When I was a child I use to listen to the well tempered synthesizer by Wendy Carlos and marvel at the sounds I was hearing. So when I saw this video in my news feed with a similar title I had to check it out, and sure enough I wasn’t disappointed. The well tempered clavier for sinfini music explores Bach’s 24-part comprehensive study in every major and minor key. For the key of C major, Bach had created 2 wonderful compositions, which this video explores through a very creative use of sound design and computer animation.
2016 AICP Sponsor Reel – Dir Cut
Checkout this years AICP sponsor reel done by Method Design. There is some great dancing and motion capture work done here, making for a great piece of eye candy.
Iron Machines VJ 6 LOOP PACK by Hotaru Visual Guerrilla
Hotaru Visual Geurilla is a group of new media artists and specialists that develop new visual experiences by pushing the boundaries of art and technology. They have recently released a new HD 6 video VJ pack of seamless loops called Iron Machines. The loops look great, featuring primary colored metallic 3d geometry with cool lighting and movement. They can be purchased here. Check out some of the other cool stuff from Hotaru Visual Geurrilla on vimeo.
Purple Sun – Free Lumen Video Synthesis Patch
Hazard Lines – Free Lumen Video Synthesis Patch
Lumen is a super cool analog style video synthesizer for Mac made by Paracosm. Get yourself a copy of Lumen and check out this free red hazard line patch.
Preview the patch animations below.
A brief introduction to Modular Synthesizers
For those looking to make the jump into the world of modular synthesis, Max Brodie, a music producer/composer out of Manchester UK, has provided you with a brief introduction to the wild and crazy world of modular synths. When Max isn’t making cool videos about synthesizers he’s writing music for companies like American Express, Volkswagon and Vodaphone. Check out his portolio site, where you can watch his demo reel and see some of the other brands that also enjoy using Max’s music.
Voltage by Bam Studios
Inspired by the work of Filippe Lyra, Bam Studios released a short animated film called Voltage, where synthesizer cyborgs connect to one another causing electric chaos. You can watch it here.
Galen Pehrson’s The Caged Pillows
Galen Pehrson’s The Caged Pillows is a surreal short film exploring the isolation of technology and media consumption. The soundtrack has great artists like Daft Punk, Death Grips, Future Islands and Devandra Banhart. Voice actors include the likes of Jena Malone, Rose McGowan, Gemma Ward and James Franco. The piece was originally commissioned for the launch of ruinsmag.com, a think piece digest with a focus on stimulating conversation around urban futurism. You can watch the film here on Vimeo.
The Rise of the Synths (80s retro music documentary)
Being a big fan of the sounds of John Carpenter, Vangelis and Tangerine Dream this is a documentary I would like to see get made. Listening to music today, it’s hard to come across a song that doesn’t use a synthesizer. This documentary takes a look at actual synthesizer players and composers from the 70s up until current day and what their impact has been on the synthwave scene. You can find the kickstarter page here.
Synth Stories Podcast by Ask Audio
Synth Stories is a podcast where in each episode a producer shares how they used one of their favourite synths to create a specific sound on a track. If you’re anything like me, you’re likely fascinated by the variety of ways people can approach sound design and love hearing about different creative approaches. If that is you, I highly recommend this podcast, which is presented by Ask Audio and can be found here.