Lee Abramson (September 13, 1970 – January 20, 2016) was an American
composer and
musician. He was the first person to write music using ModelTalker, a computerized speech production program.
Musical techniques and career
Abramson used
adaptive technology
Assistive technology (AT) is a term for assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and the elderly. Disabled people often have difficulty performing activities of daily living (ADLs) independently, or even with ...
, live musicians and electronic technology to create complex musical expressions, all with one finger. His music featured layers of electronic textures, synthesizers, piano, bass, and percussion.
His music was used as a subject for study in a
Michigan State University class.
Because of his disability, which limited his ability to control a computer to the use of only one finger, Abramson wrote music one note at a time using
software
Software is a set of computer programs and associated software documentation, documentation and data (computing), data. This is in contrast to Computer hardware, hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work.
...
such as Sibelius, LogicPro, ModelTalker to use computer recordings of his voice to "sing" on songs, Keystrokes from Assistiveware as an on-screen keyboard.
Abramson produced an educational series of
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
videos which explains the 5-step method of making music with ModelTalker, with a 6th video showing a real-time bounce of a Logic Pro project with ModelTalker samples "singing".
Tucker Stilley another musician with ALS, shared his custom KeyStrokes keyboard layout for
Logic Pro
Logic Pro is a digital audio workstation (DAW) and MIDI sequencer software application for the macOS platform. It was originally created in the early 1990s as Notator Logic, or Logic, by German software developer C-Lab which later went by E ...
, Abramson's
digital audio workstation
A digital audio workstation (DAW) is an electronic device or application software used for recording, editing and producing audio files. DAWs come in a wide variety of configurations from a single software program on a laptop, to an integrat ...
without which he said, "Would have made what I do impossible".
Prior to his physical illness, Abramson was the bassist for numerous small bands, including Violet Wine and Punchy. His recent creations are classified as Rumi music, where he set
Rumi poetry to music.
Abramson has performed under several
pen name, including Ace NoFace, under which he wrote and produced the album ''Toxic Charm''.
In addition, under Rumi Music, he produced a self-titled album, ''Rumi Music'' and later, ''Vow to Silence''.
2012 presidential campaign
Abramson ran for
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
as an
independent candidate in the
2012 election
This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included.
January
*3–4 January: ...
.
His candidacy was endorsed by ''The Daily Swarm''.
Abramson did not appear on any state ballots in that election.
Education
Abramson attended
Okemos High School,
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...
, and the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
.
He took Music Marketing, Songwriting, Music Production at
Berklee College of Music
Other ventures
Abramson sold
pork rinds
Pork rind is the culinary term for the skin of a pig. It can be used in many different ways.
It can be rendered, fried in fat, baked, or roasted to produce a kind of pork cracklings (US) or scratchings (UK); these are served in small piece ...
on the internet from 1998 to 2000.
Death
Abramson was diagnosed with
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in February 2005.
He died on January 20, 2016, at the age of 45.
Discography
*2009
''Rumi Music''*2010
''Vow To Silence''*2011
''Spices''*2012
''Abramsonium''
*2013
''The Antarctic Wars''
*2013
''Maize And Bluebeard''
*2014
''The Bionic Mouth''
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References
External links
Lee Abramson's websiteModel Talker Speech Synthesis ProgramLee Abramson, Disco Dogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abramson, Lee
1970 births
2016 deaths
American bass guitarists
American male composers
American composers
American musicians with disabilities
Musicians from Lansing, Michigan
Candidates in the 2012 United States presidential election
21st-century American politicians
University of Michigan alumni
Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni
Guitarists from Michigan
American male bass guitarists