Show Report: "Warning Signal : Audio Interface"

On November 23rd of 2003, Keep Adding curated a show of electronic music and video art at the Center for Contemporary Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This show was part of the Warning Signal project.

Details on each of the performers follow, in order of performance, along with short video clips from each set. The video and sound quality does vary significantly due to lighting and the location of the P.A. relative to the performers. For more information about the Warning Signal project, vist KeepAdding.

• Music sequenced & synthesized via a PC running a 'Tracker' sequencer.
• Live video synchronized to the music created on a 1.25Ghz 15" Powerbook running Isadora (www.troikatronix.com)
• Three live dancers (one male, two female).

• Powermac G4 (733, I think) running Ableton LIVE and Numerology (separately).
• Video: Original video loops queued via a simple Isadora patch on a G4 powerbook 400.

The first two videos are from the live set, and due to the location of the camcorder, have somewhat lousy sound. The second two videos are excerpts from the source video pieces projected at the show, dubbed with audio from rehearsals. These excerpts are quite large (~20MB for the first, ~ 18MB for the second), even though they have been shrunk in size and heavily compressed.

We used four video pieces for our set, each about 8-10 minutes long, at a resolution of 640x480, 15 fps. They were created using a custom processing patch in Isadora. Two of the videos were for ambient music pieces we performed (improvised, ambient, loop-based tracks), and two were for 'beaty' tracks that used sequenced parts from Numerology with a 'live' arrangement and improvised solo material. We are considering a very small production run of DVD's with the full-length video's and music. If you are interested in purchasing this DVD, send us some email. Brian Bixby of Keep Adding is also working on a DVD project.

The "Five12" Rig:

• Dual 1 Ghz G4 Powermac (Mac OS X) running Numerology 1.2.4 and plugins: (Ritmo, Zebra, Crossfade Loop Sampler, and Scrubby). MOTU 2408 Audio Interface
• 667Mhz Powerbook G4 (Mac OS 9) running Digital Performer and 3 unreleased plugins for MOTU Audio (looper, granulator, modulated delay). MOTU 828MkII Audio Interface
• Korg Z1, Line 6 Pod XT, TC Electronic Fireworx, Yamaha MFC10 foot controller + 3 Yamaha CC pedals.
• Korg KP2 KAOSS pad, Korg Electribe ER-1
• MOTU Micro Express MIDI interface
• Mackie LM3204 mixer & two Lexicon MPX100 processors (mounted along with the audio interfaces in a custom angled rack built by Jason Fink and Jim Coker).

Jason Fink's Guitar Rig:

• Custom-built Klein-style guitar with Steinberger Trans-Trem, sustainer pickup, and Moses graphite neck.
• Oberheim Echoplex & Electrix Repeater Loopers
• Lexicon MPX1
• Ada Microcab II
• Lexicon tube preamp
• Lexicon Vortex
• Roland M100 mixer
• Various pedals

Video:

Heavily processed and layered video created from DV source material shot at the Very Large Array, Ghost Ranch, and on the highway near Raton, New Mexico. All processing done in Isadora. As with Brian's video, my pre-recorded clips were queued up on a G4 powerbook. Brian queued the video for my set, I queued video for him and Eric.

A much-edited version of the usual STG Electro rig:

• Lexicon PCM-80 and Line-6 Echo Pro for looping
• Eventide H3000 for loop processing
• Akai S5000 Sampler
• Two Mackie 1402 mixers (one for mixing, one for loop processor routing)
• MOTU MIDI Express XT
• Powerbook G3 500 running Numerology 1.3b3

Video:

A 9 minute loop of (very textural) video-feedback produced using a Sony DV camcorder and an NEC LED projector.

• iBook G3
• M-Audio controller keyboard (forget which)
• MOTU 828 Audio Interface
• Mackie 1202 mixer
• LiSA - live sampling software (http://www.steim.org/steim/products.html)
• Alesis Air FX
• An unidentified guitar pedal

Video:

A videotape of 'found footage' from 16mm film of someone slicing up a large steak,slowed to 40% of original speed.