Source Of Uncertainty: A Buchla Podcast 4U

Episode 26: Steven Barsky & The Time Domain Processor 288r

Welcome to episode 26 of Source Of Uncertainty. In this episode Kyle fly’s solo and digs into the new Time Domain Processor Model 288r. He then talks with Steven Barsky about overhauling the v2 MARF’s firmware.

Show notes:

Hello: 0:00

288r Deep Dive: 8:00

Steven Barsky Interview: 1:11:44

Goodbye: 2:05:40

 

Check out Steven Barsky’s music: https://soundcloud.com/steven-barsky 

Max Lord's MARF Book: https://github.com/wir35/marf-book/raw/ ... f-book.pdf

Purchase Robert’s music at: https://robstand.com/ 

Purchase Kyle’s music at: https://darksparkler.bandcamp.com/ 

Listen and subscribe to Podular Modcast: https://podularmodcast.fireside.fm/

Listen and subscribe to The Deerhorn podcast: 

https://thedeerhorn.podbean.com/ 

Listen and subscribe to Cosmic Tape Music Club podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cosmic-tape-music-club-hosted-by-the-galaxy-electric/id1550827261 

Subscribe to Waveform Magazine: https://www.waveformmagazine.com/

Get your source of uncertainty t-shirts at http://sourceofuncertainty.threadless.com/ 

Support the show and get access to exclusive videos and audio content through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sourceofuncertainty

Find us on Instagram @sourceofuncertainty 

Contact us at sourceofuncertainty.audio

 

Artist Spotlight: Mattias Petersson

I am composer and performer based in Stockholm, Sweden. My work usually stays within the realm of electronic music both when performing as a solo artist and in different constellations, but I have also written for chamber ensembles, dance companies and some opera.

Starting out with a basic Doepfer system in 1999, there have been modulars in my home studio ever since. Ten years ago I acquired my first small Buchla system. I started out with a 6-panel powered boat with a 206e, a 259e, a266e, a 281e and a 292e. Just before this was delivered, the Skylab cabinet was released. I tried to change my order into that instead and Don replied with a "yes". But of course I got the 6-boat anyway in the first shipment. Eventually, the Skylab arrived and I also added a 258v from Mark Verbos. The system has grown over the years and right now my system populates two Skylab cabinets, where one is my live system and the other have a more fixed position in the studio. I also still have the original 6-boat and an Easel Command.

As an associate professor in electroacoustic composition at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, I also maintain and teach on our fairly large system which is a hybrid of 200e stuff and vintage modules from 1974. The school are also in possession of an original Easel which was very close to be thrown away in a move of store rooms some years ago.

So, there's quite a lot of Buchla in my life and it is surely one of the cornerstones of my artistic work. My research is also all about different kinds of modularity, virtual and physical, human and non-human, and I usually strive for the perfect integration of my Buchla with self-made software instruments written mainly in the SuperCollider programming environment.

For my performance at CCTV Stockholm in March this year, I started out with the intention to work with my Easel Command and a little live-coding system I've made. I practiced and made some recordings with this setup for some weeks, but also tried other solutions in parallel. I ended up using my my live Skylab, comprised of the following modules: 266e, Studio.h CSR, 225e, 281e, 292e, 285e, 261e, 259e, Studio.h DPO (258e) and 291e. For control, sequencing and mixing I used another home made SuperCollider instrument based on the Snyderphonics Manta controller (http://snyderphonics.com/manta.htm). It is a touch sensitive device with 48 pads, 4 buttons and 2 sliders. Basically, the SuperCollider instrument is a modular system where each pad can be assigned one or several functions, like volume control of hardware inputs from the Buchla, sending midi or cv, apply effects, sequencing or sampling. For the live set I used a combination of live input from the Buchla and loops and samples made during the recording sessions with the Easel.

I have some music released on various labels using my real name, under the moniker Codespira1 and as part of different collaborations (mainly There are no more four seasons and RTTRSPRT). For further listening and info check these links:

 

Social media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codespira1/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/codespira1/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCspNTJ1xczCgKW0NUAMhSpQ

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/emp/

 

Releases as Codespira1:

Artefact (Moving Furniture Records, 2016) https://movingfurniturerecords.bandcamp.com/album/artefact

Rasterfeld Archives #1 (CO-DEPENDENT, 2019) https://co-dependent.bandcamp.com/album/code009

 

Releases as Mattias Petersson:

Remaining oddities, resultant additives (Jahr Null Aufnahmen, 2010) https://open.spotify.com/album/5IcAo9aprlVwNddnrXucLe?si=qXJ-Hd7tShqFXSmfhuDhbw

Floodlight (Ideal Recordings, 2008) https://open.spotify.com/album/7nGL4dtqmfUnOKiXtvUzKD?si=uM7Yb9tUSsuGDovLMvzFEw

Mimer (Fylkingen Records, 2003) https://open.spotify.com/album/41pgXkm2uw4iEbXSinyrSP?si=6aUh2fwfSS2kzuk5NMwICw

 

RTTRSPRT:

https://soundcloud.com/rttrsprt

 

There are no more four seasons:

Bandcamp: https://nm4s.bandcamp.com/

YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8_uqxOGZvxSRmEjKAuRl3g

Episode 25: Nested Vector Oscillator

Welcome to episode 25 of Source Of Uncertainty. In this episode Robert and Kyle grab a joystick and dive into the Human Comparator’s Nested Vector Oscillator.

Show notes:

Hello: 0:00

NVO Exploration: 25:00

NVO + CV: 53:30

Goodbye: 1:12:00

 

Find out more about the Nested Vector Oscillator check out: https://thehumancomparator.net/

 

Purchase Robert’s music at:

https://robstand.com/ 

 

Purchase Kyle’s music at: https://darksparkler.bandcamp.com/ 

 

Listen and subscribe to Podular Modcast: https://podularmodcast.fireside.fm/

 

Listen and subscribe to The Deerhorn podcast: 

https://thedeerhorn.podbean.com/ 

 

Listen and subscribe to Cosmic Tape Music Club podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cosmic-tape-music-club-hosted-by-the-galaxy-electric/id1550827261 

 

Subscribe to Waveform Magazine: https://www.waveformmagazine.com/

 

Get your source of uncertainty t-shirts at http://sourceofuncertainty.threadless.com/ 

 

Support the show and get access to exclusive videos and audio content through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sourceofuncertainty

 

Find us on Instagram @sourceofuncertainty 

Contact us at sourceofuncertainty.audio

Artist Spotlight: David Piazza

In the 1940’s, Pierre Schaeffer realized that the electronic medium opens up music composition to the whole domain of sonic phenomena. Technology enabled the composer to work directly with sound itself as opposed to an abstraction of it, operational signals on a sheet given to performers that could interpret them and realize the piece. For him, this reversal of the compositional process meant that we would need a new vocabulary to describe the whole reality of music, that notation only rendered a part of while all the while being prescriptive ; a language based on the premise that musical sounds are most importantly perceptual realities rather than acoustic ones. His idea was that we could use this framework to describe, discuss and reflect on our perception in a more objective way instead of relying on references to the origin of the sounds or onomatopoeia. This would in turn enable composers to identify and classify their materials based on their perceptual characteristics before manipulating and combining them into a piece of music.

 

Buchla’s 200e, to me, embodies these concepts in a single, open-ended instrument that allows me to generate, shape and articulate sounds into musical objects for both composition and performance.

 

This piece is an exercise in acknowledging my influences as well as a display of the way in which I have been using my 200e system in composition. It is organized in three parts : 

 

Part 1 :

A dynamic and busy system, where the ‘humanized’ noise of the 272e provides changing and unpredictable timbres accumulating in parallel to the 261e's shapeshifting waveforms. The 223e allows my hands to guide the flow of the processing and impart intentional gestures among the chaos of the patch. Sounds disintegrate, coalesce and resonate as they move around the different channels of the (mixed down) quadraphonic space.

 

Part 2 :

A pulsating drone swells and brightens as it iterates. Here, I am trying to coax the slowest movements that I can out of the 200e, as I open a filter on a rich sound being continuously shaped by the 296e. At the time of composing this section, I was listening to a lot of Eliane Radigue’s electronic works, which are often based around the careful exploration and subtle control of the movement and beating that stems from phase relationships between oscillators. I chose to pay tribute to her unique form through this progressive reveal of the spectral content of the sound, making its various components gradually percolate and collide across delay lines.

 

Part 3 :

Part 2 blends into part 3, wherein sorrow gives in to a more hopeful colour. The 272e is sampled and then manipulated. Repetition, like an attempt to eternalize things I know have to die, disperses faint echoes that become more distant and fade in and out, gradually, like memories.

 

Thank you to Kyle and Robert for the podcast and for providing me with an opportunity to share this. Thank you for listening and keep on patching!

 

Bandcamp : https://davidpiazza.bandcamp.com

Episode 24: MEMS Project Returns & The Boat Of Uncertainty

Welcome to episode 24 (or is it 23?) of Source Of Uncertainty. We are excited to welcome back Mark and Chip from the MEMS Project, and had a great time digging into their “Boat Of Uncertainty.”

Show notes:

Hello: 0:00

Boat Of Uncertainty: 1:37

Interview with Mark & Chip: 55:22

Goodbye: 2:22:52

 

Find out more about the MEMS Project at: https://memsproject.info/

 

Find the David Rosenboom’s book “Biofeedback And The Arts” here: http://www.frogpeak.org/fpartists_paypal/fprosenboom.html 

 

Purchase Robert’s music at:

https://robstand.com/ 

 

Purchase Kyle’s music at: https://darksparkler.bandcamp.com/ 

 

Listen and subscribe to Podular Modcast: https://podularmodcast.fireside.fm/

 

Listen and subscribe to The Deerhorn podcast: 

https://thedeerhorn.podbean.com/ 

 

Listen and subscribe to Cosmic Tape Music Club podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cosmic-tape-music-club-hosted-by-the-galaxy-electric/id1550827261 

 

Subscribe to Waveform Magazine: https://www.waveformmagazine.com/

 

Get your source of uncertainty t-shirts at http://sourceofuncertainty.threadless.com/ 

 

Support the show and get access to exclusive videos and audio content through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sourceofuncertainty

 

Find us on Instagram @sourceofuncertainty 

 

Contact us at sourceofuncertainty.audio

Artist Spotlight: Kevin Rix - Visitors

Kevin Rix is a film trailer composer, guitarist, and modular synth artist. His compositions have appeared in trailers for films such as Avatar, How to Train Your Dragon, Robin Hood, Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, Aquaman, Frozen 2, Black Widow, Top Gun: Maverick, The King's Man, Joker, and Cruella. In 2015, Kevin was introduced to modular synths and fell down the rabbit hole. 

 

“Visitors” is a live improvisation recorded in one take on a Buchla 24 panel system and Music Easel. I took an hour to program the 252e and do initial patching, then hit record. When using Buchla, I like to program modules like the 252e and start a basic patch with the sound off so I can discover and perform the patch in real time using the Todd Barton "follow the sound" method. There's no editing, overdubs, or mixing. The Easel was patched into a Strymon BlueSky.

 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdaO1wMpa0iCTimthFvfvxA

 

https://robotrixie.bandcamp.com

 

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6OneC6VqxKoEr5z6N17sOC?si=d57jujP1R8WU60wM1Nd_TQ

Artist Spotlight: Mat Watson - Spin Patterns Selections

BIO
Mathew Watson is a Melbourne (AU) based artist focussed on the exploration of electronic sound and the drumset. He has an extensive list of past and ongoing artist collaborations and has performed at arts festivals, music festivals, galleries and theatres in Australia, Japan and the USA. 

Watson began his musical life as a drummer, before turning attention to electronic sound, and in particular, modular synthesisers. He has established a highly personal approach to performance, composition and improvisation, as a solo artist and collaborator over the past two decades covering a vast spectrum of sound, style and form.

He released several albums under the name Other Places (It Records) between 2010 and 2017 alongside solo albums focussed on the EMS Synthi Aks and Buchla 200/e system. Amongst a plethora of local and international collaborations, Watson has moonlighted with Bronx legends E.S.G and performed in several large scale Boredoms BoaDrum performances in Australia and Japan. 

 

A few thoughts about Spin Patterns. 

As a drummer I am forever drawn to rhythm and texture. I am fascinated and inspired by pulses derived via electronic means: be it the beating of an LFO or the plucking of a low pass gate. Spin Patterns is very much focussed around the simple idea of movement and pulses coming together. I love how mellow the flow of voltage seems in the Buchla system. It’s like the edges are rolled off. This feels more musical to me and I think  you can feel this each time a new movement is set in motion, and as it reaches its destination. A perfect exchange of voltage, if such a thing can exist! Rather than using a sequencer for Spin Patterns, I decided to focus all attention on the relationship between cycling function generators and the Source of Uncertainty random voltage module. It is this relationship which is at the very heart of this album. I never tire of exploring this simple idea as it always yields new patterns and sounds that inspire me to create something new. I hope you enjoy this album as much as I enjoyed making  it. 

BANDCAMP: https://matwatson.bandcamp.com

Episode 22: Buchla USA CEO Eric Fox & The Infinite Phase Shifter

Welcome to episode 22 of Source Of Uncertainty. Get ready to phase in or phase out (whichever you prefer) with a long look at the Infinite Phase Shifter Model 297. Robert and Kyle then check in with Buchla USA CEO Eric Fox about the past year and a half since we last talked and chat about what’s coming in the future. 

 

Show notes:

Hello: 0:00

297 Featured Module: 22:22

Interview with Eric Fox: 1:15:00

Goodbye: 2:46:40

 

Find out more about Buchla at: https://buchla.com/ 

Purchase Robert’s new album at: https://robstand.com/ 

Purchase Kyle’s new album at: https://darksparkler.bandcamp.com/ 

Listen and subscribe to Podular Modcast: https://podularmodcast.fireside.fm/

Listen and subscribe to The Deerhorn podcast: https://thedeerhorn.podbean.com/ 

Listen and subscribe to Cosmic Tape Music Club podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cosmic-tape-music-club-hosted-by-the-galaxy-electric/id1550827261 

Subscribe to Waveform Magazine: https://www.waveformmagazine.com/

Get your source of uncertainty t-shirts at http://sourceofuncertainty.threadless.com/ 

Support the show and get access to exclusive videos and audio content through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sourceofuncertainty

Find us on Instagram @sourceofuncertainty Contact us at sourceofuncertainty.audio

Artist Spotlight: Musical Fungus - Eleusis

The first time I ever saw a Buchla system I was curious and intrigued. When I first heard a Buchla system I instantly fell in love with the timbres and have been exploring Don's circuits ever since. The sound of the Easel's Complex Oscillator or the Programmable Complex Waveform Generator Model 259 are unlike any other oscillator I have ever used. And the in depth interconnected relationship with their Modulation Oscillators makes them instruments in their own right. There is truly something magical in Don's designs. Something that attracts and inspires musicians from all corners of the world and all walks of life, to push their boundaries and think outside the musical status quo.

In my mind the Buchla ecosystem is the perfect platform for live musical improvisation. Raw stream of consciousness materialized by the musicians creativity and rewarded through careful exploration of the system. My favorite quote from Don is "Anything is possible. We're not limited by technology; we're not limited by instruments. We're limited only by our mindsets." Its this quote that continues to inspire me to explore new ideas in the creation of sound and to be fearless in my approach to improvised live performance. This piece of music is a manifestation of that quote and a glimpse into my creative mindset. An eclectic mix composed of various patches reflecting and archiving where I was and what I was feeling during that moment in time. 

One of my favorite ways to create music is to wake up, fire up the Buchla, hit record, and just explore the endless possibilities. Whether I end up liking the patch or not I always make it a habit of documenting the results and adding it to my personal sonic journal. I love the places I go and the emotions I experience when freely improvising on my Buchla. I believe I produce my best work with this method and it has personally become a powerful creative technique that I continue to explore.

All sounds heard in this piece were one take recordings with no overdubbing or multi tracking. Recorded between March and December of 2020 straight from the mixer to a Zoom H4n Pro. While I have a growing collection of 200 series clones that were used in these recordings from time to time. This piece of music was done almost entirely on a Music Easel through various outboard effect units.

 

Modules used in performance:

- 2016 Bemi Music Easel (208 and 218e)

- Progammable Complex Waveform Generator Model 259r

- Source of Uncertainty Model 266

- Mixer/Preamplifer Model 207r

-Quad Lopass Gate Model 292c

- Quad Function Generator Model 281r

- Dual Voltage Processor Model 257r

 

Effects used in performance:

- Sony TC-366 reel to reel (for tape delay)

-Strymon Timeline

-Strymon Big Sky

- Make Noise Mimeophon

- Make Noise Erbe-Verb

- Make Noise Echophon

- Make Noise Morphagene

 

For more music, videos, and tutorials:

soundcloud.com/musicalfungus

youtube.com/musicalfungus

kriyarecords.bandcamp.com

musicalfungus.bandcamp.com

instagram.com/musicalfungus

(@musicalfungus)

Episode 21: Passepartout Duo & The Bandpass Filter 194F

Welcome to episode 21 of Source Of Uncertainty. In this episode Robert & Kyle talk to Nicoletta & Christopher from Passepartout Duo about their new album “Epigrams”. Kyle also digs into the Bandpass Filter Model 194F. 

Show notes:

Hello: 0:00

Kyle explores the 194F: 6:48

Interview with Passepartout Duo: 32:37

Goodbye: 1:36:26

 

Find out more about Passepartout Duo, visit these links:
Bandcamp: https://passepartoutduo.bandcamp.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/passepartoutduo/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/passepartoutpianopercussion

Website: http://www.passepartoutduo.com/

 

Purchase Robert’s new album at:

https://robstand.com/ 

 

Purchase Kyle’s new album at: https://darksparkler.bandcamp.com/ 

 

Listen and subscribe to Podular Modcast: https://podularmodcast.fireside.fm/

 

Listen and subscribe to The Deerhorn podcast: 

https://thedeerhorn.podbean.com/ 

 

Listen and subscribe to Esoteric Modulation: https://www.esotericmodulation.com/subscribe-to-podcast

 

Subscribe to Waveform Magazine: https://www.waveformmagazine.com/

 

Get your source of uncertainty t-shirts at http://sourceofuncertainty.threadless.com/ 

 

Support the show and get access to exclusive videos and audio content through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sourceofuncertainty

 

Find us on Instagram @sourceofuncertainty 

 

Contact us at sourceofuncertainty.audio