Source Of Uncertainty: A Buchla Podcast 4U

Artist Spotlight: Johnny Woods

0:00 Dawn Two (from Pavilions)

6:21 First Flight (live) (from The Wild Vol. 1)

10:24 Sketch of Uncertainty 1 (live) (exclusive)

13:58 Sketch of Uncertainty 2 (live) (exclusive)

18:36 Sketch of Uncertainty 3 (live) (exclusive)

The first two tracks are taken from two recent releases, and notably both use the same exact patch. The last three pieces are exclusive for this podcast. When trying to figure out themes for a new album, I typically record dozens of little live sketches that play with different patch ideas. These one-take-wonders illustrate some concepts I am working on for future releases.  

https://johnnywoods.bandcamp.com/

Episode 15: The Galaxy Electric + 208 Tips & Patch Ideas

Welcome to episode 15 of Source Of Uncertainty. In this episode we talk to Jacqueline & Augustus from The Galaxy Electric. We talk about the duo’s musical history, discovering Buchla, and the  Kickstarter campaign for their new album. Before our chat, Kyle shows off a few thing’s he’s learned about the 208/Music Easel.

 

Show notes:

 

Hello: 0:00

208 Tips & Patch Ideas: 7:00

Interview with The Galaxy Electric: 40:20

Goodbye: 2:08:00

 

For more information about The Galaxy Electric, visit their website at https://www.thegalaxyelectric.com/. You can also find the Kickstarter for their new album here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1511715045/the-galaxy-electric-is-releasing-new-music-on-reel-to-reel/description

 

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

 

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

Artist Spotlight: The Galaxy Electric

The Galaxy Electric are Augustus and Jacqueline - a husband/wife duo based in the US - who are obsessed with early electronic music that utilized magnetic tape to create new sounds no one had ever heard before! Together, they blend influences from 60s Psych pop and Retro Sci-Fi to make "Cosmic Tape Music.” Using Buchla style synthesizers, Reel to Reel and Cassette tape machines, a Mellotron, a Korg Delta and various effects devices sprinkled with ethereal vocals they take their listeners on a cosmic journey. 

When their debut album, "Everything is Light and Sound" was released on vinyl, they were hailed as "one of the most original and intriguing bands to emerge in the music scene within the last year." They spent a lot of time on the road opening for bands like Lake Ruth and Welsh artist Gwenno. And now have returned to the studio for their second full length album, “Tomorrow Was Better Yesterday.” 

“Tomorrow Was Better Yesterday” is the first album we have ever recorded that was fully and completely improvised. We recorded to 1/4" Analog Tape without any digital recording magic (overdubs, edits, tuning etc). We spent a year practicing this new improvisational style before we turned on the tape machine. But once we did, we recorded every day for a month. And when we listened back - we realized we had created a space age fantasy album - with an incredible story; a soundtrack to a time traveling space voyage.

In order to honor the recording process of this album - we knew we had to find a way to release it on Reel to Reel tape with the most amazing artwork and packaging - to create a unique Collector's Item worthy of the voyage. With the help of Dead Media Tapes, we will be able to do just that!”

Pre-Order “Tomorrow Was Better Yesterday”
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1511715045/the-galaxy-electric-is-releasing-new-music-on-reel-to-reel?fbclid=IwAR1fOryUb5reu4pkW47M7mqQBoVMehsuvp94jPIqd16XYqXQSVqvIDBWKXI 

 

Our website:

www.thegalaxyelectric.com

Social Links: 

https://www.facebook.com/thegalaxyelectric

https://www.instagram.com/thegalaxyelectric/

https://twitter.com/galaxyelctrc

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6DhuaWCSugIiyHlxE7vsBA

 

Playlist and description:

1. “Tomorrow Was Better Yesterday” Album Trailer Premiere: this is a collage of the tracks from our forthcoming full length album release. We are hosting a kickstarter for the project to fund releasing the album on cassette and REEL to REEL!
2. Tomorrow Was Better Yesterday Single: One of our favorite songs off of the new album. This song was completely improvised straight to 1/4” tape and features heavy use of the Buchla Music Easel among other synths and effects. 
3. Buchla Coconut: A song off of our debut album Everything is Light and Sound. This song was performed exclusively on the Buchla Music Easel along with some found sounds. 
4. Calm Down: A song off of our debut album Everything is Light and Sound. This song was our first instance of using the Buchla Music Easel in a track. 
5. Relaxation Tapes: The first song off of our debut album Everything is Light and Sound. It’s a collage piece that sets the stage nicely for the Buchla Cosmic Drone track to follow. 
6. Buchla Cosmic Drone 5-24-20: This is the 20th long form improvised meditative drone we performed on May 24, 2020. It features a small Buchla system featuring clones of the 257, 259, 266, 280, and 292 as well as 1979’s Digital Resonator. It also features Jacqueline’s voice run through 2 Boss RE-20 space echo pedals. 

Episode 14: Doug Clauder, Studio H

Welcome to episode 14 of Source Of Uncertainty. In this episode we talk to Doug Clauder from Studio H about his modular beginnings and how he got into making modules to solve problems within his system. Before our chat, Robert show’s off the lovely Studio H Dual Programmable Oscillator.

 

Show notes:

 

Hello: 0:00

Studio H Dual Programmable Oscillator: 11:15

Interview with Doug Clauder: 29:50

Goodbye:1:46:15

 

For more information about Doug’s products, visit his website at http://studiohsoftware.com/. 

 

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

 

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

Artist Spotlight: Jim Schoenecker / Pressboard - "Keeping it 100"

With a musical history rooted in experimental electronics, minimalism and techno, Jim has now found himself deep into Buchla. Drawn to the incredible sound and superior user interface, he started with a Music Easel and now is working with full 100 and 200 Series systems.

 

In addition to his solo work, Jim had performed / recorded with: Sample and Fold,
Collections of Colonies of Bees, Volcano Choir, Bon Iver, Dartanjal, Jon Mueller, Marcus Schmickler, Bhob Rainey and James Plotkin among others and had released music on: Zod, Toxic Recordings, Jagjaguwar, Nobody Owns Records, Table of the Elements, Addict Records, Topscore USA and Crouton Records.

 

"After building up the 100 series system I started to apply some of the
conventions that I've used working with my 200 Series system. I learned that,
because of the 100 Series early designs and limitations, these conventions and ideas quickly turned into something really different... and wonderful."

 

Each of the 9 pieces (assembled together in this program) were recorded live in one take to two track stereo, no edits or overdubs. Only audio processing is end of signal chain reverb.

 

Recorded May - July 2020

 

Model 106 — Mixer 
Model 110 — Dual Voltage Controlled Gate 
Model 111 — Dual Ring Modualtor 
Model 123 — Sequential Voltage Source 
Model 130 — Dual Envelope Detector 
Model 140 — Timing Pulse Generator 
Model 144 — Dual Square Wave Oscillator 
Model 156 — Dual Control Voltage Processor (x2) 
Model 158a — Dual Sine-sawtooth Generator 
Model 160 — White Noise Generator 
Model 165 — Dual Random Voltage Source 
Model 180 — Dual Attack Generator 
Model 185 — Frequency Shifter 
Model 192 — Dual Lopass Filter 
Model 194 — Bandpass Filter 

Neunaber Audio Immerse Reverb 

 

pressboard.bandcamp.com

 

soundcloud.com/pressboard

 

prssbrd@gmail.com

Episode 13: Morton Subotnick

In this very special 1 year anniversary episode of Source Of Uncertainty we talk to the legendary Morton Subotnick!!!! Before we talk with Mort, we explore 2 delay modules within the Buchla ecosystem, the 277r Signal Delay Unit, and the new 1979 DSD.

Show notes:

Hello: 0:00
Kyle’s Signal Delay Unit Model 277r Demo: 17:30
Robert’s 1979 DSD Demo: 47:20
Interview with Morton Subotnick: 1:13:00
Goodbye: 2:20:30

For more information about Morton Subotnick, visit his website at http://www.mortonsubotnick.com/. 

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

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

Subscribe to Waveform Magazine: https://www.waveformmagazine.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: Tyresta - "Facing Ourselves"

Tyresta is the experimental music project of social worker and musician Nick Turner.  Nick is based in Chicago, Illinois and makes music utilizing various instruments including Buchla Music Easel, eurorack modular, mellotron, and guitar.  He also helps behind the scenes with the ambient, drone, and experimental music labels Past Inside the Present and sub-label Fallen Moon Recordings.   

 

You can find his music on Bandcamp or through your streaming service of choice.  

 

Piece description: 

 

I wrote and recorded "Facing Ourselves" during the Coronavirus shelter-in-place order in April 2020.  Outside of my life in music, I am a mental health therapist so I have directly witnessed what happens when people (myself included) are forced to give up certain routines and distractions and face themselves.  The four parts of "Facing Ourselves" sort of represent the various emotional states that both I and the people I work with have gone through since the Coronavirus outbreak.  Though at times uneasy and tense, there have been moments of deep love and connection, which has been interesting to witness and experience.  

 

Like many people, when working with the Easel, I can get lost in shaping sounds for hours on end.  With each of these pieces, I was working with both the Easel and various effects  (Strymon Timeline, Strymon BigSky, and Valhalla reverb) in order to land on sounds that adequately represented the emotions/feelings I wanted to evoke in the listener.  Effects, both in and outside of the box, help inform my approach to sound design and also assist in determining the direction I go in with certain patches on the Easel (timbres, waveshapes, tempo, envelope shapes, etc.).  

 

Mastered by Nathan Moody at Obsidian Sound.

Episode 12: Barry Schrader

In this episode of Source Of Uncertainty we explore the idea of a “Base Patch” and share our findings. We then get to chat with composer Barry Schrader about teaching at CalArts, composing music for a sci-fi cult classic, and dig into how he made the seminal Buchla album “Lost Atlantis.” 

Show notes:

Hello: 0:00

Kyle’s Base Patch: 13:10

Robert’s Base Patch: 41:20

Interview with Barry Schrader: 1:09:30

Goodbye: 2:48:30

For more information about Barry Schrader, visit his website at https://barryschrader.com/, and find his music at https://barryschrader.bandcamp.com/. 

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

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

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

*Music provided by Barry Schrader

Artist Spotlight: Günther Steudel

Welcome to the first Artist Spotlight episode of Source Of Uncertainty! 

Today we feature music from Günther Steudel. Günther was the inspiration to start this series when he reached out to us with some music that he had recorded in the 1980's with his Buchla 300 series! We felt very lucky to hear these recordings from Günther, and now we're very excited to share them with you.

Below are some accompaniments for each of the three tracks written by Günther.

Enjoy!

Automation

Computers, whether a hulking mainframe, or a small tablet, can create feelings of ambivalence. These
machines are fast, beautiful, and even sexy when operations run smoothly. But there can be moments
when activity goes astray, becomes discordant, producing unreliable results, or even disasters. At other
times they stop altogether without explanation. The fog of uncertainty can last a long time before a
resolution is found and normal, delightful operations return.

Circus

Standing at the top of a hill, looking over a field of wild grass and wild flowers, seeing a hilly valley
below. It is hot! The air is blue with humidity and filled with the sound of countless insects in the field.
Overhead fly barn swallows, with their v-shaped wings. They swoop over the field in pursuit of a meal.
Their flying skills are incredible! The sights, the sounds, the smells, all weave together into a carnival; a
circus.

Poseidon’s Glove

The ocean, calm, deep, dark, mysterious. One can hear the occasional whale travel by. There is a sense
of enormous power that is contained. And suddenly that power bursts forth! Rolling and heaving waves
travel into the distance, only to crash against a rock face and explode into a unique and momentary
shape. One such shape looks like an open hand, reaching out of the ocean. Poseidon is present!

Episode 11: Steve Horelick

In this episode of Source Of Uncertainty we chat with Steve Horelick aka Steve H about his lengthy history with using Buchla Instruments, his world of Logic, and creating one of the greatest ear-worms of the 80’s. 

Show notes:

Hello: 0:00
Interview with Steve Horelick: 26:10
200e Skylab Performance: 1:11:07
Music Easel performance: 1:56:17
Goodbye: 1:59:45

For more information about Steve Horelick you can visit: https://stevehmusic.com/ 

For Steve’s new Oceana EP and the improvised music on today’s show you can visit his bandcamp page: https://stevehmusic.bandcamp.com/

You can also find a bunch of great performances on Steve’s YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNY4ppW6ZFTPWD25ViD8XJA

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

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

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

And at sourceofuncertainty.audio