Plogue Bidule is a program for recording creating music designed to give the user a great deal of versatility as far as sound construction and manipulation goes. As well as the usual bevy of sequencing and synth functions, Bidule users are also able to take apart and reconstruct virtual instruments and effects and tweak them to get a completely individual sound. The interface is, so they say, relatively clutter-free and easy to understand:
Plogue can also be used to run VST plugins that tend to crash applications such as Cubase, with the audio then being routed back to the main application via Rewire. After viewing posts on Plogue's online forums it seems like this application has quite a bit of power in the realms of digital audio and MIDI processing, with people being able to run many plugins at a time, multiple-tempo loops, and live sequencing, triggering and real-time manipulation of sounds.
The people behind Plogue are a team of audio/DSP programmers from Montreal, Canada. Bidule is their main project but their work can be found in other popular music programs such as Sibelius, and in designing custom plugins and effects for companies.
Tracey Silverman is an American performer who is considered one of the leaders in contemporary violin music. Mixing influences such as classical, rock, blues, reggae and many more, Tracey is renowned worldwide for his innovative use of the electric violin. Some of his recent projects include performing a symphony written specifically for the electric violin, and performing in his 3-piece band, Eclectica.
Being in town for the Fringe Festival, Tracey hosted a question and answer session in Elder Hall with a few songs thrown in to demonstrate his technique on the violin. Wielding an impressive array of effects pedals, a 6 string and 4 string electric violin and a Fender amplifier, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from him.
He started off with an original piece (that I can't recall the title of) that began with a repeated phrase that had a percussive rhythm to it. He then used a pedal to loop this phrase, complete with tapping from the bow to add a beat, and built the song up slowly from there. I thought this was the strongest of his songs and definitely the most original, the song had a very thick atmosphere about it that could perhaps be attributed to the place he wrote it about – again, the name escapes me but it was contained in the title. It became immediately apparent that he had a strong melodic but also rhythmic sensibility and by the time the song was in full swing it was easy to forget it was just one curly haired fiddler creating the sounds that washed over you. The melody was quite reminiscent of a few songs by Perth drum and bass outfit Pendulum – all it needed was a hard breakbeat behind it!
Tracey then went on to answer questions about his setup, his violins and his classical training – and the breaking from classical conventions for the sake of creativity. There were a few more songs played, and he actually had quite a nice voice, although I didn't care much for the lyrics (“If Love Ain't In The Picture”). Upon listening to more of his work on his myspace site, I think his strength definitely lies in his instrumental compositions, and frankly they say enough without needing any cheesy commentaries on love...
Proving himself to be a true innovator on the violin (and with a hefty fanbase if you're to believe his website), I'd like to hear some more of his instrumental works, especially the ones involving gratuitious use of pedals and looping. It's nice to see someone doing the one-man, “Fuck the band!” style approach. Oh, and he has a band too, Eclectica. But he sings. Still, check them out if you like funky rhythm sections and awkward lyrics about internet sex (seriously).
The ReacTable – looking like some music-making device plucked straight from a bad sci-fi movie, this is an intriguing way to control the properties of various synthesizers. Despite the first impressions of “Well what the hell am I supposed to do with this?”, on closer inspection it appears to be quite a versatile and convenient way to control sequencing and synthesizer modules in a live environment.
I first noticed this instrument at this year's Big Day Out, being used by a member of Bjork's band (during “Declare Independence”, I think) and was immediately fascinated with the strange man playing with the table and the blocks. Upon further research at it's official site, I discovered that the ReacTable is “A collaborative electronic music instrument with a tabletop tangible multi-touch interface.” It was developed by the music technology area within a Spanish university, Pompeu Fabra, and is designed for one or more operators to have complete ease of use without having to refer to complex manuals or instructions.
The synthesiser modules are controlled by the application and manipulation of “Tangibles,” small blocks that are placed on the luminous surface of the ReacTable. The tangibles have symbols on one or several sides determining what their function is, the symbols being read by the camera that is beneath the surface of the ReacTable. Information is relayed to the user by a series of lines and circles connecting the tangibles across the surface. These lines represent waveforms, frequencies and velocities. These factors can then be changed by turning the blocks and also with fingertips over the surface of the screen. Additional tangibles acting as filters, LFO's and other variables can be placed on the ReacTable between the signal input (the tangible) and the signal output (the centre of the table) to further alter the signal.
Whilst this all comes across as incredibly complex in print, in a practical sense it actually seems as if the ReacTable succeeds in what it sets out to do – perform as a simple, easy to learn interface that still provides a great deal of control over the sounds the user is creating. Whilst it may not be anywhere near as in-depth and versatile as something like Jazzmutant's Lemur. this would appear to be an important (and very cool-looking) development in synthesiser and sequencer technology that has a high level of practicality in a live setting.
