MOOGFEST 2016 UNVEILS FULL SCHEDULE AND VENUES

You'll find the full schedule here.

"MOOGFEST 2016 UNVEILS FULL SCHEDULE AND VENUES FOR PERFORMANCES, DAYTIME TALKS, WORKSHOPS & INSTALLATIONS

Durham, North Carolina (April 12, 2016) – Moogfest 2016 today unveiled the full schedule for the expansive four-day festival. Exploring the future of technology, art, and music, the festival includes more than 300 musical performances, daytime workshops, conversations, masterclasses, film screenings, live scores, durational sound installations, and multiple interactive art experiences.

The full schedule can be found online at: https://moogfest.sched.org/.
*Please note, the full schedule can be viewed on Sched, however, registration and adding sessions to your personal schedule won't be available until sign up opens in the coming weeks.

Day Passes Announced!
A limited number of Single Day Passes will go on sale Friday, April 15 starting at 12pm EST
Passes for Thursday, Friday or Saturday are $129
Passes for Sunday are $69

Moogfest celebrates the legacy of Bob Moog, a visionary engineer who pioneered the analog synthesizer and other technology tools used by artists like Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, and Kraftwerk. This year’s program will feature over 250 innovators in music, art, and technology -- from Gary Numan (3 nights), GZA (2 nights), Grimes and Laurie Anderson, to virtual reality pioneer Jaron Lanier and transhumanist visionary Dr. Martine Rothblatt. For the first time, Moogfest takes place in Durham, North Carolina, a fast-growing capital of technology, culture and entrepreneurship.

From Thursday, May 19 - Sunday, May 22, Moogfest unfolds in venues throughout downtown Durham in spaces that range from intimate galleries to grand theaters. Special care has been taken to pair nighttime performances with spaces that have unique acoustics and style. Art Installations are site-specific and scattered throughout the city..."

Roland SVC350 1985 with Foot Switch

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"This unit is in excellent condition for its age. The serial number dates it to May of 1985. These units were made famous by the likes of Laurie Anderson on her album Big Science."

My understanding is she used a Roland VP-330 Vocoder Plus MkI.

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Drum Buddy Demo

YouTube via freshkillsflagship

see the labels at the bottom of this post for more.

http://www.drumbuddy.com/
"(update: this Drum Buddy was auctioned on Mardi Gras Day, 2007)
Available at Fresh Kills for auction preview, the Drum Buddy is a 4 oscillator, light activated, mechanically rotating drum machine and the invention of renowned New Orleans musician, Quintron. One of only 10 produced, Serial #1 from the 2008 New Line Cypress Drum Buddies is now being auctioned on eBay. The auction ends Tuesday, February 5th (Mardi Gras Day) at 11:00pm EST. New York City musician, Laurie Anderson and Nels Cline of the band, Wilco have acquired 2 of this limited run of Drum Buddies. All others have been sold. Visit quintronandmisspussycat.com and freshkillsflagship.com for more info, images, & music."

ROLAND VP-330 vocoder plus MK1

via this auction

"ROLAND VP-330 vocoder plus MK1 from '70 years, EXTREMLY rare and in MINT conditions with a cool MIDI Kenton modification inside... the MIDI upgrade was very expensive: 470 gpb plus + professional installation service costs. Working status is perfect!

The VP-330 found favor with many key players and is especially prominent in Laurie Anderson’s “O Superman (For Massenet)” on Big Science... also was used by William Ørbit, BT, Styx, Kitaro, Underworld, Meat Beat Manifesto, Überzone, Air, Royksopp, Vangelis, Tangerine Dream, and many more. The VP-330 has a choir and string systesizer sections which can be mixed with the vocoder! You can mix any line signal also with an external input or.. you can play it also as a classic string machine. The vocoder shapes its envelope and filters by any sound source fed into it, your voice or even a drum loop can be used which is then applied to another sound source, typically a synth pad. This creates a very unique and famous robot-like sound, I think THE BEST VOCODER-STRING-HUMAN VOICE EVER!!

Polyphony: 49 voices Oscillators: 3 (string machine mixing), Filter: 18 VCFs: 54db/oct bandpass; 1 VCF: 54db/oct lowpass and highpass filters; 20 VCFs: 18db/oct lowpass filters; VCA: separate Mix Levels for Vocoder, String and Voice section and 20 envelope followers; LFO: Vibrato depth, delay and rate Effects: ensemble (chorus)"

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moogfest _substrate

Published on Mar 24, 2016 Moogfest

"_substrate is a WebGL collaboration between musician/producer The Haxan Cloak, graphic designer Mathew Lucas, lead developer David Sweetman of Durham-based digital product agency Smashing Boxes and Moogfest. The responsive, interactive application allows users to control individual audio tracks from Moogfest 2016 participant The Haxan Cloak's remix of Moses Sumney's cover of Laurie Anderson's O Superman by swiping+tapping on mobile devices or utilizing the arrow keys+mouse on a desktop device. Each of the 8 audio layers has an accompanying WebGL visual rendering and responds with audio initiated by user action. _substrate is in fact a constant layer beneath the official Moogfest website http://moogfest.com running continuously on every single page, ready for play."

Moogfest Cancelled

Just in via Moog Music:

"Moogfest on Hold to Focus on the Future

Moogfest 2020, originally planned for April 16-19, 2020 in Durham, NC, has been cancelled for logistical reasons.

As an organization, our purpose is to create deeply meaningful experiences and relationships in order to continually enrich our creative community. This intermission will be used to focus on the future of Moogfest and to investigate new ways of exploring the future of music, art, and technology.

Since its inception in 2004, the multi-day interactive tech conference and music festival has drawn both musical pioneers and futurist thinkers as Keynote guests in the science and art fields from around the world. Renowned electronic musicians such as Devo, Laurie Anderson, Gary Numan, Kraftwerk, Suzanne Ciani, Keith Emerson, Brian Eno, and Giorgio Moroder are among the festival’s past performers. We will continue to support emerging artists, celebrate the musicians who helped shape electronic music as we hear it today, and work diligently to design an event that honors the spirit of Bob Moog and the Moogfest community.

To all attendees, artists, sponsors, presenters, and volunteers: thank you for your support, understanding, and patience as the Moogfest experience continues to evolve.

Sincerely,

Your Friends at Moog Music

For ticket holders who pre-purchased access for Moogfest 2020, please email us at moogfest@moogmusic.com for information regarding obtaining a refund. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused."

Ode to Drum Buddy - Quintron & Miss Pussycat - The Drum Buddy Show

Ode to Drum Buddy from Peter Speer on Vimeo.

"Trying to recreate the sound and feel of the Drum Buddy's "Scratch" voice.

Ride: Braids
Kick: Disting
"Scratch" voice: MMG
Fill-in: Shapeshifter
Rhythms: SCM

The Drum Buddy: http://www.drumbuddy.com/
Quintron: http://www.quintronandmisspussycat.com/

www.diode-ring.com"

Quintron & Miss Pussycat - The Drum Buddy Show

Uploaded on Mar 18, 2008 shitcockcum

"incomplete ripoff from the Wah Wah special for the Quintron/MsPussycat/Melted Men 2001 eurotour"

Drum Buddy Demo

Uploaded on Dec 14, 2007 Fresh Kills

"(update: this Drum Buddy was auctioned on Mardi Gras Day, 2007)
Available at Fresh Kills for auction preview, the Drum Buddy is a 4 oscillator, light activated, mechanically rotating drum machine and the invention of renowned New Orleans musician, Quintron. One of only 10 produced, Serial #1 from the 2008 New Line Cypress Drum Buddies is now being auctioned on eBay. The auction ends Tuesday, February 5th (Mardi Gras Day) at 11:00pm EST. New York City musician, Laurie Anderson and Nels Cline of the band, Wilco have acquired 2 of this limited run of Drum Buddies. All others have been sold. Visit quintronandmisspussycat.com and freshkillsflagship.com for more info, images, & music."

ROLAND SVC-350 ANALOG VOCODER With Original Manual

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"This an almost mint roland svc350 vocoder. Not much to say about these other than they have been used on many classic tunes. For an idea of what it sounds like out of the box (provided you feed it a nice signal from a string machine or analog synth) think of Laurie Anderson- O' superman, Freestyle -don't stop the rock, and YMO- Technopolis to name a few. Functions perfect and sounds beautiful. comes with original owners manual in mint condition..."

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OscilloScoop for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch

YouTube Uploaded by ssnibbe on Apr 20, 2011

"Tap, slide, and stretch your fingers over OscilloScoop to create an infinity of electronica, dance, hip hop, and techno tracks. With OscilloScoop you make real musical grooves by simply gliding your fingertips over spinning crowns; then sequence them into a real-time performance with a few taps. As effortless as a toy, OscilloScoop gives you the same tools pro DJs and musicians use to create intricate tracks—but with an intuitive interface inspired by video games and animation. OscilloScoop is an organic, generative way to make music in a process that's more like dancing than composing: it's addictive, fun, and original.

OscilloScoop features continuous tone melody; 16- and 32-beat quantizing; low-pass filter; volume control; selection of loopable beats in techno, hip hop, electro, and house; tempo control from 60 to 140 beats per minute; in-app purchase of additional beat sets; preset saves for live performance; and fine-grain editing when you tilt into landscape.

OscilloScoop is designed by Lukas Girling, a creator of interactive musical interfaces who has worked with world-renowned musicians and music technologists including Laurie Anderson and Max Mathews. The app was created in collaboration with interactive artist and programmer Scott Snibbe, author of the bestselling apps Bubble Harp and Gravilux; and Graham McDermott, noted video game and app developer.

http://snibbe.com/store/oscilloscoop"

Scott Snibbe Studio, Inc.
iPads on eBay
iPod Touch on eBay

Translational Drifts: Moogfest Vol. 1

"Moogfest 2016 will take place May 19-22, 2016 in Durham, NC.

'Translational Drifts: Moogfest Vol. 1,' is the first EP in a series of free digital recordings that feature Moogfest artists - past, present and future. Volume 1 showcases five contemporary acts reinterpreting seminal electronic music influencers that have shaped past Moogfest lineups. This premiere installment includes YACHT, ADULT., Julianna Barwick, Moses Sumney and Dan Deacon translating tracks by Devo, Pet Shop Boys, Suicide, Laurie Anderson and Brian Eno. Their renditions pay tribute to a rich history of electronic music, with new sounds that continue to push further into the future. YACHT, a contributor and previous Moogfest curator, praises the company behind the collaboration, 'We love how Moog brings artists together. The sound of the machines and the culture of the company are like a bridge across genres and generations.'"

How to Make Your Sound Sing with Vocoders

"The vocoder has been a novelty staple (if that isn't an oxymoron) of pop music for more than 30 years. Even if you've never heard the word vocoder, you've heard the smoothly sexy yet oddly alien sounds that emanate from this device. In the '70s and '80s, vocoder was used on songs by Kraftwerk, Stevie Wonder, Bon Jovi, Donna Summer, Phil Collins, Laurie Anderson, Pink Floyd, Styx, and many other artists. (See the "Famous Vocoder Songs" sidebar.) In more recent years, Foo Fighters, Metallica, Beck, Britney Spears, Madonna, Marilyn Manson, and other pop icons have dialed up the sound of the vocoder."

click here for the full article on O'Reilly Digital Media

Laurie Anderson - O Superman

YouTube via bchfj. Anyone know what synths and vocoder she used for this track?
via Phoebe.
"Aside from making music, she is also credited with a couple of inventions: the tape bow violin, and the talking stick, which uses granular synthesis. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurie_anderson#Inventions"

Update:

Vintage Synthesizers I Roland VP330

Published on Nov 5, 2012 by MusicMarketingTV

"A voyage into the heart of the Roland VP330 Vocoder Plus from the year 1979.
Exploration by Marko Ettlich (RetroSound)

vocoder, human voice choir, analog strings
separate mix levels for all sections
stereo chorus effect
49 keys

used by Vangelis, Kitaro, Laurie Anderson, Mike Oldfield, Styx, Ultravox, Genesis and more"

ROLAND VP-330 "Vocoder Plus" Mk2

YouTube via retrosound72.

More vids by retrosound72 here.

"vintage gear demo by RetroSound

Roland VP-330 Vocoder Plus Mark2 (1979)

For me the best analog-strings ever...

... and used by Vangelis (Blade Runner, Chariots Of Fire, The Bounty, See You Later...), Tomita, Kitaro, Mike Oldfield, Tony Banks, YMO, Laurie Anderson and many more."

SEQUENTIAL CIRCUITS Prophet 5 v3.3 w/MIDI & Extended Memory Bank SN 3625

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

SN 3625
"Synth was purchased from Main Drag Music in Williamsburg, Brooklyn after full check up and minor refurb by their amazing tech, Takeshi. The synth was previously owned by the musician Joy Askew, who played with such artists as Peter Gabriel, Laurie Anderson, Joe Jackson, and others. Many of her presets are still on the synth! In addition to the standard 8 banks/8 presets = 64, the 3.3 upgrade gives this Prophet 5 TWO MORE BANKS OF 64 PRESETS EACH. That is a whopping 192 presets!. Accessible by holding down bank button while pressing preset button 2 OR 3. The MIDI on this synth is flawless and works perfectly. BRILLIANT with hardware or software arpeggiators. All hardware - knobs, switches, LED, etc - works perfectly. Wood and all surfaces are in excellent shape."

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Modded 1974 Moog Music Minimoog Model D

via this auction
"An original Moog Music Minimoog Model D Synthesizer from 1974, serial #3853. The item is in excellent operating condition (just serviced in 2010 by EARS - expert audio repair and services) and includes a 30 day warranty. The synth has several desirable mods including LFO Rate, LFO waveform selection, a 4th LFO, a bend input and gate input keyboard cutoff switch. It still has factory plastic on the faceplate.

Originally owned by Grammy Award Winning record producer and songwriter, Walter Afanasieff, and later bought by 39th Street Music in NYC where it was used by the likes of Brian Eno, Laurie Anderson and many others during the 1980's - 2000's. This is a great, warm and fat sounding vintage analog synth!"

The Incredible Sounds of the Synclavier II

via this auction

"Ultra rare private pressing demo record on clear blue vinyl, an artifact of electronic music history originally given out to prospective buyers of this innovative classic synth. It contains a montage of brief melodies and unique sound effects showing off the amazing capabilities of this system that combined sampled and FM synthesized sounds and was designed by legendary electronic composer Jon Appleton at Dartmouth College. The music and programming on this disc is credited to Denny Jaeger and Bill Keenan, plus there is an excerpt of a synthesized version of Vivaldi's Four Seasons by Patrick Gleeson (member of Herbie Hancock's 70s-era electric funk band). The Sync II has featured prominently in the recordings of Pat Metheny, Michael Jackson (who pretty much swiped the synth intro to "Beat It" from this lp!), Laurie Anderson, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Soft Cell, Marc Almond, Bronski Beat, ABBA, Genesis, Chick Corea, George Duke, Sting, Tomita, and Stevie Wonder."

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Lou Reed RIP

Published on Oct 28, 2013 retrotechnical·46 videos

"Tribute to Lou Reed of The Velvet Underground who died 27th October 2013.
The song is Guess I'm Falling In Love (Instrumental) from the album Another View.
Garageband - 808 drums and multitracking
Arturia iMini - bassline
SynthX - atonal lead
Strat copy - rhythm guitar"

Huge thanks to retrotechnical for posting this. I wasn't sure if I was going to have the opportunity to post something on Lou Reed's passing. This site is synths only after all.

As most of you know, Lou Reed passed away yesterday at the age of 71. He wasn't a synth freak, but he was known to play the Haken Continuum. He was also referred to in various posts on the site.

Lou Reed was one of my favorite artists and his tracks specifically with The Velvet Underground marked some pivotal moments in my life. His music more than anyone else taught me to be open and tolerant of alternative lifestyles. I was into alternative music in the classic 80s sense, but the whole purpose which began as "Taking a Walk on the Wild Side" turned into so much more.  His music wasn't wild.  It wasn't about glorifying the alternative.  It was about the calm, peace and acceptance of what some might perceive as strange.  It was just life and he made living life better.  I will miss him and his music.

You'll find a great interview with Lou Reed by Neil Gaiman here.

Update:  Lou Reed was married to Laurie Anderson who of course is a big synth buff and has been featured here on MATRIXSYNTH numerous times.  Sincere condolences to her and his friends and family.

Electronic Musician Spotlights

Title link takes you to Electronic Musician's Spotlights page. EM Spotlights are articles on featured people. There's a bit of synth content worth checking out including analog conent on Steve Roach and Wendy Carlos. Via Peter Grenader of Buzzclick Music on AH.


The list includes:

Steve Roach
Wendy Carlos
Negativland
Malcolm Burn (String Cheese Incident)
Yoko Ono
Pierre Shaeffer & Pierre Henry - pioneers in sampling
Toby Marks (Banco de Gaia)
Tim Pagnotta
Roger McGuinn
Laurie Anderson
John Cage
Phillip Glass

Chris Strellis - Skylab

Update: A slightly slower version of the track: http://www.adwright.net/chris/voynich/sounds/Skylab2000.mp3

Track done with only a single Yamaha CS10. No midi, just multitrack manual playing. Impressive. Reminds me of a more agressive Air with a little Laurie Anderson thrown in.