Ambient Jams Volume 1
Rosemary
Not bad for a plant. And a small pot of Rosemary from the supermarket at that. This track uses a Playtronic Biotron for the main “melody” line. Which is a really interesting piece of kit that I sort of assumed wouldn’t actually work. But it does. The sounds (and bass and drums) are from within Logic. With a touch of auto-mastering.
Covers and rarities
These are a few random tracks put together over the first few months of 2025.
new year afternoon
Messing about with U-dio . Sounds a bit like Whipping Boy. A bit too much like them.
Deluge of Piano
This is a track produced on the Synthstrom Deluge.
Deluge of Piano
no mains power
The track was made with 1 bar of music. The basic idea is using the lane sequencer on the Deluge to set varying patterns of single notes (on a scale) over the course of 1 bar, have the bar play on “ping-pong” i.e. back and forth and then reduce the length for some note lanes. Then recorded to audio with different note lanes being muted over time (and a very basic drum beat). Manages to be very simple to set up and really quite generative (random). And at some points has more notes being played than a single piano player could easily manage (ie more than 10).
thoughts on Ableton Move
Update : July 2025. Both the negative issues discussed below – the patch name scrolling and, crucially, the midi implementation, have now been fixed with firmware updates.
Well a quick summary is – I like it. A lot. And I have or have had, many other similar devices over the years – Original Novation Circuit, Circuit Tracks and Samples, OP1, OPz, Ko II, Roland SP404 Mk 2, Korg Electribes, Yamaha Seqtrack, Sonicware Smpltrek, Polyend Tracker (and Mini) and Play, a Yamaha QY-70! and a WooveBox. And in a different but related category an AKAI MPC Live II, Force and Maschine 3 (and Jam) and a Synthstrom Deluge (which I upgraded the screen on).
They all have their advantages and disadvantages to various extents. The Circuits are simple and intuitive and battery powered but limited by a lack of screen, the SP404 is incredibly powerful but I find the user interface baffling, the WooveBox fits in a shirt pocket and sounds amazing but is also utterly baffling and the Play and the Tracker are amazing but hit early obsolesce (to some degree) and don’t have batteries and whilst the Mini is very powerful, I really dislike the build quality and the interface (compared with the Tracker OG). The Electribes and the QY-70 were amazing for their time which leaves the MPC and Force which are fantastic but not exactly portable (although shoutout for the speakers on the Live II), the Yamaha and Sonicware (no comment) and finally the Deluge. Which is probably the overall sweet spot in terms of portability, ease of use (with the upgraded screen) and features but is starting to become a bit too complicated. And the Maschine requires a laptop so doesn’t really count (I have so far resisted the Maschine+). If I could only have 1 of them, it might be the Deluge or it might be one of the Akais.
Which brings us to the Move. The first thing to discuss is the fact that it “only” has 4 tracks. This seems like a huge limit until you clock that each of the 4 tracks can be either the Drum Sampler, a Synth (with either 4 or 8 note polyphony) or a Sampler but that crucially that the Drum Sampler has 16 samples that can be played chromatically. The track below was a test to see what could be done using a single track. It is very unoptimised and is just an export of the bits of the session without any performance stuff or time spent on sound choice or design. But is a single track of the 4 available and doesn’t even max that out.
So going to say the 4 track limit is not an issue. Especially as you can adjust the effect sends and crucially the volume in real time on a per pad basis (so you can for example fade the bassline in with little difficulty) and save the automation.
Next up – build quality, size and ergonomics. Which can be summed up as “really nice” on all 3 counts. I find the pads actually to be amongst the best I have ever used. OK there is no MPE but the aftertouch is fine. The overall size is pretty perfect in terms of portability vs enough stuff and the screen, whilst small, is fine for what it needs to do (with the minor caveat that it would be really nice if the patch names scrolled, after a short pause, rather than being truncated) and it can’t be stressed enough how it positively impacts on the usability compared with the Novations.
The sound quality is lovely and whilst the sound design possibilities might be a bit limited that is more than offset by the quality of the large number of presets and the sampling side of things. The web based interface for adding samples and backing up is utterly brilliant as it is based on the machine itself and this means it will continue to exist and work forever (or technically I suppose as long as the code is supported by web browsers) rather than relying on an App or the company maintaining a web page. And the battery life is fine at 4 hours or so (with a really useful %age indicator) and you can charge from a power bank. It also comes with a lovely but massively over engineered USB-C power supply.
The user interface and workflow is also really good and incredibly intuitive with even some of the more complicated things being fairly simple to remember. The built in microphone is useful and the resampling is really powerful. The capture function (where it remembers what you just did without having to have pressed record) is absolute genius although not completely perfect. If you have something running and jam over the top it seems to capture from when you press something to the end of the max bars and then repeats. So you have to be slightly careful but when you think about it, it would be really difficult for it to be cleverer than that.
The fact that it has a USB-host port that will power external devices is also great. Which sort of brings us to the main issue with it at the moment. Which is the MIDI implementation which is “limited”. To be really rather polite. Awful might be a better description. Either Midi In or Midi Out but not both simultaneously and a really limited implementation of both. All on Midi Channel 1 and with Midi In it just relates to the selected track and with Midi Out it is one of the 4 tracks only. So, for me, the MIDI In limitation is worse and the result that you can’t use something like the Torso T1, the MidiCake arp or the NDLR is a real disappointment but it would also be nice if you could run more than 1 external synth simultaneously.
I’d hope that the MIDI thing will be fixed with an update as I would assume it isn’t baked in to the hardware but even without that it probably has hit the top of the list for which gadget out of all of them would I keep (excluding probably the MPC, FORCE and Deluge).
the sound in my head
Or the End of Music. Been playing about with UDIO, an AI song generator. So the tracks below are basically curated rather than created. But that is sort of the point being made – they have come a lot closer to the “sound in my head” than anything else I have managed. [Although clearly the “sound in my head” is a selection of what used to be called “indie” from the 80s,90s and early 2000s.]
The “album” cover is real. It is a photo taken of a photo on my Aunt’s stairs of her friend invading a stage whilst a certain band were playing a long time ago. Happy to remove it if anyone has a problem with it being used.
Download as a ZIP file here.
In terms of the creative process, not much to say…type a prompt into Udio.com, play about with extending the clip – they generate at about 30 seconds long and each time you get 2 choices, and then a little bit of editing in Logic. This was mainly splitting into stems and lowering the vocal volume and a bit of mastering and the odd effect. For the first track I did repeat one of the vocal lines at the end. And in terms of the vocals/lyrics, I let the AI generate them (you can type in your own) as that was also part of the whole “just how good is this” thing. Clearly a bit variable (without editing) but was very impressed by what “Song about losing your keys” came up with. Twice.
I think it is all really quite depressing. But the technology is pretty amazing.
Music for a found harmonium
This is a track by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra originally. There is an interesting story to the track (and some fairly literal naming as well as Dall-E cover art creation.).
The four versions are basically the same except for tempo changes and different drums in the final version and were a “creative challenge” to produce something based on the original.
This is the final version with the original drums replaced with KVLT Drums by Ugritone.
The files below are the evolution of the track (they don’t change that much TBH), with a slower version (One), a faster version (Faster!) and the initial tempo change version before the drums were changed.
In C
“In C” is a piece of music by Terry Riley. It comprises 53 phrases of unequal lengths that are played in order but each is played as many times as individual musicians choose to. With some suggested limits. It is quite complicated to explain but this page does so rather well. The suggested length is up to an hour and a half but the version below is about 18 and a half minutes.
Using an Akai Force (which is cheating ever so slightly in terms of the band name), with each of the 53 phrases as clips across 13 tracks with additional bass and drums resulted in the following. They were recorded in one take into the arranger in the Force. I didn’t use the suggested 8th note (high C) throughout as a timing device. No need. The bass sort of replicates it much more slowly (most of the time).
The video is made up of 79 time lapse photos of sunrise over Lake Titicaca (from the Peru side). It is about a three and a bit times of actual time, lapsed.
The file above is just exported direct from the Force whilst there is also a slightly remixed/mastered version.
The raw midi data for the 53 phrases can be downloaded below. It is set up as 53 separate midi tracks. It should import into most software in a useable format (assuming you have enough tracks). For instance in the Force it appears as 53 tracks horizontally that you can then move to a single track as clips (and then replicate as many times as you like). The tracks are looped but there is a need to check and tweak these based on the Score (which is on the page linked in the intro above). On the Force it is better to use Keygroup sounds rather than Synths (as you can only have 8 synths and they hog memory). The Force is particularly nice for this project as you can record a performance live into the arranger. Although make sure the Arranger has a length long enough and isn’t set to a short loop (two slightly painful lessons learnt).
Two alternative versions from other people. A proper live performance of the “Mali” version.
And a modular synthesiser.
Or best of all, the man himself.
All hallows’ eve collection
This is the first public release from no mains power. It could probably be slightly more Halloween themed but the timing was a deadline more than a concept. And weirdly, it was finished before the deadline. Most tracks are recorded pretty much live with minimal post editing (with the probable exception of the last one which was all about post editing). Clicking on the track names should allow you to download them if you wish. Or you can download the whole lot as a Zip file (all in mp3 format in case you want to add to say User Files in Spotify). And art work was asking Dall-E 2 for a “Robot playing a synthesiser in front of a haunted house, photorealistic”.
Track 1 – Strange new
This was broadly inspired by the new Star Trek series Strange New Worlds. Mainly because of the use of a theremin type sound as the lead
Track 2 – Almost Jason/Thom
This has a very familiar almost perfectly creepy chord progression (or is “get free”). G, B, C, Cm, repeat. Created in one take using a Midicake Arp. Which is an absolutely brilliant piece of kit and well worth checking out.
Track 3 – Continental Evil
The name almost certainly doesn’t come from the fact that the lead sound comes from a Behringer JT-4000. Which is very, very cheap and quite interesting. Recorded directly into a Critter and Guitar 5 moons (which is another lovely piece of gear) with overdubs. The background drone noise comes from the rather excellent Pocket Drone (it appears that there are, as of writing, only 2 left) from the amazing Simon the Magpie.
Track 4 – Halloween candy
This track is (eventually after about 35 seconds or so) trying for a jazz/ambient piano vibe. Recorded using an MPC Live 2 as the sound source via Midi generated by a Torso Electronics T1. Which is another amazing piece of kit that this track barely scratches the surface of.
Track 5 – A sincere question of the first homewoke
The title will not be explained but it is the main reason the track is a little too long and takes up more time than it really should. Created with a Polyend Play recorded live in one take (forgetting to use the Perform mode much) into the 5 moons.
Track 6 – Synthetic flesh
Short, a bit poppy and again featuring the T1. And it finishes a bit abruptly unlike the previous track.
Track 7 – The one opulent prudent zoo
A combination of the Torso T1 and a Teenage Engineering Op-Z (hence the name). Which is a truly pocketable potential live rig. Although you might need cargo pants. And an ever so slight shame that the Op-Z (with an internal battery) won’t quite power the T1 over USB.
Track 8 – Just like Robert
The oldest track in this collection. Was created as a “what can be done in an hour?” challenge. The answer being borrowed MIDI bass and drums from a rather obvious source, slowed to half speed and 4 takes of Korg Nu-Text recorded into Logic over the top and then edited back.