Monolake Interview

Published on Aug 1, 2016 AudioCentralMagazine

"The first part of the interview with Robert Henke-Monolake taken at Acusmatiq XI in Ancona, Italy, on 30th of July 2016. Some disturbs on audio for a lot of background noises, winds and other gremlins inside the Mole Vanvitelliana."

Monolake, aka Robert Henke, is the man behind Ableton's Operator, Sampler, Max4Live devices, and other projects. He is also the man behind the Monodeck. If you are not familiar with him, check out some previous posts here on MATRIXSYNTH dating all the way back to 2006.

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Monolake - Imbalance Computer Music

Monolake is a project by Ableton co-founder and software architect Robert Henke. I somehow missed this one. Create Digital Music had a post up on Monolake on July 24, and Analog Industries just put up a post on the Monodeck II by Monolake. I put up a Monodeck II post and headed over to the root of the Monolake site to check it out.

On the site you will find a number of esoteric projects including MIDI controlled light bulbs, virtual surround sound thunderstorms, cross Atlantic network live performances, the Monodeck II, and more. Too much for one post. Title link takes you there.

Synclavier II

YouTube via jbfairlight — May 13, 2010 —

"Voici un New England Digital (N.E.D.) Synclavier II.

L'unité centrale c'est la rack 19" (avant et arrière).

Il y a évidement un clavier musical ici c'est un O.R.K. pour Original Keyboard (76 touches lestées)

L'extrait musical est Plumbicon de Monolake (Robert Henke).

Pour en savoir plus sur les Synclavier : ned synthesizers fr"
googlish:
"jbfairlight - May 13, 2010 - Here is a New England Digital (NED) Synclavier II.
The CPU is the 19 "(front and rear).
There is obviously a musical keyboard here is a ORK for Original Keyboard (76 keys weighted)

The musical excerpt is from Plumbicon Monolake (Robert Henke).

To learn more about the Synclavier: ned synthesizers en"

Max For Live Devices via Robert Henke of monolake

via monolake where you'll find the full list and downloads.

"This page hosts a selection of MaxForLive devices. MaxForLive is a flavor of the Max programing language that only works in conjunction with Ableton Live and allows users to create their own devices and to share those. In order to use these effects, one needs to own Ableton Live Version 8.1 or higher and the MaxForLive extension. More info about MaxForLive can be found on the websites of Ableton and Cycling74."


Wikipedia actually has a decent write-up on Robert Henke if you are not familiar with his work. He is actually the man behind the Monodeck (see here for prior posts). "Henke is a software engineer who develops custom software and hardware for live performances. As well as working as an engineer for Ableton, Henke designed the Atlantic Waves software for performing live with other producers in different countries simultaneously[2].

In 2003, Henke designed the Monodeck, a midi-controller interface for spontaneous editing and effects work during live performances, even without having to look at the computer screen[3]. The Monodeck and its successor, Monodeck II, control Ableton through patches designed with Max/MSP."

Robert Henke and Lumiere II.2

This one in via 060171:

"Yesterday i was at Lumiere II.2 by Robert Henke in Utrecht the Netherlands. The performance was part of the International Computer Music Conference 2016.

By change we had seats next to Roberts desk and took this pic. (sorry Gregory Taylor from Cycling '74)
Rober (Monolake) controls four big lasers with the sound, these sounds are also the music. The laserlight projection is super vivid, a real spectacle, combined with multi channel audio.

Last year is saw version II in Amsterdam, where Robert also gave a lecture at STEIM about the technique. (Ableton and Max for live and the special lasers)

quality videos are at:
https://vimeo.com/roberthenke"


Deep Web from Robert Henke on Vimeo.

"DEEP WEB

KINETIC AUDIOVISUAL INSTALLATION AND PERFORMANCE

BY CHRISTOPHER BAUDER AND ROBERT HENKE

COMMISSIONED BY THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS LYON

Deep Web is a monumental immersive audiovisual installation and live performance created by light artist Christopher Bauder and composer and musician Robert Henke. Presented in enormous pitch dark indoor spaces, Deep Web plunges the audience into a ballet of iridescent kinetic light and surround sound. The work was presented as a preview at CTM 2016 Festival Berlin and will be followed by its original presentation at the Festival of Lights Lyon in December 2016.

The generative, luminous architectural structure weaves 175 motorized spheres and 12 high power laser systems into a 25 meter wide and 10 meter high super-structure, bringing to life a luminous analogy to the nodes and connections of digital networks. Moving up and down, and choreographed and synchronized to an original multi-channel musical score by Robert Henke, the spheres are illuminated by blasts of colourful laser beams resulting in three-dimensional sculptural light drawings and arrangements in cavernous darkness.

The installation brings together decades of separate research and experimentation by two artists with unique visions and passions for sound and light, and by innovative companies working in these fields. High-end laser system manufacturer LaserAnimation Sollinger provided the technical expertise and development for this very specific spatial laser setup. The high precision motor winch systems with real time feedback and the main control software are provided by Design Studio WHITEvoid in collaboration with Kinetic Lights. This novel combination of computer controlled kinetic elements and laser systems allows for setting animated end points to normally infinite laser beams. DEEP WEB uses light as a tangible material to construct threedimensional vector drawings in thin air.

The work was originally commissioned by the Festival of Lights Lyon 2015, and developed in cooperation with local producer Tetro. Due to the festival’s cancellation after the tragic events in Paris, Berliners had the unique chance to attend an exclusive preview before the project will be presented in December 2016 in Lyon for the Festival of Lights 2016.

The Artists:

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FM3 Buddha Machine 4

FM3 Buddha Machine 4 loop01 video

Published on Nov 12, 2012 by Christiaan Virant

"Loop01 from Buddha Machine 4. Loop name is "hao" 《好》. Video by Zhang Jian. Loop sourced from the track "Do Better" on the Fistful of Buddha CD by Christiaan Virant."

Now available on eBay and Amazon.

"This is the fourth edition of the Buddha Machine featuring nine classical loops that return to the quiet, kinetic tones which made their original machine an overnight sensation. Comes in 4 eye-catching neon colors: green, orange, red and yellow. A MUST FOR ANY DRONE MUSICIAN A MUST FOR ANYBODY INTO MEDITATIVE SOUNDS Created by FM3 members Christiaan Virant and Zhang Jian. HAS EARNED PRAISE FROM BRIAN ENO, SUNN 0))), LOW, MONOLAKE, SUN CITY GIRLS, ETC PRESS RELEASE: Groovy day-glo colors. Dreamy new loops! The Beijing-based duo of Christiaan Virant and Zhang Jian are back with Generation Four of the world's funnest, friendliest pocket loop player. The new Buddha comes in four eye-catching neon colors and sees the duo return to the quiet, kinetic tones which made their original machine an overnight sensation. Buddha Machine 1, 2 and 3 have won consistent praise in media worldwide, from sources a diverse as Pitchfork, The New Yorker and The Wall Street Journal. In his recent best-selling book How Music Works, David Byrne cites the Buddha Machine as an early glimpse into the future of music. And fans around the world continue to enjoy the device as a source of tranquil tunes and musical inspiration, with hundreds of remix works posted on Soundcloud, Bandcamp and other online outlets. Requires 2 AA batteries"

FM3 Buddha Machine 4 loop 02

Published on Nov 21, 2012

"Loop 02 "Da" from Buddha Machine 04. Video by Zhang Jian.
FM3 四代佛机。 第二首 《大》。 视频： 张荐。"

fm3 buddha machine 4 loop 04

Published on Dec 6, 2012

"Loop 04 "Gang" from Buddha Machine 4. Video by Zhang Jian.
FM3 四代佛机 第四首 《钢》视频： 张荐。
Filmed in the small printing factory we built in suburban Beijing so we could in-house the design, prototyping and mass-production of our own packaging."

C74 Perspectives: Robert Henke on Max

YouTube via cycling74com

"Robert Henke (Monolake) discusses his history of using Max."

C74 Perspectives: Robert Henke on Max for Live

Robert Henke Workshop and Monodeck Explanation

This one was sent my way via Hielo Patagonia Sounds where you can find some info in French (Googlish). The video was filmed by Tom Cosm. Before you hit play, be warned that this is a long one at roughly one hour and thirty five minutes, but it is interesting. It starts with Ableton's spectrum analyzer and the Operator FM synth followed by the Monodeck II. If you are pressed for time, you can forward to 19:55 to see the Monodeck II shortly followed by it's use. In short the Monodeck was created by Robert Henke to control Ableton. You might remember it from these previous posts. Directly below is a shorter video of the original Monodeck prototype.

Ableton Artist: Monolake on Monodeck

YouTube via AbletonInc

The History of Ableton Live

Just saw this one on bleepology.
You can find the full history here.

"how it all began...

I make music with computers. But I am also deeply into creating tools for making music. And this is why I became one of the creators of a quite amazing piece of commercial music software, Ableton Live. This text here shall provide a bit of insight into Ableton and my role there. Ableton was founded by my former Monolake partner Gerhard Behles, together with two other brave young man, a developer, Bernd Roggendorf and a finance person, Jan Bohl.
Image: screenshot of a pre-release version from November 2000"

SM Granita Demo

Published on Apr 19, 2020 Sample Me

"SM Granita is a maxforlive granular synthesizer.

More info and free download: https://www.sampleme.info/?p=1816"

"SM Granita is a granular synthesizer. It’s a remix of Monolake’s Granulator II with focus on easy texture creation. Drag any sample and enjoy. It adds a luxury reverb and an audio pitch shifter for texture intonation, very useful in less experimental contexts.

Size: defines how many (very short) crossfading sample chunks are played back per second. High values: more chunks with shorter duration each are created.
Pos: file position. It can either be set by moving this parameter or by clicking on the waveform.
Spread: enables the slight detuning of the grain frequency for the left and right channel.
Lush: nw.gverb~’s decay time + mix. I like to have just 1 control, but you can easily add both in presentation.
ADSR: classic amp envelope.
Pitch (semitones + cents): audio pitch shifter for instrument tuning. Use Ableton Tuner Effect device (watch the demo video above). It introduce some latency and adds weird color at extreme values.
Voices: number of polyphonic voices.
Volume: ehm… main volume."

iPulsaret 1.2 / Official Video - AudioBus + Virtual Midi

Published on Mar 18, 2013 Sinapsya·74 videos

"iPulsaret is a granular synthesis. An awesome Granular Synthesizer able to generate a wide range of common and unusual effects: time/pitch shifting, time/pitch jittering, intricate textures, grain fountain/pulverizer, recording and manipulation of buffers, dynamic envelope shapes and many more. iPulsaret allows you to load from built-in sound samples, record audio directly with your iPad mic and/or add your own .WAV, .AIFF files via iTunes. A DropBox access is also available as the Sonoma AudioCopy / Paste feature. I really love the quality of the generated sound, the big x / y Pad which allows you to load 4 Snapshots (one for each corner). A must have for sound designers.

Music & Performance by Sinapsya
Track Name: Granular Dream
https://soundcloud.com/sinapsya/granu...

Special Thanks to Curtis Roads & Monolake for the begin sample.

You can by iPulsaret on AppStore..."

iTunes:
iPulsaret - apeSoft
iOS Devices on eBay - Daily Tech Deals

Orphion for iPad

"The concept of the Orphion results from my master thesis at UdK Berlin supervised by Robert Henke (aka monolake). The topic was to develop an interface for multitouchscreens which allows a maximum of expression."

"Orphion is a musical instrument with a unique sound between string instrument and percussion. Everyone can play expressive, wonderful sounds and easy or virtuosic melodies on it just by moving fingers on virtual pads.

What can I do with it?

• Express the sounds you feel
• Crazy drumming
• Dream and relax
• Create soundscapes and melodies without musical knowledge

Features:

• Different articulations from soft to plucked to hardly slapped
• Natural interaction
• Extend your ways of expression as a percussionist, guitarist, pianist or other musician
• 9 transposable pad-layouts with different tonalities from easy to complex (Five, Bluesscale, Pentawheel, Piano, Guitar Strings, 5ths circle, 3rd Matrix, Bassdrums, Waterdrops)
• 8 individual voices for 8 fingers (4 on iPad 1)

Follow us on facebook"


iPads on eBay

Also see:
Orphion - Silent Night
Orphion - rough demo

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Primary Optics: How Robert Henke used five 1980s computers to create his CBM 8032 AV show

Published on Apr 29, 2020 FACTmagazine

"Primary Optics is a series that dives into the ideas and technology behind some of the world’s most innovative audiovisual shows and artists.

In this episode, filmed at Berlin’s Radialsystem during CTM Festival 2020, FACT goes behind the scenes of CBM 8032 AV, the latest show from the mind of musician and visual artist Robert Henke, aka Monolake. The show revolves around a simple but technically challenging idea: what if you could create an audiovisual show using computers and technology from 40 years ago?

'This work is about the ambivalence between a contemporary aesthetic and the usage of obsolete and limited technology from 40 years ago,' Henke says. 'Everything presented within the project could have been done already in the 1980s, but it needed the cultural backdrop of today to come up with the artistic ideas driving it.'

The computer used by Henke for the show, the Commodore CBM 8032, was originally released in 1980. For comparison, the microchip you'd find in today's average domestic washing machine would be around 100,000 times more powerful that those inside each of the five computers Henke uses live on stage.

One is used for sequencing, one for creating visuals and three for creating sounds. Although he uses hardware effects from the era for filtering, pitch-shifting, looping and reverb, and expanded the computers' capabilities with a self-produced digital to analog converter, the sonics generated are a sparse, simple combination of sine waves, clicks, bleeps and cuts.

'The sound quality on one side is very limited, it's very rough,' Henke says. 'But exactly this kind of rough, edgy sound is something that suddenly becomes interesting because we are used to perfect sound.'

The graphics evoke a nostalgia for a more primitive age of computing, yet push the visual capabilities of the machines into a more psychedelic realm. This part of the show was developed by software engineer Anna Tskhovrebov, and required some clever hardware modification to interpret the computer’s visual data for projection.

'These machines can only display green and they can only display a limited number of graphic symbols, so in 1980 this was not seen as sufficient to do a one-hour performance' Henke says. 'Nowadays we are surrounded by virtual reality, millions of colours with unlimited channels of sound and suddenly the experience of going somewhere and watching for one hour a green screen is something special.'

Directed, filmed and edited by Pedro Küster
Produced by Scott Wilson

Special thanks to:
Robert Henke and Studio Robert Henke for their contribution and archive material
CTM Festival
All at Radialsystem, Berlin
Nai Fowler
Celia Solf and Soho House Berlin

https://roberthenke.com
https://www.ctm-festival.de/
https://radialsystem.de"

Monolake Interview Part Two

Part II added here.

Traveling Through Grain Space

Traveling Through Grain Space from bar|none on Vimeo.

Trying to use the soundplane for something experimental which is basically a surface for traveling through a single long sample, selecting cool points and then being able to play those grains pitch-wise but with the ability to travel as well using the continuous surface.

At points if it gets disorienting, it's like trying to hone in on a radio signal using coarse and fine tuning to discover something.

Soundplane is also responding to pressure as well a x position and relative to where you first touched a pitch. I don't have y connected but I could. Pressure controls volume envelope.

arc|tangent is a new monome arc app I am working on for high resolution control of anything in a generic sense with a lot of options for routing on the fly. Resolutions are variable from highly quantized to pretty much unlimited resolution if you are willing to spin the dial enough times. Visual feedback on the arc helps you understand what is happening. This allows for very high resolution control of scrubbing through a large sample in coarse or fine increments and control of many other parameters at high or low resolution.

The sound source is Monolake - Granulator. I am just controlling it in an unusual way and with finer control than you can do with the M4L patch controls alone.

The sample is a Stretta sample of a bunch of raw takes from a modular session of his. It is totally raw unedited material.

This was a very first rough test. There are so many tweaks you can make to make the control more musical. This is very exciting and fun. Different material yields totally different results and you can approach it in many ways.

Earth Songs

Along the lines of the Sounds of Stars and the Rings of Saturn, here are the sounds of Earth.

Via Earth Sounds:
"January 19, 2001 -- If humans had radio antennas instead of ears, we would hear a remarkable symphony of strange noises coming from our own planet. Scientists call them "tweeks," "whistlers" and "sferics." They sound like background music from a flamboyant science fiction film, but this is not science fiction. Earth's natural radio emissions are real and, although we're mostly unaware of them, they are around us all the time."

Title link takes you to the NASA online VLF receiver. You can stream the sounds in real time or check out the samples of tweeks, whilstlers and sferics on the page.

This one via Jon. Also check out Monolake and surround sound thunderstorms.