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Messages - ffcal

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21
Other Ambient (and related) Music / Re: Constance Demby
« on: January 14, 2014, 08:16:53 AM »
Quote from: Steve Lazur on January 13, 2014, 04:24:36 PM
Constance with her Space Bass ...

http://www.constancedemby.com/instruments.html


Cool.  It looks like a large scale version of Robert Rutman's steel cello:

Bob Rutman Steel Cello


Forrest

22
Forum Member Projects News and Promotion / Re: Relaxed Machinery News
« on: January 13, 2014, 12:18:03 PM »
Sounds like you have a really nice line-up teed up, John.  Congratulations.  I've been enjoying Zero Ohms' 369 release on rM recently.

Forrest

23
Other Ambient (and related) Music / Re: el culto News: K. Wiese/M. Grassow/T. Weiss/Nautic Depths/Submental/El Hadra...
« on: January 01, 2014, 03:49:50 PM »
Quote from: drone on on January 01, 2014, 03:24:52 PM
Finally on "Calibration", an entire track was taken from the previously released album "Perfume" by Klaus Wiese.

Oh geez.  That's really disappointing to read.  :(

This is very disappointing to hear.  I like what I've heard of his more recent releases.  I remember that on an early album ("In Search of Sanity," I think) he used an extended sample from one of Steve Roach's early 90s albums without getting clearance first.

Forrest

24
Music Gearheads Tech Talk / Re: The Buchla Music Easel Ships
« on: December 21, 2013, 05:01:25 PM »
Quote from: LNerell on December 21, 2013, 01:26:10 AM
I'm not an expert on the Buchla stuff, but from my understanding the Electronic Music Box was Don's 200 system while it was being sold through CBS. This box we are talking about here was the portable performance version call the Music Easel, basically his version of the Mini Moog. I think its based on three different 200 modules.


Thanks, that's explains it.  Good to see that Subotnick is still active.  His "Touch," "Silver Apples of the Moon," "4 Butterflies" and "Until Spring" releases were favorites of mine in the 70s.  I also remember seeing a metallic Buchla synth prototype at the Exploratorium when I went to see an Eno installation there in the early 90s.

In googling suitcase synthesizers on Google, I came across this interesting page of DIY analog synths from Brazil:

www.recosynth.com

The "Phonedrone" synth, which uses a telephone dial from a rotary phone, looks especially fun:

http://www.recosynth.com/?p=297

Forrest

25
Music Gearheads Tech Talk / Re: The Buchla Music Easel Ships
« on: December 19, 2013, 05:39:42 PM »
Wow.  Almost looks more to me like a Serge than a Buchla.  I interviewed Morton Subotnick in the 70s and the Buchla he was using then looked more metallic and darker than this (though I remember him being credited on his albums as playing an Electronic Music Box, so I'm now confused).

Forrest

26
Forum Member Projects News and Promotion / Re: Putting my music out there for the first time...
« on: December 16, 2013, 10:45:10 PM »
I skipped around a bit, but one thing I noticed is that you tend to favor drones that occupy most of the soundspace.  I would try to dial some of those drones back into the mix so that other voices can poke out a little more clearly.  The high end seems a bit harsh in places.  Was most of this recorded as a realtime improv?  I would also vary the effects settings for each sound you introduce (eg, don't pan all of the echoed sounds from left to right), so that each one sits in a different part of the mix.  Some of the fatter drones seem a little preset-ish; I would try to dial down the LFO-wooshing, but that's just my stylistic preference.

Good luck.

Forrest

27
Now Playing / Re: Currently listening, part 1
« on: December 12, 2013, 09:49:34 PM »
Hakobune - Nebulous Sequences ( a nice one released this fall on Voxxov that some may have overlooked--a double manufactured CD, too)
Aube - Metal De Metal (placed this one for the first time in a while after hearing that the man behind Aube, Akifumi Nakajima, had passed away a few months ago; textural and unique--using only sounds made from metal.  Aube was one of the pioneers of the industrial scene.)

Forrest

28
Other Ambient (and related) Music / Re: Vangelis
« on: December 12, 2013, 03:57:17 PM »
Quote from: Julio Di Benedetto on December 12, 2013, 03:25:52 PM
Im still trying to figure out what all the hieroglyphic type symbols refer to.....a musical language of some sort.

Or maybe a language for varying parameters within a given program??  Or maybe touch pads that activate events in varying degrees, like a Buchla touchpad??

Forrest

29
Music Gearheads Tech Talk / Re: effects - old and new
« on: December 10, 2013, 11:02:59 AM »
Quote from: mgriffin on December 10, 2013, 10:30:28 AM
One possibility opened up by all this processing power we have now is the use of complex multi-effects configurations built by the user. You can build all kinds of crazy sound processing machinery using systems designed for this purpose like Max or Pure Data, or systems designed to be synthesizers with audio input options, such as Reaktor or the Nord Modular.

It's nice to see more options in this area, though I could see how difficult it would be to troubleshoot an increasingly configuration like this, especially in a live setting.

Quote from: mgriffin on December 10, 2013, 10:30:28 AM

Something I've enjoyed doing from time to time for experimental purposes is wiring up a crazy, complex signal chain all through my studio, creating feedback loops along the lines of the things I've seen Eno set up. You have to include compressors or limiters in the loop so the setup doesn't just feedback on itself into an ever-increasing racket. Often this just creates a hum, or a throbbing oscillation, but sometimes it can be useful.

I've done this, too.  I started with the two open reel "Frippertronics" delay approach very early on.  It was fun to do, but the real work came in having to decide on playback what small portion of it might be salvageable.  Sounds generated from internal mixer/effects-related feedback is interesting, too, but your noise floor can ramp up pretty quickly.  One of pioneers in the mixer feedback area was David Myers, who went by the name Arcane Device.  I thought he created some great industrial soundscapes with just a mixer, an occasional effect  and feedback.

Forrest

30
Music Gearheads Tech Talk / Re: Founder of Native Instruments New Hardware Synth
« on: December 09, 2013, 02:14:54 PM »
Julio, physical modelling is cool, but I was thinking of something more basic--using the features of the new box to alter and mangle an acoustic instrument's signal, much like an effects device does, but with much deeper integration within the box's own architecture and processing capabilities.  Something like this can be done in Audiomulch, but it takes a lot processing and memory that might cause things to lock up.  Many years ago, I remember hearing what I thought was a synthesizer turn out to be an electric guitar processed through an ARP or a Moog.  Within the digital realm, I could see the processing possibilities being potentially greater (things like spectral processing).  It's fun to speculate.

Forrest

31
Music Gearheads Tech Talk / Re: Founder of Native Instruments New Hardware Synth
« on: December 09, 2013, 11:19:00 AM »
Immersion said to Paul:  "I find this quest for mediocrity fascinating by the way, you must really like to swim in these waters... "

As you would say, Immersion, this sort of personal attack is "crap" and doesn't belong in this forum.  I've learned from my practice as a lawyer that people only resort to ad hominem attacks when they can't hold up the substantive end of their argument.

Julio, what I've love to see is in the future is more of an integration of treatment of real-time acoustic sound sources (not just loops) with synthesizers within the same box.  I guess Live does some of this, but I'd like to see some hardware synths take this on.

Forrest

32
Everything and Nothing / Re: is all people here artists, where did all people go ?
« on: December 05, 2013, 05:33:44 PM »
Quote from: APK on December 05, 2013, 04:38:45 PM
"I lost track of him after his 'Chariots of Fire' hit."

My thoughts too.

This sounds almost like a thread for bands that may have been cool for a while until they weren't.  A few from the prog era that would come to mind are Gentle Giant, Yes and even the venerable Soft Machine (their last, "Land of Cockayne," is pretty forgettable).

Forrest

33
Everything and Nothing / Re: is all people here artists, where did all people go ?
« on: December 05, 2013, 01:18:38 PM »
Quote from: Scott M2 on December 05, 2013, 12:58:48 PM
OK - I'm not a Vangelis keener - but this video of him playing his setup has some serious "wow" factor.
Wait a minute or two for him to finish his prep on whateverthehellthosemodulesare.

http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2013/12/04/vangelis-and-the-journey-to-ithaka-documentary-now-available/


That's one bad-ass setup.  I remember the more prog side of Vangelis from the early to mid-70s (Earth, Heaven & Hell, Albedo 0.39, Spiral, La Fete Sauvage).  I was impressed with his ability not only to play multiple instruments but to write compositions without any standard notation.  Sure, he has a schmaltzy side, but I think his earlier efforts were more balanced and varied.  My favorites from that time were probably Heaven & Hell (especially the piece with piano and choir) and Albedo.  I lost track of him after his "Chariots of Fire" hit.  Interesting that he was one of the original choices for replacing Rick Wakeman at keyboards before they found Patrick Moraz.

Forrest

34
Music Gearheads Tech Talk / Re: Digital to analog converters
« on: November 27, 2013, 05:22:38 PM »
Quote from: Immersion on November 27, 2013, 05:15:20 PM
[I guess since most people are artists here they have the  need to some kind of self censorship in order to portray their own reputation. So as I said within a certain circle of people in this forum there will never ever been any arguments cause they do not want to risk to to create tension between relations.

Here's a good example of what I'm talking about.  This is just gratuitous and, frankly, speculative junk.

Forrest

35
Music Gearheads Tech Talk / Re: Digital to analog converters
« on: November 27, 2013, 04:47:17 PM »
I think people who have disagreed with you in this thread have said quite a bit more to you than "I have more experience," but you seem not to process what they're saying or just dismiss it out of hand.  Maybe you should re-read some of the responses, especially Paul's detailed ones.  There's no secret society here, but if I were you I wouldn't be too proud about being a contrarian for contrariness' sake.  And no, your tone throughout this thread has been offensive.  If you're seeking some help, you're going about it the wrong way.

Forrest


36
Music Gearheads Tech Talk / Re: Digital to analog converters
« on: November 27, 2013, 04:16:10 PM »
Quote from: Immersion on November 27, 2013, 04:06:59 PM
Quote from: ffcal on November 27, 2013, 03:29:25 PM
Immersion said:

You seem to be getting lost in the details and are not attuned to what some of the more experienced musicians are trying to say to you. 

I think if some one said that to you you would consider such statements proactive.
I wish we could have a coequal discussion, where all people are equally worth, and not people riding on high horses saying things like "I have better experience then you"  it really kills the discussion, and is not really constructive and right.

I said that the years of experience is of no relevance, some people have it in them some have not, so to make this into some kind of competition who has released most albums and how have been working with certain audio in certai amount of years I find really provocative and arrogant.  People use it as their main argument that they have certain years of experience so for that reason everything they say is above others,  there is so many artists out there who have been working all life so years of experience say really zero to be honest.  Some one achieve the same results in 1 year then the other person achieve in 30 years in terms of sound quality  and production.

I think the people responding to your thread have for the most part been very restrained and I think most of the fire has been coming from your direction.  I certainly haven't been talking down to you and tried to give you constructive feedback on a piece you posted to the forum.  The only biting comments seem to be coming from people who seem frustrated by the generalizations in your responses.  Did you ever consider that maybe in your defensiveness you're overcompensating for insecurities about your own inexperience?  The best defense is not always an offense.

One other nontechnical word of advice--getting some musical training in performing or music theory, if you don't have some already, will benefit you in the long run.

Finally, while I know you're trying, some of your sentences do not flow well grammatically and at times it can difficult to understand what you're saying.

Forrest

37
Music Gearheads Tech Talk / Re: Digital to analog converters
« on: November 27, 2013, 03:29:25 PM »
Immersion said:

"There is a lot of talk about 10 years of experience, and 15 years of experience it is really  not anything that is revelation to the discussion there is a lot of artists that have life long careers, as a musician and producer is a lot about your taste and sense of audio , some one have it some have not.  Of course I understand you did might not say it directely but indirectly, the whole general attitude seemed to be that you could get away with bad equipment with the right skills.. I told many times this correct but to a certain level, to beyond a certain thresold you really need more then good skills you also need good tools and equipments."

Seems like you haven't been reading with others have been saying.  As Mike and others have said already, no-one is advocating the use of "bad" equipment with the "right" skills.  You seem to be getting lost in the details and are not attuned to what some of the more experienced musicians are trying to say to you.  One of things I have learned through the years is that you will learn more if you approach your craft with more humility and appreciate that will always be much that you don't know and possibly will never know.  The alternative is to resonate within your own echo chamber, but I suspect that that is not the result you're seeking.

Good luck.

Forrest

38
Music Gearheads Tech Talk / Re: Thoughts on the zither?
« on: November 26, 2013, 05:34:35 PM »
Quote from: mgriffin on November 26, 2013, 05:28:03 PM
A better title for this topic would have been "Whither the zither?"

Or how about, "dither on the zither?"

Forrest

39
Music Gearheads Tech Talk / Re: Thoughts on the zither?
« on: November 26, 2013, 05:33:32 PM »
Quote from: Castleview on November 26, 2013, 05:26:58 PM
I saw a couple of tremoloas available on ebay recently. They weren't as expensive as I expected but then again, there's probably not a huge demand for them. Hadn't heard of the other two but I looked them up and they seem like cool instruments. I've never played a bowed instrument before though.

They sound a bit like bowed psaltry, only a little fuller.  One thing to keep in mind is, at least with the older ones, they are very difficult to tune and to keep in tune.  Helps to have perfect or relative pitch, too.

Forrest

40
Music Gearheads Tech Talk / Re: Thoughts on the zither?
« on: November 26, 2013, 05:13:30 PM »
Quote from: Castleview on November 26, 2013, 04:48:30 PM
Yeah, the strings do sustain themselves well. It's like they have a little bit of a natural reverb. I like to go pretty light with the EQ as well. Stripping out all the midrange on a zither recording is not a good thing.

Do you have any other zithers besides the guzheng?

Yes, I have an ukelin, a pianolin and tremeloa.  Fun to play/improvise on them, but my takes using them don't always make it to the final cut.  I used an ukelin on the opening cut on :Animism" (Tailing Wind).

Forrest

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