Five New Reviews in Soundbytemag.net

The new issue of soundbytesmag.net has come out and I have four reviews in it.  First of all, there's a review of Anthony Saunders absolutely wonderful Quantum Sequencer app.

http://soundbytesmag.net/music-tablets-quantum-sequencer-anthony-saunders/

Then I review some nifty new modules for Softube's Modular softsynth:

http://soundbytesmag.net/review-new-modular-expansions-softube/

And I also review IK Multimedia's powerful new softsynth, Syntronik:

http://soundbytesmag.net/review-syntronik-ipad/

and finally, there's a review of Amplesound's sampled Ukulele, which amazed me with it's sound quality and versatility:

http://soundbytesmag.net/review-amplesound-ethnic-ukulele/

And then, two months ago, in the July issue of Soundbytes, I reviewed two new iOS apps by UVI - Ravenscroft 275 Sampled Piano, and Beathawk, a rather nifty sampler/sequencer:

http://soundbytesmag.net/music-tablets-uvitouch-ravenscroft-275-sampled-piano-beathawk/

A lot of testing went into these articles, and it's a lot of writing to read, but I hope that some of you will find something of amusement or value in these articles.  Enjoy.

Mosaics and Transparencies on FBi-FM in Sydney, Thursday night

Following on Sunday night's broadcast on PBS-FM in Melbourne, on this Thursday night, Nov. 16, on Ears Have Ears, hosted by Scarlett di Maio and Brooke Olsen, on FBi Radio, 94.5 FM in Sydney, from 9pm-11pm, will be a presentation of a different version of Mosaics and Transparencies, made specially for this broadcast, as well as two pieces from the group of Box Hill composition graduates that were commissioned for the September Astra Now and Then Festival. (The other 3 pieces will be played next week.)

Here's a promo for the show: https://fbiradio.com/945fm/programs/ears-have-ears/

And you can stream the show on https://fbiradio.com/

For international folks, 9-11pm on a Thursday night in Sydney translates into the following:

New York 5-7am Thursday

Los Angeles 2-4am Thursday

London 10am-noon Thursday

Europe 11am-1pm Thursday.

I'll be interviewed via phone at about 10pm, with the piece shortly after that.  And sound artist Holly Hearndon will be featured in the first half of the show.

Thanks to Scarlett and Brooke for asking for the piece, and for doing the broadcast.  I hope some of you can tune in to the show.

Mosaics and Transparencies tonight on PBS-FM 106.7

This evening, Sunday 12 November, from 10pm - midnight, I'll be on Ian Parson's show, "The Sound Barrier," on PBS-FM 106.7. In the second hour of the show, I'll be playing a live-to-air version of Mosaics and Transparencies, that I've been playing live over the past few months in a variety of locations. (Bendigo, for Undue Noise, June 24; Fitzroy, for Astra, Sept 9; Adelaide Uni, ACMA Conference, Sept 30; Box Hill Institute, Oct 10).  

In the first hour, I'll be presenting, along with Ian, works by composers who recently graduated from Box Hill Institute, and whose works were commissioned by Astra Chamber Music for their September "Now and Then" Festival.  The composers, who will also be in the studio, and will be presenting their work, are Matthew Paine, Dylan Imeneo, Jeffrey Dunn, Tamara Violet Partridge and David Weaver.

If you can't listen to the show on the radio (106.7 FM), you can listen to it on a live-to-air stream, at https://www.pbsfm.org.au/.  For those not in the Melbourne time zone, 10pm - midnight here is at these times in some other places:

New York City 6-8 am sunday

Los Angeles 3-5 am Sunday

London  Sun 11am - 1 pm

Europe Sun noon - 2pm

Thanks for Ian for having me on the show, and Astra, for commissioning the composers for Now and Then.  I hope that some of you can tune in.

Gestures for 3 iPads in 36 tone equal temperament

Here's a video made for a concert presentation Oct 13, 2017 at the Glitterbox Theater in Pittsburgh, PA, to celebrate the launching of the new CD "MM76 Amusical Music, Atheatrical Theatre," produced by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE. The piece involves me playing live on 3 iOS devices, all with the same patch on them: ChordPolyPad playing arpeggiated hexachords, MF Randomizer scrambling the output of the ChordPolyPad, and the piano sounds are made by the UVI Ravenscroft 275 piano app. The pianos on the three iOS devices are each detuned by 1/3 of a semitone, making a total tuning for the piece of 36 tones per octave equal temperament. Many many thanks to tENT for organizing the CD, and then, organizing the launch, and asking me to be part of it!  And of course, many many thanks to Catherine Schieve for yet more video work documenting things! 

UPDATE November 12:  I just got an email from tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE, that he has now made and posted on-line, 3 videos of the October 13 performance.  Here's what he wrote:

"I made 3 movies of the MM 76 CD RELEASE event at the Glitter Box Theater & these are all online now: 

"MM 76 RELEASE" (1:28:38): https://youtu.be/XuoZopfS4CQ

"MM 76 RELEASE (medium rare)" (39:33):  https://archive.org/details/MM76RELEASEmediumRare 

"MM 76 RELEASE (well done)" (12:24): https://vimeo.com/241244343 

You'll note that each version gets progressively shorter so there're options depending upon your attention span."  

The videos each feature performances on the night from Noah Rechtenwald, myself, Ben Opie, tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE (with Meg Graham, vocals); How Things Are Made and Michael Boyd.  The (well done) 12:24 version gives you a very good and quick overview of what looks like was a very fun event.  Enjoy.

NOW AND THEN, a 2 weekend festival of electronic music, presented by Astra

Coming up very soon, a 6 concert festival of electronic, electro-acoustic, and instrument and electronics pieces presented by ASTRA, from Friday Sept 1, through Sunday Sept 10.  Here's a schedule:

Concert 3 - six events

Friday 1 September, 8:00 pm- Church of All Nations, cnr. Palmerston & Drummond Streets, Carlton

Sunday 3 September, 5:00 pm - Church of All Nations, cnr. Palmerston & Drummond Streets, Carlton

Saturday 9 September, 3:00 pm - Eleventh Hour Theatre, 170 Leicester Street, Fitzroy

Saturday 9 September, 5:00 pm - Eleventh Hour Theatre, 170 Leicester Street, Fitzroy

Saturday 9 September, 8:00 pm - Eleventh Hour Theatre, 170 Leicester Street, Fitzroy

Sunday 10 September, 5:00 pm - Church of All Nations, cnr. Palmerston & Drummond Streets, Carlton

A full rundown of events at astramusic.org.au.

Some points of interest - Fri Sept 1 - Simone de Haan plays WB's "Responses and Compressions" for Trombone and Cassette - first performance in about 30 years!

Saturday 9 September - 3 pm - classic fixed media pieces including "Harbour Symphony" by Catherine Schieve, recorded in 2006 in St John's Harbour, Newfoundland.

Saturday 9 September - 5 pm - new pieces by former composition students at Box Hill Institute.  I've heard them all, and they're all really interesting.  Congratulations, guys!

Saturday 9 September - 8 pm - premier of the full 8 channel version of WB's "Mosaics and Transparencies" for multiple recordings, live mixed and diffused.

I hope to see some of you at some of these events.  I think it will be a blast.