Timelines is a project that came together after Michael Rice went through numerous other projects to finally get to what he wanted to create. Rice says the music is a personal escape and just his attempt to create something beautiful.

Two bits of software Rice uses to this end are Native Instruments Guitar Rig and Coagula -- two very different creatures.

"Coagula is a neat little program. What it does is create sound from image. Basically, you can take any image and convert it to a BMP file, and run it through the program to create sound. The only drawback is the sound it produces," says Rice. "It's very electronic, but by far one of the most interesting programs I have come across."

Coagula is an image synth and you can download it for free. It is a program for creating and manipulating images and generating sounds from the images you create (or other images). Coagula takes each line in an image and uses it to control the amplitude of one oscillator. The vertical position of a pixel provides the frequency and the horizontal provides time. You need Windows 95 or later for this (but then if you do not have this you are living in a snow cave somewhere). The more colors your monitor can show the better.

How you use this to any sonic end that isn't a nightmare is a matter of question but it is cool anyway.

Guitar Rig is actually a more practical program to use in your music -- although you do have to pay for it (between $300 and $500 depending on the version -- the list will be higher).

"This program is seriously impressive. I've wanted to use real guitars in my music since I've started Timelines. This program makes that possible and so much more," says Rice. "Guitar Rig allows you to find that personal sound you've been looking for with ease. It's amazing what programmers are coming up with these days."

Rice says that in the few months he has used Guitar Rig he has had few problems. But he found that Adobe Audition helped him sort out those he had.

"Things got a little technical when it came to recording, but it was nothing I couldn't figure out after a few minor adjustments," says Rice. "Adobe Audition is what I use to bring everything together though when it comes to recording. Its VST support makes Guitar Rig much easier to work with."

Rice has no particular software where he has run into extreme difficulty. This is , in part, to his limited collection of software (sometimes less is more).

"The only program that can get a bit tedious is Fruity loops. Don't get me wrong, I love the program, but unless you have a MIDI controller, it can really do a number on your computers mouse." he says.

Down the road Rice hopes to start working with Reason but lack of funds (can we get an "AMEN" from all the broke musicians out there?) have prevented him from getting a new computer.

A new Timelines recording should be available in the Spring of 2008.

Patrick Ogle writes for Gearwire