Band Of One -

Comics

Gallivant

Gallivant is an all-ages “funny animal” comic strip. Off-beat humour and oddball storylines.

Tone Quest

Tone Quest is an illustrated story and concept album of instrumental music. The term Illustrumentals is coyly proffered as an explanation for something that grew naturally out of creative necessity.

Warped

Warped is an all-ages Science Fiction tragi-comedy, a spin-off from the Jack Astro comic. Featured in the Phoenix Comic Magazine.

Blog

Echoes of Elsewhere | Hypnotic Synthwave Soundtrack Composition

Posted on January 30, 2026 by BandOfOne

It finally happened. I abandoned ALL the “real” instruments and recorded this entire track using nothing but my PC keyboard.

While it’s a fun experiment, I’ll be honest: I feel like I might be handicapping my progression on the keys by not having a proper MIDI setup. But that’s the point of this series—working with what I have and keeping the momentum going.

Attempting one of these multi-layered tracks every week is forcing me to commit to ideas, stop overthinking, and just move on. Maybe I’ll revisit these sketches later to develop them further, but for now, I’m just enjoying the ride.

See you next Friday!

The Setup 🎸

Software: Reaper

Instruments: PC Keyboard

Processing: EQ, Compression, Reverb, Delay

Plugins: TAL Noise-Maker, Guitar Rig 5, BPB Cassette 808

Making a Synth Track with ONLY a PC Keyboard

Posted on January 24, 2026 by BandOfOne

Week 4 of my Sonic Experiments! 🎹

I’m officially on a roll—four weeks in a row of sitting down with zero plan and seeing what happens. I still haven’t pulled the trigger on a hardware synth or MIDI controller, so I’m still rocking the PC keyboard as a virtual controller.

There’s something liberating about the “no-plan” approach. I usually overthink everything I create, so these weekly sessions are my way of fighting perfectionism. Last week’s 2-hour limit was a total surprise, and while I didn’t set a hard timer today, the energy stayed fast and loose. These videos are all about exploring sound without overthinking the outcome.

The Setup 🎸

Software: Reaper

Instruments: PC Keyboard, Squire Strat,

Processing: EQ, Compression, Reverb,

Plugins: TAL Noise-Maker, Guitar Rig 5

Help me pick the next challenge!

Should I try a specific genre?
Should I do a cover? (Stranger Things is calling my name…)
Want to see me work under a specific limitation? (1 hour?!)

Writing a song from scratch in 2 hours (Limited Gear Challenge)

Posted on January 18, 2026 by BandOfOne

Can you make a track in 2 hours using FREE plugins and a PC keyboard? 🎹

I challenged myself to write and produce the entire soundtrack for this video under a strict time limit. To make it even harder, I used almost no hardware—playing the synths and drums directly on my computer keyboard. The only exception? One guitar track to give it an organic texture.

Does a “lo-fi” setup and a ticking clock actually make for better music? Let’s find out.

Software: Reaper

Instruments: PC Keyboard, Gibson SG,

Processing: EQ, Compression, Reverb,

Plugins: TAL Noise-Maker, Guitar Rig 5, BPB Cassette 808

What do you think—do limitations breed creativity, or did I just make my life harder for no reason?