The Rebirth of the Modular Synthesizer on TEDx Talks

The Rebirth of the Modular Synthesizer | Jarod Sommerfeldt & Bobby Rice | TEDxSUNYPotsdam

Published on Aug 23, 2019 TEDx Talks

"The modular synthesizer dominated the world of electronic music in the 1960s and 70s, yet fell out of favor as the digital revolution took hold. Today, modular synthesizers are receiving an overdue renaissance, thanks in large part to a strong community of dedicated builders, artists, and fans. Enjoy the live performance in conjunction with this talk, that aims to demonstrate how the past can influence the future of creativity in electronic music. Dr. Jerod Sommerfeldt teaches music theory, composition, and electronic music at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam.

Bobby Rice is a student in the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community."

Alphasphere

YouTube Uploaded by 90secondstv on Mar 9, 2012

Don't miss the performance in the TEDxBRISTOL video below. Musikmesse videos below as well.

"The AlphaSphere is a new musical instrument and controller, which you can use with your computer or synthesizer.

It enjoys a unique spherical design, optimising the experience of composing, producing and performing music.

Infinitely programmable, a range of scales, sounds and sequences can be mapped around the AlphaSphere.

http://alphasphere.com/

Video produced by 90 Seconds.
Have you got your 90 Seconds?
http://90seconds.tv/"

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The Sounds of Tomorrow: China's Electronic Instrument Renaissance | Yukes 玉刻 | TEDxZizhu Park

video upload by TEDx Talks

Modular Commune gets a shout out at the end. You can find a playlist of Modular Commune performances here.

"Yukes 玉刻 uses an electronic organ to play 'the sound of the future.' He расскаnts how synthesizers have found new life within Chinese culture—moving from imitating the sounds of traditional instruments to creating entirely new auditory languages.

As he puts it: 'Technology shouldn’t replace tradition; it should become an extension of it.' In his eyes, every synthesized waveform is a rebirth of culture.

Today, Chinese musicians are using technology to reshape a 'sonic ethnography,' allowing tradition and the future to move forward side by side through electronic resonance. Yukes is a commercial video producer, multi-instrumentalist, and expert in electronic music equipment. Active at the intersection of traditional Chinese instruments and contemporary electronic music equipment, they have been instrumental in the development of 'Chinawave' and the growth of the electronic music production equipment industry in mainland China. With a background in commercial documentary video production, Yukes has expanded their practice into the exploration of audiovisual ethnomusicology. They regularly perform across China and are currently pursuing a master's degree in Market and Retail Science at NYU Shanghai. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx"

Inspired: The Journey of Discovering My Famous Father | Michelle Moog-Koussa | TEDxAsheville

Published on Oct 18, 2017 TEDx Talks

"Although I knew my father for the 37 years that we were here on Earth together, I never really knew his public persona, Bob Moog, until he passed away. The path of discovery that followed has provided a deep well of inspiration, which has lead me on a journey to carry on his powerful legacy transforming people's lives through sonic exploration. Inspiration is a powerful cultural resource, and we must use it to do the most good for our challenged society. Michelle Moog-Koussa is the daughter of synthesizer pioneer Bob Moog. She has been the executive director of the Bob Moog Foundation for eleven years, and has spearheaded educational and historic preservation projects which inspire children and adults thought the science, music, technology and the spirit of invention. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx"

http://moogfoundation.org

This is a great talk including not only some fascinating bits of synth history, but a rare glimpse of Bob Moog's personal life, from non other than his own daughter, Michelle Moog-Koussa.

RIP Pauline Oliveros

Pauline Oliveros: Bye bye butterfly (1967)

Uploaded on Mar 24, 2011 TheWelleszCompany

PAULINE OLIVEROS | REVERBERATIONS: ELECTRONIC & TAPE MUSIC 1961 - 1970 12CD BOX SET TRAILER

Published on Apr 16, 2012 importantrecords

"Pauline Oliveros, composer, performer and humanitarian is an important pioneer in American Music. Acclaimed internationally, for four decades she has explored sound -- forging new ground for herself and others. Through improvisation, electronic music, ritual, teaching and meditation she has created a body of work with such breadth of vision that it profoundly effects those who experience it and eludes many who try to write about it.

'On some level, music, sound consciousness and religion are all one, and she would seem to be very close to that level.'
John Rockwell"

We lost another pioneer of electronic music and the world of synthesizers today.

In via @moogmusicinc:

"2016, the year we lost our heroes. RIP #PaulineOliveros, the mother of #deeplistening."

via wikipedia:

"Pauline Oliveros (May 30, 1932 – November 25, 2016) was an American composer and accordionist who was a central figure in the development of experimental and post-war electronic art music.

She was a founding member of the San Francisco Tape Music Center in the 1960s, and served as its director. She has taught music at Mills College, the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Oliveros has written books, formulated new music theories and investigated new ways to focus attention on music including her concepts of "Deep Listening" and "sonic awareness".[1] She was an Eyebeam resident."

You will find Pauline Oliveros referenced throughout numerous posts here on MATRIXSYNTH. Her groundbreaking "Reverberations: Tape + Electronic Music 1961-1970" was funded on Kickstarter in 2014, and made available by Important Records. She presented her work at The Kitchen in New York, and she provided input to the San Francisco Tape Music Center during the days of Don Buchla.

The difference between hearing and listening | Pauline Oliveros | TEDxIndianapolis

Published on Nov 12, 2015 TEDx Talks

Pauline Oliveros Lecture (Montréal 2016) | Red Bull Music Academy

Published on Nov 22, 2016 Red Bull Music Academy

"Composer, author and educator Pauline Oliveros has dedicated her life to sound and to listening. One of electronic music’s most important early figures, she was an original member of the pioneering San Francisco Tape Music Center and its first director. A founder of the Deep Listening Institute, she now conveys the message that sound and its effects are powerful equalizers. Her works are meditations on the ocean of sound that listeners can find themselves in, embracing the rapture of audible sensation. A recipient of many awards and a participant in the 2014 Whitney Biennial, her engagement with sound continues to influence generations. Sitting on the couch at the 2016 Red Bull Music Academy, Oliveros recalled how she created her own instruments and how listening can help change how you hear.

TOPICS:
9:29 - Origins of the San Francisco Tape Music Center
17:52 - Building instruments
37:47 - Expanded Instrument System and delays
41:08 - Deep Listening
52:19 - Using every sound you hear
1:19:36 - Deep Listening and engineers

MUSIC:
12:43 - Pauline Oliveros – “Time Perspectives” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amU2M...
20:17 - Pauline Oliveros – “Bye Bye Butterfly” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wrNL...
27:52 - Pauline Oliveros – “I of IV” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLSFR...
34:05 - Pauline Oliveros – Tuning Meditation live at The Kitchen NYC
40:24 - Pauline Oliveors, Stuart Dempster, Panaiotis – “Lear” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0at5D..."