JonDent - Exploring Electronic Music

Sunday, 8 March 2015

Korg PS 3200 sequenced by a SQ-1 (patch 1)

What a awesome sequencer is the SQ-1
I'm totally in love with it.
This is the first in a series of videos using these two classic pieces of gear. Hopefully we
can come up with some finished pieces.

The unedited video is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXw92TosJPw

Saturday, 7 March 2015

Fatehpur Sikri - India

Fatehpur Sikri was founded in 1569 by the Mughal emperor Akbar.
It's in the state of Uttar Pradesh. It's a short 40 km drive from Agra
The Emperor (1556-1605) decided to construct it on the same site where
the birth of his son was predicted by the wise & holy man, Shaikh Salim Chisti (1480-1572).

It's regarded as Akbar's crowning architectural legacy. The palaces, public buildings, gazebos, mosques, pavilions & halls were planned with great care for he intended FS to be his capital.

This only lasted between 1571 & 1585. Lack of water finally forced Akbar to move the capital to Lahore (in present day Pakistan) and then back to Agra (1598).

Akbar planned the complex around Persian principles that were derived from tent encampments.
The complex consists of independent pavilions arranged around central squares.

But the beautiful thing about all this was the fusion of styles. His adopted land of India, can be seen throughout.

Inner view of Buland Darwaza (Bulland Gate)

All the buildings here were made of the local red stone. And he used indigenous craftsmen throughout in the construction. One can see Hindu & Jain architecture mixed with Islamic elements.

The monuments at Fatehpur Sikri thus reflect the genius of Akbar. He successfully combined diverse regional architectural styles. This layout definitely influenced later town planning which can be seen in cities such as Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi).

(Buland Darwaza) Bulland Gate, Fatehpur Sikri

Built to commemorate Akbar's victory against the Kingdom of Gujarat.

Bulland Gate (Buland Darwaza). This gateway is 55 metres tall. Completed in 1575, it's according to the locals the largest triumphal arch in the world. The Arch de Triomphe is 50m high. The Brandenburg Gate is 26m. The arch of Titus in Rome is 15m. One "gate" that is taller is the Arch of St. Louis, Missouri. It's 190m though it's debatable as to whether it's a triumphal arch or just a gateway. ???

Bulland Gate (Buland Darwaza)

The Horseshoe Gate at Fatehpur.
This is the central gate of the Buland Darwaza. The horseshoes are nailed for good luck.

Mariam-uz-Zamani House

Tomb of Salim Chishti

A marble encased tomb for the saint who foretold the birth of a son for Akbar. Beautiful Jali screens encircle the central room that houses the body of the saint.

The Tomb of Shaikh Salim Chisti (1480-1572)

These screens are cut from single sheets of marble.

Anup talao (pond), the platform to the right was used for singing competitions

Anup Talao Platform

Panch Mahal

This is one of the most unusual structures of Fatehpur Sikri. It's a 5 tiered palace.

Also known as "The Pavilion of the Winds". This was used by ladies of the Royal Harem who were given privacy with Jali screens.

Diwan-I-Aam

Diwan-I-Aam - interior

The "Hall of Private Audience". It is here that Akabar had representatives of the different religions discuss their faiths in peace & friendship. The central pillar has 36 voluted brackets.

EMS Synthi - The Envelope Generator

In the EMS world what we normally refer to as the Envelope Generator is called a "Envelope Shaper". There is a good reason for this as it's definitely not your usual ADSR.

The envelope can take the shape of a trapeziod, so is often referred to as a "Trapezoidal Envelope Generator."

It's actually a Envelope Generator + a VCA rolled into one.
The Shaper operates by generating a CV & using it to control a VCA.

The Synthi's Shaper has 6 knobs (4 red & 2 silver) & 2 outputs (Trapezoid Out & Signal Out).

The last two silver knobs (5 & 6) are called Trapezoid & Signal.
These set the level (amplitude) of the two outputs.(more about this later).

The first four red knobs are the Envelope Gen itself.
They are named: Attack, On, Decay, Off.

1. Attack is what you'd expect.(2ms to 1sec)
2. On = the time the envelope stays at the top level reached during the attack phase.(0-2.5secs)
3. Decay - again what you'd expect (3ms - 15secs)
4. Off = This is like having a built-in LFO. The length of time the envelope is off (between the end of the last envelope & the start of the next env)

The knob associated with this "off section" (see picture below) is unusual as it has two ranges/stages.
4a. While in the range of 0-6 we have an automatic retrigger ---
it will lengthen the automatic off time between 0.5ms to 5 secs

4b. After about level 6 the cycle starts go into manual mode.... to trigger
the envelope we can use the trigger button that sits next to the joystick.

Dials 5 & 6 control the

5. Trapezoid Level: This is just the CV level - what you'd expect from a standard Env Gen.
6. Signal level: This uses the Synthi's built in VCA.
The useful thing about this is you can just patch a oscillator into the Env Gen and obtain a sculptured output without the need to patch a VCA