octant:

Where have I been for the past month?
I just finished this Electric Lamellophone designed with a 32 note isomorphic keyboard layout. Each key has a separate wound pickup so it sounds a bit like a Fender Rhodes. I made it to sonically take the place of an electric piano but to also be compact and manageable (6x6x12). It really has some nice bass tones and I can’t wait to start writing songs on it. 
It still needs a wooden box to protect it with knobs, out-put jack, etc. – perhaps an internal vibrato circuit and some kind of dampener system.  

octant:

Where have I been for the past month?

I just finished this Electric Lamellophone designed with a 32 note isomorphic keyboard layout. Each key has a separate wound pickup so it sounds a bit like a Fender Rhodes. I made it to sonically take the place of an electric piano but to also be compact and manageable (6x6x12). It really has some nice bass tones and I can’t wait to start writing songs on it. 

It still needs a wooden box to protect it with knobs, out-put jack, etc. – perhaps an internal vibrato circuit and some kind of dampener system.  

Reblogged from Octant Innards

My Arduinoboy (and my actual boy) in action.

Post-PAX East, 2012

PAX is such a strange phenomenon, an unlikely gathering of people from many places and walks of life. From its humble beginning, PAX has always been about people: The speakers and presenters, the bands, the attendees, and the all-important Enforcers. To those of us who go every year, it feels more like a place than an event. As soon as you walk through the doors of the convention center, you know you’re in a place where it’s safe to be yourself.

This was my first PAX East, and I have to say, it’s quite a bit different from PAX Prime. It hits many of the same notes, but overall it just has its own general feel. It felt like joining a new band. Maybe you set out to have a particular sound, but any time a new group of musicians combine their creative forces, something unique is concocted. PAX East is like that, except instead of 4 or 5 band members it’s 70,000.

Speaking of bands…

Supercommuter (from left to right): Tron Juan, Jen Wood, Wheelie Cyberman, Stenobot, and the Kevin aka Bearded Bot.


Supercommuter was honored to play at PAX Prime last year, and even more so to be asked to come out to Boston for PAX East. We were part of an amazing Friday night lineup including Minibosses, Metroid Metal, and Protomen. Leading up to the concert, I think I was more excited to see the other bands than I was to actually play myself. That whole first day just felt like a blur, and then there we were, taking the stage and opening up an evening of music to a packed crowd of thousands, most of whom had never heard us. I can’t tell you how nervous I was walking up those steps. But all that quickly melted away. As soon as I pressed Start on my Game Boy, it was obvious that we were among friends. It was a great show and an unforgettable experience.

The concert was great, but meeting people was the true highlight of my weekend. Sitting in our booth, sandwiched between Metroid Metal and Minibosses, I met some amazingly strange people and had some of the most interesting conversations I’ve ever had. PAX to me is like a big, complicated way station where passions and hobbies intersect. It was so awesome to meet so many people as anxious to engage in conversation as I am. Music, games, religion, technology—we discussed anything and everything, from hacking Game Boys to favorite videogames to coding projects to whatever seemed interesting at the time. I left PAX emotionally exhausted, but profoundly impacted by the three long, solid days of connecting with so many different people.

The low light of my week was missing my show at the Jamspace. I was supposed to go on at 11AM the morning following the Supercommuter show. A perfect storm of exhaustion, jet lag, 3AM fire alarm, hotel evacuation, and forgetting to set my alarm led to me oversleeping and missing my set. I was so bummed to miss out on the opportunity to play with some rad east coast chiptune artists. But it turned out okay in the end. I apologized for my massive fail, and everyone was really cool and gracious about it. In the end, I got to meet a bunch of awesome people from the Boston chiptune scene. If you were expecting to see me play, and I didn’t get a chance to tell you in person, I sincerely apologize. One of these days I swear I’ll play a Stenobot show outside Washington state.

As I write this, I’m sitting on an plane, chasing the sunset back to Seattle, brain full of memories of an incredible weekend. I can’t help but feel sentimental. Hopefully, we’ll be back next year with new music and more life experiences to discuss with our 70,000 new friends. For now, I’ll leave you with my favorite photo from the weekend.

Boston, here we come…

PAX East is almost upon us. Supercommuter will be playing the main stage on Friday night, along with Protomen, Metroid Metal, and Minibosses. On Saturday afternoon, I’ll be doing a Stenobot set at the chiptune showcase in the Jamspace.

X-bit show this Friday!

Working on some new material for the show this Friday at Pink Gorilla. Come on down!

The best album you’ve never heard…

…is called ‘Information’, by OM84.

But let’s back up for a minute first.

About 7 years ago, my friend Duncan killed himself. It was horrible in so many ways, and many people are still hurting and grasping for answers. But this post is not about Duncan’s death—it’s about his music.

Duncan had many flaws, but his songwriting and musicianship were not among them. He was a genius—anyone who knew him would say nothing less. He was obsessed with electronic instruments and old videogames. He introduced me to so many ideas and techniques and musical oddities. I can’t overstate his influence on me musically. Everything I do with music today can probably be traced back to Duncan in some roundabout way, and I’ve often daydreamed about what he might think of my music were he alive today.

For many years, Duncan worked on an album under the moniker OM84. (If you’re like me, you would notice right away that OM84 is the model number for the most superior version of the Suzuki Omnichord!) Duncan finally finished the album, but he never properly released it. However, our good friend Jon posted it online, where it remains today.

‘Information’ by OM84

You’ll need to download the tracks one by one, and you’ll probably need to manually enter metadata and such. But it’s worth it. To me, this album is a masterpiece, a creative explosion of lo-fi synths and vocoders and drum machines wrapped around perfect melodies.

I miss Duncan, but I’m glad he left something so beautiful behind.

I’m playing a show in a couple weeks, at Pink Gorilla. You should come!!!

I’m playing a show in a couple weeks, at Pink Gorilla. You should come!!!

Julian broke a drum stick the other day. I caught it on tape.

New Graffiti Monsters!

Come to the Can Can on Jan. 26th to see some awesome NW Game Boy music! Oh, and I’ll be playing, too :)

Come to the Can Can on Jan. 26th to see some awesome NW Game Boy music! Oh, and I’ll be playing, too :)

Favorite game of 2011…

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is more than just a great new Zelda game. It’s the first real proof that motion controls can be more than a gimmick. Yes, there were bigger games in 2011, with expensive voice talent and cinematics, but for me, Skyward Sword simply beats them all. It’s a perfect adventure game that feels both modern and classic at the same time. It made me feel like a kid again.

“Even though it’s built around motion control, the motion control doesn’t get in the way.”

A Southpaw’s perspective

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have heard me complain about Skyward Sword’s lack of a left-handed mode. “Not everyone plays with the Wiimote in their right hand!”, “true southpaw’s won’t be able to enjoy this!”, and, of course, the kicker: “Link is left handed, dammit!” Yes, I complained a lot—that’s what the Internet’s for, right? But that wasn’t going to stop me from playing the game. Please understand, I am very left-handed—meaning I write, swing a bat, and do everything else with my left hand. I’ve also played a LOT of Wii games, mostly during my time reviewing games for Nintendo Power. Even in the crappiest of crappy crapware Wii games, I’ve never felt like a game was forcing me to put the Wiimote in my right hand. Since right-handed play is essential in Skyward Sword, I spent the month before the game’s launch playing through Mario Galaxy this way. It took a while for my brain to rewire itself.

Even after playing through most of Skyward Sword, I still feel a little awkward when swinging the Wiimote in my right hand. But somehow, that didn’t make the game any less enjoyable. I think this is a testament to how good this game is. Even though it’s built around motion control, the motion control doesn’t get in the way. It actually makes the game better. Many weapons, puzzles, enemies, and boss battles are designed with motion in mind, but they always seem find the sweet spot between precision random flailing. It just works. You almost forget that you’re playing a motion control game, until Nintendo gently and cleverly reminds you with every new turn.

Best Zelda game ever? Maybe. Actually…no. Comparing Skyward Sword to A Link To The Past or even Ocarina is just silly. It’s more interesting to compare it to other modern adventure games. And since it’s my game of the year, you already know my opinion.

Favorite album art of 2011

‘Strange Negotiations’ by David Bazan

‘Songs of Pain and Leisure’ by TW Walsh

‘Don’t Die’ by Nightmares For A Week (Technically, this came out near the end of 2010…but I’m including it anyway.)

‘Human Hearts’ by Maritime

‘My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky’ by Swans

My top 5 albums of 2011

A little late, I know. But here the 5 albums from 2011 that I enjoyed the most:

Top 5 albums

1. Octant - Octant

2. Blouse - Blouse

3. The Only Now - Leeni

4. Strange Mercy - St. Vincent

5. Computer Savvy - The J. Arthur Keenes Band

Honorable mention…

Cloud Nothings - Cloud Nothings

Songs of Pain and Leisure - TW Walsh

Helplessness Blues - Fleet Foxes

Pegasus - Star Scream

The Whole Love - Wilco

Codes and Keys - Death Cab for Cutie

Only In Dreams - Dum Dum Girls

Album of the year: Octant’s first album in 10 years came out in January, and seemed to go mostly unnoticed for the rest of the year. It’s been a pretty good year for music in my opinion, but this album still stands out as the best to me. Matthew Steinke’s homemade instruments have a really distinct sound, and his songwriting has really evolved into something more personal and vulnerable. I love his previous stuff as well, but this album just feels special—like some weird combination of music and electronics and sculpture that’s still very listenable. Also, it was funded by Kickstarter and completely self-released. If you haven’t heard it, check it out!

If you haven’t heard it, check it out!