Mark Mosher is an electronic musician from Colorado who has been quite active with AudioCubes in his work. He runs a popular blog called Modulate This and is also actively involved in the Ableton User Group in Colorado. Check out his websites at:

• http://www.modulatethis.com/
• http://www.newecho.com/
• http://www.markmoshermusic.com/

Also see these earlier posts about his work:

• http://www.percussa.com/2010/03/16/mark-mosher-at-ableton-live-denver-user-group/
• http://www.percussa.com/2010/02/07/mark-mosher-on-percussa-audiocubes/

Here is a particularly interesting post about his use of AudioCubes with the fantastic Synplant synth:

• http://www.modulatethis.com/2010/01/enumerating-one-patch-performance-video-series.html

Mark is performing in New York at the upcoming Electro-Music event:

“I’m playing a 30 minute concert and giving a 60 minute session on “Spatial ,Visual, and Matrix Controllerism with Ableton Live” at Electro-Music 2010 in NY or Sept. 10th or 11th. In my presentation I’ll be discussing AudioCubes, Launchpad, Tenori-on, and using the Theremin as a MIDI controller.”

Kim from Dreamhub (Denmark) writes to us about how he uses AudioCubes in his live performances:

“I adjust to the overall response I get from the audience or whatever state of mind I’m in – and perform on a very intuitive basis, so it is important for me, that the performance reflects the dynamic changes I make – though the music itself might not be very dynamic. The audience does not move or dance. They often get transcended into a meditative state or simply enjoys the calm atmosphere.

Although I do some clip triggering in Ableton Live, more often I fade things in and out, adjust effect-levels, sends, and play software-instruments live and controlling effects. I’m most interested in using the AudioCubes for continous control.

I used the AudioCubes last night at my performance and they certainly had a positive impact on the audience – and I myself felt more that I shaped the music and sounds. Amongst other things I controlled simple EQ high, mid and low on the main out with three sensors. It was very exciting.”

Read a full interview here with Kim about his work:

http://www.percussa.com/artists/dreamhub/

Kim played recently at the UN Climate Change Conference in December of 2009.

Stef and Macha from Pearls for Swines send us a free EP titled “This is not an alternative to a party”. It was recorded in november 2009 at the Land of the Dead. You can grab it here:  http://www.archive.org/details/NotAnAlternativeToAParty

Pearls for Swines have been active users of AudioCubes from the very beginning. Stef is a heavy Reaktor and “The Finger” (both by Native Instruments) user and uses the cubes as interface to the software. Stef says:

“I used a skrewell-like on Reaktor 5 (NAPTI-40 , a little bit modified to be able to MIDI-learn some pre-selected parameters ) as a VST instrument in an Ableton Live session, with just 2 cubes put in sensor mode to adjust the parameters ( osc/filt/delay/flow/ for the 1st cube and for the 2nd cube I control the global pitch and the morphing ). I have recorded the two sessions in direct. In reality I have duplicated the instrument track and have panned left and right the two tracks that I have united in one group track, it’s the same sequences but with a little “décalage de phase”, I drive the audio to another audio track where I record the whole stuff. I have added a Brickwall limiter to the master track. I used just the laptop keyboard to activate a randomize function in the second part (a very little crack sound in the beginning).  I have just tried to play with the cubes to draw some shapes, in the dark early just before than the sun appears with my headphones on the ears sit in a corner of the room. It was a GREAT moment!”

Steve Baltes (Deep Voices, Ash-ra Tempel, …) sends us some photos from his gig at Return of Tronic. He’s using the AudioCubes with Ableton Live in his setup. Thanks Steve!

More pictures about the event are available from http://www.presspasspics.com/Tronic/index3.html

I just received a copy of the December issue of Computer Music Journal (CMJ), which has a short review on the AudioCubes. CMJ is a more academic publication about electronic music and tools for the electronic musician.

Important notes:

• The AudioCubes are not intended to replace buttons or knobs.
• The most recent update for the firmware lets you send data to and receive data from a network of AudioCubes, while only one cube is connected with a cable.  Our OSC server and Modular application make use of this. Both are available in the download section under “support”.
• Current pricing is available from http://shop.percussa.com/

For current pricing of the AudioCubes, please see http://shop.percussa.com/

Johannes Moser, a well known cello player, writes to us about his use of AudioCubes on his tour:

” I saw your youtube videos of your presentation @ Musikmesse and was very impressed by what one can do with your wonderful product. Really a fantastic invention!”

“Here is a blog entry where I write about the cubes. They are a big hit on this tour, everybody wants to know more about them!”

http://www.soundingofftour.com/2010/01/day-3-san-francisco-go-go-gadget-go.html

Johannes says: “We use the cubes in some of our arrangements of Stockhausen’s Zodiac.”

Here is a short video about how he uses the cubes in his outreach event at the San Francisco School of the Arts:

About Johannes Moser:

“German-Canadian cellist Johannes Moser has been hailed by Gramophone Magazine as “one of the finest among the astonishing gallery of young virtuoso cellists.” He has performed with many of the world’s leading orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, London Symphony, Tonhalle Orchester Zurich, Bayerische Rundfunk Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Tokyo Symphony, Israel Philharmonic and Toronto Symphony. He works regularly with conductors of the highest level including Riccardo Muti, Lorin Maazel, Valery Gergiev, Zubin Mehta, Vladimir Jurowski, Franz Welser-Möst, Christian Thielemann, Pierre Boulez, Neeme Jarvi and Paavo Jarvi.”

About his outreach:

“Johannes is especially committed to reaching out to young audiences, from kindergarten to college and beyond. In January 2010, he will embark on a tour of North American campuses and alternative venues with pianist, toy pianist and composer Phyllis Chen. Their program will feature both traditional and experimental repertoire, as well as a variety of instruments including traditional piano and cello, prepared piano, toy piano, music box, prepared cello and electric cello. Their aim is to present contemporary classical music in terms with which young adults can connect. Each performance will be coupled with outreach activities to allow students to engage with the music themselves.”

Read more at http://www.johannes-moser.com/

Jeremy from Cascade Services, a division of Cerebral Palsy League in Australia, writes to us about how he uses AudioCubes in his work with disabled artists:

“Cascade has a small recording studio that enables people with
disabilities to write and record their own music with assistance from
specialist staff. The difference I guess is that we don’t base our
music program traditional “music therapy”. Everyone just writes music
how they’d want it.

The audiocubes are an amazing piece of hardware! The great thing about
it is that its enabling people who can’t use conventional controllers to
add depth and dimension to their recordings themselves.”

About Cascade Services:

“For more than 10 years, Cascade Services’ Art Program has supported artists with a disability to develop and perfect their skills. The program provides opportunities for artists to engage in stimulating quality arts activities and assists them to overcome barriers to accessing the arts. Through the provision of professional development and mentoring opportunities, artists are encouraged and supported in ways that aid their development as practising professional artists.”

Mark emailed me a while ago and asked to do an interview about the AudioCubes, and how I got involved in music technology and designing new interfaces for electronic music. I’m flattered and grateful for this interview. Mark has been very supportive of my work and has really come up with some unique ways to use AudioCubes with music software.

You can find the phone interview and some additional information in his blog post here:

http://www.modulatethis.com/2010/02/interview-bert-schiettecatte-percussa-audiocubes.html

Mark from Denver, CO writes to us about his setup involving AudioCubes, Waldorf Blofeld and the Akai LPK25.

He uses a single AudioCube to control 4 parameters of the Blofeld. MIDI comes from AudioCubes MIDIBridge and is merged with the Akai’s MIDI using a MIDI Track in Live.

Read more about how he set everything up here: http://www.modulatethis.com/2010/04/blofeld-laptop-abletonlive-lpk25-audiocube.html

Mark also uses his Theremin with a single AudioCube: 

“I plan to both learn classic Theremin technique, plus go well beyond the classic use of the Theremin by using it’s signal to control other elements in my rig and to heavily process it’s signal. I’ve already started working with it running through Ableton Live and using Percussa AudioCubes to modulate digital parameters that are effecting the analog signal. Very exciting!”

More about this at http://www.modulatethis.com/2010/04/mark-mosher-theremin.html