Gestural Music Sequencer Generative Track Competition

Posted on April 15, 2010 by John C.S. Keston

Now that the GMS beta has been out since December 2009, I thought it would be fun to start a competition to produce a track using this tool. Unearthed Music has agreed to consider the winning track for a spot on their upcoming compilation, Unearthed Artifacts Volume One.

The rules for the competition are simple. Create an instrumental track using the GMS. Every layer in the composition must be generated by video input fed into the GMS either through a camera, or by loading a pre-recorded video clip. There are no limitations as to what software or hardware is used to interface with the GMS in order to create the instrument sounds and produce the piece.

Editing and looping of the GMS MIDI output is allowed within reason. Please refrain from looping phrases that are shorter than one bar, or shifting several notes to tailor the melodies. I suggest experimenting with the note and duration probability distributions. All the drums and rhythmic patterns must be created using the GMS as well.

Write one-hundred to three-hundred words about how you produced your track and post it as a comment to this entry with a link to a 192Kbps or better MP3 file of the complete track. Links to a bio or videos about your process are great too. The track must be licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. The tracks will be judged by a panel of representatives from Unearthed Music and myself. The submission deadline is Tuesday, June 1, 2010. Thanks, and have fun!

Rest Probabilities Added to the GMS

Posted on April 14, 2010 by John C.S. Keston

A feature that I have been interested in adding to the GMS for quite a while is rest probabilities. Prior to adding this feature the GMS generated a sequence of notes without ever playing any rests. What’s exciting about the rest probability feature is that now you can add space into the generative phrases that the GMS creates.

Each preset can have a rest probability that ranges from zero to one-hundred. At zero notes will play continually just as it worked prior to adding the feature. At one-hundred only rests will play. Elsewhere in-between the probability of a rest occurring instead of a note is based on comparing a random number between one and one-hundred to the user adjusted setting. If the user setting is less than the randomly selected number then a note is played, otherwise the note is skipped and replaced by a rest of the same duration. I have uploaded a new Mac build for the application (beta 0.11) available for download on the GMS page.

Mel Mann and Martin Inda at Panoramica Buenos Aires

Posted on April 12, 2010 by John C.S. Keston

Mel Mann + Inda @ Panoramica Bs As from Martin Inda on Vimeo.

Martin Inda recently informed me about his collaboration with Mel Mann, and documentation of the piece being performed at Panoramica, Buenos Aires. From Martin:

All of the material is filmed by me with an unexpensive Panasonic Lumix ZS3 camera, then composed in After Effects. The live performance is done with VDMX soft, and uses the audio analysis tool to trigger effects in real time using the sound. The image is composed by 3 projectors. Music: Mel Mann creates his music using synthesizers, samplers and acoustic instruments, like a ukulele and a harmonics flute, which he plays live combined with Ableton.

The geometric imagery reminds me a little of the Umfeld project with Speedy J and Scott Pagano that was performed last year at the Spark Festival of Electronic Music and Art.

Falling Objects Synchronized to Produce Rhythm

Posted on April 11, 2010 by John C.S. Keston

Gravité from Renaud Hallée on Vimeo.

It has been around for a while, but I just came across this very clever piece by Montréal based artist, Renaud Hallée. His composition uses video and sound from falling objects edited together to produce some nice rhythms with a few unexpected twists. Hint: it’s not all tennis balls.

Diego Stocco on Sound Builders

Posted on March 30, 2010 by John C.S. Keston

Motherboard.tv has just released the second episode of their Sound Builders series featuring sound designer and composer, Diego Stocco. This is a really nice glimpse into Diego’s fascinating working method. If you’re unfamiliar with Diego’s work, make sure you visit his site and check out the videos of his recent creations, and sometimes destruction.