg scores)
Shoulder Press High - 43.2
Seated Row - 127.7

There seems to be some carryover from practicing assisted pistol squats, and maybe the suspension hamstring curls and hip extensions which work the glutes and hamstrings; to my Zercher Lunge. When I last tested my Zercher Lunge 1-RM this past January, I scored 81.9, so this is almost a 10lb improvement.

I have not worked on Shoulder Press at the high position since winter 2021, so I don't have any recent data to compare. I last worked on overheard pressing this past April, when I decided to switch from Accommodating Resistance Pike Pushup to Accommodating Resistance Pseudo Planche Pushup. In retrospect, I think AR Pike Pushups strained my shoulders. I would have been better off training my overhead pressing kinetic chain more for hypertrophy, for at least 6 weeks, before subjecting the shoulders to the very high intensity of AR Pike Pushups. We will see if there is any carryover from the recent hypertrophy-focused training I did on my chest and triceps.

I have not done Seated Row under 6x6 or Promethean, as my pull chain exercise of choice before was Drag Curl. This exercise with pronated palms poses the least risk to my Golfer's Elbow. I can already do Front Lever Rows with the knees partially untucked, so I know this will be my strongest pulling exercise on the Isochain. It will be interesting to get even stronger here, and see how this carries over to my pullup performance.

Random find: GMB Movement Flow for hamstring flexibility

Today's Music Discoveries

Some background info on Love Info and Takako Mamiya found on Reddit.

Some cute "music for studying" videos featuring Anya Forger from Spy x Family

M8 Tracker: Probably better ideas for randomization for varying drum hits and other instrument behaviors

In an earlier post, I tried an approach for adding randomization for varying the loudness and timbre drum hits. Then I was advised of a cleaner-looking approach. In, say, the FX1 column of the Table, put these commands:

VOL00
RAN0F
HOP01

In, say, the FX2 column, put these commands:

CUT00
RAN0F
HOP01

These ideas come from Impbox. They also offer this definition:

Unlinked = all parameters are randomised individually. Linked = one random choice controls multiple parameters

So the above technique is for "unliked" randomization. See below picture for "linked" randomization.

M8 Tracker: The Stickerbush bundle and other studies related to working on my own cover tune

Stickerbush Bundle and what I learned from it so far

This is a cover of Stickerbush Symphony from the game Donkey Kong Country 2, by Princent Vice, one of several prolific and knowledgeable members of the M8 user community.

Princent Vice also offers a bundle, which includes the project file, as well as instrument files used in the song. He says it can be used for studying basic M8 Tracker techniques like chord tables, REP bass line, and bootleg sidechain

• In Table 40, RET is used to play a repeating bass note, increasing the volume with each repeat.
• In Phrase 40, which is one of the bass phrases, the instrument table is set to 40 on the first step, then changed to 41 for the last couple of steps. Tables 40 and 41 look identical, but it was interesting to see the possibility.
• Also in Phrase 40, the first step also has LFO retrigger commands. One retrigs the LFO assigned to volume and the other retrigs the LFO assigned to filter cutoff.
• One chord technique is used in Track 2. This works with FMSynth. The technique is to use the FM1, FM2 and FM3 commands on the Phrase to set the operator pitches. The MOD parameters for teh FM Synth instrument should be mapped to PIT (pitch).
• Another chord technique is used in Track 3. This technique is to use the FM1-3 commands on a Table instead of on a Phrase. Not sure what trick was used for the rhythmic behavior.

Notes from continuing to work with the M8 Tracker

Both of the above chord techniques, as well as other techniques, are covered in Impbox's tutorial here:

SHIFT+PLAY in the phrase screen plays the song from the phrase position. This way you don't have to start from the beginning of the song all the time. This is useful for things like figuring out where to insert transitions between song sections. But what if you want just loop one row of a song, so you can hear how your changes to one Phrase in one Track sound with the other Tracks?

This is done by hitting PLAY (or in the case of inside chain or phrase, SHIFT+PLAY) while in selection mode to have the song loop the current selection. For review, selection mode is activaed by SHIFT+OPTION. Alternatively, if the rows before or after the song row you want the loop are empty, it will loop on itself. you can copy the song row you want to loop and paste it somewhere else where it is isolated, that way it'll loop if you play that row.

To add randomized variation in the loudness of FM drum hits, one technique is to go to the Table for that instrument, and enter VOL values in one column. Then in the Phrase where you want the variation to happen, enter THO00 in an FX column for the first drum hit, and for subsequent drum hits, enter RAN commands, in the same column where you put the THO command. The THO will hop to row 0 of the Table the first time the Phrase is played. I think the RAN that follows it will reset the THO so that the next time the Phrase is repeated, the hop will go to a different, randomly selected row.will, I think, Set RAN to 0F (16 in decimal) if you entered VOL values into all 16 rows, if you want the . Now I see it hitting pretty much anywhere in the whole table set a table position on one note (or in an earlier phrase) then put ran on following notes with the range of steps you want as the value on the same fx column VOL00 RAN0F HOP01
Tip from Ess (FM synthesis guru) on drum synthesis from Meetup 9 - use the highpass filter which fairly low cutoff (25) and high resonance (AF) to add some low end. The FM oscillators do not reset on new notes, but if you do want the reset, use a KIL command before the next note. May need to automate filter cutoff



A tip about managing instrument volumes

I never use the mixer. I keep everything at E0 and use individual instrument volumes (the DRY parameter) to mix. This way, my track layout can be a bit more fluid, especially if I have to squeeze other instruments into, for example, the track usually used for the snare.
Snare drum roll technique from the song SLSKERS DEMO: Use the RET command which the manual describes as: Retrigger the current row with volume ramping at a given number of ticks.

NTH command can be used for setting a drum hit to appear only on, say, the 4th repeat of the pattern. Reuse the same pattern in the same change for the NTH command to work as expected
Try assigning an LFO to volume - can use the drunk or random oscillator shapes.I use this for high-hat phrases a lot. Low amount, high frequency, with the random shape
If you need more resolution, say 24 ticks-per-step, just change the 0x06s in your groove to 0x18s. Then, in addition to finer resolution for DEL FX and the like, you can get a very subtle swing with a 0x19, 0x17groove. One thing to add though, changing the ticks per step also changes how some phrases and tables on instruments sound, e.g. when using a RET command. So going back to older projects and changing the groove tables and adjusting the bpm accordingly might play the song in the correct tempo as before, but it might still sound different because of that. The cover tune I am working on is Wow War Tonight, which was a hit in Japan in the mid-90s, and has been covered several times. My cover is inspired by the cover version which appears in D4DJ.

One of the decisions to make is what approach to use for the chordal riffs in the D4DJ cover. Also, keeping everything at E0 means I can use a MIDI controller to mute/unmute by setting buttons to toggle between 127 and 0, and scaling it in the MIDI control screen.

Calisthenics: Week 18

Monday - Chest and Triceps Micro Workout. Suspension Plank Solid Core Micro Workout Oblique Micro Workout Pistol Squat with elevated heels for quad emphasis

Roland MC-707: Drum programming, Gotchas, Updated Features

You work with one drum kit at a time. A kit can have up to 16 instruments (samples). Each instrument is assigned to a pad. Next to the pad area, there is a row of 16 buttons that represent the sequencer steps. The MC-707 reference calls a drum sequence a "Clip".

The MC-707 lets you choose between selecting one kit for the entire Track (this is the default) or selecting one kit per Clip in your Track, which allows you to change drum sounds from Clip to Clip. Note that if you pick a kit for your first Clip of the Track, then later change your mind and change the Track settings to allow for each Clip to have its own kit, you may have the preset reset to "Init Kit" for some Clips. 

One downside of the MC-707 is that a lot of settings must be accessed by button combinations that may require many of repetitions to memorize. The Measure settings for the current Clip is one such case. The magic combo is Shift and either the "<" or ">" buttons which are both labeled "Measure". The settings are:

• Step Len - The length of the Clip, which can be 1-128 steps
• Scale - The value of one step within one Measure, which can vary from eighth notes to 16th note triplets
• Mode - The order that the steps will be played(forward, backward, random, etc.)
• Shuffle - The manual just says it adjusts shuffle/bounce. Seems a bit subtle to me.

To edit the current drum kit, press Shift+Sound to access the Kit Edit screen.

If you already know which pad in your drum kit you want to edit, just press Shift and the pad, then press Enter. This takes you to the Instrument menu, where you can choose to edit the instrument in various ways, or replace it with another instrument.  If you want to press a pad to select an instrument but don't want to hear the instrument being played, for some reason - like being onstage; just hold down Note while pressing the pad.

 Unfortunately, if you want to add the Instrument to a Mute Group, you have to remember to select Pad Edit instead of Instrument Edit.

The MC-707 provides 5 Total Effects, which include Reverb and Delay, for the entire Project, one MFX effect for the drum kit. The FX settings for the Drum Kit are accessed by entering the Kit Edit screen then navigating to the MFX and Set screens. If the Track type was set to Drum+Comp, there will also be a Comp screen. The Set screen lets you set Level, Pan, Reverb Send, and Delay Send for the entire kit. The latter two control how much of the kit sound goes to Total Reverb and Delay - note both default to zero. The MFX option lets you switch on/off the "master" effect for the kit and select the effect - you have a choice of about 90 effects.

You can edit effects levels for individual instruments in the drum kit, so that you can, say, set the kick to be totally dry, set the snare to have some reverb, run the clap through some Auto Wah (with MFX set to Auto Wah), etc. If the Track is a Drum+Comp type, you can set up 6 different compressors, and set individual instruments to go to any of these 6. Confusingly, if the Track is set to just Drum type, you still have the option of sending instrument outputs to any of the compressors - it's just that nothing will happen because there won't be any available, unless you select a compressor in the MFX settings.

The length of a drum pattern - aka a "Clip" in the MC-707 reference manual - can be 1-128 steps. Hardcore music theorists may dispute Roland's definition of "measure" here, but as far as MC-707 sequencer programming is concerned, one Measure is 16 steps. Thus the MC-707 shows one Measure (16 steps) at a time in the step button area If there are more than 16 steps in the pattern. If the Clip is longer than 16 setsps and the sequencer is not playing, you can use the Measure "<" and ">" buttons to page through the Measures.

A new Clip defaults to a length of 16 steps, which is one Measure. If, however you have Clip that is already playing on a new track, and that Clip happens to have more than 16 steps, your new Clip may default to a different number. For example, I had a 4-Measure Clip playing on a bass Track when I selected an empty Clip on a Drum Track, and it defaulted to 32 steps in length.

There are multiple ways to change the length of a Clip. One way is to duplicate the measure by pressing Func and ">". Another is to halve the measure by pressing Func and "<". Another is to access the Measure settings screen by pressing Shift and either Measure button. There, the Clip length can be changed.

The basic ways to program a drum pattern:

1. Real Time - Record yourself playing the pads (assigned to drum instruments) in real-time.
2. Step Sequence/Step Record - Tap an instrument pad, then pressing the step buttons to indicate when you want that instrument to be played within the current Measure.

Real Time recording is ideal for entering drums with the velocity and time-feel that you want, if you are willing to practice your live-playing. Quantize can be used to automatically adjust the timing of the drums. Step Recording is ideal for entering drum parts that you are sure will be playing regularly, such as a classic "four on the floor" pattern in which the kick plays on every beat of a 4-beat measure.

Each instrument in the drum kit effectively gets its own sequence pattern, regardless of what method you used to create the pattern, although you cannot set its pattern length to be different from that of the overall Clip. For example, if you created a pattern for the kick (instrument) in which the kick plays 4 times per Measure at an even beat, if you tap the pad assigned to the kick, you will probably see the buttons for steps 1, 5, 9 and 13 light up. If you created a hi-hat pattern in which the hi-hat plays on the even-numbered step, you will see all the even-numbered step buttons light up when you tap the pad assigned to the hi-hat. Press Shift and a step button to edit the settings for the step, which are:

• Vel - The velocity (loudness) of the drum hit
• Start - Controls when to actually start the drum hit in relation, time-wise, to the step. So you can program the drum to play a little early or a little late.
• Mute - The probability, in percentage, that this step will be muted. This is useful for drum hits that you want to play occasionally, but not all the time, which in turn is useful for adding variation to the drum pattern.
• Sub Step - When set to any value other than OFF, it seems to introduce a kind of drum roll or flam. Extreme Shuffle settings for the Clip, however, may reduce this behavior .

You probably want to exit out of the Edit Step screen if you want to resume adding or removing drum hits. If you forget to do so, you'll get confused.

The way I build up a Scene is to create a one-measure Drum Clip first that will play main beat, then create the Tone Clips for the bass, chords, etc. I am too lazy to calculate how long the Clip for each Track should be, so I just skip the calculations and increase the Clip lengths as I go along.
Press the Shift and Motion Rec buttons to access the First/Last Step screen. This is where you can shorten a Clip by setting the First Step to something greater than 1, setting the Last Step to something smaller than the Clip Length, or both. First Step/Last Step manipulation probably works better for a secondary Drum Track or a Tone Track than for the Drum Track providing the main beat. It's a quick way to introduce variations to the Clip

Behavior of cursor buttons and the C1-4 knobs is not consistent. For example when you delete a Track - usually to change a Track from a Drum Track to Tone Track or the other way around - you have to press the C4 button to delete, because the Enter button does not work here.

Gotchas

Before you attempt to change a sound preset for a clip, be sure the clip is actually highlighted in the grid display. Otherwise you'll change the preset for a different clip

Notable Features added in from OS 1.02 and up

Total number of Scenes was increased to 128. You have a choice of Type1 and Type2 workflows for saving and recalling Scenes. Select Type1 or Type2 in system settings. Type2 looks more intuitive to me because the step buttons are used for accessing Scenes, and are lined up left to right. It does require an extra step or two, compared to Type1, in that you have to select the Bank where you will save your Scene, before you select the slot for saving your Scene. On the other hand, this may help prevent you from overwriting an existing Scene by mistake.

System Settings include Count-In, which can be set from 1-128 steps, and Metronome Level.

Copy/Paste Step which is handy for quickly laying down repeating chords. You do have to make sure the Edit Step screen is showing before you start.

A lot of operations on the MC-707 are like this - you have to memorize the right button combos to get to the settings that you want to edit

While holding the FX button, you can use the encoder to select PCM waves. This works also in conjunction with SHIFT in steps of ten.

Calisthenics: Week 17

Monday - Squat Chain Complex, 3 rounds. Lateral Chain Complex (minus dynamic side plank), 3 rounds

Tuesday - Push Chain Complex, 2 rounds. Flexion Chain Complex, 2 rounds

Wednesday - Mobility session influenced by GMB's Shoulder Prehab video.

Thursday - Pull Chain Complex, 3 rounds.

Friday - Squat Chain Complex, 3 rounds.

Calisthenics: Week 16

Monday - no workout

Tuesday - Pull Chain Complex, 3 rounds. Extension Chain Complex, 2 rounds. Switched back to clutch curls. Forearms/elbows felt ok.

Wednesday - Squat Chain Complex, 3 rounds. Lateral Chain Complex (minus dynamic side plank), 3 rounds.

Thursday - Push Chain Complex, 2 rounds. Flexion Chain Complex, 2 rounds

Friday - Pull Chain Complex, 3 rounds. Extension Chain Complex, 2 rounds.

Random finds of the week:
He Shou Wu (Fo-Ti - Chinese medical herb): Benefits, Dosage, and Side Effects
Top 6 Benefits of Taking Collagen Supplements

Today's Music Discoveries

Calisthenics - Week 15

Another week of Micro Workout Complexes:

Monday - Push Chain Complex, 2 rounds. Flexion Chain Complex, 2 rounds. Shoulder still feeling sore, so did only 2 rounds of Push Chain. Was able to do 6 reps of Body Saw by working a very sort range of motion. I did not have much left in the tank for knee tucks or mountain climbers.
Tuesday - Pull Chain Complex, 2 rounds. Extension Chain Complex, 3 rounds. Tried regular bicep curl but that movement did not feel better than the clutch style. Was able to do 5 hamstring curls during one of the rounds.
Wednesday - Off.
Thursday - Squat Chain Complex, 3 rounds. Lateral Chain Complex (minus dynamic side plank), 3 rounds.
Friday - Push Chain Complex, 3 rounds. Flexion Chain Complex, 2 rounds