With a panner that can be flown with a joystick – even for surround sound – and loads of other inventions, Erica Synths and Liquid Sky’s Ingmar Koch are boldly going deeper in Dada.
Dada Noise System II is the second edition of a collaboration between Erica Synths and Liquid Sky Artcollective. It’s a complete modular system, that’s intended as a complete integrated laboratory for sound.
Or as they put it, it’s “a modular synth-lab which is dedicated to create all kind of abstract organic analog noise / ambient soundscapes / industrial noise / bad ass bass / spheric atmospheres / experimental unheard drones / sonic glitches and of course all kind of thrilling horror- and scifi-sounds for the professionals.“
They’re unveiling the whole project in a live stream tonight on Twitch, featuring Porto, Portugal’s Gustavo Lima aka a thousand details – we’ll be watching!
Tune in to hear how the system sounds:
https://www.twitch.tv/athousanddetails
8 PM London / 9 PM Berlin / 10 PM Riga
(and 3 PM New York / 12 PM LA and… okay, you know the drill…)
Those joysticks are really what add some fascinating direction to this one, and seem a must even if you just nab those Black series modules. They’re recordable, gestural, so you can use them for experimental sequencing, sound positioning, quadrophonic and surround sound, or even just elaborate panning in stereo.
There’s also a separate Quadrophonic Surround Panner.
It seems this could have some fascinating new potential for people working beyond stereo, too, and imagining sound outside clubs. They suggesting applications like film, installation, and gaming – or more experimental quad performances. It’s not hard to imagine some scores that want to get hands-on and analog with their surround design.
And the sum total of this thing is something that can make mad and experimental sounds unlike any other – true to the dada spirit, and the boundless potential of the synthesizer. Crazy sounds for crazy times.
Here’s how it all looks together:
And specs:
- Fusion VCO2
- Fusion VCF3
- Fusion Modulator
- Black Stereo Delay
- Black Joystick2 – one of the main elements of the Dada Noise System II which allow automations in sound and effects, positioning in the quadraphonic room, or can function as experimental sequencer and sound source.
- Black VC Clock
- Black Modulator
- Black Dual VCF
- Black Quad VCA
- Black Spring Reverb
- Black Output
- 25 patch cables
- Included vertical side panels
- Included external PSU.
The full Dada System II rig will set you back €3310, but you get a heck of a system for that – and a lot of depth that goes beyond what a single keyboard/workstation would get you for the price.
Dada System II rig:
https://www.ericasynths.lv/shop/eurorack-systems/dada-noise-system-ii/
The Surround Panner runs 1820 EUR – and some people will get that on its own.
https://www.ericasynths.lv/shop/eurorack-systems/quadraphonic-surround-panner/
So for the full system configured as in the picture, you’d buy both, plus panels to connect top and bottom.
But whether or not you can afford a new modular now, let’s take some time for some Dada history and explore Dadaism as philosophy! Ingmar, the imagineer at Liquid Sky, has collected some videos. It worked in 1918, so it fits pretty well in 2021. Just to get you started:
Most crucially, don’t forget Elsa von Freytag-Longhoven, the artist you perhaps should think of before you think of Marcel Duchamp. She may well have been the actual mind behind the infamous “fountain” (urinal readymade) artwork and – well, she’s cool, regardless.
Find plenty more wild inspiration on the Liquid Sky blog.
Plus check the Liquid Sky collective Bandcamp page, too.
And here are some shots of the hardware, by arist a thousand details – he’s clearly enamored of the thing he’s playing tonight:
