From Circuit Ben on YouTube, via matrixsynth.
“Soporific”
The “cat music” does indeed appear to be having a soporific effect on the cat.
Author: catsynth
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CatSynth Pic: Video Synthesizer
Yes, video synthesizers are welcome on CatSynth! This picture by virtualflannel on Instagram features a Critter and Guitari videoscope (which we also have) as well as a Videonics mixer. And a cat to oversee everything.
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Y’reka and Pamela Z, Luggage Store Create Music Series
Today we look back at a show featuring music by Pamela Z and the duo Y’reka at the Luggage Store Gallery Creative Music Series, which was still at its temporary home at 998 Market Street.
The evening opened with Y’reka, a duo featuring Aram Shelton on alto saxophone and Owen Stewart-Robinson on guitar. Both Shelton and Stewart-Robinson also had an array of electronic effects.
Their improvised music had a subtle noisy texture overall, with slowly changing timbres and dynamics. There were some moments were the effects triggered more dramatic changes, which especially stood out with the subtle texture. They also successfully combined their electronically-processed tones in sections such that it wasn’t clear who was playing what, a characteristic I often find fun in freely improvised music. The pair did acknowledge the death of Ornette Coleman the previous morning, a gesture that was both appropriate and appreciated by the audience.
Next up was Pamela Z who presented a variety of works for voice, sound electronics and video. This was in part of “preview” of her upcoming full-scale work Memory Trace which will be happening at the Royce Gallery. In addition to her versatile and virtuosic vocal techniques, she controlled a variety of audio processing via sensors both worn and placed in DIY electronic boxes in front of her. There were also several pieces featuring interactive video. One which I had seen before presented an array of real-time clips of Pamela Z from her laptop’s webcam during the performance, which she then appeared to call up as if they were individual percussion instruments.
There was also an intriguing video featuring a clock and other imagery related to time.
\Overall, it was quite an interesting pairing of musical sets, and I was happy to be able to see both of them together in one evening.
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Fun with Stats: Countries that still have Monarchies
On this Independence Day here in the U.S., a country which has been a continuous republic for over 200 years, we thought it would fun to look at the countries that still have monarchies in 2015. Most are constitutional monarchies with a limited or ceremonial role, but it still begs the question of why bother with such an expensive and anachronistic institution?
Brunei Absolute monarchy Oman Absolute monarchy Qatar Absolute monarchy Saudi Arabia Absolute monarchy Swaziland Absolute monarchy Vatican City Absolute monarchy Andorra Constitutional monarchy Antigua and Barbuda Constitutional monarchy Australia Constitutional monarchy The Bahamas Constitutional monarchy Bahrain Constitutional monarchy Barbados Constitutional monarchy Belgium Constitutional monarchy Belize Constitutional monarchy Bhutan Constitutional monarchy Cambodia Constitutional monarchy Canada Constitutional monarchy Denmark Constitutional monarchy Grenada Constitutional monarchy Jamaica Constitutional monarchy Japan Constitutional monarchy Jordan Constitutional monarchy Kuwait Constitutional monarchy Lesotho Constitutional monarchy Liechtenstein Constitutional monarchy Luxembourg Constitutional monarchy Malaysia Constitutional monarchy Monaco Constitutional monarchy Morocco Constitutional monarchy Netherlands Constitutional monarchy New Zealand Constitutional monarchy Norway Constitutional monarchy Papua New Guinea Constitutional monarchy Saint Kitts and Nevis Constitutional monarchy Saint Lucia Constitutional monarchy Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Constitutional monarchy Solomon Islands Constitutional monarchy Spain Constitutional monarchy Sweden Constitutional monarchy Tonga Constitutional monarchy Tuvalu Constitutional monarchy United Arab Emirates Constitutional monarchy United Kingdom Constitutional monarchy Beyond actual countries, monarchies and hereditary rulers continue to be a fixture in the fantasy-novel genre, many of which are directly influences by Tolkein’s rather conservative Middle Earth. Most perplexing of all, however, is the obsession of some Americans with British royalty, the dynasty of the country we declared independence from 239 years ago today.
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Outsound Dinner: Nava Dunkelman and Jordan Glenn Duo
As happens every year approximately one month before the Outsound New Music Summit, we gathered for the annual benefit dinner. This year the dinner took place at the Finnish Kaleva Hall in Berkeley, a location steeped in history of its own. There was a good company, delicious food provided by Slippery Fish Catering, and a performance by Nava Dunkelman and Jordan Glenn.
Both Dunkelman and Glenn and accomplished percussionists in the local music scene, but this was the first time they performed together as a duo. And the result was an exceptional performance filled with a variety of textures ranging from subtle to angry and aggressive. There were moments where the individual materials and timbres stood out in stark isolation, and others where the two worked together to form repeating rhythmic patterns (one might even say a “beat”). The two have contrasting styles that they brought from their other projects (I most often see Jorden Glenn as a drummer for bands, and Nava Dunkelman as a collaborator in improvised duos).
Overall, a great evening of music, food and friends. There were many familiar faces among Outsound’s supporters at the event, but also newcomers, which is always good to see.
[Photo courtesy of Outsound Presents]Now it is on to the Summit itself, which begins on Sunday, July 26 at the Community Music Center in San Francisco. Please visit Outsound New Music Summit website for a full roster of performances and events, information and tickets, and more on how to support the continuation of new and adventurous music in our community!
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DSI Sequential – Prophet 6 – Program Test -f1
From peff on SoundCloud, via matrixsynth.
Dave Smith Instruments Prophet 6 program and sequence demos.
level and balance test 6dB headroom (-6dBFS)
ref: Prophet6-kurt_k-051315.syxOS6
The Prophet 6 is quite a synth. The cat seems to agree 🙂
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CatSynth pic: Cat and Roland TB-303 (in space)
This cat owns the TB-303 bass synth! From javier_olivier via Instagram.
You can tag your cat-and-synthesizer pics on Instagram with #catsynth to be featured on the blog on a future date.
