Tristan Perich: Pseudorandom

Infinity Gradient Trailer (for organ and 100 speakers) by Tristan Perich - Death of Classical video upload by Death of Classical

Note the above is a video of Tristan Perich's Infinity Gradient performance from March 22, 2022. You'll find details on his new book Pseudorandom, and upcoming performance further below. You might remember Tristan Perich from his 1-Bit synth featured in previous posts here.

Description for the Infinity Gradient performance above: "Composer Tristan Perich has made a name for himself creating sweeping, viscerally overwhelming soundscapes out of armies of 1-bit speakers playing synthesized sounds. We're pleased to present the U.S. Premiere of his newest work, Infinity Gradient, which takes his musical vision to the next level by combining 100 of those speakers with the soul-blasting power of all 7,069 pipes in the Miller-Scott Organ, housed amidst the magnificent Gothic architecture of Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue and played by the inimitable James McVinnie."



via Tristan Perich:

"Book Release + Performance at Printed Matter, Feb 29

Tristan Perich's Pseudorandom is a companion release to his circuit album Noise Patterns. The new art book is a monolithic, unabridged 1024-page printout of the 16,777,215 numbers that comprise one complete cycle of the 3-byte random number generator from Noise Patterns' code.

Originally released as a circuitboard that plays its music through a headphone jack, Noise Patterns employed randomness at the core of its sound synthesis. However, true randomness is beyond the limitations of any deterministic computer algorithm. Because a digital computer’s memory is intrinsically finite, any attempt towards randomness will eventually exhaust every possible memory value. When those values are used up, the cycle must repeat. What results is termed “pseudorandom” — an approximation of randomness, and an illustration of the vast but fundamentally limited nature of computation.

Join me at Printed Matter on Feb 29 to celebrate the book release, with a solo performance of Noise Patterns + Q&A

Tristan Perich: Pseudorandom Book Release
Thursday, Feb 29, 6pm
Printed Matter
231 11th Ave, NYC
➝ Event Info
➝ Pre-Order"

CLICK FOR MORE »

tiny synths overview

Published on Jul 10, 2019 Todd Barton

"some brief and very rough demos of these fun little synths from the early 2000s. Most are now unavailable though here are a few links of historical interest or updated versions of some of these:

Tristan Perich: https://tristanperich.bandcamp.com

Crackle Box: http://www.crackle.org/CrackleBox.htm

Rarebeast: https://www.etsy.com/shop/rarebeasts"

All the Teenage Engineering Synths for The Last Jam for #jamuary2019 (day31) feat. Tristan Perich

Published on Jan 31, 2019 amenemo1010

The 1-bit synth! The first time it was featured was back on August 31, 2005, just over a month after this version of the site launced.

"For this last jam I wanted to surprise you by putting together all the gears used during this period of #jamuary2019 and to surprise a rare and unavailable piece: the 1-bit symphony of Tristan Perich: programmed entirely in assembly code and inserted into a microchip to make the listening approach even more physical and direct."

Tristan Perich - Noise Patterns (Excerpts)

Video added to this post.

Tristan Perich Announces Noise Patterns + Release Party June 23

Tristan Perich - Noise Patterns (Excerpts) from Tristan Perich on Vimeo.

"Release party June 23 at (le) Poisson Rouge. Out July 22.

Noise Patterns digs into the primitive particles of digital 1-bit audio that has become Perich's signature sound. As with his previous circuit albums, Noise Patterns is not released as a CD or record. Noise Patterns comes as a minimalist matte-black circuit board with a headphone jack in the side. Plug in and switch it on to listen to Perich's music unfold.

The 6-track album explores how digital noise can be shaped and stressed, from glittering static into the mesmerizing electronic thump of a nightclub. On a technical level, the sonic raw material in Noise Patterns is digital 1-bit noise: a probabilistic density of random oscillations that Perich sequences into rhythmic patterns and layers into textures, pulses, rumbles and beats. These sounds are Perich's very own, programmed by the artist and synthesized in real-time as the circuit plays. The physical format of Noise Patterns reveals how Perich engages music at all levels, from sound all the way down to the binary instructions of the hardware.

INFORMATION: Noise Patterns on Physical Editions
PRE-ORDER: from Bleep.com

Release Party Performance: June 23 at (le) Poisson Rouge
6pm doors / 7:30pm show, 158 Bleecker St, NYC
TRISTAN PERICH: NOISE PATTERNS LIVE
ROBERT HENKE: 8032_TEST_COMPOSITION_01
KARL LARSON: ALVIN LUCIER'S MUSIC FOR PIANO WITH SLOW SWEEP PURE WAVE OSCILLATOR
+ Perich: Remixed after-party by Ricardo Romaneiro & Leo Leite with live visuals by Christian Hannon

TICKETS: from LPR"

Announcing Tristan Perich: Compositions - four works for 1-bit electronics and acoustic instruments

Tristan Perich: Parallels (w/ Meehan/ Perkins Duo) - Trailer from Physical Editions on Vimeo.

Tristan Perich: Compositions
Parallels
Meehan/ Perkins Duo, percussion
Out March 24 on Physical Editions (http://physicaleditions.com)

"Tristan Perich's composed works for acoustic instrumentation with 1-bit electronics are the subject of 'Compositions,' a new series of recordings to be released individually in special packaging that includes their full musical scores printed in poster form. This year, four works will be released, scored as duos between percussion, winds, harpsichord, strings and his 1-bit electronics. In each recording, the 1-bit electronics perform through on-stage speakers alongside classical instrumentation, continuing Perich's exploration into the physical nature of electronic and acoustic sound. Featuring performances by Meehan/ Perkins Duo, Ensemble Signal, Daniel Walden and others, the recordings will be available individually ($12-$18) or as a $50 pre-order subscription, released over the course of 2015. A limited artist edition will be available for $250 at the end of the year."

And from the official press release:

"Announcing Tristan Perich: Compositions

four works for 1-bit electronics and acoustic instruments

each CD packaged with miniaturized complete score

FIRST RELEASE: Parallels with Meehan/ Perkins Duo

RELEASE PERFORMANCE: GAP Presents! at Sky Gallery, March 25 8pm

PRE-ORDER: from Physical Editions

Tristan Perich's composed works for acoustic instrumentation with 1-bit electronics are the subject of Compositions, a new series of recordings to be released individually on CD in special packaging that includes their full musical scores printed in poster form.

This year, four works will be released, scored as duos between percussion, winds, harpsichord, strings and his 1-bit electronics. Featuring performances by the Meehan/ Perkins Duo, Ensemble Signal, Daniel Walden and others, the recordings will be available individually ($12-$18) or as a $50 pre-order subscription, released over the course of 2015. A limited artist edition player will be available as a self-playing device for $250 at the end of the year.
Join us on March 25 at 8pm for Meehan/ Perkins Duo performing Parallels at the Sky Gallery, 460 Union St, Brooklyn. Presented by Gowanus Art + Production. Tickets: $15 advance (buy now), $20 at door.

Compositions Release Schedule
March 24: Parallels
for tuned triangles, hi-hats and 4-channel 1-bit electronics
MEEHAN/ PERKINS DUO, PERCUSSION
May: Telescope
for 2 bass clarinets, 2 baritone saxophones and 4-channel 1-bit electronics
SARA BUDDE, EILEEN MACK, BASS CLARINETS
ARGEO ASCANI, ALEX HAMLIN, BARITONE SAXOPHONES
August: Dual Synthesis
for harpsichord and 4-channel 1-bit electronics
DANIEL WALDEN, HARPSICHORD
November: Active Field
for 10 violins and 10-channel 1-bit electronics
ENSEMBLE SIGNAL, VIOLINS
BRAD LUBMAN, CONDUCTOR"

Tristan Perich "0.01s" Book & 1-Bit Symphony Electronic Instrument CD

Some pics of my newly arrived "0.01s" book & "1-Bit Symphony" CD from Tristan Perich.

More information:
http://tristanperich.com
http://physicaleditions.com

Full details on the book release previously captured here. The book contains 635 pages of 1s and 0s. that cover cover the first 1/100th of a second of the 1-Bit Symphony CD.  Think about that the next time you play your digital synth for a bit.

1-Bit music made its first appearance here on MATRIXSYNTH back on August 8, 2005, just over one month after MATRIXSYNTH in the current format started.

When I put up that first post, the project brought a number of things to mind.  One, CDs are digital recordings of audio.  Here was a CD that generated audio through digital circuits.  Being 1-bit also implied bringing the audio down to its most simplistic, elemental form.  Digital synths are known for their complexity and variety, and typically, so is the audio recorded on CD.  The 1-bit CD seemed to be an expression of simplicity by breaking down what we define as music and syntheses to its minute source.  With the release of the book at 690 pages of 1s and 0s covering 10 milliseconds or a centisecond, you realize how much actually goes into it.

You'll find previous posts over the years on the 1-bit channel.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Tristan Perich "0.01s" Book Signing Tomorrow at Printed Matter

"Please come by Printed Matter tomorrow, Wednesday Dec 17, from 5-7pm for a talk and book signing for Tristan Perich's new art book, 0.01s: The First 1/100th Second of 1-Bit Symphony. Copies of 1-Bit Symphony will also be available.

Printed Matter
195 10th Ave (between 21st and 22nd, map)
New York, NY

Also available online from Physical Editions.
(Order today for shipping by Christmas within the United States).

More information:
http://tristanperich.com
http://physicaleditions.com"

Tristan Perich Releases “1-Bit Symphony” Reprint + Companion Art Book “0.01s”

"Celebrating the five-year reprint of 1-Bit Symphony, Tristan Perich releases companion art book: 0.01s: The First 1/100th Second of 1-Bit Symphony

In 2005, Tristan Perich’s 1-Bit Music was the first album released as a self-contained electronic circuit. His 2009 followup, 1-Bit Symphony, was called “sublime” by New York Press and rated “high-brow” and “brilliant” by New York Magazine, and quickly sold out its first pressing. To celebrate its 5-year anniversary, 1-Bit Symphony is back in stock in its original hardware format, now on Perich’s own imprint Physical Editions. In conjunction with the reprint, Perich is publishing 0.01s: The First 1/100th Second of 1-Bit Symphony, a conceptual art book that exposes the computational processes behind the album.

1-Bit Symphony is a dazzlingly low-fi electronic composition in five movements on a single microchip. A complete electronic circuit utilizes on and off electrical pulses, synthesized by assembly code, to manifest data as sound. The Wall Street Journal wrote, “Its oscillations have an intense, hypnotic force and a surprising emotional depth.” The device treats electricity as a sonic medium, making an intimate connection between the materiality of hardware and the abstract logic of software.

0.01s, Perich's new companion to 1-Bit Symphony, is an impressive synthesis of art and computation in book form, giving a tangible mass to the code behinds its music. Digging even deeper into the basic operations of computation, 0.01s captures the inner workings of 1- Bit Symphony over the first hundredth of a second after it is switched on. In just 0.01 seconds, its processor executes 80,000 computational cycles, enough information to fill a 695-page book with austere tables of numbers and machine language, becoming a visual meditation on the internal mechanics of computation.
Tristan Perich's (New York) work is inspired by the aesthetic simplicity of math, physics and code. The WIRE Magazine describes his compositions as "an austere meeting of electronic and organic." His award winning work coupling 1-bit electronics with traditional forms in both music and visual art has been presented around the world, from Sonar and Ars Electronica to MoMA and bitforms gallery."

More information:
http://tristanperich.com
http://physicaleditions.com

CLICK FOR MORE »

Vicky Chow - Tristan Perich: Surface Image

Vicky Chow - Tristan Perich: Surface Image from New Amsterdam Records on Vimeo.

"Vicky Chow - Tristan Perich: Surface Image

AVAILABLE TODAY ON NEW AMSTERDAM RECORDS

Stream/Buy on Bandcamp, iTunes and Amazon

New Amsterdam Records is proud to announce Surface Image, the new album-length composition for solo piano with 40-channel 1-bit electronics, composed by Tristan Perich and performed by pianist Vicky Chow.

Surface Image is a stunning marriage of Perich’s inspired electronic aesthetic and Chow's nuanced yet fiercely virtuosic playing. The line between electric and organic is artistically blurred, as the simple hand-wired electronics fuse with the individual notes of the piano on the same, expansive plane. Recorded at EMPAC’s sound studio by producer Argeo Ascani and mix engineer Jeffrey Svatek.


"Gorgeous...played by the virtuoso Vicky Chow" – RHAPSODY

"A brilliant, glittering web of piano and 1-bit electronics"
– WONDERING SOUND/JOHN SCHAEFER

"A masterpiece of (Post)Romantic proportions: an epic struggle between man and machine, pushing the piano beyond the limits of playability. There are moments of breakneck virtuosity and profound lyricism, beauty and menace. It is both an alien landscape and one that's eerily familiar." – FEAST OF MUSIC

"Album of the Week" - "Microcosmic fascination aside, Surface Image's power comes from the sublime, sheer power of its whole...creates a universe all its own."
– Q2 MUSIC

"The depth gathered in just the first nine minute bulk of Surface Image alone is brilliantly wearing, folding pixels and wires over themselves in a dizzying manner to smooth and lull." – TINY MIX TAPES

Tristan Perich: Mind the Machine

Tristan Perich: Mind the Machine from Russell Oliver on Vimeo.

"Documentary on Tristan Perich, a visual artist and composer.

Film by: Russell Oliver
Camera: Canon C100

www.tristanperich.com"

Anyone remember this post?  Synth history in the making.  Amazing that Tristan has come all this way.

Tristan Perich Surface Image at Mass MoCA (7/16) and Caramoor (7/20) - Piano Meets 1-Bit Sounds

"Vicky Chow performs Tristan Perich's Surface Image this afternoon in the galleries at Mass MoCA (North Adams, MA) and on Sunday at Caramoor (Katonah, NY). Placing the solo piano within a dense frenzy of 1-bit sound, Surface Image is an hour-long concerto for piano and primitive electronics. Forty loudspeakers, each wired to hand-built circuit boards, blanket the stage and accompany Chow’s playing, accumulating in a dense polyphonic cascade of piano notes and 1-bit tones. Today's Mass MoCA performance is part of Bang on a Can Plays Art, and Caramoor's as part of "In the Garden of Sonic Delights", with Volume VI.

July 16, 2014 at 4:30pm
Mass MoCA
North Adams, MA
July 20, 2014 at 5pm
Caramoor
149 Girdle Ridge Rd, Katonah, NY

More information: http://tristanperich.com"

Tristan Perich: Noise Patterns Coming to NYC This Wednesday, April 2

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2
Tristan Perich: Noise Patterns
Daniel Wohl w/ Iktus Percussion
Lucky Dragons
This Wednesday: a special intimate NYC performance of Tristan Perich's "Noise Patterns", with performances by Lucky Dragons and Daniel Wohl + IKTUS.
April 2, 2014 at 8:00pm
Baby's All Right
146 Broadway (at Bedford Ave), Brooklyn, NY

Info on Noise Patterns (click through for audio and more pics)

"Expanding on Perich's 1-Bit Symphony and tonal works for electronic circuits and acoustic instruments, Noise Patterns is a composition for sequenced 1-bit patterns of white noise, programmed for and performed by microchip. Instead of synthesizing definite frequencies, the code in Noise Patterns outputs random sequences of 1s and 0s. The 'notes' of Perich’s 'score' are then varying probabilities of randomness—ranging from the sound of white noise to sporadic instantaneous pops—which he composes into rhythmic patterns. In a tidal wave of 1-bit noise, the music is an investigation into the foundational limits of computation, which surface in the seemingly simple world of randomness."


And other events featuring Tristan's work:

MAR 29
Ensemble 0 performs Tristan Perich's "Observations" (with other works by Billy Martin, John Cage, Steve Reich, Angelica Negron)
Médiathèque André Labarrère
Pau, France

MAR 30
Unwind Concert Series: Mark DeMull performs Tristan Perich's "Momentary Expanse"
The Avenue, Lansing, MI

APR 2
Frontiers Festival: the festival's Resident Ensemble presents a program of works by Birmingham Conservatoire students alongside music by Tristan Perich, Anna Clyne, and Missy Mazzoli’s Orrizonte.
Birmingham Conservatoire
United Kingdom

MAY 30
FIVE: junctQin keyboard collective plays Tristan Perich's "qsqsqsqsqqqqqqqqq" (and works by Thierry De Mey, Elisha Denburg, Chad Martin, and Tomi Räisänen)
Gallery 345
Toronto, Canada

JUNE 5
Ensemble 0 performs Tristan Perich's "Observations"
Carcassonne, France

JUNE 12
Open Ears Festival: junctQin keyboard collective performs Tristan Perich's "qsqsqsqsqqqqqqqqq" (with works by Thierry De Mey, Elisha Denburg, Chad Martin, and Tomi Räisänen)
Registry Theatre
Kitchener, Canada

JUNE 21
Socrates Sculpture Park: SOUND EVENT
Socrates Sculpture Park
Queens, NY

CLICK FOR MORE »

Final week to see Tristan Perich's Microtonal Wall at MoMA

"Sunday is the last day of the Museum of Modern Art's Soundings: A Contemporary Score

Each of the 1,500 speakers in Tristan Perich's Microtonal Wall is tuned to play a specific tone, dividing four octaves into 1,500 microtonal pitches across its 25-foot length. The resulting cloud of frequencies resembles white noise from a distance, transitioning into individual tones as the viewer approaches the piece.

MoMA's first major exhibition of sound art presents work by Luke Fowler, Toshiya Tsunoda, Marco Fusinato, Richard Garet, Florian Hecker, Christine Sun Kim, Jacob Kirkegaard, Haroon Mirza, Carsten Nicolai, Camille Norment, Tristan Perich, Susan Philipsz, Sergei Tcherepnin, Hong-Kai Wang, Jana Winderen, and Stephen Vitiello. Organized by Barbara London, Associate Curator, with Leora Morinis, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Media and Performance Art.

Soundings: A Contemporary Score
On view: Aug 10 to Nov 3
The Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53rd Street, New York, NY (map)
More information:
http://tristanperich.com"

Some of you might remember Tristan Perich from his 1-bit synth and other projects.

Tristan Perich - Microtonal Wall at Interaccess - Walkthrough

Tristan Perich - Microtonal Wall at Interaccess - Walkthrough from Tristan Perich on Vimeo.

"1,500 speakers, each playing a single microtonal frequency, collectively spanning 4 octaves. Commissioned in part by Rhizome, with additional support from the Addison Gallery.

Video walkthrough from the exhibition "Microtonal Array" (with work by Tristan Perich and Sarah Rara)
InterAccess
Toronto, Canada

http://www.interaccess.org
http://www.tristanperich.com"

Tristan Perich: Impermanent (excerpt) at the Stone

Tristan Perich: Impermanent (excerpt) at the Stone from Tristan Perich on Vimeo.

"Tristan Perich: Impermanent
For tubular bells and 1-bit electronics
At The Stone, NYC

Performed by Doug Perkins, Nathan Davis, percussion

2011.

Tristan Perich: tristanperich.com
Doug Perkins: dougperkins.com
Nathan Davis: nathandavis.com"

Tristan Perich's 1-bit Music was first featured on MATRIXSYNTH back in August of 2005, only one month after the site launched. You can find more posts via the 1-bit label below.

Tristan Perich: “Elevation Maps” at Noguchi Museum

"Curated by Bang on a Can, the Noguchi Museum presents the premiere of Tristan Perich's “Elevation Maps” for five accordions and five-channel 1-bit electronics. The extended new work will be performed at 3pm in the afternoon for their final “Second Sundays” event this year. Performed by Jim Altieri, Matt van Brink, Benjamin Ickies, Franz Nicolay, Kamala Sankaram.
A $5 shuttle departs at 2:30pm from Asia Society in Manhattan (Park Ave and 70th St)
September 12, 2010 at 3PM
Noguchi Museum
3338 10th Street
Queens, New York (map)
N/Q to Broadway in Queens, or F to Queensbridge-21st Street
Free with museum admission: $10, $5 student/senior, children free
More Information:
http://www.noguchi.org/public_programs.html
http://www.tristanperich.com"

See the 1-bit label below for previous posts. Note all posts have to be about specific gear. This post is about Tristan Perich's 1-bit synth.

Tristan Perich: 1-Bit Symphony (Part 2 - Music Excerpts)

Tristan Perich: 1-Bit Symphony (Part 2 - Music Excerpts) from Tristan Perich on Vimeo.

Part 1 here. According to the pre-order post back on June 4, today is the release date.

Tristan Perich: 1-Bit Symphony Pre-Orders

You can find Tristan Perich's 1-Bit Symphony on Pre-Order here. Pre-orders ship two weeks before official August 24 release date. See this video and the 1-bit label at the bottom of this post for more.

"Tristan Perich's 1-Bit Symphony is an electronic composition in five movements on a single microchip. Though housed in a CD jewel case, 1-Bit Symphony is not a recording in the traditional sense; it literally "performs" its music live when turned on. A complete electronic circuit programmed by the artist and assembled by hand plays the music through a headphone jack mounted into the case itself.

A return to the format of Perich's lauded 1-Bit Music (described by the Village Voice as "technology and aesthetic rolled into one"), 1-Bit Symphony further reduces the hardware involved while simultaneously expanding its musical ideas. 1-Bit Symphony utilizes on and off electrical pulses, synthesized by assembly code and routed from microchip to speaker, to manifest data as sound. The device treats electricity as a sonic medium, making an intimate connection between the materiality of hardware and the abstract logic of software.

While 1-Bit Symphony is purely electronic in its execution, its contents reflect Perich's long-standing interest in orchestral composition. Since the release of 1-Bit Music in 2006, Perich's compositional work has combined 1-bit audio with acoustic classical instruments, providing insight into the conceptual and aesthetic relationships between physical and electronic sound. With 1-Bit Symphony, Perich brings this insight back into the digital realm, juxtaposing the grand form of a classical symphony with the minimal nature of 1-bit circuitry.

For more information, please visit http://www.1bitsymphony.com"

Tristan Perich: 1-Bit Symphony (Part 1: Overview)

Tristan Perich: 1-Bit Symphony (Part 1: Overview) from Tristan Perich on Vimeo.

"Tristan Perich's 1-Bit Symphony is an electronic composition in five movements on a single microchip. Though housed in a CD jewel case, 1-Bit Symphony is not a recording in the traditional sense; it literally "performs" its music live when turned on. A complete electronic circuit—programmed by the artist and assembled by hand—plays the music through a headphone jack mounted into the case itself. The project is set to be released on Cantaloupe on August 24, 2010.

More info:
Cantaloupe Music: cantaloupemusic.com
1-Bit Symphony: 1bitsymphony.com
Tristan Perich: tristanperich.com"

Update: pre-orders available here. Pre-orders ship two weeks before official August 24 release date.