music - tm

"Factory Demo"

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"Factory Demo" [mp3 removed]

The (very) analog Vermona Perfourmer synth, playing a midi test pattern that comes loaded in the machine.
The Perfourmer is four monosynths that can be patched together various ways, modular fashion. I finally figured out how to plug the VCO output of one synth into the filter of another, allowing both synths to play the same oscillator output simultaneously with two different filter settings (this isn't in the manual, and involves pushing the jack only halfway into the VCO out port--this must be a mistake). The piece consists of four rhythm instruments (tweaked-out white noise as described above) multitracked with four melodic instruments (using FM modulation that works the way it says in the manual). Each synth is kind of doing its thing but everything stays mostly in sync.

Update: Revised and reposted. The melodic part was too loud so I made it quieter, and added software drums and synth at the end for a climax.

"H.M.M.J. 2," "H.M.M.J. 3"

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More from my collaboration last year with Travis Hallenbeck: he came to my studio and we played a "live MIDI" set.

"H.M.M.J. 3" [mp3 removed]

Kind of tribal-sounding, with kinetic and varied percussion from Travis' gear. The reverb makes us sound like a Varese ensemble playing in an abandoned factory somewhere, if that's not too boastful.

"H.M.M.J. 2" [mp3 removed]

Nine minutes long, more tunes to work with here and the musical ideas run the gamut. ("The Charles Iveses of repurposed '80s synths" - Post-Hipster magazine)

The process, as explained last May:

A desktop computer plays MIDI files that we prepared in advance. One channel goes out to my gear: the Sidstation synth and Mutator analog filter. All the rest of the channels go to Travis's setup, which includes a midi mixer and Roland MT-32 sound module (see YouTube demo and this diagram).

So it is a live performance in the sense that the computer is dispensing a stream of MIDI on-off notes and we are changing settings on our gear in real time.

I was recording the performance, and did some minor post-production mixing, mostly for EQ and levels.

"H.M.M.J. 2 (Coda Only)"

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"H.M.M.J. 2 (Coda Only)" [mp3 removed]

More from my collaboration last year with Travis Hallenbeck: he came to my studio and we played a "live MIDI" set. This is the end of a longer section I am working on. This does something sort of Debussy-ish at about :23 that I really like.

As explained last May:

A desktop computer plays MIDI files that we prepared in advance. One channel goes out to my gear: the Sidstation synth and Mutator analog filter. All the rest of the channels go to Travis's setup, which includes a midi mixer and Roland MT-32 sound module (see YouTube demo and this diagram).

So it is a live performance in the sense that the computer is dispensing a stream of MIDI on-off notes and we are changing settings on our gear in real time.

I was recording the performance, and did some minor post-production mixing, mostly for EQ and levels.

Travis' part got some heavier reverb this time around.