Modulate This!

Season 2 of Sonic Encounters Soundscapes Podcast Underway

October 9, 2018October 26, 2018Mark Mosher (NewEcho)

Each episode contains original improvisational soundscapes and songs created with synthesis and sampling to capture, disassemble, reassemble, and shape the sounds around us. Episodes are usually story-driven so check the episode notes for hints as to what’s going on with each individual piece.

I also make original cover art for each episode which can be viewed in the Soundcloud version. For example, Season 2 kicks of with with a new track called “The Department of Entropy”.

In a deep dark corner of universe, ancient bureaucrats monitor and nudge the machinery that controls the decay of the all things. Sometimes they dance. Welcome to the Department of Entropy.

Credits: Music, Story and Cover Art by Mark Mosher

Listen, Subscribe…

Subscribe in iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sonic-encounters-soundscapes/id1005123672
Listen with with your favorite podcatcher http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:17182/sounds.rss
Listen, follow, leave comments, and read episode notes on Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/markmosher/sets/sonic-encounters-soundscapes-podcast.

If you enjoy the podcast take a moment to subscribe, rate and comment in iTunes.

Enjoy,

Mark Mosher
https://NewEcho.com
http://SonicEncounters.com

Journey with Elektron Analog Four Continues + $100 Rebate on Analog Four MKII or Analog Rytm MKII Through September 30th

September 15, 2018October 16, 2018Mark Mosher (NewEcho)

I just spent an intense month going deeper with the Analog Four MKI to get ready for a recent Rocky Mountain Synthesizer Meetup presentation and performance I did with Brian Horsfeld (a.k.a. The Aefonic). He owns A MKII so I got to spend time checking it out as well.

The larger size, OLED screen, more dedicated and the back-lit buttons really improve the workflow on the MKII and give you better perspective on the state of the machine. Check out Cuckoo”s video on what’s new.

I was already pretty handy with the A4 but prepping for this meet up really took me to the next level and I have to say I consider this a real desert island since for me now. One thing that surprised me is how often I use it for drum sounds.

If you’re in the market for an Analog Four MKII and Analog Rytm MKII now is a good time to buy as they have $100 rebate which lasts till September 30.

Celebrate Analog!

The rich, captivating sound of a powerful analog synthesizer or drum machine has to be heard to be believed.

The Analog Four MKII and Analog Rytm MKII are our two proud flagship instruments. Superb analog sound, great digital control, precision, storage and programming. Simply put, the best of both worlds – analog and digital – brought to perfection with the new MKII versions.

For a limited time only, you’ll get an instant rebate when you buy an Analog Four MKII or Analog Rytm MKII ($100 or local equivalent)

This offer is valid through 30th September 2018 from Elektron.se (the instant rebate will be automatically included when the product is added to the cart) or from [participating] retailers.

NEEMFest (NorthEastern Electro-Music Festival) September 7-9, 2018 in Homer, NY + Live Streaming Link

September 7, 2018Mark Mosher (NewEcho)

NEEMFest (NorthEastern Electro-Music Festival) is happening September 7-9, 2018 in Homer, NY.

Where:
Center for the Arts of Homer, in Homer, NY  (near Rt. 81 Exit 12): http://www.center4art.org

When:
Friday, September 7, 12:00PM-12:00AM
Saturday, September 8, 12:00PM-12:00AM
Sunday, September 9, 12:00PM-12:00AM

Tickets: $10 for a Three-Day Pass!
More Info at neemfest.org

If you can’t attend in person, RadioSpiral can bring you the next best thing via live broadcast throughout the entire festival.
Go to http://radiospiral.net for details.
You can also listen on TuneIn at: http://tunein.com/radio/RadioSpiral-s285168/

Also, watch for hashtag #NEEMFest on social media outlets.

NEEMFest is a gathering of musicians that use electronic musical instruments and both hardware and software tools to create art in a performance-centric event. This is bigger than your average “synthesizer meet”; this is the philosophy of controllerism and abstract thinking, put into real practice in a peer-based and public environment. Hands-on workshops, seminars, demonstrations, and audio/video technology happen in an informal educational setting where all ages and skill levels are welcome to attend.

NEEM is affiliated with electro-music.com, which was founded by Howard Moscovitz and Greg Waltzer in the early 2000s. NEEMFest 2018 continues this annual festival tradition, now in it’s 15th year, which traditionally happens in the NorthEast quadrant of the USA; three large facilities with space to accomodate performances and workshops have been utilized for NEEM since its conception.

Not only are there constant performances on two stages; there will also be a hands-on “Synthesizer Petting Zoo,” with various rare and odd synthesizers, drum machines, and other pieces of electronic music gear you hadn’t known existed. Please bring your own headphones for the Zoo; iPhone/iPod headsets work well.

There is also a Raffle at this year’s event!

Main Prize: A Brand-New, In-The-Box Behringer Model D Synthesizer! (value: $299)
Second & Third Prize Tiers, TBA at the event.
Tickets are $10 Each, or 3-for-$25.
Sold only on-site at the event on September 7th and 8th.
Drawing: Saturday September 8th at 7:00PM; Must be present to win!

I attended the earlier incarnation of this event called Electro-Music NY in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014 hosted by Howard Moscovitz and Greg Waltzer and really enjoyed it. I like the looks of all the changes made as this has evolved to NEEMFest. The new venue looks great and I think the new location in a more populated area with $10 tickets will encourage more of a local audience as well.

I can’t make it out this year so a big thanks to http://radiospiral.net for the stream http://tunein.com/radio/RadioSpiral-s285168/.

Mark Mosher
Synthesist & Multimedia Artist

Artist Site: NewEcho.com
Electronic Music Tech & Production Blog: ModulateThis.com

Good Read “Electroacoustic Music is Not About Sound” by Eric Chasalow @NewMusicUSA @NewMusicBox

August 1, 2018Mark Mosher (NewEcho)

I recently discovered New Music USA which has a lot of great resources. I’m particularly enjoying the publication NewMusicBox.

NewMusicBox, a multimedia publication from New Music USA, presents artists in their own words and explores the ideas behind a wide scope of adventurous music produced in the United States: concert works, jazz, experimental, contemporary opera, chamber music, and more.

For example – below is a good read by Eric Chasalow.

“Electroacoustic Music is Not About Sound“

Yes, I do mean this title to be provocative, but my intention is to question some of our priorities and assumptions about composing, not to be polemical or suggest some correct way of composing. Rather, I am sharing some thinking that I have found serves my students and me well. The main thing I want to explore is my own attitude about musical time…

There are basic aspects of compositional thinking that seem to have become almost extinct—particularly, but not exclusively, in the realm of electroacoustic music…

But, there is still a lot to be gained by an awareness of and the ability to control pitch, no matter how abstract and seemingly “unpitched” musical materials may be. And the unfolding of structure moment by moment is still what music is about—that is, it is about time. I love inventing sounds as much as anyone, but without attention to time we just have sounds. Sound unfolding in time, on the other hand, produces musical thought.

New materials do demand new approaches, but this does not erase the necessity of paying attention to shaping the narrative…