The man behind the Commodore 64 – Jack Tramiel – has passed away
In remembrance:
The man behind the famous C64 computer . Jack Tramiel has passed away at the age of 83. Another technology visionary has passed on. Jack Tramiel, the founder of Commodore Business Machines, has died at the age of 83. The driving force behind one of the best-selling home computer systems in history, Tramiel was a pioneer in creating affordable hardware for the everyday consumer that still possessed enough horsepower to push the envelope. Tramiel was a true American success story that started with nothing in his pocket to become one of the leading experts in the computing industry.
The C64 had, hands down, the most awesome music in the business. It’s amazing what some very talented people (such as Rob Hubbard) were able to do with its SID chip.
So for your listening pleasure, here are some of the best pieces of gaming music (both in-game and intros) to ever come out of the Commodore 64.
Rest in peace
Android Lust – Man Descends – live
Man Descends by Android Lust. Live footage from shows in Denver, New Orleans, and Tulsa during the Viscerex Duplex tour. Audio is a two track mix direct from the board in Denver. Video shot by Alaster Warring.
Android Lust is the solo project of Shikhee, that combines elements of rock, electropop, electro-industrial and classical styles into a blend of music that is often described as “electronic and dark”. Her fourth album, “The Human Animal”, was made available at www.androidlust.com on July 22, 2010, with an official street date of August 10, 2010.
Controlling a 4-story pipe organ with the Kinect
Background information:
In this video I briefly explain and demonstrate how I used the Kinect to control the massive Melbourne Town Hall Organ. It contains a short excerpt from our performance “Carpe Zythum” November 2011.
My project blog: http://chrisvik.wordpress.com
I’ve created my own software “Kinectar” (http://kinectar.org), which allows the use of the Kinect to control MIDI devices, ie. playing notes through simple gestures and motion. The Melbourne Town Hall Organ got a referb in the late 90s adding the ability of MIDI messages to active the notes… and so, this happened.
The company that provided the control system to allow the organ to be played via MIDI are “Solid State Organ System” and can be found here:
http://www.ssosystems.com
Co-composition and Kinect performance and programming by Chris Vik
Co-composition, lyrics and vocals by Elise Richards
Video produced by Unkle Nicnac Films (unklenicnac.com)
Ultravox – Making Of ‘Brilliant’
Short clip from the making of Ultravox’s brand new studio album ‘Brilliant’, out May 28th.
EMI announce the return of Ultravox with their first studio album in 28 years. Following on from the sold-out “Return To Eden” reformation shows in 2009, the classic Ultravox line-up has recorded a 12-track collection of brand new songs, “Brilliant”, which will be released on May 28th ahead of a full UK tour in September and October.
Ultravox is the quartet Midge Ure, Billy Currie, Chris Cross and Warren Cann.
The tracklisting for “Brilliant” is as follows:
- Live Again
- Flow
- Brilliant
- The Change
- Rise
- Remembering
- Hello
- This One
- Fall
- Let It Lie
- Satellite
- Contact
French Connection goes modular
Frankie Bellani is using his French Connection for playing the big Dotcom System 110 Modular Synthesizer
Inside Benge’s studio – work in progress
http://youtu.be/x9T_qR3npno
Although a bit shaky camera man – still worth listening to 
Using a centralised trigger to control the sequencers of the Moog Modular and ARP 2500.
James was on the Korg Trident and Stephen the Korg Lambda
“working on a new tune at bengestudios, with james murphy (LCD sound system) and the dewaele brothers (soulwax)
see http://myblogitsfullofstars.blogspot.co.uk/ for more info”
Closer looka at the “Roland Jupiter 6” – Fat Analog Synth
The Jupiter 6 is an incredible analog synth. All of the Jupiters have a sound that was unlike any other synthesizer and the Jup 6 is no exception. This sound is due in part to classic analog Roland technology in its filters, modulation capabilities and a thick cluster of 12 analog oscillators at 2 per voice. Easy and intuitive programming via front panel sliders, knobs and buttons for all your tweaking needs.
The Jup 6 is a scaled down version of the Jup 8 in terms of programming and polyphony. However the Jup 6 has some major improvements of its own such as newly added MIDI control and better tuning stability! While the Jup 6 does have MIDI, the implementation is very rudimentary and hard to control. The Jup 6 was one of the very first (along with the Sequential Prophet 600) synths to use the then new MIDI protocol, and the implementation on the Jup 6 is far from complete.
Synthcom Systems, Inc. offers the Europa firmware upgrade for the Jupiter 6 which gives it an up-to-date and comprehensive MIDI implementation. All parameters are controllable via Continuous Controller or SysEx. Europa also features an extensive arpeggiator which will sync to MIDI clock with programmable clock divisors and rhythms, and has about 50 more playback variations than the JP-6’s original Up, Down, Up/Down, and Down/Up. A Europacized Jupiter 6 is a thoroughly modern synth with a classic sound.
William Gibson – Technology invariably trumps ideology
William Gibson, the sci fi author who coined the term cyberspace – i.e. the “mass consensual hallucination” of computer networks, talks about a wide variety of topics such as the occupy movement, technology, the Internet, the growth of cities, the relationship between drugs and creativity, and having a time-machine.
100% out of the Dave Smith & Roger Linn “Tempest” groove box
This track was 100% synthesized with a Dave Smith & Rogre Linn “Tempest” synthesizer.
“By the time i composed this track the Tempest was not fully MIDI implemented so there is only Note Triggering from my sequencer this time.
MIDI, Sampling(recording) and Mixing in Nuendo. Master in Peak with Waves and UAD softwares. The computer app. used in this production were 100% used by license. roCk and rolL”
Hoedown, ELP (cover) performed by Studio Marand on Moog LP and Clavia Nord Electro 3
by http://www.youtube.com/user/studiomarand
For best audio quality see on: www.vimeo.com/marand/hoedown
Hoedown, Trilogy (1972) keyboard cover
Emerson Lake & Palmer
For info on recording check out: www.marandblog.altervista.org (Italian)
DATAMASKIN
