= Folktek Arts =

= Folktek Arts = The works of Arius Blaze, Ben Houston and co.
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Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Mentalis

Mentalis by Arius Blaze - part of the triad of works Aether/Materia/Mentalis now officially live on the site. An instrument designed for drone but capable of much more when used in conjunction with the other works or with any external CV. Also acting as the power hub of the triad and beyond.



Below are the first of videos to show just the basics - some drone and what it is to build a simple drone. The possibilties are endless. Future video will show Aether oscillators being processed via touch by Mentalis and the three instrument working together.





Additionally, the breakout has been officially added to the site as well - an attachment (one of many to come for the complete triad), which sends the entire breadboard patchbay to banana jacks and adds an audio input to allow audio to travel direct to the circuit for odd synchronization, modulation and filtration.



Sunday, November 9, 2014

Materia breakout official

For the owners of Materia or the triad of Materia/Mentalis/Aether, the breakout for Materia is official on the folktek site.
The breakout sends the Materia patchbay to banana jacks, adds patchable knobs for greater control and adds an input which can be patched directly into Materia circuitry for odd processing and filtration. The box mounts to the back via custom 45 degree bracket - part of a greater whole which will continue to grow.





Friday, October 31, 2014

illuminist garden videos

It's interesting that the illuminist garden has set sail to musician and composer across the globe for more than three years and yet, there has never been an official video...not one.

So finally, as I sit surrounded by these beautiful and sometimes horrifically ugly things I've created, I feel compelled.

A small and very simplistic garden session was recorded, cut into bits and presented as 3 videos:








Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Triad breakout boxes; the first module additons of a greater whole


Two new additons to the Triad; Materia/Mentalis/Aether by Arius Blaze.
The breakout boxes for the Materia and Mentalis send all of the breadboard circuit, sequencer and modulation parts to banana plugs. In addition, the breakout for Materia also adds patchable knobs.

Of the Triad, Mentalis has yet to be officially released.

These breakout boxes are the first that will turn the Triad into a much larger multidimensional work. Aside from these breakout boxes (which are passive), all of the additions will be powered from the same source, all will be capable of acting as standalone units (either as controllers for modular works or as effects) encased in their own boxes.
Currently ten more additions are being prototyped and when complete, will fully surround the Triad. They will all, ultimately, come together to create a music and sound design workstation. 
These additions are pre-planned into the original design and can be added one by one with included brackets like a modular synthesizer. 
The plan is for each to be released over the coming year.
Alongside what's currently available, these will likely be the last synthesizer works created by Arius Blaze.

More to come as things come together.
More info on the Triad is on the folktek site;











Monday, September 22, 2014

Luminist Garden at ARS Electronica Center

via ARS Electronica;
"Short clip on the live performance of White Sample and Raum Null at the Deep Space of Ars Electronica Center on September 05, 2014. Visuals by Veronika Pauser aka VeroVisual and Peter Holzkorn aka voidsignal. Body Controller by Michael Platz.Video-Documentation: Michael Mayr, Veronika Pauser."

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Materia

A new piece by Arius Blaze. Materia is a part of the triad; Materia/Mentalis/Aether - three instruments designed to work together and enhance eachother.
Materia is the rhythmic hub and creates a touch-based symbiosis with the player and Aether. Drone, Noise, beats and oddity
More info can be found on the folktek site where preorder is currently happening for both Aether and Materia ;
http://folktek.com/instruments/symbiotic/materia

More info on Aether here;
http://folktek.com/instruments/symbiotic/aether

and Mentalis will be along to join the others soon.

An overview of the triad to come soon as well.








Note that the videos below are my first experience with the three of these instruments together. Only Aether and Materia are actually producing audio - Mentalis is providing function to Materia but the audio element of that instrument is still being prototyped. You may find a few of these videos...slow...So flip through them if you need to. I have no doubt that as I have more time with them, I'll discover a broad range of possibilities that even I, being the instrument designer, didn't realize existed. There may be more videos in the future.
There is an element of aquatic life present.
so it goes.

















Friday, August 22, 2014

Elysian Drum Scape (lmtd 2014 edition)

Available now.
The Drum Scape is know for the big nasty bass and the sweet, yet tense drone that makes sound that is somehow distinctly all its own.
This edition has a little finer oak box design and a few small tweaks.
All the informations are here;
http://folktek.com/instruments/quadrum/elysian-drum-scape-lmtd-2014-edition




Friday, August 8, 2014

Nice illuminist garden demo



video info from AudioCentralMagazine;
"A two-part improvisation on Folktek Illuministic Garden; three delay lines with separate behaviors (loop, mid delay, harmonizer) are treating external signal (courtesy of MS-20) and internal signal(s) from eight trees made of strings from electric guitars caught with an internal pickup. Great look, experimental and extreme features. Probably, non the only (nor the best) way to play with the Garden."

on the folktek site;


http://folktek.com/instruments/electrocoustic/illuminists-garden

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Aether (official)


On the official folktek Aether page you'll find more details, photos, sounds, video, order info, etc.:

Aether, created by Arius Blaze, is a touch based work with a very sweet and rich sound similar to that of the Euphonos Field (though not as broad). It features 20 oscillators and a 20 note polyphony, is capable of connecting with anything that accepts control voltage and also has a set of touch "keys" that transmit CV.
Two touch panels contain 10 responsive "keys" each that represent the primary low oscillators and higher decay oscillators. When the global pitch is dropped, the low oscillators go into a synchronized LFO mode where each key represents a different time signature. The decay section is made to have a natural decay where attack and sustain are controlled by touch. Another panel integrates a more subtle set of oscillators that replicate the decay panel and are made to influence the other oscillators. Finally, the amp section alters the sound of the low oscillators and provides everything from deep, filtering swells to subtle pitch change.

These oscillators travel to a reverb/delay (switchable) that provides an enormous reverb or a nasty tape style delay. Additionally, an external signal can utilize these effects as well. In fact, the synthesis of Aether can be made to pass through the player, into the upcoming synthesizer "Materia" which is then sent into the effect section of Aether where it can be mixed with the original signal how you like.

*This piece is made to connect with an upcoming synthesizer called "Materia" which greatly expands the possibilities and sounds. Materia will be available when Aether is officially released (not preorder). Materia provides its own clicky poppy deliciously odd drum sounds and rhythms via trigger-based sequencing, touch-based wierdness, CV sequencing to control and synchronize with Aether as well as more touch panels that allow the synthesis of Aether to be heavily altered. It also allows the oscillators of Aether to pass through the user without any audio cables connecting the two(!). Materia has a second power jack and if both pieces are purchased, a jumper cable will be provided to eliminate the need for two power supplies.

Aether Control Voltage is as follows; 
Global CV input
Clock output (to synchronize Materia or anything else with the rhythmic clicking/popping of the low panel when the pitch is dropped. 

CV out transmits 0-5v based on touching the decay "keys". Each key outputs a dedicated voltage in .5v increments.













below;
Layered 4 tracks + beat in an attempt to display the more synth nastiness and practical production with the Aether. No external effects or filtering (and no looping or major editing) - each part with control voltage supplied by the simple and effective Electro Harmonix 8 Step Program synched via midi to a simple beat from the Korg ESX sampler.


Saturday, July 26, 2014

Monday, June 9, 2014

Sound Installation by Andreas Gerth

Prominently featuring the Drum Scape by Arius Blaze.
More info on the Drum Scapes can be found via the folktek site;

Andreas writes;
...with a sound installation in which the drumscape plays a main role.



The box on the left to the drumscape is a cv-trigger to s-trigger converter which I built. This was a big step forward to use the Drumscape more and integrate it into my modular system. The drumscape here is triggered via this box by a Doepfer A-149-2 Digital Random, which is clocked by the Benjolin pulse out, which is modulated by………
The Drumscape-out goes into an Optomix LowPass Gate… (not connected on the photo)

You can see full documentation and hear how it sounds here:

The second 30min take is how it sounds in the exhibition and you can hear the drumscape very well.
It's also on Soundcloud:

Also on my newest album Driftmachine "Nocturnes" the Drumscape was used often. The album comes out on the label 
Umor Rex on 17th of June:






Friday, May 30, 2014

"Aether" - contact synth

Preliminary photos of "Aether" - a touch synthesizer created by Arius Blaze with a sound and function much like the Euphonos Field. Exceptionally sweet sounding and cool to the touch. Official photos, video and sounds will arrive in the coming months.