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!

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.

Pomplamoose

Posted on November 23, 2009 by John C.S. Keston

I’m sure that everyone else in the world knows about this group, but for some reason I didn’t until stumbling across their cover of Beat It by Michael Jackson last night. After hearing that and watching the video I was hooked and ended up staying up until three in the morning watching their videos. Here’s one of my favorite covers by Pomplmoose so far. September by Earth Wind and Fire.

Ostraka with Dial System Performance

Posted on November 22, 2009 by John C.S. Keston

ostraka_at_kck My new experimental music project with Graham O’Brien, Ostraka with Dial System, will be performing on December 20, 2009. Originally I had written that we were performing on December 8, 2009 as well, but that performance has been canceled due to a prior engagement.

Ostraka with Dial System is myself on laptop using my custom developed application, the Gestural Music Sequencer (GMS), and Graham O’Brien on drums. For more details, including audio examples and video produced using the GMS, checkout the GMS category. There’s also a Gestural Music Sequencer Documentary Short produced by Josh Clos, that does a good job of illustrating what the software does.