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Recently while reorganising a studio cupboard I came across an old Korg MS20 USB controller. This reduced sized facsimile of the original MS20 synth was intended as a hardware controller for the MS20 soft synth plug-in that was part of the Korg Legacy Collection, back in 2004. But in one of those classic Eureka moments I wondered if there was a chance it would work with the new Korg iMS20 iPad app. And it does, perfectly.
Actually the reason this remote possibility even popped into my head was by way of a similar occurrence a few weeks earlier, when I found out my new Roland V-Synth XT (while in retro D-50 mode) could be controlled by the original 25 year old Roland PG-1000 controller - sorry to digress.
Anyway... as fascinating as this is to me I think most people find it all a bit too techy and nerdy so I’ll continue it over on my Chemistry Lessons blog.
For some time now, well since I sold all my analogue and modular synths back in 2007-8 - a moment of madness I'm still trying to live down - I've been hankering after another EMS Synthi... specifically a Synthi AKS, or Synthi A. I used to have an EMS Synthi VCS3 back in the mid-late 70s' and I loved it, but had to sell it just before we started TG (that's another story).
But since selling much of my old analogue gear last decade I've been looking to buy a self-contained analogue synth that I could travel with and the Synthi AKS would be ideal for my purposes. I've come across a few over the years, some utterly knackered (technical term), some pristine and some outrageously overpriced but I've always missed out in some way on a sale. The market value of EMS synths has risen exponentially over the last 10 years and some currently go for crazy prices, usually in bidding wars on eBay. Where frankly these things can get totally out of hand in the heat of the moment. Which is typical of most auctions I've attended, virtual or not. When I was in LA a couple of years ago my friend Lustmord mentioned that he was selling his Synthi AKS but at the time I wasn't in a position where I could make a decent offer for what was a really nice unit. As is happened he sold that AKS last year for $7k, on eBay. Like I said, some sell for outrageous prices.
Well I think i've waited long enough now so I'm putting the word out there that I'm 'seriously' looking to buy a Synthi... though I can't go to $7k and I don't really want to bid on eBay but I will consider most sensible proposals for a decent unit. Also I'd rather buy from the UK, or maybe Europe, but no further.
Update: I’m no longer actively looking for an AKS. See this post:
http://chriscarterchemistrylessons.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-little-synthi-aks.html
I recently found some scans of equipment brochures and catalogues from my extensive 30 year old collection. Some of the scans were done about 10 years ago and, to be honest, weren't very good as many were made up of stitched images or suffered moiré effects. The problem I've always found with scanning is that many of my brochures and catalogues don't fit into a standard scanner A4 or 'legal' window.
So yesterday I took some quick shots of a few sales brochures with my DSLR, from above, and the results are quite good.
I've published the first batch up on my Flikr pages but as there are so many (probably well over a hundred) and the process of copying/shooting, then trimming and uploading is quite long-winded I won't be doing any more until the later part of 2010. You could say this is a primer for what is to come...
As part of my ongoing CCCL project I recently recorded a short video of some experimental sounds as a 'tribute' to the experimental work of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop who staged a performance in London on the 17th May, that I couldn't attend. All the sounds and loops originate from a BC8 synth, a Gakken SX-150 synth and BugBrand Weevil synths. All the effects and processing is done with Boss pedals.
Longer HD clip on Vimeo: www.vimeo.com/4706722
Shorter lo-res clip on Flikr: www.flickr.com/photos/chris_carter_/3541773057/
Photo still with notes on what was used: www.flickr.com/photos/chris_carter_/3541773771/
An audio only MP3 edit of the track can be heard > HERE <
I recently found this shot in our archive on a strip of TG negatives.
It's my studio in our apartment in Crouch End, North London and was taken shortly after TG split-up (first time) in 1981. This was the TG / Chris & Cosey crossover period and a few weeks before I got my Roland MC-8 MicroComposer.
Everything in this photo was used on later TG material and early Chris & Cosey releases and while I no longer own the majority of the gear I still have the Boss pedals, the Auratone speakers and the chair.
The modular system on the right consists of three Roland 190 racks and two 191J racks containing: two 182 Step Sequencers, 121 Dual VCF, 130 Dual VCA, 112 Dual VCO, 150 Ring Mod/Noise/S&H/LFO, 110 VCO/VCF/VCA, 172 Audio Delay/Phaser/LFO/Gate Delay.
Also included in the Roland racks were a number of my own self-built modules, including a: Digisound Dual VCO, Digisound Dual VCF, Digisound Dual VCA, Digisound Dual ADSR, Digisound Dual RM, Blacet variable clock/divider, a Gristleizer module and (in the top rack) a flanger/delay and a dual phaser/flanger/delay.
Under the modular system is a Boss DR-55 Dr. Rhythm (sitting on top of) a Roland CSQ-600 Digital Sequencer, a Roland TR-808 (one of the first in the UK I might add), a Sinclair frequency meter (for tuning) and a Roland 181 Controller Keyboard.
To the right of the modular (top to bottom) are a small sub-mixer, a Sinclair mutli-meter, a Leak power amp, s Boss KM-4 a Leak FM tuner and a custom digital delay line and a custom 10-band EQ unit (both self-built). In front of those are two Seck 6.2 mixers.
On the far right of the desk are (top to bottom) three Accessit compressors, a Roland SRE-555 Chorus Echo, H&H Slide Echo.
In the foreground are a couple of Roland Flanger pedals, a Boss micro Amp pedal and an Electro-Harmonix Gate pedal.
Also in shot are a Tandberg stereo reel-ree, a Tandberg cassette deck, a Warfdale cassette deck, a pair of self-built 8" speakers and a pair of Auratone 5C Super-Sound-Cubes.
Techy photo note: the photo was taken with a Nikon F2 using a 50mm 1.4 lens on Ilford FP4 film using available light.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chris_carter_/3263010726/sizes/o/
I've been getting concerned emails and comments on the interweb about my 'gear sales' on eBay.
Basically saying: "are you mad?, why?, please don't, are you short of cash?, they should be in a museum, keep them, don't sell them" and so on and so on. I'm sure you get the drift.
They are all valid points, and yes I can absolutely see where these concerns are coming from and no I'm not doing it for the cash, well not at the moment at least. I have kept back some 'unique'ish' TG items: the Gristleizers, some other hand-made fx units, a Bolex movie camera, a 'blood-stained' microphone and a couple of battered TG flight-cases. But I have a history of 'off-loading gear and moving on' every 5-10 years or so and previously I'd sold (my personal) TG and C&C gear to private collectors and through specialist auction houses. This time it's through eBay and it's generated a certain amount of interest and forum chatter. I'm not going to attempt to justify what I'm doing, I don't need to but I will explain my reasoning.
Well, apart from (the not inconsiderable) space considerations, I just don't use some of this gear anymore and I'd like other musicians to 'take up the mantel', so to speak and carry on using it while it all still works (and hopefully in new and interesting ways). One of the main reasons I started selling my old gear 10-15 years ago was that much of it was failing, malfunctioning or broken and I was spending a small fortune trying to keep it all going. So I sold it to buyers who could afford to repair, cherish and use it to make music for a few years more, as it deserved. I'm not the only member of TG who's passed on 'retired' gear so that others can get something else out of owning it either.
Also one of my morbid fears is that Cosey and I (or even all TG) will die in a plane crash and our TG and C&C archive, which even apart from the gear is MASSIVE (it literally fills a whole room in our old 'school' house) will be dumped in a land-fill never to be seen or used by anyone ever again. Irrational and possibly quite improbable I know... but hey! that's me.
Now... if someone from a museum or gallery wants to take this lot off my hand's I'm sure we could come to some arrangement but they'd better hurry.
I mentioned last month that I was intending to put my unsold gear (below) on eBay but try as I may I've yet to creat a 'Seller' account. I must admit that a year ago I was very anti eBay, as I'd been ripped-off (twice) some years ago. But I gradually got drawn back in during 2007 and ended up with some really good buys last year, mainly effects units and pedals.
But here I am still trying to set up a Seller account but ebay won't play ball (after 4 weeks!). Various eBay technical departments have tried to reassure me that there shouldn't be a problem setting up my account to sell stuff BUT it basically boils down to this: they are aware of a problem, they don't know why there is a problem and they don't currently know how to fix the problem.
So in leu of finally (if ever) setting up an eBay Seller account I am putting ads in various places with a link to my 'Gear Sale' page and a PayPal 'Buy Now' button.
UPDATE:
OK I've managed to set up a temporary eBay account that will let me sell stuff for the time being: this is the link.
I've also added a few more items for sale.
I'm selling my Monome 40h USB controller (actually now sold) and my DS Evolver desktop synth as I just don't use them quite as much as I'd like to anymore. If anyone is seriously interested in making an offer for either unit then please drop me a line. But if no one does I'll be putting them up on ebay next week (4th or 5th Feb).
Well, as a few people have asked here's a tiny glimpse of what I have been working on in my spare time between my various day jobs (Carter Tutti, recording, performing and TG etc.)
This project currently involves a fair bit of audio circuitry R&D, prototyping and building (click on the pic above) and a certain amount of retro circuit modification, although NO circuit bending is involved!
The ongoing results are interesting to say the least (IMO). Without giving too much away (because at this early stage it could all change direction completely) think along the lines of... a collection of original 1970s' analogue Gristleizers and TG noise units battling it out with a bunch of 21st Century sonic generators and manglers. But as I say the fruition of all this work and final outcome are still to be determined. Stay tuned, audio clips will folllow... - CCCL website LINK - CCCL MySpace LINK
Disclaimer: This project has no connection with Carter Tutti, Chris & Cosey or Throbbing Gristle.
Well I'm sorry to say that the new (and still untitled) Carter Tutti album will definitely not be released this year, (2006, for any time travelers reading this). As I've said previously we had been making good progress with the album and it's sounding wonderful but what with one TG thing and an other it's just not going to be possible to get it finished anytime soon. This is an important project for us and not something we're going to rush so it will be released when we're happy with it, but just not for a while yet.
So onto other things...
We bought a nice new Toyota VersoTR a couple of weeks ago. Its our first new car in 7 years (well strictly speaking Cosey bought it, but we both drive it) although we've been so busy lately we've hardly used it yet. I finally got my faulty Korg Kaoss Pad 2 returned (after 3 months!), well it's a brand new one as Korg's shippers lost my original 'repaired' KP2. The weird thing is that the replacement sounds completely different to my original KP2, I guess it was a lot more faulty than I thought. Just as I was writing this I heard about the new Korg KP3, I've got to get hold of one of those for gigs and improv! I've also just bought myself a Monome 40h unit, originally just to experiment with and for some interactive looping fun alongside the Kaoss Pad2 but we've already used it on two tracks for the new Carter Tutti album. The funny thing was that unbeknown to me Sleazy also bought one at the same time too, synchronicty or what? If you use max/msp and don't flinch at dabbling with some pretty arcane application interfacing you should definitely consider trying one, they're great. You'll need to be quick though, only a few left and they're not going to make any more.
Slow but productive... this would describe the current progress of our new (still untitled) Carter Tutti album. We were hoping to have it finished by September and in time for our upcoming performances, but this looks to be increasingly unlikely, in fact it would be a miracle!
And the reason? Well I put the blame squarely on TG shenanigans. This time last year we delayed starting the (long overdue) Carter Tutti album so myself, Cosey and Sleazy could complete the new TG 'Part Two' album. Which turned out to be an intense project and which the three of us put a lot of time and effort into. We were under pressure to deliver final production parts in time for a Decemeber 2005 release (in Berlin). And even when the three of us (and Mute) thought the album was finished, I had to spend another month rerecording parts and remastering the whole bloody thing a second time ('Part Two' couldn't be a more apt title!). And then to cap it all it didn't get released in 2005! In fact I doubt it will even get released in 2006, how ridiculous is that? So this whole sorry TG affair has whacked us with a double whammy... no new TG album and no new Carter Tutti album. That I might be feeling a little frustrated right now is an understatement!
And another thing...
I'm sick of wankers and nere-do-well's emailing me about the TG 24-track recorder. I've had time-wasters (many), fans using it as an excuse to find out where we live, cheapskates making laughable offers and lately Nigerian ("I'll pay you twice the asking price") scammers. To all of you: if you going to waste my time just FUCK OFF... because I won't be replying. If this carries on I'm going to donate it to a charity, seriously I am.
Update: the TG24-track is now OFF the market and no longer for sale.
Annual studio clearout !... Even more C&C (and TG) gear for sale!
Rehearsing for Carter Tutti June performances.
Compiling & tweaking material for TG live recording session.
RE~TG RESCHEDULED - ticket holders wishing to attend the TG recording READ THIS (dead link)
I've just received a copy of a new academic electronic music reference book that features quite a few pages (22) of my early electronic music work with TG. It also includes pictures of TG, me, my gear and some of my Gristleizer diagrams too! The book is titled: Elektoakustische Musik by Elan Ungeheuer. ISBN 3-89007-425-1. Published by Laaber.
Although some parts of the TG section are in English the majority of the book is written in German. It's also very large and heavy so getting it through the post could be problematic, but I'm sure most libraries could order it.
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