Author & Punisher on DIY Controllers | Red Bull Music Academy

Published on Nov 7, 2018 Red Bull Music Academy

"In this episode of Studio Science, filmed at Moogfest 2018, Author & Punisher explained his DIY philosophy and approach while guiding us through the latest iteration of his performance setup, featuring new versions of his controllers for rhythm, pitch and assignable parameters. #DIY #Moogfest

Author & Punisher is Tristan Shone, a one-man band the mechanical engineer created in 2004. Inspired by his experience playing in bands and a love of industrial music and doom metal, Shone writes and performs as Author & Punisher using an intricate setup of custom controllers which he designs, prototypes and builds himself. These controllers are machined in CNC (computer numeric control), 3D-printed and powered by Arduino, open-source software and hardware that allows Shone's inventions – with names like Big Knobs and Grid Iron – to communicate with hardware instruments and software such as Ableton Live. Beyond the practicality of enabling Shone to perform by himself, these DIY controllers are also a way for him to add a more engaging physical dimension to the MIDI controllers that have become a standard in electronic music. The result is a unique setup where Shone controls every aspect of the music manually, live. Or as he puts it, 'If I’m not touching something, you’re not hearing something.'"