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Re: Rambling thoughts and a new track
Resonates with me!
daniel
On Aug 30, 2011, at 9:39 AM, kkissinger@kevinkissinger.com wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>
> Over the last year I've lurked more than I've posted so I'm writing to
> share some philosophical, musical, and technical thoughts.
>
> As musicians we get many of, what I call, "15 minute of fame" moments.
> We all decide what to do with them. In a sense, an internet post is
> also such a moment and I am aware that for some people my post will lack
> resonance, some will find it entertaining, and perhaps someone will take
> some piece of fresh knowledge or inspiration from it. The same with a
> performance or really with any interaction. I try to avoid posting when
> I'm in a bad mood because the transient negativity will find its way
> onto the page and achieve permanance.
>
> Anyway, I've spent a good deal of time with DIY electronics -- furiously
> adding new modules to my modular synth. My synth has a MIDI-to-CV
> converter and, among other functions, converts MIDI Clock messages to
> clock signals.
>
> The LP1 is a rock-solid MIDI clock source. The way it works is that
> when one records and ends the master track (by default, the first track)
> the LP1 -- based on the length of the track and the Beats-per-Measure
> setting, outputs perfectly aligned MIDI clock events.
>
> This opens up possibilities to do tightly synced work with the
> synthesizer. One of the first issues that arise is that the result of
> these repeated triggers is repitition -- that is, percussive envelopes
> restart on every trigger producing a marimba or mandolin effect.
>
> I modded some hardware logic circuits such that it would combine the
> triggers (from the MIDI CLOCK) with gates (from my keyboards) such that
> a Logical "AND" drives the output 'high' and remains high until a
> logical NOT OR condition occurs. This allows long envelopes to start
> precisely on a clock without repeating on subsequent clocks.
>
> This allows me to build very long loops that start with seemingly random
> events with big gaps of silence between them and to slowly add events
> that eventually coalesce into a groove. The clock assures that each
> event will happen "on the beat" so to speak.
>
> This track, entitled "Mysterious Bells" demonstrates this idea:
>
> http://kevinkissinger.com/downloads/music/mysteriousbells_681.mp3
>
> I created this track in 2010 -- and if I already shared this with you,
> please forgive me -- I honestly can't remember if I wrote about this
> here.
>
> There was a recent thread here about the use of the LP1 when slaved to a
> clock -- however I like to use it as a master.
>
> Off topic:
>
> I haven't really done much music in 2011. Last August my (grown up)
> kids, on a whim, decided to visit a nearby dropzone to do a "first jump"
> course. They asked if I wanted to join them and I apprehensively
> agreed. I was in a state of shear terror as I sat in the door of the
> airplane but as soon as I jumped out I was hooked and decided to keep
> jumping. I'm up to 35 jumps and around 10 minutes of freefall time and
> will have my license in just one or two more jumps. This has become
> pretty consuming -- much harder and more time-consuming that I ever
> imagined -- and I look forward to getting back into the studio once I
> get the skydiving license and with the onset of winter in a few months.
>
> All the best to one and all!
>
> -- Kevin
>