Duet No.5 for Synthesizer and The Singing Ringing Tree

Posted on September 22, 2014 by John C.S. Keston

This is the fifth of about seven videos produced so far documenting my five day recording session and performance series at the Singing Ringing Tree (SRT) in Burnley, UK. I performed accompaniment for the SRT binaural recordings simultaneously using a Novation Bass Station II connected to a USB battery. I also ran the Bass Station II through a Moog Minifooger Delay.

NOTE: This is a binaural recording combined with a monophonic synthesizer track. Although it sounds great through speakers, circumaural headphones must be used to experience the binaural effect. Continue reading →

AVGM: Rheology

Posted on August 25, 2014 by John C.S. Keston

Here’s another movement from my composition Vocalise Sintetica that I performed at Echofluxx in Prague and later during Northern Spark 2014. I named the movement Rheology after the study of the flow of matter in the liquid state. The audiovisual content was created with a Max patch I developed called AVGM (AV Grain Machine). The instruments that I used to create the accompaniment include: DSI Tempest, Bass Station II, Korg Volca Keys, and Memory Man Delay.

Duet No.4 for Synthesizer and The Singing Ringing Tree

Posted on August 4, 2014 by John C.S. Keston

This is the fourth document from my five day recording session and performance series at the Singing Ringing Tree (SRT) in Burnley, UK. I performed accompaniment for the SRT binaural recordings simultaneously using a Novation Bass Station II connected to a USB battery. I also ran the Bass Station II through a Moog Minifooger Delay.

A Note From Moog

Posted on July 30, 2014 by John C.S. Keston

This morning I was greeted by a Toblerone shaped box on my doorstep adorned with a Moogfest logo. Since I was on my way to class I had to leave it until this evening. On opening I discovered a beautiful golden knob and a lovely note from Moog thanking me for my participation at Moogfest:

It has taken us two months to process the impact of Moogfest 2014. The phenomenal minds that came together to share, teach, make, play, and perform made our town in North Carolina shine brightly for 5 days. We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of this celebration of art, science, music, and technology. Without you Moogfest would not have been as magical or inspiring for those that participated.

The enclosed knob is symbolic of Moog’s 50 year legacy in analog synthesis. Originally we gave them to the owners of our flagship synthesizer, the Minimoog Voyager, because they are the people who helped Moog become what it is today. We felt it appropriate to send one to you too for helping define what Moogfest will be in the future. You will always be a part of Moogfest’s genesis and we hope you continue to be a part of its evolution.

Following the note were a couple of personal sentences from Emmy Parker and handwritten signatures from Emmy and Mike Adams. Needless to say, I am humbled by this honor and hope that I can continue to participate in the future. Thanks Emmy, Mike, and everyone else who made Moogfest an incredible experience!

Duet No.3 for Synthesizer and The Singing Ringing Tree

Posted on July 28, 2014 by John C.S. Keston

This video is the third document from my five day recording session and performance series at the Singing Ringing Tree (SRT) in Burnley, UK. The SRT is a wind activated musical panopticon in Northern England. The sculpture was designed by architects Tonkin Liu and completed in December 2006. I performed accompaniment for the SRT binaural recordings simultaneously using a Novation Bass Station II connected to a USB battery. I also ran the Bass Station II through a Moog Minifooger Delay.