Micah Frank | Sound Programming

Digital Blasphemy by Micah Frank What happens when you do...

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 11:01:00 -0500

What happens when you do everything wrong? Digital Blasphemy contains excerpts from an afternoon jam I had in Kyma. Raw and unedited, do what you like with it. Mistreated waveshapers, hyper-resonating pulses, harshly modulating synthetic spectrums run through overdriven compression, non-harmonic ring-modulated frequency controllers…. the list goes on. If it’s wrong, I think I did it.

I personally find it very useful to cut up some bits to make a glitchy (think Alva Noto) kit. Enjoy!

Arctiidae: Elektron Octatrack arrangement & all Puremagnetik samples.

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:28:00 -0400

Arctiidae by Micah Frank

Arctiidae is a self-evolving arrangement built entirely with an Elektron Octatrack. My goal was to move away from the computer and program the Octatrack with extensive timing and sound modulations. Most sounds have at least 2 simultaneous LFOs morphing their assigned voices. The end result is not fixed and the arrangement sounds different each time “play” is activated. Arctiidae uses all Puremagnetik samples.

(view larger) Recently, people have been asking what’s in...

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 12:07:00 -0400

(view larger)

Recently, people have been asking what’s in my studio. For sound design work there’s a constant rolling in of vintage synths. But this is what I stick to for my core workout…

(from left to right)

Blue couch from Ikea
Elektron Octatrack
Macbook Pro - mobile production and office stuff
Eurorack modular system with Doepfer, Harvestman, MFB, Livewire modules
A hula doll from Hawaii
Mac Pro - main production system running Live, Logic, Kyma, Max & more
—- Rack —-
Furman pl-8 series II
Custom built Switchcraft monitor switcher
RME Fireface 400 audio interface
Symbolic Sound Kyma Pacarana
Neutrik patchbay
Lexicon PCM 80
Lexicon PCM 90
Eventide H3500 harmonizer
—- /Rack —-
Klien & Hummel O300 left monitor
Akai MPK mini midi keyboard controller
iPad 2 running touchable, soundprism, kyma control, touchosc & plants vs zombies
1 cup of coffee
Klien & Hummel O300 right monitor
Drumkat 3.8

Elektron Octatrack vs Filippo Berio

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:44:00 -0400

Octatrack vs Filippo Berio by Micah Frank

Processed Octatrack patterns using only samples recorded live from a Filippo Berio Olive Oil container. See more Octatrack Versus

New plans for Junction in 30’ x 30’ (9m x 9m)...

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 08:55:34 -0400

New plans for Junction in 30’ x 30’ (9m x 9m) space. 10 tower multichannel array with “kiosk” of video grid.

Ableton Live Rack : Whales In Ouzo

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 22:56:00 -0400

Whales in Ouzo uses 2 trombone samples granularly resynthesized in Kyma and processed through 2 separate parallel delay lines each with a dual formant filter.

1) Download the audio content by clicking the download (arrow) icon in the SoundCloud player.

2) Download the Live Instrument Rack
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/538153/LiveSounds/WhalesInOuzo.adg

3) The first time you instance the rack, Live will tell you “Media files are missing” You must relink the multisample file to the instrument.

Ableton Live Rack - Granular Marimbas

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:49:19 -0400

Granular Marimbas was created by combining two identical marimba samples and resynthesizing them in Kyma’s Sample Cloud.

Granular Marimbas by Micah Frank

1) Download the audio content by clicking the download (arrow) icon in the SoundCloud player.

2) Download the Live Instrument Rack
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/538153/LiveSounds/GranularMarimbas.adg

3) The first time you instance the rack, Live will tell you “Media files are missing” You must relink the multisample file to the instrument.

Junction has won a Finishing Fund So it looks like I’ll...

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 10:37:00 -0400

Junction has won a Finishing Fund

So it looks like I’ll be significantly furthering the development of the project with funding from New York State Council on the Arts and The Experimental Television Center

The OctaKat - Kamoni’s new live performance rig. Look out!

Mon, 09 May 2011 21:07:00 -0400

The OctaKat - Kamoni’s new live performance rig. Look out!

Just found out Elektron put this Kamoni MD/MM jam in their...

Mon, 09 May 2011 12:00:05 -0400

Just found out Elektron put this Kamoni MD/MM jam in their “Machines in Action” Playlist. Hope to have some more DrumKat / Octatrack performances hacked out in the coming weeks!

Retrospective of some of my work with good friend and awesome...

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 12:57:58 -0400

Retrospective of some of my work with good friend and awesome animator danmeth (@therealdanmeth):

2011 Asifa-East Animation Festival
It’s this Sunday at 6pm in NYC. Come and see the best cartoons on the Eastern seaboard this year. Tishman Auditorium, 66 W. 12th St. FREE!
This year I got to create the opening title sequence for it (above)
It features music by my friend Micah Frank who’s also nailed it with the music on these other cartoons of mine:

Elektron Octatrack vs Toothbrush

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 11:19:00 -0400

Octatrack vs Toothbrush by Micah Frank

5 toothbrush samples as processed and sequenced by an Elektron Octatrack. See more Octatrack Versus

Ableton Live Pack: Dark Villosus - 10 Instruments made from one sample of white noise

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 11:33:00 -0400

Dark Villosus by Micah Frank

The Dark Villosus Live Pack is a collection of 10 instruments that use a single sample of white noise in different processings. Download the Dark Villosus Live Pack

Elektron Octatrack vs Squeaky Giraffe

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 11:17:00 -0400

Octatrack vs Squeaky Giraffe by Micah Frank

Squeaky giraffe samples as processed and sequenced by Elektron Octatrack. See more Octatrack Versus

Ableton Live Instrument: Xenogenetic - A goat and a woman morphed, resynthesized and put through a tweed amplifier.

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:45:00 -0400

Xenogenetic Demo by Micah Frank

Xenogenetic is a multisample instrument for Ableton Live that morphs the frequency and amplitude envelopes of a goat “bahhh” into a female vocal. From there they are picked apart, additively resynthesized, resonated and put through a feedback loop. Then they are subjected to convolution processes from within a tweed amplifier. Well… hopefully it will never happen to you or your pets. Download Xenogenetic Live Pack

Elektron Octatrack vs Scissors

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 08:52:00 -0400

Octatrack vs Scissors by Micah Frank

Scissor samples as processed and sequenced by Elektron Octatrack. See more Octatrack Versus

落ちる n; 立ち上がる n+1 ... fall n; rise n+1

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 13:17:00 -0400

This compilation of original music and sound has been generated in the days immediately following the staggering 9.0 earthquake which ravished Japan, and is released in support of the ongoing rescue and reconstruction efforts ongoing today.

Many of these tracks used Tectonic sonifications as source material. Listen to the album in its entirety and please consider contributing to one of the listed organizations. http://mcrpmusic.bandcamp.com/album/n-n-1-fall-n-rise-n-1

Puremagnetik Subscription for Donation

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 23:24:00 -0400

My company Puremagnetik has just launched a page for the SXSW4Japan fundraiser. Our humble goal is set at $1400. We are matching all donations with their value in subscriptions.

Help SXSW4Japan reach their $80k goal for Japan aid efforts. Get a 6 to 12 month Puremagnetik subscription when you donate to SXSW4Japan fund: http://sxsw4japan.org/puremagnetik

In the 2nd half of 2008, I brought various drum machines with me...

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 22:15:00 -0400

In the 2nd half of 2008, I brought various drum machines with me wherever I traveled. In passing time I documented the machines in different locations, collecting a visual and aural diary - from hotel rooms in LA to driving through the Canadian wilderness to my home in Brooklyn. This visual adventure has uniquely encapsulated an important period of my life that isn’t expressed in words or photos, but ‘bleeps’ and ‘blips’.

While the audio was overdubbed in post-production, the sound sources accurately represent the machine depicted.

Elektron Octatrack vs Cheese Grater

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 15:51:11 -0400

Octatrack vs Cheese Grater by Micah Frank

Elektron Octatrack processing and sequencing a cheese grater at various tempos of 38/48 time.

Micah Frank | Sound Programming

Digital Blasphemy by Micah Frank What happens when you do...

Arctiidae: Elektron Octatrack arrangement & all Puremagnetik samples.

(view larger) Recently, people have been asking what’s in...

Elektron Octatrack vs Filippo Berio

New plans for Junction in 30’ x 30’ (9m x 9m)...

Ableton Live Rack : Whales In Ouzo

Ableton Live Rack - Granular Marimbas

Junction has won a Finishing Fund So it looks like I’ll...

The OctaKat - Kamoni’s new live performance rig. Look out!

Just found out Elektron put this Kamoni MD/MM jam in their...

Retrospective of some of my work with good friend and awesome...

Elektron Octatrack vs Toothbrush

Ableton Live Pack: Dark Villosus - 10 Instruments made from one sample of white noise

Elektron Octatrack vs Squeaky Giraffe

Ableton Live Instrument: Xenogenetic - A goat and a woman morphed, resynthesized and put through a tweed amplifier.

Elektron Octatrack vs Scissors

落ちる n; 立ち上がる n​+​1 .​.​. fall n; rise n​+​1

Puremagnetik Subscription for Donation

In the 2nd half of 2008, I brought various drum machines with me...

Elektron Octatrack vs Cheese Grater

落ちる n; 立ち上がる n+1 ... fall n; rise n+1