[ Hypnos Forum ]

it was great meeting you, too, Forrest- and there certainly was a lot of music this past weekend!  Forrest is too kind to mention this, but he had the rare "honor" of sitting next to me during Stephan Micus' (incredible beyond words) set and, halfway through, watching me weep like a disgraced televangelist.  I've been an admirer of the guy's music for tens of years, and knew a little of what to expect, but he went WAY beyond that. 

Jeff, you’re right, Stephan’s set was really special.  His playing on two flutes was mesmerizing.  The only thing I could imagine would have been ever better is if he had whipped out his flower pots or played those deeply resonant stones from his “Music of Stones” CD.

Jeff didn’t mention that he also pulled double duty by playing some sterling e-bowed and glissandoed electric guitar during the second half of Tim Story’s set.  It was great to hear Tim’s music in a live setting, too.  Jeff’s own set was great, too—wall o’ sound BIG guitar through his arsenal of effects and looping devices.  Steve and Robert were at the top of their game, too.  Pleasant dreams, Jeff!

Hats off to Stephen and Leyla for a memorable event and for coming through with a live webcast as well.

Forrest

Didn't see a post for this, but the AMBIcon concerts will be on Livestream this weekend:

AMBIcon2013 - live streaming video powered by Livestream

I'll plan to attend 3 of the 4 shows, assuming that my ears don't fall off.

Forrest

Oophoi - Signals from the Great Beyond (The Complete Recordings), monumental album from the Master, enough said.

Yes, it's a great one, especially Disc 1.  It was one of the last recordings I obtained from Gigi.

Forrest

Though I prefer the more experimental (neé electronic) approaches of their post 80s phase(s)

Wire made some great off-kilter pop during that period, too.  Kidney Bingos and Eardrum Buzz were up there with my favorites.

Forrest

What I would like is something that can replicate my old 1 or 2 minute tape loops on a reel to reel with an added switch to turn the erase head off. Any suggestions?

Well, there's Ambiloop (for WIndows), which was created by Chris MacDonald of Telomere fame:

http://www.ambiloop.com/index.html

I haven't tried it, but it always looked interesting.

Forrest

I could see a reasonable point being made that analogue recording gear or maybe certain special vintage effects like an old EchoPlex or Leslie might be more desirable than its virtual equivalent, but for many of us with limited budgets, the additional expense and maintenance expense may not be worth it.  I certainly miss the tape saturation made possible by my TEAC open-reel and DBX analog compression.

I agree that having too many options can be an issue, as well as not taking the time to learn what about what you already have, because of the chase for the latest new processor or plugin.  But I also like to have at least some options, so it don't think it's necessarily a matter of selecting one approach over another.

I still have my first synth (MS-20) and my first processor (Electro-Harmonix Echoflanger), but that may have more to do sentimentality or laziness than a love for "vintage" sound.

Forrest

Hi Loren,

That's true, the unique sound and presence of an analog synth can't really be virtualized.  I'm a lot less hung up on polyphony now, though I like to have it as an option.  In the early 80s, my choices for polyphony were severely limited by my student budget.  I wish there were more microtonal keyboard options today.

Forrest

Ive been listening to Telomere's latest, Lux Primordia and its a real nice one.  No huge surprises, but lots of Serge and other analog goodness.  (Note:  it, unlike previous Telomere releases is a CDR, but I have no huge problem with this, especially given the current lack of adequate market support for most physical releases).

Forrest

The prices seem reasonable to me.  This type of festival is unusual, and I don't think I've ever heard of a Michael Stearns or Tim Story performance at all, much less one in the Bay Area.  I'll probably go to at least the Saturday shows, as I've spoken to Jeff Pearce and corresponded with Tim Story in the 80s when we we both started music-making, but have not met either of them.  I also want to show my support for Stephen and his show, which has been on so long, it's easy to take for granted.  At least John Boswell and Bill Douglas aren't headliners (if you know what I mean).

Forrest

This relative lack of programmability for analog synths gives me a new respect for EM pioneers like Larry Fast, Wendy Carlos and Isao Tomita, who were still able to develop a distinctive style and sound from analog gear.  I had better luck preserving my settings for the MS-20 than for the Moog, but it was far from easy.  I couldn't imagine doing something like that for the Serge.

Forrest