DSI Tempest Analog Vibes

Posted on August 22, 2012 by John C.S. Keston

Less than one week ago I added a new instrument to my studio that will soon become the centerpiece of my solo performances and duets with Ostracon. As you can see from the photo, it is a Dave Smith Instruments Tempest Analog Drum Machine. I have been researching the Tempest since it was announced in early 2011, but recently I concluded that it would work well with the current direction of my music and decided to pick one up. This instrument is a one of kind sound sculpting tool that sounds amazing and is capable of so much more than just drums and percussive sounds. For example, as a challenge to learn the synthesis engine, I created this vibes patch exclusively using the two analog oscillators. I played a C minor blues scale over most of the width of a 76 key controller to give you an idea of how it sounds. I like how the envelopes get a little clicky in the low end. No processing was added to this recording, so the levels might be a bit low.

Tempest Analog Vibes

Pendulum from In Habit: Living Patterns

Posted on August 21, 2012 by John C.S. Keston

This is the twelfth of sixteen pieces that I composed and performed during each vignette of the dance production “In Habit: Living Patterns,” performed at Northern Spark in June, 2012. The main layer is from a piece I wrote about on ACB called Cross Modulated Microtonal Improvisation. Click for details on how I produced this sound.

Adaptation from In Habit: Living Patterns

Posted on August 20, 2012 by John C.S. Keston

This is one of my favorites from our piece In Habit: Living Patterns, performed at Northern Spark in June, 2012. It is the eleventh of sixteen pieces that I composed and performed during each vignette of the dance production. For this piece I used a patch that I had programmed to simulate a Japanese reed instrument called a shō. Rather than duplicate the sound my intent was to create a synthetic version, athough I did use the traditional chord voicings Otsu, Bi, Ichi, Kotsu, and Hi for this composition.

Map from In Habit: Living Patterns

Posted on August 14, 2012 by John C.S. Keston

This is the tenth of sixteen pieces that I composed and performed during each vignette of the dance production “In Habit: Living Patterns,” performed at Northern Spark in June, 2012.

Sleep from In Habit: Living Patterns

Posted on August 13, 2012 by John C.S. Keston

This is the nineth in the sequence of sixteen pieces that I composed and performed during each vignette of the dance production “In Habit: Living Patterns,” performed at Northern Spark in June, 2012.