CATSYNTH

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Tag: korg

  • CatSynth pic: Diego and Befaco Slicer Prototype

    From comun y corriente, via matrixsynth:

    Googlish translation from matrixsynth:

    The other Diego had domestic problems that will prevent you bring your Spanish guitar, so you will be forced to play with this wild animal.

    And another picture from amstrad on flickr, featuring Kiska:

    Finally, an update from c+c via the comments on matrixsynth:

    ust a brief explanation of what was going on here… This was published a couple of days before our first Corrientazo, a concert featuring many musicians using compact synthesizers and DIY stuff. So we were announcing that Diego, from Befaco, was going to play with a prototype of their new Slicer / 8 step sequencer, to be released later this month (more info soon!).

    Then I heard news from Amstrad that he was no longer going to play spanish guitar + MFB 522 in the concert, because the cat ate the guitar! So he brought his DIY modular, from the Befaco workshops, instead; and played it via MIDI from his iPhone!”

    I would be curious to hear the iPhone + Befaco performance…

  • CatSynth video: Skeletons dream of biscuits

    From n3wt15 on YouTube:

    “Me and my cat, Skeleton keys, OTO Biscuit, and Kp3

    Also on matrixsynth as “1of5”.

  • Preparing for tonight’s performance

    I am busily getting ready for my next solo performance tonight.

    Light A Fire: Amar Chaudhary, Zeina Nasr, Evangelista/Lowecki/Stuart
    Monday, January 17 · 7:00pm – 10:00pm
    Mama Buzz Cafe
    2318 Telegraph Avenue
    Oakland, CA

    Please join us for creative music in three acts (incidentally the third Monday of the month)–featuring:

    -Zeina Nasr
    Emphatic, ethereal vocalisms

    -Amar Chaudhary
    (www.ptank.com/amar_music/)
    Complex, articulate solo work with an electronic aesthetic

    -Karl Evangelista/Shaun Lowecki/Doug Stuart Trio
    (www.karlevangelista.com)
    (www.shaunlowecki.com)
    -Animated, explosive inside/outside music

    Hope to see you!
    -Friendly Neighborhood Light A Fire Committee

    I am once again using a relatively minimal setup (or as minimal as I can make it for a solo show).  There is the iPad (and the iPhone), the MacBook with a monome, and the Evolver.  I also have a couple of percussion instruments, and the dotara, an Indian string instrument.

    For the iPad, I will be using the Curtis for iPad (shown in the photo below), along with the from Smule, the 古筝 (Guzheng) app, and the KORG iMS-20, among others.

    Based on feedback from my last performance at the Omega Sound Fix, I am going to try and use fewer elements, particularly in the live sampling/looping section. I will start with the dotara, and layer the Magic Fiddle and guzheng model on top of it. I will be reusing some of the other elements that I have been having fun with, such as the Count Basie Big Band Remote from the Blue Note in Chicago controlled via the monome.

    Luna wants to help out with preparations, too:

  • CatSynth pic: Bella

    Submitted by Alessandro Cilano:

    here’s my cat Bella, sitting on the chair of power at my desk.
    She’s grumpy as there are too many places to fill in my modular and she’s not allowed to play with the patch cables…

    We have seen some pictures in the past of his cat Guiliano.

  • CatSynth pic: Synthcat

    By tedjames on flickr, via matrixsynth:

  • CatSynth pic: Pallina the Synth Cat Strikes a Pose

    Two photos from Davide Mancini, via matrixsynth:

    “Pallina, my housecat. She also loves the analog warmth.”

    “Same cat, another synth. She loves to sleep near the SIEL DK80, KaossPad3 and Tenori.on power supply… should be warm and humming there…”

    We have seen Pallina before, click this tag to see her previous posts.

  • Preparing for Omega Sound Fix

    The Omega Sound Fix gets underway tonight at the Alfa Art Gallery in New Brunswick, New Jersey.  I am planning to be present tonight as well as tomorrow and as with other larger music and events I will be probably be live tweeting @catsynth.

    I have been busily preparing for the performance (along with everything else one does for a long-distance trip).  The basic setup features the iPhone, iPad, MacBook, monome, DSI Evolver and Korg Kaoss Pad.

    [Click to enlarge.]

    The iPhone will primarily be running Smule Ocarina, while the iPad will be used for the new Smule Magic Fiddle, the Korg iMS-20 (pictured) above, the Bebot, and sundry other instruments.

    One thing I have noticed is that although the main musical items have shrunk in size, the entire rig remains large, primarily because of the ancillary elements such as cables, stands, etc., so it ends up still being quite cumbersome and heavy, especially when loading it into airline-friendly suitcases.  I ran into similar challenges with previous performances in New York as well as the one in Shanghai last year.

    Musically, I will be doing three pieces.  I will reprise the music-plus-video piece featuring Luna that I did at the Quickening Moon concert in February, but using the iPad with Magic Fiddle and the iMS-20 to replace the Octave CAT (which I will not take on the road).  I will also perform a couple of the other current standard solo pieces, such as the prayer bowl with Evolver plus Smule Ocarina, and the live-sampling piece featuring the monome and a variety of Indian and Chinese folk instruments.  I have two new Indian instruments to use tomorrow:

    The first is a dotara.  Although the name implies two strings, this instrument actually has five.  I have not played it before, so we will see what happens.  The second is a new gophichand.  My other gopichands are fine, but it’s nice to have a few (if only as spares, as they are quite delicate).  I will be freely mixing them with Chinese percussion instruments as well as my iPad-based model of a Chinese guzheng that I first used at the Luggage Store Gallery in September.  I like the idea of mixing elements from different traditions together into something new.

    For those interested in attending for following, here is the full info on the Omega Sound Fix festval:

    Sonic Architecture Unveiled by Electronic Composers and Human-Robot Band at Underground Music Venue
    Electronic Music Festival resonates in New Brunswick art gallery

    Over twenty innovative international and local musicians will perform at the bleeding edge of sound on Nov. 20 & 21 at Omega Sound Fix. Headlining performers have performed with the likes of John Cage, David Tudor, Steve Reich, Lydia Lunch, Faust, and Throbbing Gristle and are exploring new territory this fall.

    Richard Lainhart is an award-winning composer, author, and filmmaker renowned for his individual work and collaborations with John Cage, David Tudor, and Steve Reich. His compositions have been performed worldwide with his earliest sonic forays predating Brian Eno’s ventures into ambience.

    Philippe Petit of Marseilles, France is an innovative composer, who considers himself a “musical travel agent,” and assembles “sound-images” with turn tables and digital wizardry. He has performed across Europe and the Americas with Lydia Lunch, Faust, and Throbbing Gristle.

    Octant, a one-man and multi-robot band, will plumb the depths of cybernetic accompaniment on Sunday, Nov. 21. Mathew Steinke serves as the band’s Gepetto and sole human member. “I would go out of my way to see an Octant show…” writes CMJ magazine.

    Tickets are $6 for one day, $10 for a two-day pass. Doors open at 6 p.m. on Saturday and 4 p.m. on Sunday.

    About Omega Sound Fix:
    Local musicians, Mike Durek and Mark Weinberg, spawned the idea of an innovative and eclectic music festival during a mini-golf match last summer. Durek and Weinberg expressed frustration with the lack of a new music scene in New Brunswick and sought to fill the void with innovative sounds and talented performers. Click here for more info.

    UPDATED List of Performers:

    Day 1: Saturday 11.20.10 @ 6:30pm
    Brendan Byrne
    Zilmrah
    Richard Lainhart
    Philippe Petit
    PAS
    Pots and Powercells

    Day 2: Sunday 11.21.10 @ 4:30 pm
    Blithe (doll)
    Borne
    Octant
    Ezekiel Honig
    Trinitron
    Amar Chaudhary (Catsynth)

  • CatSynth video: Techno Kitten

    From spindizzyman on YouTube, via matrixsynth:

    “Training him as an arch nemesis for Deadmau5”

    Too bad it’s only 16 seconds, I was starting to get into it.

  • CatSynth video: Kaossilator – Tubular Bells

    From psychopath3000 on YouTube, via matrixsynth:

    “Here is a Kaossilator mix featuring Tubular Bells (Mike Oldfield), some folk tunes (drowsy maggie, Scarborough fair), and various other bits and pieces. Recorded live.”

    Please welcome the cat.

    http://www.myspace.com/johnjamesgarner

  • CatSynth pic: Cat Finds Bass Drum Hideaway

    From Achromatic Lodge on flickr, via matrixsynth:

    Korg Poly-800 in the corner.  Yahama bass drum / napping place.