CATSYNTH

cats synthesizers music art opinion

Category: Synthesizers

  • Recent synthesizer acquisitions: E-MU Orbit V2 and "hacked" Morpheus

    This town is full of old E-MU gear (as well as old E-MU employees). In recent weeks I was able to pick up two old modules for my substantial E-MU synth collection. The first is a fully functional Orbit V2:

    This module was quite popular in its day, it features techno sounds that I don't believe E-MU has re-released for Emulator X or Proteus X. It is also as far as I know the only one of the modules with the special “scratcher” function that models turntable scratching of samples.

    I also aquired another pre-run Morpheus. I'm not sure it has quite the extensive collection of non-production filters as my main Morpheus, but it does have a rather interesting demo track,a small clip of which I provide here for your listening pleasure.

    The full demo is a little over two minutes long, and practically begs to be imported into Emulator X2 and used as the source for a new composition. Stay tuned…






  • CatSynth pic: kittennettik fyrall

    It's been a little while since I've posted an actual cat-and-synth photo. Here we have a kitty posing with a “kittennettik” instrument called the fyrall. From the website:

    fyrall is a multo-jungo-world dialer, it is a freak. Within, it has three electronic wheels, one made out of wigglers, one made out of digital counting temples, and the third reconnects the others. at every move it may be in a state of internal paradox. it is always looking for a state of rest and it can never find it. Experimenting on the fyrall is fun because new rewirings will cause it to spasm in the weirdest ways.

    The fyrall and the other kittennetiks use chaotic cicruits for sound synthesis and control. The creator of these instruments has some specs and papers, which are, well, quite interesting. See for yourself.

    My interest is definitely piqued. However, I might try looking at one of the “paper circuits” they provide before considering any of the full-blown kits.







  • Webs on an autumn afternoon

    It's been a rather pleasant October afternoon, warm, breezy, with a clear sky. The mobile sculpture Airborne catches both the wind and the waning October sun:

    The garden plants are doing about as well as they have all year. Admist a recent burst of flowers, I noticed this rather impressive spider web:

    …not to mention the rather impressive spider that inhabits it:

    The peace of the backyard was briefly interrupted by the sound of cats fighting. More worrisome was the sound of an angry dog barking in response. After peeking over the fence to investigate, I was assured by a neighbor that it was “just some crazy cats.” One of the “crazy cats” wandered into view and I immediately recognized him as the friendly grey tabby that often visits my yard (I jokingly refer to him for a while as Luna's “boyfriend”). Foruntately, he seemed to be none the worse for wear.

    Cats, or more specifically, cat allergies, have been much in the news this weekend. The New York Times featured an article on a California biotech company that is breeding hyperallergenic “no sneeze” kitties, two of which are pictured to the right. The market for the hypoallergenic cats, which the company says will cost about $4000 USD each, is people who love cats in spite of their allergies. It is certainly a high price tag, but I gather so are the medications for the most severe allergies. Those who seek a more affordable feline companion and want to continue to adopt shelter cats can take heart in a study supporting the theory that having pets cuts allergy risks. Finally, there is this story from Wales about a hospital fighting to keep their cat Tibs, who has chearing up patients for years. While I do my best to avoid hospitals, I know having a cat around would help me during a health crisis.

    I had an opportunity last night to jam with some friends and acquaintances I have not seen in a while. I played keyboard, with primarily piano, electric piano and organ sounds, though I did add a Moogerfooger pedal to the mix. Musically, we did a mixture of jazz standards, some 12-bar and 16-bar “headless” jams, and several trippy free-jazz experiments with keyboard, guitar, bass and drums. The latter reminded me of how I would like to get together a standard “quartet” at some point that freely moves back and forther between jazz/funk and experimental improvisation. It would be quite a contrast to my recent performances, but still consistent with my musical vision and sensibilities…

    …in another example of slipping back and forth between disparate musical styles, I was listening earlier to alternating tracks from Ethiopiques, which I described in an earlier article, and the rather dark, political, and vaguely Middle-Eastern electronic music of Muslimgauze. The two albums could not be more different in geography, style, production and social context, yet they seemed to work well together. The dark electronica of Muslimgauze worked for me, dispite an implicit political view I probably don't share, and the gritty funk of Ethiopiques brought me back to reality. Perhaps here is the seed of another musical project…

    …or just idle thoughts on a warn autumn day…










  • Dissertation now (back) online

    I have finally reposted my doctoral dissertation, this time in HTML format as well as PDF. The title is Perceptual Scheduling in Real-time Music and Audio Applications. I propose an algorithm for improving computational performance of expensive synthesis techniques, such as additive synthesis and resonance modeling that preserves audio quality, and measured both the improved CPU performance and the perceptual quality as measured by expert listeners in controlled experiments.

    I think this actually a good time to review and reflect upon this work. Five years have passed since I graduated from UC Berkeley with my PhD. I probably have the only doctoral dissertation in Computer Science that includes James Brown as a citation. While I enjoyed working on the dissertation, including the formal experiments, the work I do now developing music software (and then using for my own composition and performance) is really a better match for who I am.

    As discussed in an earlier post, I have had a sometimes challenging relationship with academic science. I have the technical and analytical “chops”, but I am too much of a creator and a romantic to find personal meaning and reward in rigorous experiments and analysis of data. I love the aesthetic appeal of science and mathematics, and especially look for unusal and serendipitous connections rather standard incremental results. Simply put, I am an artist, not a scientist, even when I'm working on software engineering projects.






  • Podcast ready for "beta testers"

    Well, the podcast looks like it's ready to go, so I'm opening it up to readers of this forum to beta test at their pleasure. This first episode features my recent performance at the headphone festival. Click here or use the fish graphic to get the address along with instructions for listening/subscribing. Please contact me to let me know how it works for you. Enjoy!

  • Fun with Emulator X: Bohlen 833 cents scale and harmonics

    I have been experimenting lately with alternate tunings and scales. A couple that have particularly piqued my interest are the Bohlen-Pierce scale and the much-less-used Bohlen 833 cents scale. The latter is intriguing in that it is based on properties of the fibonacci sequence and the golden ratio (although Bohlen admits he did not have those concepts in mind when he stumbled upon this scale).

    Based on the golden ratio (1.618034…), one can construct a harmonic series as multiples of 833 cents that has a very distinct timbre. This can be easily implemented in Emulator X as a series of sinewave voices (or voices of any other harmonic single-wave sample) tuned multiples of 833 cents above the fundamental:

    The series above consists of a fundamental, three golden-ratio harmonics, followed by the octave above the fundamental (traditional first harmonic 2:1 ratio), and the three-golden-ratio sub-harmonics of the octave.

    Using these and other harmonics, Bohlen was able to construct the following seven-step scale between the tonic and the tone 833 above.

    Step
    Ratio (dec.)
    Ratio (cents)

    Diff. to previous step (cents)
    0
    1.0000
    0
    –
    1
    1.0590
    99.27
    99.27
    2
    1.1459
    235.77
    136.50
    3
    1.2361
    366.91
    131.14
    4
    1.3090
    466.18
    99.27
    5
    1.4120
    597.32
    131.14
    6
    1.5279
    733.82
    136.50
    7
    1.6180
    833.09
    99.27

    Emulator X does not have editable tuning tables, although it does have a 36ET tuning (36 divisions of the octave). Bohlen suggests that playing specific steps out of the 36ET scale yields a good appoximation of the 833 scale:

    Step (just)
    Cents (just)
    Step (36/octave)
    Cents (36/octave)
    0
    0
    0
    0
    1
    99.27
    3
    100.00
    2
    235.77
    7
    233.33
    3
    366.91
    11
    366.67
    4
    466.18
    14
    466.67
    5
    597.32
    18
    600.00
    6
    733.82
    22
    733.33
    7
    833.09
    25
    833.33

    Combining the Bohlen 833 scale and harmonic series, which are both based on the golden ratio yields a new tonality. Although it is quite different from the traditional Western tonality based on integer ratios, it is nonetheless “harmonic” with respect to its own overtone series. This is perhaps a simple counter-example to to the Monk's Musical Musings from an earlier article.

    But how does it sound? To that end, I provide the following audio example consisting of the scale played on the 833-timbre in Emulator X, along with some additional intervals. Because this is only an approximation using 36ET, things aren't perfectly “harmonic,” but I think one can get a feel for the tonality. I particularly like the “tri-tone” (600 cents above fundamental) here.

    The next steps are to come up with a more musical timbre based on the harmonic series, as well as short composition using the scale…

  • Preparing for tomorrow's performance

    My upcoming performance at the the plug.dos headphone festival provides some special challenges. Because the audience, both at the venue and online, will be using headphones, I need make sure my sounds and processes are headphone-safe, i.e., low volume with no clipping, glitching or large volume-spikes. More positively, I can take advantage of a uniform stereo listening environment with deliberate pan and positioning effects.

    The need for steady volume and stability rules out the use of feedback and high-resonance filtering that I use in a lot of my recent music. Thus, the Evolver is out. Many of my Open Sound World patches are probably not approrpriate, though stable-volume patches are certainly doable.

    I am focusing on Emulator X controlled with a MIDI keyboard (E-MU Xboard25). Thus, my preparations have focused on selecting existing sounds from the E-MU sound library that meet my technical and aesthetic requirements, and creating some new sounds. One preset that I spent a lot of time building is a modification of my additive synthesizer for Emulator X, consisting of eight independently controllable sinewaves. In addition to MIDI control of amplitude and frequency, I use a function generator to add amplitude modulations do the sinewave components of the timbre. Additionally, each “note” played has an independent pan position, spreading the sound across in the stereo field. I have also modified some existing sounds to include stable amplitude-modulation effects. The end result is a highly-controllable pallete of sounds from which I plan to make an ambient but punctuated sound scape, with a few rhythmic elements for good measure.

    Logistically, this will be a very simple performance to travel and set up, just my laptop, the E-MU 1616m sound module, and the keyboard. I am looking forward to a relaxed, simple and enjoyable experience.

    I'm not posting any advance examples, so you'll have to listen online to the show to hear what I'm describing. Hopefully I will be able to post a recording after the fact.








    performance

  • Amar @ plug:dos headphone festival in SF, Saturday 9/9, 7:40PM

    I will be performing live at 992 Paralta St. in San Francisco at 7:40PM on Saturday. Mostly experimental, “lowercase” (i.e., soft) electronic music. This is intriguing because it is a “headphone” event where people live at the venue as well as those listening online will be using headphones.

    For those who are interested, you can also listen live online on Saturday. visit http://www.deletist.info/plugdose.html or
    http://www.leplacard.org for more info.

    Official press release below:

    SAN FRANCISCO'S 2ND ANNUAL HEADPHONE FESTIVAL
    AUG 5-6 2006
    5LOWERSHOP COLLECTIVE WAREHOUSE
    992 PERALTA AVE., SF
    http://www.deletist.info

    a festival within a festival, transmitting 48 live performances for 48 hours in participation with the worldwide interaural experiment known as LE PLACARD #9 – a self-organized nonstop streaming festival that migrates from city to city broadcasting headphone conterts to headphone people around the world from june-october 2006.
    http://leplacard.org

    admission is free
    B.Y.O. HEADPHONES

    [:] p l u g [:] 2005
    last year, a constant flow of over 300 people plugged their headphones in at the 5lowershop warehouse on peralta ave to hear 48 headphone-only performances from the likes of beth custer, swoondoll, bunnyphonic, jeff ray, justino, neighborhood bass coalition, skullcaster, nullspace, sky sosa, toshio hirano, 666 gangsta, dj crackhouse, heartworm, members of subarachnoid space, ryan of slidecamp, mono, halcyon high, things falling apart, aaron x of the quiet american, viola-cello improv victor lowrie, sodium channel, useless unknown facts, tina butcher, the deletist, and many more..
    a simultaneous pirate radio broadcast was heard at 104.1 fm, and untold numbers of listeners were plugged in at various listening rooms in LE PLACARD's global network. a live irc chat also allowed listeners to communicate during the event.
    Wired magazine praised the festival, and LE PLACARD organizers in paris
    dubbed [:] p l u g [:] “the best transmission of the year”

    p l u g [:] dos 2006
    this year, we return with 2 days of sound experimentation, continuing the diverse mix of acoustic, experimental, electronic, and non-genresfrom underground artists all across california. again, we will transmit a simulltaneous pirate radio broadcast at 104.1 fm, include the live chat for listeners, stream live audio through LE PLACARD's global network, and
    due to popular demand, a live video stream will be added to this year's festival.

    everyone is invited to listen, participate and experience this unforgettable event.

    there will be food, drinks, merchandise, and more!




  • catsynth pic: Reed Ghazala Tape Canvas Device

    I was reviewing Get LoFi for yesterday's circuit-bending article, and came across a reference not only to Reed Ghazala, whom I also referenced, but a catsynth pic to boot!

    Who knew the “father of circuit bending” was also a cat person? Then again, perhaps I shouldn't be surprised…

    The tape canvas (illustrated above) itself is interesting as well, allowing expressive control of a device and process that is traditionally linear. It inspires me to revive my interest in musical reading of barcodes using a CueCat, which has the added advantage of continuing the feline theme.


    The CueCat has proved a difficult device to work with, however. I have a modified version that gets beyond some of the proprietary issues and shows up as an HID device that can be read in OSW, but I have yet to make it work properly.

  • Adventures in Circuit Bending: Vtech Tiny Touch phone

    Last evening I embarked on a circuit-bending project, and this forum provides me a unique opportunity to document the experience.

    For those who are not familiar with circuit bending, it basically the process of modifying the electronics in existing audio devices, usually simple analog circuits in musical toys. In the process, one can add new expressive controls to create a unique, albiet “lo fi”, instrument. A great introduction on circuit bending can be found at Reed Ghazala's Art of Circuit Bending. Additionally the blog Get LoFi has a wealth of information and circuit bending projects and instruments.

    This experiment involves the Vtech Tiny Touch phone. It plays a few simple phrases relating to numbers and colors as the buttons on the phone are pressed. You can listen to an example here. Vtech toys are good circuit-bending fodder, and I've tried the phones before. During my first attempt, I shorted out the integrated circuit (oops), which ended that effort. The second time I did a simple bend across a timing circuit that allowed me to alter the speed and pitch of the sound with a potentiometer. I had this instrument open for kids to play with during the my show at Zeum in San Francisco this past spring, which turned about to be a death sentence for it. One kid happily showed his parents and me the capacitor he managed to pull off the circuit board. This time I'm going more slowly and methodically, with the goal of a more interesting and robust instrument.

    First, we open up the phone to reveal its guts (i.e., circuitry):

    Now grab a test wire (i.e., with clips on the ends) and start looking for interesting “bends” by shorting different points in the circuit. In general, this is a hit or miss process and experimentation is the rule of the game. However, care should be taken to avoid shorts that could damage the audio circuits. In particular, stay clear of anything that connects directly to the batteries.

    A rather effective short is opposite corners of the IC board, as illustrated by the pink dots in the closeup below:

    Shorting these leads, which essentially drops the resistance to near zero, slows down a timer and thus the speed and pitch of the audio, as can be heard in this audio clip. Note the slower version of the telephone ring. From this result, one can conclude that varying the resistance changes the timing and pitch of the sound, in particular highwer resistance yields higher pitch, with infinite resistance (i.e., open circuit) restoring the original behavior. Such a bend is a good opportunity for a potentiometer to mechanically change the pitch, or a photocell to use light as a pitch control. For now, I am attaching a photocell using alligator clips:


    Cupping my hand over the photocell and moving it closer and further while pressing buttons yields variable-pitch sound and beginnings of a new circuit-bent instrument.

    I could stop here and make this bend permanent, but I would to continue with other options, including switching between photo, mechanical, and null modulation, as well routing other signals over this bend to create FM synthesis. I will continue to document this project here as I find more time to work on it.