Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Berklees Rishabh Rajan Looks at the EDI Music Vanguard

02/08/2018

People have been making music with electronics since early last century, when pioneering music technologists plinked out primordial notes on the first synthesizers. Since then, electronically produced sounds have gradually filled more of our aural ether.

But over the past several years in particular the number and scope of electronic instruments have expanded music-making into new territory, allowing artists to make compositions of a kind never heard before.

Recognizing the musical potential these machines are breaking open, Berklee announced this week that it will allow students to study an electronic digital instrument (EDI)-a computing device with user-configured software and performance controllers-as a principal instrument starting next fall.

One of the people EDI principals will study with is Rishabh Rajan, a longtime electronic musician who has taught in India, Malaysia, and the United States; developed a robust series of video tutorials; published two books for Native Instruments; and produced under the name code:MONO.

Looking at the development of EDI-created music in recent years, Rajan, an assistant professor in Berklee's Electronic Production and Design Department, talked about the artists he considers to be the vanguard of the field today. Here he tells us who they are and explains what they are doing differently.

Imogen Heap, Me, the Machine Video of Mi Mu, Imogen Heap's gesture-controlled digital music gloves

Imogen Heap has always been on the bleeding edge of music technology. Over the past few years she has simplified her performance setup to just her custom-created Mi.Mu gloves. In this video, Imogen Heap is using the gloves exclusively to perform the song Me, the Machine. The gloves record her gestures, which are then transmitted to the custom software program Glover, which translates those gestures to MIDI and OSC (Open Sound Control) that can be musically interpreted by a digital audio workstation, namely Ableton Live. In the song, each little gesture from the glove is either triggering drum parts, loop recording, adding effects, muting and unmuting parts.

Shawn Wasabi, Marble Soda Video of Shawn Wasabi - Marble Soda (Original Song)

Shawn Wasabi is not only a masterful finger drummer, he is also phenomenal at creating mashups. In Marble Soda, you hear a mashup of over 150 songs combined into one seamless original musical piece. The mashup is performed on a MIDI Fighter 64, which is a button controller used to trigger different sample snippets. The controller only has 64 buttons but Wasabi uses four buttons at the bottom to trigger banks that will switch all the samples on the remaining 60 buttons. So, potentially he has 60x4 possible locations for samples. The light patterns are used to add to the visual aesthetic but even that is specifically programmed for this performance.

Tennyson, Uh Oh! Video of Loop | A performative presentation with Tennyson

Tennyson is a brother-sister electronic music act from Canada. They are known for their highly complex musical arrangements that mix multiple genres and influences ranging from jazz to IDM (intelligent dance music). Tess Pretty, the drummer, uses an electronic drum kit that has over 20 different trigger points, but those don't just trigger the exact same sample throughout the song. Behind the scenes there is an automated process that changes the sounds for each drum pad, introducing variability on each hit. Luke Tennyson, on the other hand, plays the keyboard parts but he also has a 4x4 grid of buttons to trigger various samples. Just like Pretty's drum kit, his 4x4 grid is also automated to change the samples throughout the song. So, for example, triggering the same pad at the beginning of the song as compared to triggering it 16 bars in will produce a different sound.

Andrew Hwang on the Microgranny OP-1 Jam Video of Microgranny OP-1 Jam

Andrew Hwang is probably one of the most popular YouTube electronic music artists right now. He constantly redefines what an electronic musical instrument is in each of his videos, performing and manipulating sounds from his voice, vegetables, candy, Legos, household objects, and even human body parts! The great thing about each video is that Hwang shows his entire compositional process and explains various elements of his performance. The viewer/listener leaves each video being entertained but also educated in the process of the making and performance of a musical track, which is typically not the case when experiencing artist performances or music videos. In this video, Hwang is using two different synthesizers, the Microgranny-a sampler with some processing capabilities-and the OP-1, which is used to record the sounds from the Microgranny and add additional parts from its internal synths. At one point, Hwang samples his own voice on the Microgranny and incorporates it into the performance.

Related categories:

News

Related Reading
LINK: https://www.berklee.edu/news/berklee-now/electronic-digital-instrument...
See more stories from berklee

Most recent headlines

04/08/2024

Dalet Appoints Santiago Solanas as CEO to Lead Next Era of Growth and Innovation

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....

03/06/2024

Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...

28/04/2024

Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with URSA Broadcast G2

Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with U...

20/04/2024

PBS Kids Adds American Sign Language to Streaming Content

As part of a push to improve the accessibility of its content, PBS Kids has announced that it has integrated American Sign Language (ASL) interpretations into m...

20/04/2024

Survey: Concerns About Deep Fakes Spike As Election Approaches

SAN JOSE, Calif. Online security solution provider McAfee has released new research exploring the impact artificial intelligence (AI) and the rise of deepfakes ...

20/04/2024

FCC Sets April 25 Vote on Net Neutrality Rules

The Federal Communications Commission has announced the agenda for an Open Meeting on Thursday, April 25, 2024 that will include votes on Net Neutrality Rules a...

20/04/2024

Virtual Reality Becomes the New Production Reality

Virtual reality and its close relatives, such as extended reality, have been completely accepted into the workflow of high-end productions. Stepping into an LED...

20/04/2024

Video Games Round Out the Entertainment Package

Video Games Round Out the Entertainment Package Andy Marken April 19, 2024 0 Comments By this, I take it you think everybody is who they say they are...

20/04/2024

With Bears on the Clock, NBCU Local Chicago Plans Extensive NFL Draft Coverage

With the Bears picking first, NBCUniversal Local's properties in Chicago plan extensive coverage of the NFL draft next week....

20/04/2024

Fox Sports Hires Veteran Ad Sales Executives

Fox Sports said it hired two veteran advertising sales executives, with Jen Durda and Kathy Lydon both named VP....

20/04/2024

Daytime Emmys Announce Some Nominations Early

Daytime fans got a sneak peek at nominations for the 51st annual Daytime Emmys, with the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) announcing the...

20/04/2024

DAZN Weighs in With Content Ahead of Haney-Garcia Fight

DAZN is launching its Run It Up, its first multi-sports original vodcast, or video podcast, and a set of micro-podcasts ahead of the Devin Haney-Ryan Garcia fig...

20/04/2024

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav Got 27% Raise to $49.7 Million in 2023

David Zaslav, CEO of troubled Warner Bros. Discovery, got a 27% increase in total compensation for 2023....

20/04/2024

April 19, 2024

New copper-catalyzed C-H activation strategy from Scripps Research Two-mode reactions inspired by human detox enzymes offer powerful new tools for drug discover...

19/04/2024

Thank You for visiting us at NAB 2024!

Thank You for visiting us at NAB 2024! Thank you for joining us at the ToolsOnAir booth during NAB Show 2024! We were delighted to showcase our latest inno...

19/04/2024

Stress Positions Mines Health Anxieties for Comedy

PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 18: (L-R) John Early and Theda Hammel attend the 2024 Sundance Film Festival Stress Positions premiere at Library Center Theatre on ...

19/04/2024

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, the Filmmakers Behind Sugarcane

By Lucy Spicer One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...

19/04/2024

Mexico City Watchlist: 7 Documentaries About Working in CDMX

Pictured: Midnight Family By Stephanie Ornelas A great way to get to know a city as culturally unique and rich as Mexico City is to listen to the stories tol...

19/04/2024

SNS Dominates NAB Show 2024 With Triple Win For MOD

St. Louis, MO - April 18, 2024 - Studio Network Solutions (SNS) announced today that MOD won three prestigious industry awards at NAB Show 2024 held this week i...

19/04/2024

How Spotify Approaches Safety With Sarah Hoyle, Global Head of Trust and Safety

Spotify's mission is to unlock the potential of human creativity by giving a million artists the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the ...

19/04/2024

Spotify and Taylor Swift Create a One-of-a-Kind Library To Celebrate THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT'

It's a beautiful day to be a Swiftie. Today, Taylor Swift dropped her 11th s...

19/04/2024

L3Harris Announces Quarterly Dividend

MELBOURNE, Fla., April 19, 2024 - The Board of Directors of L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.16 per common share, payab...

19/04/2024

Intel Lays Out 8K Production, AI Tech Plans for Paris Olympics

PARIS Intel has announced that its plans for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 will include using artificial intelligence technology powered by Intel ...

19/04/2024

Tech Advances Boost Adoption of 8K Production

LAS VEGAS Technologists working on all aspects of the 8K media production chain offered an optimistic update at the 2024 NAB Show on the state of 8K in video pr...

19/04/2024

OpenDrives New Software-Defined Platform Atlas Wins 2024 NAB Show Product of the Year Award

OpenDrives New Software-Defined Platform Atlas Wins 2024 NAB Show Product of the...

19/04/2024

Grass Valley Showcases Next-Generation T3 Series 4K/HD Digital Recording and Playback for Venues and Stadiums

Grass Valley Showcases Next-Generation T3 Series 4K/HD Digital Recording and Pla...

19/04/2024

NiTRo's M-CUBE Studio Levels Up Esports Productions with AJA Gear

NiTRo's M-CUBE Studio Levels Up Esports Productions with AJA Gear Brie Clayton April 19, 2024 0 Comments Esports' rapid rise to popularity can...

19/04/2024

Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve 19

Blackmagic Design Announces DaVinci Resolve 19 Brie Clayton April 19, 2024 0 Comments Major update adds new DaVinci Neural Engine AI tools, new color ...

19/04/2024

Sony Considering Bid to Acquire Paramount

Sony Pictures Entertainment is reportedly in talks with Apollo Global Management to make a bid to acquire Paramount which itself is currently discussing a merge...

19/04/2024

How 1185 Films created the VFX on new horror, All You Need Is Death

Simon Wilkinson, head of VFX at 1185 films, talks about the technology behind the newly-released horror By Matthew Corrigan Published: April 19, 2024 Simo...

19/04/2024

Could Sony be preparing a bid for Channel 5's parent company?

The global electronics company is said to be considering joining forces with investment firm Apollo Management to bid for Paramount Global By Jenny Priestley ...

19/04/2024

EBU report highlights contribution of free-to-air sport broadcasting

The report broke the economic footprint of EBU member sports broadcasting into three main areas By Matthew Corrigan Published: April 19, 2024 The report b...

19/04/2024

CBS Stations Launches CBS News California Investigates' Segments

CBS Stations has launched CBS News California Investigates , with Julie Watts named regional CBS California correspondent. She will uncover and raise awarenes...

19/04/2024

MediaCo Acquires Estrella Media's Spanish-Language Network, Content Assets

MediaCo Holding, which owns radio stations WQHT (Hot 97) and WBLS in New York, said it acquired Estrella Media's Spanish-language video, audio and digital c...

19/04/2024

Season 5 of The Witcher' Will Be Final One

Netflix has ordered season five of fantasy drama The Witcher, which will be the final season. Production has recently begun on season four, and the two remainin...

19/04/2024

DirecTV Stream To Carry Eight More The CW Affiliates

DirecTV Stream said it added eight more The CW affiliates to its lineup on Thursday....

19/04/2024

CBS Orders More Elsbeth'

CBS has renewed Elsbeth for the 2024-2025 season. The drama, with Carrie Preston in the lead role, debuted February 29....

19/04/2024

With Bears on the Clock. NBCU Local Chicago Plans Extensive NFL Draft Coverage

With the Bears picking first, NBCUniversal Local's properties in Chicago plan extensive coverage of the NFL draft next week....

19/04/2024

Comcast Launches NOW

PHILADELPHIA As government subsidies for broadband services come to an end, Comcast has launched NOW, a new product portfolio of lower-cost Internet, mobile and...

19/04/2024

DirecTV Stream Adds CW Affiliates

DirecTV Stream has added more local CW stations for its streaming customers in Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Hartford-New Haven Conn., Phoenix, San ...

19/04/2024

MediaCo Acquires Estrella Media's Content and Digital Operations

NEW YORK & LOS ANGELES MediaCo Holding Inc. has announced that it has acquired all of Estrella Media's network, content, digital, and commercial operations....

19/04/2024

Adobe Launches New Adobe Express Mobile App with Firefly AI

SAN JOSE, Calif. Adobe has announced that the all-new Adobe Express mobile app is available to all users, bringing features powered by Adobe Firefly generative ...

19/04/2024

Netflix Adds 9.3M Subs in Q1

LOS GATOS, Calif. Netflix reported another blockbuster quarter by adding 9.33 million new subscribers in Q1, 2024 as global paid memberships hit 269.6 million, ...

19/04/2024

The Current State of the Industry and the Future Impact of AI

The Current State of the Industry and the Future Impact of AI Hillary Lewis April 18, 2024 0 Comments The Entertainment Industry: How did we get here ...

19/04/2024

After Effects Tutorial Text Blur Reveal

After Effects Tutorial Text Blur Reveal Andy Ford April 18, 2024 0 Comments Here's a way to do a quick blur reveal for your text layer. Start by...

19/04/2024

Hollyland Mars M1 Enhanced Wireless Transmitter / Receiver

Hollyland Mars M1 Enhanced Wireless Transmitter / Receiver Colin Smith April 18, 2024 0 Comments This tutorial shows the new wireless transmitter rece...

19/04/2024

Resolve Fusion: Writing Expressions with Lua

Resolve Fusion: Writing Expressions with Lua Simon Ubsdell April 18, 2024 0 Comments The answer to the very frequently-asked question: what is the pro...

19/04/2024

B+C,' Next TV' Announce Winners of Best of Show Awards at NAB Show

B+C and Next TV have announced the winners of Best of Show Awards for the 2024 NAB Show. The awards were judged by a panel of industry experts at the convention...

19/04/2024

Cate Blanchett Narrates Nature Series on Netflix

Cate Blanchett narrates the Netflix series Our Living World, which premieres April 17. The four-part series looks at the extraordinary creatures around the glob...

19/04/2024

For All Mankind' Spinoff Is in the Works at Apple TV Plus

Apple TV Plus has a spinoff of For All Mankind in the works. It is called Star City and details the cosmonauts, engineers and intelligence officers working behi...