John Lazarro writes on the Auditory list: *Apple released a software update today for iPods, that lets users set a maximum dB level for the device, and lets parents lockdown the maximum dB level of their children’s iPod with a combination lock. Apple also put up a website on how to use the feature to limit long-term hearing damage. *
{#image113}Dan Trueman and Perry Cook at Princeton have set up an undergrad course called PLOrk: Princeton Laptop Orchestra, where they have 15 workstations consisting of Powerbooks, sound cards, sensor interfaces and spherical speakers. The idea is to give students the chance to improvise and experiment with electronic music in a really hands-on way (more info). Great idea! We should try and set up something like that in Oslo.
I recently got to know about the concept of 5 rhythms, and the Norwegian group doing this. Gabrielle Roth’s The 5 Rhythmsare an exhilarating and liberating approach to the exploration of improvised movement and dance that is authentic, inspired and catalytic. The 5 Rhythms (Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical, Stillness) are a map which can take you on an ecstatic journey, opening you to the inherent wisdom, creativity and energy of your body....
sCrAmBlEd?HaCkZ! is a Realtime-Mind-Music-Video-Re-De-Construction-Machine. It is a conceptual software which makes it possible to work with samples in a completely new way by making them available in a manner that does justice to their nature as concrete musical memories.
Just came across the UBC Max/MSP/Jitter Toolbox which seems to be quite similar to Jamoma. The UBC Max/MSP/Jitter Toolbox is a collection of modules for creating and processing audio in Max/MSP and manipulating video and 3D graphics using Jitter. I have just briefly tested it, and here are some screenshots from one of the example patches. {.imagelink}
{.imagelink}Watching the ladies’ figure skating competition from the olympics, I am amazed by the total lack of connection between gestures and music. To start off with, I am not very impressed by the music accompanying the programmes, most being massively layered, romantic orchestral music, but the fact that it is also recorded by a microphone in front of a moderate PA system in the skating hall does not call for a good listening experience....
{.imagelink}Clavia has recently released a new version of their software for Nord Modular which now includes the possibility to create new settings based on evolution algorithms. These algorithms were part of the PhD work of my colleague Palle Dahlstedt from Göteborg, and makes it possible to create new settings from a set of “parents”. Very interesting stuff! The software is available as a free download for both Windows and OSX, but of course you need to have a Clavia synth to really appreciate this…
I found a way of getting access to the music files on my windows-formatted iPod on a mac over at Ecoustics: Launch the Terminal.application and type: find /Volumes/[iPod’sNAME]/iPod_Control/Music -print | awk ‘¬ { gsub(/ /, “\ “); print }’ Substitute the name of your iPod for [iPod’sNAME]. Any spaces should be replaced with underscores (_). This will print a list of all the songs inside the Music folder with \ in place of spaces....
Film director Philip Groening has made Into Great Silence, a film about a Carthusian convent where the monks are living in complete silence: Only in complete silence, one starts to hear. Only when language resigns, one starts to see. About 160 minutes of next to total silence. How can that work in a cinema? How silent can it be? Will sound suddenly burst out, without warning? How dark can it be amid the unlit masses of monks in their sanctuary?...
I came across the piece Notjustmoreidlechatter by composer Paul Lansky, showcasing a fascinating use of voice for creating musical rhythm and texture. And then I found the article Digital thoughts where he explains some of his compositional ideas throughout the years.