AndertonsKeyboardDept Rocks the Dreadbox and Osmose

The AndertonsKeyboardDept is back, and they’re not playing it safe. Instead of serving up a dull exploration, they’re diving straight into the fiery pits of sonic hell—or heaven, depending on your predilection. They’ve picked up the Dreadbox Artemis, a six-voice polyphonic analog beast, and paired it with the Expressive E Osmose. The Osmose is not just any MPE keyboard; it’s a key to new dimensions of expressivity, enhancing the already formidable Artemis. Imagine a punk gig where every note bursts with raw energy, ready to shake up the music scene. That’s how they’re setting the stage.

Now, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of MPE—just in case you thought it was all wizardry and voodoo. MPE, or MIDI Polyphonic Expression, is like giving your synth a mind of its own, letting each note live its own life. Think of it as a dodgy kebab that surprisingly turns out delicious—the secret is in the little adjustments, the fine tuning. AndertonsKeyboardDept hooks the Osmose to the Artemis, sending MPE standard MIDI data, and it responds beautifully, interpreting pitch bends and key expressions like a seasoned performer. By playing with the CC74 data parameters, Tom shows us how he can tweak any knob on the Artemis, turning a simple synth play into a dynamic, polyphonic wonderland. You can feel the tension and release in every note, like a guitar chord at the climax of a rock anthem.

Who needs a sequencer and arpeggiator, you ask? Well, AndertonsKeyboardDept gives you plenty of reasons. By demonstrating the latest updates, they show off the Artemis’ ability to spit out riffs that could easily confuse a seasoned musician. The arpeggiator, once a background player, now takes a leading role with features like probability, swing, and gate length. It can be your rhythm guitar, your backing vocals, or whatever your twisted mind wishes. And let’s not forget the sequencer, whose properties mirror the arpeggiator but with an added flair of randomness. Witness the dance of sequences turning from predictable patterns into a chaotic harmony, where each step is a new adventure. It’s practically writing a punk anthem on the fly.

The beauty of analog techno lies in its unpredictability, and AndertonsKeyboardDept captures this with the Artemis. With the probability feature, you can tweak a sequence to behave erratically, creating sounds as unpredictable as a drunken walk home. Imagine the Artemis spitting out randomised arpeggiations, casting an unpredictable sonic web that’s chaotic yet mesmerising. Tom layers a random repeating delay over this, adding depth and mysticism. This feature reminds us of a good pint—tasty and a bit heady. When randomness combines with delay, heaven meets chaos, and you wonder how much of this musical territory remains unexplored. This part of the demonstration is less about control and more about letting go, embracing the unknown as notes drift into the ether.