At first, the idea behind dipping a toe into the world of these devices was to use them as studio pieces, sound modules where I could design sounds to be used in my forthcoming debut album. But over time, through making the album and studying how other artists used these machines, I was inspired to go deeper. I wanted to learn how to use them in a way they were clearly designed to be used, as instruments capable of live performance in themselves.

The Elektron MachineDrum and Monomachine are digital, distinctive, and deep. They are capable of a variety of synthesis techniques (subtractive, FM, wavetable, and formant synthesis), complex modulation, step-locked parameter changes, automation, mutes, global effects, all of which can be saved as machine states called “patterns.” These patterns can be prepared and loaded for live performance, chained together, and further manipulated to create truly live performances that can never be repeated the same way again.

To this duo, I added an another monophonic synthesizer capable of producing basses, leads, arpeggios, and other sound effects–Superlative SB01–a modern clone of a classic synth used by Radiohead, Boards of Canada, and other notable artists.

What all this means for those of you who know me primarily as a guitarist is that I’m using these machines as if I’m conducting a robot orchestra that moves through multiple acts/scenes, harnessing both randomness and intention in precise ways.

While this set represents a culmination of six years and hundreds of hours of study, more importantly, it marks a new chapter in my musical journey. This small tented show at a local street festival in Downtown San Jose was an important proving ground for me as an artist and a return to live performance after a long hiatus of 16 years.

For the technically curious: In this setup, KeyStep 37 is sequencing SB01 is routed to play through the Monomachine, which adds its own voices and processing (LFO-controlled delay and filter). From there, Monomachine is routed to play through two tracks on MachineDrum, as well as via its live resampling engine which listens to a mix of everything and is capable of playing back mangled, glitchy, and repitched grains of sound that the resampling engine captures. Between the three instruments, nothing is synced via MIDI clock, freeing the SB01 up to play some of its sequences/arpeggios in free time.

Thank you to Steve Cooley and the volunteers of South Bay Sonic Circuits for helping make this event happen. And thank you to all who made it to the end. 

Follow my debut album progress and electronic musings @thebeiarea

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