BLACK PALACE Black Palace is an independent label / artist collective exploring unconventional musical forms, sound art, field recordings, composition and the execution of experimental recording concepts. Our love of the collection of recordings on physical formats, alongside the convenience and accessibility offered by digital mediums, informs our output, with physical releases complemented by downloads. http://blackpalace.co.uk

BLACK PALACE

Black Palace is an independent label / artist collective exploring unconventional musical forms, sound art, field recordings, composition and the execution of experimental recording concepts. Our love of the collection of recordings on physical formats, alongside the convenience and accessibility offered by digital mediums, informs our output, with physical releases complemented by downloads.

http://blackpalace.co.uk

TWITCH An experiment in live real time video “glitching” created in MAX/MSP/Jitter. Video is a direct recording of the Jitter output with no post processing. Although not caused by a glitch in the true sense, the patch is intended to create a sense of the webcam malfunctioning, by making the output skip slightly and stutter the video output.

TWITCH

An experiment in live real time video “glitching” created in MAX/MSP/Jitter. Video is a direct recording of the Jitter output with no post processing. Although not caused by a glitch in the true sense, the patch is intended to create a sense of the webcam malfunctioning, by making the output skip slightly and stutter the video output.

Sound design for Motorola New sound design for an old motorola advert created as part of my Sonic Arts BA coursework

Sound design for Motorola

  • New sound design for an old motorola advert created as part of my Sonic Arts BA coursework

Node Sequencer (Max/MSP) Node Sequencer is a sample playback environment created in Max/MSP. The basic premise is that the user can load up to 8 samples into the patch, which correspond to the 8 circular coloured nodes (nodes and samples are colour coded) with in the main screen, which can be re-sized and repositioned by the user.  As the cursor within the screen passes over the nodes it play a loop of the corresponding sample. Where nodes overlap a mix of the various samples is played. The cursor can either be dragged by the mouse or set on a random “wander” around the screen by itself. The length of each sample loop is also controlled by the cursors position within the node. At the very centre of the node a complete loop of the sample from beginning to end is played. As the node moves towards to the edge of the node, the loop time is decreased. A visual representation of the loop length is shown below the main screen. The gain and pan of each sample can also be adjusted by the user. The amount of nodes available and the speed of the “wander” movement can also be specified. in addition, there are 2 effects sections within the patch. The first is the video controlled effects, either using the users webcam or a preloaded video. The amount of RGB information from the video source directly controls the sample rate, bit size and a delay effect on the main audio output. In addition there are 3 fine tuners, allowing the user to adjust the RGB values of the video playback which in turn fine tune the effects. Finally there is a Peak Notch Filter that can be switched on, which moves across the frequency range as the cursor moves across the main window. DOWNLOAD: A full working version of the patch is available on request - john.amino@gmail.com

Node Sequencer (Max/MSP)

    • Node Sequencer is a sample playback environment created in Max/MSP. The basic premise is that the user can load up to 8 samples into the patch, which correspond to the 8 circular coloured nodes (nodes and samples are colour coded) with in the main screen, which can be re-sized and repositioned by the user. 
    • As the cursor within the screen passes over the nodes it play a loop of the corresponding sample. Where nodes overlap a mix of the various samples is played. The cursor can either be dragged by the mouse or set on a random “wander” around the screen by itself.
    • The length of each sample loop is also controlled by the cursors position within the node. At the very centre of the node a complete loop of the sample from beginning to end is played. As the node moves towards to the edge of the node, the loop time is decreased. A visual representation of the loop length is shown below the main screen.
    • The gain and pan of each sample can also be adjusted by the user. The amount of nodes available and the speed of the “wander” movement can also be specified.
    • in addition, there are 2 effects sections within the patch. The first is the video controlled effects, either using the users webcam or a preloaded video. The amount of RGB information from the video source directly controls the sample rate, bit size and a delay effect on the main audio output. In addition there are 3 fine tuners, allowing the user to adjust the RGB values of the video playback which in turn fine tune the effects.
    • Finally there is a Peak Notch Filter that can be switched on, which moves across the frequency range as the cursor moves across the main window.
    DOWNLOAD:
    A full working version of the patch is available on request - john.amino@gmail.com

Twitter Noise Machine Twitter Noise Machine is an application designed in Max/MSP that creates evolving audio / visual content based on information from real-time Twitter feeds controlling a granular sample playback program with a simultaneous video display of the feeds and relevant images directly downloaded from Google. The application searches Twitter for any “tweets” containing the keywords Noise, Sound and Music and displays them whilst information from the text in the feed (converted from ASCII to numeric values) creates an ever evolving audio accompaniment, that can be left to run without any further intervention. The final application is intended to be part of a 5.1 surround sound installation for projection within a public space that highlights the amount of communication and information that flows through social network sites, and how much of this is actually “noise” to 99% of the population. The videos shown here represent the prototype of the project on a desktop computer. The final version will be larger in scale using three projectors within a gallery or public space

Twitter Noise Machine

Twitter Noise Machine is an application designed in Max/MSP that creates evolving audio / visual content based on information from real-time Twitter feeds controlling a granular sample playback program with a simultaneous video display of the feeds and relevant images directly downloaded from Google.

The application searches Twitter for any “tweets” containing the keywords Noise, Sound and Music and displays them whilst information from the text in the feed (converted from ASCII to numeric values) creates an ever evolving audio accompaniment, that can be left to run without any further intervention.
The final application is intended to be part of a 5.1 surround sound installation for projection within a public space that highlights the amount of communication and information that flows through social network sites, and how much of this is actually “noise” to 99% of the population.
The videos shown here represent the prototype of the project on a desktop computer. The final version will be larger in scale using three projectors within a gallery or public space
English Bore /// Live (Tape Loop Set) 14.01.2012 For some recent live concerts, i decided to part with my trusty laptop and do something more adventurous and improvised. Instead, i sourced 4 tape walkmans and circuit bent them, to include tape speed controls and a power cut switches. Next i bought 8 Sony Continuous 1 minute Loop cassettes and recorded various loops to them. On the night of the live shows, the walkmans were connected to a portable mixing desk, along with a Mini Kaoss Pad for effects, and an improvised 30+ minute set was created alongside a projected DVD of visuals created for the performance. In addition to the loop cassettes, a handful of random charity shop tapes were also used.

English Bore /// Live (Tape Loop Set) 14.01.2012

For some recent live concerts, i decided to part with my trusty laptop and do something more adventurous and improvised.


Instead, i sourced 4 tape walkmans and circuit bent them, to include tape speed controls and a power cut switches. Next i bought 8 Sony Continuous 1 minute Loop cassettes and recorded various loops to them.


On the night of the live shows, the walkmans were connected to a portable mixing desk, along with a Mini Kaoss Pad for effects, and an improvised 30+ minute set was created alongside a projected DVD of visuals created for the performance. In addition to the loop cassettes, a handful of random charity shop tapes were also used.
WIRELESS Audio Installation Using 5 short range FM transmitters, the main hall of the campus is turned into a sound environment composed by the artist which is broadcast on a single FM frequency. The audience are then invited to interact with the space using the 8 portable FM radios provided (or their own should they wish to bring them). The radios will pick up on different combination’s of the audio material being broadcast dependent on their position and path through the space. “Noise is a world where anything can happen, including and especially itself. In a predictable world noise promises something out of the ordinary” (Douglas Kahn, Noise Water Meat, 1999 MIT Press).   Alongside the unpredictability of the audience in the creation of the audio content, there is also the unpredictable effect of interference and noise on the audio and the possibility of the distortion of the audio material. This is dependant on all kinds of environmental factors that create pockets of interference in the project space, and it allows the performer to fnd these pockets and use them to add a noise element to the performance.    “Radio expands the sound world….as a side effect of its main purpose. Between the signal lurks endless variation of static, different “colours” of noise…The signal itself can come and go, and weather conditions will alter which signals can be picked up – ‘interference’ is a key part of what humans hear as sound via radio” (Hegarty, Paul – Noise/Music: A History, 2007 Continuum Press).   It is this expansion of the sound world created by radio and transmission that is key to the audio content of the piece.   The recording of the project took on two forms a) a room recording of the full installation and b) recordings taken from individual radios as they moved between the transmitters for use in the creation of a sequenced piece of music that represented the project as a whole.   The room recording took place in the main hall of the CCU Broadstairs Campus. The transmitters were set up and evenly spaced around the hall, with a Sound Field SPS442B microphone set up directly in the centre of the hall recording all 6 channels (in 5.1 surround) directly into Logic 9 via a Profre 2626 unit. Four people then performed with the 6 radios set up in the room to get a recorded representation of the installation in action from the point of view of a passive listener.     The second form of recording came from the radios directly. A Minidisk recorder was connected directly to the headphone output from a radio which then recorded the output of the radio as it moved around the hall and passed in and out of the 5 transmissions. The intention of this was to capture the subtleties of the radios picking up the transmissions, such as the static and white noise distortions of the signal as it went out of range or found a pocket of interference. These radio recordings were then used to create a 5.1 Surround, 20 minute “mix tape” style track, which also included audio from the original shortwave radio recordings used at the start of the project. This was sequenced using Ableton Live to create an “on the fly” live mix of the material, which it was felt was more in keeping with the nature of the project than a more traditionally sequenced track.

WIRELESS Audio Installation

Using 5 short range FM transmitters, the main hall of the campus is turned into a sound environment composed by the artist which is broadcast on a single FM frequency. The audience are then invited to interact with the space using the 8 portable FM radios provided (or their own should they wish to bring them). The radios will pick up on different combination’s of the audio material being broadcast dependent on their position and path through the space.

“Noise is a world where anything can happen, including and especially itself. In a predictable world noise promises something out of the ordinary” (Douglas Kahn, Noise Water Meat, 1999 MIT Press).

 

Alongside the unpredictability of the audience in the creation of the audio content, there is also the unpredictable effect of interference and noise on the audio and the possibility of the distortion of the audio material. This is dependant on all kinds of environmental factors that create pockets of interference in the project space, and it allows the performer to fnd these pockets and use them to add a noise element to the performance. 

 

“Radio expands the sound world….as a side effect of its main purpose. Between the signal lurks endless variation of static, different “colours” of noise…The signal itself can come and go, and weather conditions will alter which signals can be picked up – ‘interference’ is a key part of what humans hear as sound via radio” (Hegarty, Paul – Noise/Music: A History, 2007 Continuum Press).

 

It is this expansion of the sound world created by radio and transmission that is key to the audio content of the piece.

 

The recording of the project took on two forms a) a room recording of the full installation and b) recordings taken from individual radios as they moved between the transmitters for use in the creation of a sequenced piece of music that represented the project as a whole.


 

The room recording took place in the main hall of the CCU Broadstairs Campus. The transmitters were set up and evenly spaced around the hall, with a Sound Field SPS442B microphone set up directly in the centre of the hall recording all 6 channels (in 5.1 surround) directly into Logic 9 via a Profre 2626 unit. Four people then performed with the 6 radios set up in the room to get a recorded representation of the installation in action from the point of view of a passive listener.

 

 

The second form of recording came from the radios directly. A Minidisk recorder was connected directly to the headphone output from a radio which then recorded the output of the radio as it moved around the hall and passed in and out of the 5 transmissions. The intention of this was to capture the subtleties of the radios picking up the transmissions, such as the static and white noise distortions of the signal as it went out of range or found a pocket of interference. These radio recordings were then used to create a 5.1 Surround, 20 minute “mix tape” style track, which also included audio from the original shortwave radio recordings used at the start of the project. This was sequenced using Ableton Live to create an “on the fly” live mix of the material, which it was felt was more in keeping with the nature of the project than a more traditionally sequenced track.
Stormy Sea - Sound Piece for “Turner & The Elements” Exhibition @ Turner Contemporary, Margate Between 28 January 2012 - 13 May 2012, the Turner Contemporary Gallery in Margate Kent ran an exhibition of the artists JMW Turners Elemental watercolours painted during his time living in the local area. The gallery commissioned local sound artists to create audio interpretations of the paintings for the opening of the exhibition. For my submission, i created a sound piece using the raw digital data from a high quality .BMP image of the painting “Stormy Sea” (1829). The raw data from the image was re-interpreted as audio information and layered to create washes of digital noise, which were then juxtaposed with field recordings of the sea on a stormy day from around the area that Turner lived and painted the original image The final piece was played in the gallery during the opening day of the exhibition, and has continued to be used during educational events at the Gallery during the Turner Exhibition http://www.turnercontemporary.org/exhibitions/turner-and-the-elements

Stormy Sea - Sound Piece for “Turner & The Elements” Exhibition @ Turner Contemporary, Margate

Between 28 January 2012 - 13 May 2012, the Turner Contemporary Gallery in Margate Kent ran an exhibition of the artists JMW Turners Elemental watercolours painted during his time living in the local area. The gallery commissioned local sound artists to create audio interpretations of the paintings for the opening of the exhibition. For my submission, i created a sound piece using the raw digital data from a high quality .BMP image of the painting “Stormy Sea” (1829).

The raw data from the image was re-interpreted as audio information and layered to create washes of digital noise, which were then juxtaposed with field recordings of the sea on a stormy day from around the area that Turner lived and painted the original image

The final piece was played in the gallery during the opening day of the exhibition, and has continued to be used during educational events at the Gallery during the Turner Exhibition

http://www.turnercontemporary.org/exhibitions/turner-and-the-elements

19.10.2011 ::: Mahler Haze / English Bore Split CD Out today is a new English Bore release. A split CD with Belgium’s Mahler Haze. See the player below for more details, sound clips and how to buy one for yourself (limited to 50 copies) <a href=”http://englishbore.bandcamp.com/album/enclave-equine-surgery-split-with-mahler-haze” data-mce-href=”http://englishbore.bandcamp.com/album/enclave-equine-surgery-split-with-mahler-haze”>enclave / equine surgery (split with mahler haze) by english bore</a>

19.10.2011 ::: Mahler Haze / English Bore Split CD

Out today is a new English Bore release. A split CD with Belgium’s Mahler Haze. See the player below for more details, sound clips and how to buy one for yourself (limited to 50 copies)

17.10.2011 ::: English Bore on BandCamp The entire English Bore back catalogue has now been uploaded to Bandcamp. all 4 current releases can now be listened to online and bought as MP3 downloads of CD hard copies (where available). Those of you who have “liked” Form Constant on Facebook are also eligible for a £2 discount code (message me on FB). The direct link to Bandcamp is : http://englishbore.bandcamp.com/ or you can listen on buy on the releases page on this site.

17.10.2011 ::: English Bore on BandCamp

The entire English Bore back catalogue has now been uploaded to Bandcamp. all 4 current releases can now be listened to online and bought as MP3 downloads of CD hard copies (where available). Those of you who have “liked” Form Constant on Facebook are also eligible for a £2 discount code (message me on FB). The direct link to Bandcamp is : http://englishbore.bandcamp.com/ or you can listen on buy on the releases page on this site.