Conduit eurorack module

http://folktek.com/instruments/modular/conduit-modular now with the plugin to make it touch-based harmonic oscillation

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

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.

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.

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:

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

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

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

Aether (official)

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

http://folktek.com/instruments/electrocoustic/aether

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.

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;

http://folktek.com/instruments/quadrum/drum-scape-overview.

Andreas writes;

The Mechanical Corps. On the Trail of Jules Verne

http://www.bethanien.de/en/exhibitions/das-mechanische-corps-auf-den-spuren-von-jules-verne/

...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:

http://www.aether-acoustics.de/

The second 30min take is how it sounds in the exhibition and you can hear the drumscape very well.

It's also on Soundcloud:

https://soundcloud.com/aether-acoustics

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:

http://www.umor-rex.org/portfolio/ur065/

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/16940-call-mr-moriba/

http://press.morrmusic.com/distribution/release/id/1913

"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.

the first Euphonos Field videos

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Videos for Part 1 (takes 1-4)

All four of these were recorded using the same primary patch method. More videos to come will include other primary patches as well as external synchronization and such. More on the Euphonos Field page of the Folktek site; 

http://folktek.com/instruments/electrocoustic/euphonos-field-2

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enjoy!

Impossible Box; more looks

I thought I'd take this opportunity to take more photos of the Impossible Box in an attempt to capture finer detail in a somewhat dark room and pretty much failing.
Still, a bit of a different look for your enjoyment.


In the photos, it's still patched from creating the short film score to the Permeation teaser in which only the Impossible Box was used; posted on the kickstarter.
If you haven't seen the teaser, see it here;

sound field sound feel

Recording of the Sound Field (more info next post down) via https://soundcloud.com/arius-blaze  This is a limited representation meant to capture the "sound" of the piece, more than anything - no CV, no external sounds being sent into the Sound Field - strictly electronic compositions from internal acoustic source. There are so many possibilities but the studio is too hot to handle and the sound card and computer are overheating.

Time Scape Sequencer

Time Scape Sequencer - a time-based piece made to manipulate, sample, glitch and destroy external sound. This work by Arius Blaze also includes keys to alter samples in a bjallion different ways. More info on the folktek site; http://folktek.com/instruments/time/time-scape

Harmonic Field 2.2

Version 2 part 2 of the Harmonic Field touch synthesizer collaborative piece by Arius Blaze and Ben Houston.
For videos go to the folktek site;
The original version 2
The original Harmonic Field

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

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