Pausing

 

Ocean Vuong on artistic pride

It’s important for me to say that being proud is not so much a claim on quality or achievement in the work, or lack thereof, but of satisfying the artistic potential within oneself.

Forgive me Father for I have synthed

Via FB

Disquiet Junto 0595 Filter Progression

 

The Disquiet Junto this week asks participants to modulate a tone or field recording using only filter frequency and resonance.

Earlier today I was walking past the ricegrowers facility that seems to make dog food and remembered recording it for the Junto proposed by Australian Kate Carr, number 0218.

And earlier his week I was remembering Junto 0186, which used Morse code. 

For that I recall spell my name using the kick drum and I went for a similar idea here, but it's more of a high-hat part.

I was remembering Morse code his as it was a topic being presented to a school group visiting the Museum where I work.

Martin Amis on anxiety

Use any anxiety you have about your writing — or your life — as fuel. Ambition and anxiety: that’s the writer’s life.

naviarhaiku490 – The cold forest flaunts

 

When Naviar Records shared the haiku this week, I thought of the wind rushing between the trees in my front yard.

It's not really a forest but Australian trees don't really grow that way.

I don't know what a wood anemone looks like, since apparently they don't grow on my continent, but I thought it might sound like wind organs.

Steve Jobs on greatness

“If you’re going to make something, it doesn’t take any more energy—and rarely does it take more money—to make it really great. All it takes is a little more time. Not that much more. And a willingness to do so, a willingness to persevere until it’s really great.”

Disquiet Junto 0593 The Charm

The Disquiet Junto project this builds on previous weeks as we form trios.

I joined a couple of tracks using my Korg Volca FM synth driven with MIDI from Ableton Live.

Unfortunately my computer browsers are too old to access the forum where the Junto community gather, so I'll try to add these videos when I can and draw attention of the other musicians.

The track below also uses a 909-style drum machine in Live.

Disquiet Junto 0592 Better Than One

 

The Junto this week asks participants to join a trio.

And we also get to respond to more than one trio, so I recorded two tracks.

 

Korg volcas

Still playing with my Korg Volcas and happy with the bass sound from the Keys.

I've taken a couple of samples from the MIDI of an old pop song, then played with the drums to get them through the Percussion unit.

Disquiet Junto 0591 The Loneliest Number

 
Disquiet Junto Project this week is to "record the first third of a trio."

It's become an annual prompt and I've used different instruments, so as I looked around and pondered the Moog DFAM seemed a good choice.

I like that the tempo is so varied that it needs to be used as a textural sound more than an electronic drum track.

The patch uses the Make Noise CTRL to drive the clock via a sequencer going back and forth.

You can also hear the Subharmonicon in the distance on the righ channel, since I didn't think it was right for the DFAM to be lonely.

Ethan Hein on funk

"Funk works best when the musicians subsume their egos into the groove."

Disquiet Junto 0590 Concrète Roots

The Disquiet Junto asks participants to "Combine field recordings and feedback in the development of an original track."

Time was running out in more ways than one, but I wanted to use my Bastl Thyme unit although the deadline for the Junto had passed.

Today is Anzac Day, a public holiday that gave me opportunity to position a Rode NT4 microphone in doorway and record sounds from a couple of young families in my street.

naviarhaiku485 – The rain is over

Jarmusch on imperfections

Jarmusch likens his love of embracing imperfections to weavers of the Navajo and Zuni Native American tribes. “When they make a blanket and it has a repeated pattern that is totally symmetrical, they reject it and say it has no magic,” he says. “If there’s something that somehow fucks up the symmetry in some small way, then it has a little opening for something magical.” 

Disquiet Junto 0589 Auto Play

The assignment is to "Automate something manual" and it arrived at the correct moment.

This week I've been playing in Ableton Live and trying to make something musical.

Today I made a drum loop and then recorded a bass part, before making a couple of other recordings using the M-Tron VST.

They sounded harmonically interesting but the playing was scattered since I'd used the computer keyboard and have almost zero keyboard skills, aside from touch-typing.

Anyway, I read the Junto prompt and decided to add arpeggiation to every track -- except the drums, which got an Automaton effect.

Then I went looking for a video in the public domain about automation and the result seems kinda cool.

Disquiet Junto 0588 Swell Time

The Junto this week asks for surf music.

My mind went to Valla Beach, where I wish I was holidaying.

Then I remembered a song that was prompted by a haiku about a beach and thought I should revisit it.

The Penny Effect

One of the best things about making video for other people is when I get to soundtrack the resulting production.

So it was with The Penny Effect, which was made about three years ago and has now been premiered at the local gallery.

It will now be a permanent exhibit and I like that my music will be playing for days.

Disquiet Junto 0587 Sour Mash

The Disquiet Junto assignment this week is to "Let something go out of tune."

Because I've been busy, I wanted to use an existing recording and my mind went to the washing line.

I recorded this extended squeak for Junto assignment number 356 and remembered it was dissonant but had forgotten how short my hair was back then!

To really get it out of tune I transposed it in Ableton Live, then recorded myself playing a bass part with a synth along with a drum loop.

For a bit more interest I added chance and delay to the drums, as well as an arpeggiator to the bass.

Organ Donor at Burning Seed

Burning Seed, the NSW Burning Man event, happened last weekend and I got a grant to build a collection of wind organs. 

Organ Donor was the name for the collection and came with a message in the program about donating organs to save lives.