ams stands for Acoustic Modular System and is possibly my most ambitious work to date. Imagine a series of acoustic musical instruments and effects that conform to a 5U modular format and control using CV/Gate in the standard modular way. ams is every bit as out there as that description sounds.

This was commissioned by State51. The idea being that I build an instrument and record an album with it, which they then release. It’s possible that they weren’t expecting something quite so elaborate and time consuming. In fact it’s fair to say the contract didn’t anticipate this either, but State51 have been endlessly supportive and I am determined to create something wild and wonderful for them.

As much of the work on this falls outside of my skill set, I have collaborated with Richard Sewell on this. He too has been endlessly patient and generous.

The results are really starting to shape up now. Many of the core modules are complete and I have started making music with it. This has resulted in another round of research and development.

Key areas of focus are listed below. Click the item to see all blog posts to date on the subject…