single original sound played live on the nord wave

range of emotion

This track was created as part of the MCRP (Monome Community Remix Project) 9a to help raise awareness and donations for earthquake relief in Japan. If you can, please tell your friends about this track and donate in any way you can. One way to donate is via http://www.redcross.org/
Created using the following recordings by Micah Frank

- Magnitude 5.0 - NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN 2011 March 11 15-46-01 UTC
- Magnitude 5.4 - OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN 2011 March 11 17-32-13 UTC
- Magnitude 5.5 - OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN 2011 March 11 16-11-26 UTC

A little more information on how this was created for those who are interested.

Micah Frank's Tectonic project has been monitoring earthquakes around the world for some time and sonify them (turning their data into sound.) His web site can explain in much more detail how he creates the audio from raw earthquake data. http://micahfrank.com/tagged/tectonic

A monomer named lokey had the idea to turn Micah's work into the next Monome Community Remix Project to raise awareness and try to put together a collection of tracks that could be used to entice listeners to donate to help relief efforts in Japan. This is one of the tracks that will eventually be pulled together with others as a complete statement.

As my part, I chose 3 of Micah's tracks (listed above) and built a max/msp patch to realize the piece you hear, Slow Motion. I created the patch on Saturday morning and tweaked it throughout the day. I started out with 3 buffer~ objects, one for each of Micah's samples. I then coded each buffer to play a section of itself for between 1 and 3 seconds in a loop. Each time the buffer looped it adjusted the cutoff frequency and resonance of a biquad~ filter to give it some movement. The 5.5 magnitude sample also modulates itself with random values from a phasor~ object. In order you hear the 5.0, 5.4 then 5.5 magnitude samples.

The melody you hear throughout the piece is one repeating 56 beat loop, created via a live.step~ object, from Aalto by Madrona Labs along with a modulated sine wave playing a random melody. Both tracks use the Japanese Yo scale in the key of D consisting of the notes D, E, G, A and B. The idea here is to give some basis of rhythm but at the same time not allowing the listener to ever feel comfortable with a common structure.

All 5 tracks - the three samples and two melody tracks are then faded in and out at various times throughout the piece using line~ objects. All of this is triggered via a single bang and the piece essentially plays itself, sounding subtly different each time. PSPAudioWare's N2O was used as a "master effect" to provide delay and ambience.

The patch look like this http://yfrog.com/h09mfp

So where is the monome? The idea of this project was to use the sounds realized by Micah and the monome was secondary to the concept. Although I could have easily implemented the monome triggering and manipulating various aspects of the patch, I decided to realize it the way I did. The monome sat by blinking randomly while making this piece.

I hope you enjoy the piece and it gently pokes you to help out Japan in any way you can. Special thanks to Micah and lokey for their work in allowing this project to happen.


MCRP 9a Slow Motion

moist air

mist

Sifting through some older tunes - written Oct, 2008 - enjoy!

1dot3

My original samples from a tongue drum played through the Octatrack with OP-1 drone and also lead. Assembled first, then performed live.
Samples as used in this app: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tongue-drum/id316435992?mt=8



tongue drum

crackling driftwood flames

new hope

for http://soundcloud.com/groups/disquiet-junto/

All sounds except the low repeating pad and the main melody were constructed from a sample of an ice cube being dropped into and swirled around a blue glass. The guitar-like repetitive plucking is ice as is all the percussive elements and underlying ambience. Enjoy!

in blue glass [disquiet0001-ice]

flight

lost but not forgotten

I just finished watching this touching documentary about Alzheimer's patients. This piece was then born as a live improvisation. https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/the-alzheimers-project-the-memory-loss-tapes

the memory loss tapes

Nonlinear Labs C15 + Octatrack

A "lyle mays" sounding solo over an Octatrack semi-glitchy ambient loop

Novation Summit + Octatrack
Ableton Live for mastering and gentle editing

reach

fleece

lemon

two green and one blue

holding

drifting

fractured

I started to play this morning and heard these birds - so I recorded them quickly on the OP-1 and then improvised the piece you hear. Note the little crackles and blurps came from the sampling process as I was fumbling trying to hold the OP-1 out the window. I thought they sounded good - so they stayed.

#digitonekeys #zoia #op1

saturday morning birds

narrows

Also available on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4VoeSrmUPMPCPZJq1xH6mA/

sunday

rain

no pressure

one is too many

for Maizy...the best cat in this or any world.

goodbye

See videos of some of my work on YouTube. Link on profile.

My pieces are mostly improvised, recorded live and minimally post-processed if at all. These primarily short compositions capture a moment - come about quickly - get recorded - then shared. Usually the how and why are lost after the recording stops - never to be repeated again - like the moment that inspired them.

Please listen in headphones or on good speakers. Enjoy!

aheadinclouds

Pinned to spotlight

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