Happy Holidays
V18. The I've Been Busy Edition
We're not scared to lose it all
Security throw through the wall
Future dreams we have to realize
A thousand skeptic hands
Won't keep us from the things we plan
Unless we're clinging to the things we prize
And do you feel scared? I do
But I won't stop and falter
And if we threw it all away
Things can only get better
Howard Jones — Things Can Only Get Better (1985)
Once again, this mailing list comes in last in the priorities, and I apologize. I did say it was an OCCASIONAL newsletter.
This is the last Friday of the year, so I thought I’d just make a list of what I’m grateful for:
My Partner and Her Tiny Monsters Both Furry and Skin.
My Friends and Family, who have pushed me more than I thought was possible.
My Community, both local as well as online.
My Studio, which has been downsized to a quarter of the size, but has everything I need.
My Pupper. Okay…she should be #1. My girl will stop reading after the first line sooooo…just mentally put Indigo at the top.
This has been an incredible year of growth. I successfully pushed two laws to be enacted locally (one state, one city) that will save many lives. My life has moved from coming home from work and sitting at the Kurzweil to jot down ideas I haven’t fully realized in years to being a family man and mental health activist. Occasionally, I am a politician and have to put on badly fitting suits and go on TV. So, it is not much different than when I was younger, but less interesting suits and MUCH more boring topics (can I introduce you to Safe Streets 2.0 and the daylighting of intersections? No??? Okay, your loss!!!). Oh yeah, and occasionally leading a thousand+ people biking across my city on random Friday nights with lit-up cruisers and music blasting while we block intersections for 15 minutes at a time. Hey! It’s for a good cause. So we tell the police and the newspapers.
So…without any further adieu…here are things that have been sitting in my INTERESTING THINGS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN BECAUSE THEY ARE INTERESTING. Obviously, I should not be writing copy for a living.
MIDI Host to USB
https://intech.studio/shop/knot
The pocket-sized USB MIDI host device for connecting old-school MIDI instruments – synthesizers, groove boxes, or guitar pedals – with neat USB MIDI devices, like the Grids.
Once again, fixing what’s wrong with today’s Midi Interfaces. My EuroRack has a MIDI interface in the form of USB, and to connect it to a keyboard, I need to use one of these types of devices. For $99, it’s a little cheaper than the one I use and I need to buy a few of these!
MACHINE LEARNING TO GENERATE MUSIC, UNDERSTANDS TRACKS
https://hackaday.com/2023/07/27/getmusic-uses-machine-learning-to-generate-music-understands-tracks/
We all know I love the absurdity of AI and how bad it can be. Then again, I also used Band In The Box to get ideas back in the day, so there is no accounting for taste!
Open Source Pipe Organs
https://makezine.com/article/craft/music/openpipes-revolutionizes-the-diy-pipe-organs/
At the heart of OpenPipes are its comprehensive organ console plans, meticulously designed to guide enthusiasts through the creation process. These plans include an Arduino-controlled Midi Pedalboard, allowing for precise control and expression. The full control circuit, also Arduino-based, provides a seamless interface between the musician and the instrument, enhancing the playing experience.
I Own Too Many USB Power Banks
https://www.theverge.com/23811501/retro-cassette-tape-power-banks-battery-remax
Yes, it’s a power bank that looks like a cassette tape. That is the gag.
Apple Patent Shows Off a Modular Laptop With Attachable Turntable
https://gizmodo.com/apple-patent-modular-laptop-with-attachable-turntable-1850679307
Bob’s Burger’s does Phillip Glass’s Mishima
Question to the editor: Phillip Glass’ Mishima? Glass’s? Glassesses? Me no English good.
For The 3D Printing Nerds: Paganini’s Violin
https://makezine.com/article/craft/music/3d-printing-paganinis-famous-violin/
The illustrious ‘Il Cannone di Paganini,’ once owned by the renowned Genovese musician Niccolò Paganini and now preserved at Palazzo Tursi, inspired the creation of a faithful 1:1 replica using 3D printing technology. The replica, crafted with meticulous attention to detail, features white resin and strings in the striking red nylon, evoking the colors of the San Giorgio flag.
Having just put my 3D Print-Farm back into operation, taking up half the studio space that I still own, I may have to see about printing something like this out! It will sound like crap!!!
Sonikmatter: Mind + Music + Technology
An occasional newsletter. Barely fact-checked and often wrong.
Volume 18. If you to submit the things you are interested in or have been working on, please send me a note to the editor: Zampino@sonikmatter.com. Mostly I write this just to keep in contact with my old friends and I miss you all dearly. Even the ones I teased and mocked relentlously. Especially the latter!!!
Also, take a look at the website: sonikmatter.com — it appears two newsletters didn’t quite get sent out and were only posted to the website!!!
The Sonik line is open — call (415) 683-1381 and sing, rawk, or prog into the answering machine! We will post it!!! When? Probably in six months from now…
