Glacial Communications

The overall theme was "Synaesthesia". I'm not sure how well that translated on the air. Also tried a new experimental technique I intend to post about later tonight - it requires photos and sound evidence...

I’ve got a bunch of projects I’m either going to do or make an attempt at doing, anyway:

• MFOS Sound Lab Mini Synth PLUS -  I’ve got the PCBs and a number of the components on hand. Most of the rest of the components are enroute. I’m going to try a MAX1044-based power supply, since a) I’d like to avoid batteries and b) I dislike most normal bipolar power supplies. We’ll see how that goes.
• “The Box of Tricks” - A take on fitting as much modular-like goodness into a cigar box as possible. Still mostly in the conceptual phase- I’m trying to determine what modules will go in, and making design considerations (banana jacks vs. 1/4″ vs. nails-and-alligator-clips, mostly). This will probably warrant a future post when I make some more decisions.
• A CV/Gate sequencer - probably an 8-step version of the Baby 10. Maybe with some “extras” (start/stop, internal and external clock, other features?)
• A very likely project when the above are finished is the Thomas Henry SN Voice. My wife had one of these Remco Sound fx Machines as a kid (based on the same IC) and I’ve got the IC sitting in another box (a Midwest Analog Snare+) that I’m not using.
• Some kind of MIDIbox SID? I’ve got a 6581 in my parts bin just waiting to get used.

Somewhere in the middle of that, I’m going to do some repairs as well - my MG-1 needs at least two sliders replaced (and I have the replacements, so it’s mostly scheduling at this point), and I’ve got a couple of things that need rubber keypad repair (probably the MMT-8 in general, and the RY10’s BD1 key for certain).

Some poking around on Electronic Goldmine’s site last night revealed a couple of chips with possibilities for future projects as well:

• The YMZ284-D has some potential for something. And datasheets are out there.
• This TMS3477-based sampler looks intriguing, but since there’s no schematic and no datasheet, I’m thinking no dice.

My plate is full.

Press The Button Podcast for May 7, 2008. Show notes are available at http://www.glacialcommunications.com/news

First hour was sort of "computer-assisted music" (League of Automatic Music Composers, The Hub, etc.) Second hour was more of a live electrodub (?) performance. Featuring my RY10 (aka "Drum Nordine"), QY10, and some samples and sfxr noises. Me, the RY10, and the QY10 need to sit down for some quality programming time. I think some good may come of that.

An attempt at something in honor of the late Bebe Barron, who passed away on Sunday. Made a little extra challenging, since WRUW doesn't have anything by the Barrons (with one exception: John Cage's Williams Mix, which they did most of the implementation of.) In the second hour, this album of electronic music from high schools got mixed in as well.

Here are my slides from the two workshops I led at Penguicon last weekend.

Arduino Workshop:

Circuit-bending and Musical Electronics Workshop:

• Some Jack Dangers stuff - Forbidden Planet Explored, Music for Planetarium.
• Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I-IV
• The League of Automatic Music Composers
• A "Jazz CD" whose title and artist I've now forgotten (It was more experimental than jazzy, but I wasn't totally sold on it like the other CD)

Annual telethon show (it's not too late to donate - be sure to select show #41) Ended up being a collage of some premiums (Trax's Acid Classics, 8-bit operators compilation, Acid Mothers Temple, Throbbing Gristle) and some other stuff (the new Meat Beat Manifesto, some random minimal techno, some stuff I've been working on).

Here are (slightly updated) slides from my presentation at Notacon 5:

Went a bit easy on content, as I was spending most of the show soldering stuff for my presentation at Notacon.  Some Jack Dangers stuff, Nurse With Wound, NIN's Ghosts I-IV, and Download's The Eyes of Stanley Pain.