Synchronizing Music Technology at Slam Academy

Posted on November 1, 2012 by John C.S. Keston

I am teaching a class starting on November 29, 2012 at the Slam Academy in Minneapolis titled Synchronizing Music Technology. The first class class of the four session module is free to attend with no obligation. If you decide to take the module you are eligible to purchase a Korg Monotribe and Korg Monotron for $175. General admission and student pricing is available.

In this course we will examine ways to synchronize musical devices including vintage-to-modern MIDI compatible devices, as well as pre-MIDI analog instruments using CV (control voltage) and gate signals. We will also learn how to sequence and interface these devices with computer software making it possible to create studio and performance setups that integrate decades of music technology.

The Slam Academy is one of a handful of certified Ableton Live training centers worldwide. Most classes are around $200 or less for students and meet for three two hour sessions. I am very excited to be an adjunct instructor at this incredibly forward thinking school for electronic arts. If you’re in the area please stop in for the free intro class on November 29 or consider registering for a module or two.

Fourteen of Fourteen Live Mixes from Ostracon

Posted on July 23, 2012 by John C.S. Keston

This the last of 14 tracks from a collection of Ostracon mixes recorded at three consecutive live shows last year. Each track is an untitled improvisation roughly mixed and edited for length. Ostracon is Graham O’Brien on drums and John Keston on electronics. If you are feeling brave, checkout the entire set on SoundCloud and check us out live at the Kitty Cat Klub on August 5, 2012.

Putting Out Fires: I Knew Sound Was Good for Something

Posted on July 17, 2012 by John C.S. Keston

CNET has a brief article about this, but the video says it all.

This is the Opposite of a Suicide Note

Posted on July 10, 2012 by John C.S. Keston

Here’s a quick change of pace. The drummer that you have been hearing in the last six entries is, of course, Graham O’Brien who is also responsible for remixing the Guante track This is the Opposite of a Suicide Note. As well as being an excellent drummer, Graham is a seasoned producer who has recently teamed up with Adam Krinsky to form Bellows Studios in St. Paul, Minnesota where he produced, mixed, and mastered this remix. These are the same studios where Ostracon is working on our second album.

In Habit: Living Patterns Time-lapse

Posted on June 29, 2012 by John C.S. Keston

This video created by Caleb Coppock illustrates the time scope (from dusk until dawn) of the In Habit: Living Patterns performance at Northern Spark, June 2012. I composed the music for the sixteenth and final vignette in the sequence titled, Energy and then adapted it for the time-lapse sequence.

Keep an eye/ear out for upcoming documentation that will display the dance movements in real-time. I also have some video with binaural audio recorded at one of the performances that I will be sharing as well.