Archive for the ‘Gear’ Category
- In: Gear | Instruments | Sound art | Synthesizers
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Here I have both Musictech’s write up from this past year (2013) of the top ten best hardware synths and also Musicradar’s own list from 2009 of their greatest hardware synths of all time. Each are interesting reads; Musictech’s lineup of synthesizers can give you an idea of synths still on the market if you are a soon to be buyer, Musicradar’s review of all time great synths can show you some synths of the past that you probably can’t find anymore but could find samples of on youtube to hear them. Both articles give you a little bit of information of each synth which is sweet and to the point. Always you could look…
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- In: Art | Computer device | Experience | Recordings | Sound art | Videos
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From the album Commercial Mouth of Jar Moff released by Pan records in 2013:
This is the Pan promo text belonging to the record:
‘Commercial Mouth’ is the debut LP from Jar Moff, an Athens based artist working in collage forms. This is his first full-length LP. Both his visual and aural oeuvre take the form of cut up and reformations in the manner of previous PAN stablemates like Joseph Hammer and Ghedalia Tazartes, remodeling the past in order to create something new out of the modern detritus, and nestles in nicely alongside the recent ‘Diversions 1994-1996’ release from Lee Gamble. The result is a baffling yet functioning head-on collision between early plunderphonics and an abstracted futuristic hip hop aesthetic. ‘
BTW: play the video full screen and turn the volume loud!
More information:
- Tumblr blog of Jarr Moff
- Pan record label
- In: Art | Instruments | Noise boxes | Software | Sound art | Synthesizers
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On YouTube I found this video today on the Ondes Martenot: an electronic instrument of the 1920’s which preludes today’s synthesizer. It is most widely known for its use in pieces by French composer Olivier Messiaen:
I actually own a high quality software emulation of the Ondes Martenot made by VSTi producers Sonic Couture and use it quite often due to it’s distinct sounds. One of the interesting things about the Ondes Martenot was the ribbon controller demonstrated by Jean Laurendeau in the video.
A similar ribbon controller in a modern plexiglas enclosure now made by Eowave is also part of my synth studio. Here the Blade Runner theme is played on a synthesizer using the Eowave ribbon as a controller:
So although the Ondes Martenot may be almost a century old and is not often used as an instrument on its own, it’s sounds and concepts are still alive today.
More information:
- Sonic Couture
- Eowave
- Ondes Martenot in Wikipedia
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Electronic music in the 1920′s – the ondes Martenot by Noise Addicts
What The Future Sounded Like: A Video Account of Electronic Music Studios (EMS)
Posted on: November 10, 2013
- In: Artifacts | Computer music | Gear | Instruments | Sound art | Synthesizers
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Found through the Binary Heap blog : a short 27-minute Vimeo video documentary about the British Electronic Music Studios (EMS), famous for their groundbreaking VCS3 and Synthi synthesizers.
VCS3 advert
This is the synopsis of the video: Post-war Britain rebuilt itself on a wave of scientific and industrial breakthroughs that culminated in the cultural revolution of the 1960’s. It was a period of sweeping change and experimentation where art and culture participated in and reflected the wider social changes. In this atmosphere was born the Electronic Music Studios (EMS), a radical group of avant-garde electronic musicians who utilized technology and experimentation to compose a futuristic electronic sound-scape for the New Britain. Comprising of pioneering electronic musicians Tristram Cary (famed for his work on the Dr Who series) and Peter Zinovieff, EMS’s studio was one of the most advanced computer-music facilities in the world. EMS’s great legacy is the VCS3, Britain’s first synthesizer and rival of the American Moog. The VCS3 was a uniquely British invention, which changed the sounds of some of the most popular artists of this period including Brian Eno, Hawkwind and Pink Floyd. Almost thirty years on the VCS3 is still used by modern electronic artists like Aphex Twin and Chicken Lips.
What The Future Sounded Like uncovers a group of British composers and innovators who harnessed technology and new ideas to re-imagine the boundaries of music and sound. The documentary places the emergence of EMS in the larger context of 60’s post-war Britain, with its focus on “space age” technology and the advent of the counter-culture. A must-see for everyone interested in the history of electronic music and electronic music devices! If you want to know more about EMS and their activities and products after viewing the documentary, check the 2 part article series of Sound-On-Sound on the history of EMS.
And EMS still exists! You can still buy a Synthi A or VCS3 online. Check the website of “The World’s Longest Established Synthesizer Manufacturer” for prices and ordering…
- What The Future Sounds Like website
- What the Future Sounds Like Vimeo video
- Binary Heap blog post
- “All About EMS Part 1” article on Sound-O-Sound website
- “All About EMS Part 2” article on Sound-O–Sound website
- Electronic Music Studios (EMS) website
nnnoises.com 