Jul 22, 2014 0
How-To: Lamp Made From Old Toys
This illuminating project from My Hobby Point is a great way to create an upcycled conversation piece
Jul 22, 2014 0
Polyrhythmus is an Insanely-Great, Free Generator of Rhythms, Arpeggios
Polyrhythmus is the machine generator of notes and rhythms many of us have long dreamt of.
It does Euclidean rhythms – symmetrical divisions of time that beautifully produce common polyrhythms (not just for nerds, but modeling a lot of popular rhythms – see the research of Godfried Toussaint). It’s also capable of making other rhythms. It can be polymetrical or polyrhythmic. It’s … also an arpeggiator. It also automates parameters and MIDI Control Change messages. It has loads of modes. It’s modular. It’s dynamic. It’s amazing. It’s a music making nerd’s dream, friendly to anyone who loves rhythms, notes, and patterns.
It’s, for now, a convenient Max for Live module for Ableton Live. But the creator wants to know if we’d want a standalone version. Answer: yes.
Watch, as creator Benniy C. Bascom demonstrates:
So, in review:
- Rhythms
- Arpeggiators
- Automation of MIDI CC and parameters
- Live arpeggiation and pattern sequencing
- Sequences that trigger other sequences
- Skip steps
- Randomize parameters
- May open wormholes to other dimensions (he told you to watch the whole video tutorial – consider yourself warned)
It’s not the first to do these things, but it’s certainly one of the craziest. And it’s impressive how much he’s fit into a tiny rack space – and how efficiently he provides access to rhythmic pattern creation.
This is the latest of Benniy’s creations, but it’s not alone – think more sequencers and parameter playback via clip names.
I could say more, but … no, sorry, I’m off to play with this.
And you can also look at this pretty picture (click for a Tumblr-friendly animated GIF):
In fact, if there’s any complaint about it, it’s the license – it’s fantastic that it’s free. But it’s marked Creative Commons Non-Commercial and No Derivatives – the latter meaning that people can’t modify it and share what they’ve made, which would seem to open up some possibilities. I’d actually rather pay some money for it, but get a CC license that let you make some derivative works based on the same idea. Still, I’m glad as always to see an explicit license, I understand the reason not to allow derivatives (clones and mods distracting from the original), and it’s too good to complain.
Thanks, Jesse Engel, for the tip!
POLYRHYTHMUS – a modular euclidean rhythm builder 1.0 [that description, while true, is about 25% of what it does]
The post Polyrhythmus is an Insanely-Great, Free Generator of Rhythms, Arpeggios appeared first on Create Digital Music.
Jul 22, 2014 0
A Mechanical 3D Printer
3D printers, many would argue, are in the process of revolutionizing how things are made. The ability to download a file, and simply print out the object at your house or place of work is certainly convenient, but some, like Daniel, would question whether or not you can claim “ownership” […]
Jul 22, 2014 0
New Project: Tinker Crafting for Minecraft
Jul 22, 2014 0
An Extremely Unusual Walking Machine
Jul 22, 2014 0
Audacious by Design: Project H Reinvents Hands-On Learning
Berkeley, California’s Project H offers a window into the future of K-12 education. And if it’s not the future, it
should be. Just don’t call it a shop class.
Jul 22, 2014 0
Hamtramck Disneyland
Jul 22, 2014 0
A Dreamy Video, Remix with Loscil, and Other Christina Vantzou Gems
Christina Vantzou. Photo: Renaud Monfourny.
You know that feeling, on a hot day, of someone running an ice cube down the back of your neck? Or perhaps, going deeper, the dream of plunging into a frozen lake?
That visceral, primeval emotion, that chill that prickles the hairs on your head – that might start to describe the eerily-lovely wonderlands of Christina Vantzou. Brussels-base artist Vantzou was the visual imagination behind The Dead Texan (with Stars of the Lid’s Adam Wiltzie), releasing an epic audiovisual masterpiece that paired cinematic ambience with video realizations.
Vantzou has continued as a composer, with two records on Kranky Records (easy to remember – titled No. 1 and No. 2) engineered by Wiltzie. In swells of impossibly-slow, post-minimal string, electronic, and vocal textures, she makes elegant scenes of sound. It’s not wallpaper to me, as those materials could easily become; there’s some emotional sensitivity that makes these frozen tone poems heart-wrenching.
But because Vantzou works so much with colors, with static images, the palette of these two records is also perfectly-suited to remixing – at least in the hands of experimental artists. And Vantzou proves she’s as sharp a curator as composer, she’s released remix albums of each that can stand alone as much as the original. No. 1, in 2012, featured the likes of ISAN, Robert Lippok, Ben Vida, and many others, plus a bonus Dead Texan cut. Tracing the same adventurous, experimental collaborations, No. 2 – released last month – turns to Motion Sickness of Time Travel, Ken Camden, John Also Bennett (aka Seabat), and Loscil (Vancouver’s Scott Morgan).
The Loscil track is beautiful enough to put a pit in your stomach. But it’s Vantzou’s video that crystallises this whole aesthetic path. It’s a simple conceit: a young woman half-dances in slow-motion, her hair flowing before the camera in a way you might dance to the track in your mind. But her ghostly figure and costume, all in rich colors against a dark background, recall a Caravaggio painting, transposed to more modern, non-descript settings. The effect is eerie, unsettling – as if she has been caught sleep walking.
VHS (Loscil Remix) from christina vantzou on Vimeo.
Loscil’s understated production pulses gently as if it’s an extension of your own body.
The remixes are available on Bandcamp. And I hope against all odds that some model like this can work. I don’t necessarily want a limited-edition vinyl record of this music to show off to my friends – this is digitally-produced music, meant to be distributed in an appropriate digital format. I want to, in this instant, spend a few dollars and support something I really love, because I simply care more about some music than others.
Nº2 REMIXES by motion sickness of time travel | ken camden | loscil | john also bennett [seabat]
But wait – there’s more perfection to accompany the EP – slow-motion liquids, figures, just as much classical-surrealist masterworks. I can’t think of another composer who is also as accomplished as a film director, working in cinema for the eyes and cinema for the ears with the same eloquence.
Sister (Motion Sickness of Time Travel Remix) from christina vantzou on Vimeo.
Brain fog (John Also Bennett AKA SEABAT Remix) from christina vantzou on Vimeo.
The Magic of the Autodidact (Ken Camden Remix) from christina vantzou on Vimeo.
There’s even a video for the original ‘VHS’ well worth watching:
Don’t miss the first remix record, too:
Nº1 Remixes by various artists [curated by christina vantzou]
– and, of course, the originals on Kranky.
And her Vimeo feed, for lovers of ambient music and image, is better than owning a TV:
Do send money via Bandcamp and let’s hope more is on its way.
http://christinavantzou.bandcamp.com
The post A Dreamy Video, Remix with Loscil, and Other Christina Vantzou Gems appeared first on Create Digital Music.
Jul 21, 2014 0
Upcycled Pinball Machine Desk
Tired of getting too much work done at your boring, old, conventional desk? Then you might need to slow yourself down with the blinding magnificence of this upcycled desk.
