Jumping Back In

Here I sit at my downtown Starbucks typing my first blog entry since early this year. Maybe it's this cold, grey, rainy day in Boston and the transition to Autumn that makes me want to type it. Or maybe it's that I'm feeling a stronger desire to create than I've felt in some time. Or maybe, on the third hand, it's that I'm beginning to see a personal creative method emerging. The three are no doubt interrelated!

Earlier this year I moved my project studio from Salem down to a small unit in a rehearsal space in Charlestown...about a 10 minute drive from the city apartment. I used the move as an opportunity to configure/reconfigure some equioment that I'd been accumulating but hadn't really integrated into my overall rig: a handful of synths and a couple of effects boxes. The challenges here were how to physically organize it all and how to deal with the significant number of audio and MIDI I/O channels I now needed. Seemingly a simple equation, but it's amazing how many iterations of trial and error (and buying cool-but-obsolete hardware through eBay, Amazon and mailing lists) it takes to get something that works. Somewhere in early summer I landed on a configuration that works...and that I'm happy with. I should tidy the place a bit and snap some shots one of these days.

I'm finding that the Charlestown space is quite a bit different as a creative space than the Salem space had been. Since it's a space established for sound and music (which is to say, loud volumes are tolerated and taste is not a factor) it's easier to experiment with sound. I can construct deep bass patches, experimental timbres and loop endlessly repeating motifs as much as I want. It makes it easier to stand in front of the big modular and just let go. But on the other hand I find that I don't really do much in the way of composing material there. It's not an "intimate" space; one can have a sonic collision with anything from death metal (I have a neighbor band that plays at brutal volumes when they're in) to a cover band working on "Hit Me With Your Best Shot". Don't get me wrong, being surrounded by that raw creativity (well, not so raw or creative in the cover band case!) is a wonderful thing. And the industrial nature of the rehearsal space is great. But I don't find myself sitting tinkering with the actual music as much. It's much more of a focus on synthesis and sound when I'm there. And things that hit you in the gut.

So here's a pattern I've naturally begun to fall into: On days like today, I feel like staying at the apartment and working on musical motifs on my MacBook...primarily using Numerology and Ableton Live. And on nights like last night I feel like going to the studio to be surrounded by the machines, and work on sound in a more physical way. Perhaps that represents a nice balance...the quiet and thoughtful with a focus on theory and structure, and the more visceral with a focus on sound and impact. So, today I'm thinking of the workflow that will allow me to pour the results of one into the hopper of the other. And I think I'm close...

Eddie Jobson, Trey Gunn, UKZ and a trip to NYC

I've been a fan of Trey Gunn since his days as a sideman on Robert Fripp's projects in the 90's, and found that he added a lot to the spirit and power of King Crimson until he decided to leave a few years ago. And like any self-respecting prog rock listener in the 70's, I was a fan of Eddie Jobson and "his" band UK at that time. What I particularly liked was that UK could take the musical direction pioneered by the likes of ELP and Crimson (no surprise, as the band included alumni of the latter) and turn it into something new that was both powerful and accessible.

So I was both pleased and surprised when I learned from reading Trey Gunn's blog sometime back that he was joining Eddie Jobson in a new endeavor called UKZ. Pleased in that Gunn being in the band suggested a direction that would be a departure from the 70's "brand" of UK. Surprised in that I couldn't quite imagine what the combination would sound like.

Now that UKZ's first video and EP are out, we can begin to see what the amalgam of these two gentlemen and three other top-notch musicians may produce. And it's promising so far. "Radiation" (see video below) dispels any notion that UKZ is a 70's nostalgia band. Containing a mix of modern Crimson, Nine Inch Nails, digital synth textures and a hair-raising Jobson violin solo, it's both familiar and new at the same time. And not wanting for energy.

The "Radition" EP acts as a calling card, hinting at what the band may be capable of live as well as the music that they will (hopefully) continue to develop into a full album. As for their live work, I'll have the chance to check that out next weekend in NYC when UKZ plays a one-city "launch tour". Can't wait for that. If the EP is any indication, the energy coming off the stage should be significant.

Gear Geek: One More From NAMM

One of the risks of a blog like this one is that some of the "news" items will be pretty far removed from what other people may find interesting. And that the cognoscenti will have already heard the "news". That said, some things are just too cool to not type about.

From the "I can't believe they actually did it!" department is the news that MOTU is releasing an extremely unique software plug-in called Volta. What does Volta do? It allows you to seamlessly control your analog synth gear from your favorite computer-based sequencer. It persuades MOTU audio interfaces to send out control voltages under software control. If you're into analog synthesizers, that is one thrilling notion. If you're not, it probably doesn't mean anything at all!

True, MIDI-to-CV interface boxes have been around since the beginning of time (I, like many, use an Encore Expressionist). But Volta appears to be both clever and amazingly elegant...and to operate at a resolution well beyond MIDI. And the fact that MOTU spent the R&D money on it says a lot about how they view the market. I mean, how big can the audience for such a thing be? But for those that want/need it, it's just perfect. Very cool.

Volta First Look from stretta on Vimeo.

Stretta (aka Matthew Davidson) is the creator. A great write-up and with photos and an interview with him can be found on Create Digital Music.

Gear Geek: A Couple of NAMM Highlights

If you're a gear junkie you've no doubt already seen the reports, but I can't help but mention a few highlights from the NAMM show and related announcements (I'm not there, but following along at home as well).

FINALLY, A Dedicated Hardware Controller for Ableton Live

Just when I was thinking of dropping my use of Ableton Live (and instead using a combination of Logic and Numerology, along with my hardware sequencers-- a topic for another day) Akai has announced the APC40...a dedicated hardware controller for Live.

The APC40 talks directly to Live and Live talks directly to the APC40. This exclusive bidirectional communication makes the APC40 an advanced controller in that it can receive feedback from the software and display it on its clip matrix of 40 triggers and on LED rings surrounding each knob. The clip matrix gives you an instant view of clip status: what's loaded, what's playing, and what's being recorded. Each state displays on the matrix in a different color so you can get a quick picture of clip state. You can shift your clip focus and get an overview of the clips you have loaded for your set. The APC40 has 16 knobs, each surrounded by a ring of LEDs. These LED rings make seeing your settings a breeze on dark stages, indicating the currently selected parameters’ values. This advanced visual feedback makes performing with the APC40 focused more on the music and less on squinting at the computer screen. In fact, you might even forget that the computer is there!

I've never quite understood why nobody had built a viable control surface for Live before. It's a wildly successful package that screams out for hardware control. There seems to be a large enough installed base. There's seemingly a post every other week with someone inquiring about such a beast. Yet until now, nothing. It looks like Akai did it just about right, as well. We won't really know until the unit ships in May...or until we read some pre-release reviews. Sigh...the timing of it all! More on Ableton's site.

Ableton also announced an integration with Max/MSP and Live 8. All sounds very cool, but I'm trying to simplify my software use on the Mac. I know, doesn't sound like me...

Virus TI2 and OS3

Access Music is in the process of a mild update on their synthesizer hardware to TI2, but the cool thing is the new version of the TI operating system:

We is pleased to announce the immediate availability of the Virus TI2 series. The successor of the acclaimed range of totally integrated synthesizers adds 25% more calculating power and sports a redesigned housing and front panel. We also used new materials to bring down the weight of the keyboard versions. On the software side of things, a major feature update, OS3, will be available by the time you read this. The new operating system adds several new FX such as a Tape Delay, Frequency Shifter and several new Distortion algorithms along with a new feature called Character.

Character allows you to adjust the overall tone of a preset reminiscent of several vintage and well-known synthesizers. In addition you can emphasis certain aspects of the patch to allow it to cut better through the mix, or fade it into the background with an extra-wide stereo field.

The new distortions were built from scratch and feature an extreme dynamic range along with sophisticated controls to tailor the sound to your specific needs. They can add everything from warm, tube-like overtones to complete sonic deconstruction more reminiscent of circuit-bending. The new algorithms also include a revamped bit and sampling-rate reduction, allowing you to change the quality and cutoff point with precise, continuously variable control.

The stereo Frequency Shifter and the new Ring Modulator are state of the art algorithms modelled with old '70s stomp boxes in mind.

The Tape Delay goes way beyond the possibilities of the real Tape Delays in the '60s and '70s. It smoothly syncs to tempo, lets you decide if a Doppler effect takes place when changing the tempo, and even switching the delay time between presets is all smooth, making it perfect for performers. Last but not least, a modification to the main "VCA" algorithm enables OS3 users to design gating FX known from electro and minimal influenced music.

Virus Control has received a completely redesigned user-interface thanks to various improvement requests over the last years. The plug-in now features a side chain input allowing you to mangle audio from a sequencer track with the FX and sound engine of the hardware Virus (for selected hosts only). The best news, however, is that OS3 is compatible with all legacy Virus TIs and the Virus TI Snow, thus enabling Access' vast user base to update their existing instruments with all the new software features totally free of charge.

OS3 will be available immediately. The Virus TI2, which comes in the following flavours will also be available shortly after NAMM.

The nicest thing about this? That the new OS will run on the first generation TI hardware. Unlike many manufacturers (and some previous actions of Access) they have not abandoned their earlier customers. So far TI has proven to be a real platform for Access and their users. We've seen significant updates (support for additional I/O channels over USB, new capabilities like the Atomizer, and now these goodies). Again, very cool.

Pictures and videos can be found on the Access Music site.

Flashback: Hampshire Jam 7

I've been a fan of so-called "Berlin School" electronic music since discovering Tangerine Dream's "Stratosfear", Klaus Schulze, Jean Michel Jarre, etc. in my teens. I bought a modular synth a couple of years ago and through the community of modular users/musicians I found that Berlin School is alive and well...largely in the hands of new(er) practitioners. Some of it is really quite stunning.

So last year I decided to make the trek over to England in November to experience an event called Hampshire Jam: a day-long festival dedicated (more or less) to Berlin School EM. The big motivator was the fact that Mark Shreeve's Redshift and Ian Boddy would both be performing. The former representing the height of form for Moog sequencer-driven Berlin School and the latter being an accomplished creator of many forms of electronica (and on that day playing both solo and as part of Redshift).

The event was truly more than I could have imagined. Rather than give a full review, I'll just provide some personal highlights.

I arrived early, while the musicians were setting up. I managed to sneak in and take some snaps. Due to the specialist nature of the musical genre, it's something of a "club". So I didn't stand out TOO much (I'd like to think). I did feel like a real interloper after awhile, though, so I slithered back outside until the doors opened proper.

Sitting awash in live Berlin School by the likes of Free System Projekt for hours was amazing in its own right. I've been a fan of Ian Boddy for some time but seeing him perform live took it to another level. And the Redshift set was a real treat. Not just to see Mark Shreeve, Ian Boddy and Julian Shreeve do their thing live. But because when Mark started having trouble with his big Moog modular they (literally) rocked out to two older MS numbers from the 90's. It's an odd and wonderful treat to see a fully electronic band do its own version of head banging!

Afterward I had the pleasure of meeting both Mark and Ian, who were each quite approachable and pleasant. They did seem to be a bit surprised that an American would come over for the event. Mark asked me if it was worth it, even with the Moog breaking down! When I told him I had a "dotcom" modular, he quipped "That might have worked!!!". Great guy. It's always nice when your "heroes" turn out to be good people on top of being talented.

You can find my photos from the event here.

And here are a few short videos I took:

On The Air

Ok, so after talking for years about starting this blog I'm finally doing it. I work in the software industry, but I've long held a desire to blog about my music interests. And perhaps other non-work things. We shall see.

So why am I blogging about music? Because I'm an obsessive enthusiast. ;-) I actively listen to a reasonably broad range of things; these days mostly classical, jazz, progressive rock and electronic. I also experiment with electronic music, and am--well--a synthesizer junkie. I've put together a project studio just for fun. 

So I imagine that I'll blog about music I run across, concerts I go to, synth stuff I find interesting, and perhaps a thing or two about my EM experiments. 

I'm also going to try to Twitter whatever I'm listening to, just for my own amusement. I thought about maintaining a "heavy rotation list" at the side of my blog but quickly realized that was too static to be interesting. So now I can literally Twitter it all. We'll see how long THAT lasts.

Thanks for listening,

GVH