Exquisite Two Released
Sneaking in just before the end of the year, Exquisite Coast Two is the second in a series of albums of synthesiser improvisations created in collaboration with John O’Brien. In the spring of 2020, as the Covid-19 lockdown got under way, John and I started talking about ways to collaborate remotely after realizing that we both owned a Make Noise 0-Coast semi-modular synthesizer. By sharing patches—the state of the synthesizer, including the positions of the knobs and how the signals are routed from one part of the synthesizer to another—we created pairs of solo pieces that shared a common configuration. Each week, we made two recordings: one based on an original patch—the Prompt—and then a Response based on the other person’s patch.
You can get it now on Bandcamp.
Exquisite Coast One Now Streaming
Exquisite Coast One is now available on all major streaming services.
And of course it’s still available at Bandcamp for those who prefer a download to a stream.
Exquisite Coast One Released
I’m excited to announce the release of a new album in collaboration with John O’Brien. In the spring of 2020, as the Covid-19 lockdown got under way, John and I started talking about ways to collaborate remotely after realizing that we both owned a Make Noise 0-Coast semi-modular synthesizer. By sharing patches—the state of the synthesizer, including the positions of the knobs and how the signals are routed from one part of the synthesizer to another—we created pairs of solo pieces that shared a common configuration. Each week, we made two recordings: one based on an original patch—the Prompt—and then a Response based on the other person’s patch.
Exquisite Coast One is the first of many albums in a series that we will roll out over the next year or so. You can get it now on Bandcamp.
You can play Exquisite Coast too! If you and a friend have any of the small semi-modular synthesizers from Make Noise or Moog and would like to play the game yourselves, we have publicly released the web app we used to notate and share patches. Visit ec.rustle.works to learn more.
Exquisite Coast Web App is now Exquisite Coasts
Exquisite Coasts is a shared patch game created by Damon Holzborn and John O’Brien (original announcement here) for the Make Noise 0-Coast semi-modular synthesizer. We have now expanded the game to include additional synthesizers from which to choose. Now, in addition to the 0-Coast, we’ve added additional small semi-modular instruments from Make Noise (Strega, 0-CTRL) and Moog (Mother 32, DFAM, Subharmonicon, Werkstatt). Learn more and join in at ec.rustle.works.
Announcing Coast Express
Coast Express is a MIDI settings manager for the Make Noise 0-Coast semi-modular synthesizer. I previously released a version for Max but now I’ve added a version that works in the browser. Visit https://ce.rustle.works/ to learn more.
Learning Crow, Script 2 – Curved Random
[This is the second in a series of scripts I’m sharing while I learn to write applications for the new Monome Crow, a Eurorack module that connects to Norns or computers running Max, Max for Live, and other serial-enabled applications. Crow also stores a complete script, so that without a USB connection it can continue to run, responding to CV input and ii messages.]
A example script demonstrating a method to generate weighted random numbers. In addition to the min/max value settings, the method has three parameters that control how the randomness is weighted:
- curveLevel – higher values make a steeper curve favoring one end
- bellFactor – higher values focus the curve more sharply in the middle
- direction – which end the curve favors – up or down
Download the script and find more details at the Lines forum.
Learning Crow, Script 1 – Dual-clock Quad LFO
[This is the first in a series of scripts I’m sharing while I learn to write applications for the new Monome Crow, a Eurorack module that connects to Norns or computers running Max, Max for Live, and other serial-enabled applications. Crow also stores a complete script, so that without a USB connection it can continue to run, responding to CV input and ii messages.]
Despite the fact that I have plenty of LFOs in my rack (🤷♂️), I chose a dual-clock quad LFO as my Getting to Know Crow and Lua project.
Summary:
- Create 4 LFOs based on:
- 2 clocks
–OR– - 1 clock plus cv input for depth
- 2 clocks
- timing for each clock can be based on a clock (trigger) input or cv input
- each lfo has independent settings for:
- clock source
- waveform
- skew (currently only sets duty cycle for square wave)
- unipolar or bipolar output
- time ratio to it’s clock
- depth ratio to it’s clock
- are constructed (not built-in) LFOs so they are able to change rate dynamically
Download the script and find more details at the Lines forum.
Disting mk4 Quick Guide
I’ve made a mobile-friendly web-based cheat sheet for the Disting mk4. The guide includes the ins, outs, and parameter values of each of the algorithms. In short, if there’s a chart in the manual, it’s in the guide. That is, it’s the basic info from the manual about each algorithm without the paragraphs of explanatory text. You probably don’t want to use this guide to get familiar with the Disting, but once you are, you might find it a handy reference.
There’s a few other minor bells and whistles, hopefully it’s all pretty self explanatory. Please let me know if you find any errors or have any suggestions. It’s brand new so there’s bound to be a bug or two…
distingquickguide.rustle.works
Park Beta Launch Talk
I’m excited to announce that this Saturday, February 2, at the Live Code Lab event, I’ll be presenting a project I’ve been working on for some time.
Park is a modular composition and performance system developed for the Web MIDI API. It is an attempt to combine the conceptual simplicity of a modular-style step sequencer with the algorithmic flexibility of a live coding language. I realize that description is a bit dense and probably sounds like gibberish, but I promise it will make more sense as I release documentation and tutorials in the coming weeks. In short, it serves a similar purpose to a live coding system like Tidal, Chuck, or Sonic Pi, but without actual code. Follow my Instagram (@cnco) to see a series of teaser videos that I’ll be releasing throughout the rest of this week to give you a small taste of what Park is about.
And if you have time this Saturday, come to NYU MAGNET in Brooklyn to check it out. It looks to be a great day of talks, workshops, and performances. The event is free, but you’ll need to RSVP.