tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88654533487532637862024-02-08T05:23:06.800-08:00On Music, Synthesis and Sound DesignLux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.comBlogger161125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865453348753263786.post-32860088130756823912013-04-04T03:41:00.001-07:002013-04-04T03:41:15.777-07:00Technology BluesIt was nice to get together with a friend and just jam for a while. I have been so involved with the technological aspects of music I forgot perhaps the joy of playing it without a laptop. Believe me, I have not abandoned by technological roots and I was using Moog guitar but the core of ant music should be about being a musician right?<br />
<br />
And yet, I also desire to return to FireGiver that has been supplanted by Moog Guitar. FireGiver will be taking a move towards automation with much less pure improvisation. I think I will begin with working on more exacting control of Live's Operator and Reaktor Prism. I will eventually use Live's new automation controls to tame the feedback of Prism.<br />
<br />
So, I guess at this point I feel bifurcated between musician and sound designer but I am hoping for a happy coexistence.Lux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865453348753263786.post-61902227085532577652013-02-21T13:56:00.001-08:002013-02-21T13:56:36.446-08:00Analogue Man and Rack EffectsI am continuing to enjoy reading "Analogue Man's Guide to Vintage Effects". There is some really good information in this book but to be honest I don't have all that much interest in old analogue effects. I have some mid to high end effects that I like just fine and a few low end EH boxes because they do something unique. <br />
<br />
Analogue Man believes that rack mount effects are all terrible. We will have to agree to disagree here but I do like analogue electronics, I have a full line of foogers in addition to my digital effects.<br />
<br />
IMHO analogue be it effects or synths are different animals. I think the mistake some make is to believe that you have to have only one or the other. I like analogue for different reasons. It's like saying you can't like both acoustic and electric guitars. Not true. Again, they are just different animals.<br />
<br />
Analogue tends to have a certain mysterious element to it. If I use a digital effect it just rubs a program and you more or less know what you are getting which can be very useful. With analogue, I twist knobs and sometimes strange sounds come out. Anyone who has used FM on a Voyager will know what I mean but also freq box foogers and others. There is a high "What the hell was that" factor. So, analogue lends itself to experimentation.<br />
<br />
Another complaint of digital is the interface on rack mounts. Ok, point scored. Yes, it's not all that easy to program these beasties but they are also not on trick ponies. Some, like Eventide, have tried to tame the beast with smaller boxes that do a lot but have smaller parameter spaces. On the flexibility issue the digital beasties win. If your just a wannabe guitar player who thinks he/ she can sound like x by buying a pedal they use, then sure, go buy the pedal. You won't sound anything like your guitar hero but sophistication would be wasted with anything more than a "louder" or "grungier" button.<br />
<br />
So, on the which sounds better battle - neither. They both serve a purpose.<br />
<br />
Analogue effects are more experimental, digital are more flexible. Again, it depends on what you want and that can even vary from song to song. Music is never black and white which is why I love it.Lux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865453348753263786.post-44662577204454039192013-02-09T08:05:00.001-08:002013-02-09T08:05:43.135-08:00More Wob Wob WobI am sure that most people remember the Saturday Night Live skit with Christopher Walken asking for more and more cowbell. Lately, I feel like him. I was researching some musical ideas this morning and last night and I already have 3 more pieces of gear I would like much like the comical call for more cowbell. Then I started thinking about those early pioneers of electronic music who either spent days slicing tapes, punching cards to run a computer program or using rudimentary oscillators to make electronic music that in many ways is far more creative than anything today my own work included.<br />
<br />
I know I tend to pick on dub step as a genre but it seems to me it's based on a single sound used in cliched variations of wob wob wob to crank out dance music for crazed drug addled youth at raves. Ok, sure I guess I sound like a grumpy old man and yes, I am showing my age. But I think of Alvin Lucier's "Dripsody" or Karlheinz Stockhausen's "Hymnen" which are wonderful collages of sound pieced together by by artists who would have dreamed of having the tools I have to work with. <br />
<br />
About a week ago I started thinking about cross overs. I built one not by buying new gear but using Live's instrument racks and EQ8 and a few soft synths and hardware I already have. I loved the results. So much so I started a new project called the mirror project. Mirrors help us to see ourselves. We see the faces of many people every day but we only see ourselves in mirrors. Musically I think I have become so consumed by looking for the next best cowbell that I failed to realize the magic of sound that those early artists knew so much about.<br />
<br />
So, I look in the mirror and realize that I don't need more gear or cowbell but it's time to start really listening and thinking about sound and music and like Alice in the Carol's tale go through the looking glass and rediscover the magic of sound free of the burden of worrying about new gear. The old gear still has many secrets to be revealed just behind the looking glass.Lux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865453348753263786.post-65867459473200583322013-01-26T04:11:00.001-08:002013-01-26T04:11:52.343-08:00Vacation 2013As I am feeling the winters chill I am packing up some gear for a long overdue vacation. You might see a flurry of blogs from me as I have a lot of drafts that never made it to being published. I also hope to connect with a friend on what will hopefully be a collaboration at the next Electro Music Festival.<br />
<br />
As NAMM news rolls in I will publish a blog of my impressions. At the moment I see only a few bright lights but we shall see. I am having my own personal NAMM by reintroducing myself to my own gear especially going deeper with foogers. This may lead to building a full blown modular but not one of these generalized ones but a specialized audio processor. I am going to start an initial experiment using Live's effects chaining. As of late my Moog Guitar explorations have opened my spectral ears again. What I want to do is side chain by Moog Guitar to my Voyager. The goal being to create these massive organic swells using the Moog Guitar's unique envelope as the breathe (sort of speak). The first block of an effects chain would be a crossover similar to the first part of a vocoder and then chaining different effects to each channel. The idea being to get effects to function as one and to be more responsive to the spectral dynamics of Moog Guitar and other instruments. At some point my MP 201, CP 251 and Voyager expander will come into play and as I said, even a modular in the future.<br />
<br />
I also want to continue to use not only Moog Guitar but other sampled and perhaps real instruments in the future including a gong. Again, the idea being to channel the frequency spectrum to different effects,<br />
<br />
I also want to work on a set of Alchemy and Absynth patches based on processed Moog Guitar.<br />
<br />
So anyway, I hope I can at least move a few of these projects forward a bit over vacation.<br />
<br />
More to cone...Lux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865453348753263786.post-21885712296843614032013-01-25T03:59:00.001-08:002013-01-25T03:59:19.999-08:00NAMM 2013 - Eventide H9Ok, I just looked at what I could find on the Eventide H9. I love Eventide products but given I have a few of their products it would make no sense for me to get an H9.<br />
<br />
On the plus side, I love the idea that you can edit parameters on the IPad. I just wish they would right an app for their other boxes. However, it seems they are doing this because they have miniaturized the box now with a micro LED and XYZ buttons and a big knob. I guess some like this style and it is a further development of the X and Y knobs on their other boxes. I understand why they did this but at least with the other boxes when you move a knob the LED indicates the parameter being changed. So, unless you want to be driven crazy by the tinisized form you have to have an IPad?<br />
<br />
They also combine select algorithms from the other boxes with an option to buy more. Nice marketing. You know that people will end up spending more on algorithms than if they bought all the current boxes. Well, I can't really say that without seeing The price but that is my guess.<br />
<br />
What I would have liked is a rack mount unit with all the algorithms from the current boxes, large display, 3 hot knobs, added algorithms from their rack mount effects, MIDI, USB and IPad access and multi pedal plugs. CV control would really have been a plus.<br />
<br />
So, I know many are going to love the H9 and in terms of sound the Eventide algorithms are great but I just don't see this one as a real innovation, just smart marketing. Lux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865453348753263786.post-13049958186338086352013-01-19T15:02:00.001-08:002013-01-19T15:02:14.059-08:00Whats Old Is New AgainOver several weeks I have been using Tom Hughes' "Analogue Guide to Vintage Effects" as a coffee table book. It's out of print but if you are able to procure a copy I highly recommend it. What's fascinating to me is the market for effects from companies that have long since closed their doors. Some effects fetch prices in the 100s! The truth is I don't have any and I don't plan on buying ant in the future. Well, that may not be totally true. I would buy a spring reverb but more for experimental reasons than nostalgia. I have stomp boxes and rack mount effects and some emulate vintage but I have an interest in nostalgia more from a historical perspective.<br />
<br />
So why did some effects do so well and others fail. I have three reasons in order of importance:<br />
<br />
1. The circuit construction<br />
<br />
2. Good Marketing<br />
<br />
3. Features<br />
<br />
Most effects sound good because of the circuit design but things get dicey because there are often many versions of the same effect and sometimes under different names. It's really why some effects may be hard to duplicate unless you totally simulate a circuit and that may be difficult and CPU intensive.<br />
<br />
Some popularity is pure hype and marketing as well. Sometimes it might have to do with a big name store carrying an effect or perhaps a popular artist might like it and everyone thinks if they get that effect they can sound like their musical heroes.<br />
<br />
Old school stomp boxes also tended not to be feature rich although an exception may be Mu Tron for example.<br />
<br />
A few special cases are also worthy of mentioning: Spring and Plate reverb, tube distortion/overdrive and tape delay. For various reasons emulating any of these is not a simple task. In my opinion most synth effects that have any of these effects do a lousy job. If you have a killer synth it's probably munching on CPU and a good emulation crushes many CPUs. Companies making synths also want to concentrate on the synth so effects are after thoughts. Distortion, especially the soft clipping of tubes, is hard to emulate. I don't have vintage tubes but I do have an EH "Tube EQ" with dual 12AX7s.<br />
<br />
In my opinion here us where dedicated boxes like the Strymon "El Capistan" tape delay also shine as do some rack mount devices.<br />
<br />
A final special case - reverb. In my opinion the most important effects are:<br />
<br />
1. EQ<br />
<br />
2. Compression<br />
<br />
3. Reverb<br />
<br />
Ok, in the end these are really mastering/Mixing tools rather than effects but to be, perhaps with the exception of delay, the rest are window dressing. A bit of ear candy but non essential.<br />
<br />
So, that's my take on effects old and new. Hope you enjoyed it.Lux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865453348753263786.post-59404334283068952362013-01-19T14:43:00.001-08:002013-01-19T14:43:52.054-08:00Whats Old Is New AgainOver several weeks I have been using Tom Hughes' "Analogue Guide to Vintage Effects" as a coffee table book. It's out of print but if you are able to procure a copy I highly recommend it. What's fascinating to me is the market for effects from companies that have long since closed their doors. Some effects fetch prices in the 100s! The truth is I don't have any and I don't plan on buying ant in the future. Well, that may not be totally true. I would buy a spring reverb but more for experimental reasons than nostalgia. I have stomp boxes and rack mount effects and some emulate vintage but I have an interest in nostalgia more from a historical perspective.<br />
<br />
So why did some effects do so well and others fail. I have three reasons in order of importance:<br />
<br />
1. The circuit construction<br />
<br />
2. Good Marketing<br />
<br />
3. Features<br />
<br />
Most effects sound good because of the circuit design but things get dicey because there are often many versions of the same effect and sometimes under different names. It's really why some effects may be hard to duplicate unless you totally simulate a circuit and that may be difficult and CPU intensive.<br />
<br />
Some popularity is pure hype and marketing as well. Sometimes it might have to do with a big name store carrying an effect or perhaps a popular artist might like it and everyone thinks if they get that effect they can sound like their musical heroes.<br />
<br />
Old school stomp boxes also tended not to be feature rich although an exception may be Mu Tron for example.<br />
<br />
A few special cases are also worthy of mentioning: Spring and Plate reverb, tube distortion/overdrive and tape delay. For various reasons emulating any of these is not a simple task. In my opinion most synth effects that have any of these effects do a lousy job. If you have a killer synth it's probably munching on CPU and a good emulation crushes many CPUs. Companies making synths also want to concentrate on the synth so effects are after thoughts. Distortion, especially the soft clipping of tubes, is hard to emulate. I don't have vintage tubes but I do have an EH "Tube EQ" with dual 12AX7s.<br />
<br />
In my opinion here us where dedicated boxes like the Strymon "El Capistan" tape delay also shine as do some rack mount devices.<br />
<br />
A final special case - reverb. In my opinion the most important effects are:<br />
<br />
1. EQ<br />
<br />
2. Compression<br />
<br />
3. Reverb<br />
<br />
Ok, in the end these are really mastering/Mixing tools rather than effects but to be, perhaps with the exception of delay, the rest are window dressing. A bit of ear candy but non essential.<br />
<br />
So, that's my take on effects old and new. Hope you enjoyed it.Lux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865453348753263786.post-573377835144982582013-01-14T05:45:00.001-08:002013-01-14T05:45:01.635-08:00John Cage and the Culture of NoiseI have to admit that being an electronic and experimental artist has allowed me a lot of creative freedom to explore a lot of musical territory. I recently read an article which more or less praised John Cage as the primary musical revolutionary to open the doors of creativity. To be honest, I am not a big John Cage fan. I see him more as a kind of musical politician rather than an artist. Did he open a lot of doors? Perhaps but he was one of many in an Avant Garde revolution.<br />
<br />
I also don't believe in throwing out the baby with the bath water. As music to write this blog to I am listening to Bach's "Well Tempered Clavier". The beauty of Bach's music is in it's precision as notes are fashioned in a very restrictive musical construct and yet, at least in the case of the greats like Bach, transcending it. In his own time he was probably not as popular as his sons whose music is now only a footnote to the looming presence of their father's music today. Time favored complexity over popularity.<br />
<br />
In Bach's time, it was easy to discuss technique. Music was all written out so that innovations could be discussed and used by others. Today, music is pretty much free form and electronic music has left it's classical roots in many ways i believe to its demise. In this bold new world ushered in by John Cage it is imitation that has become the limitation. Music becomes narrowly defined by a certain beat or type of sound. Dubstep and chiptune music is an example. Music defined by technology or even 8bit chips. These are self imposed limitations much like serialism before the Avant Garde and electronic revolutions began to sculpt the musical landscape.<br />
<br />
As I have been working with Moog Guitar I find myself like Cage with no net under me and no map to chart my course but unlike Cage I do think about the musicality of what I do. On keyboards I have frequently drawn on jazz and classical in using modes and altered scales. As a Catholic I am inspired by Messiaen who was one of the first to write for an early electronic instrument the Ondes Martenot. And in sound design I find artists such as Karlheintz Stockhausen whose picture graces the top row of the Beatles Sergeant Peppers not John Cage far more inspiring than John Cage.<br />
<br />
I do believe that sound is not just sound as Cage would tell us. It does not stand boldly on it's own but as artists we shape it and organize it. Electronic Music is "organized sound" as Edgar Varese called it. I have noticed that some artists are critical of talking about technique. They believe that it's just the doing that is important but I disagree as I do with Cage. If electronic music is to advance we should discuss technique. Perhaps we need to do more that mimic sounds and rather, advance and discuss the use of more sophisticated techniques. Anyway, that my two cents on Cagian musicality. It is my hope that we may look to others not to limit our art but perhaps to leave a few breadcrumbs for others to follow.<br />
Lux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865453348753263786.post-10452377694055249332012-12-14T03:45:00.001-08:002012-12-14T03:45:23.488-08:00The Problem With DistortionI just realized why I dislike distortion boxes. I have always claimed that they remove not only the personality of individual guitars but the playing style of the guitarist as well. Here is why. Distortion boxes work by clipping the signal or basically cutting off the top. I am excluding tubes that do something very different. When this happens, the complex changing waveform of the attack transient is turned into a square wave. In effect, the expressiveness of the musician is removed.Lux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865453348753263786.post-13967784147756764762012-12-14T03:07:00.001-08:002012-12-14T03:07:22.997-08:00Moog Guitar and EBowIt has always amazed me how many draw conclusions before even knowing all the details about something. This is certainly true of Moog Guitar. On the surface, Moog Guitar appears to be a guitar with a built in EBow. I can't express with more vigor how wrong this is.<br />
<br />
First, the EBow is indiscriminate. It just imparts energy like a vibrating magnet. It does not sense individual strings any more than a pick does. With some effort one can learn to use it effectively but Moog Guitar is very different. In Moog Guitar the source of the vibrations are the pickups. The reason this is important is that Moog Guitar senses the vibration of individual strings. When a string vibrates, the pickups impart energy to that string to keep it vibrating. <br />
<br />
Second, Moog Guitar also can damp strings. This is critical. Not only does it provide a setting to make strings sound more banjo like by damping energy but in a middle setting, it damps strings not being played. This allows the musician to play individual leads on one or more strings without other strings vibrating. The reason is the vibration is a two fold feedback loop and electronics which mute the other strings not played avoiding any accidental notes.<br />
<br />
Third, one aspect of Moog Guitar that most impresses me is the harmonic balance, This shifts the energy from one pickup to the other. What this sounds like is sheer magic. It's not filtering and it's no gimmick. You can actually feel it in the vibration of the guitar. What it sounds like has to be heard but it's a kind of harmonic dance that no other instrument on earth can produce.<br />
<br />
Forth, the E-Bow has no power control. It's just a matter of how close it is to the strings. On the Moog Guitar the amount of power can be controlled by a knob (Vo Power). Vo Power becomes part of the playing technique as does harmonic balance. In an ordinary guitar, most of playing technique is in the attack but Moog Guitar is more like a synth allowing shaping of the sound during the sustain including touching strings to create harmonics.<br />
<br />
Fifth, the Moog Guitar has a built in filter. While some might think this is an auto wah it's much more subtle and can provide yet another way to shape the sound of the instrument.<br />
<br />
So yes, Moog Guitar is a very unique instrument with huge potential. What it most certainly is not is a guitar with a built in E-Bow.<br />
<br />
Lux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865453348753263786.post-39999125733457779922012-12-13T14:39:00.001-08:002012-12-13T14:39:15.982-08:00Additive Synthesis - Is It the Holy Grail of Synthesis?For years additive synthesis has been more of a theoretical animal than a practical form of synthesis. The reason? The amount of CPU power to make it happen. This has all changed and there are several additive synthesizers on the market now.<br />
<br />
This blog post is the first of what I hope will be a series. I realized that the many posts I had made to a bulletin board are most likely going to disappear and I not only wanted to reproduce much of it but to update it and organize it for systematically. It's a huge topic because it really strikes at the heart of what sound is. I am also in a unique position to talk about it because I have a degree in mathematics and I have studied the topic for years. I am also an electronic musician and composer.<br />
<br />
So, this blog is only an introduction. Let me begin by answering the question is it the holy grail of synthesis. The answer is a resounding no. Can it be useful? Yes, absolutely. Two good examples of this are Camel Audio's Alchemy and the Reaktor synth Razor.<br />
<br />
Why would it be considered the Holy Grail of synthesis? In theory it can build any sound from it's parts that are called partials. Not only in a static sense but sound as it changes over time. Now I said in theory at least according to some. The theory is wrong because many who talk about additive synthesis do not understand what is called the Fourier Transform and many were mislead by an influential work "On the Perception of Sound" by Hermann Von Helmholtz. No one reads this any more (although I do have an unread copy on my bookshelf) but it has had a very influential effect on the perception of sound and I believe even additive synthesis.<br />
<br />
Ok, now I warn you. We are about to go down a rabbit hole and it does involve a matrix. This one is called a Gabor Matrix. But don't ask Alice but a composer by the name of Xenakis. Confused?<br />
<br />
Read this and be afraid. Be very afraid. Is sound a series of waves called partials or is it a series of grains? <br />
<br />
http://or8.net/pipermail/microsound/2009-December/001197.html<br />
<br />
More to come in future posts but I hope this peaks some interest. By the way, check out Poseidon. It's VirSyn's walk on the granular side wearing Helmholtz glasses.Lux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865453348753263786.post-32600103183241484032012-11-30T05:45:00.001-08:002012-11-30T06:10:04.010-08:00Music Therapy and SynthesizersFor a few years now I have tried to convince music therapists of the value that synthesizers could bring to the practice of music therapy. Natalie Mullis, a music therapist, tweeted an article written by Tanya Lewis on using various sounds to try to improve the recovery of patients in a coma.<br />
<br />
As a musician and composer of electronic music I know the power of of synthesizers to expand the pallet of sound available to a composer far beyond what instruments provide. Not only that but sampling also makes a wide range of world and exotic instruments accessible when the cost of buying these instruments would be provocative.<br />
<br />
I also know about a whole range of music controllers that use light and sound in ways that may open up new therapeutic pathways that otherwise would not be possible.<br />
<br />
On application of synthesizers is binaural beats to entrain brain waves. This technique was been known fir years by EM artists but is seldom if ever part of the music therapists toolkit.<br />
<br />
I often joke about how music therapists get most of their instruments from West Music. I have a whole universe of instruments that are on my laptop.<br />
<br />
I at times feel I am banging my head against a wall here due to the wall of silence from music therapists. However, I remain convinced that synthesizers can greatly benefit music therapy and despite a lack of response I remain determined. I have great respect for music therapists and my true hope is that they will allow me to share my art and technological knowhow so that perhaps I can bring some new tools to their important work.<br />
<br />
The door is always open to my music therapy friends. Just ask.Lux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865453348753263786.post-1019897532370233522012-11-29T05:22:00.001-08:002012-11-29T05:22:26.779-08:00Button DominationAs we live in a world full of technological gadgets we have come to be dominated by buttons. We have a world of options at our finger tips. This is also true in the world of music. It has been extended to knobs, sliders and touch pads but the idea is to have a one (or in the case of an XY pad two) dimensions that are mapped to parameters. Virtually every controller does this.<br />
<br />
Even the mighty Eigenharp is just a collection of buttons. Ok, granted, buttons with multiple dimensions but we still have a map between performance parameters and synth parameters.<br />
<br />
I have to admit that getting back into guitar via the Moog Guitar has been a great experience. Simply because technique involves no mapping of parameters but direct contact with physical objects (strings and frets).<br />
<br />
So to the Korg Wavedrum which is a wonderful instrument with no MIDI at all. The membrane of a drum can be used with great expression. An entire musical language is created by the Indian tabla for example.<br />
<br />
I love how Moog Music has also brought back the idea of an envelope follower letting the natural dynamics and a signal control a filter. <br />
<br />
These ideas begin to bend the button dominated musical world. I hope to see these more physically based ideas of control begin to take root and grow into even more new products.<br />
<br />
Lux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865453348753263786.post-63170341184276685952012-11-21T07:05:00.001-08:002012-11-28T06:20:34.189-08:00No Ghosts - Just Fear - Cutting Edge ControllerismOne of the pleasures I have had as a musician has been getting to know other artists musically and personally. I met Mark Mosher first on Twitter but then personally at the Electro Music Festival in Heugenot. It has been my great pleasure to get to know him. Mark is not only a talented artist but very dedicated to developing a fresh perspective on Controllerism utilizing the latest cutting edge technology such as adding his own visuals with Resolume and further developing a carefully constructed rig by trimming a few pieces of gear but adding Native Instruments "Machine".<br />
<br />
Mark has produced several albums including his sci fi series "I Hear Your Signals" and "Reboot" as well as appearing on many musical collaboration albums. He has been a favorite of the Electro Music crowd with his visual approach to music making and Controllerism.<br />
<br />
"No Ghosts. Just Fear." is Mark's first foray into the darker side of music. What I have always liked about Mark's music is that it's concept based, it tells a story.<br />
<br />
Here is a link to the album:<br />
<br />
http://markmosher.bandcamp.com/album/no-ghosts-just-fear<br />
<br />
Each of the pieces in his latests "No Ghosts. Just Fear" seem to encapsulate this as I imagined myself placed in the spiders web, plunged into utter darkness and marooned in the cold and vast expanses of space.<br />
<br />
"Primeval" is one of my favorites". Mark is not only musician but sound designer. I know that one of his creations can be found in Rob Papen's "Blade". "Primeval" reflects Marks talent with sound design as the listener is treated to a blend of synthetic strings, bells and bass. I loved the mix and variation of timbres here.<br />
<br />
"Alone in the Dark" reminded me of those old gothic horrors wandering around dark hallways and dark basements. The sense of anxiety and fear (no ghosts) is striking here.<br />
<br />
"In Fight or Flight" I found myself tossed about by a sea of sound in constant motion. One of the aspects of Mark's style in this album which is a noticeable departure from his beat oriented sci fi is a shifting of time speeding up and slowing down which is most effective.<br />
<br />
"In Under the Spider's Web" we find this time shifting put to great effect. I could sense the web, the spider lurking in the web waiting to strike and then it's spindly legs translated as musical notes rushing to meet it's prey.<br />
<br />
In "Orbiting Miranda" we move from the web to space. The wonderful blend of noise and metallic tones here provide a sense of the vastness and coldness of space. I really liked the use if noise here in non percussive ways, very complex and musically effective.<br />
<br />
As always, listening to Mark's music has been a pleasure. Getting to know Mark as musician, sound designer and especially friend had been my great pleasure and I look forward to Mark's future work as he continues to expand the boundaries of Controllerism and music.Lux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865453348753263786.post-36106938918623536622012-11-17T10:26:00.001-08:002012-11-17T10:26:27.572-08:00PythagorusIt may come as a surprise but my first instrument (excluding my early years) is a guitar. I got away from it for a long time so I could play synths. Despite the fact that I bought a Moog Guitar with MIDI I am really not a big fan of pitch to MIDI. Eventually I would love to buy an Eigenharp Tau but I also line guitars because you can touch the oscillator (the string) and through muting and harmonic techniques change the timbre in more complex ways then are possible on a synth.<br />
<br />
What I never really liked about a guitar is it is almost a percussive instrument especially an acoustic. It has a short decay. So all those nice modulation techniques you can do on a synth, are limited on a guitar.<br />
<br />
Now after a quick read of the Internet chatter on the Moog Guitar I can see it has been met with much criticism.<br />
<br />
Some say it's just a better EBow. Well, first I despise EBows. I never could master using one effectively. EBows also can't take energy away from a string or shift energy between the bridge and the neck shifting harmonic content. <br />
<br />
So for me, the Moog Guitar is a very complex oscillator I can touch and has a ladder filter built in to boot. Ok, I realize the filter is a bit gimmicky but I personally like ladder filters and having one built in is a plus and more than window dressing.<br />
<br />
Now for the reason I bought one. In a word, sustain. On a guitar there are some tricks to get harmonics but the sustain is limited unless you want to stand in front of a Marshall stack (aka Hendrix). But, if the strings have infinite sustain then a whole world of possibilities opens up based on direct contact with the string. Add processing as you have something unique and with vastly expanded musical girth than a regular guitar.<br />
<br />
And since harmonics form the basis of scales and harmony as can be seen from the time of Pythagorus who made his own scale that developed into the western one we us today, it just seems to me that there is rich territory for musical inspiration here.<br />
<br />
That, in a nutshell is what I an calling Pythagorus.Lux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865453348753263786.post-7539921860204888112012-10-28T09:52:00.001-07:002012-10-28T09:52:41.946-07:00A Warehouse Full of InstrumentsFor a while now music therapists have been providing me with a steady series of interesting instruments to find samples for and play. In fact, I have an entire set on SoundCloud dedicated to music based on these instruments.<br />
<br />
http://soundcloud.com/lux_seeker/sets/music-therapist-inspired/<br />
<br />
For example "Swamp Echoes" uses a frog croaker sample. I got the idea on a video about instruments from Vietnam from Kat Fulton. Natalie Mullis has inspired be by here demo videos of various percussive instruments to experiment with these instruments (in sample form) and more.<br />
<br />
I know that Music Therapists often never venture past Garage Band" but I would like to suggest that a world of sampled instruments exist that don't take up any real space just hard drive space.<br />
<br />
So this is the first in a series. First, I would like to explain some of the history of sampling, what it is, suggest some samplers to try and then some MIDI controllers they might use with clients.<br />
<br />
I know that Music Therapy tends to be a bit of a closed circle but I just ask that any music therapists that read this stay open to new ideas.<br />
<br />
More to comeLux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865453348753263786.post-82693370718845124212012-10-26T06:41:00.001-07:002012-10-26T06:41:01.104-07:00Criss CrossI just wanted to quickly mention a little secret that perhaps some have never thought about. If you own both Absynth and Alchemy and Kontakt (some 3rd party instruments) you have entire libraries of useful sounds you can use.<br />
<br />
On a Mac you can find all these nicely organized under Library/Applications Support/Company Name/Samples<br />
<br />
On a PC you should go to the directory for the plug in and I presume look under samples.<br />
<br />
Secret - Nothing prevents you from using the samples from one plug in in another.<br />
<br />
I know many people just tweak presets but if you are adventurous enough to build from scratch or change samples in a preset your sample library is a big as all the collective samples from your plug ins.<br />
<br />
Happy Hunting!<br />
<br />
P.S.<br />
<br />
If you own IRIS you can also import all these into IRIS.<br />
<br />
Lux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865453348753263786.post-82377968810881834882012-10-22T05:53:00.001-07:002012-10-22T05:53:50.719-07:00The MatrixWho can forget the shock of Neo who followed the white rabbit, took the pill and discovered that the world he thought was really was nothing more than a computer program and he was no more than a battery.<br />
<br />
In some ways I think as an electronic artist I can get trapped into another kind of matrix. The one that tells me that all music has to come from a computer. Well, I have been living in two worlds for some time now. A few examples:<br />
<br />
The Korg Wavedrum - no MIDI but very flexible. Ok, technically there us a computer running to control it but it's in the background. The sound is processed not MIDI triggered.<br />
<br />
Moog Voyager. <br />
<br />
Well, it's got MIDI and a computer but you don't need the MIDI to make music with it and the computer only controls analogue circuits.<br />
<br />
Moog Guitar<br />
<br />
Only MIDI if you want it. I suppose it may have chips but no real controlling computer here. This is why I bought one.<br />
<br />
Mics<br />
<br />
Yes, that amazing invention of yore, the microphone. No computers and there is a whole world of sounds to record.<br />
<br />
Just a few suggestion here on how one might leave the matrix. <br />
<br />
<br />
Lux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865453348753263786.post-66950572957271186152012-10-03T17:17:00.001-07:002012-10-04T05:42:43.606-07:00BreatheI have been creating music now for a long time and I am no neophyte with a synthesizer. From my first album, Morton Subotnick's "Side Winder" on the Buchla Music box I have been seeking a kind of holy grail of synthesis. That is, to be able to create any sound.<br />
<br />
Now, decades after that 1st album and many many hours using just about every method of synthesis I now yawn when anyone talks about waveforms. The truth is that what I find really interesting about sound is the wrapping paper.<br />
<br />
Confused? Ok, consider a violin. What makes a fine violin sound so good? People pay more money than they would pay for a house for a Stradivarius. So, is it the fretboard, the strings, the bow that create the magic? No, it's the wrapping, the body of the violin.<br />
<br />
In the same way why are certain Cathedrals, recording studios and concert halls coveted? Tangerine Dream used to play in Churches why? Simple, the wrapping, the acoustics.<br />
<br />
Even consider the language of synthesizers. We speak of envelopes. The wrapping for notes. Every note that a musician plays breathes. Like our lungs are filled with air notes will the space around them and breathe. Even our words are breathe. Music is rhythm.<br />
<br />
But with the advent of the computer we have reduced that breath, that wrapping of a note to a 1 and a zero, a pulse, a trigger. Notes on drum machines and sequencers become boxes. Sound is in your face and yes, without breathe and soul. We give our musical gifts but we forget the wrapping paper.<br />
<br />
So, I guess that is why I am interested in acoustic wrapping paper. Be it the body of a violin or the acoustics of a great cathedral as I look not for waveforms digitized in 1s and 0s but breathe.<br />
<br />
Lux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865453348753263786.post-63736301417924245902012-09-23T05:48:00.001-07:002012-09-23T05:48:21.926-07:00ReverbLately, I have been thinking a lot about reverb. Much of my music has two effects, delay and reverb. I often find flange and even chorus a bit to heavy for my tastes. Even with delay and reverb I tend to back the mix down. I see it more like a soft filter on a photograph. Enhancing but not so much so that it draws attention from the picture.<br />
<br />
For a long while now I have been using Guitar Rig's Reflector for reverb. It's a decent impulse response modeler and I can just drag it into a rack. I also use Spirit Canyon Audio's impulse responses because I am always looking for more exotic sounds.<br />
<br />
Ok, that's the background. Now I come to the dilemma. When I use these they are either to little or to much. I have Waves IR-1 but it's a CPU crusher. Perhaps it would work better. When I get to much reverb, it becomes it's own sound. It sounds disconnected from the sound I am applying it to.<br />
<br />
Now this appears to me to be a problem with impulse response. Your kind of stuck with the space. You can back the level down but what I want is more like backing diffusion down.<br />
<br />
Here is where I see an advantage to algorithmic reverbs. You get control over parameters like diffusion and, on the EQ side high and sometimes low frequency damping with crossover frequencies. Also other parameters that control the acoustic space they emulate.<br />
<br />
So my hope is that by doing some tweaking and using algorithmic reverb I can get closer to wear I want to be. I can also mix in the exotic reverb but I am thinking of doing that with post production automation if the mix so that it can fill some quiet passages with more exotic tails. I think EQ and compression are also useful tools here. <br />
<br />
So I am just throwing this out there in the hopes I get some comments. Do you use reverb? Which reverb do you use? What techniques do you use? Why?<br />
<br />
Hope to hear from some readers. I really would love the feedback.Lux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865453348753263786.post-46014602799472926412012-09-05T13:33:00.001-07:002012-09-05T13:33:26.605-07:00Lightening Strikes - 9/5/12 NotesLightening Strikes<br />
<br />
Philosophy<br />
<br />
Shelley's story of Frankenstein pits two philosophies of knowledge, one against the other. One is the old world of the alchemists represented by Shelley by Cornelius, Agrippa and Albertus Magnus. The irony is that it is really Galvani, a modern scientist, who gives Frankenstein the idea to re-animate dead body parts. That and the witness of the destruction caused by a lightening strike.<br />
<br />
I extend the analogy to that of Nicolai Tesla, who is not mentioned by Shelley, but who has the vision to see positive uses for electricity. I represent this with the Tesla coil. The idea of the steam engine (found in "The persistence of Time" and electricity transform England. The British romantic literary movement is critical of this progress and asks the question if all progress is positive. I represent this and extend it into modern times by the nuclear explosion.<br />
<br />
Here we realize the meaning of "Fire Giver" a reference to Shelley's title "The New Promethius". Prometheus gives fire to man and as punishment by the Gods is pursued relentlessly by a monster which is what happens in Frankenstien. <br />
<br />
Orchestration<br />
Reaktor Prism - SlowMotion <br />
Kontakt<br />
Cello -Solo <br />
Novachord - 1939 - Pad - Unseen<br />
<br />
Live Clips<br />
3 clips - assigned to lowest notes on keyboard<br />
Thunder<br />
Tesla Coil<br />
Nuclear Blast<br />
<br />
MIDI<br />
<br />
Slider 1 - Volume Reaktor (Prism)<br />
Slider 2 - Volume Kontakt (Cello and Hammond Novachord)<br />
Slider 3 - Clip Volume<br />
Slider 4 - Cello Level<br />
Sider 5 - Prism feedback<br />
<br />
Audio Cubes<br />
<br />
Audio Cubes will be used to trigger clips - preset "Lightening Strikes"Lux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865453348753263786.post-28601866139873115132012-09-05T11:43:00.001-07:002012-09-05T11:43:47.621-07:00The Persistence of Time - 9/5/12 notesPrelude - The Persistence of Time<br />
<br />
Philosophical Notes<br />
<br />
I have always loved the Van Gough painting "The Persistence of Memory". Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was written to question if there are limits to science and technology that should not be breached. Shelley also saw the impact of technology and the advent of mass production and factories on England. Time became mechanized be it the clock like moments of planets or the time clock in the factories.<br />
<br />
This piece begins with a clock and then distorts that regularity of the ticking clock much like the melting clocks in Van Gough's painting. The clock changes to steam engine which revolutionized global industry and then brought electricity which I represent by a Tesla coil. While Frankenstein only mentions the lesser know Galvani it was an interest in the joining of human flesh with electricity that brought about the means to create Frankenstein's unholy creature.<br />
<br />
The theme of electricity appears again in lightening strikes that morphs into the next step in technology, the nuclear bomb. Here, as Prometheus gives fire the same is true of electrify and then nuclear weapons so I am merely extending the analogy. <br />
<br />
<br />
Orchestration<br />
<br />
Sound Effects - Slider 1<br />
Clips<br />
Clock Ticking<br />
Steam Engine<br />
Tesla Coil<br />
Effects<br />
Live Resonator - Pedal 3<br />
Live Grain Delay - Pedal 4<br />
Guitar Rig<br />
Reflector - Spirit Canyon - Spectral Relativity "Zone of Twilight"<br />
<br />
Moog Voyager - Slider 2 - Dark Electricity 44<br />
Guitar Rig<br />
Moog MP 104M<br />
Spring Reverb<br />
<br />
Razor - Slider 3<br />
Live Suite - Corpus<br />
Guitar Rig<br />
Space Echo<br />
Reflector - Spirit Canyon Audio - Spectral Relativity "All Black"<br />
<br />
Alchemy - Slider 4<br />
Effects<br />
Live Resonator - Pedal 1<br />
Live Grain Delay - Pedal 2<br />
Guitar Rig<br />
Reflector - Spirit Canyon Audio - Spectral Relativity "At the core"<br />
<br />
Zebra - Slider 5<br />
<br />
Performance Controls<br />
<br />
Alchemy 1-4 corresponding to the "Stretch" parameters for various clock samples<br />
<br />
<br />
Performance Notes<br />
<br />
Alchemy - Clocks ticking & Chimes - stretch time with performance controls 1-4<br />
Use Live's "Grain Delay" to slow and speed up time and change frequency<br />
Steam Engine (clip 2)<br />
Tesla coil (clip 3)<br />
Turn on resonator<br />
Razor and Zebra drones<br />
VoyagerLux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865453348753263786.post-52528405072148335962012-09-05T10:46:00.001-07:002012-09-05T10:46:35.228-07:00Into the Mist - Notes 9/5/12Into The Mist <br />
<br />
Philosophical<br />
At the end of the book we start were we began which in romantic literature is called framing. We find ourself again with captain Walton as he seeks passage across the North Pole. but now with full knowledge of Victor Frankenstein's tale and the monster. Both Victor and the monster come to a terrible end. Victor heartbroken from knowing that his own creation has destroyed everything in his life that he loved dies. The monster pursues victor but it's to late. The monster realizing that he can't live in civil society continues his journey on the frozen ice of the North Pole into the mist, the ice and oblivion.<br />
<br />
I wanted to convey a metallic and cold feeling here to reflect the state of the monsters heart and Victor's before his death. The Orchestration is place for this reason.<br />
<br />
Orchestration<br />
<br />
Ice - Idaho Recordist "ultimate Ice" Clips<br />
With Guitar Rig (Vintage EQ, Impulse Response - Reflector - Spirit Canyon)<br />
Tbe Clips<br />
The Deep Blue Sea - Switch 1<br />
Thin Ice - Switch 2<br />
Into the Mist - Switch 3<br />
<br />
The Mist<br />
Ableton Effect Rack - Keymapped<br />
Operator - high<br />
Absynth - Low<br />
Guitar Rig<br />
Space Echo<br />
Reflector Impulse Response - Spirit Canyon Audio "Chlorazapime"<br />
<br />
Drone - Moog Voyager - Soundscape shifter (patch 15) with 104 M<br />
Effects - Guitar Rig - Psychedelic Delay - Reflector<br />
Impulse Response - Spirit Canyon Audio <br />
<br />
MIDI<br />
Slider 1 - Absynth Volume<br />
Slider 2 - Ice Volume<br />
Slider 3 - Pitch Envelope (Level)<br />
Slider 4 - Spread<br />
Slider 5 - Tape Feedback<br />
Slider 6 - Tape Speed<br />
Pedal 1 - Oscillator A - Pitch (fine)<br />
Switch 1 - deep ice cracking and deep water sounds<br />
Switch 2 - Sharper Ice cracking<br />
Switch 3 - footsteps on Ice<br />
<br />
Performance<br />
Begin with Operator, use Pedal 1 for pitch shift<br />
Slowly bring in Absynth (Slider 1) and Voyager<br />
Bring in ice clips in consecutive order ending in footsteps <br />
Lux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865453348753263786.post-7013534649905740022012-08-27T13:19:00.001-07:002012-08-27T13:19:16.205-07:00The Persistence of Time - Notes - 8/27/12Prelude - The Persistence of Time<br />
<br />
Philosophical Notes<br />
<br />
I have always loved the Van Gough painting "The Persistence of Memory". Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was written to question if there are limits to science and technology that should not be breached. Shelley also saw the impact of technology and the advent of mass production and factories on England. Time became mechanized be it the clock like moments of planets or the time clock in the factories.<br />
<br />
This piece begins with a clock and then distorts that regularity of the ticking clock much like the melting clocks in Van Gough's painting. The clock changes to steam engine which revolutionized global industry and then brought electricity which I represent by a Tesla coil. While Frankenstein only mentions the lesser know Galvani it was an interest in the joining of human flesh with electricity that brought about the means to create Frankenstein's unholy creature.<br />
<br />
The theme of electricity appears again in lightening strikes that morphs into the next step in technology, the nuclear bomb. Here, as Prometheus gives fire the same is true of electrify and then nuclear weapons so I am merely extending the analogy. <br />
<br />
<br />
Orchestration<br />
<br />
Sound Effects - Slider 1<br />
Clips<br />
Clock Ticking<br />
Steam Engine<br />
Tesla Coil<br />
Effects<br />
Zebrify (drone) - Pedal 3<br />
Live Grain Delay - Pedal 4<br />
Guitar Rig<br />
Reflector - Spirit Canyon - Spectral Relativity "Zone of Twilight"<br />
<br />
Moog Voyager - Slider 2<br />
Guitar Rig<br />
Psyche Delay<br />
Spring Reverb<br />
<br />
Razor - Slider 3<br />
Live Suite - Corpus<br />
Guitar Rig<br />
Space Echo<br />
Reflector - Spirit Canyon Audio - Spectral Relativity "All Black"<br />
<br />
Alchemy - Slider 4<br />
Effects<br />
Live Resonator - Pedal 1<br />
Live Grain Delay - Pedal 2<br />
Guitar Rig<br />
Reflector - Spirit Canyon Audio - Spectral Relativity "At the core"<br />
<br />
Zebra - Slider 5<br />
<br />
Performance Controls<br />
<br />
Alchemy 1-4 corresponding to the "Stretch" parameters for various clock samples<br />
<br />
<br />
Performance Notes<br />
<br />
Alchemy - Clocks ticking & Chimes - stretch time with performance controls 1-4<br />
Use Live's "Grain Delay" to slow and speed up time and change frequency<br />
Steam Engine (clip 2)<br />
Tesla coil (clip 3)<br />
Turn on resonator<br />
Razor and Zebra drones<br />
VoyagerLux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8865453348753263786.post-76585197916082471112012-08-25T17:05:00.001-07:002012-08-25T17:05:59.748-07:00Fire Giver Notes - 8/25/12Fire Giver Notes<br />
<br />
MUSIC<br />
<br />
<br />
LETTERS FROM THE ARTIC OCEAN<br />
<br />
Prelude - The Persistence of Time<br />
<br />
Clock ticking (Clip 1)<br />
Alchemy - Clocks ticking & Chimes<br />
Steam Engine (clip 2)<br />
Tesla coil (clip 3)<br />
Turn on resonator<br />
Razor and Zebra drone <br />
<br />
http://jenmitlas.wordpress.com/ - An Arctic Passage<br />
We find a common technique of the romantic period here called framing. We meet the captain of a ship, Robert Warren who is seeking a way to get from the Arctic Ocean to the North Pacific via the North Pole. Warren is aware of the challenges and warns his wife that if he fails he may return soon but perhaps not return at all. We also find Warren's letters at the end of the book after he has met both Victor and his monster.<br />
<br />
2- The Lonely Journey<br />
Warren is lonely on the ship and looking for companionship.<br />
We find for the 1st time an allusion to "The Rhime of the Ancient Mariner" in 3 very Romantic ideas (seafaring, the mysterious, the quest for knowledge)<br />
<br />
3 - A Letter to Home<br />
Warren continues to express a heartfelt confidence that he will find his passage but not really backed up by knowledge which is a very romantic notion. He has the good fortune of passing a ship returning to England called "The Merchantman who will be able to get his letter to his sister before his return.<br />
<br />
4 - Victor is Saved<br />
Warren's ship 1st encounters a gigantic man (I.e. the monster, driving a dog sled) and then Victor trailing him on a block of ice. Warren is delighted to have someone to talk to. Here Victor begins as narrator in a sense and then fully in chapter 1<br />
<br />
<br />
VICTOR'S STORY<br />
<br />
1 - The Early Years<br />
Victor tells us of the early years of his family, both hard times & good - the gift of Elizabeth - themes of hearth/home<br />
<br />
2 - The Alchemists<br />
Victor speaks of his interest in the alchemists Cornelius Agrippa, Paracelsus and Albertus Magnus (not really an alchemist but more a natural scientist)<br />
Victor witnesses a lightening storm that blows apart a tree<br />
Idea for sound<br />
A lightening strike morphing into a nuclear explosion, morphing into a vocal cluster (Symphony of Voices) morphing into ice effect or ice like sound)<br />
<br />
MUSIC<br />
<br />
Lightening Strikes - Live<br />
<br />
Orchestration<br />
Reaktor Prism - SlowMotion <br />
Kontakt<br />
Cello -Solo <br />
Novachord - 1939 - Pad - Unseen<br />
<br />
Live Clips<br />
3 clips - assigned to lowest notes on keyboard<br />
Thunder<br />
Tesla Coil<br />
Nuclear Blast<br />
<br />
MIDI<br />
<br />
Buttons<br />
Absynth<br />
Live Reverb<br />
<br />
Slider 1 - Volume Reaktor (Prism)<br />
Slider 2 - Volume Kontakt (Cello and Hammond Novachord)<br />
Slider 3 - Clip Volume<br />
Slider 4 - Cello Level<br />
Sider 5 - Prism feedback<br />
<br />
Roland FC 300<br />
Pedal 1 - Prism - Exciter Envelope B<br />
Pedal 2 - Prism - Exciter Feedback<br />
<br />
Audio Cubes<br />
<br />
Audio Cubes will be used to trigger clips<br />
<br />
<br />
3 - Ingolatadt<br />
Victor's mother Carolyn dies<br />
Victor meets his teaches Krempe and Waldman<br />
Waldmen encourages victor to learn every branch of natural science<br />
<br />
4 - Grace Robber<br />
Victor excels at Ingolstadt especially in chemistry but Victor would become reclusive seeking body parts in graveyards. Victor's withdrawal from the world gets worse. He let's letters go unanswered and his health is effected.<br />
Shelley is intimating the romantic ideal that man must control technology not technology which controls man.<br />
<br />
MUSIC<br />
<br />
The Graveyard<br />
<br />
Clips<br />
Metal gate (of graveyard)<br />
Human remains (grapefruit squish) + Live Grain Delay<br />
<br />
Orchestration<br />
<br />
Chromaphone<br />
Bowed Gamelan (Live Instrument) - thru Absynth Resonator<br />
Cylindrum (Kontakt)<br />
<br />
MIDI<br />
<br />
Slider 1 - Chromophone Volume<br />
Slider 2 - Bowed Ugal Volume<br />
Slider 3 - Cylindrum Volume<br />
Slider 4 - Effects Volume<br />
Slider 1 - Noise Frequency<br />
Slider 2 - Mallet Color<br />
<br />
Audio Cubes<br />
<br />
Used to control "Grain Delay"<br />
<br />
<br />
5 - The Creation of the Monster<br />
Henry Clerval - Romantic - Poet - Friend - Knight of the Round Table<br />
Ingolstadt - The Iluminati - Science - The Enlightenment<br />
The re-animation of a dead body - Galvanism - Ventalators<br />
The monster is created. Victor is horrified and runs from his creation. He is found by Clerval who slowly brings him back to health.<br />
The monster is created - need music to represent Victors horror<br />
Perhaps sounds of footsteps running, heavy breathing, heartbeat, synthetic sound as the sound of Victors fears chasing him through the streets.<br />
The dream of victors mother - worms from her head<br />
Rhime of the ancient mariner quoted. Influential in the novel.<br />
<br />
MUSIC <br />
<br />
Paradise Lost<br />
<br />
Orchestration - Live Instrument rack<br />
<br />
1. Blade - with Guitar Rig (Roland Space Echo) - Key mapped to lower register<br />
2. Kontakt<br />
String Ensemble (Factory)<br />
Timpani (Factory) - On/off - Pedal 1<br />
Contra Bassoon (Factory)<br />
Bazantar (8Dio's sampled instrument made by Mark Deustch)<br />
Flute (Factory)<br />
3. Alchemy<br />
<br />
Performance Controls<br />
<br />
Novation<br />
Blade (Drone) Volume - Slider 1<br />
Live XY Pad<br />
Filter<br />
Cutoff<br />
Guitar Rig - Roland Space Echo<br />
XY Pad - Live<br />
Tap Speed<br />
Tape Feedback<br />
Effect Level<br />
<br />
Orchestra Volume - Slider 2<br />
String Ensemble<br />
Timpani<br />
Contra Bassoon<br />
Bazantar<br />
Flute<br />
Alchemy (Choir) Volume - Slider 3<br />
<br />
Slider 5 - Blade XY - Y<br />
<br />
Alchemy Mobile<br />
Cutoff - Performance 3<br />
Resonance - Performance 4<br />
<br />
Roland FC 300 - Foot Controller<br />
Pedal 1 - Space Echo Speed<br />
Pedal 2 - Space Echo Feedback<br />
Pedal 3 - Space Echo Level<br />
<br />
Performance Notes<br />
<br />
Begin with Blade Drone<br />
Change sound with XY and Roland Space Echo (Feedback, Speed, Echo Volume)<br />
Generator drone - need to find this - nothing in effects libraries<br />
Bazantar (possible assign pedal switch for solo) - and hot swap. Slow downward series of notes (even a clip) to drone<br />
Upper end Alchemy choir (need to assign filter settings) dark chord sequence (Loxrian, Phrygian) to Timpani roll<br />
Bazantar - lower, Choir upper - dark interlude<br />
Back to drone - slowly dies out to generator sound (clip)<br />
<br />
Second Thoughts<br />
<br />
Clips<br />
Lungs<br />
Deep Breathing (Slot 1)<br />
Hospital Ventilator (Slot 2)<br />
Heart<br />
Heartbeat (Slot 3)<br />
<br />
Orchestration<br />
Blade (controlled by Live envelope follower)<br />
Kontakt 4 - Strings<br />
Cello (ensemble)<br />
Viola (solo)<br />
ElectraX<br />
<br />
MIDI <br />
Slider 1 - Blade Volume<br />
Slider 2 - Strings volume<br />
Slider 3 - ElectraX volume<br />
Slider 4 - Lungs (breathing and respirator) volume<br />
Slider 5 - Heart Volume<br />
Pedal 1 - Blade sub oscillator and Cello Timbre (Kontakt Main Panel<br />
Pedal 2 - Blade octave<br />
<br />
Performance Notes<br />
<br />
All Sliders down<br />
Slider 1 to max<br />
This piece starts and end with a Blade Drone<br />
The breathing clip is started without volume but as a side chain controlling the filter cutoff of Blade using an M4L envelope follower<br />
Blade is modulated via the XY pad (octave) and Pedal 2<br />
The breath volume is increased<br />
Decrease drone to 1/8th - Slider 1<br />
Increase Electra X to Max - Slider 3 - Lower Blade to 1/3rd - Slider 1<br />
Phrygian Mode - start with C Minor<br />
Bring in Strings (Cello and Viola) - Slider 2<br />
Use Pedal 1 to control Cello timbre and Blade sub oscillator<br />
Start heartbeat clip<br />
Play notes in lower register<br />
Start Ventilator clip<br />
Fade strings out - Slide 2<br />
Vent fades out quickly - Slider 4<br />
High C sustained for 10 seconds<br />
Slowly fade out heart - slider 5<br />
Bring Blade volume up to Max - Slider 1<br />
Modulate drone (pedal 2) and fade out - Slider 1<br />
<br />
<br />
6 - Visit with an Old Friend<br />
Letters from home, family matters, Victor's recovery, language studies<br />
<br />
7 - The Death of William<br />
William (youngest brother) is strangled by the monster<br />
Victor glimpses the monster in flashes of lightening<br />
Victor suspects the monster is guilty but does not want to reveal it.<br />
<br />
8 - The Trial and Hanging of Justine<br />
Justine is accused of William's murder (the monster places a locket in her pocket)<br />
Justine is hung unjustly for the crimes of Victor's monster. Victor looks on helplessly knowing the true guilty party.<br />
<br />
9 - A Time for Healing<br />
Victor's 2nd depression - Refuge at Lake Geneva - Suicide considered<br />
The Chamounix valley - depression a theme of Romantic writers - Why?<br />
The healing powers of nature - Mont Blanc - Percy Shelly<br />
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hist256/alps/mont_blanc.htm<br />
<br />
10 - The Monster Confronts His Maker<br />
Connection with Milton's "Paradise Lost" - name for the song of Frankenstein meeting his monster? - the creature as Victor's Adam before and after the fall - banished from paradise<br />
The romantic view that people are born good but society corrupts them - much like the monster<br />
The glaciers - snow, ice, rock - connection to the scene at the north pole<br />
The storm signals the monitors approach - weather as signal<br />
<br />
11 - The Monster and The De Lacey Family<br />
the monster relates his early life experiences to victor - romantic vision of home and hearth - the monster does not dare approach.<br />
<br />
12 - The Monster Learns to Speak<br />
The monster learns French from the De Lacey family, he begins to gather wood from them, he sees his reflection<br />
<br />
13 - Reflection on Good and Evil<br />
A Turkish woman comes to the cottage and learns French, the monster learns more from this, Shelley goes more into the good and evil nature of man, language is seen as good, themes of Paradise Lost - is Shelley here wrestling with issues of science as good or evil?<br />
<br />
14 - De Lacey family history<br />
Felix, Safie's father is defended by the De Lacey family but in their battle to free her father from the Gallows their wealth is confiscated. The family was well to do but is brought to ruin.<br />
<br />
15 - The Monster Learns to Read<br />
Plutarch's "Lives of Illustrious Greeks and Roman's", Milton's "Paradise Lost", Goethe's "Sorrows of Werter", and Victor's notes found in his jacket<br />
The monster questions his place in the world, he sees his reflection<br />
The monster decides that in spite of his looks the family might accept him. He waits till only the blind father remains who warmly welcomes him but on seeing him, Felix beats him severely and the monster leaves without any resistance.<br />
<br />
<br />
16 - The Monster Requests a Companion<br />
As the monster tells his story, he catches up with Victor's in time<br />
The De Lacey family leaves the cottage and it's burned down by the monster. <br />
William (Victors brother) is murdered by the monster when he realizes who it is<br />
The locket is placed in Justine's pocket sealing her fate<br />
The monster requests that Victor create a mate for him<br />
<br />
17 - The Ultimatum<br />
The monster gives victor an ultimatum. Either make him a mate or he will destroy all that is good in Victor's life and make his heart desolate. In exchange, the monster tells him he will leave Europe for the wilderness of South America.<br />
Victor has many doubts and goes into another depression.<br />
<br />
18 - A Trip Down The Rhine and Return to Geneva<br />
Victor returns to Geneva to fulfill his promise and make a mate for his monster<br />
Victor recovers and tells his father he want's to catch up on science<br />
Victor tells his father he will marry Elizabeth on his return and travel through Europe and eventually to London. He joins his friend Clerval.<br />
They travel the Rhine - much Romantic imagery here<br />
<br />
19 - A New Creation<br />
Victor leaves Clerval who continues his tour of the Rhine<br />
Victor reads the latest philosophers and wrestles with the implications of the plans for a new creation.<br />
He goes to the Ornkey Islands so he can be isolates - his mental condition deteriorates<br />
<br />
20 - The Refusal<br />
Victor refuses to go any further fearing that his new creation might be a threat to the world. He destroys the new creation and the monster tells him he will be with him on his wedding night.<br />
The monster disappears into the night.<br />
Victor removes everything from the laboratory and cleans the remains planning to return to Clerval for a trip to India.<br />
On his return from the Island Victor finds he is wanted for murder and is taken into custody.<br />
<br />
21 - Clerval is Murdered and Victor Arested<br />
The sight of his friends dead body causes Victor to become extremely I'll for 2 months. A nurse is provided who nurses him back to health in the prison.<br />
His legal council is able to prove his innocence and presence on the island lab at the time of Clerval's murder.<br />
Alphonse takes Victor home but he remains very ill. A brief visit is made to Paris.<br />
<br />
22 - Victor marries Elizabeth<br />
They go on their honeymoon and Victor plans on telling Elizabeth about the monster. He fears the threat of the monster expecting the monster to attack.<br />
<br />
23 - The Death of Elizabeth<br />
There is a storm (gothic symbol that something will happen). Victor wanders the halls looking for signs of the monster who finds his way to Elizabeth's room and kills her. Victor reaches her and the monster and even gets a shot off but the monster escapes unharmed.<br />
Victor's father, Alphonse, overcome by shock over Elizabeth's death, dies<br />
Victor goes to the local magistrate and tells him the story of his monster from it's creation and that it was the monster who killed his wife.<br />
A few gothic elements here. 1st, there is communication of sorts between Victor and his creature who seems to always know where he is.<br />
Victor vows to spend whatever time it takes to destroy the monster.<br />
<br />
24 - The Final Chase<br />
Victor is goaded by the monster's laugh as he visits the graves of his family. The monster's knowledge that Victor would be there is another gothic element. He pursues the monster and chases him out of Geneva and after boarding a ship on the Black Sea and then to Russia and the Arctic Circle<br />
The monster finds a dog sled and Victor continues to pursue but the ice begins to crack.<br />
The two are separated on two different pieces of ice which is where the letters at the beginning of the novel start. The monster want Victor to chase him. He keeps leaving notes. Without them Victor would not be able to pursue him. The arctic is a gothic element.<br />
<br />
THE FINAL LETTERS<br />
The end of the book is told from the perspective of Walton's letters. Victor also shows him letters of Felix and Safie to lend credence to his cautionary tale. The two enjoy much time together talking about literature and other things.<br />
Victor is on the verge of death but Walton is also on his own quest to find a Northwest passage and that is failing.<br />
Victor's health gets even worse and now the crew are almost ready to mutiny. Walton agrees to turn the ship around and return to England. Despite his condition, victor wants to continue to pursue the monster.<br />
Victor dies but the monster makes his way on board looking for Victor. He tells Walton his side of the story but then leaves the ship continuing his now fruitless journey and disappears into the mist.<br />
The monster in speaking to Walton alludes to Paradise lost and compares himself to a fallen angel.<br />
<br />
MUSIC <br />
<br />
Into The Mist <br />
<br />
Orchestration<br />
Ableton Operator (with Absynth 5 Aetherizer and Guitar Rig Effects)<br />
Guitar Rig (Roland Space Echo, EH Flange, EH phaser and reflector using "Sprit Canyon Audio" impulse response<br />
<br />
Moog Voyager - Soundscape shifter<br />
Effects - Guitar Rig - Psychedelic Delay - Reflector<br />
Impulse Response - Spirit Canyon Audio <br />
<br />
MIDI<br />
Slider 1 - Oscillator C (Frequency)<br />
Slider 2 - Oscillator C (Level)<br />
Slider 3 - Pitch Envelope (Level)<br />
Slider 4 - Spread<br />
Slider 5 - Tape Feedback<br />
Slider 6 - Tape Speed<br />
<br />
FC 300<br />
Pedal 3 - Voyager Filter Cutoff<br />
Pedal 4 - Voyager - OSC 3 - WavefLux_Seekerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14404127282365177480noreply@blogger.com0