Audiovisual Grain Machine Demo

Posted on March 31, 2014 by John CS Keston

Here’s a quick demo of the software I am designing to do audiovisual granular synthesis that I’ll be presenting at Moogfest and performing with at Echofluxx. It allows a performer to apply granular synthesis to sound and corresponding video using a touch interface such as MIRA (shown). The audio and video are synchronized in parallel. The software also has the capability to capture and repeat gestures so that the performer can accompany the projections with multiple layers and arrange compositions in a performance setting. This demo granulates the voice and image of Lister Rossel. In addition I use analogue synthesizers to contrast the digital manipulations.

This work alludes to the speech-to-song illusion discovered by Diana Deutsch. It also evokes an “event fusion” as vocalizations are repeated much faster than humanly possible until they enter the audio range. Adding the corresponding visuals makes it appear uncanny as video and sound are looped in millisecond intervals.

Wall of Synth Part 2: Tempest, BSII, Volca Keys, Juno-106, MKS-80, D-50

Posted on February 8, 2014 by John CS Keston

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This is another example of using the Korg Volca Keys as a sequencer for the Juno-106. Also featured are the Roland Super Jupiter MKS-80, Roland D-50, Novation Bass Station II, and DSI Tempest. Again, I set limitations on my process. I composed the piece with no overdubbing. All tracks were recorded simultaneously. Post-production was limited to editing for length, fades, and one reverb send.

Multitouch on a Mac without a Touchscreen

Posted on January 28, 2014 by John CS Keston

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As you may have noticed it’s been a little quiet around here lately. The reason for this is that since the end of 2013 I have been keeping myself busy with a studio remodel (more on that later) followed by concentrating on preparations for a performance (I’m pleased to announce) at Echofluxx 14 in Prague, May 2014. Here’s a quick note about Echofluxx 13 from their site:

The Echofluxx 13 is a festival of new media, visual art, and experimental music produced by Efemera of Prague with Anja Kaufmann and Dan Senn, co-directors. In cooperation with Sylva Smejkalová and early reflections, the Prague music school (HAMU), and Academy of Fine Arts (AVU), Echofluxx 13 will present international and Czech presenters in a five-day festival at the Tracfačka Arena in Prague, Kurta Konráda 1, Prague 9, May 7-11, 2013. For more information contact: info@echofluxx.org

I’ll discuss more details about this upcoming performance in another post. For now I would like to bring attention to the possibility of using the Mac trackpad and/or Apple’s Magic Trackpad for multitouch. My performance at Echofluxx involves using custom built software to loop granular audiovisual media. This idea evolved from projects in the past that used a 32″ touchscreen. This time the media will be projected, so I naturally decided to use the iPad as the controller. I built the project using Cycling ’74 Max and MIRA, which was very convenient, but I couldn’t get over the latency using the iPad over WiFi for multitouch controls.

I decided that the most convenient alternative would be to use the trackpad on the Mac laptop. Max has an object called “mousestate” that polls button-status and cursor-position information from the default pointer device. However, it is not designed to take advantage of multitouch data. This is where Fingerpinger comes in. Fingerpinger was able to detect ten independent touch points (perhaps more but I was out of fingers) on the built in trackpad on my MacBook Pro. Which begs the question; how did I take that screenshot?

Ten touchpoints on such a small surface is probably impractical, but I only need two; one for X-Y data and a second one for volume. Most importantly I wanted the audiovisual content to be activated simply by touching the trackpad rather than having to click or hold down a key. Fortunately Fingerpinger has a state value for each touchpoint that I was able to use to activate on touch and release. The latency is hardly noticeable compared to an iPad over WiFi, and I have also simplified my setup meaning I can travel with less equipment and rely on fewer technologies. I still like the idea of using an iPad for multitouch controls, mostly because of the opportunities for visual feedback. But for this particular application Fingerpinger is a great solution.

Rule Based Electronic Music: Good Morning Mr. Paik

Posted on December 20, 2013 by John CS Keston

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For the sixth piece in the series I left out the percussive layers. This was also a test for the MIDI output mod that I recently applied to the Volca Keys. The setup included the Volca Keys MIDI output (mod) going to the MIDI input of the Novation Bass Station II. To sync the Monotribe I ran the sync out from the Volca Keys to the Monotribe. This can be problematic because there’s some crosstalk between the audio and sync out ports on the Volcas. Keeping the level of the Volca Keys just under full prevents stuttering on the Monotribe, but I’d like to find a better solution.

I also followed these rules: 1) No overdubbing. All tracks were recorded at the same time. 2) No computer sequencing. All sequencing was on the instruments used. 3) No looping or shuffling parts in post. Editing for length and content was allowed. 4) One reverb send, one delay, and fades were allowed. No other processing. 5) No mix tricks in post. Reverse and rolls were performed live.

The Most Beautiful Sound In The World Competition

Posted on December 10, 2013 by John CS Keston

The Most Beautiful Sound in the World Competition is underway thanks to efforts from SoundCloud and BeautifulNow. Here’s what BeautifulNow representative, Rachel Whaley, had to say to ACB about the competition:

BeautifulNow, a new site focused on the most beautiful things happening in the world right now, is running a competition, in partnership with SoundCloud and The Sound Agency, to find THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SOUND IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW. It’s really cool! And we thought that you and your community would be really interested because you seem to be all about beautiful sound.

The competition is open for entries until 12/16, so there’s still time to enter. Here’s a link to the competition so you can check it out: beautifulnow.is/sound.

There’s a great prize package. We have awesome judges who will select finalists. And our community votes. How cool would it be if your sound could win The Most Beautiful Sound in the World? What do you think?

Check out our site, our Facebook page, and follow us on Twitter for more info and let us know what you think!