Melancholiday: A Live Multimedia Analog & Digital Synth Pattern Exploration

Published on Dec 1, 2015 Bill Vincent

"This piece is the result of creating several patterns using the Yamaha MOXF8 pattern sequencer, and assigning various analog and digital synths which include:

Yamaha MOXF8 (driving all synths - NO computer used!
Korg ARP Odyssey
Moog Sub Phatty
Yamaha Motif ES Rack
Yamaha DX7IIFD

Pattern performance and tweaking all live to Behringer X32 two-track recorder. Video projection using Arkaos GrandVJ, triggered from MIDI pattern. Additional visual effects overlays added later.

The idea behind the different synths, some old, some new, was to create a piece where these synths and the styles from the era they came all came together for this piece. You'll hopefully hear several different and somewhat familiar musical riffs that are a tip of the hat to their time, either 70s, 80's, 90's or today. As I worked on the piece I kept thinking of several different pieces that these patterns and sounds reminded me of. Finally after all the major music patterns have been exposed and toyed with, I explore sonic territories created by the analog synths used, going from music to tweaking then back to music to finish.

I hope you enjoy the piece, a somewhat sad sounding piece (composed in and around the Paris tragedy) meant as a tribute to the big synth sounds of the past, present and future."