I’m sad to report that Daniel Hansson, CEO and one of the founders of Elektron, passed away in a car accident August 19. He was best known to the world as the creator of unique and ingeniously-designed instruments like the boutique drum machine / pattern synth Machinedrum, the Monomachine tabletop synth, and the SIDStation (powered […]

If you didn’t follow the discussion thread on the story, we got some very interesting — and detailed — feedback regarding why hanging projectors vertically might be problematic (or not). Extremely narrow tolerances for heat and fragile bulbs are the culprit. The ultimate bottom line, though, is that the individual projector model and its internal […]

Visualists have a wide range of skills to cover. After you’re done figuring out how to create and edit content and turn it into a performance / live installation / whatever, then you have to deal with the technicalities of projectors? Basic calculations for throw distances are pretty straightforward: a 3:1 throw ratio, for instance, […]

There’s no shortage of ideas for how to make new instruments. And once upon a time, the MPC sampler (bottom right) was a new idea. While on the subject of Roger Linn, Roger also lets us know he’s put up a new page with reflections on instrument design and a round-up of alternative electronic interfaces […]

Even as software continues to flourish, there’s still a great argument for a hardware box that does what you need — especially when that box has extensive feature sets, MIDI support, comes from Roger Linn, and costs US$375. Roger himself writes to let us know about the release of the AdrenaLinn III: AndrenaLinn III Product […]

Peter’s post on projector orientation myths prodded my memory on an issue I encountered while picking up my shiny new camera. While finalizing the lease paperwork the sales guy went out of his way to bring my attention to a slice of A4 treeware contained within the box. The text printed on it prophesized a […]

Visual programming or “patching”, producing custom software by connecting on-screen objects with patch cords, until recently had only niche appeal. The domain largely of academic computer musicians, patching was scoffed at by computer science departments and unknown to everyone else. Lately, though, something very strange has been happening: this technique, popularized by experimental music synthesists, […]

A box covered with buttons and lights can be much more. Such it is with the Monome, the open source controller for music and multimedia. Beloved for its simplicity, the Monome continues to earn fans. The original 40h is gone, but as we’ve seen here, a new line of models is coming to satisfy your […]

I’ve had 2 rented Draper Cinefold screens with me on the tour. These are relatively expensive collapsible screens which we got a good deal on for a 3ish month rental. Unfortunately their former life at dance parties outside in the elements had left them with some pretty serious battle scars. One of the screen frames […]