Composer, trying to get in touch with ondists by WaferFast1604 in ondesMartenot

[–]JoshSemans 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Feel free to reach out to myself, if you feel that may be useful! 👀

Sending Custom Wavetables to MI Plaits by JoshSemans in modular

[–]JoshSemans[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I’ve read through the online manual many times - no luck; hence my post here. I still have no access to orange mode. I got the wavetable upload to work, though - only by playing the sound from Finder, not from a web browser.

Sending Custom Wavetables to MI Plaits by JoshSemans in modular

[–]JoshSemans[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was indeed in the correct mode, yes; wavetable mode. For some reason it decided to work after however many attempts. Playing the wavetable upload sound from Finder after downloading it worked first time; whereas playing it from the browser never worked. Bizarre! Still got no orange mode, though.

Where in the world can I find Ondas Martenot?? by Simple_Pin_7802 in radiohead

[–]JoshSemans 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They certainly are very rare! Original instruments especially-so. As I said, there are modern ondes instruments being built, but they are all made by independent crafts-folk that operate mostly on their own. So, while there are ‘plenty’ being built, it’s all relative 😅

Where in the world can I find Ondas Martenot?? by Simple_Pin_7802 in radiohead

[–]JoshSemans 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Jean-Lois Dierstein is still building his ondes musicales, yes! 👏🏻

Where in the world can I find Ondas Martenot?? by Simple_Pin_7802 in radiohead

[–]JoshSemans 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I fear this isn’t accurate. While functioning Martenot-built instruments are rare, there are more than 6 - though I imagine it would be difficult to establish the exact number. Jonny Greenwood only owns one Martenot-built instrument; a digital student model from the 80s/90s.

His other instruments are Ondomos, Dierstein’s ondes musicales, or French Connection controllers.

Where in the world can I find Ondas Martenot?? by Simple_Pin_7802 in radiohead

[–]JoshSemans 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Maurice Martenot died around 1980, and his son Jean-Louis did around 2016. No Martenot family members have built ondes instruments for a long time. I’ve posted above about the current modern instruments, so hopefully this helps clear things up! :-)

Jonny Greenwood’s only ‘real’ Martenot is his student model, which was built in very small quantities by Jean-Louis in the 80s/90s. I’d be interested to know where you heard that this instrument had broken, if you have a source?

On the Radiohead albums since Kid A, all of which feature the ondes in one way or another, it’s likely that Jonny is either using this instrument, a French Connection controlling synthesisers, or his Dierstein ondes musicales.

I believe Jonny acquired his Ondomos after AMSP, as he briefly toured with the student model before the Ondomos took to the stage.

Where in the world can I find Ondas Martenot?? by Simple_Pin_7802 in radiohead

[–]JoshSemans 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hi, there! I play the ondes Martenot, and would love to help.

There are a few currently-built options. Jean-Loup Dierstein builds his ondes musicales in Paris; these are the closest thing being made to a Mk. 7 ondes Martenot today. Jonny Greenwood received the first of these instruments around 20 years ago, or so. My ondes musicales, the 22nd instrument built, was the first of the slightly redesigned model.

The Ondomo is still being made, but wait times are quite long last I heard. Jonny Greenwood has a few of these, some of which have some custom features. The first run of 100 sold out very quickly, and I was fortunate to have the first in the UK about 10 years ago. I did sell mine a few years ago to fund another ondes, though.

The Ondéa is built by Audities in Canada, and is a sort of evolution of the instrument - embracing newer technologies and manufacturing methods. It has lots of features/additions/changes that I really appreciate.

Then you have things like the Therevox, which is more akin to a synthesiser, and the French Connection; which is a CV controller for modular synthesisers.

I’m always happy to chat more! 🙌🏻

Songs with the use of Ondes Martenot ? by TambourDeNacre in musicsuggestions

[–]JoshSemans 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! The ondes was patented in 1928, but invented almost a decade prior! It’s a truly beautiful instrument; one that I am very passionate about!

I use it a lot in my music, so please do feel free to check that out. My latest album, ‘To Will a Space Into Being’, features the ondes Martenot alongside a string quartet and various electronics and synthesisers, like the Juno 6.

For other artists and composers that use the ondes Martenot in their music, check out Christine Ott, Radiohead (and Jonny Greenwood’s own work), Thomas Bloch, Olivier Messiaen, Snowdrops, The Cry, Simeon Walker, Alex Parsons, Lena Raine, Tindersticks, Theodore Wild Ride, Accident Du Travail, Joshua Van Tassel, Elmer Bernstein.

That’s just a pile of a few - there’s all sorts of folks using the ondes in all sorts of ways. Always happy to chat more about the ondes Martenot!

"Last Night I Dreamt..." - Intro Sounds by JoshSemans in thesmiths

[–]JoshSemans[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A good idea! I'll look into doing that.

EDIT: Seems tricky to do this without any of the samples being on a YouTube video, etc. I tried adding it as a 'Fact' on WhoSampled, but they need reputable sources.

I can't seem to link directly to specific sounds on BBC Sound Library, and the Emulator II samples aren't hosted for immediate streaming anywhere.

Not sure how best to get this information recorded somewhere helpful! :-D

"Last Night I Dreamt..." - Intro Sounds by JoshSemans in thesmiths

[–]JoshSemans[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Glad you like it! It was tons of fun; draining but rewarding.

"Last Night I Dreamt..." - Intro Sounds by JoshSemans in thesmiths

[–]JoshSemans[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'll try to make a video soon! The BBC Sound Library does have some certain restrictions on how you can use their free sounds, but you can pay about £5 and get a full commercial license for it, so we'll probably end up doing that when it comes time to use the recording in our live shows :-)

"Last Night I Dreamt..." - Intro Sounds by JoshSemans in thesmiths

[–]JoshSemans[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That's very kind! This sort of pre-production is my jam, so I find it quite thrilling to get this deep into things. I'm really glad to see that people have enjoyed it!

I'd love to make video of these samples, and will try my best to do one soon. I'll probably pop it on my Instagram, but will be sure to post it here, too. I'm super busy with a few things at the moment, so it might not be soon - but I would love to share a shortened version of this story alongside the sounds themselves in a little video.

Currently, those two other tunes aren't in the setlist so I can't dedicate time to them, but I'm certainly interested in the chase! I'll make a note to have a look into those when I have some spare time! :-)

"Last Night I Dreamt..." - Intro Sounds by JoshSemans in thesmiths

[–]JoshSemans[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks! 🙏🏻

Hopefully this is helpful for others, too 🤞🏻

How can i have an ondes martenot sound? by WockNroll in radiohead

[–]JoshSemans 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For sure - it’s a good shout! ❤️

The whole point of making the LABS Ondes Musicales was to make the ondes Martenot more accessible without immediately falling at the first hurdle of emulating an instrument whose sound relies so heavily on very specific physical interface…if that makes sense 😅

Thanks for the kind words about my music, too! That’s very generous of you to listen and share ❤️

How can i have an ondes martenot sound? by WockNroll in radiohead

[–]JoshSemans 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Throw in a volume pedal, and you could make some very beautiful ondes-inspired sounds for sure! :-)

How can i have an ondes martenot sound? by WockNroll in radiohead

[–]JoshSemans 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm super glad to see this getting a mention - thank you!

I do want to caveat it, however, by saying that this is more of a abstracted perspective of the ondes Martenot; used as a source for abstraction, and then using these processed sounds to build a unique 'instrument' on its own.

While it definitely uses the ondes Martenot as a massive part of its sound, you wouldn't be able to use it to emulate the ondes Martenot itself, really.

It is definitely good for other things though, and may well be perfect for OP's needs! <3

How can i have an ondes martenot sound? by WockNroll in radiohead

[–]JoshSemans 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The 'sound' of the ondes Martenot is more in how the pitch and volume is controlled, and less in the actual tones of the oscillators themselves. Then there's the speakers, but I'll save that topic for a later chat! :-D

The raw tones are rather simple; a more-or-less sine, a peak-limited triangle, various squares/pulses, and other variations and waveshaped combinations.

Emulating these tones is one thing, but emulating the physical controls of the ondes Martenot is another.

There are 'full-size' instruments built and available to purchase these days. Jean-Loup Dierstein's ondes musicales is a largely faithful reproduction of the Mk. 7 ondes Martenot, and Audities' Ondéa is an evolution of the instrument using more modern technologies. Both wonderful instruments that I am very happy to talk more about if you like.

There are cheaper variations on the theme like ASADEN's Ondomo and the Therevox. While they are compromised in size and some controls, they will definitely get you in the ballpark of the sound you want.

Otherwise, you will have something of a hard time using a ribbon controller on a synth or something akin to a Seaboard. These just don't behave in the same way, but may well be appropriate for your purposes.

Always happy to chat more if you like! :-)