Frequency Freaks Workshop October 2020

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This month’s discussion finds Sid Tangerine, Mark Milanovich & Dakota Melin discussion Buchla. It will be a very interesting discussion covering topics such as why to choose Buchla, design philosophy, and the possibility to get (more) reasonably priced modules.Of course we also have performances from several within our little community!

Come on out and join us for the YouTube Premiere!

Of course there will be Premiere chat on YouTube but there will be an additional chat (with voice) on our Discord server for those who also wish to join there!

Frequency Freaks Workshop June 13 – Collaboration

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The next workshop is from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm ‘ish on June 13
Please join us online at our YouTube Channel!
Hi!

This month we will be joined by Dakota Melin and Rich Sherkin (Lower West Side Studio) to talk about collaboration, who they are collaborating with and maybe who they aren’t 😉

Keeping to the theme of collaboration we are going to be doing some of that ourselves as detailed in our previous workshop.  In case you didn’t see it that workshop is on our YouTube Channel along with the previous workshop and some other interesting things.

The gist of it is that we are going to facilitate some random collaborations.  To participate please reply to this e-mail and let us know that would like to participate, your name and if there is a preferred genre you would like to work in.  You are encouraged to not put a genre so that you get the opportunity to stretch and maybe do something brand new!  We have had some people come forward but there is still plenty of room so please reply by Wednesday May 27 to allow ample time for everyone to make their track.  Barring a zombie apocalypse we will be letting the collaborators know who their partners are on Thursday the 28th.  Tracks should be submitted as stereo .wav files no later than midnight June 10.

Along with the music collaboration and to keep things interesting for our virtual YouTube audience (that’s you!) we would like some volunteers to do visuals for these performances too!  Visuals can be live or pre-recorded video, a series of still images, whatever. We are anticipating 5 or 6 tracks.  Please reply if you are interested in working on the visual aspects of this!  Visual artists will be partnered with the music collaborators to facilitate the creation of the video.

Frequency Freaks Workshop May 2020

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We are still working with Arraymusic. Arraymusic is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the development of new music in Toronto, Canada. While all musicians are having a tough time in the current crisis, the organizations who support them are having an even tougher time. If you can, please head over to the Arraymusic web site and make a donation. Every little bit helps!

This will be another virtual edition of Frequency Freaks. A little different from last time and a live event! Link to the LiveStream on our YouTube channel will be provided closer to the date.  Did you see last month’s workshop?  It is still available on our YouTube channel – go check it out!

This will be a live and interactive event.  Questions from the YouTube Live Stream Chat are welcome and encouraged!

How We Learn

This month we will take a little time to discuss the process of learning with Dr. Jason Nolan, Associate Professor – School of Early Childhood Studies. Dr. Nolan specializes in the relationship between music and learning. While he is focused on early childhood we can all learn from his observations and experiences and hopefully figure out our own preferred learning style. We will be open to taking questions from the audience too!

Performances

Several pre-recorded performances with the performers on hand for live discussion of each performance. Questions from the live audience are welcome!

As always, this is a free event. No registration is required. We look forward to virtually seeing you soon and really seeing you at some point down the road when the world is a healthier place! In the meantime, stay safe, stay healthy, and make some cool sounds!

April 11 Workshop is ON!!!

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To help keep everyone’s spirit up we are going ahead with a virtual Frequency Freaks Workshop on April 11th, 2020.

Here is the link for the YouTube Premiere taking place Saturday April 11 at 3PM Eastern.

If there are any questions please use the Contact Form.

We will have a mix of Home Studio Video Tours, and Home Studio Video Performances presented as a YouTube Premere on the Frequency Freaks YouTube Channel.  It will be good to get some more content up there as we haven’t added anything in a while!

The YouTube Premiere allows for comments, questions and answers to be submitted via text chat during the premiere.  The total length of the video will be kept to between 1 and 1.5 hrs. Extra video will be saved for the next workshop.

Video submissions will be taken on a first come, first served basis up to the allotted time as best we can manage. Submitted videos will be put together in an order that makes sense to give us a mix of performance and studio tours.

Please, no mobile phone audio for the performances. If you have trouble with this simply create the video with your phone and record audio into your phone but also record the audio in your DAW. Submit both the resulting wav file from your DAW and the video from your phone with similar naming and I will put the two together – Final Cut does a really good job of aligning this stuff!

File Names:

  • StudioTour_YourName.xxx
  • Performance_YourName.xxx – video file
  • Performance_YourName.wav – audio file – if necessary

Upload location: https://www.dropbox.com/request/6djROijexXY6t1pUh19z

I hope this makes sense to everyone – please use the Contact Us form to ask questions and if we need to clarify anything edits will be made here.

April 11 Workshop / COVID-19

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Hi Everyone,

To help keep everyone’s spirit up we are going ahead with a virtual Frequency Freaks Workshop on April 11th, 2020.

If there are any questions please use the Contact Form.

We will have a mix of Home Studio Video Tours, and Home Studio Video Performances presented as a YouTube Premere on the Frequency Freaks YouTube Channel.  It will be good to get some more content up there as we haven’t added anything in a while!

The YouTube Premiere allows for comments, questions and answers to be submitted via text chat during the premiere.  The total length of the video will be kept to between 1 and 1.5 hrs. Extra video will be saved for the next workshop.

Video submissions will be taken on a first come, first served basis up to the allotted time as best we can manage. Submitted videos will be put together in an order that makes sense to give us a mix of performance and studio tours.

Please, no mobile phone audio for the performances. If you have trouble with this simply create the video with your phone and record audio into your phone but also record the audio in your DAW. Submit both the resulting wav file from your DAW and the video from your phone with similar naming and I will put the two together – Final Cut does a really good job of aligning this stuff!

File Names:

  • StudioTour_YourName.xxx
  • Performance_YourName.xxx – video file
  • Performance_YourName.wav – audio file – if necessary

Upload location: https://www.dropbox.com/request/6djROijexXY6t1pUh19z

I hope this makes sense to everyone – please use the Contact Us form to ask questions and if we need to clarify anything edits will be made here.

Workshop Announcment March 7, 2020

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The next workshop is from 2:30 pm to 6:00 pm on March 7
Please join us at the Array Music Studio, 155 Walnut Ave!
A new DiY project to demo, maybe a special guest performance, and performances by your friends at FF!  What more could you want?  See you there!

This month Scott Campbell will talk about and demonstrate his now complete Eurorack DiY project. 

Working to try to get some special guests in to perform… Will make another announcement if that is going to happen.

We also have time for your performances! Bring your stuff to show off and come hang out with us!

See you there!

March 2019 Workshop Announcement

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This month we celebrate!  Seriously can’t believe we’ve made it to 3 years of FF Workshops!  Thank-you all for your support and coming out to meet in person!

There will be as little talking as possible this month!  Bring some stuff & Play What You Bring!  1 minute, 2 minutes, 10 minutes… We will fit in as many performances as we can!  There will be cake!

In case you missed the announcement previously, there is a new Frequency Freaks Discourse Forum.  Head on over, sign up and join the discussion!  

Of course, bring stuff to sell, trade, and your questions.

February 2019 Workshop Announcement

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Always Free! No tickets required 🙂

Have you ever wanted to take some gear to the park or camping? Wondered how you might get power, or how you could mix and record those nature inspired performances? Paul Stillwell is going to talk about this topic and the design of his evolving battery operated jam rig. He may even perform something with it while running on battery power, of course!

Derek Simmons will also do a little talk on modular synths and performance. Focusing thoughts on module selection and module placement in a performance case.

Performing this month:
Matt Nish-Lapidus fresh off an awesome Album Launch performance at Handlebar on Jan 31 and Les Hartai who was last heard at the December workshop in a memorable duet with Angus Tarnawsky. Derek Simmons who returned to FF last month after being MIA for a while due to work responsibilities is also going to perform

Check out some of Les’ sound here: https://greenheavycanvas.bandcamp.com/

Check out Matt’s new album here: https://sm-ll.bandcamp.com/album/batch-0008 and older stuff here: https://newtendencies.bandcamp.com/

Check out Paul’s music here:
https://paulstillwell.bandcamp.com/

Check out some of Derek’s music here: https://soundcloud.com/rezzn8r

It Comes In Peace – FF Workshop 20190112

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The first workshop of 2019 is from 2:30 pm to 6:00 pm on January 12.
Please join us at the Array Music Studio, 155 Walnut Ave!

This month our own Michael Brooker will talk about the Disting Mk IV.

IT COMES IN PEACE: A user-friendly approach to the Disting MKIV

  • With a total of 89 individual algorithms at the release of firmware version 4.9, Expert Sleepers’ Disting has gone from a helpful utility to a universe of functionality
  • Let’s explore some of the myriad possibilities offered by this unit, while exploring some useful supplementary material to get you navigating through – and patching with – this 4HP-fits-all digital wonderland

Michael Brooker is a recovering jazz musician with an obsession for modular synthesis and musical expression in general.  Having completed formal musical studies at the University of Toronto (MusBacPerf, Trombone, Jazz Studies) between 2009-2013, but seeking a new creative medium to express himself, Michael recently built a Eurorack modular synthesizer and has been quickly but carefully studying each of the modules, both individually and in the context of the larger instrument.  With plans to attend the Conservatorium van Amsterdam (CvA) in the Fall of 2019, Michael’s passion for electronic music and electronic modes of musical expression are only beginning.

We will also have time for performances.  Please reply to this e-mail to let us know if you plan to play something.

Final Workshop of 2018 – December 8!

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This is our final workshop of 2018! Hot on the heals of an incredible Toronto Sound Festival we have a presentation that likely should have been a part of the festival. However, space and time being what it is, Angus Tarnawsky will be presenting this one at Frequency Freaks for us on December 8!  Please join us at the Array Music Studio at 155 Walnut Ave for what is sure to be a fun final workshop of the year!

Bring your gear, play a bit, jam a bit. We look forward to seeing you December 8!

Limitations

This presentation and workshop by Angus Tarnawsky will explore creative limitations as a way to strengthen artistic practice. Specific attention will be paid to “one voice” patching techniques using modular synthesizers and ways of incorporating and interacting with physical space.

Angus Tarnawsky is a Toronto-based artist and musician. Drawing from experience as a drummer and audio engineer, his work explores site-specific relationships between sound and technology, combining aural and visual elements across installation and performance.

 

 

If you plan to do a performance a little heads up would be nice to let us know your plans.  Just reply to this e-mail and we will get back to you.