PERFORMANCE

For me experimentation is a way of developing interesting and expressive techniques to use in performance (and composition). The following are some of my more performance-oriented videos. Enjoy (I hope)…

Having some fun with a Moog Mother-32. Synced its sequencer to the DSI Pro-2’s, and running some CVs over from the Pro-2 as well. Feeding audio from an iPod into its ext audio input and running it through an Eventide H9. Then… I play along…
A clip from the recording session for the album XENOGRAPHY by Chris Stack. Excerpt from the song REACHING ALEPPO. Sally Sparks on Haken Continuum, DSI Pro 2 and PianoTeq. Chris Stack on Moog Voyager, DSI Pro 2 and Animoog. Audio is from the final mix, using a different Continuum track and additional Animoog textures.
The Dave Smith Instruments Pro 2 sequencer is creating the bulk of the background. In addition to its sounds, it is sending a CV step sequence to control the filter cutoff on the Voyager. The Voyager is droning one note, but it is patched so that the filter is dancing around the point where it oscillates.

The Voyager is processed by a tempo-synced Eventide H9. I realized recently that I have been under-utilizing the Yamaha MO8. In addition to the piano, I’ve done a ton of sound design on it over the years and have many subtly tempo-synced patches that really worked well paired with the Pro 2 sequencer.

A quick look at some very interconnected sound. iConnectAUDIO4+ provides the audio and MIDI connectivity between the Egoist app, Koushion Step Sequencer, a DSI Pro 2 and Ableton. I just wanted to quickly capture these sounds. This level of integration makes some wild things possible.
Just a bit of melodica jamming and FinalCut craziness. Melodica recorded using an Eventide MixingLink as a mic pre-amp. The background music is DSI Pro 2 and Korg ARP Odyssey. Kind of a practical application of the techniques in my recent Pro 2/ARP Odyssey video.
I programmed an effect similar to Ableton’s “Fade To Grey” on my Pro 2. In the background Pro 2 drum sequence patch, a single sweep of the footpedal does the following: maxes out “air”, pans filter routing to serial, maxes delay 4 feedback, maxes filter 2 (high pass) cutoff and minimizes filter 1 (low pass) cutoff.

This video starts with “Fade To Grey” engaged. About 25 seconds in I use the footpedal to bring in the low end on the drums. The background here also includes a droning Moog Voyager with Pro 2 CVs modulating its filter cutoff and waveshape. You hear it most around beat 12 of the 16 beat pattern.

In this video, I explore connecting a bunch of gear in various ways on a cold Winter night. No great composition or playing technique involved, just a look at timbre, texture and synchronization.

The DSI Pro 2 is the heart of this piece. It plays the background sequence throughout and provides the master MIDI Clock to the Yamaha MO8, Eventide H9, Moog MF-104M and a Line 6 Echo Pro. The Echo Pro is adding delay on everything except the Pro 2 and Voyager. The Sub Phatty is processed by the 104M and the Echo Pro. The H9 is dedicated to the Voyager. The Kurzweil K1000 is being used as a controller for a K2000R.

A big part of what animates this piece is the Pro 2. It is sending independent MIDI Clock synced control voltage signals (various combinations of LFOs and step sequences) to modulate the filters on the MicroBrute, Voyager and Sub Phatty.

An improvisation for Moog Voyager, DSI Pro 2, Yamaha MO8 and Eventide H9. The Voyager’s filter cutoff is modulated by a very slow (but clock-synced), low duty cycle pulse wave LFO. This popping of the filter is picked up and processed nicely by the H9. Background sequence is mostly the DSI Pro 2, with additional sounds from the Yamaha MO8. Just a bit of goofing around…
A quick ambient performance collage of piano (synthetic) and synthesizer textures. Practical applications of my sound design and production experimentation. Tools included Ableton Live, Koushion, Yamaha MO8, Korg Wavestation VST, Moog Voyager (sparsely on bass) and Line 6 Echo Pro.

Many more videos are available on the ExperimentalSynth YouTube Channel.
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Experimental Synth