Machine Machine (2013) is a 32″ touchscreen installation that functions as an electronic instrument. Granular synthesis is used to loop “grains” of sound and video at variable lengths and frequencies. These parameters are based on the y-axis of the touch point on the monitor. The x-axis determines the position of the grain within the timeline. The piece was exhibited last month at the Northrup King Building in Minneapolis during Art-a-Whirl and for Visual Storage; the MCAD MFA thesis exhibition. Continue reading →
Spectral Tablature is a series of collaborative installations that explore sound generated through visual processes. Sound is recorded or synthesized using common techniques then converted into images called spectral analysis. These forms are re-interpreted as a visual artifact then converted back into sound. For each pair, or “duet,” the similarities and differences in tone and texture can be heard as well as seen in the work. This series, along with two more of my installations, is currently on display for my thesis exhibition at the Northrup King Building in Minneapolis. Please read on for images and descriptions of each pair of prints along with the audio. Continue reading →
Although I’ve used it for few things before, I have decided to try using SoundCloud to distribute some of the sounds from my One Synthesizer Sound Every Day project. I really like the way that people can comment on the audio at different points within the timeline. It also seems like a good way to share beyond the scope of AudioCookbook.org.
On the other hand I recently had a reader comment on how they liked ACB’s current audio player (WPaudio) because it works on iOS. Unfortunately, because it is Flash (iOS doesn’t support Flash) the SoundCloud player will not work on iOS. Conversely WPaudio doesn’t work on Android, although it should. I am curious and would like to get some feedback from ACB readers on this. How many of you use SoundCloud? And what do you think of it becoming the main method of distributing sounds on ACB? Are you an iOS user and will that be a problem for you?
I’d like to use the HTML5 audio element, but then Firefox users would not be able to play the MP3s and although I would like to, I’m not going to find time to convert three and a half years of audio to Ogg files. My ideal audio player would automatically use the HTML5 audio element when it was available and compatible with the format, otherwise it would automatically switch to using a Flash player, and lastly default to a link when nothing else worked. If you know of a player that does this, please let me know. Perhaps it needs to be developed, but it seems like something like this should be out there by now.
In any case, without further ado here’s the first of my daily synthesizer sounds to be published on SoundClound. I’m including it with the WPaudio player and HTML5 audio element as well for comparison purposes. To produce this analog noise I used the LFO on the Roland MKS-80 to slowly sweep the filter. Nothing fancy, but pleasant none-the-less. I ran it through a ping pong delay for some stereo imagery.
The Original WPaudio Player:
Analog Noise Slow Filter Sweep
One of many things that the MKS-80 is really good for is creating synthesizer effects. Through the use of the XMOD (cross modulation) parameters strange, metallic textures can be obtained similar to FM or frequency modulation. As heard in the Synthesizer Noise Jam series , I’m discovering a variety of ways to use these techniques to create unique and fascinating effects perfect for electronic music, or scifi thriller sound tracks. Here’s a short segment from one of these experiments processed through reverb and delay.
On March 13, 2011, my trio DGK (Jon Davis on bass, Tim Glenn on drums, and John Keston on Rhodes and Pro-One) performed at the Honey Lounge in Minneapolis, Minnesota in collaboration with an esteemed line-up of colleagues. Through the night people came and went, so in the upcoming parts of this series I’ll name the individuals involved. For the beginning of the evening it was DGK with Martin Dosh on additional drums, and Juno Alpha 1, Scott Fultz on electric guitar and soprano saxophone, Andrew Broder on electric guitar, Rajiah Johnson on flute, and Brandon Wozniak on tenor saxophone. The record is a bit chatty at times, but that’s to be expected with bootleg recordings. You never know, you just might stumble across a bizarre conversation buried in the mix.
