Sesame Street Rules!

Gearwire tracked this little nugget down.  Herbie plus a Fairlight.  What's not to love.

Pictures of the Lemur at S.L.U.G.

Here are some pics from the November Seattle (Ableton)Live users group.
Ari Zucker was giving a demo of the Lemur and Dexter from www.jazzmutant.com
As you may have seen in the previous video mO has been creating some new patches for the Lemur in his lab. There is more to be seen with the Lemur so stay tuned we'll be updating you with more video.

2007! The year the fat lady sang?

You know the recording industry is starting to bottom out when MTV (one of the most out of touch entities on the planet) does a 3 part series on the death of the industry. There has been much discussion lately about whether the recording industry is truly dead or if it is in metamorphosis or some mix of both. Yeah the industry is changing but who wins and who loses?

On the one hand, yes, there are more ways for artists to "get their music out there" but my question is can people expect to actually make a living doing music anymore? Especially with the increasing white noise in the indie arena. I think the jury is out on that one. Over the past 6 or 7 years, more and more high profile artists have been turning to alternative platforms to get their music out there such as music licensing for TV, Video games, etc. What concerns me about this a little is that these areas have been the domain for indie artists for a long time. With the majors stepping in, I'm seeing indie guys getting squeezed out more and more. Yeah, there are still some of us hanging in there but it's definitely becoming quite a challenge. It's getting harder to sell someone on using your beats if they have Timbaland's agent on the other line. Also, I've noticed that the amount these companies are willing to pay an indie artist seems to be continuously in decline. (For the record, this is just my personal observation.) So an already crowded sector is becoming completely over populated.

In the traditional music arena (CD's, touring, etc.) the consensus seems to be just give your music away and make it up by touring but who pays for those tours. Sure it's a no brainer for people like Madonna, Trent, and Thom but who will support those with less of a household name? What about songwriters, composers, lyricists and others where touring in not an option? I can honestly say that I've never really wanted to be a "rock star" but I don't think it's too crazy an idea to try to make a living doing this wonderful thing called making music. In one sense these are exciting times and I love a good mystery. On the other hand are indie artists gonna lose access to our traditional revenue streams because major label artists are moving into the neighborhood? Kinda like the condo phenomenon that's happening in Seattle and other cities across the planet.

So where does that leave us? I guess just scratching our heads. Everyone at every level of the biz is simply just trying to figure out checkmate. I do have to say though at least for the first time we are all starting to have an honest and serious discussion on the matter. Hopefully something sticks.

Heh, I didn't see that rant coming. Here are those links:

Part 1: The Year The Music Industry Broke

Part 2: What Makes A Star These Days?

Part 3: The Future: What will the music industry be like in a year? Five years?

Petting the Lemur

From the "never thought I would get a chance in this lifetime" files:

Guitarist extraordinaire and (206) Lemur rep Ari swung through Tekgnosis Laboratories with the object of my desire and I got to take it for a spin. In an old post I was concerned about the Lemur's responsiveness but now that I got some face to face I have to say that is definitely not an issue.

Bird's Duran Duran remix

Here's a link to download a 320k mp3 of ryan bird's remix of nite runner.

The original is by Duran Duran and is off the new album Red Carpet Massacre.

The mastering was done by m.0

download:

http://download.yousendit.com/C8EDE15716D66200

Computer Music top 10 Soft Synths

Computer Music has posted on their blog a couple videos showcasing the top 10 Software Synths as voted on by their readers.  Whether or not you agree with the list order it does form a really cool overview of some of the smokiness soft synths on the planet today.  There were a few that I didn't know existed, a few old favorites that I now miss, a few that are in my arsenal that I can't live without, and a few I knew about but didn't KNOW about.  Ah, so many synths so little Benjamin's (er, time). 

10 - 6:

5 - 1:

Where are We?

Just to update anyone who is curious. We are in hiatus from playing shows (as a duo) for a good while. There are many reasons. Primarily the music, and getting back to the root of it. Does anyone remember that Tekgnosis is built upon live drumming and keyboard playing? We do.
Since having to appease to the local techno scene we've lost touch with our roots, and only a small handful of people remember and miss the "old" tekgnosis. To rekindle this is going to take major changes, such as pulling away from the local routine. We have ambitious dreams when it just comes to having fun and playing music. What we see and plan on doing, most have yet to even guess. Soon enough we'll be back.

In case you don't remember here are pictures of tekgnosis in 2004 at our renegade PA at Decibel fest. Dj Manos is pictured here too. At the time he Dj'd our set breaks, and tweaked around on an electribe. The only people there were Garret, the Hunt, Perfect Cyn, Derek Fisher, and Freaky Chakra, plus Shapey's car. A damn good crowd!

Sub Galactic

A few weekends ago I played a live set in an old abandoned train tunnel with quite an interesting history. To say I had a spiritual experience would be an understatement. I had closure with things that I didn't even know I needed closure with. Instead of boring you with the details of all that though, I thought I'd throw up something I wrote inspired by the experience. -m.0

Sub Galactic - m.0 right(control) + Click to download

Went fishing.

Sooo......I've been on empty creatively lately and have taken some time off the recharge the fuel cells. I'm gonna take a couple more weeks off but I wanted to leave you with something in the meantime. I wrote this track about a week ago as sort of a low impact creative exercise to keep from getting too rusty. Enjoy and we'll be back in a few weeks.

SickOfItAll - m.0 (right click to download)


ps. There's a half-mixed new Tekgnosis track that's been sitting on the desk for awhile (okay, for a long while) and that will get completed when I plug back in. -m

Logic Pro/Express 8

Logic users don't have to feel neglected anymore. Apple released Logic Studio 1.0 (and Logic Express 8) this morning. Haven't had a chance to thumb through all the new features but right away I have to say it's very cool that they've included Soundtrack Pro with it. I was wondering what was the deal with Final Cut Studio people getting that bundle. The interface seems a lot more streamlined too and there something new called Main Stage which seems like an app for live performance and kinda interesting.  Hmmm, my curiosity has been perked.

Logic Studio 1

Logic Express 8

The best Anti-Piracy ad ever.:)

The Passage of Time

Opera may or may not be your thing but I found this interesting and fitting clip today and thought it would be cool to share:

James Brown ( May 3, 1933 - December 25, 2006) 

feat.  

Luciano Pavarotti (October 12, 1935 - September 6, 2007)

New Tekgnosis Studio Cut: "Plus 1"

As some of you may know, Tekgnosis has been on hiatus from performing this year so we can focus on the studio side of things. That being said, here is the first release from that effort. If you are subscribed to our podcast it'll be waiting there for you or you can download it directly (right click to dowload). More tracks will be released throughout the summer and fall.
If you like the track definitely feel free to share it/spread it.


Tech note: This download is currently @ 128 kbps. When we have a few more tracks completed we'll make the 320 versions available.

Disco Tesla

I just got through listening to this week's Sonic State Podcast and it turned me on to this youtube vid. The thing to remember as you watch this is that the tesla coil in the video is actually generating the music that you are hearing. I can't even imagine the db's this thing is pushing.

Video (OT): Wii Fit - from the makers of 'Big Ass Table'

Sarcastic Gamer strikes again with their follow up to "Big Ass Table". This time they've put the new Wii Fit in their cross hairs:

Video(s): The Whip

Found these guys through Beatportal. I for one am glad that the whole electro/rock hybrid thing seems to be in resurgence over the past few years. There's just a certain energy seeing electronics performed by live acts in whatever context versus the static nature of most dj sets. No hate for the dj, some of my best friends are dj's.>;) It's just that it's very refreshing to hear those sawtooth leads and square wave blips in a little less clinical context. Maybe it's just me becoming more receptive once again because, at least in my part of the globe, live electronic acts seem to have taken a backseat to the "superstar" DJ yet again.:(

Divebomb - This seems to be their single that's making the rounds at the moment:



Muzzle No.1 - A bit more of an overtly rock track but damn it's been stuck in my head since I heard it:

Video: Squid Leader - Live Set - Antidote

For those of you that missed Squid Leader's live set on friday, here's the Reader's Digest version. Special thanks to Justin and Erica for helping out with the camera. You can also download it through the Podcast.

Squid Leader Reappears @ Antidote this Friday!!

See you there:

The 411!

Podcast Extra: m.0 - "I Heart Dat Preset"

So what started as me geeking out over a cup of coffee on friday actually turned into a track over the weekend. On a side note, things are going to get a little quiet on the blog as we dig in to wrap up the various productions (new stuff from Tekgnosis, Bird, and myself) we've been working on for the past few months. Stay subscribed to the feed though 'cause more full-length podcasts will be coming down the pipe. 

iTunes

If you are reading this in Google reader click Here.

Podcast - episode 02: "Squid Leader - 2006 Live Megamix"

Our second episode features the Squid Leader himself with a pretty damn intense live performance, Megamix style. On July 20th you can catch him dropping some live beats at Antidote.

On the technical tip, you can now subscribe to our podcast directly in iTunes right---------> here.

If you are using other methods try these options.

UPDATE: Google reader seems to not like my iTunes' link. If you are using Google Reader jump off from HERE.

A free (Beta) Spectrum Analyser: bs-spectrum

Surfing around yesterday I found this @ macmusic. "bs-spectrum" is a freeware Spectrum analyzer for both Windows and Mac.  On the Mac it's available in both AU and VST flavors.  I had a chance to poke around with it a little and it's pretty straight forward.  As with all utility software nothing fancy is expected.  They just do what they do.  My only complaints are that I wish it had a higher frequency resolution and the redraw seems a bit sluggish but keep in mind that this is freeware.  It's CPU overhead is negligible and for some reason I like that way the level meters are laid out.  It's simple and really easy on the eyes.  Well suited for across the room viewing.   I think it's worth at least checking out.  

-Download page-

Spectrum analyzers are a great tool to have around for reference.  Especially, in apartment/bedroom situations where sometimes you don't get a true feel for what's going on in all the various frequencies.  Especially on the bottom end.  Remember this is beta software and although I haven't found any issues yet  use at your own peril.  While we are on the subject of Spectrum Analyzers, if you haven't tried out Inspector (PC and Mac) by Roger Nichol's Digital  I highly recomend it. It's great for when more detail is need.  It's free also.

Beach on the Brain: Pete Tong "Fast Trax"

Now that we've gotten the website up (btw, we're working on lot's of stuff for it so stay tuned), I can return to posting random things of interest.:) 

Today's video goes out to anyone kicking it indoors at the moment (myself included).  Pete Tong has a Video Podcast series called Fast Trax.  This week he's in Ibiza.  So I figured if we can't go to the beach I'll bring the beach to us.  If you want to subscribe to this directly in iTunes you can click right -------> HERE.   

New Website and Podcast

We've just re-launched tekgnosis.com.  

This will be the spot to keep in touch while we hideout in the studio for the next few months. We have and will be putting up more videos, exclusive Live PA's and tracks, and now Podcasts.  Our first Podcast features an ambient/experimental PA we did a few weeks back. 

A little gear pr0n, Elektron style

Okay so it's getting late and I can't think of anything clever to say.  So good night and enjoy.

OT: A Big Ass Table!

So this is a bit off topic but this week I seem to have multi-touch interfaces on the brain. I scraped this story from Engadget who in turn grabbed it from Sarcastic Gamer. It's a parody that poke a little bit of fun at the expense of Microsoft's recently announced Surface. For the record, I'm absolutely blown away by Surface and I can't wait for the technology (and price) to trickle down to us musician types.

Holy Glitchin' Lemurs

Found this on my youtube travels today. It's of interest to me because for some reason I had heard that the response time on the Lemur wasn't all that for rhythmic passages. In this vid it seems pretty responsive. Of course there's no real way of knowing until you actually get your hands on one. This was posted by Michael Forrest and he's using his Lemur to control Dblue Glitch.



Also, as a side note he shows of a little bit of sequencing with the Lemur. I'm definitely falling in love with the concept of graphical multi-touch beat making.

Harry Krishna

I've been eyeing the release date for Krishna ( a cool new soft-synth from the folks at Devine Machine) for some time and today it's here!:D

I'm definitely a fan of these guys ever since I picked up Lucifer a while back. When they announced Krishna earlier in the year it peaked my curiosity because it seemed to have a unique tonal character with its so called "Frame Oscillators". Although I've been setting aside some Benjamin's for it, last week I cracked and picked up the AKAI MPD24 instead (which I'm loving, btw) so I'll have to wait a little bit longer to pick it up. In the meantime there's a demo (PC/MAC) on the site that I'm downloading as I type this. I'll give it a whirl over the next few days and report back on my thoughts.-m

Seattle is such a battle town

About a month ago we had not one but two laptop battle events here in the 206 about a week apart. Now if you've ever been to Seattle you'll know that's it's not that big a City. That got me thinking that we might have more laptop battlers per capita than most cities. Definitely an exciting thought. Let me introduce you to a few:

Here's a nice contestant Video from the newly started "Laptop Battle Teen Idol Survivor Series" that went down on April 27th.


Ah, those crazy kids.

Next up is KFO at the Northwest Regional Laptop Battle on May 3rd. The audio is a bit distorted in this clip but I was there and I can attest to the fact the he dropped it hard.



Now would someone please bring the national title to it's rightful home.;)

Top 20 Synths: and the winner is....

Been meaning to post this for sometime but here it is the number one synth of all time. We all probably knew what it was going to be but one can never heap to much praise. Kudos to SonicState for a most excellent series.

Episode 08: Position 1

Thank You

Top 20 Synths Continues

Yesterday SonicState put out the lastest episode of their countdown. I have to warn you that it spends the whole episode on #2. However, if you've been following it I think it's a safe bet what #1 is. That being said consider this episode a really cool mini-documentary on a really cool synth. After watching it I'm no longer on the fence about wanting to get the virtual version.

Episode 07: Position 2

New Order is no more

So I stumbled on this on the BBC's Website today. This news reminded of a conversation I had a long time ago with a producer friend of mine. The premise was if you could produce any old skool band that was influential to you who would that band be. New Order was one of my picks. Anyway, it's sunny and warm today in the 206 so I should be allowed to daydream.

Crazy Video

http://www.computermusic.co.uk/page/computermusic?entry=complete_music_video_in_177k

Soul Squeeggee Video

I(Bird) just finished this ...

Soul Squeeggee

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Beat making worms

Really isn't much more to say:

Video Cameras are cool.:)

More video from the vortex:

m.0 - Laptop PA

Add to My Profile

Video from the Vault

This Vid is from the Shameless AfterParty @ last year's Decibel Festival. Very special thanks to Gregory over at Oseao for capturing this:

Today's geekfest: Top 20 Synths

This week were are editing what will be our first official podcast which we recorded last week. So to kill some time here's a guilty pleasure. This IPTV series comes to you courtesy of Sonicstate. Easily one of my favorite Web spots for quite some time.



Have a good monday.

Episode 01: Positions 20-18
Episode 02: Positions 17-15
Episode 03: Postions 14-12
Episode 04: Positions 11-9
Episode 05: Positions 8-6
Episode 06: Positions 5-3

To be continued

A little Something for your weekend (prt. 2)

And then there was another break in between recording:

offbeat video from Narcotic Syntax

A little Something for your weekend (prt. 1)

So here's a Live Techno PA we did in between recording sessions yesterday :

Broken DanceHall - Tekgnosis.mp3




This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

The Universe Mirrored in the Brain

Maybe you've seen this, but if you haven't yet then take a look.
click on the picture

A Driver's License + Ableton Live? Huh?

It never ceases to amaze how people come up with this stuff. Absolutely useless in real world live situations but way geeky cool nonetheless. So for today's little geekery, I present to you the Driver's License Ribbon Controller for Ableton Live. It would be a cool a Laptop Battle gimmick except for the fact that it's so small that people in the crowd would probably think you're just doing your nails or something.

New Music

Here's a short but sweet downtempo ditty we finished mixing over the weekend. More to come. (This link is good for 7 days/100 downloads)

Tekgnosis - Soul Squeegee



This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

We heart knobs

Found this on youtube by Latinsizer.
For a detail desciption you can jump here to the original posting.

Now this is a Piano

Talk about your weird coincidences. Last night I had this weird dream in which a I had this cool custom piano that included the guts of of a weighted Keyboard controller and a computer built in to it. Not so much for playing out but something to jam out on at home or for writing with without having worry about issues like tuning but also something with an infinite palette of sounds at my fingertips. Oh yeah, and of course there is the "coolness" factor. Well lo and behold I woke up and found this over at createdigitalmusic

As you'll see in the next pic it's more designed for dj/vj types but what I want to do seems like it would be a lot simpler to pull off (it probably even exists to some degree already). It get's bonus points for being white. White baby grands are the absolute coolest things in the world.
-m.0

Baby Grand Master

Pictures From Shows