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One Time We Lived, via Moby.

Tonewheels is an experiment in converting graphical imagery to sound, inspired by some of the pioneering 20th Century electronic music inventions.

In this three day workshop from 24-27 October 2009 in Bulgaria, participants built a simple light-to-sound converter and DC motor controller, and then began to experiment with drawing sounds onto transparent “tonewheels”. The workshop ended in a group performance and an invitation to the audience to try out the instruments for themselves.

This is an example of gorgeous psychedelic generative video from flight404:

I have been working on a real-time version of the Solar piece from a couple years ago. Since it is going to be responding to people’s voices and ambient noise instead of music, I started listening to podcasts while I was developing it.

I made this video to commemorate my new found love for WNYC’s RadioLab podcast. Thanks to Branden Hall and Bill Lindmeier for introducing me to it.

I’d like to see this on some music!

This is a demo video for the modern mini-synth classic, the Korg microKorg synthesizer.

Description:

State-of-the-art analog modeling and multi-band vocoding are available in a compact, portable instrument. With 37 keys and 128 user-rewritable programs, the microKORG Synthesizer/Vocoder is designed for the performer, producer, computer musician or beginner looking for an affordable synthesizer.

Korg microKORG Synthesizer/Vocoder Features:

• 128 user-rewritable programs
• 37-key mini keyboard
• Powerful synthesis
• Classic vocoding
• A full range of effects
• Great sounds and expression
• Flexible arpeggiator (6 types)
• Clear control and classic looks
• Can serve as a compact MIDI controller

EM’s David Battino had this to say about the Korg microKorg:

It’s easy to slip into critic mode and forget that making music is supposed to be fun. The MicroKorg is frustrating if you expect to play and program it like a full-size keyboard synthesizer, but as a portable, creative gadget, it stands alone. If you can justify spending $500 on a terrific-sounding musical toy (and I use that word in a very positive sense), you won’t go wrong with the MicroKorg.

The Korg microKorg retails for $399.

If you’ve used the Korg microKorg – leave a comment with your thoughts!

Read more…

It’s the birthday of Wendy Carlos, who’s 70 today.

It’s hard to imagine how different the world of electronic music would be without Wendy Carlos, who switched on the world with her Switched On Bach, scored Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange and The Shining, created the sound of the digital world Tron and explored alternate tunings in several influential albums.

Before Brian Eno brought ambient music to a mass audience in the mid to late 70s, Carlos released 1972’s Sonic Seasonings, which combined ambient environmental sounds with synthesized ones.

Carlos has created some of the most influential electronic works of the last 40 years.

If you haven’t heard much of the work of Wendy Carlos, some good places to start are her Switched-On Brandenburgs, Switched On Bach 2000 and her soundtrack to A Clockwork Orange.

via Sabine

Inventor, author and futurist Ray Kurzweil appeared on I’ve Got a Secret in 1965, when he was 17 years old, demonstrating his music-composing computer.

Sound Textile experimentations at Modefabriken – umlautbrikauski “freaking out on the Textile Harp”.

This is obviously early on in development – but the idea of fabric synth controllers is intriguing. Read more…

Expert Sleepers has released version 1.5.0 of Silent Way, their modular synth control plugins for Mac and Windows, adding Silent Way Step LFO. Read more…

Zenhiser is looking for some new sample producers, so it’s announced a new Professional Sample Producer Competition.

Here are the details:

Create your own samples, add them to an audio track in wav format and submit the track to this Soundcloud group Want To Be A Professional Sample Producer it’s that simple.

Even if you don’t enter the competition we welcome your comments on whose samples you think are great and thanks to Soundcloud’s amazing  interface, commenting couldn’t be any easier. For new Soundcloud users you will need an account to both submit your samples and comment on the entries. Registration and a personal account are 100% free.

Details below. Read more…

Synth Porn Saturday: This video captures an Analogue Systems workshop at 4Sound Stordahl Musikk – or as Audiobersjerk calls it, a giant wall of manly Analogue systems modules.

Ahhhh. You can almost smell the patch cords……