Dual Easel Krell

video upload by Todd Barton

"Found duplicate Krell program cards that I made 10 years ago. So Bruce Bayard and I popped them into our Easels and gave them a spin."

Transitions 6

video upload by Todd Barton

Todd Barton Transitions series

"To wrap up this series I thought I'd share my score to Butoh for Easels which I composed 7 years ago. The score is a series of performance notes for specific transitions. It is a study in slowly evolving transitions. So rather than me talk and demonstrate I will be leaving links to the score and the video of the premiere performance for you to study at your leisure. Enjoy! And thanks so much for coming along with the this ride of transitions! Btw, it turns out I continued this series after this…stay tuned!
The score: https://www.dropbox.com/s/b8uxur7ec03... (jpg captured below as well) The performance:"

Butoh for Easels from todd barton on Vimeo.

a video by Jim Long and Mark Brown of the premiere performance of Butoh for Easels by Todd Barton. Featured performers: Todd Barton, Bruce Bayard, Eden Mononym and Adam Scramstad. The score to this piece for 4 Buchla Music Easels can be downloaded here: https://www.hightail.com/download/UlRSSXQ5dENBNkhOUjhUQw
Also, there will be a CD/digital 2015 release of the entire concert featuring solos by Adam Scramstad and Eden Mononym. CD available here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bartonbayardmononymscram

The score:

Transitions 1

video upload by Todd Barton

"A year ago I began this little series for my Patreon page. Now I will periodically be making it public over the coming months. If you'd like to support my Patreon and keep the tutorials flowing here's the link: https://www.patreon.com/synthtodd

I'm beginning a little series on Transitions Tips and Tricks thanks to recent discussions with my friends and colleagues, Darrell Bluhm, T'ai Chi master and Bruce Bayard, Easel performance partner and artist. I look forward to your feedback. Enjoy!"

Todd Barton Pulses Buchla Nomad Release

Published on Jun 5, 2020 Todd Barton

"June 5, 2020 my new 7" 45 rpm single of Buchla goodness via my Bandcamp https://toddbarton.bandcamp.com
Deep gratitude to my patrons at https://www.patreon.com/synthtodd
for their ongoing support, enthusiasm, curiosity and creativity!!
Mastering by Nathan Moody at Obsidian Sound http://obsidiansound.net
Jacket design by Bruce Bayard https://brucebayard.com
And endless thanks to producer/visionary Greg Christie
Best wishes, Todd"

Two of my favorite contrasting tracks using the Buchla Music Easel, Buchla 200e, Buchla 100 and the Haken Continuum. The high energy of Pulses is contrasted with the ambient/world music vibe of Buchla Nomad.

released June 5, 2020

executive producer Greg Christie
mastering Nathan Moody at Obsidian Sound
jacket design Bruce Bayard

Todd Barton - Start From Silence

Published on Nov 22, 2019 Todd Barton

https://nathanmoody.bandcamp.com/album/start-from-silence

"I'm so excited that this album is now out! Last month I met Nathan Moody in person for the first time. He dropped by my place on his way to do a talk and performance at Velocity in Seattle. After just a few hours together my friend, Bruce Bayard came by and we three decided to jam. Nathan had a cool field recorder that he setup and recorded us all in the room. The jam turned out to be sonic serendipity, a rare conjunction of modular planets. I hope you enjoy it . . .

Todd Barton: Hordijk Blippoo Box, looper, shakuhachi flute samples
Bruce Bayard: Buchla Music Easel, Morphagene sampler
Nathan Moody: Ciat Lonbarde Tetrax Organ, Sidrax Organ, and Cocoquantus; Make Noise Ø-Coast

Recorded by Nathan Moody on October 1, 2019.
Mixed by the performers.
Mastered by Nathan Moody at Obsidian Sound.
Album artwork by Bruce Bayard.

Oh, and consider joining my Patreon to help support more tutorials et al. https://www.patreon.com/synthtodd"

"Recorded live in Ashland, Oregon, “Start from Silence” captures three masters of West Coast analogue synthesis performing with a focus on reciprocal listening and improvised expression.

Todd Barton, Bruce Bayard, and Nathan Moody combine a unique set of unusual instruments into a journey in tone, gesture, and sound. The aural dynamics were made in response only to the sounds, breaths, and movements of each performer. The music ranges from ambient to intense, gliding from amorphous to structured with bubbling streams of energy and contemplative drones that guide the listener throughout. The recording purposefully contains the artists’ breaths and movements, lending verisimilitude, presence, and authenticity to this organic performance.

The artists hadn’t played together before this recording, making the emergent soundscapes and sonic exploration all the more stunning…yet perhaps unsurprising, given the their combined 70+ years of composition and performing experience.

released November 22, 2019

CLICK FOR MORE »

Cascadia at the Dancespace Featuring Bruce Bayard, Todd Barton and Sean Julian

(Don't miss the new release announcement below!)

For those of you in the Pacific Northwest:

"Saturday, November 23, 7:30pm

The Dancespace, 280 East Hersey #10, Ashland Oregon

Bruce Bayard’s multimedia performance features guest artists Todd Barton and Sean Julian. An audio soundtrack will be improvised by the three of us, each on the Buchla Electronic Music Easel. The visual projection is a collage of video clips, stills, words and animations.

Tickets and more information here"

---

Also Todd Barton has a new release coming out this Friday. This one is a collaboration with Bruce Bayard, and Nathan Moody.

"Announcing sStart from Silence,' a live improvised collaboration album by Todd Barton, Bruce Bayard, and Nathan Moody. Out this Friday! https://nathanmoody.bandcamp.com

Upcoming Performances and Release by Todd Barton

via supporting member, Todd Barton:

"April is filling up beginning with the recent release of Softube.com’s Buchla 296e Spectral Processor plugin for their Modular platform.

I was lucky enough to do a 10 part video series overview/tutorial of the amazing Spectral Processor. [posted here]

Bruce Bayard and I, known as Control Voltage Therapy are looking forward to joining our friends Caballito Negro: Terry Longshore & Tessa Brinckman this Friday, April 12 at 7 pm at the Schneider Museum of Art as part of the Ashland Independent Film Festival’s celebration which included a video by Bruce which we will perform with. More details here.

And on Thursday, April 18 I will be performing an improvised solo set as part of the UCSB’s CREATE concert in Santa Barbara. I’m delighted and honored to have be invited by one of my guiding lights, Curtis Road’s. More details here.

Upcoming in May: a simultaneous rerelease from https://flyingmoonlight.bandcamp.com/music of my 2008 solo shakuhachi album, Ro and a sample reel from that album for the MakeNoise Morphagene available from freesound.org"

HAINBACH / TODD BARTON - Ultraviolet Light Tapes & Upcoming Todd Barton Performances

HAINBACH / TODD BARTON from Ultraviolet Light Tapes on Vimeo.

Upcoming performances by Todd Barton futher below. The following is the description for the video above.

"Both pieces are composed/improvised in real time using a Buchla Music Easel

and a TC Electronic Ditto x4 looper. Angya is a journey that follows sounds as they

unfold into various sonic universes. Texture III explores creating an ever-changing

timbral drone."- Todd Barton

'Its a clichè that every composer travelling to Bali must be influenced by the Gamelan orchestra. I am not the exception. There is a magic to the Gamelan that conforms with what electronic music is to me, both in sound and composition. Using Adam Morford's cut down version of the Gamelan, the rough but beautiful Gamelan Strips, I composed the first piece of this collaborative album. The second uses modular synthesizers to mimic the layering techniques of the Gamelan. The final track, Antics, explores a different but similarly influential idiophone, the African mbira. Together, these three tell a story of immersion and disintegration, folding percussive sounds into ambient timbres.' - Hainbach

3 color Risograph. Hand labeled edition of 150 tapes. Download cards included.

www.ultravioletlight.blue

------------


"Here's the upcoming line up locally and out of state:

March 23 (Saturday)--Todd Barton & Bruce Bayard as Control Voltage Therapy with be performing the opening set for
Geist and the Sacred Ensemble coming through town on their West Coast tour.
Time: 8pm Where: Ashland Community Center, 59 Winburn Way in Ashland, Oregon
More info: http://www.geistandthesacredensemble.com/

April 12 (Friday), Control Voltage Therapy will join Caballito Negro (Tessa Brinckman and Terry Longshore)
Caballito Negro presents selections from their acclaimed program, Alone | Together, as part of the Ashland Independent Film Festival. The concert is an intimate tribute to futurist speculations, with science as play, in collaboration with electronic musicians Todd Barton and Bruce Bayard. The performance will take place in front of Bruce Bayard’s projected installation, Triptychs.

As a duo Todd Barton and Bruce Bayard create improvised soundscapes with electronic music instruments to accompany Bruce’s video projections. The projection, Triptychs, uses the tools (code) commonly associated with web pages, to create complex, ever changing, never repeating collage of images, animations and video.

Time: 7pm Where: Schneider Museum on the campus of SOU.

April 18 (Thursday), I will give a solo Buchla Music Easel improvised set as part of a concert at CREATE on the campus of UCSB. CREATE is the Center for Research in Electronic Art Technology.

Time: 8pm Where: Lotte Lehman Concert Hall

more info: http://www.create.ucsb.edu/events/

New Cassette Release: a split album with Hainbach. More information and purchase here:

https://www.ultravioletlight.blue/product/hainbach-todd-barton

All best wishes,

Todd"

A Few Updates from Todd Barton - New Releases, Collaborations, & Performances

A few synth related updates from supporting MATRIXSYNTH member, Todd Barton:

Hi Friends,

Things keep being busy around here!

"Pre-order this upcoming cassette release of various composers (including me) exploring and moving beyond
my Krell patch."

My recent solo Buchla Music Easel album with the CD cover artwork by Ursula Barton. Download available now. Pre-order the CD here.

I'm delighted to have a couple of pages in this amazing new book which will be out in October. Check it out. It is unique and full of great information, interview, photos and beautifully opens the re-emerging world of modular synthesis to a wider audience. Patch & Tweak, Exploring Modular Synthesis

All best wishes,
Todd


Also: "Just a brief reminder of two upcoming concerts:

Saturday, September 8 at 7:30 pm at the DanceSpace in Ashland I'll be performing freely improvised electronic music with Bruce Bayard. Bruce's video of abstract figures filmed at SF MOMA is not to be missed. Tickets and more information here.

Friday, September 14 from 7:30-10:30 pm at the Butler Bandshell in Lithia Park
Silent Movement presents The Silent Discovery Series with Control Voltage Therapy:
Todd Barton & Bruce Bayard improvising on Buchla Music Easels with visuals by Michael Maag. You've got to see/hear this!! Opening live looping by Landen Griffith.
$5 donation - all ages.

The audio portion will be broadcast with the technical wizardry of Jordan Rose and Landen Griffith (organizers of The Silent Disco) sending separate and mixed channels of our musical improvisations to special wifi headsets (available at the Park), with video mapping on the bandshell by Michael Maag, resident lighting designer at OSF. You will be able to hear Todd in one channel, Bruce in another, and a mix of both in the third channel, with the ability to switch to any mode at any time and wander around and move! A truly unique concert experience.

Stay tuned for my next Notes from Todd with more album release dates and October tour dates in NYC, Krakow and London!"

Multum in Parvo by Todd Barton & Upcoming Performances

via Todd Barton: "My new solo Buchla Easel album is now available for streaming with the opportunity to pre-order the CD or cassette. I'm stoked about the awesome cover art by Ursula Barton! Check it out here.

Saturday, September 8 at 7:30 pm at the DanceSpace in Ashland I'll be performing freely improvised electronic music with Bruce Bayard and improvised vocals by Kay Hilton. Bruce's video of abstract figures filmed at SF MOMA is not to be missed. Tickets and more information here: http://brucebayard.com/event/tone-blur/

Friday, September 14 from 7:30-10:30 pm at the Butler Bandshell in Lithia Park Silent Movement presents The Silent Discovery Series with Control Voltage Therapy: Todd Barton & Bruce Bayard improvising on Buchla Music Easels with visuals by Michael Maag. You've got to see/hear this!! Opening live looping by Landen Griffith. $5 donation - all ages.

The audio portion will be broadcast with the technical wizardry of Jordan Rose and Landen Griffith (organizers of The Silent Disco) sending separate and mixed channels of our musical improvisations to special wifi headsets (available at the Park), with video mapping on the bandshell by Michael Maag, resident lighting designer at OSF. You will be able to hear Todd in one channel, Bruce in another, and a mix of both in the third channel, with the ability to switch to any mode at any time and wander around and move! A truly unique concert experience.

Stay tuned for my next Notes from Todd with more album release dates and October tour dates in NYC, Krakow and London! All best wishes, Todd"

Cage Morphagened

Published on Aug 21, 2018 Todd Barton

"This rather intense composition was created from a 30 second sample of John Cage's prepared piano piece, And the Earth Shall Bear Again, using the MakeNoise Morphagene module developed by Tom Erbe. Video by Bruce Bayard http://brucebayard.com/
Better audio at: https://soundcloud.com/user7621213/ca..."

Gentile Robyn

Published on Aug 17, 2018 Todd Barton

Music Design by Todd Barton
Video by Bruce Bayard
Based on the tune, "Ah, Robyn" by William Cornysh (1456-1523)
Original recording (1973) Laurie Monahan, Sherril Kannasto & Beverly Simmons
Music morphed and manipulated in the MakeNoise Morphagene by Tom Erbe

Todd Barton Building his Aleph Patch on Eurorack with Random Source Serge Modules & More

Building My Aleph Patch Published on Dec 3, 2017 Todd Barton

"5 years ago I created a patch that I called The Krell https://vimeo.com/48466272 [posted here]
It was developed on a Buchla system and its name paid homage to Bebe and Louis
Barron and their pioneering electronic music from the film Forbidden Planet.

For the past many months I’ve be working of a similar yet different patch I call
The Aleph after the short story of the same name by visionary and imaginative writer, Jorges Luis Borges. web.mit.edu/allanmc/www/borgesaleph.pdf
'an Aleph is one of the points in space that contains all other points.'

This patch was developed using a constellation of eurorack modules. Hopefully this description and walk-through of building the patch will be a catalyst for others to develop, enjoy and explore!

My thanks to fellow travelers along the way who have encouraged, prodded and given me feedback: Bruno Liberda, Daniel Cramer, James Cigler, Gerald Good, Darrin Wiener, Bruce Bayard, Adam Scramstad, Charles Seeholzer, Michael Vannice, Robert Coburn, Federico Placidi, Colin Spiby, Michael Maag and Matrixsynth to name a few… Thank you!"

Also see The Aleph Patch Explained.

Don Buchla Memorial Concert Videos by Encyclotronic22

Published on Apr 24, 2017 Encyclotronic

Electronic Music Archive - http://encyclotronic.com/

First video is from the collection of Alessandro Cortini and Associates w/ music by Keith Fullerton Whitman.

Playlist:
1. Buchla Synthesizers Room - Don Buchla Memorial Concert, San Francisco
2. Peter Blasser - Don Buchla Memorial Concert
3. James Fei - Don Buchla Memorial Concert
4. Loachfillet and Professor Cantaloupe - Don Buchla Memorial Concert in San Francisco
5. Ezra Buchla - Don Buchla Memorial Concert in San Francisco
6. Ezra Buchla - Don Buchla Memorial Concert in San Francisco
7. Laetitia Sonami - Don Buchla Memorial Concert in San Francisco
8. Morton Subotnick and Lillevan - Don Buchla Memorial Concert in San Francisco
9. David Rosenboom - Don Buchla Memorial Concert in San Francisco
10. Circus of Associates: Joel & Claudine - Don Buchla Memorial Concert, San Francisco
11. Circus of Associates: Joel & Amy X Neuberg - Don Buchla Memorial Concert, San Francisco
12. Circus of Associates: Mark Vail & David Battino - Don Buchla Memorial Concert, San Francisco
13. Circus of Associates: Joel & Peter Apfelbaum - Don Buchla Memorial Concert, San Francisco
14. Circus of Associates: Joel & Brian Rice - Don Buchla Memorial Concert, San Francisco
15. Todd Barton and Bruce Bayard - Don Buchla Memorial Concert, San Francisco.
16. Circus of Associates: Joel & Amy & Peter - Don Buchla Memorial Concert, San Francisco
17. Circus of Associates: Group - Don Buchla Memorial Concert, San Francisco
18. Circus of Associates: Group - Don Buchla Memorial Concert, San Francisco
19. bran(...)pos - Don Buchla Memorial Concert, San Francisco
20. Ami Radunskaya - Don Buchla Memorial Concert, San Francisco
21. Jessica Rylan - Don Buchla Memorial Concert, San Francisco
22. Susan Ciani - Don Buchla Memorial Concert, San Francisco

Todd Barton and Bruce Bayard Added to Don Buchla Memorial Concerts

via Todd Barton:

"I'm thrilled to announce that my pal, Bruce Bayard and I will be performing at the mega Don Buchla Memorial Concerts this coming weekend in San Francisco on Sunday, April 23 some time between 4:30-6pm.

The venue is the Gray Area Foundation for the Art at 2665 Mission St. San Francisco, CA

Ticket information and list of headliner performers (Morton Subotnick, Alessandro Cortini, Curtis Roads, Suzane Ciani and lots more) can be found here"

You can find additional details on the event including the line-up previously posted here.

Click here for posts featuring Todd Barton and Bruce Bayard's work.

Buchla CVT 3

Published on Feb 3, 2017 Todd Barton

"Live improv with Buchla Music Easels and Epoch Benjolins: Todd Barton and Bruce Bayard
better audio here: https://soundcloud.com/user7621213/bu..." [embed below]

Buchla CVT Two

Published on Jan 27, 2017 Todd Barton

"Exploring Easel/Benjolin drone. Todd Barton & Bruce Bayard"



Part 1 here.

Buchla CVT One

Published on Jan 13, 2017 Todd Barton
Update: Re-Published on Mar 18, 2017 Todd Barton

"Free improvisation: todd barton & bruce bayard"

MATRIXSYNTH T-shirt Sighting at Oregon Fringe Festival 2016

Brian Comnes sporting a MATRIXSYNTH T at the Oregon Fringe Festival 2016. That's a Doepfer Pocket Dial MIDI controller in front of him.  Side note: the pic was taken by none other than Todd Barton.  Todd has also been known to sport a MATRIXSYNTH T.

Also according to Brian "I think Ashland with 3 Easels in 22000 people probably has the highest per capita Easel density of any where. The easel performance that night was by Bruce Bayard who has the third Easel in town. I was using Ableton Live to deliver a soundscape to back up my video piece."


Thank you Brian and Todd!

Buchla Video Tutorials by Todd Barton

00 Buchla Mind Introduction from todd barton on Vimeo.

You can find the full set of 26 videos in this series on Vimeo here.  Per Todd Barton:

"These instructional videos were created for a course I co-taught with Prof. Robert Coburn this past autumn (2015) at the University of the Pacific. The focus is on the main Buchla 200 series modules in their system housed at the new Analog/Digital Studio.

Though the focus is on the older Buchla 200 modules almost all of the information, tips & tricks are applicable to the newer 200e series. I will be adding more 200e tutorials to this collection in the coming months.

My deep thanks to Prof. Coburn and the enthusiastic and talented students of this first class: http://www.analogital19.com

Also a big thank you to my friend and colleague, Bruce Bayard, who patiently taped and editied this entire video series. http://brucebayard.com/

For more information and discussion of things Buchla please visit my blog:

http://toddbarton.com/category/buchla-blog/

'The videos have been great! I've gone through them all and will continue to review them for quite a while I am sure.'
-- Mark Isham, film composer"