Wesen of Ruin & Wesen has been doing some amazing stuff with the MachineDrum – and sharing every last detail with friends via the Web.
We’ve already seen his DIY hardware, including a joystick for the MonoMachine. Here’s my favorite hack so far, though: using the MIDI Command hardware, he’s set up his MachineDrum as a 16-voice polyphonic synth. That means, instead of just tweaking buttons and such, you can actually hook up a keyboard. (Hmmm… so, Keyboard Magazine, can I now write a MachineDrum + MIDI Command review for you?)
Joy of Streaming: I like Wesen’s latest idea — he’s live-streaming an informal apartment from his studio online using the service Stickam.com. Stickam carries events like the live BFF premiere with Paris Hilton. This particular stream is … well … a bit different in tone. (Think an international convergence of music tech lovers chatting about details of Wesen’s setup. Paris, you don’t know what you’re missing. Music is hot.)
If you want to join us, the event is happening now, and I’m sure there will be more like this soon:
Sign up (for chat capability) at: http://www.stickam.com/viewJoin.do
Watch at: http://ruinwesen.com/live
Live streaming could be a great way to connect with fans of your work, try out new setups as you’re developing them, or just to hang out. I keep meeting people doing amazing work who aren’t in the same place geographically. (Imagine online hackathons.) So, that brings me to my next questions:
- Seen any interesting uses of live streaming for music?
- Any good tips on the best services / servers to use? (Maybe it makes more sense to use a DIY server solution, or are the hosted servers an easier way to go?)
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m back to listening to Wesen and cleaning my apartment, or I’m not going to be able to do any streaming events any time soon.
Updated – recording: If you weren’t there last night, here’s the technological highlight from Wesen’s hardware, plus an MP3 of the music:
Thanks to everybody who was there, it was super fun! Sadly the video recording option on stickam broke down and didn’t save the recording, but here is an mp3 of the liveset: Stickam Liveset. I was not very concentrated so it is quite raw, and when I was chatting I was not changing much, but it was super fun to play. I presented the new feature for the MIDI Command: tweak recording, turn a knob and record it, and it will play back tempo synced to the controlled device. It’s a very useful feature, very easy to use, and allows for a host of new possibilities.