Matthew Davidson (stretta) put together this demo video for obo – a Max For Live app that turns Ableton Live 8 into a matrix synth, inspired by the addictive-like-crack ToneMatrix synth:

I’ve adapted obo for use in maxforlive, added monome 128/256 support (not required for operation), 16 pattern memory, edit while play, copy/paste patterns and a scale generator (whew).

Check it out and let me know what you think!

Matthew Davidson has released this video recently of feignroom:

The recent Imogen Heap on David Letterman video got me thinking about performing an a capella piece in conjunction with a monome. The goal was to use just the monome and a microphone. No other gear or touching a computer is allowed. Also, no sequencers running backing tracks. This is somewhat of a challenge.

I’m using a combination of diatonic harmonizing, phrase building, live vocals, sampled phrase triggering (vocals I recorded for this performance) and sort of layer this whole thing in real time through the monome.

Now you can download feignroom now from Davidson’s blog, The Stretta Procecure.

This is Matthew Davidson’s music video for his Escape Philosophy track Pareidolia, a Volta +modular synthesizer recording which you can download for free.

via stretta:

Felix the Cat tries to have a picnic but the weather does not agree.

I had a request to provide the AHNE video music as a download. Here it is. There are three different mixes. The original, as it appears in the video, which is about three minutes long, an extended version at five minutes which was the original length of the video before I decided to edit it down some, and an ambient version, which was the original intent.

You can preview 050209 Ambient Mix below. See Davidson’s Stretta site for all the versions and to learn more about his music!

Matthew Davidson (Stretta) captured this glorious synth porn video at Analogue Heaven Northeast 2009:

Once a year, analog synth enthusiasts gather to socialize and play rare and unusual musical instruments. I captured the May 2009 gathering with a Canon 5DmkII and a 50mm f/1.4 lens. I simply sat the Camera on a tripod, frame the shot as I would a photo, focused and captured.

The music was produced using a Euro-format analog modular, controlled by Volta. Aside from the drums (MOTU BPM), everything was analog.

The quality of the images is just gorgeous. The video not only captures luscious images of an amazing collection of droolworthy gear, but it also highlights Davidson’s visual and compositional talents.

If you like the soundtrack, go check out Davidson’s music.

Image: stretta

Matthew Davidson has shared a droolworthy set of photos from AHNE 2009.

Matthew Davidson has released Obo, a free Mac music sequencer & synth that’s a sort of minimal Tenori On:

There was a recent request on the monome forums for an application that does what the popular tonematrix does, which itself is inspired by the tenori-on. I took some parts out of my residue application for the monome (it’s full of techno! DD103!) and added a simple four voice internal sine wave synth.

If you like tonematrix, but would prefer something standalone, with MIDI output, sync and tweakable note assignments, you can download this standalone application for MacOS X. It is free! Enjoy!

Then, maybe at some point I’ll get around to adapting it to the monome.

It’s very simple as a synth, but it’s got MIDI out.

Give it a try and leave a comment with your thoughts!

Matthew Davidson (Stretta) is a blogger and electronic musician that is very active in music new media, posting frequent blog articles and software and gear videos online. He’s also shared a great collection of electronic and ambient music albums at his site.

Trash_Audio has published an interesting interview with Davidson that looks at his studio, his work and his thoughts on the future of synthesis:

There are few reasons for hardware outside of controllers anymore. All new advances in synthesis and sound processing will occur in software.

That said, I haven’t found anything in software that can replicate the experience of working with a hardware modular. I enjoy working with my hands and I find using a modular is, well… fun. The modular keeps me honest; software instruments are outstanding, but it gets to a point where I feel like the result is more of a showcase of a talented sound designer than a unique musical statement that I created.

Software instruments, in an effort to out-sell the competition, are becoming very rich and layered, providing instant music at the touch of a single key. I feel complex sounds such as this, ‘crowd out’ personal musical expression. A simpler sound, powered by human performance and expression will stand the test of time.

I like software and I see useful and innovative ideas from all corners of the industry. I don’t hold a religious attachment to my chosen platform because if you look past the latest wizz-bang-feature-leap-frog game, you’ll understand that, at its core, every offering is an extraordinarily powerful tool. It wasn’t that long ago I was delighted with a cassette four-track. What we have access to today is staggering.

It’s interesting stuff; check out the full interview here.

Davidson’s got a sweet collection of gear. Can anyone pick out the main synths from the photo?

I’ve said a lot of nice things about Matthew Davidson, his music and his awesome blog over the last few months. 

Unfortunately, I may have to take it all back.

His latest video – the Insane Dog Of Truth Remix – just etched itself into my subconscious and will now haunt me as long as I walk this mortal earth. 

This may be more dangerous than video games that make you vomit, scary country music stars or even getting your lyrics immortalized on personal vibrators. 

As you drift off to sleep tonight, remember that this dog could be under your bed….and it’s hungry….for brains!

• A Towering Achievement of Indescribable Beauty
• Brood XIV

You can still download the MP3 versions for free, nothing has changed with the creative commons licensing. This is simply a method of obtaining high quality (DRM-free) versions of the audio and screwing the RIAA in the process. In fact, if you don’t download these tracks, you are, through inaction, supporting the RIAA, huge media conglomerates and everything they stand for. It’s a scientific fact. Peace and love.

Matthew Davidson has published a great new album of ambient piano pieces, Brood XIV. 

It’s a lovely album, in the tradition of Harold Budd and Brian Eno’s classic ambient works The Pearl and The Plateaux of Mirror. It features spare piano improvisations, with various piano effects treatments and other ambient effects. 

The video above, Miraflores Locks, features one of the pieces from the new album. You can preview and download one of the tracks from the album below. Go to Davidson’s site to download the full album, and leave him a comment while you are there!

You can’t have a sexy day without some music that gives you space to let your mind wander a bit.

Behind This Soft Eclipse is the latest track from Matthew Davidson’s ambient piano collection Brood XIV. If you’re familiar with the work of Budd & Eno, you’ll find that Davidson is exploring similar territory.

Davidson is releasing his music as free downloads and blogging about the process of creating them at his site.

You can preview Behind This Soft Eclipse below. Davidson has several complete albums of great ambient music available at his site as free downloads.

Image: desiretofire : music is the shape of silence

Matthew Davidson is a musician, sound designer, blogger and graphic designer. 

He’s released a series of free albums of electronic music, including the all Monome Grids and an album of ambient piano works, A Towering Achievement of Indescribable Beauty.

The Hand That Paused to Gather, below, is an ambient piece recorded yesterday morning before Davidson went to work. It features layers of modular synthesizer and underwater Eno piano. 

If you like this piece, make sure you check out his site and also download A Towering Achievement of Indescribable Beauty.

This is a quick demo of Polygomé, an interesting patch that Matthew Davidson (stretta) made for the Monome.

It’s a free download.

I’ve been skeptical about the Monome & Tenori-On as musical instruments, since they are basically a collection of on-off switches. 

This video, though, by Edison, challenges my preconceptions and offers a tempting preview of his upcoming album.

Should be very cool!

via Matthew Davidson 

Stretta’s Matthew Davidson pointed out Cosmo’s latest tip for saving money: wholesale music piracy:

Cosmopolitan’s Bethany Heitman shares a ’shameless money-saving trick’, presumably after penning another fabulous hand-job how-to article:

“Having new tunes is ideal, but shelling out the cash to buy said music hurts. Call up friends, and ask them to burn you a CD of songs they think you’ll like. Tell them you’ll do the same. Once you swap, you can upload the CD onto your computer and add it to your MP3 player.”

I also have a shameless money-saving tip: don’t buy this magazine.

Shelling out cash for Cosmo hurts, especially when they print crap like this instead of another hand-job how-to!

Ladies – if you’re that hard up for music – check out Davidson’s very nice free album of ambient music. It’s A Towering Achievement of Indescribable Beauty.

Then check out Matthew Davidson’s gorgeous new release, A Towering Achievement of Indescribable Beauty. It’s a collection of piano improvisations, recorded May 27th – June 11th 2008, between 8:20 and 8:50am each day.

Here’s what Davidson has to say about the album:

There is only one preset on a piano. However, that didn’t stop the synthesist in me from attempting to simulate orchestration by processing elements to shape the sound into something ensemble-like. I used EQ, reverbs, delays, phase-vocoding, creative fading, reversed audio, etc… It isn’t processed to the extent of something like One of the Most Interesting Kinds of Sounds, but the uninitiated may think I sweetened with synthesizers. I didn’t. Just the piano.

It’s really lovely music – especially for Budd/Eno fans.

Preview one of the tracks, Plain and Broken, below:

You can download the full release from Davidson’s site. It’s free, and released under a Creative Commons license, so you can share it with your friends or put it in a podcast.