Transcribing the Head response

primusluta requested my thoughts on his post.

The ultimate goal of the composer, is to get the music out of her head, into the heads of the audience. Since we can't beam thoughts from our brains directly, we need a transmission medium (air) and the ability to translate thoughts to a form that can be transmitted using that medium. As with any data transmission technology, there is signal loss and encoding errors. Of course we've managed to turn the act of transmission into an interpretative art form in its own right, using various forms of technology such as musical instruments.

Music notation does not exist to legitimize a musical form, it is a useful abstraction that enables groups of human beings to work together to achieve a result that can't be realized by one person alone. I don't mean to diminish the importance of solo pieces, I'm simply saying that a composer could perform these pieces alone and the true power of notation comes from organizing ensembles.

Analysis doesn't legitimize a musical form either. Analysis enables understanding, provides vocabulary and is the foundation for teaching music to others. Musical curiosity can be encouraged, but the idea of 'grading' a piece of music. or finding 'mistakes' based on rules wrought from analysis is dubious.

So, musical notation has been around for hundreds of years. Audio recording is a 20th century invention and is still experiencing a period of rapid refinement. This technology has given rise to new forms of musical expression that don't have anything to do with music notation in the traditional sense. As recorded music can be reproduced on demand, the need for a written abstraction is wholly unnecessary.

The conceit that music must be transcribable to be valid is a flawed one. Music should not have to be certified, it should stand on its own merits. If someone dismisses hip hop or does not consider it to be music, that is their problem, not yours.

For Sale

Flame Clockwork
$399 (standalone)

Moog MF103 phaser
$249

Korg mini KP Kaoss Pad
like new in box
$95

Doepfer MCV24
24 channel MIDI to CV box
$349

Doepfer A170 dual slew limiter $68
Doepfer A134 vc pan $93.50
Doepfer A162 dual trigger delay $68
Doepfer A127 triple resonant filter $196
Doepfer A188 delay (128) $178.50
Doepfer A188 delay (2048) $157.25
Plan B model 10 poly envelope mkI $176
Blacet miniwave + euro conversion kit $245 (kit not installed)

Minimoog Voyager with CP-251/VX-351 in rack mount kit
Would like to trade for a Cwejman S1. Local pick up offers also entertained.

I'm Cambridge, MA USA 02138. I ship UPS. Buyer pays shipping. Pickup in Cambridge is also fine. I will ship internationally, but only UPS, not postal service. Please don't ask me to perform international shipping estimates. Do this yourself at the UPS web site. Awesome? Awesome.

contact me via email stretta at gmail you know the rest

maxforlive monome suite release 2

The maxforlive monome suite with a few significant changes.

multiple monome support - the suite can now address multiple connected monomes independently.

live UI object support - most displayed parameters can be saved in a preset and automated. coll data still needs to be loaded in a separate file. Press Cafe can write out data files. Bug fixed with Obo that prevented read/write commands from doing anything.

sment - monome controlled beat splicer now added to suite.

Download the new release at the original location.

Jack White Hates Technology

I've been looking forward to "It Might Get Loud" for some time, and I finally got a chance to see it. This is a documentary that gathers three generations of rock guitarists into a summit of sorts. The choices of the guitarists are rather interesting. Jimmy Page is incontrovertible. After him, it starts to get more muddy. The next generation is represented by The Edge. I never considered The Edge to be a great guitar icon, but someone who was an integral part of one of the best known rock bRands from the 80s on. So, while The Edge isn't even remotely the 'Jimmy Page of the 80s', the choice makes sense and is ultimately satisfying. Jack White is even more interesting still. As the youngest of the group (at 34, HA!), I wondered if he had truly established himself to be among this company. He proved to be the most interesting element of the picture.

I enjoyed the background information and interviews, but the director seemed intent to pull some sort of narrative out of the footage. This turned out to be Jack White's hatred of technology. The seeds of this were obviously there to be nurtured, but it was the filmmaker's choice to draw it out of the accumulated footage.



The guitar itself is a product of technology. However, Jack deconstructs this immediately. The movie opens like the trailer, with Jack White building a stringed instrument out of a block of wood and a coke bottle. Then, he plugs it into an overdrive pedal and a vintage head and cabinet. He convincingly demonstrates the crude device and steps back with a self-satisfied air and says "Who says you need to buy a guitar?" This is a fantastic, enjoyable moment. I admire the demonstration, but I can tell you from experience, you could plug nearly anything into that signal chain and achieve similar results. Without the pickup, pedal and amplifier, the concoction doesn't sound like anything at all. The point I'm making is it isn't so much the coke bottle as the other stuff. In other words, technology.

Later Jack informs us of his prejudices more directly. He says that technology destroys not just creativity, but truth itself. Woah.

Jack offers some compelling evidence by playing his favorite record, "Grinning in Your Face" which is simply voice and foot. No technology at all, and a profound emotional moment. "When you dig a little deeper in rock 'n' roll, you're on a freight train straight to the blues." Indeed.

This is juxtaposed with shots of unloading The Edge's guitar rig; his massive racks of effects and a custom pedal board with the surface area of a small bedroom. It seems designed for clown shoes. The message is clear. The Edge is all about technology. Jack White, with his plastic guitar, can't conceal his contempt. We're treated to copious eye-rolling.

Jimmy Page demonstrates the power of technology with a performance of "Ramble On“ that will make you sit perfectly still, holding your breath. He effortlessly glides from massive power to delicate beauty with nothing more than playing technique. "Dynamics, light and shade, whisper to the thunder.” Only possible with an amplifier. In fact, Jimmy Page asserts that amplification itself enables us to hear the individuality of a musician's fingers. Interesting, and I can see the truth in it.

I do agree with Jack that it doesn't matter what guitar or gear you use, it is the idea, the expression, the emotion that counts. Too often I've seen technology obfuscating an idea, or used as a crutch. I get it. What I don't agree with is absolutism. I bristle at this. Lao Tzu understood there are many pathways to enlightenment. Technology isn't inherently bad or good. It doesn't rob emotion or truth or beauty. Technology is a tool and it can be used in positive and negative ways. It isn't false creativity. The same argument could be said about a carefully-coiffed white boy in a bow tie and bowler hat ripping off the blues.

My controller wish list

In the embedded video, Ken MacBeth, whom I could listen to all day long, explains that there is basically one OEM keyboard supplier: Fatar. He has taken the Fatar mechanism, a diode matrix, and used the Oberheim TVS-1 circuit to create his true-CV keyboard controller.



This is a noble ambition. The world needs a new CV keyboard controller. Analogue Systems makes a few, and, if I'm not mistaken, they are basically MIDI controllers that are converted back into voltages.

None of these CV controllers provide even initial velocity. Bob Moog had supplied Wendy Carlos a velocity and depth-sensitive CV keyboard 40 years ago. So, what is the issue here? CV velocity is super expressive.

Back when controllers like the Roland A-50 MIDI controller were new, my primary complaint was it needed more assignable knobs and buttons. Today, it seems the industry got the message. Every controller made is judged by how many knobs it is festooned with. However, no one makes a 76-key synth-action controller. Nobody makes anything with polyphonic aftertouch. Very few implement release velocity.

Now, I realize that Fatar doesn't make polyphonic aftertouch mechanisms, and, since they are the primary supplier of keyboards to the industry, there isn't any other option. However, release velocity is possible, if it is popping up on things like the Novation Remote 61.

76-note controllers are like the middle child no one loves. 61-key controllers are standard for synth players, and 88-key piano action controllers are common for those looking for that kind of feel. I'm certainly in the minority when it comes to this preference. I find the 61-key range too limiting, and I only like a piano action when I'm playing a piano.

I have too many keyboards as it is, and I don't have a lot of space. I don't want a controller just for CV and a MIDI controller for everything else. Why can't I have one controller with dual paths? With CV velocity. Both initial and release. And a 76-key version.

sment

sment is a real-time beat reorganizer, like buffer shuffler, but with monome-enabled operation. Basically, I took the chucker object help file and went from there.

The interesting thing is this project represents a pilot of the new monome support I plan to port to the monome suite. I've added user-controllable OSC routing, cable orientation, and support for multiple monome devices. This means you can use multiple monomes and independently address them.

gravity

Gravity is a maxforlive device that produces bouncing ball-like triggers of MIDI notes in real time. Up to eight voices of polyphony are supported. The ball effect is gated by key press (make sure track is record-enabled), so keep those keys held down until you get a feel for what is going on. I suggest a nice percussive synth sound followed by reverb.

redsoe

Chris Hahn asked for an real-time input quanize maxforlive device on Twitter yesterday. This isn't that, but it does demonstrate the principle of quantizing real-time input to a metric grid.

Redsoe is a pattern-trigger plug in that acts upon a MIDI input. This device has nothing to do with the monome at all, it can be used by anyone. To install, uncompress and drag the amxd file into your Max MIDI Effect folder. Redsoe can be inserted on as many MIDI tracks as you like. To get started, record-enable your MIDI track, have a MIDI destination of some sort like a virtual instrument and start the transport.

There are 16 steps and you can create rhythmic patterns by enabling or disabling specific steps. Things start to get a bit more musical-sounding when you adjust the velocity and duration of specific steps. Choose a patch with a short decay so you can hear the effect of the duration multiplier. A value of 1.0 = 100% duration of step value. A value of 0.50 = 50% of the step value. Be aware values over 1.0 may cut off subsequent steps. You can use the 'set all' section to set the values of all steps at once.

This is a good example of a small, simple Max creation that may not be very useful if it were not integrated into your workflow. In other words, I don't think anyone would bother if you couldn't simply drag it into a track. If you had to launch a separate application, and set up MIDI and sync routings, it wouldn't be worth the trouble.

Also, I'm using Live UI elements here so they should be able to be remembered and automated and such. I intend to update the monome suite to have the same functionality. I've added a maxforlive tag so you can easily find my maxforlive creations on my blog.

Non-traditional studio furniture

I've had a number of people ask me about the stands in this photo. They're Herman Miller Scooters. They're hight and tilt adjustable and absurdly useful. Great for monomes, keyboard/mice, drum machines, laptops, or next to the bed or chair (they tuck right in.) I have two at home and one at work. There are a couple versions; an expensive version at around $300, and an inexpensive version for around $60 that is exactly the same, but with a synthetic top. Ebay or google around and you'll be able to track one down.



I use an Offi Pocket Desk in my office in conjunction with a scooter so I can tuck a keyboard MIDI controller under the computer and roll it out whenever I need it. One thing the photos don't show you about the pocket desk is this HUGE cable management area on the other side. It is big enough to hold and hide routers, hubs, external hard drives, and a whole mess of cables.







There is a small clearance issue, though. I had to replace the standard knobs on the Novation to low profile caps in order for this to work.

Lego monome enclosure

If you're building your own monome from a kit, the biggest questions are: what will the case be, and how will you create a faceplate? This isn't the first Lego monome enclosure I've seen (I think that would be this one), but the design is very sleek and compact, and the designer, xiaoyang, has provided templates for 40h and 80h in a blog post. I like the fact that some of the old-school Lego colors were integrated into the design, because if it were all white, you wouldn't appreciate the Legoness of the enclosure.

Plus, you know, monome. And Legos. Together.

maxforlive monome suite released

There are seven maxforlive devices (not counting some minor variations of each) that are designed to work together in any combination or number of instances within a maxforlive project.

obo - my matrix step sequencer. usable on any monome, or even monomeless operation(!)

pitches - this is like polygomé without the step sequencer bits (like fourths/malbahabla for you monome-people). Transforms your monome into a playable surface.

polygomé 64 - I think you know what this is by now. bleep boop bleep.

press cafe - this version is based on press cafe 2.0 that has been redesigned and re-oriented more sensibly to make it playable with any size monome. "HEY! This makes music!" - my wife Nov 29, 2009

spectral display - adapted from tehn's vu_spec, there is a version for every size monome. Drop it on a track (or more) and watchen das blinkenlites.

step filter - one upon a time I built a step sequencer application and used it to control a doepfer vocoder filter bank. Now the filter bank is built-in. Usable with any size monome, but limited to eight bands.

automatorgator - there are two versions of this plug in for the 256, the audio version is a monome-controlled pattern gate with adjustable volume levels and slew. The MIDI version generates MIDI CC and OSC messages smoothed out at a high resolution for gooey OSC goodness.

Download here. Since they're designed to work together, and I anticipate some updates in the short term, I'll distribute this as a package, but eventually migrate the individual components to the monome wiki. I'm going to put my arms behind my head and tilt my chair back now. Mmmmmmmm, slanty.

Synth Highlights of the Last Decade

Boards of Canada
Geogaddi (2002)
If I'm honest with myself, 1998's 'Music Has the Right to Children' is a superior album, but Geogaddi is a more-than-worthy followup with 22 (no, I'm not counting the non-track 'Magic Window') glistening, warbly synthesizer gems, many of which clocking in at a minute and change. Favorites include 'Music is Math', 'Sunshine Recorder' and 'The Devil is in the Details'. The appeal of aptly-named Scottish duo is that they somehow manage to convey 1970's-era filmstrip nostalgia, while sounding fresh and fun and listenable. Makes me want a Space Echo or at least spend some time polarizing domains on magnetic tape.

Autechre
Draft 7.30 (2003)
Autechre put out a number of releases in the last decade, including Confieldand Quaristice, but Draft 7.30 is, in my opinion, a masterpiece and contender for synth album of the decade. It sounds like many, many hours of devoted, obsessive work where the final compositions are tuned and processed and edited until they only vaguely hint at their original form. I've often wondered how collaborations like Autechre function in reality, like, who does what? Do they work together or do they swap tracks between them and work in isolation?

Imogen Heap
Speak for Yourself (2005)
Ellipse (2009)
While Depeche Mode and Erasure continued to offer pleasing variations of their core electronica+vocal brands, Imogen Heap found her own voice and dazzled. Imogen is the real deal; a one woman triple threat producer/songwriter/vocalist. What I hear is as astonishing as what I don't hear, and that is the middling input from business people, managers, and A&R people. She is making the music she wants to hear and she has the last say, thank you very much. 'Speak For Yourself' continues to be enjoyable listen after listen and 'Ellipse' is a portrait of the artist at the peak of her powers. This is an example what can be done when a creative, driven individual is in a position where she has the tools and resources to realize her vision.

Nine Inch Nails
With Teeth (2005)
Year Zero (2007)
It was an amazing decade for Nine Inch Nails. 'With Teeth' signaled the start of a new phase of NIN. 'Year Zero' followed with eyebrow-raising rapidity. Then came 'Ghosts' and 'The Slip.' What the hell? Trent Reznor seemed to make all the right business decisions while experiencing a creative peak and sustained prolific output that eluded the troubled 90s version. That isn't to say I don't sincerely appreciate the exquisite craftsmanship of The Fragile and The Downward Spiral, it is just that Trent found his ability to execute quickly. I think this is a combination of technology catching up to the artist and the artist himself finding the right mental space. Trent knows precisely what the hell he is doing and I really like that.

Crystal Castles
Crystal Castles(2008)
Crystal Castles debut has all the intensity, DIY-aesthetic and 'where the hell did this come from'-factor as Pretty Hate Machine did 20 years prior. It is a pure blast and one I'm curious how they'll follow up.

Now it is your turn. What did I miss?