Music • Sound • Video • Art

Straight from the new Google group set up by Peter McIlwain and crew at CEMA:

CEMA is pleased to announce that it has received additional funding to continue the development of Nodal. We are currently in the process of updating the current version, along with releasing a version that runs under Microsoft Windows. These new versions should be released around February 2009.

Further development of Nodal will continue in 2009, where we will move to charging a small fee to purchase an updated version of the software (Windows and Mac compatible). Fees collected will go back into further developments of the software. Updated versions will include technical support, a more detailed manual and tutorial guides. Please check back on this page throughout 2009 for updates.

This is exciting. I hope they figure out an easy way to sync this thing with my DAW… I highly recommend checking this out at the link below.

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• More info on Nodal is here.
• The Nodal Google Group is here.

This first picture was taken in January 1983. It’s my first “studio.” The previous Fall I had blown all of the cash I earned in the summer on a brand new Korg Mono/Poly, Roland TR-606 Drumatix, and a used Teac144 4-track cassette deck. It meant working a couple of different part-time jobs that year at school to get by.

Party like its 1983

I remember when I bought the 606. The sales guy tried also to sell me a TB-303. (I think this was at the dawn of MIDI so these two may have synced up via a proprietary Roland connector.)  I wasn’t interested. I figured: 1) I could maybe create those sounds on the monopoly via this thing called “synthesis” (whatever that was); 2) I was inspired to buy this stuff by my love for Brian Eno’s Music for Films, (and at the time) Klaus Schulze, Kitaro, and Jean Michele Jarre. What do I need something called a “bassline” for…?

*Sigh* That’s right up there with (years later) giving away my TR808 to a friend so he could trade it in for a Korg DW-8000 keyboard. (I’ve gotten better on my judgement calls, believe me.)

Complete with instant (red) mood lighting too.

In addition to the obligatory college milk crate furniture, there were always a gazillion often unlabeled cassette tapes scattered about. I managed to hold on to a few of these. (The tapes that is, not the crates.) I have no idea whatever happened to the 606. The Teac was passed on to a friend, and I think it was still in use into the mid to late 90s. I sold the Monopoly in late 2005 or 2006. (No regrets as I think the KORG Mono/Poly VI sounds just as good if not better. It certainly is a damn sight more convenient to use.)

I. Want. This.

The Supercomputer designed for sound…

The flagship model Pacarana is 150% the power of a fully-loaded Capybara-320 for less than half the price. The entry-level Paca costs less than a Basic Capybara-320, but the new entry-level model is 5 times more powerful…

Man, I’ve been jonesin’ for some Kyma for years…

On the flipside, the list of supported audio and midi devices is pretty small (though growing). From the Pacarana FAQ:

Audio/MIDI Input & Output

I don’t see any audio inputs/outputs. How does the audio signal come out of the Pacarana?

To get an audio signal out of the Paca(rana), connect it to a FireWire or USB audio converter.

Does the audio from the Pacarana pass through the host computer first? Or does the Pacarana connect directly to a dedicated converter?

The audio output from the Pacarana goes directly to its own dedicated converter. The audio does not pass through the Mac or PC to a shared converter.