Re: computers suck creative energy

["Matt Davignon" <mattdavignon@gmail.com>]

I dunno - I'm completely dependent on tone-mangling effects. However I
do see a trend with many electronic musicians where the lure of all
the technological doodads provides too much of a distraction from
actual musicmaking.

I saw a concert at CNMAT (Center for New Music and Technology) in
Berkeley last year that was a textbook case in this. The individual
had set up 6 gestural controllers in his violin, so that his computer
was changing and sampling the music he was playing in real time based
on the velocity and angle of the bow, the angle of the violin, the
pressure on the bow hair, etc. The resulting sound was a technological
marvel,  but lacked any appeal beyond the "ooh - gadgets" factor.

For the same reason, I've learned over the years to not be swayed by
the 'wowness' of new gear. I make an effort to only use electronics
that are directly productive, and that I have a good amount of control
over. I also have to keep an eye on myself, so I can rein it in when
I'm making too much of a sonic mess.

I've noticed lately that some of the best 'weird' music that I listen
to isn't completely made of 'as weird as possible' sounds. A lot of
them also have some untreated instrumentation too. (I love the use of
marimba on some of Coil's recent albums.) That's another thing I've
been trying to take to heart, sort of like building a context by
including that sort of variety and dynamic.

Matt Davignon
www.ribosomemusic.com

On Nov 27, 2007 9:00 PM, Krispen Hartung <khartung@cableone.net> wrote:
>
>
> It's liberating isn't it?  For the last month, I have been looping with 
>just
> my clean jazz guitar sound, and my max/msp looper. I have been 
>concentrating
> on what I can do with just my instrument without the aid of tone mangling
> effects, just the tone of the guitar and the power of the looper and its
> features. It occured to me how easy it is (at least for me) to make 
>decent
> sounding music with loads of effects as a artistic crutch...a few lush
> ambient fripp like patches, some long delays and modulation, granular
> synthesis, layers of effects and pitch, etc. After a while, my primary
> instrument is overshadowed, the love of my music life that has been with 
>me
> for  28 years. I find it much more interesting and challenging to work 
>with
> just my guitar tone now, and see what limits I can push, what boundaries 
>I
> can leap without the aid of the all so seductive tone mangling effect
> crutch.  :)  We'll see where this goes....
>
> Kris
>
>
>