There has been some recent chatter at the Saturn list regarding Cymatics and a bit of discussion here regarding Bill Sebastian's cymatic creation, the OVC (Outerspace Visual Communicator) which was used in Sun Ra's video for Calling Planet Earth. Bill Sebastian and his OVC seem to be coming at me from all directions lately... I recently read this brief article mentioning the device and thanks to Tom B from Saturn I watched a Ted Talk this morning about Cymatics. Heliocentricity!
If anyone has a nicer copy of this video, please share! I snatched it from yootube some time ago. Sadly, it is no longer available there.
wonderful!
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http://visualmusicsystems.com/management.html more about the ovc and bill sebastian
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Holy Smokes, I-)! That picture showing the back looks like a head of robot hair. More Wire! We need MORE WIRE!
ReplyDeleteit is scary just thinking about having to wire wrap all that...
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Wow! Lovely, thanks once again to all involved. Does anyone know if the soundtrack is from a released album/cd? Nice version, I think I'll rip just that to have on a playlist.
ReplyDeleterev.b -- no, not from any album. This was recorded for this video specifically. Amazing production from the crew at Mission Control - Michael Jonzun and engineer Jimi Randolph. I remember the original stereo mix being incredible (I made some records in that studio back in the day and heard it there), probably the best 'modern' (24 track) recording of the Arkestra.
ReplyDeletethanks, br. cleve, for the additional info about the recording. it is a truly awesome recording. okay, so i am a sucker for a good d27-II, so i am a little biased. :-) you can hear the stereo effects in the video. the OVC is awesome - like a fillmore liquid projection light show and a kaleidoscope with iTunes visualizer all thrown in together, all with a nice depth color and fluidity.
ReplyDeletei don't think the OVC is synched to the music? or generated by the music? it seems to be playing along with the music, as a separate instrument?
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> I think I'll rip just that to have on a playlist.
ReplyDeletei played the video (with VLC), recorded the audio (using Goldwave), and save the .wav file...
rev. b, what app are you using to rip the audio from the video?
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the OVC was played live, in real time, by Bill Sebastian. It was used live at a number of Arkestra shows in Boston in the late 70's/early 80's, and at the Soundscapes shows in NY. Besides the Arkstra, there were other recordings made with a few Boston experimental/no-wave etc bands at the time. I was fortunate to witness some of the Boston shows and also see the OVC up close when it was being built.
ReplyDeleteThe machine was immortalized on the early electro record by the Jonzun Crew (on Tommy Boy records) : "Pack Jam (Meets The OVC)".
> I was fortunate to witness some of the
ReplyDelete> Boston shows and also see the OVC up
> close when it was being built.
was that all wire wrapped? or soldered? from the pics on bill sebastian's web site, it looks like a electronics technician's nightmare!
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I can't recall correctly from 30 years ago :-). I know it took him years to build it -- 10, I think. It was ever expanding and morphing. Hopefully the new one will not take as long to build!
ReplyDelete> Hopefully the new one will not take as
ReplyDelete> long to build!
:-) one of those huge LED screens for the display, software to control them, a pressure sensitive pad / table top to play on... hey, we're almost done! :-)
actually, that almost sounds doable?
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a video called SUNSET ON THE NILE was made at the same time as this beautiful example, at least according to the discogs we're all using... Anyone have even a blocky low-res, monaural copy just so we can all get an idea of what we're missing? A million thank you's.....
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...a LOT of people have got to have a copy of that video, and what good is having something so rare unless you can make everybody else jealous?
ReplyDeleteMan O Man... I'd LOVE to see Sunset on the Nile.
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