tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109626412024-03-07T06:49:06.035+00:00The Amazing Rolo's old blog (the new one is at theamazingrolo.net)This is the old Amazing Rolo blog! Please visit <a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net">theamazingrolo.net</a> for the new Amazing Rolo blog, along with tons of other cool stuff, including videos, Wii music software, music, and much much more.AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.comBlogger111125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10962641.post-3850973250099918882009-04-10T16:14:00.002+01:002009-04-10T16:24:03.094+01:00Freshening up around hereToday I started implementing a brand-new Amazing Rolo site, designed to integrate all of my various pages more tightly with my blog. Everything will now be based from <a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net">theamazingrolo.net</a>, and I won't be updated this blog anymore. All the old posts from this blog have been exported there, and I'm in the process of updating the music, sound design, and video pages.<br /><br />See you there!AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10962641.post-23041298273748984582009-04-07T07:50:00.003+01:002009-04-07T07:57:24.437+01:00Introducing the Chicken Box!<object width="500" height="375"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4030483&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4030483&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="500" height="375"></embed></object><br /><br />Here's a little demo video of me playing around with a synth I finished building this weekend. It has just three knobs (whose function I don't really understand) and it sounds crazy cool!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amazingrolo/3418578637/" title="Chicken Box synth by AmazingRolo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3387/3418578637_96cef5af2f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Chicken Box synth" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amazingrolo/3418582997/" title="Chicken Box synth by AmazingRolo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3651/3418582997_6e7b991974.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Chicken Box synth" /></a><br />All of this synth building will eventually culminate in an interactive installation called "Don't Talk Back". More on that later...AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10962641.post-67853296937909501302009-03-25T06:40:00.002+00:002009-03-25T06:46:59.663+00:00Hello folks.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7WdsSf5w-mSKzPpJuYmHOpap6Y_6iVYOEijPXaIrq5EZ063RfR3kVOHL7nZq8q-opOelvVXB2xlyVdoqfy-hiF3LQwg68IVJ0r4axh84oketRmrT5OpWGUdaNIrFvx_8inVr/s1600-h/DSC09521.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7WdsSf5w-mSKzPpJuYmHOpap6Y_6iVYOEijPXaIrq5EZ063RfR3kVOHL7nZq8q-opOelvVXB2xlyVdoqfy-hiF3LQwg68IVJ0r4axh84oketRmrT5OpWGUdaNIrFvx_8inVr/s200/DSC09521.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317013232214214498" /></a><br />I don't think I've mentioned it here yet, but I'm currently on a tour of the music industry in Poland, thanks to the British Council. It's been an amazing experience, and last night I played a show using the <a href="http://www.wiiloopmachine.com">Wii LoopMachine</a> at Jadlodajnia Filozoficzna, a totally awesome independent venue in Warsaw. The crowd was fantastic, thanks so much for being so supportive! <br /><br />For those of you who were asking about the music, my <a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/music.html">Music</a> page is in need of a refresh, I'm afraid, but if you poke around my blog you can find the songs I played last night! Here are two of them right away:<br /><br /><a href="http://theamazingrolo.blogspot.com/2007/07/piano-computer.html">EarthFireWindWaterHeart</a><br /><br /><a href="http://theamazingrolo.blogspot.com/2007/01/rolling-and-tumbling.html">Rolled and Tumbled</a><br /><br />Enjoy!AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10962641.post-27379748620058634212009-03-18T15:56:00.002+00:002009-03-18T16:01:22.855+00:00Introducing the Jam Jar!<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amazingrolo/3363531820/" title="The Jam Jar by AmazingRolo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3613/3363531820_750fe09013.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="The Jam Jar" /></a><br /><br />I'm working on a project right now that involves building digital synthesizers that react to light. As a first step I made a small synth that I was able to fit inside a jam jar. I creatively named it the Jam Jar, and it totally rocks. Here's a video that explains what it is and shows me jamming out with Ableton Live!<br /><br /><object width="500" height="375"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3745748&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3745748&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="500" height="375"></embed></object><br /><br />For more pictures check out my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/amazingrolo/sets/72157615416493971/">Flickr set</a>.AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10962641.post-34247545390358890462009-03-02T14:42:00.003+00:002009-03-03T10:18:18.412+00:00Penalty Shootout<object width="500" height="333"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3378273&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3378273&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="500" height="333"></embed></object><br /><br />On the 28th of January 2009, Dundee United and Glasgow Celtic battled to a 0-0 tie in the semi-final of the CIS Scottish League Cup. The game thus went to penalty kicks.<br /><br />Celtic won, but not before every player on both teams (including the goalies) took shots in what must have been one of the most epic penalty shootouts in Scottish (if not world) football history.<br /><br />Watching the coverage I was struck by how the camera angles were always very similar for each penalty. I edited the footage and layered each of these similar camera angles on top of one another to create a composite version of the shootout, compressing the 24 shots into one. The angles were all different lengths, so sometimes you only see one or two layers, and occasionally you see many. I did a similar process with the sound, although I wasn't quite as rigid, as you will hear.AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10962641.post-63248564644893230612009-02-13T10:22:00.003+00:002009-02-13T10:28:59.793+00:00Chasing Geese<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60wX86FmMC-_M69fQt9OUXm49FvK051S2IgLUBRVG1bqCAW2-vQq-UqEYAsphd3luC4uGvuz66DP_iJeGxQfa3AfYWNnNoaDblEkklOquz0sBh5HGln9jh-ko7d1LjSlieZom/s1600-h/DSC09351.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60wX86FmMC-_M69fQt9OUXm49FvK051S2IgLUBRVG1bqCAW2-vQq-UqEYAsphd3luC4uGvuz66DP_iJeGxQfa3AfYWNnNoaDblEkklOquz0sBh5HGln9jh-ko7d1LjSlieZom/s200/DSC09351.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302226951047858802" /></a><br />Here's a track I made the other day...I took a recording of "Wild Goose Chase" played by the incredible fiddler <a href="http://www.fieldrecorder.com/docs/notes/davenport.htm">Clyde Davenport</a> and edited two little sections out.<br /><br />I then imported those samples into <a href="http://www.ableton.com/live">Ableton</a> and layered them all together, using <a href="http://www.ableton.com/pages/tips/2004_11">follow actions</a> to randomize the way they were layered and played back. This created a sort of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su1OvwR3wB4">Steve Reich</a> phasing effect, except with the added fun of randomness. <br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/blog/goosechasing.mp3">The Amazing Rolo - Goose Chasing</a>AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10962641.post-45574076587798310372009-02-06T12:36:00.004+00:002009-02-06T13:05:11.803+00:00Gol show at the Filmhouse<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Nh2ompzh3OnHgFo9Tt7Lzk1R1O-81H-eebrqKNhmo08R1v89d6xY5uX4n3GF7boELbe04hutodN6f_f0IdZAHX2b7165yluglsi95DE4hnZ9pwWS1UoP4aYsJo-6ndHXJEB-/s1600-h/DSC09160.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Nh2ompzh3OnHgFo9Tt7Lzk1R1O-81H-eebrqKNhmo08R1v89d6xY5uX4n3GF7boELbe04hutodN6f_f0IdZAHX2b7165yluglsi95DE4hnZ9pwWS1UoP4aYsJo-6ndHXJEB-/s200/DSC09160.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299666098393622914" /></a><br />I'll be playing some music tomorrow night at the <a href="http://www.filmhousecinema.com/">Filmhouse</a> in Edinburgh. My friends Pete Vilk and Roxana Pope have included me in their Gol project, so I'll be playing some keyboards and doing plenty of live sampling, Max/MSP trickery, and general sonic mayhem! We've been rehearsing a lot lately and it sounds great, a mix of electronic, acoustic, Iranian traditional music, improvisation, and heavy beats. The show is part of the <a href="http://www.ediranfest.co.uk/music.html">Edinburgh Iranian Festival</a>, which features great films, music, art, and a really nice logo. <br /><br />We've got some more shows coming up, including one very special one that all of you in the internets will be able to watch, so check back soon for more details.<br /><br />In the mean time, I'll be headed to London on Monday, for a <a href="http://www.creativeconomy.org.uk/UKYCE/NewsDetails.asp?ID=35&NewsID=51">very exciting</a> <a href="http://www.creativeconomy.org.uk/UKYCE/FinalistProfile.asp?ID=35&FinalistID=75">interview</a>! Who ever said I was "French-born"? I often find that people assume that your <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France">citizen</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA">ship</a> is the same as your <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahrain">birthplace</a>...AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10962641.post-24605201253879259252009-01-15T12:45:00.004+00:002009-01-15T13:06:57.110+00:00Darkness in GlasgowIt looks like a video of mine will be shown in Glasgow next week...<br /><br /><blockquote><b>As we speak</b> is an artists video screening night in Glasgow dedicated to the promotion of new contemporary video works. The next one will take place on January the 20th 2009 in Stereo, Renfield Lane (behind Central Station). Free entry.</blockquote><br /><br />See the <a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=432684515">As We Speak myspace</a> page for more information.<br /><br />To celebrate, here is the video that will be shown, for those of you who can't make it (including me, unfortunately!). It's called "Darkness", and it's a strange abstract sci-fi short story about what would happen on a planet where sound and light do not act in the same way they do on Earth. <br /><br /><object width="500" height="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=177607&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=177607&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="500" height="400"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />The concept of a planet where light and sound are reversed is an idea I've had for a while...it has some pretty interesting implications, and I find it generally fascinating to think that light is made up of vibrations, just like sound, but that those vibrations are so fast that we can't hear them. That has always seemed rather arbitrary to me, and I love to think about what life would be like if we had evolved to hear the frequency band that we now perceive as light. Even more fascinating, perhaps, is the idea that everything is made of vibrations anyway, as illustrated by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_theory">string theory</a>.<br /><br />But I'm getting out of my depth! Back to the video...whilst sketching out the concept for "Darkness" I wrote a short story and made an image to explore the ideas. The short story eventually turned into the narrative for the movie, and you can see that image here:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpOA4KnBO6Q7PdDRcymHGrsGuLAZsQsJmi_UNqT8mhS_84rHUNKc3wv1XDyWwDHKTZkWfw-vHR0sNLTfVkhMuI2stNL8HPMbi9yCXEe0ycT2mCjzOBcxjzJ745aPg6K4BQHQq/s1600-h/darkness.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGpOA4KnBO6Q7PdDRcymHGrsGuLAZsQsJmi_UNqT8mhS_84rHUNKc3wv1XDyWwDHKTZkWfw-vHR0sNLTfVkhMuI2stNL8HPMbi9yCXEe0ycT2mCjzOBcxjzJ745aPg6K4BQHQq/s400/darkness.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291505636220427298" /></a>AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10962641.post-41044336821392192802008-12-23T22:22:00.001+00:002008-12-23T22:23:58.324+00:00Trying to get homeMy brother Cory and I are both at home in Maryland, and we're going to try and make a few more semi-improvised videos like this one over the next few weeks...enjoy!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tu0u-dyrmnY&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tu0u-dyrmnY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10962641.post-82766890404204371432008-12-02T12:00:00.002+00:002008-12-02T12:03:02.149+00:00Wii Music ReviewAs a general rule I am trying to keep my <a href="http://www.wiiloopmachine.com">Wii LoopMachine</a> blog and this Amazing Rolo blog from overlapping too much, but this is a topic I feel very strongly about, and so I must apologize for cross-posting! What follows is the review of Nintendo's Wii Music that I just posted on the LoopMachine site. enjoy!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/dsc09045.jpg"><img src="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/dsc09045-300x225.jpg" alt="" title="Wii Music" width="300" height="225" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-172" /></a><br />Do you kind of vaguely enjoy music? Do you want an inoffensive way to entertain your family, without the embarrassment and discomfort usually associated with video games? Do you want pretend to give yourself (or your children) a musical education? Do you have <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001DO3NEW/ref=s9newr_c5_at2-rfc_g1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=1KGYDQJ61NMK0TMKC9TY&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=463374953&pf_rd_i=468294">£50 </a>to spend? Well, the newly released <a href="http://www.wiimusic.com/">Wii Music</a> is for you!<br /><br />I’ll let Nintendo’s <a href="http://e3.nintendo.com/wii/wiimusic/index.html">official website</a> speak for itself: <br /><br /><blockquote>“Musicians in your band jam by simply playing their instruments to the beat of a song or by improvising to their heart’s content. Play faster. Play slower. Skip a beat, or throw in 10 more. No matter what you do, Wii Music automatically transforms your improv stylings into great music. There are no mistakes—just playing for the pure joy of playing.”</blockquote><br /><br />Creating a system that allows people to easily play music is a noble aim, of course, but this rhetoric turns farcical when compared to the actual gameplay, which revolves around forcing unnatural movements on the user to create something like music, all within an educationally dubious framework. It’s a shame, really, since the Wii is a console that could potentially lend itself to <a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii/?page_id=13">exciting musical software</a>.<br /><br />There are several ways of playing Wii Music, including Jam Mode, Improv, several mini games, and a “Lessons” section. In Jam Mode you can pick an instrument and play along with a preprogrammed song, either with friends or with an automatic backing band. However, using Jam Mode for the first time is also your introduction to what turns out to be the maddeningly repetitive use of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” throughout the game. In order to unlock any other songs you must play through this song, and the same applies to the minigames. In addition, virtually any time a feature is demonstrated, the demo song is...well, you get the idea. <br /><br />Putting that to one side, what about making music? Surely you can rock out and play anything you want just by moving the controller about in an intuitive way, taking advantage of the unique capabilities of the Wiimote! Well...no. Playing an instrument, for the most part, involves shaking the controllers just enough to trigger a note, the pitch of which you have no control over. To “play” a piano, for example, you are told to “move your hands up and down as if you were playing a real piano”. This translates as “hold the controller however you want and shake it”. No matter how you hold or move the controller, the notes are preprogrammed and will simply trigger based on when you shake it. So much for creativity. Playing a violin or cello involves an unintuitive series of jerky movements and button presses, all to produce a horrifying General MIDI soundbank string tone. It sounds an awful lot like browsing the internet in 1997. <br /><br />Of course, many of these faults can be attributed to the inherently inaccurate motion capture data from the Wii remote. Accelerometers are tricky things, and it would be impossible to make a good emulation of a piano with a Wiimote right now. It begs the question - why did they even try? What is the point of a half-assed instrument simulator, particularly when the upcoming <a href="http://kotaku.com/5024907/nintendo-introduces-wii-motion-plus">Wii Motion Plus</a> promises much finer motion control? <br /><br />But back to the music - performing a song is mildly entertaining for a minute or so, once you get a hang of the controls for your instrument, but the song choice and styles are so bland it defies logic. It seems outlandish that a game that has skimped on so much (graphics are standard Wii blobs, there are very few levels, sound quality is low, etc) only offers only 52 songs, ranging from “Yankee Doodle” to “Jingle Bell Rock”. Even these are not available all at once - you have to work through endless soft rock muzak renditions of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “Daydream Believer” before you get to the good stuff - yes! I can finally do a jazz version of “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”! <a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/song-selection.jpg"><img src="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/song-selection-300x249.jpg" alt="" title="seriously? is this all i get?" width="300" height="249" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-169" /></a>What’s more, there is an odd insistence on creating “music videos” of every performance. After each Jam you are asked to create album art for your creation, and then you are forced to watch through your performance - in a fit of frustration I started mashing buttons on the controller, only then discovering a hidden way to escape that torture.<br /><br />Perhaps the most redeeming mode of play is the handbells mini-game, which challenges you to swing your remotes at the correct times in order to play the melody correctly. Playing with several other people is quite fun, like Guitar Hero for church music. It’s challenging and fun, and the Wiimote/Nunchuk system works very well for ringing bells.<a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/bells.jpg"><img src="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/bells-300x240.jpg" alt="" title="Handbell Hero" width="300" height="240" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-168" /></a><br /><br />“Ah ha!” says Nintendo, “but look at what differentiates our product from those silly <a href="http://www.guitarhero.com/uk/">Guitar Hero</a> games! In Wii Music you can improvise on any instrument you like!” Sure enough, you can pick from a range of instruments and play your heart away. But once again, you have little to no control over the pitch of the notes you play, so any improvisation quickly turns into random shaking and button pressing. The possible exceptions are the percussion instruments, who of course lend themselves to just that kind of movement. You can even bring a Balance Board into the mix to play a drum set, which more or less works. With a bit of practice you can play some fun beats, although having to press different buttons to trigger the cymbals, tom toms, and snare is rather confusing. <br /><br />Strangest of all, though, is the choice of instruments. They range from the obvious (guitar, piano) to the “exotic” (sitar), to the absurd. This last category includes Dog and Cat Suits, allowing your character to hop around yapping and meowing, Cheerleader, where you can indulge your strange adolescent fantasties and dress up in pom poms and a miniskirt, and best of hall - hand clap. Yes, video game technology has advanced so far that we are able to clap our hands virtually, simply by swinging Wii remotes! All that is missing is a flying car, and we will have reached the Future!<br /><p><a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/hand-clap.jpg"><img src="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/hand-clap-150x150.jpg" alt="" title="Virtual Hand Clap!" width="150" height="150" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-166" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/cheerleader.jpg"><img src="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/cheerleader-150x150.jpg" alt="" title="Yann as a Cheerleader" width="150" height="150" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-165" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/dog-suit.jpg"><img src="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/dog-suit-150x150.jpg" alt="" title="Yann in a Dog Suit" width="150" height="150" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-164" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/cat-suit.jpg"><img src="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/cat-suit-150x150.jpg" alt="" title="Yann in a Cat Suit" width="150" height="150" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-163" /></a></p><br /><br />All of this is harmless, of course, or at least it would be if it wasn’t all placed within a framework of supposed musical education. There is a “lessons” section, where you can develop your musical ability by learning how to play different styles, and miniature games with listening and playing tests. In these sections, of course, the supposed freedom of musical expression that is touted throughout the marketing of Wii Music goes completely out the window, in favor of a subjective and punitive approach. Conduct the orchestra however you want, but of course if you conduct incorrectly you will get a lower score, and your poor little character will sag his head. In Jam Mode you can “improvise to your heart’s content”, but there is an obnoxious ticking metronome coming out of the Wii remote speaker, making sure you don’t deviate too far from the party line. And the hearing test contains such insanely pointless questions as “Which tune fits the feeling of ‘I’ll never get my homework done?’” It’s an ethnomusicologist’s worst nightmare! <br /><a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/homework.jpg"><img src="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/homework-300x269.jpg" alt="" title="What the hell does homework sound like?" width="300" height="269" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-167" /></a><br /><br />This approach truly terrifies me, since I am sure it will do more to discourage potential musicians than anything else. There is very little allowance for creativity in Wii Music, and a truly tenuous link between movement and sound creation. The emulation of the instruments is tacky and the sound quality is shocking, and any attempt to describe it as a musical educational tool is simply disingenuous - at no point in the game is any connection made to the world outside of cheap graphical representations of instruments. Never does Sebastian Von Tutte, the irritating guide that helps you through the game, suggest “you’ve done really well, have you thought about trying a real piano?” No, rather the game is designed to give you incremental rewards such as new songs to play along with, thereby keeping you from actually applying any interest you may have gained in music to an actual instrument. <br /><br />To be perfectly clear - the concept of Wii Music certainly does not bother me, as it does some gamers. In fact, I think music software for gaming consoles is only going to get bigger. However, Wii Music represents a massive disappointment, and even a step backwards. The future of music games is in creativity, and the motion control of the Wii offers a particularly good way of allowing for that creativity. However, Nintendo has not only put no thought into how motion can and should be used for making music, but also created a “music game” with extremely limited and low quality music, and a hypocritical approach to education and improvisational freedom. What a shame. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back into my Cat Suit.AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10962641.post-82695534624092143682008-11-27T18:28:00.002+00:002008-11-27T18:33:27.168+00:00Wii + Video = FunTomorrow night I will be doing a performance at the launch event for the new issue of <a href="http://www.yucknyum.com/">Yuck n Yum</a>, a publication by a group of pretty hip artists in Dundee.<br /><br />This show is going to be a bit of a departure for me, as I will be doing some new things that I have not yet tried in public! Hurray! Because of this, I thought it would be fun to give a sneak peek of just what exactly I will be doing. That's what blogs are for, right?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZDOl_Gdc01vnnjfERQlmOSJdi6yeQxNVAHb7uA6_NTuFxJQTNbAvFY5H7d2DhqLgZlf0SQeFEi8Nyb0aG2P9KPgptqpjgEzFTdylKvCF4FyY596hLc-BfwPmspfxRwgw4msb7/s1600-h/jitter_rig.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZDOl_Gdc01vnnjfERQlmOSJdi6yeQxNVAHb7uA6_NTuFxJQTNbAvFY5H7d2DhqLgZlf0SQeFEi8Nyb0aG2P9KPgptqpjgEzFTdylKvCF4FyY596hLc-BfwPmspfxRwgw4msb7/s320/jitter_rig.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273407138285078386" /></a><br />This picture shows most of what I will be using, conveniently labeled for you (click to enlarge).<br />The equipment list is:<br /><ul><br /><li>3 Wii remotes with Nunchuk attachments</li><br /><li>Laptop</li><br /><li>one-stringed guitar, fitted with ultrasonic and light sensors</li><br /><li><a href="http://www.arduino.cc/">Arduino microcontroller</a></li><br /><li>mixer, preamps, etc</li><br /><li>projector</li><br /></ul><br /><br />I've set out a process for creating sound out of all of this mess, with video as the starting point (another first for me).<br /><br />The first step, then, is the video. I made a patch in <a href="http://www.cycling74.com/products/max5">Jitter</a> for controlling two video streams independently, and overlaying them. The two videos can be warped, stretched, colored, and mixed together in real time. The output of each manipulated video stream is being analyzed, and sent to a synthesizer which is creating sound based on the visuals. Thus, by manipulating the videos, which are then generating sound, the video manipulation becomes an "instrument" of sorts.<br /><br />In addition, the audio of each video can also be used independently of the visuals and passed through various effects.<br /><br />The guitar, meanwhile, is fitted with various sensors that are plugged into an Arduino. These sensors will control sampling and playback of the guitar signal, creating textures underneath all of the sound from the videos.<br /><br />Finally, the webcam on my laptop will also be activated, using live footage of myself to trigger more synthesis in Jitter.<br /><br />Where do the Wii remotes fit into all of this? Well, rather than sitting in front of my laptop clicking through my Jitter patch, I will be using several wii remotes to control it all, with the ultimate goal of being able to do the whole performance without touching the computer at all. All of the video manipulation, audio effects, guitar sampling and playback, and synthesis will be controlled with the Wii remotes. The rotation of each video, for example, will be controlled by twisting and turning my left hand, while the playback speed of each video will be mapped to the movements of my right hand. A wii remote will be attached to the guitar, so the angle of the instrument will dictate the pitch of the sample playback.<br /><br />Does that makes sense? My goal was to try and combine video mixing, Wii remotes, and music. If you're in the Dundee area you should definitely come along. If not, the show will hopefully be recorded and I will definitely post the video as soon as I can.AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10962641.post-51593476747078890972008-11-11T18:53:00.004+00:002008-11-12T11:35:46.417+00:00An audience that cares<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixLW7MnwQkILos5j1Bf-HsBjXAMXngRKXDpSpt-Zmj0Q9Nd8fEJyU_ADLHJeKlbUKweSo_gCnHnSrbUDDVj0hyphenhyphendqI1A_H1d3ILidPO-LjrL8Mxa0_8wE972uf3QQTEVpU5Xcg/s1600-h/DSC08836.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixLW7MnwQkILos5j1Bf-HsBjXAMXngRKXDpSpt-Zmj0Q9Nd8fEJyU_ADLHJeKlbUKweSo_gCnHnSrbUDDVj0hyphenhyphendqI1A_H1d3ILidPO-LjrL8Mxa0_8wE972uf3QQTEVpU5Xcg/s320/DSC08836.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267479518225440962" /></a><br />I'm in a funny situation these days, where I'm working really hard on a bunch of different projects, but have very little to show for it all! It's been frustrating me a bit, so I made an extra effort to make a finished version of a song I've been working on for a while. I will probably continue working on it at some point soon (I would really like my brother to lay a banjo or guitar track down, for example), but I really like how it sounds now too. Give it a listen!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/blog/audience.mp3">The Amazing Rolo - An audience that cares</a><br /><br />I started writing this song while playing in "Jack and the Beanstalk"...the production began with myself and the other musician walking out onstage from the wings playing a (deliberately) cheesy melody, before getting kicked off the stage by the bad guy. It was really fascinating to wait backstage before every show and watch the crowd file in, waiting for the lights to dim and the stage manager to give me my cue. <br /><br />I started wondering if nature worked the same way, each creature waiting for the right moment to perform. But surely not, I surmised, because they perform every day, despite a total lack of audience most of the time. I'm not sure if I ever came to a conclusion about it, but I did write the lyrics based on those ideas. In fact, this song is a rare instance of me putting a lot of emphasis on lyrics...usually I'm much more concerned with the musical structure. <br /><br />This recording features the inimitable <a href="http://web.mac.com/petevilk/petevilk/Home.html">Pete Vilk</a> on percussion. He and I go <a href="http://ddm.caad.ed.ac.uk/mscpages/2006/s0671577/teajamfinal/">way back</a>.AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10962641.post-90455777151024711782008-10-16T16:32:00.007+01:002008-10-16T17:52:06.789+01:00A new home (away from home away from home)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6biA6Ki7lUQcXk0tun4ockxdslMSxkst0-_dpAoSUHJrqXURim4ntuuhFU84fMPq0tAMbD3y_QRbWNYkaEplKPamlGWD3c52d8FU0LGd6Maija549LQBd_WQi_J4rY-N1-LrX/s1600-h/DSC08816.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6biA6Ki7lUQcXk0tun4ockxdslMSxkst0-_dpAoSUHJrqXURim4ntuuhFU84fMPq0tAMbD3y_QRbWNYkaEplKPamlGWD3c52d8FU0LGd6Maija549LQBd_WQi_J4rY-N1-LrX/s320/DSC08816.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257785935876557074" /></a><br />Hello again from Dundee, the city of <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/victorian/trails_victorian_dundee.shtml">Jam, Jute, and Journalism</a>. I recently started a residency at <a href="http://www.abertay.ac.uk/">Abertay University</a>, where I am now the New Media Artist in the amazing new <a href="http://www.hi-techscotland.com/article/first-minister-opens-abertays-white-space">Whitespace</a>.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7BjTJFpCxg2f4eFXv7BhbTjts8b1RPwmYuSKQe0sEvBea94tEJVL5Xl32VulJpoPO4xO8smerWe4AnU3JtEk9rZF8qxD72UEIOtScGEVNiKCPp_ma2rkKaCMy5rlCf0Q2LVT_/s1600-h/DSC08824.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7BjTJFpCxg2f4eFXv7BhbTjts8b1RPwmYuSKQe0sEvBea94tEJVL5Xl32VulJpoPO4xO8smerWe4AnU3JtEk9rZF8qxD72UEIOtScGEVNiKCPp_ma2rkKaCMy5rlCf0Q2LVT_/s320/DSC08824.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257785847451087346" /></a><br />It's a fantastic place, a huge area that used to be the heavy engineering department which is now dedicated to digital media in all it's forms...there are recording studios, media production suites, and creative professionals, all sharing space with students studying video game production, sound, video, you name it. It's a great atmosphere, and I get a workspace amidst it all.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_7jLe-i_1FRNFFaAbgW9JvkHqNEwV_q8zIBORwsBD7buNtyR2dBMH40VnQo_dtPfy3Cd5rC59-3ljw21Y9EUhN618UBcs1zXu0TzpTy7eY8_X4PPxRBkhPYyXoeDwLGfyOVDF/s1600-h/DSC08819.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_7jLe-i_1FRNFFaAbgW9JvkHqNEwV_q8zIBORwsBD7buNtyR2dBMH40VnQo_dtPfy3Cd5rC59-3ljw21Y9EUhN618UBcs1zXu0TzpTy7eY8_X4PPxRBkhPYyXoeDwLGfyOVDF/s320/DSC08819.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257785734829114018" /></a><br />Over the next nine months or so I hope to spend about three days a week here, where I will be developing some of the artistic projects I haven't had time for recently. These include some video work, some music, some game-based-art, some mechanical noise making devices, and so on. And I'll be blogging about it as much as possible!AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10962641.post-34357654604889591172008-10-15T13:41:00.004+01:002008-10-15T14:27:35.730+01:00Live Wii-mixing in Glasgow this weekend<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73sAfcxnRwKsnCIrAY0okvC7I-i3k-FzkflOa8YsuctHp-HfWJ1k9ExJE5TwSQ9QLY7FmTlYJ55zNqKSFI9pXIUnU1b5dqzNhhIHJ4weVVA731W7ENACsUvgn6I8LfvMTBSS9/s1600-h/touchmebackfinal.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73sAfcxnRwKsnCIrAY0okvC7I-i3k-FzkflOa8YsuctHp-HfWJ1k9ExJE5TwSQ9QLY7FmTlYJ55zNqKSFI9pXIUnU1b5dqzNhhIHJ4weVVA731W7ENACsUvgn6I8LfvMTBSS9/s320/touchmebackfinal.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257360114230030770" /></a><br />This Saturday I will be playing a set at the <a href="http://www.thebuffclub.com/">Buff Club</a> in Glasgow. Electrorock duo <a href="http://www.anycolorblack.com/">Any Color Black</a> will be playing a show and taking tons of pictures in order to create artwork for their upcoming EP, and I will be remixing some of their songs with the LoopMachine! Expect some crazy Wii music action, and a generally wild night overall. <br /><br /><p>It’s free, starts at 7:30 (doors at 7) and you can get into the dance party that follows for free! <a href="http://wheredoyouliketobetouched.com/">Check out the event website for details</a>. See you there!</p> <br /><br /><i>apologies to those who have already read this on <a href="http://www.wiiloopmachine.com">wiiloopmachine.com</a></i>AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10962641.post-33480986450199180442008-09-18T10:39:00.003+01:002008-09-18T10:51:03.485+01:00another Rolo Remix<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwwWtfmAdH5MiSIkjnhN48LePkMU01DPeGmnd5iFvxY3kk-FoiWGPt2D-xI7O0TNcoXYFV8Ye9QQjcFEONC4mtGiIMf3teIeDnFrUSfgMVVegFqLZGGjkXAF2ak-HFij-qhhcG/s1600-h/DSC06547.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwwWtfmAdH5MiSIkjnhN48LePkMU01DPeGmnd5iFvxY3kk-FoiWGPt2D-xI7O0TNcoXYFV8Ye9QQjcFEONC4mtGiIMf3teIeDnFrUSfgMVVegFqLZGGjkXAF2ak-HFij-qhhcG/s200/DSC06547.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247296604479881874" /></a><br />I'm proud to say that I feature on the album <a href="http://12rec.net/Release_adcBicycle_051.htm">"through the mirror: adcBicycle revisioned"</a>, a recent release by Netlabel <a href="http://12rec.net/News.htm">12rec.</a>. <br /><br /><i>through the mirror</i> is a collection of remixes of songs by Canadian musician adcBicycle, aka Matt Chisholm. I'm in good company, with my remix sandwiched between tracks by map~map, umami, zanf, Fell, and more. I'm also described as "Scotland based Wii wizard The Amazing Rolo", which is nothing short of awesome.<br /><br />My remix is entitled "Wagon 7 Seat 7", and was created mostly on a train journey to Dundee.<br /><br />Grab the whole album now, it's a free download!AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10962641.post-60076999463178621352008-09-17T12:47:00.003+01:002008-09-17T13:14:36.056+01:00Mother Courage<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ccg4mVWwc7uYST4Da0vKZbRhLJwa2_ORfAL0_NgTMKYjb7wIImQVjPzZXWrqoiZB9sIRCumK9yVmQc8OHMjvAIRzRUjVsYjEF2gAlinvpu_Nf7emDAjeJVl_junIiPpBLUME/s1600-h/DSC08581.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ccg4mVWwc7uYST4Da0vKZbRhLJwa2_ORfAL0_NgTMKYjb7wIImQVjPzZXWrqoiZB9sIRCumK9yVmQc8OHMjvAIRzRUjVsYjEF2gAlinvpu_Nf7emDAjeJVl_junIiPpBLUME/s200/DSC08581.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246962558305738866" /></a><br /><br />I'm back in Dundee these days, working at the <a href="http://www.dundeereptheatre.co.uk/">Dundee Rep Theatre</a> again. Everyone here is so professional and friendly, it's always a pleasure to come back. <br /><br />This time around I'm playing piano, trumpet, guitar, and some electronics for Mother Courage and Her Children by Bertolt Brecht, directed by Gerry Mulgrew and starring Ann Louise Ross. It's a great production that will be running until September 27th, so do come on by if you're in the area!AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10962641.post-75187346150921114382008-07-17T17:09:00.002+01:002008-07-17T17:13:44.087+01:00Is that a cowboy outfit?Here's a cool video art piece by Lucy Keany, with sound design by me:<br /><object width="500" height="282"> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> <param name="movie" value="http://www.vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1358128&server=www.vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1" /> <embed src="http://www.vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1358128&server=www.vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="500" height="282"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://www.vimeo.com/1358128?pg=embed&sec=1358128">"Is That a Cowboy Outfit" by Lucy Keany</a> from <a href="http://www.vimeo.com/user157218?pg=embed&sec=1358128">The Amazing Rolo</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com?pg=embed&sec=1358128">Vimeo</a>.<br /><br />It was shown at the Edinburgh College of Art degree show 2008. Imagine it projected into a totally blackened room.<br /><br />Doing the sound design was loads of fun - Lucy and I agreed very quickly on the sound aesthetic we were after, which makes everything easier! I found much of the source material on <a href="http://www.archive.org">archive.org</a>, which is a fantastic place to look for copyright-free sound and video.AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10962641.post-7015735908853868852008-06-20T18:06:00.007+01:002008-06-20T18:27:16.982+01:00Pour un monde meilleur<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7BU2Q2hGgbFHQt7lYk5k_AoTlVfOkE8F-DZ26UWtunik2NtIfXz-zwtzcBTHyyTTcuxGatdEFga7OkCripEXTMfs-Owe_TDoaZ-94AIjAVX3r_KTwTK2EzzBAdaVn3GAG4Bw/s1600-h/2564289776_59e47449d0_b.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7BU2Q2hGgbFHQt7lYk5k_AoTlVfOkE8F-DZ26UWtunik2NtIfXz-zwtzcBTHyyTTcuxGatdEFga7OkCripEXTMfs-Owe_TDoaZ-94AIjAVX3r_KTwTK2EzzBAdaVn3GAG4Bw/s200/2564289776_59e47449d0_b.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214015421994817650" /></a><br />This June, like last June and the June before that, my brother Cory and I met up in Paris to work on a play with our cousin Fabrice Macaux at the Abbaye de Maubuisson. <br /><br />This year the play was called "Pour un monde meilleur", and it featured a 12 person choir! Cory and I composed all sorts of music and sound design that used the choir together with our trademark electro-acoustic hybrid style. <br /><br />Cory was a character in the play, whilst I was a shadowy background character, controlling all of the sound from behind a fence behind the stage area. I think the crowd could just see my head. I was doing lots of live sound design, manipulating recordings and live sound in real time to go with the dream-like atmosphere of the play. During one day of rehearsals and performance I took a photo every 10 seconds with the built in camera of my laptop. I've made a medley of the sound design and music from the production to go with it, to give a vague idea of how it sounded:<br /><object width="500" height="375"> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> <param name="movie" value="http://www.vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1204863&server=www.vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1" /> <embed src="http://www.vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1204863&server=www.vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="500" height="375"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />If you would like to hear what the choir sounded like without my computer trickery, here are two rough recordings we made in the Abbey:<br /><b><a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/blog/Artemisia.mp3">Artemisia</a></b><br /><b><a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/blog/Le_capital.mp3">Le capital toujours fondamental</a></b><br /><br />I'm now back in Edinburgh, working hard on the <a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii/">Loop Machine</a>, and enjoying the long summer days!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSlQqJ7IvbYHlD8xIDN2fBxSKRJ3l5JCSgrdypgEDUCHPLZg_XhhlRTvxMvp2ZeaeeHujS-KVV9GosaLML3PRTinZi7OWYn6hrxHYW1japYQp_4ZPMjMDKFCRQN9HtkZC9a4lW/s1600-h/2567488488_6b654ba56f_b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSlQqJ7IvbYHlD8xIDN2fBxSKRJ3l5JCSgrdypgEDUCHPLZg_XhhlRTvxMvp2ZeaeeHujS-KVV9GosaLML3PRTinZi7OWYn6hrxHYW1japYQp_4ZPMjMDKFCRQN9HtkZC9a4lW/s200/2567488488_6b654ba56f_b.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214016442119337570" /></a>AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10962641.post-6942480981100034642008-04-30T22:18:00.003+01:002008-04-30T22:21:41.031+01:00Rolo + Groanbox in the pressToday's issue of The Independent features not one but <b>two</b> articles that mention me! I'm very proud.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/wii-more-than-just-a-game-818025.html">The first</a> is about Wii development, and discusses the <a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii">Loop Machine</a> at length. <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/preview-the-groanbox-boys-the-oval-tavern-croydon-817903.html">The second</a> is about <a href="http://www.groanboxboys.com">The Groanbox Boys</a>, otherwise known as my brother Cory's band. I co-produced their first two albums, and we're planning on doing a third at the end of the month. If you're in the UK you should catch one of their shows this month, they're incredible!AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10962641.post-3467897715971935182008-04-28T22:29:00.004+01:002008-04-29T10:36:08.144+01:00Loop Machinen dra til Bergen!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizl5OE-xOwzypY0s9tb_b895nQ1h3kMp54mQfG_ILGihpoywnqVVC035gYDS4bRNq3S9uO-65vEh-Uh7zFHnxNhYK69BEbNlrj9JtfVx8Rq7VhPKjHP1vXKocNnbw76tdwRsrf/s1600-h/DSC07760.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizl5OE-xOwzypY0s9tb_b895nQ1h3kMp54mQfG_ILGihpoywnqVVC035gYDS4bRNq3S9uO-65vEh-Uh7zFHnxNhYK69BEbNlrj9JtfVx8Rq7VhPKjHP1vXKocNnbw76tdwRsrf/s320/DSC07760.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194598694107347618" /></a><br />I'm writing this from Bergen, Norway, where I'm an invited speaker at the <a href="http://www.bimuc.no">Bergen Interactive Music Conference</a>. I'll be giving a talk and demonstration of the Loop Machine on Wednesday morning. If you're in the neighborhood I would love to hear from you!<br /><br />I've heard some amazing stuff and met some really interesting people already, so I'll write another post about some of that in the near future!AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10962641.post-43206327132344922112008-03-31T15:33:00.004+01:002008-03-31T15:55:22.362+01:00The walls have ears<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7K7FvMXM-FI0jHZsXUhB_980QdBrHZWZ7EaLJSP9stkOzaB6nDz2yiR-XXvK_rbWz9AXmux-r0elD5sMgV5Kq_pcxdhmDODxW4zOdqOGudzrcldaD1-FuiMJeIEnpQKu3TekS/s1600-h/IMG_0032.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7K7FvMXM-FI0jHZsXUhB_980QdBrHZWZ7EaLJSP9stkOzaB6nDz2yiR-XXvK_rbWz9AXmux-r0elD5sMgV5Kq_pcxdhmDODxW4zOdqOGudzrcldaD1-FuiMJeIEnpQKu3TekS/s320/IMG_0032.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183917197276914066" /></a><br />It's been a long time since my last post, because I've been working on several projects at once. One of these has finished up, for the moment, and I'm now back in Edinburgh. I spent most of March in Paris working on a play called "Ces murs qui nous écoutent" ("The Walls Have Ears"), which was written and directed by Fabrice Macaux (loosely based on the novel by Spôjmaï Zariâb) and featured Delphine Zucker in the lead role. <br /><br />I did a little bit of acting, wrote and recorded original music and performed the sound design live onstage. I also wrote some Wii software for some wireless motion-based sound control, which I will post soon on the <a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii">Loop Machine</a> site. We performed at the <a href="http://www.rueleon.net/">Lavoir Moderne Parisien</a> and the <a href="http://www.saintbrice95.fr/associative/vieculturelle/theatre.htm">Theatre Sylvie Monfort</a> in Saint Brice.<br /><br />The story revolves around a woman living and working in a totalitarian country, where books and culture are disallowed. I played the part of her colleague, who disappears after warning her to stop reading books. If you speak French you can read <a href="http://www.lemagazine.info/spip.php?article769">this rather positive review!</a><br /><br />Here is one of the songs I wrote for the play...the set was a giant rotating steel cube with colored movable panels. At several key points I would turn the cube while this music played, symbolizing the passage of time. This song is built from many of the sound elements that were used in the rest of the play, such as flipping through pages in a book, the sound of the work bell, and her heartbeat.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/blog/les_jours.mp3">The Amazing Rolo - Les jours passent avec lenteur</a><br /><br />We did a lot of filming, as well, so I hope to post some video here in the near future.AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10962641.post-59090035856715149002008-02-28T22:56:00.002+00:002008-02-28T23:00:05.739+00:00Loop Machine 2.0 released!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhin44ApSyckgkyEGLzpHVXZtiQ5pnTJtWM4N1kNR5lMXI9S183FKo1SrseC0cKkWUbmpzUGuaaKns5FZ4hTdRlHCt69odjb1D_4q62U9SDSjBr-BkPt7GnWym1f9aG1LOiRII6/s1600-h/screenshot.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhin44ApSyckgkyEGLzpHVXZtiQ5pnTJtWM4N1kNR5lMXI9S183FKo1SrseC0cKkWUbmpzUGuaaKns5FZ4hTdRlHCt69odjb1D_4q62U9SDSjBr-BkPt7GnWym1f9aG1LOiRII6/s320/screenshot.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172168977904680098" /></a><br />Today I am happy to announce the release of my Loop Machine 2.0 software! As regular readers of this blog will know, this is the result of five months of very hard work, so this is very exciting for me. Go to the <a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii">Loop Machine Website at theamazingrolo.net/wii/</a> to check it out. You can also see the press release <a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii/LoopMachine2.pdf">here</a>. Thanks to everyone for your continued support!AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10962641.post-46718796311710744482008-01-22T11:44:00.000+00:002008-01-22T11:51:55.868+00:00News on the Loop Machine<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8U190C9KvCfDHi667xTtqyL1H7wXAOaUhEEIbhPf5JEtcJrDBzpn6QqX2_YEpSNv7JGCW034GJzrym6TUtvcrF2BkhgkGwqluwJorsmlUEVsP39lodHuLzpD0WKUdfNwfLmjV/s1600-h/DSC07245.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8U190C9KvCfDHi667xTtqyL1H7wXAOaUhEEIbhPf5JEtcJrDBzpn6QqX2_YEpSNv7JGCW034GJzrym6TUtvcrF2BkhgkGwqluwJorsmlUEVsP39lodHuLzpD0WKUdfNwfLmjV/s320/DSC07245.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158266602296022930" /></a><br />I've been busy and productive lately! Check out my <a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii/">Wii Loop Machine</a> site for a new video and a free Wii synthesizer. The video is about the sampling capabilities of v2.0 and features some crazy Wii/Piano action, and the synthesizer works on Leopard! The fun never ends.AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10962641.post-64528990079652147512008-01-15T03:19:00.000+00:002008-01-15T03:28:10.059+00:00Wii Loop Machine 2.0 previewAs I've mentioned many times on this blog before, I am currently working on version 2.0 of my Wii Loop Machine. I'm happy to announce that I've just launched a <a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii/">brand new website</a> dedicated entirely to my Wii music software. It has all of my previous Wii blog entries, videos, and information, as well as a brand-new <a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii/?page_id=18">forum</a> for questions, comments, and WLM discussion. I will be posted all of my Wii news on there for the most part from now on.<br /><br />The software is nearly finished, I've started Beta testing and I hope to release it in a few weeks! In the mean time I will be making weekly videos showing off the new and exciting features available in version 2.0. Here is the first video, enjoy!<br /><br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=609538&server=www.vimeo.com&fullscreen=1&show_title=1&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff" height="302" width="400"><br /><param name="quality" value="best"></param><br /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"></param><br /><param name="scale" value="showAll"></param><br /><param name="movie" value="http://www.vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=609538&server=www.vimeo.com&fullscreen=1&show_title=1&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff"></param></object><br /><a href="http://www.vimeo.com/609538/l:embed_609538">Wii Loop Machine 2.0 :: an intro</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/l:embed_609538">Vimeo</a> or <a href="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rVpUzre56k8">YouTube</a>. <a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii/video/WLM2_video1.mp4">Here</a> is a direct link to the video.AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10962641.post-28853672996019132112007-12-21T17:10:00.000+00:002007-12-21T17:28:03.236+00:00Hello from up north<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtBNwUCYlPdRa4ThuTJMZXlI42_cJ9jJLyAZV7oESBPBAx7EcpYC-KUA2yrBDo_1KZPs8fFrCuUAUjPGRvxI1CMHn2vMoiA9E9zLZfEThh5uJUCEhLvDH4mthld0r3HBAchKa/s1600-h/DSC07090.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtBNwUCYlPdRa4ThuTJMZXlI42_cJ9jJLyAZV7oESBPBAx7EcpYC-KUA2yrBDo_1KZPs8fFrCuUAUjPGRvxI1CMHn2vMoiA9E9zLZfEThh5uJUCEhLvDH4mthld0r3HBAchKa/s320/DSC07090.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146477292272194530" /></a><br />It's been a busy month! Since late November I've been in Dundee, Scotland most of the time, playing in the <a href="http://www.dundeereptheatre.co.uk/">Dundee Rep's</a> production of <a href="http://www.dundeereptheatre.co.uk/w_jackbeanstalk.htm">Jack and the Beanstalk</a>. It's a panto, which for me is a totally new experience. Non-British readers can learn about panto <a href="http://www.nagsplayers.com/historyofpanto.htm">here</a>. It's a rather silly form in some ways, with lots of audience participation and cheesy jokes, but this production has very good acting and amazing sets and great original music by <a href="http://www.seventhings.co.uk/">John Harris</a>. I'm playing piano, guitar, bass, trumpet, and controlling samples and such with my laptop. <br /><br />In my spare time I've been working on the <a href="http://www.theamazingrolo.net/wii.html">Wii Loop Machine</a>, of course, and I'm happy to report that things are going well. I'm also happy to announce that I am now an <a href="http://www.epis.org.uk/">EPIS scholar</a>, which means that I have official support from the University of Edinburgh to develop the Wii Loop Machine, and once this show has finished I will be working on my Wii projects full time.<br /><br />All of this means that my release date for version 2.0 has been pushed to January. Starting in a few weeks I hope to post videos and screenshots of the software in action! I'm hugely excited to get back at it. Thanks to everyone for your continued support and patience!AmazingRolohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05477545231794600740noreply@blogger.com2