Recent interview with me at freemusicarchive.org on Creative Commons, Disquiet Junto, and more • Projects: Instagr/am/bient + LX(RMX): Lisbon Remixed • Key Topics: #sound-art, #classical, #generative • How to Submit for Review • Elsewhere: Twitter (Disquiet + Junto), SoundCloud (Disquiet + Junto).

Listening to art. Playing with audio. Sounding out technology. Composing in code.

tag: iphone

“Alternative Musical Interfaces”: Disquiet @ GAFFTA (San Francisco, September 19)

Panel discussion at the new media hub

[ July 10, 2012 / Department: field notes / Comment: 1 ]

On Wednesday, September 19, there’s a panel discussion in San Francisco at the Grey Area Foundation for the Arts on “Alternative Musical Interfaces,” and I’ll be serving as moderator.

The panelists include the highly talented trio of Michael Zbyszyński (mikezed.com), Peter Nyboer (see his bayimproviser.com entry), and Spencer Salazar (see his ccrma.stanford.edu page) — more on whom at gaffta.org.

It’s all under the auspices of GAFFTA’s Sound Research Group. GAFFTA is located at 923 Market St, Suite 200, which is between 5th and 6th Streets. The event runs from 7:00pm until 8:30. Tickets are $20, but GAFFTA has a solid “no one turned away for lack of funds” policy.

I’m excited to be headed back to GAFFTA. I last took part in a discussion there in August 2011, when I presented some thoughts on “Sound as Commentary.”

Update (2012.07.25): The following description of the event has been added to the GAFFTA page at gaffta.org:

We’ve seen many shifts in ways to control sound over the millenia; everything from animal skins and bones to hacked Game Boys and everywhere in between. We find ourselves positioned at an interesting point in time for how we manipulate sound in a post-instrument world. The topic of alternative musical interfaces has been discussed by those attempting to redefine how we’ve shaped sound since the tribal era, but the discourse seems to be thriving. We’ve brought together three specialists (see below) who have dedicated large portions of their lives to the noble task of constructing new musical interfaces and pushing musicians to interact with their instruments in new and different fashions. The object of this evening is to gather together those interested in redefining our physical relationship to sounds and music. If you are interested in audio we recommend that you come join in the discussion with us.
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Non-Experimental Experimental Music (MP3)

A beat that explores the iPad app DM-1

[ June 9, 2012 / Department: downstream / Comment: 1 ]

Some of the most enjoyable work on SoundCloud is of the experimental variety, but that’s not necessarily “experimental” as in “noises that push the limits of a listener’s comprehension of music.” It’s often simply experimental in the sense of an experiment on the part of the musician: trying something new, whether that be a new piece of music, a new instrument, or a new approach, or perhaps all at the same tine. Take “Ex the Extrax” by freesoulsound, aka Gerren Grant. The piece is a straightforward but thoroughly engaging bit of bippy downtempo rhythmic play. Part of its pleasure is its lack of intended utility — it isn’t the backing track to a vocal cut; it’s simply a rhythm beating like a sonar, exploring the user-interface caverns of a new piece of software.

Track originally posted for free download at soundcloud.com/freesoulsound. More on the DM-1 at fingerlab.net.

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Disquiet Junto Project 0020: App Beat

The Assignment: Make a piece of music with the NodeBeat app and one other instrument.

[ May 26, 2012 / Department: downstream / Leave a comment ]

Each Thursday evening at the Disquiet Junto group on Soundcloud.com a new compositional challenge is set before the group’s members, who then have just over four days to upload a track in response to the assignment. Membership to the Junto is open: just join and participate.

This project marked the 20th week in a row of the Disquiet Junto. I had wanted for some time to employ an app in the projects, since the mobile app is, in many ways, the definition of creative restraint: each app has its own self-contained set of rules and tools, and they don’t inherently play well with each other all that often. The creators of NodeBeat were generous to provide free download codes for iOS users, and it is also available for Android, Blackberry and, in a more limited rendition, Flash. More on the app at nodebeat.com.

The assignment was made late in the day on Thursday, May 17, with 11:59pm on the following Monday, May 21, as the deadline. View a search return for all the entries: disquiet0020-nodebeat. As of this writing, there are 46 tracks associated with the tag.

These are the instructions that went to the participants:

Deadline: Monday, May 21, at 11:59pm wherever you are.

Each Disquiet Junto project explores the role that restraints can play as a springboard to creativity and productivity. This specific project explores the inherent creative limits of a mobile app. All participants will employ the same app to complete the project.

Everyone working on this project will use two instruments. One of those instruments will be NodeBeat, an app available for iOS (iPhone, Touch, iPad), for Android, for Blackberry, and as a cross-platform (Flash) implementation. The other will be an instrument of the participant’s choice; this second instrument should fall into the broadly defined category of “traditional” — i.e., a keyboard, a guitar, woodwind, percussion, etc. More on NodeBeat at nodebeat.com.

(Please note: the NodeBeat app is not free, but it is inexpensive, between 99 cents and four dollars, depending on which platform you use. Also, there is a free, though more limited, version for desktop/laptop use. And I also have 25 free codes for the iPhone/Touch and 25 for the iPad, available on a semi-first-come basis, weighted a bit for folks who have already participated in a Junto project. Shoot me an email at marc@disquiet.com if you’d like one.)

The project employs three steps:

Step 1: Create a piece of music to your liking in NodeBeat.

Step 2: Record a segment of that music no shorter than 30 seconds and no longer than four minutes.

Step 3: Use that segment as the basis for a track employing one additional instrument.

Additional techniques are certainly allowed, including editing/transformation of the NodeBeat audio and of the second instrument. However, the NodeBeat audio and the second instrument should retain some semblance of recognizability.

Length: Please keep the length of your piece to between two and four minutes.

Information: Please when posting your track on SoundCloud include a description of your process in planning, composing, and recording it.

Title/Tag: When adding your track to the Disquiet Junto group on Soundcloud.com, please include the term “disquiet0020-nodebeat” in the title of your track, and as a tag for your track.

Download: As always, you don’t have to set your track for download, but it would be preferable.

Linking: When you post your track, please include this information:

This track employs the app NodeBeat, created by Seth Sandler, Justin Windle, and Laurence Muller. More information on NodeBeat at nodebeat.com.

More details on the Disquiet Junto at:

http://soundcloud.com/groups/disquiet-junto/info

The project also included the instructions translated into Turkish and Spanish respectively by M. Emre Meydan and Norma Listman:

Instructions in Turkish:

Disquiet Junto Projesi 0020: App Beat

Talimatlar:

Son Teslim Tarihi: 21 Mayıs pazartesi, 23:59 (bulundugunuz ulkenin saatine gore)

Her Disquiet Junto projesi, kisitlamalarin yaraticilik ve uretkenlik uzerindeki tetikleyici etkilerini kesfetmeye yoneliktir. Bu seferki proje, bir mobil uygulamanin yaratici limitlerini arastiriyor. Tum katilimcilar ayni uygulamayi kullanacaklar.

Bu proje uzerinde calisan herkes iki enstruman kullanacak. Bunlardan ilki NodeBeat adinda bir uygulama – iOS (iPhone, Touch, iPad), Android, Blackberry, ve platformlar-arasi bir Flash uygulamasi versiyonlari mevcut. Diger enstruman ise katilimcinin sectigi bir enstruman olacak, bu ikinci enstrumanin “geleneksel” diyebilecegimiz bir kategoriden olmasi gerekiyor: klavye, gitar, uflemeli calgi, perkusyon vs gibi. Nodebeat hakkinda daha fazla bilgi icin nodebeat.com.

(Nodebeat uygulamasi ucretsiz degil ama ucuz, hangi platformu kullandiginiza bagli olarak fiyati 99cent ile 4 dolar arasinda degisiyor. Ayrica masaustu/laptop bilgisayarlar icin ucretsiz ama daha kisitli bir versiyonu da mevcut. Elimde 25 adet iPhone/Touch icin, 25 adet de iPad icin ucretsiz kod var, bana ilk ulasanlara bu kodlari dagitacagim, onceki Junto projelerine katilmis olanlara oncelik saglanacak. Eger ilgileniyorsaniz bana mail atin: marc@disquiet.com )

Bu proje uc asamadan olusuyor:

  1. Adim: NodeBeat uygulamasinda istediginiz gibi bir muzik yaratin.

  2. Adim: Bu muzikten en az 30 saniye, en fazla 4 dakikalik bir bolum kaydedin.

  3. Adim: Yaptiginiz bu kaydin uzerine sectiginiz ikinci enstrumani ekleyin.

Elbette ek teknikler kullanabilirsiniz, bunlara NodeBeat’in ya da ikinci enstrumanin sesini degistirmek/donusturmek de dahil. Fakat NodeBeat ve ikinci enstrumanin sesi taninabilir halde kalmali.

Uzunluk: Lutfen yaptiginiz parcanin uzunlugunu 2-4 dakika arasinda tutun.

Bilgi: Lutfen yaptiginiz parcayi paylasirken, bu parcanin planlama, besteleme ve kayit sureci ile ilgili bilgi de verin.

Isim / Tag: Yaptiginiz parcayi Soundcloud.com’daki Disquiet Junto grubuna eklerken, lutfen “disquiet0020-nodebeat” kelimesini hem parcanin isminde, hem de tag olarak kullanin.

Download: Her zamanki gibi; parcanizin indirilebilir olmasi gerekmiyor, ama oyle olmasi tercih edilir.

Linkler: Yaptiginiz parcayi paylasirken, lutfen su bilgiyi ekleyin:

This track employs the app NodeBeat, created by Seth Sandler, Justin Windle, and Laurence Muller. More information on NodeBeat at nodebeat.com.

More details on the Disquiet Junto at:

http://soundcloud.com/groups/disquiet-junto/info

Instructions in Spanish:
Disquiet Junto Proyecto 0020: Aplicación Ritmo

Instrucciones:

Fecha limite: Lunes 21 de Mayo a las 11:59pm del lugar donde te encuentres.

Los proyectos de Disquiet Junto exploran el rol de las restrixiones y como estas son un trampolin hacia la creatividad y la productividad. Este proyecto en particular explora lis limites creativos y los que desemboca una aplicación para telefonos celulares. Todos los participantes deberan usar la misma aplicación.

Todos deberan usar dos instrumentos. Uno de los instrumentos es NodeBeat, una aplicación disponible para iOS (Iphone, Touch o iPad), Andreoides o Blackberrys y para implementar como una plataforma alternativa (Flash). El otro instrumento sera de tu eleccion y debera “caer” dentro de la categiria de tradicional, por ejemplo –guitarra, percucion, piano, etc.

Para mas informacion acerca de NodeBeat ve a nodebeat.com.

Favor de tomar en cuenata que NodeBeat no es gratis, sinembago es muy barato de 99 centavos a 4 dolares, dependiendo de la plataforma que uses. Tambien hay una, pero mal limitada que se gratis para computadoras o laptops. Tambien tengo disponibles 25 codigos gratuitos para iPhone/Touch y 25 mas para iPad, e participado en Disquiet Junto antes y se los dare a los primeros en contactarme (marc@disquiet.com).

Pasos:

1) Crear una pieza musical usando NodeBeat. 2) Graba un segmento de esa pieza de un minimo de 30 segundos y un maximo de 4 minutos. 3) Usa ese segmento como la base para una nueva pieza, pero ahora agregando un instrumento.

Puedes usar tecnicas adicionales como edicion/transformacion del audio en NodeBeat, asi como de el segundo instrumento. Lo unico que te pedimos es que ambas alteraciones deberan retener semejanza a la pieza original.

Duración: Favor de mantener tu pieza de dos a cuatro minutos.

Información: Incluir una descripcion de tu proceso de planeacion, composicion, y grabacion.

Titulo: Porfavor incluye el termino “disquiet0020-nodebeat” en el titulo de tu track cuando lo subas al grupo Disquiet Junto en Soundcloud.com, tambien usalo como tu tag cuando lo quieras busacar.

Descarga: Es preferible que tu mezcla se pueda descargar, pero no es necesario ( es tu decision).

Enlaces: Cuando subas tu track, por favor incluye la siguiente información:

Esta grabacion usa la aplicación NodeBeat, created by Seth Sandler, Justin Windle y Laurence Muller. Para mas informacion ve a nodebeat.com

Mas informacion en Disquiet Junto:

http://soundcloud.com/groups/disquiet-junto/info

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Instagr/am/bient: 25 Sonic Postcards

25 ambient musicians respond to one another’s evocative Instagram photos.

[ December 28, 2011 / Department: projects / Comments: 43 ]

25 ambient musicians created original sonic postcards in response to one another’s evocative Instagram photos.

An Introduction to Instagr/am/bient:

Photos shared with the popular software Instagram are usually square in format, not unlike the cover to a record album. The format leads inevitably to a question: if a given image were the cover to a record album, what would the album’s music sound like?

Instagr/am/bient is a response to that question. The project involves 25 musicians with ambient inclinations. Each of the musicians contributed an Instagram photo, and in turn each of the musicians recorded an original track in response to one of the photos contributed by another of the project’s participants. The tracks are sonic postcards. They are pieces of music whose relative brevity—all are between one and three minutes in length—is designed to correlate with the economical, ephemeral nature of an Instagram photo.

The result of the 25 musicians’ collective efforts is an investigation into the intersection of technology, aesthetics, and artistic process. What parallels exist, for example, between the visual filters that Instagram provides users to transform their photos and the sound-processing tools employed by electronic musicians?

In many cases here, the musicians employ sonic field recordings as source material for their music. In the case of both their photos and their compositions (photography in one case, phonography in the other), documents are altered to emphasize their atmospheric qualities: to eke a modest art out of the everyday.

Thumbnails of the 25 Images:

The full collection is also streaming at soundcloud.com/disquiet.

The 25 MP3s are downloadable for free individually and as a Zip file at archive.org.

Download a 58-page PDF with full-page reproductions of the images and additional information on all the participating musicians: PDF.

A Disquiet.com Project Commissioned by Marc Weidenbaum

Design/Boondesign.com Cover Photo/Brian Scott

This project in no way intends to imply any formal association with Instagram.

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Fragments from the iMaschine (MP3)

[ October 17, 2011 / Department: downstream / Leave a comment ]

Small software, small experiments, small files. Mike Rotondo recently tweeted a new recording, and it turned out to be 35 seconds of beat bliss. Arguably shorter than that, given its loop-based construction — and arguably longer, given its inherent temptation to be set on loop for an extended period of time.

Titled “Flip Throw In,” it has the feel of a hip-hop production waiting for vocalists, but one secretly more than happy to keep the pace all by itself. There’s a robot heartbeat of a pulse, and what appears to be a sample of piano. Not only does the looseness of the analog piano recording align at best roughly, and therefore rewardingly, with the tensile routine of the tiny beat — so, too, does the lush low fidelity of the recording, a kind of muslin filter, pair against the beat’s pixel precision. The result is promising: a little of J Dilla’s underkey metrics, a little of Kanye West’s alchemical ability to turn sloppy into louche, a little of DJ Premier’s fetish for imperfect ivories. “Flip Throw In” was recorded in an inexpensive iOS app called iMaschine that its developer describes as a “beat sketchpad,” pictured up top. From little things, lovely little things grow.

Track originally posted at Rotondo’s soundcloud.com/treehouses account. More on iMaschine at native-instruments.com.

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