We recently hung our newest print: this 1972 silkscreen by Jimmy Ernst from the Paris Review print series. Ernst  (1920 – 1984) was a German-American abstract surrealist painter. The son of pioneering surrealist Max Ernst, Jimmy established his own career in art alongside other 20th century abstract contemporaries including Willem de Kooning, Robert Motherwell and Mark Rothko.

We enjoyed Ernst’s abstraction of the Paris Metro system in this handmade print, which ironically seems to be one of the more representational pieces he created in his career. The treatment of the map of metro lines and their stops creates a graphic abstract composition of its own that takes the viewer a moment to realize what they are seeing.

We keep our eyes on the Paris Review print series from time to time, as it is an interesting resource for relatively accessible prints from well-known artists. They do tend to sell out quickly, especially the works from the most well known artists such as Andy Warhol and  Roy Lichtenstein. And evidently, we got one of the last of these prints as it too is now listed as sold out!

Recently, a tiny outfit called Madrona Labs released a new soft synth called Aalto that has opened the door for me into the modular synthesis technique.

The main thing I like about Aalto compared to the multitude of other modular soft synths out there is its focus on simplicity. Other software synths try to directly replicate the hardware of the giant modular synthesizers such Buchlas and Moogs, offering dozens of types of connectivity. Aalto has a refreshingly simple interface with enough connections to keep you satisfied, but still being accessible to a relative novice. However, its sound modeling algorithm is derived directly from those hardware systems, so you still get an authentic and interesting sound.

Aalto also let me finally get a handle on how the flow of signals through a modular synthesizer actually works, and what makes it “modular”.

First you set the Carrier wave. This sets the starting sound wave tone, such as a sine, a square or a triangle wave. It also establishes the primary frequency (pitch) of the tone. From here, essentially all the other things you are doing interfere, harmonize, and shape this carrier wave to get your final sound. You do this through the other “modules” by wiring (patching) the different modules together to send the output of one into the inputs of others. This is where it gets really fun.

For example, the Envelope module sets the shape of the sound. You set the attack to be shorter to form percussive sounds, or long to form pad-like sounds. You typically patch the Envelope to the output Level of the Carrier wave to create your sound. This is usually the first thing I do in Aalto.

Other tools are the Sequencer for creating rhythmic tones within the synthesizer. There is also a Delay effect to add more layers to the sound. Filters help to set the final overall set of frequencies you want in your sound. All of these modules can typically cranked to extremes to create yet more possibilities with your sound.

Overall, it’s a very fun tool that I’m looking forward to making a regular part of my compositions.

Here’s a few sound samples that I created using Aalto.

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The new version of Greg Martin’s Experience The Planets project was launched this week. After working on and off over the last few months, I’ve been able to contribute 3 new tracks (plus the remastered original ‘Earth’) to  the project. Progress continues on the complete set of 8 for The Planets, which I am aiming for the end of the year. You can stream the 4 completed tracks here:

Venus

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Earth

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Uranus

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Neptune

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About the tracks

The challenge with these tracks has been extending the creative process that led to the creation of the original track for ‘Earth’ to adequately express the  beauty, mystery and hostility of our other planets. Like the Experience the Planets project itself, I am trying to interpret our modern understanding of these planets as real ‘places.’ I’ve tried to  take the music beyond the litanny of ambient music’s sci-fi tones to a more somber and cinematic interpretation of these environments, but still blending in an expression of  the mythological heritage so deeply rooted in our thinking about them.

Outside of the warm familiarity of Earth, I’ve thought about the ‘terrible beauty’ of Venus, embraced the strangeness of Uranus and the distant frigidity of Neptune. It’s been a fun challenge.

Since starting the project, I’ve upgraded to Logic Express for my primary editing software. I’ve also added some new tools with Native Instruments Kore2, and recently a set of KRK v4 monitors. All in all I couldn’t be happier with the production setup. Look for more updates soon.