composite standalone materia video

Though Materia is designed to function alongside and enhance touch-based works, it also functions as a tasty nasty click and pop and bassline synthesizer. standalone tricks and hops,

Here; the most basic of straight up patched, standalone Materia. no effects, no cv, no doodads, no nothing..
lil beats, lil bass, lil noise. Individual patch sessions, sonically unaffected clicks and pops and everything chops.

all recorded at the same tempo...but yes, it plays at all other tempos as well ;).
more info on folktek.com

straight to the materia page for more videos and such;
http://folktek.com/instruments/symbiotic/materia

Sound Field 2

The final commission by Arius Blaze.
Acoustic-electronic wonderland synth.
More info from the original here; http://folktek.com/instruments/electrocoustic/sound-field
See these photos on the folktek site; http://folktek.com/instruments/electrocoustic/sound-field-2

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;

http://folktek.com/instruments/symbiotic/aethermateriamentalis-triad-overview

time shifter

The time shifter built by Arius Blaze on comission. A piece encompassing the Time Machine, real time pitch stretching like that of the Golden Keys and the pitch shifting of the Mobius Harmonizer. Complete with magnetic patchbay for the time machine keys, CV controls over certain functions, several clock outputs from the time machine section, onboard patching of ins and outs and internal power supply. The box is made of oak and has a handle and removable lid. 

Mobius Harmonizer

Another work by Arius Blaze, based on the original Feedback Harmonizer of years ago, though expanded and revisioned. Currently available on folktek.com. To hear sound, see more photos, etc. go directly to the Mobius Harmonizer page

The Mobius is a concept piece designed to allow the playing of an acoustic sound source in an electronic way. Essentially, synthesis from acoustics similar in nature to the way the Folktek Garden series generates lush waves from micro sound.

The Mobius features four strings with a fretless soundboard driven into a delay capable of extremely tight, notated delay, to about a second and a half of near endless looping. The delay travels into pitch shifting, out to an amplifier that runs an internal spring reverb and back into the delay.
The pitch shifter can subtly or drastically shift the pitch to a great degree and has six playable keys designed to shift the incoming signal. Keys are additive so playing more that one at a time results in different pitch arrangements which allow for different combinations of pitch control within the master pitch (controlled by a master pitch knob). The original signal from the delay can be mixed with the shifted signal for more harmonic dynamics or played dry all together.

The spring reverb is not an overwhelming reverb but is instead designed to add depth and resonance to the sound - creating deeper, crystalline waves or generating waves of feedback. In longer delay modes where the repeats are near endless, the reverb will swell with each repeat, which generates, for examples, gradual waves where there once were very specific strong attack notes. Play with a bow adds an entirely new sound and dramatasizes the reverb feedback. There is an independant level control for the amplifier that runs the spring reverb.

In addition, there are 1/8" CV (+5v control Voltage) jacks to control delay time and pitch to synchronize with analog/modular synthesizers.

The result is an expansive work with a rich sound capable of endless sonic possibilties

__________________________

the Impossible Box (official post)

It's been a long time coming and a busy summer but it's time to shed a little light on the impossible box.

I made this for myself in consideration of the fact that after making instruments and inventing oddities for ten or twelve years or whatever it's been, I was never really capable of having my own works for making music/playing with sound. So in January of last year I started compiling a list of works I've created that I've always wanted to be able to consistently work with - to get back into music with. Initially the list was a few things (a time machine, a garden, some drum synthesis and sequencing, etc) but in further consideration it occured to me that I'd be happier making multiples of those things, diving into new realms, expanding on sequencing and so on. Eventually the list was admittedly a bit out of control but rather than crossing off a few ideas, I said fuck it and went for it.
At first I was uncertain about exactly how it would all work together and I spent a solid month agonizing over all of it, drawing plans and even dreaming about the details so that when I woke I was able to write it all out. It was terrible, honestly. I was also not so confident in my woodworking skills and the box was a bit beyond me but I pieced away at it and it all worked out nicely.
The project took a year to "complete", though there are still a few things I'm working on before I can call it a done deal. It was more work than I had ever anticipated, it came out larger and more full of sound than I had considered and in the end I couldn't be happier.

details;
The folding box is oak with walnut splines - measuring about 4' wide with each inner panel (lower and upper) at 2' deep, essentially making a 4' square if it were all laid out. 

Each module panel is done with player piano music paper and labeled on my Corona typewriter. This took a helluva lot of planning. The modules are also all lined with brass and I created almost all of the switches, keys, lamps and buttons.

the modules;
The time scape section is the main brain for timing of all of the rest of the impossible box time-based modules. It's a sampler with six clock outputs. Any of the clock outs can be sent to the clock multipliers.

There are two clock multipliers that output voltage to run any/all of the;
- 4 ADSR's 
- 4 relay based sequencers (used to alter the time scape sample, trigger drums or on/off switches)
- 2 CV based sequencers used to trigger;
  = analog drums (clicky, poppy, bassy goodness)
- 3 CV based sequencers used to control;
  = any of 6 oscillators (3 sine, 3 square)
  = any of four ADSR's
  = any of three filters
  = the timing of any of 3 digital delays
  = or all of the above

- Two pitch shifters, each of which is drastically different, one of which becomes a sampler. 
- A harmonizer
- three reverbs with multiple styles
- a four track looper
- phaser
- independant looper and analog delay
- digital drum with trigger outs and a piezo panel for finger drumming
- intelligent modulator that slices things up in brilliant ways
- 2 dumb modulators that slice things up in simple ways or send CV
- multiplier/audio vactrol control panel
- 4 ADSR's (as mentioned) that send CV but also take direct audio
- Midi clock out (accepts pulse from time scape)
- 2 mixers (one 4 channel mono, one 8 channel stereo)

and the amplified acoustic panels;
- 2 thumb pianos,
- single string slide-based thing
- a blank panel to scratch at or set things that make sound on.
- and finally...a melodica (yes...that's fuckin right)

Though audio patching can be done with 1/4" jacks (which I prefer) there is also a main patch panel that has most ins and outs in one place for direct complex patching.
Any external audio can be sent into just about anything.

I'm currently contemplating how to distribute sound but there will be things to listen to soon coming exclusively from the impossible box. But basically, it goes on forever. I patch and run sound into sound into adsr into effect on multiple pathways, into a mixer and out drips the sweetness.

____________

that is all for now. end transmission.