darwingrosse.blog

Expo '74: Friday Report

2011-10-20T10:01:00.000-07:00

Friday was the start of the Expo show, and it was pretty feature-packed. David Zicarelli opened on-point, followed by Joshua Clayton giving an overview of all the features in Max 6. After that was lunch, which was crazy. Imagine going out to lunch with Matthew Davidson, Andrew Benson, Anton Marini, Joshua Goldberg and Luke DuBois. Freakin' Max-Jitter center of the universe. The chat at the lunch table (in Five Guys, home of the Greasiest Burgers Ever) was outrageous.

The afternoon featured a number of speakers, of which Jeremy Bailey topped almost anything I could imagine. Combine an irreverent view of video art history with a crazy virtual reality presentation and you get the most entertaining speech ever. Completely bonkers.

After that I took the subway up to Columbia to set up for the PGTGr performance. I couldn't bring along my modular, so I used an old Serge that Columbia had. Took a bit to get everything running (and a few magic incantations to help the TKB wake up), but that put me in the position to fulfill my analog responsibilities. I mostly did wind and bird sounds, which were promptly snagged and modified by Brad and Gregory. Terry, as always, was just brilliant. This group is my favorite performing group ever.

Long subway ride back to our apartments (in Bed-Stuy) and I was dead asleep, ready for 6:00 wakeup on Saturday - My Day Of Many Presentations...

[ddg]

Great installation, great people

2011-10-03T20:36:00.000-07:00

I spent a little time talking to Laleh Mehran this evening, and she pointed me to the site for their W3FI installation. In strolling through it, I saw that they gave me a "thanks" credit for helping out. I did a little coding for one part of their large-format work, and was amazed that they were thoughtful enough to provide a credit.

This happens so rarely in most art works. People often think of the technology side of art as little more than a utility function (and with as much interest as the people that install light switches). It helps that Laleh's partner, Christoper Coleman, it pretty into art tech as well, and treats the technology with a lot of respect.

So here is my "thanks back" to them - for letting me touch this project a little, and for acknowledging my assistance when so few would...

[ddg]

2011-09-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

Just a heads up for my friends, family and fans. A long interview with me on work, Max and the non-existent rest-of-my-life. You can find it at this link. Enjoy!

[ddg]

2011-09-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

The Daily Grind from Ariel Scott on Vimeo.

Ari Scott, one of the participants in The Daily Grind, created this video for his showreel. I thought I'd put it up here to show some of what I'd done while in school. This was a "critical game", which had no real winning scenario, and represented the pointlessness of the working life. It is replete with funny notions about bosses, rising up the corporate ladder, and the futility of waiting for retirement for one's rewards.

In order to do this, I actually built a game engine in Processing, while Kim Zahler produced the visuals and Ari did the "Grinder" (a physical devices that was required to keep the game going) as a hardware device. Adam Seibel provided some of the text, and was supposed to do the marketing plan, but this never really happened. All-in-all, it was pretty successful given that we pulled the whole thing together in a couple of weeks.

[ddg]

Archeology, Pt. 1

2011-08-19T01:25:00.001-07:00

Got Spotify, which I'm really enjoying. Lots of fun oddities to be found. Alas, one of the things I ran into last night was a little ditty that I did with the Team Metlay folks back in the day. A little digging points to this page, telling me it was Jan. 1999.

Among the tunes is "Wiard on ACID", which is in fact a prototype Wiard Synthesizer producing all the parts and played back using the ACID software. As far as I know, this is the earliest recorded instance of a Wiard, and is pretty simple (albeit altogether too short).

The system was a bunch of faceplates mounted inside a camera case, but using the same wall wart-y things that were used with production versions. The track is mostly several instance of the Waveform City into an OmniFilter, with a Sequentizer driving the thing. Or something like that...

[ddg]

I Did Too!

2011-07-30T13:00:00.001-07:00

BobLike by DarwinGrosse

I wasn't kidding about being inspired by Bob Ostertag's Motormouth album - mainly because it was clear that he remembered to hit record! Here's something I popped off this morning in the style of his work, using my 5U-modular instead of a Buchla.

Enjoy! Or not!

[ddg]

Press Record!

2011-07-25T12:30:00.000-07:00

Bob Ostertag produced another nice little album, available freely, that shows the value of hitting record when you are working on a modular system. This album, called Motormouth, was apparently created when a friend left a Buchla system with him while on vacation.

It's a wonderful bit of work, and worthy of a listen - or three. Thanks to Gregory for turning me onto this.

[ddg]

Morton Today

2011-07-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

I was happy to trip over this video in a posting to the dotcom mail list. A great piece of history, and some great memories of "the day".

[ddg]

A view from a gig

2011-07-18T19:55:00.000-07:00

I just got back from Wisconsin which was filled with many un-fun things. But one of the Very Good Things was getting to do a live radio broadcast with Gregory and Tom. This is the audio section of the group that played at the Spark Festival, and I was hoping that we could do something nice again.

Doing these sorts of gigs is really difficult: you really need to know your instrument, and you have to be confident in being able to provide something useful to the group. I played Enhanced Modular (modular sound generation, laptop as idiosyncratic effects processor), Gregory played his laptop super-patch, and Tom pulled the whole thing together with a little percussionistic temporal glue.

It went off beautifully; we put out about a hour of live work, with several sections that naturally developed without speaking (there was a live mic for the percussion, so we couldn't really talk). I took a more active role in this one, doing a lot of low-end work with the modular. Gregory did more on the high end, and we all slotted together very well.

I can't wait to work with these guys again.

[ddg]

The All-Seeing Eye

2011-06-29T21:44:00.001-07:00

An awful lot of the work I've been doing lately has been related to a single piece of gear. And it's not the modular - it's the XBOX 360 Kinect. This little device is the perfect tool for all sorts of sketchy computer vision work, and it is cheap as sin for what it does. I've been using Jean-Marc Pelletier's jit.freenect.grab object (in combination with his cv.jit tools) to do some remarkable depth and location tracking. You'll probably see some of it in your neighborhood right soon.

For anyone that has written off Microsoft, you just have to work with this device - and realize that it has sold more $150 units than McDonalds has sold Big Macs over the same period of time. A stunning piece of work!

[ddg]

Gotta get to work...

2011-06-28T14:47:00.000-07:00

... relearning the Playing Guitar thing. To start, I picked up the Guitar Aerobics lesson book, which basically runs you through 52 weeks' worth of playing exercises, one day at a time. It's the sort of discipline that I need to get my chops kinda back. Most of it is single-string work, and there are a lot of right-hand exercises; it actually feels like a Guitar Craft sort of thing. In any case, I hope to do the daily deed, and hopefully I'll get my hands in order.

Right now, my left hand feels like a crab claw, and my right hand feels like a jellybean.

[ddg]

Zee Great Erection!

2011-06-27T15:27:00.001-07:00

So I got the next cab slapped together and spent some time this weekend cleaning up the layout and pushing in all of the new modules. Now I've got to get more, more, more! Of course, this assumes I'll be able to convince Kristin and the boys to live on Ramen for a few more months...

[ddg]

Rememberance

2011-06-20T21:52:00.000-07:00

Link: View Video

Posted by Brad Garton, this video chronicles the Welcome Sound performance in Roosevelt, NJ, in the heart of the Garden State - for real. One of the most pleasant performing experiences I ever had. Video by Wiska Radkiewicz.

More of the experience can be seen/heard/read here.

[ddg]

2011-06-17T18:03:00.000-07:00

Anyone that knows me will look at this picture (borrowed from the dotcom DIY page) and say "Wow, look at that - Darwin bought all of the things necessary to feel good about cutting his thumb off!" While this is true, it also represents tomorrows Big Joy: building cabinet #4 for the Big Synth. It's amazing how this thing has grown, both from purchased modules and the bits I'm building for 20Objects LLC. It also represent perhaps the most fun I have with any instrument at all; I can lose myself in this for hours.

Suzanne Ciani talked about a deeply personal relationship she had with her Buchla synth, I'm starting to feel like that about this thing. Of course, it is rapidly growing to twice my size, so I'm starting to think of it as Daddy more than Buddy.

[ddg]

And on the other side...

2011-06-16T13:02:00.000-07:00

... is my mini-system. I finally got around to plugging in the Akai LPK25 into the iPad, and I've been giggling about it all morning. I've been thinking about getting a tiny synth to use for travel (and non-laptop use). This, combined with GarageBand, iMS-20 and other is getting to be a bit of an addiction.

About the only problem I've encountered is that, after a while, the keyboard seems to disconnect from software. Also, in a related experiment, plugging in an Akai LPD8 proved a disaster, and a few resets were required before the iPad would see the LPK25 again.

But all-in-all, it was a fun experience. Not back to my uber-mix.

[ddg]

Large Hi-cap Modules

2011-06-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

Hurrah for Cynthia! Someone has taken on the job of making hi-density modules in 5U country. Why is this needed when you can stuff so much goo in a Euro rack?

Here's what it is for me: I perform a lot. With my modular. I want a lot of capacity, but I also want to be able to identify and control the stuff in a dark room, with no stage lighting, and will some level of reproducibility. Hence, 5U is the thing for me.

But having one whole module space for a single VCA is tough sledding for a mobile modular guy. So I bow to the glory of Cynindustries' new module line - certain to be a major part of my gigging rig in the near future.

[ddg]

$4.99 Jangles

2011-06-14T15:02:00.001-07:00

The house is filled with jangling, screaming and crazy jabbering. Yes, school is out for the summer (in an Alice Cooper sort of way), but it's more than that. I finally ponied up the $4.99 for GarageBand for the iPad, and it's blowing the whole family away.

Right now, Aiden is doing crazy King Crimson hyperlicks on the Smart Guitar, while Wyatt is recording words, reversing them, then trying to say them into reverse into the sampler to hear what is sounds like reversed again. Graham stands in line, waiting for his chance to record his latest chant: "My name is Doof and you'll do what I say - Woot Woot!".

I'm blown away by this software; given some of the crap DAW-ish junk I've already paid for (and I'm speaking to you, Mr. microDAW), I'm really happy with this purchase. It's really easy to crap on Apple until they put out something this good.

I'm just wondering: is there a sampler in the Real World that is as easy to use as the Sampler in GarageBand/iPad? I haven't seen it...

[ddg]

Oh dear...

2011-06-08T14:41:00.000-07:00

My dear friend and inspiration JHNO (pictured above with his ever-present VW Thing) apparently ran into a bit of a storm in a recent performance. If you want to read an interesting overview and an incredible bunch of blog comments, check out this Music vs. Theater blog posting.

[ddg]

Gotta Love 'Em

2011-06-07T12:20:00.000-07:00

My family (spouse and children), that is. This is what they decided to get me for a graduation present: an American "Fat Strat" with a hardshell case. Literally the best instrument I've ever owned.

I've been wanting to get back into guitar again - I had to sell all my instruments last year to cover some heavy-duty car repairs. Instead of limping into something that would be serviceable (but not optimal), I decided to wait until I could get a really great instrument. In this case, it wasn't me doing the deciding - Kristin and the boys stepped in and made the decision for me.

I love it, and am playing every day. It's taken me a few days to get the most basic of chops back, but they are coming, and the instrument sounds fantastic through my various rigs (and even through the modular). While I didn't originally conceive of it this way, I'm planning on now integrating the guitar more completely into the project I'm working on...

Yippee!

[ddg]

Level Up...!

2011-06-05T23:42:00.000-07:00

Alas, this segment of the journey is over. Thanks to Tim Weaver for helping me get started, Trace Reddell, Rafael Fajardo, Adrienne Russell and Chris Coleman for keeping me sharp, Jim LaVita for opening some new doors. Also thanks to my fellow students for the opportunity to delve into some really interesting work and to share a lot of interesting perspectives.

What an incredible experience.

[ddg]

Great Customer Service

2011-05-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

I had an experience that, for me, represents the pinnacle of customer service. It didn't include a chirpy, happy soul on the phone line, nor a massive knowledge base on a website...

I recently purchased a Vermona DRM1 Mk2 analog drum module from a fella on Muff Wiggler's site. When it got here, it worked great, but after a few months one of the DRUM channels started acting flaky. I did a little mechanical research (pressing and pulling on all the knobs and buttons) and found that the volume jack was sketchy - it would only sound out when you were pushing VERY HARD on the shaft. Obviously not a good call.

I had relatively few options: I could try to pay a repair guy to fix it, send it to a dealer for an unknown period of time, or fix it myself. I chose Door Three. Pulling open the device, I hit the pot's leads with a little new solder, but this made no difference. I would need to replace the part. But the pots were some oddball board-mounted mini-pots, and I really didn't have a source for such a thing. So I decided to take a chance with contacting Vermona.

I used their web form (at 2am...) to tell them what I'd done, how I'd debugged the issue, and which part I'd need. The next morning, I had an email sitting in my Inbox that said "Give me your address and I'll ship you a pot". My response? "Yeah, right."

But I sent in my mailing address and, lo and behold, a week later there was a package in my mailbox with not one, but two pots. I got them put into my system today, and it works a champ.

Things that you will notice about this experience:

- Vermona (in fact, Thomas Haller) never questioned my debugging; rather, he trusted my analysis.

- Thomas also didn't ask me about how technically savvy I was. He assumed that if I was asking for a pot, I might know what a pot was.

- I never got the "No user-serviceable parts" or "Take it to a repair depot" B.S. He assumed that I'd do well on my own.

- He didn't try to charge me anything; in fact, he never even asked me where I'd bought the unit. It was a Vermona, and he was going to stand behind it.

- The was complete (in fact, over-complete) follow-through. He said he'd ship me a pot, and he shipped me two. Given the turnaround, he must have shipped it out that same day.

If there is any question why I might be in love with something like the Vermona instead of something like an Akai MPC-5000, this is one of the answers...

[ddg]

All done but the cryin'.

2011-05-15T15:11:00.000-07:00

(Yeah - 16 inches of snow on Thursday, another 3 last night...)

On Tuesday, I did my project presentation: a comprehensive review of the development of the ArdCore module system. It went over really well, and I was able to usefully deflect any questions that came up. Conceivably, I can now sleep more soundly. Of course, the residual stress is still bungling me up. Nevertheless, with just a few additions to my other coursework, I'm going to successfully attain my Masters of Whatever degree.

This means I'll be able to spend a little more time on this blog and other things. To catch everyone up, here is some of what I've been accomplishing:

- Did that project and the presentation.
- Created a "memory phone" for the Making Home exhibit. This involved getting an old rotary phone, replacing the guts, tying the hook switch to an Arduino and having the whole shebang pipe to Max for recording and playback. It's really cool.
- GTA'd with Trace Reddell and Jim LaVita in their Expanded Cinema/Interaction and Collaboration class. Very interesting group of people taking that class.
- Been working heavily on Max 6 testing, with special emphasis on visual effects and some of the heavy lifting available in that area. One of my goals has been to get more involved in visuals. I'm sorta there...
- Continuing to work on teaching/educational concepts in the Max world. This is a not-insignificant area of effort, since the ability for people to learn (or teach) the product is key to its continued value. Frankly, this lines up with my "Programming integration into artistic practice" trope, so I'll probably be doing this for the rest of my life.

More to come soon, I expect.

[ddg]

Here at last...

2011-04-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

... is the module of my discontent.

Or content. Whatever. I've worked hard on this, and it's a capstone of the new and creative attitude that my time at DU has produced. It works amazingly, and a lot of people are jumping on the bandwagon.

It would be really cool if a community really does develop around this thing. The results are certainly worth it.

[ddg]

Working it out...

2011-03-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

CV Delay Demo from Nick Ciontea on Vimeo.

Here's a sweet little video of my friend, Nick Ciontea, showing off his hack-em-up of a Maxon analog delay pedal - and building it right in to his Euro system. Really cool work, and an excellent job of overall design. Great stuff!

[ddg]

My class - I love 'em!

2011-03-27T14:55:00.001-07:00

Well, the DU Winter quarter finished a bit ago - the quarter where I do my Visual Programming class. This was probably my best class ever, perhaps because it was heavily pushed by the Art Department, and we had a lot of participation by people that were as interested in art as programming.

An interesting thing happened: although my teaching stuck with the typical "20 Objects" model that I've developed, I tried to force people into non-traditional media output. This cause people to spend a lot of time digging through the Max Reference and maxobjects.com to find ways of doing things that I hadn't directly taught. The result was an inspiring set of team projects.

The class was divvied up into 4 groups of 4 people, and their final team projects consisted of:

- A realtime 4-person live improv where a narrative was created out of random old science video snippets.
- An installation piece that pulled and stored seismic data, then created a projection piece with mediated OpenGL shapes.
- A realtime piece that used MSP to generate sculpture-ettes from corn starch and water dropped onto a speaker cone. This was further mediated by having a video capture and effects system alter the view of the process for presentation.
- A realtime piece that used a Twitter feed to alter the mix of a musical piece (think Twittering "more cowbells" and having a mix add more cowbells).

I was blown away by the results, and commend everyone in the group for their inventive thinking. They worked really, really hard on this, and I'm proud of the results.

[ddg]

Half a month? Wa's goin' on?

2011-03-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

Yeah, it's been a half a month since I've posted. Not because I don't want to share, but because I've been overwhelmed. The month started out with some Mr. Mom duties (a job that everyone, especially the kids, are pretty sure I'm crap at). Then was finals week for school, featuring the biggest debacle ever.

I built this really nice and interesting box of goodies for my electronics class. Basically, it is beatbox/babblebox made from a bunch of kids' voice recorders and an arduino. I put it in a nice (and expensive) Budd box, with groovy panel controls and some blinky lights. Worked on cleaning it up for a week before class, and was really happy with the result.

I took it to school on Tuesday to show it off to my Visual Programming class, which was also doing its final presentations to me. I hauled all the video gear, cameras and my beatbox back to the car, setting all of the stuff on the roof while I unlocked. I loaded my stuff into the car - or at least most of my stuff. I left the beatbox on top of the car as I rode off.

This big aluminum box apparently decided to leave my employ somewhere on Hwy I-25, and I'm sure it made a nice hood ornament for someone. I retraced all my steps the next day, and Kristin even called the state patrol - with no success. In order to make my final on the next day, I had to redo the entire project over in one night. Luckily, I had documented the work for the class, but this represented a whole lot of work in just a few hours.

Finished about 6am, then got 3 hours of sleep before I had to head into school. It worked, and using it in "babble mode" with the input of the iScan police scanner software worked to perfection. But it almost took me out.

Follow that with a week of head-crushing meetings in San Francisco, and I'm looking forward to a long nap. I should be able to get it in about 10 weeks - when I graduate.

[ddg]

BLOrkism

2011-02-28T12:34:00.001-08:00

Friday and Saturday's BLOrk gig was quite fantastic - but for an unexpected reason. From the first BLOrk I visited to this one that I participated in, the programs have changed massively. Originally, it followed the script of a standard computer music program: piece-after-piece, focused on the presentation of new works, and limited audience (or even performer) interaction.

This gig was completely different; with dancers, a jazz band, computer works that included both the performers and the audience. I had a lot of friends (including my whole family) see the show, and everyone walked away smiling and discussing the wide range of programming that was included. Congrats to John Gunther for putting together a great show - digital vaudeville alors!

[ddg]

Experience

2011-02-24T23:47:00.001-08:00

Experience comes in many different ways. Sometimes it is hard knocks. Sometimes it is through hard work. And sometimes it comes from working with great people on a noble task.

This last weekend, I got a chance to work with Woody and Steina Vasulka, two of the most wonderful people on the planet. They were the bleeding edge of video art, interactive media art and performance art - all while building their own hardware, software and support mechanisms.

Working in conjunction with Cory Metcalf (one of the best young art dudes I've had the privilege of working with), we helped reinterpret the classic Violin Power performance, building a Steina-specific interface between a KMI StringPort and the IMX visual effects software system. The result was performed on Wednesday, and I'm proud to have been a part of this work. The IMX software crashed 3 times, but our interface software was rock-solid, and I'm pleased to say that we allowed Steina to work with the visuals in new and sophisticated ways. What a blast!

Kristin was able to join me to see the performance. This was a special pleasure, since she doesn't get to see me in action very often. It's useful to let her in on some of the work I do, simply so she sees what it is that she is helping me accomplish.

What a great experience.

[ddg]

Patching Circle starts tonight!

2011-02-07T08:37:00.000-08:00

More info here.

Just starting, but we should have a blast - or at least help people get up to speed on Art Coding Practice. Be there, or be a dodecahedron!

[ddg]

A walk through NAMM

2011-01-30T11:19:00.000-08:00

One of the things that is hard to get across to people that haven't attended a NAMM show is the strangeness of the noises that come at you from every direction. I decided to use a little recorder in my iPhone to record walk-throughs of the show.

The first:

GtrsToModules-NAMM2011 by DarwinGrosse

This is starting in the Chauvet booth (midway through the guitar section), walking through the remainder of halls B and C, going down the escalator into Hall E, then walking back to the Analogue Haven booth at the back of the hall. It features the beginning of a conversation I had with Paul Schrieber of MOTM - a really great guy that I don't get to see often enough.

The second:

ModulesToOutside-NAMM2011 by DarwinGrosse

This is my return from Hall E, starting at the AH booth, heading up the escalator, then walking through halls C, B and A before leaving through the doors into the outdoor area (lovingly called the "smoking pit").

It's just like you are there, only with one ear plugged and occasionally rubbing your ear against the leg of my pants...

[ddg]

Why a low-pass gate?

2011-01-08T14:07:00.000-08:00

Mr. Horny by DarwinGrosse

Here's a little 30-second demo of a weird combo of modules:

- ArdCore (beta) Compute Core w/Random Walk sketch.
- Synthesizers.com Q106 Oscillator.
- TEG Buchla 292c Low-pass Gate (driven by a Q109 envelope).
- COTK 1680 Analog Delay.

I really like how the LPG implies a tasty horn-like quality without actually sounding completely emulative. This module is going to get a lot of use (thanks to Scot Solida!).

[ddg]

1.1.11 Modular Situation

2011-01-01T15:53:00.000-08:00

Here is a photo of the state of my modular art as of today. I used the great (and easy) construction details on the synthesizers.com site to build these boxes, so now I have some wiggle room in getting more! Modular synthesizers: crack for the well-employed.

You can also see (on the rack) my Mackie Control, MOTU interface (used for both audio and Volta integration) and the last remnant of my interaction with Wiard - the original joystick controller with the Bakelite meter.

On the right is the little iPad/iRig system that I use for fun recording. It uses the Amplitube for iPad system, which includes a simple R-to-R recording emulator. Working with it seems an awful lot like my days with the Tascam 80-8.

Lots of growth in the last year. Loving it!

[ddg]

p.s.: Tomorrow evening is All Analog on Gregory Taylor's RTQE show. Apparently, the "Means of Production" recording will be featured - huge win!

Today's Most Excellent...

2010-12-30T16:28:00.000-08:00

...device trial. I spent some time last night digging around for a new (and cheap) convolution reverb; I've got a set of the most-tasty Spirit Canyon Audio impulses but needed a unit for using them. Most convolution reverbs have a bunch of crap to intermediate between the raw impulse file and the playback. Searching around KVR, I ran across something I'd never seen before - a plug-in called Reverberate by LiquidSonics. A quick eyeball showed that its rather pedestrian user interface included a click-to-use file browser, and just the right number of controls to make it usable. Also, the "high-end" plug-in allows you to have two convolutions running simultaneously, with a mix between the two. This is perfect for working with the, um, extremely creative impulses that come from Canyon's series.

Dropped it on my system last night, played some more today, and am happy as a clam. Rather than wait out the 30-day trial, I ponied up the money (US$90 for both the high-end as well as the "core" single-convolution engines) and have been running drums through metal tubes, boiler rooms and muscle tissue all afternoon. Best software buy in some time.

Thanks LiquidSonics for a great day!

[ddg]

Bloons TD 4 for iPad - some hints

2010-12-29T21:45:00.001-08:00

A few hints as I've made my way through a bunch of the levels of Bloons TD 4 on the iPad:

- Boomerang monkeys simply don't aim correctly; at least not like on the Flash version. Don't use them until later rounds, where you can immediately update them to lightsaber mode for cracking ceramic bloons.

- As with previous versions, almost all levels benefit from having a lot of banana farms. Get 'em early, and build them up steadily.

- On some of the levels that have really short tracks, get glue monkeys in place early. However, don't do anything else until you are able to upgrade them to Soak mode; they are almost useless without it.

- Whenever a level allows it (meaning, any level with water), use as many monkey buccaneers as possible. When upgraded, they smear out a lot of the bloons, and their crow's nest upgrade really helps when camouflage bloons appear.

OK, now back to your regular programming...

[ddg]

Gettin' the Nod

2010-12-26T07:26:00.000-08:00

Last night I was doing my self-Googling (required by law every 3 months or so...) and ran across a really nice review of the F/i Question for the Somnambulist album that I played on. Nice to be given credit for "driving drum work"; for what it is worth, my hands were numb after some of those live MPC sessions; with song run-throughs often going 45 minutes or more, my pad-wackers were beaten.

[ddg]

Posts of the Minneapolis/Spark gig

2010-12-25T22:54:00.000-08:00

Vimeo user "himeropa" (maybe this is henrickson...?) has posted some videos (along with audio) of the gig I was involved in at Spark. Giving them some time to air out has improved my already high feelings about the performance; give a listen and see what you think.

Video 1:

Gregory Taylor, Darwin Grosse, Tom Hamer, Mark Henrickson - May 2010 pt 1 from himeropa on Vimeo.

Video 2:

Gregory Taylor, Darwin Grosse, Tom Hamer, Mark Henrickson - May 2010 pt 2 from himeropa on Vimeo.

Video 3:

Gregory Taylor, Darwin Grosse, Tom Hamer, Mark Henrickson - May 2010 pt 3 from himeropa on Vimeo.

Video 4:

Gregory Taylor, Darwin Grosse, Tom Hamer, Mark Henrickson - May 2010 pt 4 from himeropa on Vimeo.

All excerpts of the show - sounds like it was taken off a board mix. Cool to have these available. For those of you that don't care for abstract sound art, I'll try to have something a little tamer in a few days.

[ddg]

Everything you ever wanted to know about programming

2010-12-15T23:46:00.000-08:00

... synths!

In a discussion on Muff's Modulars & More, a discussion broke out about books to use for synth programming. All the usual suspects were trotted out (Strange, Roland 100m manuals), but someone pointed out that all of the Sound On Sound synth tutorials were now freely available.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/allsynthsecrets.htm

One of the best written series ever on synth programming, this one is a must-read if you wanna go beyond presets (or figure out what that shiny new modular synth is good for...).

[ddg]

Cool night networking (in more ways than one)

2010-12-12T20:13:00.000-08:00

Got a note from John Gunther (CU mastermind of interesting concerts), letting me know that there was going to be a crazy new net-performance (in combination with NYU and Purdue) on Sunday. Luckily, I'd gotten home from visiting my parents and headed down for the show.

It just happened that several of my favorite people were there, including Janet Feder and John:

John Drumheller:

and EJ Posselius:

I also got to re-introduce myself to Synthia Payne:

And watch some dancers improv to a pretty wide variety of sound and music:

This was a pretty heady undertaking, trying to do collaborative improv from all three locations simultaneously. I'm proud to say that (IMHO) the best work came out of the Colorado crowd, with a haunting drone piece by JD's BLork ensemble, and a fabulous "round" led by John Gunther. It's amazing to see what telematics has become; I'm going to have to try this myself sometime...

[ddg]

Dancers Mediated!

2010-11-08T20:47:00.000-08:00

Well, the big show went off this weekend, and it went great. 10 computers and 9 projectors in the end, all run by a network of Max/MSP/Jitter patches. I ran the whole thing from a central system on a podium, shooting OSC messages all over the room to control the video playback selection.

The best part (for me) was seeing the dancers work with the "flaming" feedback system. In order to match the music and the other visuals (as well as not taking away from the Henry Moore sculptures), I built a rather interesting patch with built-in limiters and other control mechanisms. Since feedback is so unpredictable, it led to a more controllable system - but still not predictable.

The dance troupe (7 dancers from the 3rd Law Dance Company) did a fantastic job, and all of the people helping with the rig worked very, very hard to make this happen. It was nice to work "big" for a change (the room was 60' by 60', and varying from 14 to 20 feet high), and I did my best to make interesting use of the space. Everyone that saw it seemed to like it, so I guess my vision was vindicated!

I need to take a nap now! I will put production details on the artBlog starting tomorrow.

One review: westword blog

[ddg]

"You gotta be kidding me...!"

2010-10-26T07:27:00.000-07:00

OK, so you may already know I'm a knucklehead Packer fan; something that makes my art friend sad for me, and makes my football friends worried for me. Nevertheless, Sunday night provided an incredible game between the Vikings and Packers (one the the Packers won, but that was just an extra benefit). I'm sure a bundle was made on the game, because it seems like everyone in the world watched it.

But Brad Childress, coach of the Vikings, is in the process of making an ass of himself. "The worst officiated game I've seen" indeed. As Kevin Seifert (of ESPN NFC North blog) says, this is a loser's complaint. Childress has continued his discussion, using Nixon-esque "expletive deleted"'s to get his point across, then following it up with a tattletale about the NFL chief of officials admitting to a blown call. I'm thinking that using a public podium to squawk about officials is probably setting yourself up for something untoward in the future (regarding bad calls).

But more than anything, what I'd love to see is a football ref get in front of a podium and say something like "That was the worst coached football game I've seen!". This would be appropriate, since one blown call could have easily been overturned if Childress could have found something useful in his pocket (like a red flag). Also, when Adrien Peterson is getting something like 20 yards per carry when he runs, letting Favre throw is pretty dumb.

Can't control Favre's choice of pass vs. run? Well, that's what the Big Hook is for. Or are you afraid that he might pout? Whatever...

I guess Childress is going to get a fine. Too bad it's just that. I'd love to see how a 15-year veteran referee would grade Childress' coaching technique (maybe as Phillips-like) as an alternative to a fine. Maybe that would help owners see exactly which rail to use to run ignorant coaches out of town.

[ddg]

Whazzup?

2010-10-17T11:12:00.001-07:00

I know I haven't been posting much here - since the Spark Festival performance, I've been doing a lot of work for my classes, working *really* hard on some of our new ideas we came up with at a Cycling company meeting, and doing some prep work for this big multimedia show at the beginning of November. But I took out a little time for a guilty pleasure: installing Windows 7 on my MacBook Pro.

Guilty pleasure? Sure - because there are some things I want to do that are pretty Windows-focused. Examples: the expressPCB board layout software, Sony Acid and Sound Forge - and that super-sexy Mahjong game that they give away for free. This has led to me actually making some headway on the circuit board, doing some of the work for the Sound Production class I GTA and wasting a significant amount of time on casual game-play.

Things are coming to a head with a lot of projects, so I suspect that Windows is going to go unused for a while until I get my head above water, although I will need to do a little video production on that end of the field.

But Windows 7 is working pretty well - once I got the trackpad working that way I want it. Basically, it took jumping into the Bootcamp control panel and turning off almost all of the trackpad options, then going into the Windows mouse control panel and slowing down the mouse activity significantly. Now, the mouse works about the same on Windows as it does on the Mac (my initial reaction was that I was PISSED at how poorly it worked...), and it is effective enough to do all of my Windows work without having to always fire up the HP.

I'm probably going to be AWOL for a little while until I'm done with the big November 6th performance. I'll make sure to do a decent write-up about that. In the meantime, you can see my day-to-day activities at my artBlog and at my devBlog. This is where I spend less time thinking and just write about what I'm doing.

[ddg]

NFL.com, how I grumble at thee...

2010-10-10T22:57:00.001-07:00

OK, so maybe I'm just cranky about the tremendous fail that is the Green Bay Packers. But this is week 5, and in all five weeks of the regular season (as well as all the weeks of the preseason) there have been technical problems with the AudioPass feed or the Game Center console. Both of these things are managed by small monkeys with extraordinarily large hands, and it is clear that these monkeys grew up in a Czech zoo with no understanding of the local (or any other) language and an Eastern European concept of American football.

Well, perhaps I exaggerate. A little. Still, I have problems with the audio feed every week (and I can hear the opponents radiocast without a problem, so I know it's not my gear or connection. I've stopped sending support requests because they now ignore 'em. I've spent a bunch of money on this feed, and I expect the vendor to, um, deliver.

Is it really that hard. Have a smart guy on the Game Center. Have a competent camera operator doing the analysis shoots. But try to figure out the audio feed before either the MacBook or dLink box go flying through the window.

Durnit.

Followup: Every week since this posting, the audio has been balled up coming back from commercials. This shows you exactly the amount of power I wield in the media world: NONE.

[ddg]

The Long Haul

2010-10-01T21:53:00.001-07:00

Leaving this evening for the long haul to Minneapolis to play at the Spark Festival. I don't leave until after 6pm (due to classes and work), and I have to be there at 7:30pm for sound check. That means pretty much a straight shot - Google Maps tells me it is about a 14 hour drive, but that doesn't include zonking out at waysides and such. I'm actually a little nervous about this, but I'll burn it out. See you there?

Results of the gig will be posted on the ArtBlog.

[Note: I forgot to publish this before I left, so now you get this message along with an iPhone photo of the late-night dashboard...]
[ddg]

Fritzing as a New Option

2010-09-24T10:01:00.000-07:00

(copied from my artBlog)

This is why I'm in the program, man. I started bitching about hardware creation in the "ancient networks" section of a class, and someone said "Oh, you should check out Fritzing". Never heard of it. Apparently, they are using the Romulan Cloaking Device to keep underground, and I was surprised there was something I hadn't already rejected.

Got it, crashed it several times (it's in Alpha state right now) - but also got the board I wanted in the sizing I wanted. Its parts list is limited, but they are doing the right thing w/r/t limiting the wholesale creation of bogus parts; you can use generic parts easily, and the labeling allows you to make sense of them in the schematic and PCB views.

This is going to be THE KILLER TEACHING TOOL for hardware-focused media tools; I'm going to dive into this whole-heartedly, because it radiated "The Future".

www.fritzing.org

[ddg]

Conceptual Split

2010-09-18T23:18:00.001-07:00

Well, the time has come to get a little serious about all of this, and to start paying attention to the stuff I put online - and the places that I put it. In a recent class, the student (of which I am one) got read the riot act about how much information we are putting online, and how useful it is for people that are either a) trying to track what we are into, or b) trying to find out how relevant our work is to anything else.

Hence, I am now splitting my posting activities between three blogs:

my ArtBlog, which will contain a running commentary on what I'm working on.
my DevBlog, which will show hardware and software developments I'm dealing with.
this blog, which is sort of my personal take on everything else (and some of the above).

Why bother doing this? It's so that I have places to point people where they might find things that interest them. Some people will want to see my Process w/r/t art; thus, the ArtBlog. Some will want to know what I'm up to with Cycling '74 or my own creations; that's the DevBlog's point. Finally, some people just want to keep in touch or hear me rant; that's this blog's new reason for existance.

Since I'm compelled to be Super Blogging Boy, you will hopefully see more action in all these locations. Enjoy!

[ddg]

Lucky Man

2010-08-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back from a horrible trip to Wisconsin (more on that in an upcoming blog), and trying to get some things done before school and work collide into one great big autumn mess. Work for the coming year looks interesting, and will involve a lot of "learning new things" - one of my favorite aspects of working for Cycling '74. Hopefully I'll be getting my Master's degree next spring, but my thesis idea fell through the floor based on reading Joel Chadabe's book - alas, I'll have to find something new...

But I took some time yesterday to lay down a live-to-disk version of The Means Of Production, all spurred by Gregory Taylor's request to play it on his RTQE radio show. I was blown away by his request (the show is one of the best ways to find out about new music), and quickly did a in-home performance that I recorded, did a top-and-tails edit, then shipped off. It's playing tonight, but you should be able to catch his WORT-FM archive for the next week or two.

Getting the opportunity to be on his show, coming back to my mountain house, playing some music and looking forward to a busy but interesting fall reminds me of how lucky I really am...

[ddg]

The Means of Production (Part 2)

2010-07-21T10:51:00.001-07:00

Sorry I didn't post Monday or Tuesday - cluster headaches got in the way. Nevertheless...

Featured above is a picture I took of the performance rig during setup. You can see the metal plates that were used for reproduction, and the "back to the audience" setting of the environment.

Today's post is all about the front end of the performance system - the modular synthesizer. Since this performance featured the modular (and me patching the modular), it was an important part of both the sound and the performance experience.

My modular is a two cabinet system, featuring a mix of synthesizers.com modules and other modular (by Moon, Encore and MegaOhmAudio). I started with a blank slate (no patch cords inserted, no settings in place); from there, I created patches for each of the five movements in the piece. My modular is built in two "voices", with each voice filling a cabinet. Here is a closer view of the modular:

You'll notice a "Kentucky spitting gap" in the cabinet on the left - this is the place where the Grove Audio VCLFO will eventually go, as well as an Instrument interface that wasn't in the house at the time of the performance. In any case, the flow of the concert went as follows:

Movement 1: Set up a noise-based sound on the right-hand cabinet, start patching a melodic sound on the left.

Movement 2: Play the melodic sound on the left-hand cabinet, start patching a dual-oscillator feedback sound on the right.

Movement 3: Play the feedback sound on the right-hand cabinet, start patching a dueling counter-melody on the left.

Movement 4: Play the counter-melody on the left-hand cabinet, set up the noise-based finale on the right.

Movement 5: Play the noise sound on the right-hand cabinet.

Since I was jacking and knob-twisting the whole time, it gave the audience something to key into. There were a lot of questions afterward about the use of the modular, the differentiation of the sound from the effects, and how much was pre-recorded (! - NONE OF IT!!!). I got to introduce a lot of people to a new sort of music-making machine, and give them a little glimpse into the efforts required for some people - mad people like me - to make some noise.

It really did go great, even through Movement 4 sort of failed (it had gotten dark, and I think I mis-plugged the quantizer outputs somehow). In any case, success was felt, and I got to do a fairly heavy-duty modular gig for an art crowd that seemed intrigued.

More tomorrow (or so) on the output section and effects.

[ddg]

The Means of Production (Pt. 1)

2010-07-18T22:01:00.001-07:00

So Thursday was the Big Gig at Object+Thought in Denver. My first public solo performance with the modular+laptop rig, and it couldn't have gone better. The place was filled, I had an interesting reproduction system (amplified steel plates - think plate reverb and you'll be close) and everything was well-rehearsed.

The name of the piece was "The Means of Production", and I flipped the normal performance setup around: I sat with my back to the audience, and had them watch me work both the modular and the laptop to create the sound they heard. It was a bit unnerving, since it meant that I couldn't have any pre-recording backups or anything; I either got the patches running and active or it was going to be really quiet (and embarrassing).

In this entry I'll talk about the basic process, with more info (and photos) in upcoming posts.

The piece was written in five parts. I had set up my 2-cabinet modular so that each cabinet was a specific "voice". While one side was creating the current sound, I could be patching the other side - giving me space to work, and meaning that it was unlikely that I would unplug any active sounds. The final module used was a cross-fader, allowing me to fade between the two cabinets as the new sound became ready.

The output of the modular went into a Max/MSP patch (interface shown above) that I build specifically for this performance. It features four channels of loop capture, a master delay line, a loop shuffler (basically, the guts from the MFL Buffer Shuffler) and an 8-frequency morphing resonant filter. The filter was there for a specific reason: to occasionally "ring" the metal plates as a nod to the performance setup.

Now I know what some of you are saying: "If the analog modular is running through a Max patch, it isn't analog anymore!". That's true, but the point of the modular wasn't to create the phattest sound possible, it was to provide an interesting (and extremely variable) sound creation process that I could capture and manipulate.

The result was great, and certain parts (especially the end of the second movement) went better than it even had in rehearsal. Many people came up to talk to me, and were amazed that this wasn't a pre-recorded section; when I told them that even I was surprised, they lit up with a realization of what they had just seen. It was great fun, and I hope to do it again soon.

After my set, I had a chance to talk to a lot of friends and acquaintances that had made the trip out - including my old friend Ron Bucknam, a phenomenal guitarist and experimental musician. He and I had played and recorded together 30 years prior, so it was a shock to see him standing by the watering hole. Meeting new people, re-meeting old - a gig just doesn't go any better than that.

OK, so I'll provide more tweaky details tomorrow, but thanks for watching for now!

[ddg]

A Dance Minute

2010-06-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

Dance Minute from darwin grosse on Vimeo.

During the Spring Quarter, I took an "Expanded Cinema" class taught by Trace Reddell and Jim Lavita. One of our assignments was to create a short piece using source material provided by 3rd Law Dance/Theater, featuring choreography by Katie Elliott. I used this section, which featured a duet, and created a Max/MSP/Jitter program that allowed me to manipulate the colorspace and motion characteristics of the visuals, and would use the movement of the dancers to generate a simple ambient soundtrack (using realtime controls).

I recorded the result, shown here. The motion manipulation turned out to really enhance the pauses between movements, and the color manipulations make the pauses seem to "flame up"; making for some beautiful visuals. The soundtrack isn't as successful as the visuals, but you can decide for yourself.

I'm hoping to work with 3rd Law in the future to do some of this live, and we've submitted the work for inclusion in a film-about-dance festival. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Thanks to Jim Lavita, Katie Elliott and 3rd Law Dance/Theater for permission to use this video and to post the results here.

[ddg]

Welcome to the cesspool (eBay edition)

2010-06-14T09:34:00.000-07:00

I have to admit not doing much eBay shopping lately, but I jumped onto the site to look for an Ensoniq EPS-16+ for a friend. I ran into this beauty of an entry:

ENSONIQ EPS 16 PLUS KEYBOARD

The dude doesn't even bother to pretend to want to sell the thing; he just spends all his time describing how he doesn't have time to answer email, you are probably just a fuckwit so you shouldn't bother purchasing it, and even if you do buy it, it probably won't work because you don't know what you are doing.

I hope the damned thing falls off a table and breaks his foot.

[ddg]

Sunday Afternoon Modular - SVF fun

2010-06-13T13:34:00.000-07:00

FilterExcursion #2 by DarwinGrosse

Here is a quickie track I popped together with a bunch of modulation on a simple VCO->SVF filter combination. Again with the quantizer, which really does make self-modulated modular stuff seem a lot more deliberate. Quant on the front end, RE-20 on the back end - I swear I could put a 2x4 in the middle and it would sound pretty good.

I spent some time reconfiguring my modular layout so that a single cabinet would contain most of what I'd need for a gigging rig. Up to three oscillators, but I'm feeling like I have too few VCA's and envelopes for my pleasure. I wish someone would do a decent 1U oscillator for these portable systems.

[ddg]

Vacation Update - Saturday

2010-06-13T13:28:00.000-07:00

Woke up bright and early, started repacking for another attempted trip home. This one is aided by Andrew - the true knight. He drove down from LA (in The Admiral - a beautiful 1987 Mercedes four-door, pictured above), and hauled the whole crew back to LA for a 3pm flight out of LAX. I owe him more than I can say - the stress of trying to get us back is wearing on me mightily.

Stop-and-go traffic the whole way, but it gave Andrew and me a chance to talk about a ton of different stuff. Not wasted time at all, although I'm sure the kids were bored as hell (although they took over the iCrap to an extraordinary extent, and kept themselves pretty busy during the drive). Big mess-up at the check-in counter, but we got it wired, and got to check three bags in for zero dollars. That's pretty good these days.

Of course there was a delay on the out-bound flight, but we left LA at about 4:30pm, and got home around 7pm. By the time we hitched a ride to the parking lot, found the car, got everyone in and hit the road, it was almost 8pm. Cold and rainy, it pretty much bookended the shitty weather for our trip. But the kids were happy, I was driving home, and we eventually got to the mountain house.

Vacation done! I need a long night's sleep!

[ddg]

Vacation Update - Friday

2010-06-12T21:08:00.000-07:00

Up early, cleaned everyone up, loaded up the Crown Victoria rental and took one more pass at San Diego Stuff. No sun again today - giving us a total of 4 hours of sun for our entire visit. People say this is normal; I say it should be something that I read about in the fine print of the San Diego Tourist Contract To Leave All Your Money In California.

We went onto Coronado Island and drove down to the Silver Strand State Beach for a walk-around. $10 to park, but I did it happily. Why happy? Because there wasn't a single remaining thing there to cost any money. No gift shops, hamburger slappers or take-a-photo-you-don't-really-want crap. Just a really, really long beach. Graham had fallen asleep in the car, so K stayed with him while I went for a stroll with the two older boys. What a hoot! Chasing the surf, examining kelp piles and finding little shell bits were all part of the hard work of fun, and we ended up soaked, freezing, and happy as all get-out.

We changed in the car, then headed for a second day at the SD Zoo. We had a purpose this time: to see the cats and the polar stuff - both things we'd missed the first time around. The boys were a little goofy and tired, but we still had a good time. Took the Skyline back to the exit, then headed back to the airport for the flight out.

Dropped off the Way Huge-mobile at the Dollar Rental place (one of the scuttier rental holes I've been through), then shuttled to the airport. The Frontier person was really nice, and helped us get prepped for a flight that was going to be delayed. We spend some time in the food court, then went through security for our area. Since we knew we were going to have a long delay, we set up all our iCrap (iPhone, iPod Touch x2, iPad) with power connections and began the long wait. After a few hours, Kristin noticed that there was nobody left in the terminal. At all. That's gotta be a bad sign...

I went out toward the ticketing area, and was stunned to see security completely shut down. Headed out the gate area to see our bags sitting on a pile in the middle of the terminal. That can't be good, right? I grab them and head up to the ticketing area, only to see a huge line. I ask the guy at the back of the line about the situation, and get the bad news - everything to Denver is cancelled.

The guy let me use his cellphone to call K, and she hustled the boys (and our stuff) back to the ticket area. We waited for about an hour before we got the good news: no flight until Sunday, and even then the family would be split between two flights. This was Not Good. So I asked about flights out of LAX, and was told I could get a Saturday booking out of there. So we did that while I searched for a one-way rental car to LA. The answer? No such thing: while we were sitting like a bunch of dumb-asses in the gate area, everyone else in San Diego rented cars for the wagon train to a different flight. Not a single rental car in all of SD.

I was at wits end, so I pulled a tough one out of the hat: I called my friend Andrew, who has had my back so many times in the past, to see if he'd be able to help. Within a few minutes, the plan was hatched, and we took the "distress rate" hotel booking at the Sheraton Resort and Marina (a really, really nice hotel) for the evening, with renewed travel plans for Saturday.

[ddg]

Vacation update - Thursday

2010-06-11T20:41:00.000-07:00

Went to the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park today, which is by far the best thing of the trip for the adults. The kids were not impressed, but Kris and I were. This is the place I could spend some time, but the boys weren't having it. Back to the hotel for more swimming, which is where we encountered The Coming Hoard. I guess I'd not thought of Thursday as being "moving in from Kansas" day, but it seemed like everything went rogue.

First off, there were about 30x the normal number of people at the pool - all of them sporting two arms of beers and two wagons of kids. All the kids were nasty and rancorous, and their parents were loud and obnoxious. We vacated the pool early, and headed to our rooms for a quiet evening of relaxation. Not to be, since the younger versions of the Pool Invaders decided that they needed to try and head-butt their room doors open, shake the Pepsi machine until it started fizzing from the top, and practice slamming their room doors in preparation for future domestic violence episodes. This continued pretty much unabated through the night.

Leaving on Friday, and happy for it.

[ddg]

Vacation update - Wednesday

2010-06-09T19:24:00.000-07:00

San Diego Zoo today. I don't think I'm wired up correctly for zoos - I can't get into oohing and ahhing over some stupid panda, and I'm pretty sure the black panther is pacing back and forth, thinking only about breaking my legs and sucking the marrow out of the split bones. The only sign of excitement from the kids came when we saw the pythons; other than that, it was all boring-boring-boring to them. They came alive for the swimming at the end of the day.

Thankfully the sun came out today, and it made the afternoon swim much more enjoyable. Worked for me!

Tomorrow, more zoo! How did that happen?

[ddg]

Vacation Update - Tuesday

2010-06-09T09:28:00.000-07:00

Seaworld today. Aiden (the 6 year-old) is our family biologist, and he loved it. Cynicism completely washed away when I watched his take on Shamu, and as a result I bought him the largest stuffed Shamu we could find. It is about as big as he is, and I have no idea of how we will get that thing home. Cynicism completely returned when we paid $60 for a stupid lunch meal, only to see a dude named Jesus slap my burger together with amazing contempt. I'm sure at he really wanted to wipe his ass with my bun, but I also suspect that Seaworld has them wear assnets for exactly that reason. Snot on your lettuce, anyone?

The whole park was kind of dingy, but it was saved by the last show - the SLL (Sea Lion Live) show. The sea lions weren't that great, but the main entertainer, Jeff, lit up the place and had us all howling. Low-brow for sure, but still fun. Also, they did a 20-minute pre-show, which is exactly the right thing to do to help bide time. More event places should take a cue from this.

Positives: Aiden loved the whales, sharks and other stuff. Touristy toys were inexpensive, and there weren't too many super-commercial things.
Negatives: Jesus (shudder...),raft ride wasn't as cool as advertised.

Two days in SD, two completely overcast days. Does the sun ever shiine here? Was I somehow tricked into returning to Wisconsin?

[ddg]

Vacation update - Monday

2010-06-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

KidFit-at-Legoland by DarwinGrosse

On vacation with The Family this week - San Diego, making it our first vacation ever that didn't include either work or family. Woke up at 3am,in the car at 4am for a 7am flight. Into SD at 8:30, and straight to Legoland. Please to spend all your money...

We went to LL first to get it out of the way, since it's all the kids could talk about, and the rest of the trip would have been miserable if we hadn't done it quickly. Massively overspent on everything, but had a good time. I got to see and hear one of the most outrageous kid-fits ever in the line for the junior driving school ride; it was so good that I downloaded a field recording app on the iPhone so I could capture some of it. It sounded like the raptor cage in a Jurassic Park movie, and I'll post it here when I get home.

Positives: Fun rides, especially with Graham (the 4 year-old), interesting purchases of big-ass Lego Star Wars stuff and OK food.
Negatives: Onerous parking, didn't take Lego VIP points for the purchases, and a damned long way from SD.

Staying on Mission Bay; 2 rooms poolside. Everyone is very tired this evening...

(Edit: The track is now added to the post, but it isn't as horrible in recorded form as it was in real life. Just assume that the tortured cat sound is a 3 year-old boy, and you'll get the picture.)

[ddg]

Sequence duplicated.

2010-06-06T18:41:00.000-07:00

Here's a little Sunday afternoon toon done completely with the modular. The percussion tracks are filtered noise with interesting modulations. The various harmonic and melodic lines are all the same 18-note sequence, time and rate shifted, and played with variations of the same patch (varied via different settings). Volta played an important part in this one...

Round Robin by DarwinGrosse

Enjoy! (Or not!)

[ddg]

Beep-boop go the dual-feedback oscillators

2010-05-31T11:14:00.000-07:00

Self-Feedback Sequence by DarwinGrosse

Here's a little ditty created with the modular, using two oscillators feeding back with each other, a little sequencer control, a state variable filter (controlled by S&H noise) and an odd rhythm driven by a mix of two LFO's.

Enjoy (or not)!

[ddg]

The second cab is in...!

2010-05-31T11:08:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I got my second modular cabinet and loaded it up. Everything is "for real use" mods except for the banana jack interface in the left cabinet. I split my setup into two halves: the left half, with the sequencer, is for sequencing play. It has a two-oscillator synth voice with a state variable filter. The right half is my "playing out" case, with another two-oscillator synth voice and a bunch of modulation sources. Most of this is dotcom (synthesizers.com) modules, although I have the Moon Modular 565/565e quantizer and a Megaohm dual LFO.

You'll also notice in the rack that I've got some critical pieces: my beloved Wiard joystick controller (with the ultra-helpful voltage meter), a MOTU 828 mkIII (which gives me unparalleled interface between computer and synth), a 1/4" patchbay and a power strip. All stuff to make my life easier.

Much, much fun.

[ddg]

Obsession and Respect

2010-05-23T22:05:00.001-07:00

My children have introduced me to Internet Crack in the cloak of a game: Bloons Tower Defense. I've cranked away at it until I got the gold in all three free levels, and was feeling pretty good. But it just didn't get me the household respect I needed. So, when my new iPad came in on Friday, I immediately downloaded Bloons TD (the iPad version, name changed to protect the innocent or something) and got to work.

Now, the next paragraph is going to sound pretty stupid to most adults, but if you have a kid in elementary school, feed them this statement and see if they aren't blown away:

"Today, I got to level 107 on the hard level of one of the paid Bloons levels. I lost 41 lives in level 37 - the first M.O.A.B. level - but didn't lose another one until the end. I was able to get to level 107 by getting rid of everything and buying tons of Super Monkeys. In the end, my level had 60 Super Monkeys upgraded to Plasma Vision and Epic Range. I didn't get defeated until the game sent over 100 M.O.A.B.'s in a row, which overloaded everything and caused the loss. But by the end, I had kids from around the neighborhood all huddled around my machine as we wiped out level after level of attackers."

OK - back to work now. Thanks for listening!

[ddg]

When I press a special key...

2010-05-08T09:21:00.000-07:00

QuantMelody by DarwinGrosse

... it plays a little melody.

Here's a little modular goodness where I let the modular do the composing. This is using a S&H on a white noise source, then feeding that to a Moon Modular 565 Quantizer. This takes the random stuff of white noise and turns it into notes. I've got a 565E Expander, so I set it up to quantize to a simple pentatonic scale, and the notes are made.

Quantizers just rock.

The sound is two triangle waves (32' and 4') mixed then pumped through the Q150 ladder filter. Really simple, but oh so pretty.

[ddg]

Fun With Modular (Filter Excursion #1)

2010-05-02T13:43:00.001-07:00

FilterExcursion #1 by DarwinGrosse

Here's a little track I made with the modular this afternoon - there was some curiosity about how "phat" the dotcom Q-150 Transistor Ladder Filter is; I'm thinking it is about phat enough for me. This is a pretty simple patch; more information about the track is available on my SoundCloud page for the track.

Things I like: The Boss RE-20 effects, the built-in control mixer on the filter, the snappiness of the envelopes, the downright killer sound of the filter.

Things I don't like: I'm not finding a slew limiter setting above 1 that is musically useful at all, the output of this modular is HOT, HOT, HOT.

Overall fun, though. Recorded in Logic, MP3'd with Peak, not much technology though. And, before you comment, I know that the same lick gets boring after 7+ minutes. So sue me - this is a filter demo, not the gushing of my soul to the masses...

[ddg]

No, it's their fault...

2010-04-25T16:35:00.000-07:00

OK - so I got my modular synth setup (bragging to commence Real Soon Now), as well as a MOTU 828 and Volta. This should allow me to use the eight analog ins and outs as voltage control for the modular - meaning that I have a bunch of virtual modules that save me both space and money for the future. I oughta have eight virtual modules, but right now I have six. How's that?

Well, the MOTU 828 has eight analog ins/outs along with a dedicated main output (for your DAW audio out) and dedicated mic/instrument ins (to connect your gear). This should leave all eight analog ins/outs available for Volta - but in the case of Logic, it does not. Logic has a bone-headed system where it assumes that the first two outputs are going to be your monitoring outputs, and auto-names them as "Stereo Outs". It also routes any tracks assigned to the "Stereo Outs" to the master output - which can go anywhere you like (thanks to the I/O Assignments Preference). It's stupid, because it means that Logic basically prevents the use of the first two analog outputs if you are using other outputs for the mains.

Now, this could all be OK if MOTU allowed you to reorder the inputs and outputs as they are seen by Core Audio. Alas, no such thing. Their setup application (which looks like it was made for OS 9...) doesn't help much, and the interface's outputs are presented to Core Audio in alphabetical order.

So... Apple's Logic is boned because it assumes that audio interface I/O #1 and #2 are the best options for default stereo input and output (true in every case except MOTU). MOTU is boned because they decided that analog 1/2 are the best first option for outputs (despite the fact that they have a dedicated Main output). In Googling this issue, everyone that has talked to either companies gets a finger-point to the other.

Who could make the easier fix? Hell, it doesn't matter. All anyone has to do is spend five minutes:

- Apple: make is so that the Stereo Output label represents the Stereo output value in the Preferences, and leave the "first two" outputs alone.

- MOTU: add an option to the Setup program that allows me to set the Main 1-2 as the first element in the Core Audio output list (like the Mic/Inst input is the first in the input list). Or better yet, just give me a patchbay (like Digi was able to do about 10 years ago).

In either case, I think both sides are bone-headed. But in the end, it should probably be MOTU's fix to be made, since they were willing to sell me Volta (which makes the problem apparent) and the 828 (which is an otherwise outstanding interface). I spent $900 for the pair, and I was thinking that the combo represented 8 modules for $112.50 each - a nice price. Instead, I'm getting 6 modules for $150, which it a bit less enticing and rather underwhelming in quantity.

But in the end it is just the fact that they whole system's workflow is screwed by this problem, and I'd just like it fixed, please.

[ddg]

Update: So, it turns out to be a labeling thing in Logic, and you can work around it - as long as you are willing to ignore the labels things are given. Logic and Volta are not best friends, leading to gems like this (from the Volta manual): "Press the "+" button on its channel strip. This will create an aux track with the first multi output pair from Volta (Volta 3-4) as its input". So the labeling of Volta 3-4 is actually output 1 and 2 in the plugin, causing a lot of the confusion.

Also, there is the "stereo output" thing. In Logic Preferences, you define the "Stereo" outputs - in the case of a MOTU 828 MK3, that is outputs 9 & 10 (the Main Outs). However, during track creation, you have to ignore the "Stereo Outputs" label, which is always assigned to the first two outputs - no matter which ones they are. The answer is to just always assign audio outputs to outputs 9 & 10, go ahead and use the labeled "Stereo Outputs" as analog 1-2, and don't worry about it.

Oh yeah, one more thing. If you are using Volta, just don't ever, ever use the Master volume control. It inexplicably turns the volume down on all subbed outputs, which means that it will turn down the "volume" of Volta (i.e., turn down the output voltages), which will drive you system insane.

[ddg]

Dancing with Them What Paid Ya

2010-04-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

I got a little ping from Paskie about the newest sequencer from TwistedTools.com; if you have Reaktor, you need to get it. If you have friends with Reaktor, you need to introduce them to it. It is fabulous, and completely pushes the envelope on sequencing tools.

But I was curious about something. I was sure this would be covered on the (quite great) CreateDigitalMusic site, and I wanted to compare Peter's coverage of this to some of the Max for Live stuff. See, with Max for Live, he always mentions:

- It's just wrong for there to be no Max for Live runtime that allows everyone to run this stuff for free.
- There are "open and free" options (particularly pD) that should be considered for this work by his readers.
- There need to be options, options, options, and he can't wait until something done in Reaper, OpenFrameworks or on his beloved Android phone...

Well, given that it appears that NI in some way sponsors the CDM site, I was curious to see if Peter would have a different tone. And, sure enough, he does. There's a gentle poke (with an apology mainlined in the article) at the company, but anything approaching the mumbling about free, open, options or freakin' Android are all buried deep into the comments, and were only stated after repeated poking by his readers.

Ah, what a hoot...!

[ddg]

When Lovers Turn Evil

2010-04-15T08:24:00.000-07:00

Developers for hot platforms tend to become very excited; the leap onto a platform when it is young, create some blasting applet that gets tons of attention, then get waylaid when the platform owner decides that it wants the attention (and money) that comes with said applet. Everyone has heard of the troubles with Apple and iPhone/iPod development - now welcome Facebook as that lover that turns into Satan.

A good CNet article here: link

I had coffee yesterday with a new friend that told me about his experiences creating some compelling content for Facebook a while back. He went from zero to blasting in just a few months, and the results looked spectacular.

Right up until the day that they turned off the spigot.

This just serves as a reminder that depending on a large platform to hand over cash is a fool's gig; as my friend says, what you are really doing is early market testing for them, and the second they are able to see the monetization option, you are dead. So banking on Apple, Facebook, Twitter or even Google (the "Don't Be Evil" moniker notwithstanding) is a very shaky business deal unless you can find a way for the mothership to buy you before they kill you.

The current landscape is just too creepy. I'm gonna go make some music now...

[ddg]

Allie burns up the screen...

2010-04-09T12:05:00.000-07:00

My friend Allie is getting all of the friggin' press that Denver has to offer. She's started up a line of jewelry, based on "The Barbie Crotch" (her words, not mine) that has gotten a lot of attention. Her most recent photo shoot, for 303 magazine, was literally "Too Hot For Print", so they ended up making a web-specific display: here.

Probably NSFW (although most of my readers work outside the typical cubicle farm...).

She's also interviewed in the most recent 303 magazine, and has been getting a lot of notice in the fashion world. It's fun to see someone you know catch a small version of the Big Ride; hopefully things keep moving forward for her.

You can see much more of her artwork at www.alliepohl.com

A new PLAY video

2010-04-08T22:15:00.000-07:00

PLAY: Using the Xformer MFL device from darwin grosse on Vimeo.

I've been struggling making a video to show how to do chord and key changes with Step Sequencer (not that it is hard, but all of the video I've shot has been daft). So I decided to step away for a day and popped off a little video about using the Xformer Pluggo MFL device. It's something I use a lot, and want people to give it a look.

One thing that you, the more informed viewer, will probably question is when I use the accent setting on steps that are not active. Since I have a bit of a decay on the steps, the point is to add a little bump to the end of the step (as it overlaps the next step). Super-subtle, and possibly impossible to hear in the video, but I seem to be able to "feel" it.

Of course, I could be deluding myself. I've done it before.

Anyway - enjoy!

[ddg]

Mr. Moneybagsblogger

2010-04-08T08:04:00.000-07:00

Loving this article by Daniel Lyons (aka Fake Steve Jobs). I'm one of his biggest fans; I have numerous times recommended his book "Option$", which is not only a great Fake Steve Jobs book, but pretty much nails down the Silicon Valley male persona. In this article, Lyons points out the folly of trying to make a living by blogging (unless your mortgage is for a trailer home). Spot on.

People often ask me why I shuttered the Creative Synth site. This is a good overview of what happened, and I was especially chagrined by my discussions with the manufacturers who work I covered. Over and over again I was told "We don't advertise on the Web, but if we did we would just give the money to Google." This was especially disturbing in cases like Native Instruments, where (at the time) my site was the only one doing any tutorial coverage of Reaktor.

If anyone is curious about whether Google sucks the oxygen out of the room, I'll tell you they do. Google Ad Sense? It's really Google Ad ¢ents, meager as all get-out, and a joke for anyone but the Huffington family.

Like they need the cash...

[ddg]

Oh yeah...

2010-04-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

Sterling Dot Star from darwin grosse on Vimeo.

I forgot to post some of my work from last quarter. Here's a screen cap of a generative video bit I did for a Bruce Sterling literature overview - we were supposed to do a mediated artwork based on the collection of novels and non-fiction stuff we read. This is a 8-screen security station emulation with a bunch of media: some collected, some created and some collected-and-modified. It was a blast!

Max/MSP/Jitter, of course.

[ddg]

A Great Big Misunderstanding...

2010-04-02T21:23:00.001-07:00

Today, the day before iPad-ness rules the earth, I bought an iPhone. My employer (Cycling '74) offered me the privilege, and I jumped in with both feet. Geek Out!!!

One of the things that I downloaded was the Google iPhone app. It basically lets me do All Things Google, including access to all my GApps-based Cycling information. It also includes some neat additions, like a Voice Search module that lets you speak in the phrase to search.

Now, just a few days ago, I'd done some digging around in Google Maps, and stumbled on a street view of Oconto Falls, WI (population approaching zero) that had a picture of my cousin walking out of a family restaurant. This made me think that Google had become too powerful, Big Brother-ish and scary.

So imagine my delight when I lifted the iPhone to my face, clearly and distinctly said "Darwin Grosse" into the microphone, looked at the screen - and saw that it had successfully found thousands of options for me to "donate clothes" throughout the San Francisco area. Ha ha ha ha ha...

[ddg]

Amazon to the Rescue!

2010-03-12T18:22:00.000-08:00

Thank God that Amazon is watching out for us! Kristin was just checking her Amazon marketplace account and found the following Very Important Product Recall:

"This is to inform you that the following item has been recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC): Gerber Gator Machete and Gator Machete Jr."

OK, so about 10 seconds of research tells me that this isn't the same Gerber that makes the baby food, so this wasn't necessarily made for little kids. Still, how would you know if this thing malfunctioned? The Gator lived long enough to eat the junior machete weilder? So who's complaining, exactly?

[ddg]

Heading to the Evil Genious Bar for a break...

2010-03-12T18:09:00.000-08:00

Quarter is now officially done. BLOrk tomorrow. Then Madison. Needed a good laugh, and the Onion story on Google has run its course. So there's this...

[ddg]

The modern mix-tape

2010-02-24T21:07:00.001-08:00

As you know if you've been reading this blog, I've been doing some research on Berlin School music and the impact that networking has had on the fan base. I put out a survey to some fans, and got back a lot of interesting material, including information on web services I'd never heard of. My favorite is 8track.com, which gives you a place on the web to create and host a mix-tape of your favorite tracks.

One of the respondents pointed me to his new-school Berlin School music mix tape, and I've been enjoying it all evening. You can check it out here. This gives you a sense of where my head is at right now...

[ddg]

Reputation Management - What do you want from me?

2010-02-19T15:48:00.000-08:00

Last year, a really smart guy (Rafael Fajardo, one of my professors) lit into a discussion about reputation management. The idea is that you, alone, are responsible for getting and maintaining your reputation online. I've been thinking about this ever since, and have developed some ideas about the process.

It seems to me that this breaks down into a few different issues:
1. You have to get ahold of anything that might refer to your name or chosen moniker.
2. You have to develop a site that represents your view of the world, art or whatever.
3. You have to maintain this information in perpetuity.
4. Once you start developing a base of followers, you have to feed them.

So I've started the process, and have dealt with #1. Luckily, with a name like Darwin Grosse, it's pretty much unsoiled territory. I'm not sure what Mr. John Smith might do, but maybe that's why there are people that call themselves buttmunch2000.

I'm working on #2, but I'm falling apart at the seams to put useful stuff up there that doesn't conflict with my other online crap. I suspect that at some point I'll have all of my music, videos and other goo linked from there, but I can't deal right now. I've got a lit review to write.

The hardest, though, is #4. I have a few, deeply disturbed, followers right now (you know who you are), and I'm not doing a good job of keeping them fed. So this is what I need. People - what do you want? Tweets? Smart blog talk? Links to kitties doing chin-ups?

[ddg]

Darwin and Steve, secretly videotaped...

2010-02-08T00:36:00.000-08:00

... although I don't think we'll be buying into Intel's Turbo Boost software quite as quickly as Space Invaders.

[ddg]

(Yeah, this was post-game show fodder, but was still one of my favorite commercials for the game.)

OK, so I'm a dummy...

2010-01-31T18:02:00.000-08:00

I've got to admit that I've never found a 3-D software program that made sense to me. I spent about a month trying to come to grips with Blender and I failed miserably. I could only do things that the tutorials said for me to do, and I could only do them exactly as the tutorials did them. For making my own work, I was useless.

Finally, I decided to spend time (for about the fourth time) with Google Sketchup, and I decided to get a book to walk me through it. I like books, and I like using books to learn something new. I went to the local B&N and started diving into the books that were available. It took about 30 minutes to come to a horrifying conclusion: I needed the "Google SketchUp 7 for Dummies" book in order to make sense of this software.

I've always thought that the "For Dummies" series of books were for people self-selecting themselves as idiots, and that getting one of these books meant that you would never actually become a useful user. This one book made me rethink the entire thing. Author Aidan Chopra does an excellent job of holding my hand through the learning process, but also provides a lot of tips and ideas that made me anxious (and able) to launch off into my own.

I've got a school project that's going to have some pervasive 3D work, and I'm glad I finally found a way to wrap my head around the problem. Now, if I can just figure out how to get these models imported into Max/Jitter, I'll be cooking!

[ddg]

Here I Come, Oh Ye Berlin Schoolers

2010-01-25T22:35:00.000-08:00

Alright, so here we go with some Media Studies craziness. This weekend was Berlin School weekend. I spent almost 4 hours interviewing Mike Metlay about the early days of the Berlin School and the cassette cultuer that it bred. Then I pounded the Big Four Tangerine Dream CD's (Phaedra, Rubycon, Ricochet and Stratosfear) while programming step sequencers in Max for Live. More of the same today (except I was programming cellblock changes) - all in the name of science.

Social science, that is.

I'm in the process of writing up a mini-thesis about the Berlin School music fans that developed their own music, tradition, authenticity signifiers and communities as an alternative to typical "niche community" studies. I've found that most studies of niche culture either considers the group a bunch of pathological nitwits or a quaint but unsophisticated grouping ripe for TARGETED INTERNET MARKETING.

Sigh.

The deeper I dig into the Berlin School world, the more interesting I find both the community and the people in it. This is very different from, say, American Idol fan-nuts; the Berlin Schoolers took the music into their own hands and have developed it into a (sorta) living and (kinda) breathing form of expression. I'll have more details to post soon, but let's just say there is a lot of information here that will contradict most niche community study that's gone on to date.

I'm sure I'll be crucified for going this direction, but at least it is fun.

[ddg]

Real World iPhone App Marketing.

2010-01-18T19:57:00.000-08:00

So how does an iPhone app developer do any marketing these days? I'm not really sure. With umpteen gadzillion apps on the market, I guess it's back to one-on-one sales. A good example is a recent snag of Looptastic Producer. I first saw this in action on my favorite web-production The Cranky Geeks. They had some guy on there talking about iPhone apps that he was hawking, and some audio program was used to remix the Cranky Geeks theme on-the-fly. It seemed fun, but didn't really register on my radar at all.

This weekend, I'm at NAMM and meet up with one of my long-time industry friend, David Battino. We started talking about all-things-audio - as well as all-things-interwebs. I mentioned that I was addicted to the Cranky Geeks show, and he laughed, saying that he'd been involved in getting one of his clients covered on the show. It turned out to be Looptastic Producer, and he was the person that had set up the remix content used on the show.

NOW I HAD A REASON TO PAY ATTENTION. Someone that I knew and liked had some direct experience with the product, was part of the "team" in some way, and I was motivated to give it a try. Well worth the effort, and a cool piece of software. An interesting turn of events, but perhaps this is really how software is marketed in Our Brave New World.

[ddg]

Must see non-TV

2010-01-11T20:57:00.000-08:00

OK all you slackers. Here's a post for enjoying while just sitting around staring at the screen. Last week there was an opening at the Victoria H. Myhren Gallery on the DU campus for video artist Cliff Evans. Fantastic, inspiring stuff. He's got a fair amount of work on his website (www.cliffevans.net), much of which straddles the worlds of utopia and dystopia. Challenging yet fun viewing, I suggest that you give it a view whether you like video art or not.

[ddg]

Can't we all just PLAY???

2009-12-13T01:49:00.000-08:00

In an effort to help people enjoy the play side of Max for Live, I've started a second themed set of videos. These are labeled "PLAY" (as opposed to "PROGRAM" for the programming videos), and I've started off with a little 20 minute dance with Loop Shifter. I hope this can help somebody have a little fun (since posting on the forum seems to really tick people off...).

PLAY: Using the Loop Shifter instrument from darwin grosse on Vimeo.

Rock out!

[ddg]

The 100% Successful Anti-Darwin Technology

2009-12-12T19:01:00.001-08:00

Do you want to make sure that I stay completely clear of your web site forever and ever? Do you want to make sure that it is completely foolproof? Do you want to earn money (maybe) while you do it?

Scatter those incredibly stupid Bing psuedo-searches throughout the text on your site. I'm sure there are people that want pop-up screens to appear whenever they accidentally hover over a word while reading a site; I'm also sure these people don't have jobs, money or are part of any demographic that would be worth enumerating.

Maybe the only thing worse than this is the new generation of Vibrant ads, most recently seen on TG Daily. What a horrifying eyesore. TG Daily must not want many eyeballs - an opinion reinforced by their (re-)printing of the Enderle Group's spume. I know Rob Enderle has been around since S-100 systems roamed the earth, but I think he has sucked too much NyQuil in the last few decades to be a reliable visionary.

Yeah, so Vibrant and Enderle spell the end of TG Daily for me. At this rate, The Boulder Daily Camera may soon be my only remaining online text source. Too bad it is the slowest piece-of-goo website on the face of the earth. Please, Camera, include more YouTube videos on the damned site. I'm sure there is a sneezing panda story out there somewhere.

[ddg]

Videos on MfL programming

2009-12-11T15:40:00.000-08:00

I put together a couple of videos on sequencer programming in Max for Live. Please, check them out. And yes, I do sound like a very serious beet farmer...

PROGRAM: Create a simple sequencer in Max for Live from darwin grosse on Vimeo.

... and ...

PROGRAM: Altering SimpleSeq to create an audio effect from darwin grosse on Vimeo.

Later this evening, I'll be posting up a "PLAY" video on using the Loop Shifter device that comes with Max for Live. I think you'll be surprised by what it can do.

[ddg]

To celebrate the release of Max for Live...

2009-12-02T21:22:00.000-08:00

... I provide a reminder of where we all come from. RIP Hybrid Arts, and where is that sexy Compusonics DSP-1000 screen when I need it most? And, oh, that Axel F theme - who could possibly get enough of that?

I am totally in love with digging around archive.org. This is such a great example of where we came from; when I read the Ableton forum with people squalling about the limits of one thing or the high price of another, I'm just going to rewatch this video and grin.

And, yes, I started my electronic music-making in this environment. How did anyone every complete anything? Oh yeah, nobody really every completed anything at all. Nevermind.

[ddg]

Darren Richardson saves the day!

2009-11-16T10:17:00.000-08:00

Who?

He's the author of "Foundation ActionScript 3.0 for Flash and Flex", and he saved my bacon this weekend in dealing with a Flash project. For our Technical Foundations class at school, we have a significant project to accomplish, little in the way of preparatory information, and no high-level overview of the AS3 object model, interaction with the timeline/library or general coding procedures. I was suffering from the lack of inspiration that comes from being in the dark, so I headed over to B&N to see what they might have.

The answer is "One Million Flash/ActionScript Books". Too much, overwhelming and impossible to choose. More stalemate. However, I was quickly able to decode some of the issues: about 70% of the books are "hey, just copy this code and you will be Very Cool". Another 20% are about specific Flash/AS3 techniques, like multiplayer gaming, or Flash gaming, or something else about games. The remaining 10% are explanatory texts, and spend time on the concepts behind the environment as well as the groovy components.

Richardson's book stood out by having well-titled chapters, a good text-to-example mix, and the fact that I learned something 10 seconds into reading it! (For those following along, I was pissed because I couldn't figure out how to print something to the output window. Every ECMA-based language on the planet uses print() and println(). Of course, Flash uses trace()...). I spent the afternoon skimming the text, and in the evening I was able to deal with all of the video display issues that had stymied me - as well as adding some cool additions to the second-level scenes. As you can tell, my life was made whole.

Oh, and the Packers beat the Cowboys yesterday, too. How much better can a day be?

[ddg]

Top 10 List: Gear that I use...

2009-11-09T08:17:00.000-08:00

Despite the fact that I've become almost completely virtual, there is still a requirement for gear of one sort or another. Not all of it is in daily use; in fact, some of it doesn't get used more often than once a quarter. But these are the things that either make my life easier or make me smile:

10. Bose L1 Mark II Personal Amplification System

This was a rather silly purchase for me: I'm not a singer/songwriter, which seems to be the target audience for this thing. But I do host singer/songwriters occasionally for gigs, and it meets the need exactly. It also turns out to be a great way to do one-off DJ gigs, larger scale installation bits and laptoppery. Sounds great, disburses sound nicely, and is a non-backbreaker. I love it.

9. AKG C-214 microphone pair

I was never a fan of the 414, and when I got these in for a review, I was less than overjoyed. A cheap version of a mic I don't care for? Why bother? Well, it turns out that these things sound good no matter what I put in front of them. I'm not sure about the difference between them and the 414, or maybe my ears have changed since I last used this series - I don't know. But the bottom line is that they are my go-to microphones, and I don't know what I'm going to do when AKG remembers I've got 'em and they want 'em back.

8. Apogee Duet audio interface

Simple, elegant, works perfectly and sounds a dream. I've recommended this to so many people I should have angled for a royalty. Dead-on favorite audio interface in the world.

7. Native Instruments Maschine

I bought this out of my habit of buying anything that is an attempt at an MPC upgrade. In many ways, it is much more than that - the library functions are wonderful, and the hardware/software integration kicks butt. However, what has me really excited about it is the hardware itself: it feels better than any of the drum pad things that I've gotten in the past several years, and completely out-classes the current generation of MPC's. Handles a light touch with grace, but is still willing to take a pounding.

6. Sennheiser PX100 Collapsible Headphones

I move around a lot, and having something easy to carry (meaning, not my HD280's) and good sounding (meaning not earbuds) is important. I also need something that won't hurt my ears and won't overwhelm with ear fatigue. The PX100's fit the spot, and I do use these daily - in fact, probably hourly. I've been working on a big modular system in Max/MSP, and try to squeeze in 10 or 15 minutes wherever I happen to be at. The internal speakers of the Mac won't pull off the frequency range necessary, and the PX100's get popped out and used constantly. Wonderful headphones, very comfortable and not completely unsightly.

5. Korg Nanopad

I've written about this thing before. It doesn't feel that great, and it's probably quite fragile. But it goes everywhere with me. It is the "controller that I actually have on my person", which makes it the controller I actually use. It's right here next to me, see? Oh, you can't see. Well - take my word for it - I always have it on me.

4. Synderphonics Manta

I've written about this one, too - especially on the O'Reilly blog. This is the only playable controller I've ever used, and anytime I have a chance to settle back and work with it, I always end up overjoyed. It has a Monome-like hand-built lovely quality, but somehow feels like using an instrument in a way that no button pack does. Love it, love it, love it. I have some Max patches that work with it, but Vlad Spears' Honeycomb interface is what I use most. In fact, I'm having a hard time finishing up this blog given that the Manta is *right*there*...

3. Seagate FreeAgent Go portable hard drive

Much more than a memory stick or other portable bit of hardware, I use the FreeAgent to carry my life around with me. I have a massive number of samples on this thing, the current 5 or 6 projects I'm mixing or mastering and a pile of personal music and video project that are in the mix. It is never my sole location for data (since there have been reports of reliability problems), but it is the way that things move with me. It fits in the camera pocket of my laptop bag, and gets popped out anytime I've got a free minute.

2. M-Audio Axiom-49 and -25 keyboards

I've had issues with M-Audio keyboards over the years, but the Axiom series works for me, feels right and has enough controls to make my life easy. I never use the transport controls, but the pads, knobs and (on the -49) sliders are really handy when working with bot Max and Ableton Live. There are other keyboards that have tried to entrance me (especially, lately, the Novation stuff), but they don't have a chance because I've found something that feels and looks right, and doesn't make a damned sound while doing it.

1. Apple MacBook Pro

What do you call something that you use 10+ hours a day? Does it cease to be gear and become a limb? I can't imagine not having this thing under my fingers, and it is more than my constant companion - it is also my cubicle-mate, confessional and writing partner all in one. I know there was a time when I didn't have this sort of attachment to a laptop, but I don't like thinking about it that much. The best gear I own.

[ddg]

Free (open source?) storyboard paper

2009-11-07T12:15:00.000-08:00

After striking out at the school bookstore, I decided to dig online for someone willing to sell me some storyboard paper. How silly. Our friends at Konigi are more than willing to let me make my own, preventing me from ever having to leave my stinking fat-boy chair.

Have I mentioned how much I love the intertubes?

[ddg]

Top 10 List: Microsoft Wins...

2009-10-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

I'm a big-time Machead, and tend to only use Windows when I'm required to. Recently, though, I've been using it more; using it with Sound Forge 10 for sample editing, doing Processing development there and generally enjoying the system. It helps that my (now operational) HP Pavilion dv3 system is pretty sexy, and I bought an additional battery pack that will work for a reasonable period of time.

Anyway, in celebration of Windows 7 (which I'm going to pick up today, I think), I thought it would be fun to do a Top 10 list of Microsoft Wins. They get beat up for not being innovative, but some of their decisions have made modern computing the Good Thing that it is today. So here goes...

Top 10 Microsoft Wins (from my perspective):

10. Bing. I know, I know - it's an also-ran in the search department. But have you actually used it? It is so much superior to the Google "I paid for top spot, so you are going to get my link jammed into your face" results that it's ridiculous. Getting out of the habit of "google.com"'ing is a little tough, but the Bing results page is exactly what I want. Oh, and it came complete with a great set of ads!

9. DirectX. There are a lot of anti-DirectX sentiments out there, but the only real competition is from a hodge-podge of OpenGL and other BS interfaces - none of them coordinated, and none of them particularly stable. By creating a system that is able to embrace all of the various media types, Microsoft has create a beast that not other system can match. Yeah, and don't talk to me about Apple's Core Whatever systems. Zzzzz....

8. Gaming for Adults. I hate to even mention this, because grown-up gaming is one of those things that nobody wants to talk about. A lot of people (including, for example, my wife) claim to hate computer games and all they stand for. But, of course, getting a chance to play FreeCell along with the morning cuppa coffee is acceptable. The fact is that the basic games that come with Windows are commercial quality monsters, and the Mah Jongg game that shipped with Vista makes me tear up. Just don't tell anyone I'm spending hours on the thing.

7. Super-broad hardware support. You know what? Sometimes I just need to use a touch-screen display. Or maybe a crazy new audio interface, bar code reading device or Blu-ray DVD burner. As much as I love Apple, I hate having to choose from their list of 20 printers or 3 display devices. When I have to do bleeding-edge hardware, I'm almost always using a Windows box.

6. SQL Server. I've got some friends that are running a development business that works with large document storage and support. They've used a number of database systems, and they now swear by SQL Server. The developer support is great, the database is super-stable and deployment is easy enough (once you get used to it). I remember the rocky roads with database development, and it is great to see a company like Microsoft take on this mundane utility. Also, it's nice to see someone give Oracle a run for their money.

5. Third party software vendor support. Any platform that can support Sony/Sonic Foundry, Cakewalk, Image-Line Software and other killer companies - and do so over a long period of time - is, by default, a winner. Think about Mac-only companies for a minute: Opcode, Casady & Greene and others suffered for hitching their wagon to the Mac OS. Makes me very worried for MOTU (a company with some of the nicest - and smartest - people in the world).

4. Corporate Determination. One thing that I really appreciate about Microsoft is their determination to stick with something, even when it doesn't seem to be working out. What (for the broadsheet press) seems like failure may be exactly what a vertical market needs - and Microsoft isn't willing to abandon this market on a whim. A good example is Windows Mobile. Right now, it is being written off as dead meat. But my wife's book business is built around this unit, and she has been able to continue upgrading over the years with very little pain. Imagine if she had built her business around a Newton, Go or other Superior Technology. Thanks, Microsoft, for sticking with the hard stuff.

3. Microsoft Office. I can hear the moans from here. Sure, it is pretty bloated, and 90% of the stuff you get is unneeded. For you. What about me? I use this package several hours a day, every day of my life. I have for the past many, many years. You will pry MS Office out of my cold dead hands, baby. This software rocks!

2. Scalable product development. Any co2pany that creates software to support server farms while still supporting Netbooks gets a tip of my cap. The Netbooks phenomena is really exciting, and there are a lot of people that are computer-mobile using teeny-tiny Windows boxes that can fit in their purses or glove boxes. Anything that gets more people using gear is OK by me.

1. The Visual Studio development environment. By creating a development system that empowers the programmer, they've created an environment that allows third-party developers succeed - no matter how they prefer to work. Visual Studio has defined the de facto work environment for programmers, and has forced XCode, Eclipse and others to chase their overwhelmingly useful environment.

[ddg]

Digital Resistance examined.

2009-10-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

For our Tech Foundations class...:

In the time since Digital Resistance was published (in 2000), much has changed regarding the possibility of a digitally-based civil disobedience. Much of what was proposed by the CAE would now be characterized as “cyber-terrorism”, and has become the fodder for overwrought news reports and countless new security groups, both governmental and private. The process of having a person’s records be more valuable than their physical body is now complete, with illicit data capture now named “identity theft”.

As the global economy has become more centered around the Internet as a marketing and commerce center, governmental agencies have reacted by further criminalizing actions outside the norm. This has the effect of reducing the opportunities to mount effective (while still quasi-legal) resistance using computer- or network-based means.

As a result, the public face of digital resistance has changed – largely as a result of the crackdown on “hacker” behavior and the widespread theft/fraud present in E-commerce. Since this system is seen to be fragile, CD efforts that target the movement of goods or money are considered too intimidating to be effective. One area where CD has thrived – despite the CAE’s skepticism toward the media – is the movement toward presenting user-created media on public channels.

Recently, after a particularly corrupt election in Iran, local residents were able to shape global public opinion using updated versions of classic resistance techniques. With makeshift media tools (like cellphone video and photo captures) and homespun communications (including blog entries, YouTube videos and Twitter messages), the Iranian public burst forth with information that would otherwise have been unattainable.

In this case, the Iranian citizen-reporters found a willing audience for their information, and received worldwide attention for their cause. Because this resistance didn’t interfere with first-world commerce, because it was inexpensive to produce and display, and because it was directed at an already vilified governmental entity, the resistance movement was greeted with open arms and great praise.

This new form of resistance is flexing its muscles by “showing” revealing examples of systemic misuse and forcing transparency. A good example is the China Channel add-on for the Firefox browser. This tool allows a user to experience the level of censorship found among the Chinese populace. This provides an opportunity to see that the “borderless, nationless” Internet it limited by a government attempting to control data flow. China’s “Golden Shield” content blocking system is a constant overlord of incoming data, and will target users that search for or access “inappropriate” data.

Another example of forced transparency is the creation, by the Electronic Freedom Foundation of a TOS tracker. User advocates had been disturbed with the secretive way that Facebook, YouTube and other large companies could change their terms of service without any notification to end-users, and how this could easily lead to privacy concerns. By creating a program that would keep track of policies and user agreements, the EFF forced an improvement in transparency – without support or acknowledgement by the companies in their sights.

Recently, I was forwarded a link to an ACLU-based Facebook application that would show how a simple quiz could reveal much of my personal data to the quiz creator. I was shocked – not only my available personal data, but by how much of my friend’s data was also provided to the quiz creator. This forced me to change many of the privacy settings, mostly using the information on this site:
http://www.allfacebook.com/2009/02/facebook-privacy/

So, while digital resistance – especially against large-scale entities (both governmental and corporate) – has changed, there are still ways to cause change using digital means. By either co-opting the media (ala Iran) or making systems more transparent (ala China Channel, the EFF and ACLU), there are opportunities for cause change through digital means.

[ddg]

Design project - of a sort...

2009-10-17T16:16:00.000-07:00

For our first design project, we were required to make something that wanted to be touched. I immediately know what I wanted to do - I'd seen some sorority girls wearing these funny antennae headpieces, and I wanted to do something similar that would also have sonification.

I decided on balls perched on top of bass guitar strings. Why that? Because I'd always liked the action of bass strings, and I thought that ball could provide an interesting bouncing action. My first prototype used little "superballs", with the bass strings poked into an eraser as a temporary base. It bounced around interestingly, but the superballs didn't really provide any sort of interesting sound.

What I really thought I would like is ping-pong balls, but wasn't sure how I would perch them on top of the bass strings. Finally, I found an answer using my Dremel tool and a steady hand. The balls made a nice popping sound when impacted, and they also made an interesting swishing sound when they rubbed together.

The base was the harder part. I wanted something that would transmit the sound well, but that I could manage to work with limited tools. Initially, I tried different types of tile, but they were almost impossible to drill mounting holes into. Finally, I settled on a sandwich of two cedar closet hangers. This was easy to work, and provided a way to route them to place the pickup and run the cable.

I tried a number of transducers, and settled on using a mini-speaker as a microphone. This picked up the sound transported by the cedar base, and I ran that into a mini-amp for amplification. I also made a little Max patch to create an augemented sound. The whole thing is called "Cloud Formation", with a weather-like audio output from the Max patch. It may look kind of crude, but it is really cool.

[ddg]

Many future Max-heads germinated today...

2009-10-13T14:49:00.001-07:00

I had a chance to do a quick intro class on Max today. The Tech Foundations class at DU opened the door to me and let me do a quick patching introduction (with lots of participation). Everyone seemed to get it, and by the end of the class they were pointing out ways to improve the test patch, automate some of its functions and reduce the complexity of subpatches without any prompting on my part. I couldn't be happier. Thanks to Chris and the boyz for the opportunity.

[ddg]

OMG!!! BoingBoing strikes a Hit!

2009-10-10T15:51:00.000-07:00

Normally, a troll through BoingBoing is done for the sake of keeping up with the proto-Joneses, trying to see what ideas I shouldn't bother having anymore and watching the wacky world of Etsy without actually having to grace the site. Today, I was doing my slide-through when I happened on an entry about some hand-printed calendars with the artwork of Jim Flora.

Money flowed frictionlessly from my Paypal account to the Jim Flora Studios. The memories behind these pictures is so visceral I can taste it, and the artwork is to die for. He combines some of the twitchy visuals of Joan Miro with the vitality of 40's and 50's jazz and pop music to create the ultimate "Of A Time" album covers - ones that I would be happy to display anywhere I happen to be squatting.

Must see visuals.

[ddg]

Fingers dirty with hardware

2009-10-08T14:06:00.000-07:00

People that know me will know how weird this was...

[ddg]

Snake head eating the snake on the opposite side...

2009-10-08T07:36:00.000-07:00

You know, it really had to happen. One of the hot button design items is the sketching process, where you draw (on paper, you know? with a pencil?) ideas quickly and crudely in an attempt to understand systems before you commit resources to development. It has become widely recognized as The Right Thing, primarily due to Bill Buxton's relentless support and PR. It is a formalization of work most people have done, but never really thought through, and is responsible for keeping designerly activity relevant in the age of RAD development and speed-to-market nervousness.

So you know that someone had to come up with a product that would eliminate the "ooooh, scary" drawing part of the equation while maintaining the low-fidelity output of the sketch. Welcome Balsamiq Mockups, a program that is about as user-friendly as the UI for Visual Basic, but with the scratchy output of a hand-drawn sketch. It's delightful to watch the company spokesman pop off an iTunes clone sketch in a manner of minutes, but watching the video also gave me pause.

How does sketching change when you have a toolbar/palette with 75 items? Will all of your sketches use standard interface tools (maybe with the addition of the occasional Cover Flow)? Isn't the point of the sketch that you might want to break out of the mold of conventional software design and do something radical? Somehow, I can't see Buxton buying into this product.

In trying to remember the sitename for Balsamiq, I had to Google it again this morning. Of course, one of the Google ads is for a new competitor, called Protoshare, that is a Web 2.0 version of roughly the same thing. I'm sure these guys would get in a fistfight over me saying that, but you've got to wonder about software that is designed to remove the user's fear of a pencil...

[ddg]

(title thanks to I Palindrome I from They Might Be Giants, the greatest band in the world...)

2009-10-02T12:14:00.000-07:00

I recently had a discussion about how many young people have a desire to be famous, but don't want to be singled out. Maybe this movie should be required viewing for everyone that aches to be on a reality TV show, wants to become a YouTube star or really needs to see the flash bulbs in their eyes.

Good luck to the bunch of you.

[ddg]

It's all about Sketching...

2009-09-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

In my design class, we've mostly been reading ACM documents on design. Last week, we got a number of new documents, with one by Bill Buxton (it's at this link) that sort of blew me away. What was fantastic was not only that they used sketching for user interface design (which is something that I've been doing naturally for a while), but that they studied how sketching interfaces informed people about a direction, and how sketches from one set of proto-designers influenced the next. It was a fascinating article, and made me hunger for more.

So I picked up a copy of Bill Buxton's book "Sketching User Experiences", and am blown away. This book is very different from the article I read, but is inspiring in a completely different way. It describes the difference between people that think they design, and actual designers. It describes the difference between a sketch and a composition. In short, it describes differences that are hard to put into words, but that we all have been sure existed. This is a sort of business-lite version of what the guy seems to be thinking, but it is lucid and thought-provoking.

The dude is pretty brilliant.

[ddg]

p.s.: After scrapping with Google over finding the article for 15 minutes, I decided to try bing.com. Worked immediately, and gave me a like that was actually useful (vs. the POS that Google tried to get me to use). Maybe Microsoft has something there...

Fire bad, Flash good...

2009-09-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

First shot, thanks to my friends for the image contents. It's all fun, right?

I could get used to this thing...

[ddg]

Summer Snow...

2009-09-22T06:56:00.001-07:00

Yeah, this was yesterday. Last day of summer.

Doesn't make sense to me, either.

[ddg]

Dr. D, I presume?

2009-09-20T21:22:00.000-07:00

OK, this is going to be a rather pointless blog entry, but I need to do something to cheer myself up after a horrible, horrible Packers Experience today. Luckily, my kids came to the rescue - with a great new episode of Phineas and Ferb. Among the many shows they watch, few are favorites for all three, and no other show can consistently make me gut-laugh.

In addition to it just being funny, it features one of the best evil character names ever: Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz. It's impossible to say "Doofenscmirtz" without giggling, and it's been the thing that has kept me from jumping off the roof this evening.

Thanks Disney!

[ddg]

My Life With Zork

2009-09-18T09:00:00.001-07:00

In addition to getting some background on HCI in yesterday's class, we also discussed early computer gaming. Our assignment was to find an online version of Zork and play/map it for an hour or two. I made an off-hand remark something like "I've put more hours into Zork than some of you have been alive!", which got a few chuckles and some patronizing glances.

But I was just being truthful!

When I first started computing (with an Apple //e), Zork was among my first purchases. I had seen Adventure/Dungeon on minicomputers (DEC systems) in the past, but had never played one personally. I was hooked, spending hours upon hours mapping my progress, trying different flavors of verbiage and trying to get through those "twisty little passages" to finish up the game. I got a hint from a local Apple bulletin board (does anyone remember those anymore?), and finally put it to rest. Of course, that led to the purchase of Zork 2, Zork 3 and a ton of other Infocom games - all text based, and all very, very difficult.

Often, when people talk about the Zork series, they talk about the primitive user interface and the fact that it seemed to be "stolen" from the public game "Adventure". What they don't understand is that the innovation in these games wasn't about the story (although Zork 2 and 3 extended the story extensively); rather, it was about improvements in the text parser, and trying to get to the point of natural language commands.

At the time, everyone thought that natural language would be the be-all and end-all of computing. If we could only talk to the computer like they did in Star Trek NG, we would be saved! Each version of Zork had a better parsing engine, and the computer mags would breathlessly proclaim the vast language and syntax that each new version contained. Alas, the result of this effort was Infocom's Cornerstone database, which tried to put a natural (Zork-influenced) language in front of a database system. I was one of the four people that bought that thing (which led to Infocom's demise, really), and I never was able to make sense of it. Perhaps the most useful thing it its (very attractive) box was a "Don't Panic!" button that told of the software's heritage. It was good advice.

Alas, at some point the natural language front-end was proven to be pointless, leading instead to visually-accessible databases (led by Reflex, one of my favorite software packages ever) and proto-programming interfaces for databases (SQL, primarily). But an interesting stage of computer history, that's for sure!

[ddg]