Alex Marenga AUGMENTED GUITARS  “MATERIA”

Materia is a collection of experimental tracks played by interacting the electric guitar with electronic and digital devices. The project is inserted in the framework of the discs for “augmented guitars”, where with this term we indicate the uses of the guitar enhanced by the interaction with the digital technologies.
In this research, Alex Marenga explores the possible analog sound applications of the guitar processed with digital effects, with the laptop and with Eurorack modular effects and the possibility of using the instrument as a MIDI controller.
At the formal level he uses these sound technologies to generate sound environments, glitches, noise layers, loops, granular synthesis in a sound journey that transports in the maze of contemporary experimental music.
The concept of the realization of the tracks refers to the contemporary art to its use of space and matter, as dynamic compositive elements. The author also focuses on the artistic gesture and the movement of sound within the perceptual space offered by digital support. In particular there are tributes to the works of Alberto Burri, Lucio Fontana and Marina Abramovich.

here on Bandcamp
https://eclecticproductions.bandcamp.com/album/materia

Eclectic Productions published the new Alex Marenga’s album: “Music For Augmented Guitars”. A collection of experimental and meditative improvvisations recorded with filtered and altered guitar sounds.

The electric guitar like an oscillator. A sound journey into guitar processed with modular synthesys and granular software. A “glitchology” of guitar possibilities in the digital age. 

Alex Marenga, producer and author, guitarist and experimentator, has been active various electronic and electro-acoustic projects such as Amptek or with Entropia collective.

Eclectic Productions publishes this album which contains Electronics music for prepared and electronically treated guitars.
His experimentation employs electric guitar in new sound dimensions with the use of technological equipment. Alex Marenga, a Luigi Russolo‘s futuristm scholar uses noise and sound as materials to assemble his music.

These tracks are abstract paintings of a dissonant present, digitized portraits of a transforming world, uneasiness of a polluted society, a glimpse into a dissolving culture.
An attempt to draw sums on the role of an iconic instrument of the post-industrial world at a new historical stage.

But what is an augmented guitar?

An enhanced guitar is a normal electric or acoustic guitar processed through laptop computers or modular synth as an alternative to the traditional effects chain.
To enhance the capabilities of the laptop effects Alex Marenga has used the Guitar Wing from Livid Instruments, a wi-fi controller that allows you to pilot Ableton Live directly from the body of the instrument.

What kind of guitars needed?

Alex Marenga used a customized Godin Session Custom with Fishman Midi Wifi Pick Up, a You Rock Guitar Gen 2 Midi controller, and some customized Fender Telecaster and Stratocaster with JAM ORIGIN MIdi conversion software and an Epiphone Dobro.

Only computers and synths have been used?

Alex used Ableton Live with many channels of effects and virtual synthesizers for every track and a hybrid modular synth (with Mutable Instruments, MakeNoise and Doepfer cards).
But not only. A special effects chain with boutique and rare pedals.

http://www.eclectic.it/e66-alex-marenga-music-for-augmented-guitars-artist-series/