IDM Mailing Archive

quoted 5 lines On Tue, 30 Sep 1997, Mark Kolmar wrote:

>On Tue, 30 Sep 1997, Mark Kolmar wrote: > >I avoid playing keys. Instead, I program. The keyboard is useful for >scales and harmonies of a conventional sort, and to trigger (and record) >events.

I think you've taken my argument out of context. Do you sit manipulating numbers all day without playing keys or other instruments, have you ever *played* live? Please don't tell me you sit in front of Cubase's Grid/Key Edit all day! I would like to hear an unconventional scale or harmony, or are you really talking about unusual tunings/juxtapositions of notes and counter-notes. To come up with a new musical scale and thus possible harmonies you would need to create notes not already present in other musical scales, like an H or an I for example. Put quite simply, the amount of maths that surrounds the acoustics of sounds & musical scale, points to this being impossible. Do you build your own gear, whatitlooklike? But it is a poor interface from which to coax nuance from

quoted 2 lines electronic instruments. One needs either several hands or multiple passes

>electronic instruments. One needs either several hands or multiple passes >to create even a simple acid bassline.

The keyboard is an electronic instrument!? The reasons you have to program or take multiple passes to record a simple acid bass line, is beacuase elctronic gear encourages people to record things thay can't physically play in one take i.e. record now edit later, or edit now and don't even bother playing a note. If this is the case your ideas are ultimately constrained by your editing prowess, your sequencer, your keyboard, MIDI, and you understanding of specifications. Since I'm dealing mostly with

quoted 2 lines timbre and rhythm, an interface built for a harpsichord ("velocity" came

>timbre and rhythm, an interface built for a harpsichord ("velocity" came >later with the piano) is a lousy front-end.

I'm not sure about that. For electronic/synth sounds such as pads and FX noises I think the keyboard is as good a control vehicle as its gonna get. You won't get any more of a range of timbre or rhythm out of editing a sound than you will playing it live! Sequencers and Synths capture a *synthetic reality*, their resolutions are not infinite unlike the real world 'resoloution' which is infinite. Consider this, Electronic instruments encourage music which is ultimately guided by numbers and specifications whereas those who play acoustic instrumnts play music guided by the mind & soul. If people are saying there's no life in music at the moment I'd say its because of an over reliance on electronic instruments. Artistic flare and creativity are diminished - and you get people who can barely sing plugged into a reverb that masks the imperfections in their voice, and you get people who barely play instruments using synths and sequencers and being heralded as bastians of music of the future! I'm not dissing electronic music, I listen to it too, and I know there are people who can't play instruments, who *can* make very creative music, photek for example. The problem is every other bugger wants to then get the same gear/style and it becomes like any other genre where 80/90% of the music is a clone+variation on theme of what the music that the real innovators within that genre are creating. For me anyway I will always feel a more natural intuition or sense of creativity with an acoustic instrument, than with a piece of mass produced electronic 'gear', serial numbers, product numbers, barcodes an' all. I haven't yet bought the sales pitch that you exclusively need the latest hi-tech gear, or the gear that a particular outfit uses, to make creative or futuristic music. The future of music lies in resistance & change! ------------------------------------------------------------- Anthony Ewers Recording Artist Styles:- Drum & Bass / Trip Hop / House / Soul / Hip Hop. GEAR:- GENRALMUSIC S3 TURBO, AKAI S1000, YAMAHA MU90R, ALESIS DM5, ALESIS MIDIVERB 4, TASCAM DA-20, MACKIE 1402VLZ, APPLE QUADRA 610. Personal e-mail: anthony@phatmac.demon.co.uk Future By Design: future@phatmac.demon.co.uk Orders: orders@phatmac.demon.co.uk