Sonic Pi V3 and the Mother-32

The Mad Music Machine
Published on Aug 2, 2017

"A family day out in Brighton led to us stumbling across the GAK musical instrument store. Inside we tried out various equipment before deciding that the Moog Mother-32 would make a great additional voice for the Mad Music Machine.

Here's our first test of it with Sonic Pi V3"

And:

Mutant Snare & Mutant Hihats added to the Mad Music Machine


"We added the Mutant Snare and Mutant Hihats to the Mad Music Machine today - but soon realised we didn't have enough patch cables to connect everything up the way we wanted!

So we modified our existing Sonic Pi drum machine code to work with external MIDI and ran the drum modules through the System-1m to the Trigger Out.

We then set up a simple System-1m patch to use the 4 MIDI notes as they passed through to the drum modules"

Qu-Bit Nebulae, InSight lander and the Martian Winds

Published on Jan 20, 2019 The Mad Music Machine

"We were excited to add a Qu-Bit Nebulae to the Mad Music Machine, especially as it is powered by a Raspberry Pi and the Mad Music Machine began it's life as a small network of Raspberry Pis.

Our last Raspberry Pi project used our Astro Pi code (which ran on the International Space Station) to make music, so we thought we should follow up with another space-based project for this video.

We downloaded the raw 'Martian Winds' sounds from the NASA website and loaded them onto the Qu-Bit Nebulae. The Nebulae has independent control of (playback) speed and pitch which allowed us to bring the 'wind' sounds up more into the audible range.

We created an 'industrial' rhythm by using a 'sample and hold' LFO within Bitwig (via our Expert Sleepers ES8) matched to our Make Noise Tempi clock. This modulation signal was used to 'Freeze' the output of the Nebulae.

We also created wavetables for our E352 by loading the downloaded 'Martian Winds' into the Synthesis Technology WaveEdit program. We sequenced the E352 with our Make Noise René 2 to create the "Touchdown Confirmed" bass line / melody.

We loaded the NASA commentary of the landing into our 4MS Stereo Triggered Sample which was sequenced and synchronised with the rest of the patch using our Tip Top Circadian Rhythms.

All sounds within the patch were generated from the InSight mission with the exception of the Hexinverter Kick, Snare and Clap.

We recorded the audio using Bitwig Studio with our Nektar Panorama P6 controlling the Mixer.

And finally, following previous feedback, Caitlin's voice was recorded using a RØDE Smartlav+ Lavalier Microphone.

We are aware the video focusing is not great in this video so that is the next thing we need to work on!"

Astro Pi / Tim Peake inspired piece created for the Brighton Modular Meet

Published on Jun 30, 2018 The Mad Music Machine

'We were thrilled to be invited to run a demonstration of the Mad Music Machine at the Brighton Modular Meet.

We thought it would be a good idea to create a patch using waveforms generated from our Astro Pi data with samples we created from the European Space Agency commentary of Tim Peakes flight from Earth to the International Space Station.

We used the Synthesis Technology WaveeEdit programme to create the wavetables which on the E370 are taken from the pattern formed by the humidity data recorded in our experiment. The E352 uses a sample of the engine noise of the Soyuz TMA-19M which on which Tim Peake travelled - this is modulated in cloud mode to give the 'engine' sounds.

As the data was generated on a Raspberry Pi so we thought it would be appropriate to use Sonic Pi for for the sequencing :)

Her Caitlin jams with that patch :)"

Update:

Caitlin's live performance at the Brighton Modular Meet 2018

Published on Jul 2, 2018 The Mad Music Machine

"We had a fantastic time at the Brighton Modular Meet and met some wonderful people.

Caitlin enjoyed performing this and was very happy with the audience's reaction at the end!"

4ms STS and E370 Drum Machine

Published on Mar 23, 2018 The Mad Music Machine

Another tutorial video from synth kid Caitlin!

"We have been invited to take the Mad Music Machine to the Horsham Piazza Italia Festival which features many Italian (and other) high performance cars.

We thought it would be fun to incorporate samples of these cars into our music. Here Caitlin creates a basic drum machine using drum samples in the E370 and cars sounds in the Stereo Triggered Sampler .

The E370 makes for a great drum machine as the drum samples are very are easily tuned and triggered."

Loose Lips Machine Nuggets :: Lazenbleep Live

Published on Mar 2, 2017 lazenbleep

"A look at my live setup for Loose Lips"

Sonicpotions LXR
Teenage Engineering OP1
Mutable Instruments Anushri
OTO BIM

Update: some info on what's going on via lazenbleep:

"I'm George Lazenbleep Hacker, artist and musician based in London. I've been on a mission to make the music I want to hear when I'm drunk and I'm edging closer. I've spent a long time hacking and modifying gear just for the sheer hell of it. Now I'm entirely focused on finding the best gear, through whatever means, to make sweet banging music.

Here’s a look at the equipment used in my current live setup; these are random musings about my favourite gear, and their coolest features. Please follow the links for more info.

Sonicpotions LXR

This is a digital drum synthesiser, available in kit form from a really cool German company. At its heart the LXR is a six voice synthesiser and seven track sequencer. The sound generation is really deep, with four types of drum engine. In theory, these are geared towards kick, toms, snare, clap and cymbals, but in reality the fun is to go much heavier and weirder. You can make some monumentally heavy, sharp kicks with a triangle wave, pitch mod, a transient, drive and sample rate reduction. I like to layer snares and claps together as they both benefit from their own multi-mode filter. There’s also a lot of modulation available both within and inter track, with both control signals and audio available as modulation sources. The main point to make here is that the sound can be both heavy and wild, perfect for electronic music.

A nice modern digital feature is the ability to morph between voice presets with one knob, creating some totally wild in between sounds. The sequencer is both straightforward and deep, with what I consider the essential features for a drum machine; step probability, individual track length (polyrhythms!), two tracks of automation per voice and per step (think Elektrons parameter locks), micro timing (sub steps), voice rolls and shuffle.
The BC third party OS adds user assignable macro knobs, one shot LFO’s, instant pattern switching, per voice pattern switching, and a really cool “segmented” looper. It’s crazy that something so complex is good to use live, but it really is rock solid and a lot of fun on stage.

Teenage Engineering OP1

A synth that famously divides opinions, with many dismissing it as an expensive toy (which it is). The OP1 is also an incredibly deep, left-field machine with unique workflow and sounds. I very much underuse it in my setup; it acts as a midi controller and chord machine, and it's tiny and light, perfect for touring. Ten different synth engines can be used, and they’re all great. One of the major features is simplification, with each engine having up to eight controls and a fun graphical interface.

This ethos is spread throughout the synth and encourages experimentation, you get to unlearn what you think you know and relearn some great eye-ear combinations, via the gorgeous OLED and simple cartoony graphics. There’s a freely assignable LFO per synth, including wacky generators like the radio, mic or gyroscope. It has eight voice effects to choose from, and one master FX slot. The sequencers range from useful to mad, and really encourage experimentation, with drums and synths, they’re all syncable, or not.
Using a four track-style tape as the recorder is both brave and wonderful. There’s a joyful instant vibe to making music, and there’s no undo. Segments of tape can be lifted and dropped into a synth sampler, or sliced in a drum sampler for an instant chop. Talking of the drum sampler, the onboard radio can be recorded and instantly dropped into the sampler, mapping equal segments across the keys. Combine this with a sequencer and it’s very easy to make dance music, which is exactly how dance music should be.

TE are absolute masters of taste, form and function, and i knew i wanted this even before i heard it. It’s impossibly cute, yet sturdy and actually looks exciting, something that’s really important. The screen graphics are really cool, and everything is colour coded to the four encoders, letting you fly before you really know what’s what.

Mutable Instruments Anushri

Before Mutable cornered the modular market, but after they nailed PDA music, Olivier made desktop synths as kits. I’ve owned them all, kept my Shruthi, and am now making sweet arp love with the Anushri. An actual analogue monosynth, like an SH-101, but better, and weirder! It actually has a semi-generative digital drum machine built in, but I don’t use that—for me it’s all about the arps!

Arpeggiators are cheesy, and they’re cheating, and they are completely, 100% dance music. A kick and an arp, what else do you need? The sound is glorious, heavy and weird thanks to FM, oscillator sync, the LFO and DCO. It’s also lovely to play a synth designed by someone who plays synths. A great example of this is the knob that sweeps the envelope between a gate and ADSR. Assign the envelope to your filter, start the arp and say goodbye to the next two hours. There’s also another knob called “Acidity” which adds random accents, mutes and slides to your arp; I have a tendency to leave it at ten.

OTO BIM

OTO machines made the Biscuit, arguably the greatest ever bitcrusher. The BIM is a 12-bit digital delay, taking its lead from 80s hardware effects units. The sound is interesting and musical, creatively using the lo-fi nature of 12-bit converters to subtly degrade the signal, and pairing it with analogue technology to smooth it out.

That's not why I bought it though. It's a really fun box to play. It has a concept I call “high wangability”, which means you can really go crazy with it from the front panel. It has a really weird sixteen dot display, that once learned, provides just enough info. There's an LFO that can be used wildly or sparingly, and a freeze function that grabs a bit of the delayed signal and repeats it indefinitely. The BIM has character in both sound and form, and is a friendly little chap in my flightcase."

E352 Cloud Mode 'World' Drums

Published on Apr 15, 2018 The Mad Music Machine

"We use the E352 & E370 in Cloud Mode to create some rhythms inspired by some of the sounds we heard at the WOMAD Festival.

The only sound sources in the patch are the E352 and voice 3 of the E370.

We use the pico sequencers to 'tune' the voices but the gates and the patterns are set by the Circadian Rhythms."

Update:

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New Book on the History and Impact of MIDI, "Mad Skills: MIDI and Music Technology in the 20th Century"

Mad Skills: MIDI and Music Technology in the 20th Century is a new book from Ryan A. Diduck set to be released on March 13. It is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.

The following is a quick intro from Ryan:

Growing from my PhD research at McGill University, under Jonathan Sterne's supervision, Mad Skills is a timely cultural history of MIDI — as you know, the most ubiquitous and yet invisible technology across the past thirty-five years of music making. In the book, I situate MIDI within a century's worth of innovation in musical instrument design, and chronicle the industrial and social forces that guided electronic music on toward its present trajectory. I'm honored that the revered British Ethnomusicologist Georgina Born wrote the book's foreword, and London-based Repeater Books will release Mad Skills in March 2018.

Here's what people are saying so far:

"Mad Skills is a history of electronic music technology, of scraps over standards, and of music's relationship to capital in the twentieth century. Through deep dives into archives, original interviews, and an aptitude for the Marxian archaeology of electronics, Diduck opens the black box of MIDI for all to see and hear." – Ben Tausig, Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology, Stony Brook University.

'Most people have no idea what MIDI is, even though it undergirds and regulates a substantial swathe of the sounds they listen to and love. In Ryan Alexander Diduck’s deeply researched telling – a biography of a technology, with a caustic critical edge – MIDI takes on a personality of its own even as it standardizes global music-production to a hitherto unimaginable degree. Blending technical knowledge, business history, and cultural polemic, Mad Skills is a sharp study of a human invention that stamped its post-human character over an entire era of pop.' – Simon Reynolds, author of Retromania and Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture

"A deep/clear read on historical and SOCIAL development of machine music; wisdom about MIDI finally.
– Dan Lopatin, aka Oneohtrix Point Never"

Mego Muson Synthesizer toy art NEUTRA

via this auction

"Hi there. My name is Max Neutra. I am an artist in Los Angeles. Thanks for checking out the shop.

What we have here is a 10"x10" painting of a Mego Muson Synthesizer. In my opinion, this is the holy grail of vintage music toys. I was lucky enough to find one years ago before the ebay market seized up on these. You can physically rearrange the colored block in what I would call a sequencer, creating what the box says are "the strangest sounds in the galaxy".

This painting was originally created for a solo show / record release party in Hollywood. It sold, but in the end the buyer traded it back towards more expensive work. Now I offer it to you!

Before I started painting, I made electronic music for eight years. I was obsessed with obscure noise making devices and put together a hearty collection through ebay. Some of my pieces have even made it into the quintessential collection at miniorgan.com! I used these toys as well as other more professional devices to put together music that I considered funky electro ( Think Kraftwerk, Devo, Thomas Dolby, Yello, etc.). Suddenly painting took over about 5 years ago and the music making was put aside, but I recently made a final push and released my first album. Ten years in the making! The album is called Automation Addiction and can be purchased through itunes, amazon, beatport, etc.

Here is a list of equipment I used on the album:
Muson Synthesizer
Remco Sound fx machine
Bee Gees Rhythm Machine
General Electric Tote-a-tune
Texas Instruments Speak & Music
Mattel Electronic Connection
Panasonic r-1088
Tyco Hotkeyz
Waddingtons Compute-A-Tune
Science Fair Electronic Organ Kit
Synsonics drums

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Pretty Eight Machine by Inverse Phase - 8-bit NIN

"This is Pretty Hate Machine, re-imagined in its entirety on eight different 8-bit systems, so I've named it "Pretty Eight Machine". Sound configurations include: SID/6581 (Commodore 64), POKEY (Atari 800), straight 2A03 (NES), AY/SCC+ (MSX+Metal Gear 2 or Snatcher cartridge), SN76489 (Sega Master System), 2A03+VRC6 (Famicom+Castlevania 3 cartridge), LR35902 (Game Boy), and OPLL (MSX-MUSIC or Japanese Sega Master System).

The album represents the culmination of so many things:
- the recent celebration of Pretty Hate Machine's anniversary
- the recent release of the remastered PHM
- my fandom and love for Nine Inch Nails
- my love of old-school computers and game systems
- a hope that Trent Reznor (who likes vintage synths, tech, and gear) and Rob Sheridan (and his pixelated avatar) will enjoy it
- pushing myself to compose for systems I've never written music on

A lot of thought, love, blood, sweat, and tears went into this album. I encourage you to explore the info links next to the track names to understand the history behind each one.
credits
released 14 June 2012
Pretty Eight Machine (c)(p) 2011-2012 Inverse Phase.
Original songs/Pretty Hate Machine (c) 1989 Arlovol Music/Leaving Hope Music. Admin. by Penny Farthing Music (ASCAP).
6502 and its likeness used with permission from WDC and Bill Mensch.

Please attribute Inverse Phase and Nine Inch Nails with a link if you use any of these tracks for anything.

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4MS STS Peppa Pig tribute! - samples recorded at Horsham Piazza Italia 2018

Published on Apr 10, 2018 The Mad Music Machine

"Last weekend we took the Mad Music Machine to Horsham Piazza Italia. We showed young children how we could sample their voices and gave them the microphone and told them to say anything they liked.

We had some interesting results from the many children (and adults) that took part!

Our favourite moment was when a family with 3 young children created a tune involving 'Peppa Pig' sounds - including of course, some 'oinks'.

Next time we do this we will ensure we can record their creations for them but here Caitlin is recreating their tune with the original voice samples, together with the beats as best as she can remember them.

For a bit of fun I have also added the Peppa Pig melody to the Mother-32 sequencer."

MOOGFEST 2016 Lineup & Details Announced

Moogfest 2016 Talent Announcement with Reggie Watts

Published on Dec 8, 2015 Moogfest

"Headlining performances include Gary Numan playing a three night residency of his trailblazing early albums, a two-night residency by GZA, ODESZA, Laurie Anderson, Oneohtrix Point Never, Suzanne Ciani, Blood Orange, and Sun Ra Arkestra; with keynote presentations by transhumanist activist and pharma tycoon Dr. Martine Rothblatt, and computer scientist Jaron Lanier, a pioneer in the field of virtual reality.

More than one hundred other acts are already confirmed to perform, while the conference program continues to develop in partnership with a range of esteemed universities, innovative businesses, and art/technology organizations. Program partners include MIT Media Lab, Google, Duke University, Georgia Institute of Technology, The New Museum’s New Inc., IDEO, Gray Area, and the EyeO Festival.

For the first time ever, Moogfest will take place in Durham, NC. Moogfest activates seventeen venues, throughout the walkable downtown core, from intimate galleries to grand theatres, including a free outdoor stage with participatory, all-ages programming. Durham promises to be an ideal setting for Moogfest: a city uniquely blending diversity, authenticity, world class innovation, and culture, with a long history of great music.

Program highlights:
Pioneers in Electronic Music
Electronic music pioneer Gary Numan will perform his first three albums (Replicas, The Pleasure Principle, and Telekon) over three consecutive nights in three different venues. Musical experimentalist Laurie Anderson weaves stories and song in her solo performance, “The Language of the Future” and then returns to the stage the next day to hosts a daytime conversation.

Future Pop
Headlining talent also charts a zig-zagging course across today’s synthesizer infused pop landscape, from the vibrant electronic duo ODESZA, to the future soul of Blood Orange (playing in North Carolina for the first time), a return of utopian rockers YACHT, and even the comic stylings of Reggie Watts.

Experimentalists
Immersive noise and minimalist sonic-scapes from some of today’s most progressive experimental artists, including sunn O))), Ben Frost, Tim Hecker, Silver Apples, Oneohtrix Point Never, Quintron & Miss Pussycat, Olivia Block, Alessandro Cortini, and Lotic.

Ambient Music Innovators
A rich program of sustained tones and cascading moods led by Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno’s prolific Grammy winning protege, Suzanne Ciani, and the UK’s originators of ambient house The Orb.

Hip-Hop
GZA leads Moogfest’s strongest ever hip-hop and rap lineup, supported by a roster of emerging talent including Lunice, Tory Lanez, Denzel Curry, Dr. Dre protege King Mez, and Well$.

The Future of Creativity
Futurist philosophers set the tone for a mind-expanding conference. Keynotes by Dr. Martine Rothblatt, author, entrepreneur, transhumanist, inventor of satellite radio, and Jaron Lanier, a computer scientist and composer who has pioneered the field of virtual reality. Other visionaries include sound explorer Onyx Ashanti and his 'exo-voice' sonic prosthesis, Tod Machover from MIT Media LAB presenting his work in HyperInstruments, and Gil Weinberg and The Robotic Musicianship Group at Georgia Tech performing with Shimon, an improvising robotic marimba player that uses artificial intelligence.

Orchestral Ensembles
The intergalactic voyagers of Sun Ra Arkestra channel the cosmic philosopher himself. Arthur Russell’s Instrumentals ensemble, making their US debut. Floating Points’ live project veers fluidly from warm electronic to jazz to sonic space rhythms.

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Jamming with Theremins at Horsham AmeriCARna

Published on Sep 30, 2018 The Mad Music Machine

"We took the Mad Music Machine to Horsham AmeriCARna and invited the public to interact with it via our Thermins.

Caitlin and her friend recorded some samples, setup some rhythms on Circadian Rhythms, and Jammed away on the Theremins to generate uScale quantized notes for the E352 and E370.

A Thermin controlled Disting produced the effects.

We had a great day with the public and are looking forward to coming back to Horsham AmeriCARna again!"

Caitlin's first experiment with the Maths

Published on Jan 7, 2018 The Mad Music Machine

"We had only 20 HP left in the current form of the Mad Music Machine and have used it all with a MATHS! - here Caitlin has a first experiment with it with the Roland System-1m to improve it's envelope and develop another voice from the main sequence controlled by the Mother-32."

A Merry Christmas from Caitlin and the Mad Music Machine.

Published on Dec 19, 2017 The Mad Music Machine

"Caitlin explains how we use the Moog Mother-32 to control and mix the outputs from the E352 Cloud Terrarium.

She then uses this patch, together with the Hexinverter Mutant Drums and the Roland System-1m, to play a special Christmas tune using Sonic Pi MIDI sequencing."

Bitwig Studio, Modular Synths & a Flute play No Limits.

Published on Aug 7, 2018 The Mad Music Machine

"Caitlin uses the Sixty Four Pixels Banana Split to connect Bitwig Studio to the Mad Music Machine.

She sequences the Mother-32, E352, Roland System-1m and the Hexinverter Drums from Bitwig and plays her flute over the top!"

E352, Mother-32, Roland System-1m and MATHS

Published on Jan 8, 2018 The Mad Music Machine

"We left the Mad Music Machine turned on over night (with the master volume turned down) - we were pleasantly surprised by the new sounds we heard when we turned it back on!

Here Caitlin plays a short intro but does not touch any controls once the simple 16 note sequence starts - it just Maths working it's magic with our oscillators (mainly the E352)"

Caitlin demonstrates the Make Noise René 2 sequencer

Published on Nov 28, 2018 The Mad Music Machine

"Caitlin has been learning about René Descartes at school which inspired us to add a Make Noise René 2 and Tempi to the Mad Music Machine.

This a simple patch: René X channel to E370, Channel 1, René Y channel to the E352, René C channel to the System 1.

No other sounds sources or effects were used but we have a few extra patch cables to feed the audio to Bitwig for Analysis."

Caitlin explains clocks with the Mother-32 clock and the 4ms Rotating Clock Divider

Published on Dec 29, 2017 The Mad Music Machine

"We have added a 4ms Rotating Clock Divider to the Mad Music Machine.

Here Caitlin uses it to explain synthesizer clocks by using a clock signal from the Mother-32 to trigger our Mutant Drums"

4ms STS and Addictive TV Samples

Published on May 13, 2018 The Mad Music Machine

"Addictive TV have released to the public samples from their amazing 'Orchestra of Samples' project. The samples were collected over a 4 year period and involve over 300 musicians from 30 countries.

Here Caitlin live jams with a few off those samples that we have loaded into the 4ms STS. Caitlin mixes those samples with our own sounds & sequences generated in the Mad Music Machine."

Blokas Pisound with Sonic Pi

Published on Oct 15, 2017 The Mad Music Machine

"We have had the Pisound for a while but hadn't got around to testing it until prompted to do so my a discussion on in-thread.sonic-pi.net.

Here we try it with the Code Club 'Musical Round' Frere Jacques project, firstly with just Sonic Pi audio, followed by MIDI sequencing our Mother-32, System-1m and Mutant Drums."

Pisound / Sonic Pi at 200 BPM

Published on Oct 15, 2017 The Mad Music Machine

"Just leaving this running as part of a performance test of Sonic Pi with the Pisound."