Podcasts about art music technology

Unfortunately, today is the last day of podcasting for the Art + Music + Technology podcast. Health issues have gotten in the way, and it would be impossible to continue. You can read the transcription of this article, as well as finding some interesting writing on my Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/posts/66445163 Thank you for being such a great group of friends and supporters during this long series of music 

Miller Puckette created "The Patcher" Max (the precursor to Max/MSP), and later Pure Data, two of the most important tools in the history of visual programming and computer music. Max was designed by Miller in the mid-1980s as an aid to computer-music composers who wanted to build their own dynamic systems without needing write C code. Max had no facility for sound generation at first, but that would come eventually with the addition of MSP. A decade later, after some academic politics nonsense forced him away from Max, Miller went on to create its successor, the open source Pure Data. Both Max/MSP and Pure Data have become wildly popular, with Max/MSP as a more polished-looking commercial product developed by Cycling '74 (now owned by music behemoth Ableton), and Pure Data as the thriving independent community project of hackers and techno-punks. Node-and-wire visual programming languages are almost a cliche at this point, as the vast majority of them either borrow heavily or at least reference the visual design of Miller Puckette's original Max patcher and its MSP/Pd offspring. Though as you'll hear in the interview, many of them are poorer for not rethinking some of the underling assumptions of their inspiration. I decided to bring Miller on the show after hearing a fabulous interview of him by Darwin Grosse on the Art + Music + Technology podcast. (Tip: subscribe, it's good.) Miller gave a great retelling of the history of Max and Pure Data and the forces at play when he created them, and that episode is a tidy complement the more design-focussed interview here on our show. Miller mentioned in passing that one of the three books he has yet to write would be his thoughts on realtime scheduling, so that was the initial hook for my interview. Looking back on the 30+ years of Max/Pd history, what has he learned about the design of tools? What were the alternative ideas that he didn't pursue? Where is there room for improvement, perhaps by others picking up where he left off? In this interview, Miller said a handful of things that were, well, painful for me to hear as a dogmatic champion of visual programming. So if you come into this thinking it'll be a well-earned hour of congratulation and adoration, sit up and get ready to flip the dang table. This interview was a blast; on a personal level, I was thrilled to have the chance to talk to such an influential figure in the history of my field, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Quote of the Show: "It's not only powerful, but it's also inadequate." The transcript for this episode was sponsored by Repl.it. For the full transcript and links go to https://futureofcoding.org/episodes/047

This episode of Art + Music + Technology is brought to you by Recording Magazine. You can learn more about Recording Magazine, check out articles and subscribe at www.recordingmag.com. Gannon Kashiwa truly does have a 'beginning story' for people interested in digital audio. From working with early copies of Sound Designer through the move from analog to digital in his mainstream recording studio, Gannon has been on the bleeding edge of recording technology. Moving from recording to technology was a natural thing for him - as his work at Avid/Digidesign and Universal Audio make clear. His work on software and hardware design, as well as his engagement with the user community, have been a large part of his impact on the work we all do, and his dedication to detail (like the work on control surfaces for Pro Tools) points to his love of recording. He is well-known in the Denver area for his work with the local Natural History Museum as well as recording and mastering work for many local, regional and even national groups. Enjoy this chat with Gannon!

This episode of Art + Music + Technology is brought to you by Recording Magazine. You can learn more about Recording Magazine, check out articles and subscribe at www.recordingmag.com. What a path. From theater tech to hardware manufacturing - who'da thought? Anthony Mattana has taken the hard road, developing a new method for binaural audio recording, developing a wireless interface to your phone (Android or iOS) and funding the whole thing on a wing and a prayer - but he's done it. I got a chance to try the Hooke Verse headphones when I was at NAMM, and they are worth the price of admission. In talking we Anthony, we get a sense of his passion for binaural recording, but we also get a sense of his passion to make it accessible to people. His experience with the $9000 dummy head system pointed out that, as amazing as the recording was, it wasn't something that he or his friends would be able to experiment with - the risk and costs were just too high. Thus, he made a mic! In this chat, we not only talk about the advantages of binaural recording - and the amazing spaces it can reveal - but also dive into the process of creating a hardware device, coding up a new codec for the wireless interchange, passing standards for a bluetooth device and getting things onto the various app stores. It's a wild ride, but the story is amazing. Enjoy, and take a peek at hookeaudio.com to check out the story. Oh, and if you listen through the podcast, we get a nice little discount code to use for the purchase of a Verse as well. So enjoy!

I really like the idea of allowing a concept to grow naturally. Alex McLean sort of lives his life with that as a rule. As the developer of the Tidal (nee TidalCycles) live coding language, the founder and curator of the AlgoMech festival and a big supporter of the algorave movement, Alex has found that interaction with other people - and allowing them to influence change - provides a compelling way to allow an idea to mature. And Alex is full of ideas. The Tidal language is a live coding language with a point: it's all about patterns. Using simple syntax and realtime interaction with the machine, you can weave together complex rhythmic and melodic algorithms into a compelling sonic story. He's taken this further with his development of the AlgoMech festival in Sheffield, which combines the worlds of algorithms and mechanisms in a unique way. He's also big into the algorave movement - which just makes sense. Alex took a little time out of his schedule to discuss his ideas, his life (including his surprising day gig...) and his approach to growing community, and there is a lot for anyone to learn from the discussion. Enjoy! This episode of the Art + Music + Technology podcast was supported, in part, by Chris Coleman and Laleh Mehran, artists based out of Denver, Colorado.

Michael Hetrick has his hands in a lot of projects. His main work is as one of the founders of Unfiltered Audio, creators of the SpecOps, Dent and (my personal favorite) Sandman plugin series. He also has a history of modular-style work, having created the EuroMax project (for Max/MSP) and the Euro Reakt package (for Reaktor). Most recently, he's produced HetrickCV - a huge set of VCVRack modules that really extend that platform. Speaking with Michael was a breeze - because he's interested in all the 'good stuff'. Whether talking about modular systems, Max and Reaktor, modular hardware or plug-in development, you get a sense of a guy that has a vision for what he wants, and the desire to spend the time to get it exactly right. The result is a consistently great level of development, regardless of the platform or package that he's working upon. A great talk with an amazing developer. You can find out more about Michael's work at his personal website - http://mhetrick.com/projects - or at the links above. Enjoy!  This episode of the Art + Music + Technology podcast was supported, in part, by Percussa - developers of AudioCubes, Engine, Remote and upcoming SSP Eurorack module.

Peter Grenader is a bit of a lightning rod. He's a 'personality' in a rather staid business, he's been part of the electronic scene for a long time, but he's always willing to speak his mind and provide his perspective. Some in the industry have written him off for good (he notes in the interview that he's been 'banned for life' from Muff Wiggler, for example), while other people that I respect - like Jill Frasier - find him a compelling creator and collaborator. What you can't argue, however, is his importance in the history of electronic music and the growth in popularity of modular systems. The Plan B business drove things forward from where Doepfer had started it, but brought a level of quality and creativity that was needed to move things forward. Alas, a tumble of problems occurred which caused Plan B to go under, and it was at a time when the modular community was just growing, getting some leverage, and was unwilling to let this just dry up. The result was a huge fight  - one that I didn't witness at the time, but whose footprints are still seen all over the modular synth landscape. Peter's willingness to talk about this, along with his assurances that his debts had been paid, should help us get past some of the problems of the past, and to be able to look that Plan B in its proper historical light, as well as illuminate the work that he and others are doing in the future. I hope that you enjoy getting to hear Peter - in person - talk about his excitement for the future, admission of past failures, and emotional enthusiasm for the electronic arts. This episode of the Art + Music + Technology podcast was supported, in part, by centrozoon - a trio consisting of Bernhard Wöstheinrich, Markus Reuter and Tobias Reber.

OK - Sam Battle is just amazing. He's a bundle of energy - and an obsession with making cool synths. From the famous 'Synth Bike' to the Jacob's Ladder drum machine, his creations span the range from crazy to outright insane. You can get a good taste of his work at his in-process website, or by following him on the Look Mum No Computer Facebook page. This was a great chat - Sam is hilarious, and his story is really quite amazing. From his move from guitar to synth, to his amazing work space, to his adventures in making his own modular in his own format(!), the story is as fascinating as the result. But it comes with some danger (during the interview, we talk about one video that actually scared me - because of the worries about jewelry near high voltage...), but a lot of fun. Sam is rockin' the video world, and all of his stuff is supported by his Patreon site: if you can help him out, I know he'd appreciate it. This is just the kind of guy we want to support! Thanks again for continuing to follow the podcast. If you haven't already done so, please follow the Art Music Technology page on Facebook; we've got some announcements coming up that will be really important to all the listeners. Otherwise - have a great one, and we'll see you soon. Enjoy!!!

Dan Hilse and Pierce Porterfield are the creative forces behind pATCHES.zone, a website full of useful tutorials, sample packs, and Ableton Live Packs. What sets their site apart is the practicality of the information and the beautiful presentation. Every page has characteristic GIF images to help explain the concepts and ideas within the post.  I had a chance to talk with Dan and Pierce about their work, making music, and how they approach delivering complex material in a world of ever-shrinking attention spans.  Listen on iTunes or Stitcher or Google Play Support the Podcast on Patreon   Show Notes: Tutorials on pATCHES Ableton Live Devices Max for Live Devices Utilities - Including those Radiohead Groove files! Manifestos - Philosophical pieces on making music (including my own!) Ludicrous CGI Abs Jai Paul stolen album Figure iOS app Roger Linn on Art + Music + Technology 99% Invisible - Nick Drake Searching for Sugarman