DroneBox OWL - Sympathetic Resonance Generator

Here's an audio example for my submission to the OWL patch contest, which is a (very) simplified version of my forthcoming plug-in DroneBox v3. A bank of four tuned comb filters / virtual strings which resonate in response to the audio input

The audio example features DI'd & compressed electric guitar processed through the OWL DroneBox patch.

The Incredible String Band's Voice Sitar

Buy Incredible String Band - U on ITunes | Discogs Entry

"A voice sitar is a flat board about 4ft long fitted with the same number of strings as the drone strings on a sitar and it includes an electric pick-up and a sending device, enabling you to feed any sound into the instrument, which will vibrate the sympathetic strings. The vibration is picked up and fed back out of the instrument. This is what was done with piano and violin on "Invocation"(U). Our voice sitar is the only one of its kind in the world and was made by an American named Greg Heat. We happened to hear it while in the States and asked if we could buy it."

All that needs to be added is that Robin's voice was, of course, also put through the instrument, giving it that wonderful eerie, oracular quality. After Invocation, the voice sitar was never used again by the band. Theirs was the prototype and Heat reportedly never made another.

text from Melody Maker interview, November 1970, printed in

BeGlad: An Incredible String Band Compendium

If you have any more information about the Voice Sitar, please get in touch.

Morning Line Talk @ Code Control Leicester

A talk about the Music Research Centre's work on the sound system and audio spatialization for the Morning Line at the Code Control MaxMSP convention/festival in Leicester:

http://code-control.com/2013/02/27/oli-larkin_morning-line/

Physically Modelled Tanpura Drone

Endless Series v3.2 released

• added AAX Native version (including Audiosuite)
• visualiser now displays independent curves for left and right channels in dual mode
• everything code-signed for 10.8
• improved standalone audio driver handling
• fixed hang when changing between DS and ASIO drivers on Win x64
• VST3 bypass state now saved with host projects
• dry signal now works in VST & VST3 version in Presonus Studio One OSX x86
• updated manual

Independent curves

Moiré Patterns in Hannover

Recently I have been collaborating with German Sound Artist Benno Belke on a commissioned composition for a unique public sound space in Hannover, Germany. The composition makes heavy use of my Endless Series plug-in and custom MaxMSP patches. It will be premiered at 10pm 19th July 2012. Further information here (German text).

The following text is from Benno Belke's Website:

Moiree Patterns is a commissioned composition for a unique soundspace designed for the Expo 2000 at the Platz der Weltausstellung. It is located within the city center of Hannover and consists of sixteen speaker pillars in public space that form a 35-metre square. Loudspeakers are set into the pillars at head height, connected to a computer in the vicinity so that a soundspace can be created on the square.

---
Analogues to moiré-patterns in the visual domain, e.g. when two grids are overlaid at an angle that creates an interference pattern, this 16 channel composition produces an immersive organic field of sound, in which temporarily, polyphonic rhythmical structures, sound weaves and psychoacoustic spaces emerge and disappear.

These rich sonic patterns (complex acoustic interferences) arise when simple and almost identical synthesized sounds are played back in parallel that differ slightly in respect to one sonic dimension (their frequency, phase or other spectral parameters).

From an arrangement in which shapes of overlapping triads preside over the sonic organization of the composition a flow of complexly layered and almost tangible sound patterns emerges, not from “within” but in the spaces between the speakers - where sounds collide, interfere and unite.

Spectators can constantly explore and discover new psychoacoustic gestalts by moving around to catch these phenomena in the sound field. Depending on ones own position and direction of head this contributes to an active listening discovery process, in which the composition is revealed through an ever-changing interaction of movement, the physicality of sound and the generative qualities of perception.
---

Sixteen channel composition by Benno Belke and Oli Larkin

Commissioned by Musik 21 - Niedersächsische Gesellschaft für Neue Musik e.V. (NGNM) 
with support from Kulturstiftung des Bundes and the NDR

Platz der Weltausstellung

Talk at London Music Hackspace 5th July

I'm doing a talk at the London Music Hackspace next thursday. Here's the blurb:

Ever wanted to make your own VST or Audiounit plug-ins? iPlug makes it really easy to get started. With just a basic knowledge of C/C++ programming you can make a plug-in using iPlug.

Oli Larkin is an audio software developer and maker of Endless Series – a unique plug-in based on the Shepard Tone auditory illusion. He is also developing iPlug which is an open source project originally by Cockos (the company that makes Reaper). Oli will introduce his work and show how he develops plug-ins using iPlug. Come to the event on July 5th, 7pm, at the Music Hackspace.