Eliot Britton

Steampunk [Lite]

Mon, 07 Nov 11 09:49:23 -0500

This is a video of the Steampunk Lite recording session. Thanks Ben Duinker for doing the editing (and performing of course). Those text transitions at the end are fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw4nc7yLkwk&feature=colike

Check out Ben's youtube channel for videos of his other projects.

http://www.youtube.com/user/BenDuinker

Expanded Performance Trio in Belgium

Fri, 07 Oct 11 06:34:31 -0400

The Expanded Performance Trio is on the road again. This time, Ghent - Belgium. Our performances, presentations and talks have gone well. ORCiM has been great so far. It's amazing to participate, and learn about creative research projects from other countries and institutions.

Hugh Le Caine Award

Tue, 19 Jul 11 10:50:25 -0400

It was excited to find out I won the Hugh Le Caine SOCAN award. Canada is so lucky to have this. I have to go pick up my giant novelty cheque at the socan office in the next few days. It will be nice to meet some of the other winners.

Thank you Parker Bert for the commission, and Ben Duinker for taking the time to record Steampunk [lite].

I'll upload the studio version ASAP.

Performance at EMS

Fri, 17 Jun 11 10:49:45 -0400

The EP Trio is on the road again. I’m sitting in a conference room in NYU. We had a successful performance at EMS last night. Some of the pieces were fantastic. There were a few familiar faces from NIME, but generally, the differences between the conferences is quite large. EMS is far less concerned with technology, and more oriented towards composition and aesthetics. New York culture is quite different as well. It flows out of the concert spaces, and into the works.

I keep hearing the term “Second Generation” referring to young composers who are moving away from established models of EA and live electronic music. Interesting. I thought there were a few more generations than one, but we’ll see if this term catches on.

NIME 2011b

Tue, 07 Jun 11 10:23:44 -0400

The EPT is back from OSLO. Our project presentation and concert were well received. I met a lot of talented, creative people working on some amazing projects. Some of the concerts were inspiring, as there are so many different ways to perform music on new technology. I am very lucky to be studying in such an interesting field. Oslo is a beautiful city and the people there were very friendly. Next stop, EMS in NY.

NIME 2011

Wed, 01 Jun 11 12:41:58 -0400

In Oslo at NIME 2011. Things are going well with the Expanded Performance Trio. There is so much to learn from all the people here. Amazing experience so far. I will post pictures and more information when I get back to Canada.

Ensemble Core Diagram

Mon, 25 Apr 11 01:24:31 -0400

As part of my work with the Expanded Performance Trio I've been thinking a lot about smarter ways to structure information in ensembles that play electronic instruments. I would like to refine these ideas and put them into a snappy diagram.

Core Level: (doesn't change. Set by performers)

-Instrument

-Software Frameworks

-Performance Techniques

-Core Gesture Mappings (Volume, Pitch, Timbre etc.)

-Monitoring

-Conventional Notation

-Established Notation for DSP control

-Navigation / control schemes (Patch changes etc.)

Creation Level: (Is created for a new work, is set by the composer)

-Musial Score (With notated DSP controls)

-DSP linked to Core Gesture Maps (Volume + Filter)

-Software Patches / Sound Libraries

-Sound Files / Pre-created materials

Performance Level: (Is created for a performance, is set by the performers)

-Score Interpretation

-Mapping of flexible gestures to DSP parameters

-Adjustment of DSP Mappings

Expanded Performance Trio, on the road again?

Fri, 18 Mar 11 14:20:01 -0400

The EPT may be doing a bit of travel in the future. The EPT will be at NIME one way or another. For now we are content to play, and transport our equipment between labs, not continents It's actually a very quick setup. This is us doing a talk/demo for Pentacon, which is a collection of European Conservatories. (Apparently McGill is considered Europe in this context)

Anyway, as usual, it's great to talk about the project and play.

FIXED!

Wed, 23 Feb 11 00:27:25 -0500

I picked up a rhodes a few months ago. One of the keys was messed up, but I knew I could learn to fix it. After a few months of avoiding that key, I finally snapped and dove inside. After a quick video tutorial on rhodes repair, I figured out the problem and fixed it. I needed to fix the strike line of 1 key, then adjust the escapement. This required heating a plastic piece, bending it, and re-installing it in the key bed.

The rhodes piano is a beautiful machine. Simple and complex at the same time. I can see why they are still being used and cared for. I think I could completely refurbish mine, now that I've learned how it all comes apart. The internet is amazing. Thank you vintage vibe for taking the time to share.

Speaker Dome

Mon, 21 Feb 11 14:37:11 -0500

I'm back at school after a nice break. I, and the rest of the CIRMMT students are very lucky to have access to CIRMMT facilities. It’s really quite an incredible resource for students. (Provided you take all the appropriate training seminars). In the attached pictures I'm sitting in the speaker dome where CIRMMT's Haydn Project took place. The lab is currently being used by Marlon Schumacher to develop his spatial synthesis research.

I'm going to be uploading some new content, including a few scores, and new recordings.

Final thoughts and new projects

Thu, 16 Dec 10 15:56:41 -0500

The Art of the Groove tour has ended. It was a fantastic experience and I can't thank Vicky Chow enough. I am very fortunate to have had the chance to work with such a talented performer, especially one who is interested in championing new music.

My next project is preparing for and completing my comprehensive exams. I am looking forward to taking the time to expand my current understanding of music, technology and cultural studies.

Check back later for recordings, pictures and video of the tour.

The Art of the Groove

Tue, 23 Nov 10 01:54:43 -0500

Pianist Vicky Chow is performing one of my newest works as part of her Art of the Groove tour, which was made possible by a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. Working with Vicky has been great, I'm looking forward to the concert. I'll be at the Toronto and Montreal ones, but I can't quite swing a day trip to Vancouver.

More information about the conerts:

There will be a concert is New York as well, but the date is still up in the air.