MATRIXSYNTH: Search results for Peter Pringle


Showing posts sorted by date for query Peter Pringle. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query Peter Pringle. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Wednesday, February 03, 2021

Electronic Music Experimentation in the Films of Alfred Hitchcock


video by Reverb

"From the start, Alfred Hitchcock took a keen interest in the music in his films—and, indeed, musical motifs featured in the plotlines of some of his biggest '30s successes (Read more on Reverb). Watch along as Joe discusses the music in his films and how electronic experimentation was explored to be the sound of some iconic characters and bizarre situations."

Samuel Hoffman on Johnny Carson:


Johnny Carson Plays THEREMIN video by Peter Pringle

Trautonium:


Nieuwe elektronische piano: Het Trautonium (1941) video by Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid

Mixtur Trautonium:


Oskar Sala - Live-Konzert 1991 - Mixtur-Trautonium video by Trautonist

And a playlist of Oskar Sala performances from 1997 uploaded by Trautonist:

Oskar Sala „Gesprächskonzert" 1997 - Teil 01-10


See the labels below for additional posts on each.

Tuesday, February 04, 2020

Cristal Baschet & Ethervox Theremin


Published on Feb 4, 2020 Peter Pringle

"There has been a lot of interest in the last few years in the instrument known as the “cristal baschet” (aka, “crystal organ” and “euphone”), so I decided to make a video showing what it looks and sounds like. The instrument was developed in the early 1950’s by the late Bernard and François Baschet, two brothers who lived and worked in Paris. It is entirely acoustic, and constructed mainly of glass and stainless steel. There are resonators attached to it to amplify the sound. In the above video the large “sail” (“voile” in French) is made of mirror polished stainless steel, while the three other teardrop-shaped resonators are made from arborite (these are usually made of fiberglass but I have found that arborite, which is much harder, gives a superior tone).

The sound of the “cristal” is produced by dipping your fingers in water, and rubbing them along a series of parallel glass rods. The rods are attached to a row of chromatically tuned steel bars, similar in principle to tuning forks, and the vibration set up by these bars is communicated to the resonators. This idea was first developed two hundred years ago by the German musician and physicist, Ernst Chladni.

Because the “cristal” must be played with wet hands, it is not easy to find a second instrument that you can play at the same time. The obvious choice is the THEREMIN, because it is played without touching. The theremin in the video is a 1998 Moog MIDI Ethervox, the only fully capable MIDI theremin ever made, and believed by many to be one of the late Robert Moog’s crowning achievements. Sadly, there were only about 50 of these instruments ever made.

Since I only had my left hand to play the theremin (my right hand is playing the “cristal”) I was forced to control the volume of the theremin by means of a pedal. It is interesting to note that with Russian inventor Leon Theremin’s early prototypes (which he called the “etherphone”) volume was also controlled by a pedal - not by a volume antenna. I would like to thank the original designer of the Ethervox MIDI software, Rudi Linhard of LINTRONICS, for certain improvements he made to foot control of the MIDI functions - my left foot is on a MIDI pedal which you cannot see in the video.

I built the cristal baschet in the video myself, with the kind help of the wonderful French musician and “cristaliste”, Karinn Helbert, who shared her knowledge of the instrument and was an endless source of encouragement. For those who are interested in the construction of this instrument, here is a webpage I put together describing the process. It was lots of fun to build (I really like making stuff) but I will not be making another.

This webpage is in French, but I hope to get around to doing a translation soon for English speakers who are interested in the subject.

www.peterpringle.com/cristalbaschet.html"

Thursday, April 27, 2017

The Haken Continuum Meets The Chinese Guzheng


Published on Apr 27, 2017 Peter Pringle

"Here is a short piece for Haken Continuum, and the Chinese zither known as the 'guzheng'. Normally, the guzheng is played with finger picks on the right hand, but I chose not to use picks so that I could move freely from one instrument to the other if I wanted to. This means that I had to sacrifice certain guzheng techniques (such as the tremolo) which require picks.

In this video I am using a full keyboard extension which sits just above the fingerpad of the Continuum and acts a mechanical alternative for playing the instrument. The extension has no electronic components, and is not connected in any way to the Continuum itself. Basically, it consists of a row of small mechanical depressors, one for each of its 88 keys, and is just a convenience to facilitate accurate and precise runs, arpeggios, trills, etc.

The Continuum is a thousand instruments rolled into a single interface. The sound you hear from it in this video is only one of a huge number of possibilities from sound designer Edmund Eagan. Unlike many new interfaces, the Continuum generates its own sounds independently, and does not require a computer."

Sunday, August 07, 2016

Peter Pringle's Keyboard Extension for the Haken Continuum


Published on Aug 7, 2016 EaganMatrix Programming

"A brief discussion of my build and use of the keyboard extension for the Haken Continuum invented by Peter Pringle. For the 1/2 sized unit adapting the Novation Impulse 49 is an excellent choice if you can find a used or even better non-functional unit (as long as the key bed and springs are intact)."

Peter Pringle on MATRIXSYNTH

Friday, July 22, 2016

New Haken Continuum EaganMatrix Programming Tutorials


For those interested the following videos have been added to the main Haken Continuum EaganMatrix Programming Tutorials playlist here.

10. Haken Continuum EaganMatrix Programming Session10 - Continuum as Audio DSP
11. Haken Continuum EaganMatrix Programming Session11 - Creating a Simple Organ
12. Initial Reactions Building Peter Pringle's Keyboard Extension for the Haken Continuum

Friday, May 27, 2016

The Haken Continuum Keyboard Extension


Published on May 27, 2016 Peter Pringle

"This is the introduction of my keyboard extension for the Haken Continuum. It is entirely mechanical and has no electronic or electrical components whatsoever. It sits over the fingerpad of the Continuum but does not touch it or interfere with it in any way, except when pressure is applied to a key and a small, precisely placed, drop-shaped 'pearl' pushes into the neoprene surface. Since the fingerpad is pressure sensitive on the Z axis, the keyboard is also.

The keyboard extension in the video has a total of 47 keys, but I am now building a full sized, 93 key extension that will cover the entire Continuum fingerpad. I guess I should add that I am in no way connected to the manufacturers of the Continuum. I am strictly a fan of the instrument, looking for creative ways to expand its usefulness and versatility.

For more information visit http://www.peterpringle.com/conboard...."

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Haken Continuum EaganMatrix Programming Tutorials


Published on Apr 24, 2016 EaganMatrix Programming

Playlist:
1. Haken Continuum EaganMatrix Programming Session 1 - Predefined Formulas
2. Haken Continuum EaganMatrix Programming Session 2 - Simple Formulas
3. Haken Continuum EaganMatrix Programming Session 3 - Barrels
4. Haken Continuum EaganMatrix Programming - Session 4
5. Haken Continuum EaganMatrix Programming - Session 5 - Shape Generators
6. Haken Continuum EaganMatrix Programming - Session #6 - Using the CVC
7. Haken Continuum EaganMatrix Programming Session 7 - Pedals
8. Haken Continuum EaganMatrix Programming Session8 - TEC Breath Controller
9. Haken Continuum EaganMatrix Programming - Session 9 - Simple Filters and Noise
10. Haken Continuum EaganMatrix Programming Session10 - Continuum as Audio DSP
11. Haken Continuum EaganMatrix Programming Session11 - Creating a Simple Organ
12. Initial Reactions Building Peter Pringle's Keyboard Extension for the Haken Continuum

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Haken Continuum Goes To RUSSIA


Published on Feb 27, 2016 Peter Pringle

"Here’s something new and different for those of you who are interested in the Haken Continuum Fingerboard.

One of the new presets designed by audio wizard Edmund Eagan for the latest firmware version of the Haken Continuum is called TWO HANDED VOICE. As its name implies it takes two hands to control it: one hand for pitch, the other for the formant (i.e. the vowel sound you want to make - AH…EH…EE..OO…etc.) This precludes the possibility of playing another instrument simultaneously (such as a keyboard) because you don’t have a free hand to do it with. Normally, for the TWO HANDED VOICE, one hand moves from left to right on the upper part of the fingerboard (called the ‘Y’ axis), and the other from left to right on the lower part, with each hand controlling a different function.

So I devised “the FINGAH” (that’s New Yorkese for “finger”) which I cobbled together from bits & pieces I cannibalized from here & there. Never throw anything away because the minute you do you’re going to need it!!

Here is a video I made showing “the fingah” in action. The device fits snugly onto the Continuum, and exerts exactly the right amount of pressure on the upper part of the ‘Y’ axis, leaving one of your two hands free. The pressure (which is adjustable) is exerted by a roller, so there is no friction or drag on the neoprene fingerboard surface, and the formant can be modified by sliding the “fingah” along a rail that supports it from above. Everything is on roller bearings, both above and below, so it just seems to float along. Volume is controlled by finger pressure of the pitch hand. The “fingah” is hinged, like a lid, so you can easily lift it from the fingerboard when it is not in use, without having to remove it altogether from your setup.

Edmund Eagan’s TWO HANDED VOICE is the best, most versatile, and most consistently believable electronic vocal emulation I have ever heard. I love it….and it is so easy to play!"

Thursday, December 31, 2015

THEREMIN - And This Is My Beloved


Published on Dec 31, 2015 Peter Pringle

"This song is from the hit 1953 musical, KISMET, with music adapted from the works of the Russian composer, Alexander Borodin. The story unfolds in old Baghdad, so I put myself in an appropriate fantasy decor! I am playing the 1929 RCA theremin once owned by the late Dr. Samuel Hoffman."

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

CHRISTMASTIDE on an RCA theremin


Published on Dec 23, 2015 Peter Pringle

"This Christmas song in the traditional style was written for soprano Jessye Norman by composer Donald Fraser, and lyricist Jane McCulloch. It is called CHRISTMASTIDE but is also knows as 'Jessye's Carol'.

In this video I am playing the song on the 1929 RCA theremin once owned by the late 'Hollywood thereminist', Dr. Samuel Hoffman."

Saturday, December 05, 2015

RCA Theremin HYMNE A L'AMOUR


Published on Dec 5, 2015 Peter Pringle

"I made a video of this classic Edith Piaf song several years ago when YouTube quality was not as good as it is today and everything sounded as if it had been recorded at the bottom of a swimming pool. Here is a new theremin version of the song played on Samuel Hoffman’s 1929 RCA theremim. I lived in Paris for a while in the late 1960’s and it is one of the most wonderful cities in the world."

I added this one to the tribute post here.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

France, Lebannon & Russia

To all my readers in France, it goes unsaid that you have our unconditional support and we stand behind you. France is a beautiful country and its people even more so. France is a country of pride, art, beauty, and passion for life that inspires us all. We stand with you.






Update2: Lebannon was also the subject of recent attacks. My support goes out to all my Lebanese readers as well.

Update3: Russia confirms bomb took down plane in Egypt. And of course my support goes out to all my Russian and Soviet readers and friends.

Update1: Some tributes from the synth community below. If you'd like to share or send anything in, please do.

A Prayer for Paris, Peace and the World - Dedicated to all the Victims of Terrorism and War

Published on Nov 15, 2015 REWO_Channel

"A song I wrote today for all the victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris and the rest of the world lately."

Jordan Rudess - Piano For Peace

Published on Nov 15, 2015 Jordan Rudess

"Sending out a live musical message to all my friends around the world in hopes for peace"

Rephazer - B-Side (Twisted World Mix)

Published on Nov 14, 2015 Rephazer

"... This track and my heart goes out to all the Paris victims and their families ..."



"(c) vintage synthesizer track by RetroSound
all sounds: E-MU Emax (1986)
drums: LinnDrum (1982)
recording: multi track without MIDI

Against hate and stupidity. We need no war!!!"

Update: And the video:

E-MU Emax SE Sampler "Hearts Of Iron"

Published on Nov 18, 2015 RetroSound

Bataclan


"Paris, Friday 13th November, 2015..."

A tribute from ARPQuadra.

Poultry Zombie Wants Grains - Serge Creature / Gator

Published on Nov 15, 2015 ] Duplan [

"Direct sound, recorded in one track. Please watch in HD and with a good sound system...

- STS Serge Modular Creature and Gator M-Class panels
- Nord Drum
- Electro Harmonix Clockworks
- Ibanez DML10 delay
- Korg GR1 reverb

Dedicated to the victims of 13th nov. attacks in Paris [added this one to the main tribute post here]

-

There is more of my music on http://soundcloud.com/duplan"

RCA Theremin HYMNE A L'AMOUR

Published on Dec 5, 2015 Peter Pringle

"I made a video of this classic Edith Piaf song several years ago when YouTube quality was not as good as it is today and everything sounded as if it had been recorded at the bottom of a swimming pool. Here is a new theremin version of the song played on Samuel Hoffman’s 1929 RCA theremim. I lived in Paris for a while in the late 1960’s and it is one of the most wonderful cities in the world."

Monday, February 16, 2015

Haken Continuum In The Himalayas


Published on Feb 16, 2015 Peter Pringle

"Voice & Haken Continuum"

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

MF#41 MOOG THEREMINI teardown and how it works


Published on Feb 10, 2015 markusfuller

Moog Thereminis on eBay

"a brief history of the theremin, Leon Theremin, Bob Moog, a quick teardown and brief explanation on how they work. plus some bloopers at the end.

Interesting Links
Thomas Grillo. www.thomasgrillo.com
Peter Pringle & the RCA talking machine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2cQ7... [below]
Dorit Chrysler with the Polyphonic Theremin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stobf..." [below]

RCA Theremin & Talking Machine

Published on May 22, 2012 Peter Pringle

"The theremin in this video is the instrument that once belonged to Julius Goldberg, the partner and personal assistant of Russian inventor Leon Theremin. This is a 1929 RCA theremin that was customized by Goldberg in the early 1930's and provided with "lightning bolt" volume and pitch antennas. In this video, I am using an ELECTRO-HARMONIX "Talking Machine" on a fixed, open "AH" sound, which lends to the tone a remarkable likeness to a human tenor.

The theremin has often been compared to an "electric soprano" but used with the Talking Machine, it can also be an ELECTRIC TENOR or an ELECTRIC BARITONE!

The composition is the famous tenor aria, NESSUN DORMA, from the opera TURANDOT by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini."

Introducing the Moog Polyphonic Theremin

Uploaded on Mar 31, 2011

"Introduced in 1928, the Theremin is one of the earliest and most widely known electronic instruments. Played artists that manipulate invisible energy fields around antennas which control the pitch and volume of the sound, Theremin music has distinguished hit records from such diverse artists as The Beach Boys, Led Zeppelin, Clara Rockmore and Linkin Park.

Today (April 1st), Moog Music designers carrying on the legacy of visionary founder, Robert Moog have announced the first major technical Theremin design advance in over 40 years. The PolyTheremin™ incorporates bleeding edge IsoDirectional Inductive Oscillator Technology, to isolate space around five individual pitch antennas thus enabling each to be played simultaneously (finger-by-finger) without interference from its companion antennas. This revolutionary concept breaks the long held belief that the Theremin could only be monophonic instrument.

The PolyTheremin ships with Dorit Chrysler's instructional video 'Playing the PolyTheremin is Even Easier Than Playing a Monophonic Theremin.'"

Monday, September 29, 2014

CARMINA BURANA - RCA Theremin


Published on Sep 29, 2014 Peter Pringle

"This is 'IN TRUTINA' from CARMINA BURANA by Carl Orff. The "Carmina Burana" is a collection of poems mostly in medieval Latin written in the 11th 12th and 13th centuries. They were discovered in 1803 in the Benedictine monastery of BENEDIKTBEUERN, in Bavaria. That is why I chose the chapel of the monastery as an appropriate place to play this piece."

Friday, August 15, 2014

THEREMIN: OMBRA DI NUBE


Published on Aug 14, 2014 Peter Pringle

"This short song, OMBRA DI NUBE, was written in 1935 by Italian composer and Roman Catholic priest, Licinio Refice. Since the composer died in 1954 during rehearsals for his opera CECILIA, based on the life of Saint Cecilia (the patron saint of music) I thought it might be appropriate to perform it in the Basilica of Saint Cecilia In Trastevere in Rome........this was done through the miracle of Green Screen.

The 1929 RCA theremin in the video, with its distinctive 'lightning bolt' art deco antennas, was once the property of inventor Leon Theremin's assistant and business partner, Julius Goldberg."

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Jade Princess

Published on Oct 12, 2013 saulpalampe·93 videos

"Peter Pringle - Jade Princess, arranged by Dace Bleikša.
Performs kokle ensemble "Kārtas Studija"

Slidesounder is homemade MIDI ribbon controller.
https://sites.google.com/site/slideso...

Pīters Pringls "Nefrīta princese", Daces Bleikšas aranžējumā.
Izpilda kokļu ansamblis "Kārtas Studija"

Kristiāna Balčus - Slīdskanis
Latvīte Cirse - Kokle
Līva Līcīte - Kokle
Ieva Danovska - Kokle
Dace Bleikša- Basa kokle

Video:
Kalvis Kalsers
Andris Garaučs
Olafs Nollendorfs
Dzintars Briedis"

Monday, August 26, 2013

Theremin - PETITE VALSE FOLLE

Published on Aug 26, 2013 Peter Pringle·62 videos

"Here is an original new composition called PETITE VALSE FOLLE ('Crazy Little Waltz') written for theremin. This is played on the Moog Etherwave Pro theremin, which has been modified with the addition of the EPVM1345 module, designed by French 'thérémingénieur' Thierry Frenkel."

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Julius Goldberg's RCA Theremin


YouTube via copperleaves — June 13, 2010 — "This is the unique 1929 RCA theremin that was once the property of Leon Theremin's assistant, Julius Goldberg. One of the things that makes this instrument so unusual, are the "lightning bolt" antennas that were created for it in the 1930's. For the purpose of this video, I have removed the cabinet doors in order to be able to show the inside of the instrument.

One of the problems that RCA theremins can develop over the years (this instrument is more than 80 years old) has to do with the degeneration of the "trimming condensers". These are the three little white cards that hang from the chassis. You will notice that each card has a trimming screw on it which allows the user to adjust the range of the instrument as well as the volume response. Turning the screw to the left or the right fine tunes capacitance by pushing two plates together on the inside of the card. Over the years, these plates naturally degenerate and lose their capacitance (causing the pitch range of the sound to fall lower and lower over the decades) so extra capacitance has to be added in order to maintain the integrity of the instrument. This can be done easily by adding a capacitor to the circuit. I have done this by connecting small alligator clips to the poles of the circuits and then inserting capacitors that will return the instrument to the original RCA specifications. By leaving the clips exposed (you can see them in the video) I can access them easily and adjust capacitance without having to disassemble the theremin.

The elaborate speaker stand that you see behind me, is an exact replica of the "sprite" speakers (there were originally three of them) that were created for the "Electrio" in 1931 by Vincente Minnelli when he was working as a set designer at Radio City Music Hall. Minnelli later went on to become one of Hollywood's most celebrated film directors of the 1940's and 50's. Unfortunately, the original stands disappeared long ago. They are very top heavy and they probably just fell apart.

It was felt at the time that the theremin, theremincello, and theremin keyboard (which formed the "Electrio") was not very interesting to look at from a distance, so these spectacular Art Deco speaker stands were created to look impressive from a distance. They were almost eight feet tall (this reproduction is about 7' 8" tall) and were very fragile. The stand you see in this video is equipped with a CLARATONE speaker specially designed for use with a theremin.

The piece I am playing is CHE FARO SENZA EURIDICE from C. W. Gluck's opera, ORFEO ED EURIDICE.

If you would like to know more about Julius Goldberg, and see some photos of the original sprite speakers, please visit my website:

http://www.peterpringle.com"

Click here for all posts featuring Peter Pringle featured here on MATRIXSYNTH. Don't miss this impressive cover of Cohen's Hallelujah.
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