Organization:Musical Electronics Library
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Abbreviation | MEL |
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Formation | November 2014[1] |
Type | NGO, lending library |
Location | |
Coordinates | [ ⚑ ] : 36°51′24″S 174°45′35″E / 36.856699°S 174.759786°E |
Region served | New Zealand |
Website | musicalelectronicslibrary |
The Musical Electronics Library (or MEL) is a lending library of homemade electronic musical devices in Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand, and is a worldwide leader in the Scavengetronica movement.[2][3]
The library contains electrolytic capacitors, rampwave oscillators, white noise generators, light theremins, sample and holds, ring modulators, preamplifiers, pitch shifters, phasers, and mixers; mostly built inside repurposed VHS cases.[4][5][6] Highlights of the collection include the "electric bee motorcycle sound-maker box", a device which emulates the sound of meowing cats inside a Cats VHS box, and "Mad Max" which has been described as "Merzbow in a box".[7][8]
MEL is run by volunteers and curated by musician and device-builder Kraus.[9][10] The library was inspired by the work of Nicolas Collins and Bob Widlar.[11][12] Musicians using equipment from MEL include Hermione Johnson, Kraus, Pumice, Diana Tribute, Samuel Flynn Scott, the MEL Orchestra, Piece War, Ducklingmonster, the Biscuits, Powernap, Herriot Row, and Chronic Fatigue Sindrome.[13][14][15]
The library has been running synthesizer-building workshops around New Zealand.[5] MEL also co-hosts an open weekly maker night with the Auckland University of Technology where projects are developed in a collaborative environment.[16]
Kraus stated in a New Zealand Listener interview that "doing any kind of community project like this for me is a political thing - of self-organisation and encouraging people to take control of their lives, instead of just being a consumer, buying something someone else has made, or some robots in China. The kind of empowerment that comes from learning a new skill is a really powerful thing."[8] He said in NZ musician magazine that he wants "to emphasise the idea of sharing and also reducing waste through re-using things and giving seemingly broken or out of date things a new purpose."[7]
The library started in Auckland and 2014 and opened a Wellington chapter in 2016.[17]
Gallery
References
- ↑ Smith, Emma (13 June 2015). "Headquarters: Kraus". Radio New Zealand. http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/nat-music/audio/201758188/headquarters-kraus. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
- ↑ Norling, Sean. "UTR's Highlights Of 2014". http://www.undertheradar.co.nz/news/9191/UTRs-Highlights-Of-2014.utr. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- ↑ "About". 19 March 2014. http://musicalelectronicslibrary.wordpress.com/about/. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ↑ "Musical Device Library Set To Launch In Spring". http://www.undertheradar.co.nz/news/8220/Musical-Device-Library-Set-To-Launch-In-Spring.utr. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Thomas, Melody (31 May 2014). "Kraus Synth Workshop". http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/nat-music/audio/2598046/kraus-synth-workshop. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ↑ "Musical Electronics Library Inventory". https://mel.myturn.com/library/inventory/browse. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 O'Sullivan, Mitch (January 2015). "Musical Electronics Library". NZ Musician 18 (7): 52.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Smith, Emma (11 October 2014). "Smashingly Good Time". New Zealand Listener 245 (3883): 44–45.
- ↑ Silver, Harry. "May Creative Technologists Meetup". Auckland University of Technology. http://colab.aut.ac.nz/events/may-creative-technologists-meetup/. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ↑ "Musical Electronics Library". http://www.sonorouscircle.com/2014/05/musical-electronics-library/. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ↑ Kraus, Pat (24 March 2014). "MEL prehistory 1". https://musicalelectronicslibrary.wordpress.com/2014/03/24/mel-prehistory-1/. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
- ↑ "Bob Widlar". Space Surveillance Network (July 2014): 5. July 2014.
- ↑ "MELtastic Auckland Artists". Space Surveillance Network (July 2014): 26. July 2014.
- ↑ Dass, Kiran (22 November 2014). "Nowhere Festival 2014". http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/nat-music/audio/20158283/nowhere-festival-2014. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
- ↑ Samuel Flynn Scott (2016-02-20). "Wellington Musical Electronics Library". Radio New Zealand National. Radio New Zealand. http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/nat-music/audio/201790129/wellington-musical-electronics-library. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ↑ "MEL & AUT Colab:Weekly Maker Nights". Space Surveillance Network (July 2014): 24. July 2014.
- ↑ "M-E-L Launch Party!!". 2 February 2016. http://www.soundexplorers.co.nz/event/m-e-l-launch-party. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
External links
- Musical Electronics Library blog
- Musical Electronics Library Auckland microblog
- Musical Electronics Library Auckland inventory
- Musical Electronics Library Wellington inventory
- Documentary on MEL
![]() | Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical Electronics Library.
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