Duet No.7 for Synthesizer and The Singing Ringing Tree

Posted on November 26, 2014 by John C.S. Keston

This is the last of seven videos produced documenting my five day recording session and performance series at the Singing Ringing Tree (SRT) in Burnley, UK. There’s a lot more content in the can, but for now this is enough to represent the project. My part of the collaboration with the SRT was simultaneously recorded on site using a Novation Bass Station II connected to a USB battery. I also ran the Bass Station II through a Moog Minifooger Delay.

My last day on site was also the windiest and it turned out that the best wind reduction happened to be a very thin cotton t-shirt wrapped around the binaural head as you can see in the photo below. The strong winds, although useful, made the process quite difficult, and the binaural effect seemed a little less prominent with any sort of wind reduction applied. However, I was able to get couple of good takes by carefully placing the dummy head next to the SRT and opposite the wind. Please checkout the playlist of all six duets (#2 was omitted) on my YouTube channel.

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Hi-8, Bleep Labs, Moog Sub 37, Minifooger, Elektron Analog 4

Posted on November 17, 2014 by John C.S. Keston

This analog-sourced audiovisual piece is a collaboration with video artist Chris LeBlanc. The visuals were performed with a Hi-8 camera running through Tachyons+ and LoFiFuture processors, and keyed with a Bleep Labs synth. On the music end I’m playing my Moog Sub 37 through my Minifooger Delay and synched up to an Elektron Analog Four. I sent Chris separate signals from the Sub 37 and the A4 that he used to make the visuals respond.

Slow Phrase on the Moog Sub 37 through Minifooger Delay

Posted on November 15, 2014 by John C.S. Keston

Here’s a short phrase from a slow melody on the Moog Sub 37 that I recently played during a studio session with Lucas Melchior and Chris LeBlanc. The patch is one that I made specifically for performing lead lines and uses aftertouch to apply the vibrato. I also ran the Moog directly through the Minifooger delay. No other processing was applied to this monophonic phrase.

Song for Saturn with a Recording from the Cassini Spacecraft

Posted on November 14, 2014 by John C.S. Keston

This snippet was made for an upcoming collaboration with Lister Rossel exploring frozen landscapes and environments. The rough mix was arranged using three layers produced with the Elektron Analog Four and audio recorded by the Cassini spacecraft.

My Elektron Analog Four

The Cassini recording was time-stretched by a factor of three and then processed in various ways to achieve a stereo image. None of the tracks from the Analog Four were processed in post (the delay and reverb are onboard the A4).

My First Few Weeks with the Moog Sub 37

Posted on November 10, 2014 by John C.S. Keston

I pre-ordered the Moog Sub 37 days after it was announced and have been sitting on the edge of my seat ever since anticipating its arrival. Finally it arrived during one of my busiest times in several years. As a result I have had very little time with the instrument. However, I can already tell that it will be a relationship as enduring as the decades long relationship I have had with the SCI Pro-One.

First and foremost the Sub 37 is feels like an instrument because it is an instrument. It has been designed to be musical and and expressive in the hands of a musician. The semi-weighted keyboard feels solid and just stiff enough to play dynamically. Velocity and pressure sensitivity react nicely with little adjustment necessary. With all the knobs available, programming is fast, but there are loads additional features under the hood. This does require menu diving, but it’s reasonable considering the modulation routing possibilities.
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