Tuning a Radio via Korg mini Kaoss Pad via Ableton Live Processing

Hello all, this is a little experiment I've been up all night playing with and uploading this video.

I got the original idea from a document called 'The Dub Scrolls' by the Interruptor (www.interruptor.ch) (although the idea was submitted by davyvelocirapt0r)

The idea was to run an AM radio (with a knob) into effects and slowly tune between stations.

So that’s kind of what I did! Here’s the set up..

First up, there's a radio set up on the AM frequency band range. So this is our source. This signal is taken out of the radio through the 'headphone out'.

Our signal is then going to the mini Korg Kaoss Pad (RCA Phono jack) - which is a dynamics effects processor, although this doesn’t mean its limited to just effecting the dynamics, this little box does so much more. It has 99 banks of effects, all with their parameters controllable by the XY pad. It also includes 2 memory points and also a tap tempo for time syncopated effects (which I loosely play with in this example, but not any noticeable effect as we don’t have a tempo or anytime of rhythm...just noise really I guess.

So after our signal is manipulated inside the Korg miniKP, it comes out (via RCA Phono jack) and into the M-audio FastTrack Pro which is where the all the magic happens to record it down into binary code, the journey through multiplexors and all that jazz which I need to touch up my theory on!

Ableton Live (7.0.3) is the program recording this audio down to storage. Our signal is coming through onto a channel strip where I've set up a low-pass filter to take away those awful high end screeches we might get from tuning the radio. The curve of the attenuation starts at around 2 kHz and then hits the bottom at around 5 kHz.

After this in the processing chain on the channel, there is a frequency conscious ping-pong delay, with the frequencies that are to be effected set to 5 kHz. Although we've taken that exact frequency out with the Eq earlier (we've attenuated it - not completely taken away), the Q of the Eq on delay is quite wide, and so it’s affecting those around 5 kHz as well. This gives whatever’s left of the top end a nice smooth edge to it. Also, because its not getting as much gain as the rest of the track is, due to the curve of the Eq before it in the chain, the outcome of the combined processing has smoothed it further out and blurred it slightly, which is just what we want went scanning through the raw harsh bites of radio frequency 'noise'!

That concludes the chain. So there is a quick bit of detail to how the experiment was set up, hopefully nothing to confusing...the visual element should help.
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I'll work on getting the WAV files up as soon as if people wants them, i think there are some interesting sound in there, such as ones that can be cut up and used for quick stabs or maybe take parts and stretch them to get an unusual atmosphere or texture. I'll upload both the Ableton Live processed version, and the version straight from the miniKP.

Any questions I'll sure try to answer, and please do ask questions, or maybe share your own tips with similar set ups?


Thanks for watching, hopes someones found interesting!

Jordan

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Here are some FAQ's

>"Are you gurning in the background?”
Yes, unfortunately I don’t think I could come up and execute experiments like this without a bit of stimulant help =P although I am getting better when I’m clean, which I would rather be...well if it wasn't for that little thing called Health! Ha, errm..

>"I can’t tell what you saying/you sound weird"
Thats not a question, your just being rude, Hah! Read above answer as to why I might sound a bit wasted. Apart from that, I'm from Yorkshire so I dont pronouce word properly and I have a deep, quiet voice so I'm a bit of mumbler so then my sentences drift in to a mush!

Anyone know what the hell "gurning" is?

UPDATE:

From Urban Dictionary.com:

1. gurning

The muscle tension in the face that usually ends up with the jaw and tongue rolling and teeth grinding as a result of amphetamines.

"Argh, I'm gurning! My jaw's gonna hurt in the morning!"

2. gurning

The uncontrollable mouth movement caused by certain drugs. without the aid of chewing gum can result in serious interior mouth damage.

"mate these pills are banging, got some proper gurning going on"