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VGMetal/Chip crossover rocker SHAWNPHASE played MAGfest with his beefed up TEMPSOUNDSOLUTIONS lineup. You can catch the awesome Alex Mauer cover at youtube, or the entire set at the following:
http://tempsoundsolutions.arnoldascher.com/mp3/tempsoundsolutions-lucretia-liveatmagfest7-1-2-09.mp3
CC, eat my ass out:
http://little-scale.blogspot.com/2009/01/chiptuning-atari-pokey.html
The POKEY has a variety of ways that you can tune the chip, including using 8 bit or 16 bit data for the pitch, as well as choosing a direct division of the master clock, a division of 28 (which the eight bit data below is based on) and a division of 120.
http://little-scale.blogspot.com/2009/01/go-go-atari-dualpokey-midi.html
I have started working on a Multi POKEY MIDI setup. This Atari chip is one of my favourites and has some nice distortion type noises on it, as well as some other interesting things.
Current features include:
• Control up to all 16 channels of up to 4 POKEY chips via MIDI
• POKEY 1 appears on channels 1 to 4
• POKEY 2 appears on channels 5 to 8
• POKEY 3 appears on channels 9 to 12
• POKEY 4 appears on channels 13 to 16
• Select the distortion / noise for each voice (set via MIDI CC)
• For each chip, clock it using 15.3 Khz instead of 65.8 Khz (set via MIDI CC)
• For each chip, use ch 2 as a high pass filter, clocked by ch 4 (set via MIDI CC)
• For each chip, use ch 1 as a high pass filter, clocked by ch 3 (set via MIDI CC)
• For each chip, use channels 3 and 4 together in 16-bit mode (set via MIDI CC)
• For each chip, use channels 1 and 2 together in 16-bit mode (set via MIDI CC)
• The 16-bit mode increases the frequency resolution and range of the ganged channels of the chip.
• For each chip, clock channel 3 using 1.8432MHz instead of 65.8 Khz (set via MIDI CC)
• For each chip, clock channel 1 using 1.8432MHz instead of 65.8 Khz (set via MIDI CC)
• For each chip, use 9 bit poly for noise instead of 17 bit poly (set via MIDI CC)
There were “loads” of releases this year, but it seems that for every great one, there where 12 “eps” of questionable quality. A truly great release must withstand repeated listening, have overall top grade quality, and be presented in a cool manner. Here are some of the best releases of the year.
minusbaby – Saudade for Beginners
Lowbit renaissance minusbaby started what seems to be an ambitious cycle of records with Saudade for Beginners. Playful melodies intertwine with complex voicing and awesome artwork in one of the more personal and heartfelt releases of the year.
Disasterpeace – Level
II music label head Disaterpeace maintained a consistent vision and artful composition and pulled it all together with thoughtful sound design and masterful use of the limitations inherent in the genre.
Trash80 – Icarus
Trash80 similarly transcended the restraints of the chip sound, and used studio production to enhance, not overwhelm the glorious chip sounds. “Missing You” was perhaps the breakup track of the summer, but all the songs were great tracks of their own, and could’ve carried any release by their own accord.
stu – atari solo
Is there any artist in chip music who is synonymous with the chip they use as much as stu? Pushing the chip to its limits, then forcing it farther, stu redefines the concept of what exactly these limitations are, and how they are no barrier in the hands of a masterful musician.
Chromelodeon – The Final Recordings
Its initial release was so small, and sold out the only night it was on sale, II should be thanked heartily for giving the rest of our saps a chance to hear the biggest band you never knew. Dino Lionetti’s awesome compositions are matched by a bevvy of talented musicians and masterful production in a great blend of chip rock hybrid sounds. The band is sorely missed, but this impressive document will live on.
When I was making my first steps in VJing, around the early 2000s, I was looking around for information and stumbled upon these two mystic guys who were using Amigas to make their VJing while saying they were “the worst, and getting better at it”, a phrase that certainly denoted the kind of humour handled by them.
As the vintage computer freak I am (and this was soon after I embraced the PC for the first time, still keeping my Amiga), I was interested about them and started to find some info. These guys were hard to get a hold on, and information was scarce! I realized they were playing in almost every show organized by Micromusic.net … certainly at the time the -only- crew dedicated to VJing for what was then emerging as “contemporary chipmusic”. Found 2 or 3 videos and wanted more. Nowhere to be found, and I was living in Argentina! How to catch the shows? Damnit! That was the catch. Kept drooling at those posters coming from the old continent…
With 10 years in the game and no sign of stagnation, our next nominee is definitely the most experienced of the bunch, and the one with the heftiest trajectory. Today existing as a one-man workforce, after performing and lecturing all across the world (from the USA to most all Europe, passing through Russia and even China) and being one of the leaders of the project C64 Orchestra, our eyes are still rocked by this marvelous artist.
Ladies and gentleman, a warm welcome to…
The C-Men
[Enschede, Netherlands]
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The C-Men + Psilodump (Live @ En Festival i 8 Bitar 2008)
VJs are a core element in today’s music shows.
Wherever you will go to a show, you will see an assortment of screens with visuals on it. Unfortunately, the importance of the VJ is usually under appreciated.
For certain they yield big power: they can enhance or destroy a performance. Many times I have remained in awe gasping at a screen on a music show, and many times I wanted to yell “turn off the fucking screen”… Having being a “full time VJ” (that means, this being my main and only means of income) for about 8 years, and having curated many a VJ events and exhibitions in that time, I am pretty certain of what makes or break a good one and some times believe me, for the sake of conserving the good name of live visualists, it would be best to shut the screen off :P
The task is a complex one. In my view, the VJ is a bit of a “Swiss Army Knife” in the electronic music business. He or she has to have a grasp of visual aesthetics, obvious dominance of the video field (be it live motion video or animation), a bit of layout/design skills, music sense or, better, more advanced music knowledge and last, but not least, notions of scenography and stage setup, as well as all the tech know-how that makes each of these possible. They usually have to provide, as well, all the gear that makes their set possible, with no such thing as a “house backline” for VJs existing in many places (sometimes, venues will not even have a projector). It makes you think a lot each time you think that shoving images on-screen is an easy task.
I’ll cut the babble short now and present you with our first nominee in the Live Visuals Award. Hailing from Philly in the United States, he is a very regular VJ at the monthly Pulsewave events at NYC, as well as other events around the area and abroad. Frequent workshop lecturer and fine 6502 coder, please welcome him:
NO CARRIER
[Philadelphia, USA]
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/LQ1PBTsJ4lw" width="425" height="344" allowfullscreen="true" fvars="fs=1" /]Cow'p + No Carrier @ Blip Festival 2008
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