GMS as Open Source on Google Code

Posted on December 4, 2009 by John C.S. Keston

The GMS source code is now available on code.google.com. I’ve still got loads of idea for improvements and feature additions, but I’m also interested to see what input other developers might have for the project. Therefore, the code is now officially released and available as Open Source under the GPLv3.

Please let us know how you are using the GMS. I’ve been informed that Grant Muller will be using it experimentally on a jazz improvisation project he’s involved in. Rocky Rosga is producing some work with the GMS. Finally, my duet project with Graham O’Brien on drums has recorded an album (it will be a few months work to edit and mix, so don’t look for it anytime soon) of GMS improvisations with live drums.

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

Ableton Live Users Group

Posted on November 30, 2009 by John C.S. Keston

I will be presenting and performing at the Minneapolis Ableton Live Users Group on December 8, 2009, 7:00pm at the Nomad in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In my presentation I’ll be showing what I do with custom built applications and Ableton Live, including the GMS and my new Wavetable Glitch Machine. Currently I interface my custom built applications with Live, using MIDI via the IAC drivers in Mac OS X, and Soundflower for audio. Soon I’ll be converting my audio based Max patches over to Max for Live, so I can use them in Live directly.

Also appearing is Ali Momeni who’ll be showing some of his Max for Live patches, and JP Hungelmann who also organizes the event. Last time the group met it was held at IPR and there was an excellent turn out. The speakers were terrific and they gave away Ableton demo discs and t-shirts at the end of the event. If you use Live, have any interest in it, or electronic music in general, I highly recommend attending.

WPaudio and SoundManager 2

Posted on November 27, 2009 by John C.S. Keston

sm2visual While redesigning my portfolio site at johnkeston.com I decided to research some of the latest audio plugins for WordPress. Prior to today I was using a fork of Audio Player called Anarchy Media Player (AMP), which was nice for several reasons. One being that it automatically converts MP3 links to the player in posts. Unfortunately the player has not been updated in sometime and after upgrading the the most recent version of WordPress the admin panel for AMP stopped working properly, forcing me to hack my wp-options table.

The alternative that I have put in place is called WPaudio. Wpaudio uses the SoundManager 2 sound library that works by wrapping and extending the Flash Sound API, and exposing it to Javascript. This technique allows the Flash component to be hidden and transparent to both developers and end users.

SoundManager 2 is what’s used by mix sharing sites like SoundCloud and 8tracks. I have yet to find any difficulties, other than some alignment issues that I was able to resolve via CSS. Here’s an example of the player in use. Please comment on how it works for you.

Panopticon
– One Day to Save All Life, Keston and Westdal (Unearthed Music, 2009)

Donate $10 Get a Free Download

Posted on November 25, 2009 by John C.S. Keston

ACB partner and sponsor Unearthed Music has agreed to offer a free download of your choice to readers who donate $10 or more to AudioCookbook.org. Previously the amount to receive a free download was $20. Now it’s more affordable to be rewarded for supporting ACB. In fact $10 is the exact price of their music downloads.

The albums available include my recent solo release, Precambrian Resonance. If you already have Precambrian Resonance, everything else on the label is also available in the offer, including albums by Keston and Westdal, and ten72. If you can’t donate, please consider visiting the Google ads. It’s amazing what a few clicks can do to help. Thanks and happy holidays!