The OM-1 Ondes Magnétique is an elegant little box that uses fluctuations in cassette tape speed to effect otherworldly yet melodic material. This video shows SineRider putting it to use. The layering effect is the result of the OM-1 being played through a “triple delay,” meaning each sequence is heard several times, providing its own gentle, hazy backdrop as it gathers and fades. It’s the latest piece I’ve added to my ongoing YouTube playlist of fine “Ambient Performances.”
For reference, here’s a demo video showing the device put to use on flute, vocal, and other source audio:
Track originally posted at SineRide’s YouTube channel. More from SineRider, aka Devin Powers of Norwood, Massachussets, at sinerider.bandcamp.com, soundcloud.com/sinerider, and twitter.com/SineRider. More on the Ondes Magnétique at ondemagnetique.com. The device is the work of Scott Campbell, who is based in New Orleans, Louisiana.
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[…] This video is a short Instagram piece by Scott Campbell. Its accompanying hashtags (click through to see) note some of the utilized modules and their manufacturers. This lush sequence of melty xylophone-like tones, atop a foundation of chordal haze, brings to mind a lost Julee Cruise backing track or the loudspeaker music at a particularly well-curated holiday ice-skating park. (Campbell knows something about synth nomenclature himself, having developed the Ondes Magnétique cassette-tape manipulation machine, which I wrote about a couple years ago.) […]