Category: maker-ANALOG
Here we get right into where movement of electrons carries a representation of sound.
I’m not so concerned with the rose-colored and romantic ideas about the “warmth” and “tone” of analog gear; just trying to repair what works well, and explore what analog circuity does better (as simpler, more robust, or more reliable)…
If the essence/sound of the item is analog media (tape, phonographs, etc) or analog synthesis (VCOs, VCFs, EQs, etc), then it’s here.
-
Novation Circuit pad/ui glitch teardown and FIXed !
History / Motivation I got a the Circuit by Novation back in Fall of 2018. I was blown away by how simple and flexible the UI was, both for sequencing internal sounds, and as a MIDI note-controller for external gear. Then, suddenly, it started glitching, at the pads. It seemed fine if I held it…
-
Working with drum trigger godfather/innovator Dan Dauz to (try to) improve (one of) his products.
Motivation Since 2005-ish, I’ve had a frustrated love-hate relationship with electronic drum pads. This was even part of the passion for musical interfacing that carried me through grad school, but now I’m finally putting my ideas and tools to test a design that remains dynamic even under hard playing in loud-vibrating environments. Product Tech and…
-
Repair: input channel on 4-track tape recorder.
Motivation: Philadelphia musician/writer Jon Pfeffer sent me his Tascam 414 for repair when it’s Channel 1 was no longer recording. TO THE BENCH: Process: Conclusion ! After re-assembly, I made this quick video: to show that Channel 1 now… passes input signal records to track 1 plays back from track 1…
-
REPAIR: pads and switches on MPC1000 for The PercussioNeuron.
Motivation: As you may know, I plug drum triggers into a MIDI sound module in an elecronic-drum-accessory (to my acoustic kit) called The PercussioNeuron. Presently, the sound-module is an AKAI MPC1000, sampler/MIDI-sequencer/etc. Great unit, but one day, I noticed my MPC1000 was giving me some trouble. Some buttons would false-trigger each other, some were unresponsive,…
-
video and insight of “Analogs to Nausea” at Oberlin TalberTronics Festival
TELL: My second live honoraria performance in the TalberTronics Festival at Oberlin College as “Analogs to Nausea,” a live synthesis/sampling re-interpretation of my audio hash-noise soundscape “GusTutorial v3” from “GusTation” to “GusTutorial” The sound-collage portion of this performance comes from back in 2010. While finishing my MS in Electrical/Computer Engineering at Drexel, a lab-mate gave me…
-
Honoraria Performances at the TalberTronics Festival
It was an immense pleasure to head back to my alma mater Oberlin College to attend and perform at the TalberTronics Festival to honor the career and retirement of John Talbert from/within the Oberlin Technology in Music and Related Arts (TiMaRA) program. Background: I had spend my first three years finishing my BA in Psychology,…
-
AiPh grad Callum McQueen continues work on custom MIDI controllers
Callum McQueen continues development on his USB/MIDI controller, a project I advised as his Senior Project and support as an Independent Study toward his graduation at AiPh.
-
REPAIR: Korg MicroKorg, key fix and cleanup
Nick H., the key-bassist from the new project dRAWn, had a key go dead (the black key D#) on his Korg MicroKorg (mk1). …TO THE BENCH:
-
Surgery on Rane MQ302s stereo “mojo” EQ
Distinction having a background in live sound, I maintain a relationship with hardware garphic EQs. They are THE TOOL that I learned for knowing and controlling frequency problems (like feedback) or for shaping the EQ of a sound to sit clearer in a mix. I didn’t like the disconnect of only having access to (hands-on)…
-
custom PureData suite for improvised computer-music, built for J. Pfeffer
Philadelphia musician and writer Jonathan Pfeffer recruited me to build some tools for custom musical control between his Laptop and his various musical hardware toys. I build him two “patches” in code-free visual language PureData (extended). The “myWhammyJammy” The Whammy effect by Digitech is a foot-controlled pitch-shifter, allowing you to sweep a foot-treadle to bend…