Searching for the Perfect Stage Piano (Part 3: Numa X Piano GT)

My ongoing search for a stage piano to suit my somewhat unconventional desires has led me in several directions described in part one and part two of this series, but when I came across the details online about the Numa X Piano GT my head was decisively turned. I ordered the flagship stage piano from StudioLogic without even trying it back in February,...

Aug 2022

Convert a Bulky Hardware Synth Project to Travel Friendly iOS

Spoiler Alert: It’s AUM from Kymatica This summer I am performing a piece at two international conferences and streaming a pre-recorded concert at a third. The generative, audiovisual piece is titled SYNTAX and is in collaboration with Mike Hodnick (aka Kindohm). Mike and I debuted the piece in November, 2021 and when we did, we both had complex hardware...

Jun 2022

Searching for the Perfect Stage Piano (Part 2: VTines MK1)

A recent setup for John C.S. Keston with a Rhodes EP at the McGuire Theater, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis As I continue my search for the “perfect” stage piano (spoiler: there isn’t one) I have been asking myself if it is practical and/or desirable to use a VST instead of a dedicated hardware instrument. This is an approach that I have used in the...

Dec 2021

Mothership Solo Album Release

Mothership by John C.S. Keston On Black Friday, 2021 I released a solo album of 20 tracks, all recorded as a response to the despair of isolation and the horrors of… space. Yes, they were also recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, and although the “despair of isolation and the horrors of” the global disease were (and are) a daily realty, working on...

Nov 2021

Bloodline: The Central Planes

the central planes by Bloodline November 8, 2021 marked the debut release from the trio Bloodline (Cody McKinney, Peter Hennig, and myself). The album was recorded in December, 2016 – a foreboding moment just before the was world plunged into the chaos of neo-nationalist politics. It took five years of sporadic listening, discussing, editing, mixing,...

Nov 2021

Searching for the Perfect Stage Piano

I expect this post to have several follow ups, but since writing The Democratization of Piano? I have been digging deep in my search for a an alternative to lugging my ailing Rhodes Mark I to every gig I play. Now that COVID-19 vaccines are widely available and live music is starting to happen again, I have started performing more frequently. For...

Oct 2021

The Democratization of Piano?

Although I use them on occasion I’ve always been indifferent to digital pianos and piano virtual instruments, and prefer to play acoustic pianos and Rhodes electric pianos. Recently I’ve been experimenting with a handful of piano VSTs and I’m quite inspired with the sounds, the response, and the ability to adjust these instruments. Now I find myself...

Jul 2021

Parochial Dissonance by John C.S. Keston

Parochial Dissonance by John C.S. Keston Parochial Dissonance (Æther Sound, Dec. 4, 2020) – The title of this release describes the tragedy, loss, and suffering experienced when we narrow the scope of our worldviews. The album is a series of solo pieces captured from three streaming performances during the COVID-19 pandemic, and two live performances...

Dec 2020

Introducing Hydramorph 1.3.0

A major update to Hydramorph, version 1.3.0 is now available. It now supports morphing up to six-hundred-seventy-four parameters on the ASM Hydrasynth. This includes all of the parameters in the MACRO Editor. The MACRO assignments have also been added to the Send menu in Hydramorph, so that it is possible to send a predefined MACRO setup to any patch...

Dec 2020

A Sound / Simulacra Album Available

a sound/simulacra by cody mckinney & john cs keston present: One of the last concerts I played before the COVID-19 pandemic and the horrific murder of George Floyd was a sound/simulacra with an amazing group of artists including: Cody McKinney (electric bass, voice, electronics), myself (Rhodes, synth, electronics), Aby Wolf (voice, electronics),...

Dec 2020