New Serge Creature and M-Class Pages are up...

The Serge Modular pages I've been working on for the Creature and M-Class Panels are now online and can all be reached from the title link.

...only the Creature and M-Class pages are new at the moment but there are more in-progress so I've given Serge-related pages their own index.

Have fun!

http://www.carbon111.com/serge_index.html

Matris Terra Ultionis

If you have been following the blog over the past couple of months you should be familiar with the work of Richard Lainhart and Todd Barton (vgermuse). You will recall the Buchla 200e compositions from Richard posted here and the Akai EVI compositions from Todd posted here. You might also recall Daddio of Tapewarm from these posts.

After hearing the brilliant compositions by Richard and Todd, Daddio contacted them about creating a new composition, a mash-up of sorts, featuring their works and his. They gave him the ok and Matris Terra Ultionis is the result. You can listen to it here.

part one features:
metaliton, buchla2Crop, eviExtended, and buchlaStormBirds.
mixed with WarStorm samples and an old waterphone recording

part two:
Thonk and SlowEvolution
w/more WarStorm samples and Launch

part three:
Orchestra of the Damned, SpaceMetal, buchlaDemo2, buchlaDrumSolo, eviSerge and eviSerge2
yet more from Warstorm and My Hydrogen Gas Tank

Regarding the sources of the compositions:
Thonk and Orchestra of the Damned are from Richard.
200e/Haken continuum

WarStorm, Launch and My Hydrogen Gas Tank are Daddio's compositions.
He used a Doepfer modular, twin Kaoss pads and a waterphone along with a boatload of samples.

All other files are Todd's: metaliton, buchla2Crop, eviExtended, and buchlaStormBirds, SpaceMetal, buchlaDemo2, buchlaDrumSolo, eviSerge and eviSerge2.

Serge Creature - First Impressions

On Friday afternoon, I recieved a prototype Creature from Sound Transform Systems ((262) 367-3030) and was able to spend all weekend working with it. (click on the image for a LARGE picture of it)

First, let me say it is not a "mini-Animal" though it is a small standalone modular in its own right (also a good "core" to build on for a larger system) - its featureset and usability are quite different to the Animal but no less useful or fun. In fact I had an absolute blast with this little guy!

It was easy to get self-generating rhythms and tonal landscapes going as well as total chaos. More "traditional" music is possible but probably not the Creature's forte - The Animal might be a better choice if you want to play equal-tempered music on the Serge. That said, I was still able to get some very nice lead sounds and basses that tracked properly for more than three octaves. The TimeGen Oscillator is an extremely flexible function block but it is not a one-to-one replacement for a PCO. It does, however, track quite a bit better than a DSG used as an audio oscillator.

The TGO was a joy to work with. The left side as an audio oscillator provided a warm melange for the filter to chew on and the right side, while more suited to LFO and enveloping, was no slouch in the audio realm either and could be locked to the pitch of the left side while having its timbre modulated from another source, say the top half of the Smooth/Stepped Generator patched to act as a triangle wave LFO. Its easy to see why Rex Probe characterized the left and right function cells of the TGO as female and male voices...very poetic but very appropriate! :D

The updates to the circuitry of the VCFQ filter were subtle but very noticeable...it was much easier to get tube-type harmonic warmth just by nudging the gain control. The feedback and overdrive characteristics have been tweaked to be more "musical" in my opinion. The filter itself is a wonderful source of percussion via the trig input.

At one point I had a self generating percussion patch that had four major components to the sound, including "bass" and "snare" though it was based on feedback and modulation...I could set a monsterous rhythmic pulse train but it wasn't something that "wanted" to be controlled! ;) This is a good thing BTW! While capable of being "tamed", the Creature would be a natural for Glitch and Noise...or just as a component of something larger, paired with a Gator or sequencer in an M-boat. The mind boggles!

The thing that floored me was the sheer amount and diversity of sound I got out of this thing. To say the Creature has a large palette would be selling it short - its flexibility of timbre is nothing less than shocking. It fits in well here and will get used quite a lot I think. Look for it as a major component in some new songs of mine in the upcoming weeks.

I'm currently at work on a Creature webpage and will give a shout-out when its up.

For those who want an intro to the Serge Modular, please check out my current Serge-related pages:

http://www.carbon111.com/serge.html

http://www.carbon111.com/animal.html

Robert Rich @ PARTIKEL March 1st

www.partikel-series.com

The Partikel Series features electronic musicians and visual artists
performing in a theatrical setting.

Partikel Two features internationally known electronic musician Robert Rich along with opening performances by Laura Escudé w/Kathie Talbot and Lake of Sleep. An amazing visual performance by video artists Momo the Monster and Optical Light Pipe is planned as well. All taking place in the modern theatre of the Goethe Institut.

Since seats are limited to 100, I recommend you purchase tickets at the Partikel site as soon as possible.

www.partikel-series.com

Partikel Two:
Saturday Night, March 1st, 2008
8pm to 11pm
with reception afterward

Venue:
Goethe Institut
5750 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 100
Los Angeles, CA 90036, USA

Admission:
$15
free parking
refreshments available

Musicians:
Robert Rich www.robertrich.com
Laura Escudé www.lauraescude.com
featuring Kathie Talbot www.kathietalbot.com
Lake of Sleep www.myspace.com/somnii

Visual Artists:
Momo the Monster www.momothemonster.com
Optical Light Pipe www.opticallightpipe.com
_________________
Peace,
Jim

www.sequenox.com

Ruin w/Black live performance

Ruin and Black will be doing a live collaboration performance at http://ruinsite.com/live.html at 8pm EST tonight.
Post title links there.
Gear used: MPC 2000xl, Kore 2, Er-1, Bent TR505 and various effects.
Minimal Glitch Techno.

Future Retro Revolution running through Electribe MX Effects