u/No_Ratio1493

Sooo. Not sure what I’m looking for here. A little guidance? Advice? Commiseration?

I’m 45. Been in various bands most of my life, and have been writing and recording my own songs all the while.

Right before the whole 2020 thing happened, I’d released a debut solo EP that I was fairly proud of.

I used my full legal name because I could not come up with a fitting project name to save my life. I commissioned cover art I loved for it. I turned a many-years-dormant personal instagram account into a music page (had maybe around 250 friends/family/other musicians/acquaintances on it - I also wish I hadn’t done that) and created a musician/band facebook page where around 80-100 fb friends followed.

I was really enthused about it. I had a good bit of interesting music-related content to share. I had intentions of doing open mics to practice actually performing by myself, which I hadn’t done in like 20 years.

I have a family, career, and all that. The music and music-adjacent content started wearing thin. It became more and more family and “normal” stuff being posted. I basically haven’t posted anything on either plarform music-related in a few years.

I now nearly have a collection of songs I’m prepared to, y’know…”release” and all that. But social media isn’t what it was even a few years ago. It’s borderline embarrassing to use it for sharing my music.

My semi-realistic goal is to get some local or regional recognition before I’m geriatric. I know I need to just pick up the guitar and play songs for people to make that even a remote possibility. But, I’m currently full of all the excuses and plenty of self-discouragement.

I’ve been going in circles trying to fix this recent issue and it’s driving me nuts. Here is my setup

Macbook intel OS Tahoe
Scarlett Focusrite 18i8 2nd Gen
Plugable universal docking station UD3900
Reaper DAW

When recording vocals I got the weird doubling sound. I typically click off the monitor input option on reaper to get a dry, clean signal. But now when I do that I get no sound at all unless I have monitor input on (with the doubling/echo issue). I can’t figure out why.

The level meter is active on both the focusrite and the reaper track.

I’ve done all the troubleshooting for mac system settings, reaper settings, and focusrite control app settings I gathered from the internet and nothing works.

I know I could use a new interface but I’m hoping to stretch the focusrite out for awhile longer.

I am absolutely out of ideas.

Macbook intel OS Tahoe
Scarlett Focusrite 18i8 2nd Gen

When recording vocals I got the weird doubling sound. I typically click off the monitor input option to get a dry, clean signal. But now when I do that I get no signal at all unless I have monitor input on. I can’t figure out why.

I’ve gathered that the focusrite control app is either not functional or very buggy with Tahoe. Nothing I tried on it worked.

I learned that it could be due to the default macbook mic setting on Tahoe to be voice isolation and it needs to be switched to standard to work for DAWs.

I can pull up the macbook control center and click the mic icon but can’t any option to switch the setting to standard.

Does anyone have knowledge or experience with this issue?

I know I could use a new interface but I’m hoping to stretch the focusrite out for awhile longer.

I recently learned about this gin and was eager to give it a try. It’s certainly an interesting gin and enjoyable. I don’t know if it’s just me, but it seems to have a very subtle black licorice taste that I can’t get past.

I’m sure it mixes well for an assortment of drinks with various ingredients, but it doesn’t have the “clean” gin flavor I tend to look for. It strikes me as a gin you can get creative with.

It’s a unique gin to have on hand, but I can’t justify making it a staple with the price point. Roku and Botanist remain my go-tos.

I’m interested in how many people had a similar experience to me and what perspectives are out there.

I remember being 15. Summer was just starting and I made the decision that I would get high every day that summer. I started at 14 and smoked only a few times before that summer.

That daily use continued for 15 years, except for the rare occasion where no weed could be found. Shitty brick weed was all we had the first couple years. Then we started getting access to mids. By senior year in high school, we were often smoking the good stuff (or “kind bud” as it was often called then), but still occasionally had to settle for the dirt weed.

College and beyond was nothing but high-grade weed.

Around age 30, I started seeing my now-wife. She wasn’t a fan of weed but more-or-less tolerated it, though she wasn’t aware it was a daily thing at first. And by that time, I realized most people would view that as a red flag, so I wasn’t very open about it.

From age 30-45, a whole lot of life happened, as it does. I modified my weed use but it was hard and involved a lot of self-analysis and communicating my needs.

I’m in a good place now. I smoke a couple times a week in private. These days it feels like a real treat rather than the daily routine.

I find the current landscape of cannabis kind of fascinating. The new research, the policy tug-of-war, the array of products. There’s both a broader understanding of the risks and more reasonable perspectives on responsible adult use.

My personal favorite way to consume is a dry herb vape. Oil concentrate vapes are efficient, but I just need the tiniest bit or it becomes a very uncomfortable high. (I truly think concentrates for teenagers should not be happening at all.) edibles are nice but a little too unpredictable. I love a classic J but haven’t smoked one in years.

I don’t necessarily regret starting so early and so frequently. But I do sometimes wonder how my trajectory would have been different sans weed, for better or worse.

So, what’s your persoective?

I’m not sure if this incident was ever mentioned on the show, but it epiomizes cancel culture and the drastic consequences it can have within relatively obscure/niche communities.

I remember watching it play out on instagram in real time. Maya Stoner was clearly batshit crazy. Basically, nobody dared to question it openly. (Myself included.)

Does anyone else remember this?

Lately I love a good tequila blanco on ice. Generally, I’m content to drink that but I’m wondering if I’m missing out on some good options.

These days, the sweet, sour, syrup-ey margarita is far too much for me. Is there any way to make some kind of mild margarita, other than adding a little fresh lime juice and sugar?

What are some ways to punch up a tequila blanco on ice but still keep it subtle?

Especially for when I was in my late 20s and early 30s.

Would it have been a huge boost or blow to my self-esteem? A frustrating mix of both?

I’m happily married, but I can’t help but wonder about these things.

It was our routine over the years. After dinner my daughter would come up and meekly ask, “Um, Dad, um, can we play?” in her sweet voice. I said yes as much as I could. I was more up for it some days than others.

In the past few months, it started to be not an every day thing. But, it just occured to me that she doesn’t ask at all anymore. She’s almost 9 so it’s age appropriate. We still do fun things together. I’m glad she’s able to entertain herself. But, I can’t help feeling sad to lose this cherished ritual.

We had a good run.

I used to LOVE those things. So satisfying. (I can assure this is not some weird marketing thing.)

I think he fancied himself a sort of big shot “80s business guy.” He squandered a ton of inherited family money on failed business ventures.

I didn’t realize it as a kid, but he was constantly gone on weekends “networking” (partying and having affairs).

He left my mom and she had to deal with the fallout of a jarring move and a rocky divorce raising 3 kids in their formative years.

He’s never acknowledged the toll this took. I’m nearly 10 years older than he was at the time of the divorce and can’t imagine treating my family that way.

We’re in touch a little bit, but it’s very surface level. He’s evasive if I try to dig a little deeper. It’s also like you’re never getting the full story with him. He only tells you what he wants you to hear to keep up appearances.

He now lives far away with a third wife. His grandkids barely know who he is, but of course he touts them all over Facebook. Whereas, the other grandparents are super-involved with the grandkids.

I think he’s oblivious to how much I resent him. I suppose I can say we have a good relationship, generally. He just kind of…sucks.

I use the Reaverb SweetVrbo setting a lot. Sometimes I’ll try out the BadCrunch setting, typically on vocals. It never quite fits the sound I’m going for. I often forget what it sounds like and keep coming back to it occasionally only to decide not to use it.

Are there any particularly good applications for it or settings within it to use?

I’m not even sure what kind of reverb it is exactly.