The last post about my SKONlab Nord Modular build has generated some interest from the Muff Wiggler and Electro-Music communities. Specifically people seem to be excited about the idea of using the editor software on a tablet. Well I’m happy to say it works, though it isn’t a drama free process. After the jump I’ve attached a video of my using manipulating a patch in real-time as an example after which I provide some commentary.
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I loved “In Search Of…” when I was a kid! I wasn’t even particularly a Trekkie – I just loved the creaky reenactments (which these days hold more nostalgic than thrill value).
If you read the previous posts you will know i’ve been working on putting together a modular hardware instrument that I can be happy to sit with and learn how to program it to an expert level. While the Nord Modular became the object of interest it’s about more than just the synthesis engine. It is equally about the affordances of setup as it is about the flexibility of DSP architecture.
Behold (after the jump) SKONlab!
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“Confucius once said that “when a finger points at the moon, the idiot looks at the finger,” an axiom which might be applied towards the ongoing obsession with technologically up-to-date sound “gear” and other ephemera of the modern sound stage. Though it may be harsh to assume “idiocy” on the part of audiences, the persistent problem of audiences’ displeasure with the retinally unstimulating “laptop concert” (and the desperate attempts by artists of “post-digital” live performers to offer some kind of a compromise in this area), have led to the answering of a question that – as [Francisco] López might suggest – never needed to be posed in the first place” from Microbionic by Thomas Bey William Bailey
It bugs me that people who don’t like the music I make will push the usual lame laptop critique forward despite the truth being that they only like music that involves skinny black jeans and amplifiers. Surely they shouldn’t attend “experimental music” gigs if they don’t really like the music? The reality is these same people have co-opted the live experience to such a degree that laptops have made way for DIY electronic gadgets that work much better with skinny black jeans and amplifiers. This is what it is. I’m in two minds about this occurrence and both of them are old and cranky.
That being the case, for the last little while i’ve been looking at ways to move my primary music making away from the computer and it has nothing to do with the reasons listed above.
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Monsoonal rain-storm preceded this Easter Sunday gig. Easter Sunday in Brisbane’s West End also means a flood of youngsters with disposable incomes, out to get wasted in the many beckoning dives. By comparison the venue tonight was a warm snug little room and I think, despite the lack of foldback, this was a nice set. Here is the signal flow of my setup.
This was something of a bridging set. Initially it was skewed towards “The Included Middle” style atmospheric beat-driven material but after checking the room out at a gig on the previous weekend I thought it best to go for mostly mellow / low key. I also had my 16month old son there and didn’t want to deafen him with stonkin! Apparently I was too quiet and everyone commented positively about the bouncy end bit saying it needed to be longer and more frequent. I’ve made it a habit in live performances to drag out the euphoria moment for an excruciatingly long time only to truncate it before everyone gets too into it… wouldn’t want to break with tradition now.
Anyone know what this “Here’s the Drop[TM]” nonsense is? I mean I have a sense of humour and all but they totally missed the real “Drop”!
The SP404 was running some of the mellower predefined loops along with some new stuff I made with either the Nord Modular or the G2 Demo software. Will continue to focus on making longish “here’s something I prepared earlier” sequences but perhaps less on using other synths plugins. There are some nice drones here from LinPlug Octopus and some string sounds from Boscomac/Reaktor all lovingly coated with PSP N20 filters. Can’t get past how good this plug-in is.
Now that I have a Nord Micro Modular i’m keen to focus on it’s wonderful modular possibilities / learn how to use it really well – tonight I was using it more for colour and the occasional squelches.
Yusuke referred to me as a founding member of Audiopollen… I was the guy that did the radio show on 4ZZZ, well before Joel or Yusuke got involved. But they created the Audiopollen Social Club, and they are both leaving Brisbane it seems so, cliche though it may be, this is the end of an era. I can’t say I liked everything that Audiopollen spawned but it was certainly an amazing opportunity working with these people creatively and I hope something equally significant arises in another form soon.
I have a blog about live music computer building coming up over the next few weeks but thought i’d post a short blog along with the Soundcloud link and some info.
Hola!
I have a performance coming up – this is my plan:
Not sure whether I will be using the KP3 KaossPad just as an alternate sampler or as a parallel effect at this point of time. With a few base tracks and rhythms on the SP404 and some vague chord progression templates there is enough to make an fun semi-improvised racket.
The rediscovery of my GT3 multi-fx in a cupboard is a definate boon in the setup. And i’ve discovered there is some helpful editor software for it now.
All the parts of my setup have an editor except for the mixer. The Venom one has even been update which is surprising after it was dumped by Avid. Seems opinion of the Venom has changed somewhat since it’s price has been slashed and it’s having a mini-renaissance.
So i’ve been rather busy teaching 2nd year music technology students about synthesis. The virtual modular fetish I went through is mostly very useful particularly when I’m reiterating the importance of understanding signal flow. I’m finding Karma FX as the most useful for demonstrative purpose – though I still wish the amazing Vaz Modular was native to OSX. Running it in emulators is something of a trapeze act. We’re using Reaktor in class and I’m seeing the limitations – well – limitations maybe isn’t the word. It’s like 3 people who refused to speak with one another threw the modules together. There are lots of semi-repeated features, devices with a similar name that do something slightly different, modules that don’t work with other modules and some that don’t seem to work at all. The documentation on these is sporadically useful and the students have complained bitterly. Still I think if they’ve managed to see the seedy underbelly of synth production, even if it is at a visual programming level, they’ve maybe learnt something they wouldn’t have learnt using Massive presets.
In the time since I last wrote I’ve uncovered two old but very awesome plugins:
I’ve been looking for a multi-effect plugin that didn’t rely on overly granular effects and N20 seems to be the one. It operates on a simple principle – 4 modulation operators connect to 4 effects. Various cross-modulation can be programmed and is reminiscent of FM synthesis – easy to get results but very deep. The effects all sound solid without the thin hi-frequency shrieking of many FSU effects.
Toxic Biohazard from Image Line
Speaking of FM synthesis, I was looking for a synth that could use the Galbanum single-cycle waveforms (that i’ve mainly used in Metasynth) and I found this awesome Vector / FM hybrid. 6 Operators – each can load in custom waveforms!!! Then you modulate them in the centre matrix. It’s the simplest FM synth i’ve ever come across. I have to say i’ve never had much luck with FM8 which I hear is still the pinnacle of computer based FM synthesis. It’s refreshing to find a synth that encourages experimentation in the way it is designed. The following soundcloud examples were made in the process of learning to use it – both very simple effects to achieve.
On his blog, Ross Healy mentioned the Composing with Process podcast series. This is a great overview of algorithmic music techniques and practitioners. It also makes a great companion to reading Micro Bionic – a fantastic book covering experimental electronic noise from Throbbing Gristle, via Coil to all the great computer based noise from the late 90s / early 00s.
So this post has gone long enough – I have another post on the way about building instruments / software / hardware – stay tuned.
ADDENDUM
So after playing a little more with Toxic Biohazard i’ve discovered the Audio Unit version is VERY flaky w/regard to loading presets on Mountain Lion (it frequently locks up the entire DAW requiring a FORCE QUIT). VST version seems to be OK. I’ve yet to ascertain if the same problem is existent in Snow Leopard. An alternative is the more powerful / slightly less easy to program Octopus from Linplug. I’m finding it an absolute joy for sound design, better in almost* every way from Toxic and FM8 with loads of modulation options, yet relatively easy setup and manipulation. The *caveat is that it is ridiculously limited with regards to MIDI / OSC controllability. I’ve yet to see if any other parameters get published in DAEs like Usine or Max/MSP but the major failing in my opinion is the inability to manually control the volume and modulation amplitude of each operator without using a mouse. The fact you can draw the waveform for each op makes up for this though however it will never be a live synth while these limitations stick. Toxic is much more configurable for use with an external controller and the VST version could very well be a live workhorse.
Hello! I’m teaching some courses on synthesis this semester at the Griffith Conservatorium of Music. It’s a great gig and affords me access to some gear I would likely never purchase myself including two Doepfers which I’ve been forced to “test” as part of my “research”. Below are the results and beyond the jump so more thoughts about synthesis.
