Rhodonea: Radical Futures Performance Piece

video upload by John C.S. Keston

"On Wednesday, May 8, I debuted a performance piece titled Rhodonea at the Radical Futures conference at University College Cork, Ireland. At the concert I had the privilege of sharing the bill with Brian Bridges, Cárthach Ó Nuanáin, Robin Parmar, and Liz Quirke.

Rhodonea is a series of audiovisual etudes performed as a model of how we might collaborate with near future synthetic entities. Software feeds automated, algorithmic, projected visual cues, tempi, and low frequency oscillations to improvising electronic musicians. The compelling visuals, based on Maurer Roses, suggest melodic, harmonic, and percussive gestures that are modulated by data streaming from the generative animations. Throughout the piece artists adapt to the familiar yet unpredictable graphic scores and corresponding signals. The end result is an impression of how humans might interact with AI in a collaborative and experimental way.

I chose to perform Rhodonea as a soloist although it can be performed by an ensemble of up to four musicians. The generative and improvisational aspects mean that every performance is different than the next, but the piece has a consistent signature that leads the music. This includes modulation corresponding to each rhodonea that is translated into MIDI data and fed to parameters that effect the timbre and other aspects of the instruments. I captured the video below the day after the performance, which illustrates the characteristics of the piece.

For this international performance I used four instruments inside Ableton Live 12 to minimize the gear I needed to travel with. The Ableton instruments I used were Drift, two instances of Meld (a macrosynth new in Live 12), and Collision. In the video below you can see how the generative graphics are manipulating the filter in Drift.

https://audiocookbook.org/radical-fut..."

Places Above The Air by Jesse Whitney & John C. S. Keston

video upload by Jesse Whitney

"Places Above The Air is Jesse Whitney & John C. S. Keston. The song titles on their self-titled debut album are from a passage from the Egyptian Book Of The Dead, as translated by Normandi Ellis. This is track two.

Support them here: https://aethersound.bandcamp.com/albu..."

See Audio Cookbook for additonal details.

Osmose Expressive E, Dirtywave M8, and Numa X GT, Live at the Lakely

video upload by John C.S. Keston

"This is the last in a series of live audiovisual collaborations with Chris LeBlanc and Shawna Lee. The performance was captured at at the Lakely in the Oxbow Hotel, Eau Claire, Wisconsin (https://www.theoxbowhotel.com/lakely/) on September 30, 2023.

Chris LeBlanc and Shawna Lee produced live visuals using their integrated, modular video synthesis systems as I performed. This piece titled, Dark at the End of the Tunnel, is an electro-acoustic piano composition. In this adaptation I used a a stage piano, but the processing and accompaniment are as they would be if the piece were performed on an acoustic instrument.

Please take a look at Chris’ (@blindprophet) and Shawna’s (@iamadot) Instagram feeds to see more of their work.

Chris LeBlanc (@blindprophet)
https://www.instagram.com/blindprophet/

Shawna Lee (@iamadot)
https://www.instagram.com/iamadot/

Read more on AudioCookbook.org:
https://audiocookbook.org/audiovisual...

Please consider supporting AudioCookbook.org:
https://audiocookbook.org/supporters/

Note: Listening on stereo speakers or headphones is suggested. The audio was recorded direct via a loop back output on the stereo DI to a Zoom H6 at 48kHz 24bit"

A/V Collab: Osmose, Dirtywave M8, Numa X GT

video upload by John C.S. Keston

Read more on AudioCookbook.org: https://audiocookbook.org/audiovisual...

"This is the first in a series of live audiovisual collaborations with Chris LeBlanc and Shawna Lee. The performance was captured at at the Lakely in the Oxbow Hotel, Eau Claire, Wisconsin (https://www.theoxbowhotel.com/lakely/) on September 30, 2023.

Chris and Shawna produced live visuals using their integrated, modular video synthesis systems as I performed. This as yet untitled piece is driven by morphing drums and sequences on the Dirtywave M8 tracker. I also live looped a Rhodes pattern on the Numa X Piano GT. The formant-filtered-voice-like-lead was played on the Osmose Expressive E.

I’m thrilled with the analog visuals that Chris and Shawna produced. The image above shows Shawna’s (left) and Chris’ (right) video systems. Please take a look at their Instagram feeds to see more of their work:

Chris LeBlanc (@blindprophet)
https://www.instagram.com/blindprophet/

Shawna Lee (@iamadot)
https://www.instagram.com/iamadot/

Read more on AudioCookbook.org:
https://audiocookbook.org/audiovisual...

Note: Listening on stereo speakers or headphones is suggested. The audio was recorded direct via a loop back output on the stereo DI to a Zoom H6 at 48kHz 24bit"

A/V Collab Part 2: Osmose, Dirtywave M8, Numa X GT

video upload by John C.S. Keston

"This is the second in a series of live audiovisual collaborations with Chris LeBlanc and Shawna Lee. The performance was captured at at the Lakely in the Oxbow Hotel, Eau Claire, Wisconsin (https://www.theoxbowhotel.com/lakely/) on September 30, 2023."

Read more on AudioCookbook.org: https://audiocookbook.org/audiovisual...

The Uncanny Surrealism of the Osmose Expressive E

video upload by John C.S. Keston

"The Osmose is inherently susceptible to an emotional response akin to our revulsion toward humanlike robots. I admit that this may seem a bit exaggerated, but I consider this evidence of a marked advancement in music technology; the Osmose gives keyboard players the ability to inject nearly as much expression into a synthesizer engine as musicians are able to express with tactile acoustic instruments. Read more at https://audiocookbook.org/osmose-expr..."

REV2 Degrader™ for the Prophet REV2 Polyphonic Synthesizer

Published on Mar 2, 2020 John Keston

Follow-up to this demo (previous posts).

"REV2 Degrader™ (R2DG for short) is a morphing patch editor for the Sequential Prophet REV2 polyphonic analog synthesizer. The application is designed to algorithmically morph parameters on the instrument in realtime. Keep playing or record the results as up to one-hundred-twenty-one parameters on the REV2 are changing all at once!

Use R2DG to create anything from chaotic rapidly changing textures to slow evolving drones. REV2 Degrader breathes new life into the Prophet REV2 allowing you to explore vast unique soundscapes illustrating how powerful and diverse the possibilities of the REV2 really are. This tool is designed to help you uncover new territory hidden within the sonic depths of your instrument. Although R2DG was specifically built to work with the Sequential Prophet REV2, the software is independently designed and developed by John C.S. Keston of AudioCookbook.org and unaffiliated with Sequential.com. For more info please visit:

https://audiocookbook.org/rev2-patch-..."

HYDRAMORPH Morphing Editor for the ASM Hydrasynth

Published on Apr 11, 2020 John Keston

"HYDRAMORPH is a generative sound design tool for the Ashun Sound Machines Hydrasynth polyphonic analog synthesizer. The application is designed to algorithmically morph parameters on the instrument in realtime. Keep playing or record the results as up to 366 (so far) parameters are manipulated! Use HYDRAMORPH to create anything from chaotic, rapidly-changing textures to slow, evolving drones. HYDRAMORPH will help you navigate the expansive sound design possibilities of the Hyrdasynth through realtime morphing of customized parameter sets. This allows you to explore endless, unique soundscapes, illustrating how unique and powerful the Hydrasynth is. This tool is designed to help you uncover new territory hidden within the sonic depths of your instrument. Although HYDRAMORPH was specifically built to work with the Hydrasynth, the software is independently designed and developed by John C.S. Keston of AudioCookbook.org and unaffiliated with Ashun Sound Machines (ASM).

https://audiocookbook.org/hydramorph"