Almost 300 GMS Downloads, Responses Needed

Posted on December 11, 2009 by John C.S. Keston

ods_session As the GMS approaches three-hundred downloads, I’m starting to get a few questions regarding technical problems. It’s exciting that people are starting to use my software, but as an individual developer, who is also a composer, instructor, performer, and student, I don’t have time to diagnose and troubleshoot every problem on every system.

Therefore, I am asking for your help. If you have downloaded the GMS, please post a comment here describing your success stories or problems. In either instance, please include details about your environment including the operating system, computer specs, camera in use, and if you’re using internal or external sync.

I’ll do my best to respond to Mac issues, but I don’t have consistent access to Windows. If you’re up and running on Windows please respond to questions if you have ideas on how to fix the problem. As always, I’m interested in hearing what you do with the GMS, so post a link to your tracks, and thanks to everyone for participating.

Music for People on Shelves

Posted on December 10, 2009 by John C.S. Keston

people_on_shelves I’ve just rendered my full eighty-six minute Ostraka set from last night’s event at the West Bank Social Center. So, while waiting for the delightful documentation that Andrea Streudel is sure to produce, here’s a short segment of audio from the set.

I used Ableton Live to produce in real-time and my wavetable glitch machine Max patch to make most of the noises, which I routed into Live using Soundflower.

The projection work of the evening was top notch. An entire wall of the building across from the WBSC was covered with animated silhouettes of attendees on simulated three dimensional “shelves”.

Here’s the excerpt. I’m also including a link to the entire eighty-six minute set that I uploaded to soundcloud.com for all the brave people who’d like to hear the full set.

Excerpt from Music for People on Shelves

Radiolab Numbers

Posted on December 2, 2009 by John C.S. Keston

numbers WNYC‘s Radio Lab with Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich is one of my favorite radio programs and podcasts of all time. Their latest program explores the world of numbers. According to interviewees on the program all babies think logarithmically until the abstract concept of integers has been systematically drilled into their heads.

It’s a fascinating story, and as usual, permeated with beautifully done sound design. For more on Radiolab checkout “Sound is Kind of Touch at a Distance”, or visit their site for more podcasts of the program.

Radiolab: Numbers

Snyderphonics Manta

Posted on November 24, 2009 by John C.S. Keston

Recently I read an article in Future Music on the Snyderphonics Manta OSC controller. I’m getting more and more into OSC (Open Sound Control), so this is a really fascinating device that I can see replacing and expanding upon what I’m building for the iPod Touch. The Manta has forty-eight touch sensors on a six by eight pad. Each sensor can handle note on/off and velocity information, which you can’t do on the iPod Touch. It also has two touch sliders and four touch buttons, all assignable via OSC, or MIDI with a free application that’s available on synderphonics.com. The device also accepts input in order to provide feedback via LEDs that back light the controls. I have been researching and experimenting with multitouch devices to do music and sound design for a while now, and the Manta seems to solve a lot of shortcomings of other devices. Congratulations to Jeff Snyder for designing a unique and intriguing instrument.

Multitouch Rotary Dial and X-Y Granular Exploration

Posted on November 6, 2009 by John C.S. Keston

With help from Josh Clos I have shot a short video documenting what my latest MaxMSP project does.

It’s a sort of swiss army knife of wavetable glitch machine and sample scrubbing tools. Hopefully the video will shed some light on what this project is about. I’ve been trying to describe it in a few other posts without much success, but seeing it in action seems to make a bit more sense.

The next step invovles integrating this tool into the Five Output Atemporal Looper i describe in my last entry.

For more information check out some of the related posts including Physically Modeling Multitouch Controls, Traversing Samples with Granular Synthesis, and TouchOSC Controlled Glitch Looper in MaxMSP.

Multitouch Rotary Dial and X-Y Granular Exploration from Unearthed Music on Vimeo.