Sunday, October 19, 2008

Monome: adaptability at it's finest



Familiarity can be a very friendly thing when seeking ways to produced music. Why are we not more prone to experimentation or stepping beyond conventional habits? Sure we can trigger samples and loops with an M-Audio Trigger Finger, we can sequence MIDI patterns within our DAW, our mouse can serve various purposes for the vast amounts of software available, etc., but how is this benefiting our creative fuel in the long run? Obviously there is absolutely nothing wrong with people's preferred method of production/performance...but "stepping outside of your comfort zone" could serve as a great deal of fun and warm cozy inspiration.

This is where the world's most beautiful interface comes into play...the Monome. I don't have one yet, it's first on my list to buy as soon as my $40 augments. Created out of Philly by Brian Crabtree and Kelli Cain, this minimalistic interface is focused on delivering well, just that...a minimalist's approach to open source hardware. They provide us with three Monome options listed as the Sixty Four, the One Twenty Eight, and the Two Fifty Six. Each of which comes with the buttons sized on different grids: 8x8, 16x8, 16x16. The Monome is purely, 100% "buttons," as well as purely, 100% blank, adaptable opportunity. This may seem intimidating, I admit I'm somewhat skeptical at how well I am going to able to implement my developed software.


The one thing I find exhilarating about this project is how incredibly versatile the Monome can potentially be. Let's say in fact you purchase the Sixty Four. You now have 64 buttons to program however you choose. Obviously I don't have any examples of how I have implemented any software with the Monome because I don't have one, but a mild amount of research can yield some stunning results/videos as to what the Monome has to offer in terms of adaptability and usability. There's a good sized community developing for the Monome. The majority of which are developing software within Max/MSP or Pd. The serial protocol transmitted through the USB from the Monome has to be translated into OSC (Open Sound Control) or MIDI. Once this is done, you can begin to use this data as the basis of your development. Use Max/MSP, Pure Data, Java, ChucK, Phython, etc, whatever... the point is there are a large amount of programming languages that support OSC and MIDI data.

Some may say this aspect of programming presents itself as a con, yet I think that's where the fuel of your creativity can start to boil. With a Monome, your not settling for a conventional device layed out with a manual and concrete uses, you can continually use it in a hundred different ways if you please!

Again as I said before, search for some videos and check out how other people are creatively using this beautiful interface.
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Theremin, Moog, then Hobb?


Final Product // ATTIGO TT from Scott Hobbs on Vimeo.

Scott Hobbs caught my attention with his invention called Attigo. This new innovative controller for DJs uses touch screen technology in order to seemingly rebel towards futuristic design and user simplicity. The Attigo boasts a neat touchscreen interface which replaces and emulates the vinyl turntables that would usually be employing an ordinary DJ set up. The screen consists of a large waveform display which represents your loaded .Mp3. While playing, the waveform scrolls vertically across the screen as if strapped to a conveyor belt. Hobbs has implemented various touch points on the surface to imitate certain familiar turntable functions such as start/stop, cue points, pitch pontrol ( +12% / -12% ), rewind, restart, loop functions, etc.
Audio control was programmed in Max/MSP while the GUI was designed using Adobe Flash and Action Script.





Although, after thorough investigation of Hobbs' website, I have come to the conclusion that he is no one hit wonder. He seems extremely passionate about providing electronic musicians and DJs with simple yet ingenious ways to produce music. It was exciting to read about his future endeavors and how he is planning to create a device that lacks any sort of physical contact, using only senors to interact with sound. His propositions sound very "Theremin-esque." Which I believe is exactly what he is going for, considering he mentions Leon and his world famous Theremin constantly as inspirations and influence. Don't we remember what happened last time someone had this similar Theremin obsession... *cough* Robert Moog *cough*. Maybe I'm being over zealous?

I look forward to watching the public reactions to the Attigo and also for any more specifics on further developed concepts that may come in the future. Yet for now, I say we sit back and wait for Scott Hobbs to create the most influential instrument of the 21st century.

pictures from scotthobbs.co.uk
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , ,

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Stockhausen Fascination

I've recently struck an abnormal fascination with the early German composer, Karlheinz Stockhausen (August 22, 1928 - December 5, 2007). We know him as one of the extremely influential pioneers of electronic music during the mid 20th century.

What I respect the most about Stockhausen was his humble approach to the world of sound. For electronic music in the late 40's and 50's, post World War II, its development was thriving yet polluted through a rivalry between the French and Germans. It was divided between the French's, Musique concrète, and the German's, total Serialism. The fabulous book, Electronic and Experimental Music, includes a quote from German composer Konrad Boehmer, "You could say in the 50's, you had two types of Cold War, one between the Soviet Union and the United States and one between the Cologne studio and the French studio." It was practically a crime for either side to even have the slightest thought of experimenting with the other's method!

Stockhausen was of course a German composer and total Serialist, yet his aspirations reached far beyond sets and the conventional 12 tone chromatic scale. His thoughts of composition not only ranged through the organization of sound, but also through the actual composition and manipulation of each indiviual sound itself. By allowing himself to be influenced by the world of French experimentation, Stockhausen's palette of sounds suddenly grew significantly bigger. He went on to succesfully create beautiful music and soundscapes which were composed of individually created timbres and manipulated recordings.

I respect Karlheinz Stockhausen's attitude towards the art of sound. This serves as inspiration to me, not only through the techniques he has introduced, but in his focus to execute the creative ambitions which obviously served much importance to him. Why would anyone allow their art to be bogged down because of some half-hearted concern towards their reputation? Music then becomes instantly lifeless. Shame on you when the potential of your art is being restrained by trivial stubborness.

To supplement the portion of Stockhausen's influence to musical application, I want to briefly explain how I feel he was very advanced for the period of time in which he lived. His ideas are very consistent with modern day electronic music. He often references sampling and further manipulation of recorded sounds in order to create new original sounds. Hearing this, I immediately recall current artist Amon Tobin. Performance wise, both prefer to concentrate on using techniques to create a special sonic experience for the listener, rather than become entertainers. Yet even more similar, although Amon Tobin's music tends to be much more "musical" in terms of melody, structure, etc., the two use manipulated samples and sound effects to create unique sounds to use as the basis of their compositions.

Some interesting experiments could be done by processing short sounds and making them much longer or vice versa, as well as applying drastic filters, excessive EQ, soaking wet reverb, you get the picture. Just mess around and it's inevitable that you will stumble upon something special.

We also share a birthday.
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)