Taking Musical Chances

Students at the So Percussion Summer Institute getting ready to play Shifty.
A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of doing a composition master class at the So Percussion Summer Institute. My piece Shifty was on the repertoire list for the students, and I was asked to come to a rehearsal and talk about it.
It’s [...]

“Automatic”: a self-generating Live Set

Live comes with lots of crazy devices. One of my favorites is the ancient Vinyl Distortion audio effect. This isn’t because I’m particularly interested in vinyl emulation – if you know my music, you know that it’s squeaky-clean and ultra-digital. I love Vinyl Distortion because of the “Crackle” parameter, which outputs semi-random noise.

My job at Ableton

My last post covered lots of questions that I’m often asked. As I look at it now, I realize that it reads like a litany of things I no longer do. So for balance, here’s a bit more about my current gig.

The short answer is that I’m a technical writer.

(Tip: if someone asks you what you do, don’t tell them that you’re a technical writer unless you want them to go away. It’s like telling them that you’re a mortician or a Republican. You can see the interest drain from their face, and their expectation of now-it’s-gonna-get-lame is palpable.)