Matt “Moldy” Moldover helped champion the notion of controllerism, focusing live performance on manipulation of digital parameters. In his latest music video, he shows off his latest creations. What’s nice about what he’s doing currently is that he’s able to augment traditional live rigs with buttons and sensors. Having your controls clamped to a mic stand? Eminently practical for vocalists and instrumentalists. The guitar gets the full sensor treatment, too. Moldover explains to CDM:
Both the guitar and mic controllers are prototypes I made for my recently completed Super Villain Tour. The microphone attachment is called The Mojito. It’s simply eight arcade buttons built onto a steel clamp that I use to control vocal effects. The guitar is an instrument I’m developing with Visionary Instruments named The RoboCaster (after a well known cyborg/guitar). It’s got every sensor I thought might be cool to have on there including accelerometers, an infrared emitter-detector, and a keyboard mod-wheel. This video highlights how I’ve mapped arcade buttons and a joystick to different intervals on a pitch shifter. Both controllers are tons of fun to play and have forced me to seriously re-approach how I play and sing.
The software I’m using is is Live, Max4Live & [Native Instruments] Guitar Rig. The song Not Your Mirror is from my forthcoming album FourTrack (kickstarter coming soon!). Grady Shon produced the video with help from Ben Shim & KnockSteady crew.
I also enjoyed Moldover’s initial email with this tip. It read only, “I have sexy new controllers. I want you to watch my new video: I love you.”
I love you too, man!