iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Buncha new followers recently. Thanks & welcome! I wanted to take a moment to apologize for all the cursing. I curse a lot. Even when it’s like, “Wow, these little kids really stepped up to fucking fight cancer!” Totally age- & subject- inappropriate. So… like… fucking sorry about that. ⚙️🖤

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Does anyone here go to Gary Con? If so, comment or DM — I’d love to say at the convention! Let’s roll some dice! ⚙️🖤🎲

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

I have a few gamers following me. I mostly post about music & politics, but I’ve been playing TTRPGs for 40 years so that content pops up! Currently planning a massive Call of Cthulhu game & gearing one up for Cy_Borg (based on the Mörk Borg system). 🧵1/2 #TTRPG #DnD #RPGs #Gaming #CallOfCthulhu

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Because I’m a GIANT FUCKING NERD, I snagged a DS 201 from the Eighties. They still make them (now with balanced XLR ins and outs), but I like having a bit of history. (Again: giant nerd.) Used costs a LOT less, too. $200-$300 shipped is normal. New ones are $1000+. Soooo… Used wins! ⚙️🖤

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Oh, it’s ON. Drawmer DS 201 dual gate. This is how you get distinctly 80s-sounding rhythmic pads. Triggering the gate externally & using its envelopes to shape the sound creates something magical. It’s gonna be so much fun using this! 🧵1/2 #ElectronicMusic #MusicProduction #IndustrialMusic #Synthsky

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Meeting cEvin Key was a particular thrill, and I talked about it in my last post. I’m still coming down from that high. All in all, it really was a perfect nigh. 🖤⚙️

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Afterward, I was lucky enough to chat with the band outside the show — they were all as astonished as the fans that the tour finally happened. And also humbled that so many people cared. Everyone was really friendly. 4/

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Every once in a while I’ll see shows and it’ll hit me that I’m watching LEGENDS of the scene. This was one of those times, and the grandeur of the moment was almost overwhelming. Everyone who’s caught this tour has felt it. It’s been amazing. 3/

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Tear Garden is a collaboration between the Legendary Pink Dots & Skinny Puppy’s cEvin Key. They’re sort of a post-punk/industrial/ambient hybrid with strong experimental leanings. The music is great. And live they really delivered on the 40-year-old dream. The music was lush, powerful, engaging. 2/

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Tear Garden isn’t a band I ever expected to see live. Since releasing their first of many records in 1985, they’ve played exactly ZERO shows. NOBODY thought it would happen, but there I was last night as they kicked total ass at NYC’s Le Poisson Rouge. 🧵/1 #IndustrialMusic #Goth #ElectronicMusic

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

cEvin Key’s music has had such a profound influence on my own development as a musician. You can’t really hear Puppy in Negative Agent, but it’s 100% in the DNA. It was really exciting to finally meet the man. And he turned out to be a pretty rad dude. 🧵 2/2

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

They say don’t meet your idols but that’s bullshit. I got to chat with Skinny Puppy’s cEvin Key after the Tear Garden show (his side project w/ Legendary Pink Dots) & it was fantastic. He signed an old SP backstage pass & I got a pic with him and the band. 🧵1/ #IndustrialMusic #ElectronicMusic #Goth

Me posing with the Tear Garden, a collaboration between the Legendary Pink Dots and Skinny Puppy’s cEvin Key. He’s the one wearing the hat.

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Legit! He’s also contributed to some of my favorite Front Line Assembly albums. Those Canadians — when they all get together, magic happens!

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I like this one a lot, but City blew my mind. Absolutely killer record.

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I’m installing a patchbay and I’ll be running my pedals through it. That means a LOT of short interconnect cables with one right angle plug. Looking forward to making my studio just a bit more flexible. #MusicProduction #ElectronicMusic #IndustrialMusic #HomeStudio

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Shout out to my brother-from-another-mother @voidscanmusic.com. And this isn’t about his excellent music. I wanna spotlight his label @shiftctrlmusic.com which he uses to help OTHER musicians get their music heard. shiftctrlmusic.ampwall.com #Techno #Metal #Industrial #EDM #IndieLabel #IndieMusic

shiftctrlmusic.ampwall.com

SHIFT+CTRL Music

Retro Style, Future Sounds. The next generation of independent artists.

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

My dude! Thanks for the shout out!

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Shooting an interview near Syracuse & decided to check out The Sound Garden record store. Great selection, nice staff, fair prices. Scored some gems, all 1st pressings & complete with sleeves, posters, etc. Also got a nice copy of #Neuromancer. #RecordCollecting #IndustrialMusic #WaxTrax #Metal

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Sometimes one of my cats will walk past me, tail held high, and I’ll kind of swat the tip. It’s like, “Yo! High five!” But for cats.

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

🐈‍⬛ “Hey, I’m gonna jump onto your lap.” Me: “That’s cool, c’mon up!” 🐈‍⬛ “Gonna climb up to your shoulder now, ‘kay?” Me: “Um…” 🐈‍⬛ “Like I’m climbin’ a tree!” Me: 🫤 🐈‍⬛ “Gonna use my claws!” And that’s exactly how #industrialmusic gets made! #MusicProduction #ElectronicMusic #IndustrialMetal #Metal

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I need to do that. I think about it a lot when mixing, and maybe a little when writing, but I should do it more.

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I might have spoken too soon… lol

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I’ve been thinking about the gated pads thing (scroll down to read about it) and now I’m curious: What’s your favorite studio trick? I’m using the words “favorite,” “studio,” and “trick” broadly, interpret however you’d like. Teach me! #MusicProduction #HomeStudio #ElectronicMusic #Recording

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Got the Covid and flu vaccines earlier in the day & while I’m a little run down and achy, it beats last year when I felt like I spent 16 hours in the ring with Andre the Giant. (He won.) So that’s nice. Anyway, vax life, yo. 💉🤘

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Mayor Mamdani, fighting the good fight.

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

But honestly, no matter how you do it — hardware or plugin — gating pads is a wonderful old studio trick that can help you nail a classic synthpop and industrial sound. Definitely worth trying out! 10/10

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

SHUT UP. This isn’t an excuse to buy some gear. 8/

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I’m sure it’s easy to gate pads inside a DAW using plugins. But me being me, I wanna grab a DS-201 and try it old-school. 7/

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Oh, and everyone recommends using a patch bay since you never know which synth you’ll wanna run into the gate, or what’ll supply the pulse. Why spend hours digging behind your rack to plug and unplug cables? Makes sense. 6/

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

The pulse that triggers the gate can be anything — in the example I watched, it was a 909 rim shot. The sound never routes into the mix, it only serves to trigger the gate. 5/

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

According to the videos I watched, one of the first gates that was fast enough to pull off this trick was 1984’s Drawmer DS-201. It’s a dual-channel unit, great for stereo synths or for getting two gates for the price of one. 4/

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

The gate’s envelopes shape the sound in unique ways and that’s where the Eighties magic comes from. I suppose you could drive yourself nuts by programming a patch that, combined with how you play, creates a similar effect… But that seems unduly frustrating. 3/

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

The sound comes from a pad playing into a gate that’s triggered by an external rhythmic pulse (via the “key in” jack). The gate then imposes that rhythm on the pads. 2/

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I’m ALWAYS learning new techniques, and tonight it was all about gated pads. I always assumed the rhythmic pads on tracks like New Order’s “Bizarre Love Triangle” were just played that way. NOPE! 🧵1/ #ElectronicMusic #MusicProduction #Synthsky #IndustrialMusic

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Reposted by Negative Agent

Ampwall @ampwall.com · 22/09/2026

The latest Artist Highlight zine post shines a spotlight on NYC's @negativeagent.bsky.social Check out the engrossing tour of his synth-laden musical laboratory, Void Cat Studios, on @ampwall.com ⬇️ negativeagent.ampwall.com/news/void-ca...

Ampwall.com homepage, with Artist Highlight of Negative Agent's Void Cat Studios zine post

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Thanks! Took forever to get it together, but it was worth the time and effort. I love working in it.

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Read the latest post on the Negative Agent blog for a look inside Void Cat Studios, where I make all my angry noises! It’s up on @ampwall.com now! ampwall.com/a/negativeagent/news/void-cat-studios-2026-09-01 #Ampwall #ElectronicMusic #IndustrialMusic #IndustrialMetal #HomeStudio #MusicProduction

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Started working on a new track. I’m not sure I like it, but I’ve been out of the studio for too long & just shaking off the cobwebs feels good. If nothing else, I’ve dialed in monster kick & snare sounds using the Alesis HR-16b & Roland R-8m. So that’s rad. #IndustrialMusic #IndustrialMetal #Metal

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

I’m a day late but Hellraiser dropped on Sept 18 1987. Super formative, I saw it on VHS when I was 13 or 14 after a burly metal dude at the video store tossed it to me. “Check it out,” he said. “It’s fucking awesome.” You were goddamn right, burly metal dude.🤘 #Hellraiser #Pinhead #CliveBarker

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

They Will Kill You. Absolutely bonkers. As fun as it was ridiculous. And instant cult classic, and I loved it. #CultCinema

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

For a brief shining moment I thought I had access to the Delta Sky Club. Amex Platinum cards get in… but NOT Amex DELTA Platinum cards. Irony! I would need to upgrade my card & I’m not sure the extra perks are worth the increased annual fee. So close! #RoadLife #Filmmaking #Touring

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

This may all be entirely true! I’ll never know…

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Damn. Some dude came down and claimed the pizza. But he agreed, it’s pretty fucking weird to just leave a pizza unguarded like this. I’m not sure he’d have blamed me for taking it.

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Sitting in the hotel lobby when a pizza delivery guy comes in, drops a pizza on the table, and walks out. I’ve never faced a tougher test of morals in my life. Lol.

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Negative Agent @negativeagent.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Making documentaries keeps me on the road a lot & I’ve learned most hotel blackout curtains SUCK. At least this time it was an easy fix. Pro tip: Use the clips on hangers to hold curtains shut. (I’ve also used gaffers tape, but that shit’s expensive.) #RoadLife #Travel #Touring #Filmmaking

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