The new Brian Eno album (which has beautiful packaging, examples below) reminded me of how aesthetically pleasing his catalog is, so I thought I’d post some of my favorites. The reverse for Discreet Music is probably my favorite; need a poster of that for the studio.
Saw the Dodocase today on Engadget and instantly, for the first time, really wanted an ipad. A year ago I would have told you the idea of carrying around a giant Moleskine that disguises a giant iPhone was crazy, but here we are, and I want both. This seems like a pretty cool way to conceal the true geek within; kind of like putting a Triumph motorcycle shell over a Segway. Absolutely love the library card, been seeing that used a lot lately.
On a side note, how many of you are using an iPad? Do you use it solely for entertainment / productivity or are you finding any creative applications for it? I’m pretty sure I’ll be holding off on the iPad at least until the next generation rolls around and the music software matures a bit (really interested in the live applications of a touchscreen interface a’la the Jazzmutant Lemur).
Here’s a video detailing the build process, which is apparently done right here in San Francisco.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1N42OnhQIQ
I’ll be doing visuals for Casino Versus Japan when he plays with Deerhunter and Real Estate this Saturday here in San Francisco. We’ve done this once before, at LPR in NYC. Should be a great night, see you out there.
10.30 – Deerhunter, Casino Versus Japan (w/ ISO50), Real Estate
@ Slim’s
And to answer Healthcare’s question in the comments, for the visuals I’m running the following:
– Macbook Pro
– VDMX (modular live video software environment)
– OS X network MIDI protocol for tempo sync with Ableton Live
– Akai MPD18 (might start using Novation Launchpad though, if I can get it to work with VDMX)
Here’s an pretty outdated discussion of the visuals setup. A lot has changed, but the core app (VDMX) is pretty much the same.
Photo by Joshua Schnable
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPFpcKm0B7U
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbfTeJJywjY
Daft Punk has a new song and, with their involvement in the Tron movie, have formed a pop-culture singularity, collapsing the space around themselves into a massive self-fulfilling prophecy. It’s all very fitting, incredible imagery and sound. They showed their scoring skills in Electroma, and this new song (which was scored for the film) along with the theme (second video) seem to take it to the next level.
Be sure to watch in HD: Derezzed | Tron Theme
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Et_LsxlX8Y
Awesome behind the scenes segment on the making of the 1980’s HBO intro. Every time I get frustrated with work I’ll think of this and remember how lucky we as creatives are to have modern tools. Although compare this to the digitally generated DVNO video. +1 for analog, again. I don’t know what amazes me more, that they achieved these effects with such limited technology, or that HBO was willing to go to such expense for an intro sequence.
Oh, and the HBO Video logo for good measure…
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M2gAo6kono
Just checked in on Matthias Heiderich (who we covered a while back) and he’s got some beautiful new work up. I love how he blurs the lines between photography and design.
I’ve been wanting to see Werner Herzog’s Encounters at the End of the World for some time and finally got a chance to see it tonight. After seeing Fitzcarraldo and The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans (which is so incredibly bad that it’s certainly some sort of elaborate joke he’s playing) in rapid succession, I was excited to check out his take on the Documentary format. Based on the trailer I was somewhat looking forward to the imagery in Encounters — I was expecting the majority of the film to be shot underwater like Wild Blue Yonder but was pleasantly surprised to find it was more about what was going on up top. The people, landscapes, buildings, and machines around McMurdo Station make for some beautiful shots. As Herzog narrates in the film “..on this planet, McMurdo comes closest to what a future space settlement would look like.” We even get treated to some vintage celluloid from a 1970’s-era expedition. Definitely a must-see.
More stills after the break. (more…)
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj4WqJGQu1Q
Here’s some serious power on the cheap for your next photography outing. Gizmodo details how to sync your DSLR and iOS device up for wireless shooting and image transfer. I’ve been wanting a system like this but assumed it was insanely expensive, this method will run you about $75 (assuming you already own an iOS device). My only potential issue with it would be transfer speed; notice how there is never a continuous shot of the photo being taken and the image arriving at the iPhone. The remote shutter functionality is enough for me though.
Source Gizmodo
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fypi6dAJB8E
I always see those huge drums of ink sitting around when I’m on press for a print job but it rarely occurs to me to ponder where it comes from. Well thanks to The Printing Ink Company, now we know. It’s amazing the time and the attention to detail they put into each step. Beautifully shot; the whole thing really makes me appreciate printed materials all the more.
Written and produced by Ian Daffern | Directed and Edited by Tate Young
Video Source
Pictured above are some shots of the various models in Access Music’s Virus TI2 line. Of all the musical equipment manufacturers out there, I’d have to say that the Recklinghausen, Germany based outfit are making some of the most innovative and powerful sound synthesis tools available today. But aside from that, they’re incredibly beautiful and well-crafted machines. I’ve owned several and have to say I’ve always been amazed at the build quality and attention to detail they put into their equipment. I love how they take subtle cues from the past — the perfectly measured application of wood is a perfect example — while still pushing the design forward. As I’ve said before, it doesn’t get any better than stainless steel and wood, and the TI2 KB features a stainless steel/wood sandwich on the endcaps. Sort of like the amazing Jupiter 6 caps, but with wood (I sold a Jupiter 6 once. Worst mistake ever). But none of this comes cheap, these are also some of the most expensive synthesizers out there (probably the most expensive VA’s). I’d have to say they’re well worth the money though, the sound is unmatched and they’re built to last.
What I really admire about what Access is doing is that they’re doing it all from within the festering pit of mediocrity that is the music technology industry, an industry dominated by bad taste and terrible interface design. I don’t know what it is that drives industrial design in music technology, but you’d swear every new keyboard was designed by the backup drummer from Ratt. So I really admire it when a company steps up and chooses quality design over gimmicky superfluousness and nonsensical hyperbole (Tubes? Really? I bet they’re not even in the signal path). Roland is the saddest example of a once great company committing egregious latter day design sins. This is the company that brought us the iconic 808, 909, MSQ-700, SH-5, and Jupiter 8. Music machines with incredibly well thought out interfaces which were also durable and aesthetically pleasing. The best they can muster now are bloated, plastic, messes that look like a cross between a dvd player and a karaoke machine. And they don’t sound any better than they look. Oh yeah, once in a while try to reclaim their former glory with a cheap knockoff of their own product (to be fair, Korg is just as guilty of this as Roland).
But I digress… If you’ve caught some of my posts on the studio or seen the live show you may have noticed that I’m quite fond of my Virus C synthesizers. Of all the VA (virtual analog) synthesizers out there, I’d say the Virus has the most warm and unique sound. When it comes to VA’s, I think it’s all about the converters. The modeling can be dead-on but if you’re running through some space-age, 24-bit converters, the sound is going to be cold and rigid. That’s the thing that (used to) set the Virus line apart from the rest, the converters. They were warm and gritty, you could really feel the sound, it was authentic. First came the Virus A, which many still consider the best sounding of the Virus line (I wouldn’t know, I’ve only used the C line and on). Then came the B, which I heard had a little cleaner converters (read: worse). And right around the time I became aware of the Virus they came out with the C line. I was sold the first time I played one. They come shipped with the bucket full of useless euro-trance trash patches that are apparently legally required to preload on a new synth, but once you get past those and start digging in and programming, you can make them sing.
A couple years later they came out with the TI line and I got a TI Polar. To tell the truth, I was pretty disappointed by the sound. It was just too sterile, too pristine. They had apparently implemented the new 24-bit converters and you could hear it. I ended up selling the Polar and sticking with my C KB and Indigo Redback. Which was unfortunate, because the TI’s are just so beautiful. And also because Access no longer makes the mainboards for the C models. One bad power setup at a show and my Indigo is toast, for good.
Images Source: Access Music
