THE MIDIUM® (pronounced "THE-mi-dee-um"):

1. (noun) the medium that connects an artist with special and unique instruments they need to create the music they love
2. (noun) the synth store that offers personalized Artist support and 24-hour door-to-door concierge service in the Los Angeles area
3. (noun) literally, the truly "mom-and-pop" synth shop owned and run by Erin and Cam, along with their baby Melody Nightingale Wednesday.
4. (noun) your source for carefully curated synths, drum machines, effects, and music machines that mean something more.
5. (noun) the synth boutique that carefully and neatly packages, ships, and presents your instruments with respect for you, your art, the environment, and your community

 

WHAT'S INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE BOX IS MORE THAN A CLICHÉ. 

The terms "inside the box" and "outside the box" often color conversations regarding ideas and how to approach them.  Erin and I took some time and reflected on these concepts when we created The Midium®, and the conversation went a step or two beyond the usual course these two terms usually take.

As it is, The Midium® looks at the importance of what is inside the box, and the importance of who is outside the box; the former being a conduit to creativity, imagination, fascination and joy, and the latter being the artist who brings electronic musical instruments, effects units, samplers, MIDI controllers, cables, power supplies, and other such tools of creation to life in ways only they can.  With any of the machines The Midium® showcases, you would compose art and music that only you can.  That's special.  I'll say it again: that is special.

Being the medium between an artist and their tools is a significant responsibility.  Connecting an artist with the right instrument, and both respecting and facilitating that important relationship, can yield the sort of energy needed to go and make timeless art in the lives of so many, and most importantly, in the artist themselves.  The Midium®'s part should be the easiest one in your story: you explore our carefully curated boutique and gallery, find the truly unique tools you need, and have them sent and presented to you in a way that is mindful of your time and inspiration, celebrates your gear, and builds up some positive energy.  Hey, we can all use some more positive energy in our lives, am I right?

 

Artwork designed by Matt Jordan.  @m33axd

 

So, let's think for a moment about what is "inside the box."  It could be a synth that changes your life.  It could be a sampler or effect unit that shapes a particular experience you share with your audience.  It could be the cable that worked reliably and gave you the confidence to never have to think about it again after plugging it in.  Indeed, what's inside the box is essential – you can certainly find many great things "inside the box."  It's a surreal feeling when you are in the creative process with one of your instruments or machines and you realize that hours have gone by, unnoticed.  Few things in life have that kind of power.

As for "thinking outside the box," that's instrumental (pun always intended).  You are outside the box.  We are all artists at heart doing our best to make masterpieces of our lives, one note or one color at a time, and enjoying just having fun making music that's cool to make.  The creative process is as beautiful as it is heavy, and The Midium® is here to show you beautiful electronic instruments and machines with rich stories behind them that can hopefully further inspire you to make your music. 

One more question remains: What happens to that box and everything we used to present your gear to you?  Simple.  We use environmentally friendly packing materials that are recycled, can be recycled, are biodegradable, and made from plant-based materials.  For example, the filler we use, which is produced by a certified women-owned company, is recyclable and biodegradable, and any packing peanuts we use are water soluble and made from corn starch.  These things matter.

 

Artwork designed by Matt Jordan.  @m33axd

 

THE BRANDS, INVENTORS, AND OUR CURATED COLLECTION.

Regarding our growing collections... we figure that instead of carrying "the largest selection" of absolutely everything, The Midium® would curate specific instruments, MIDI controllers and equipment, strange music machines, accessories, and all of the things that make them work, that are born from the souls of people who love what they do, have made history (and are making history), and are expanding artists' ability to get their message out in the truest, most authentic sense.  There is so much that goes into the creation of these beautiful electronic musical instruments, effects units and pedals, and cables and accessories.  Some brands and inventors you might know well, while others may be new to you.  The Midium® carefully curates the right stuff as we find it, rather than listing all that's out there.

 

THE HEART OF THE MATTER.

At heart, The Midium® is the electronic music instrument boutique created by us, Cam and Erin (and cheered on by our baby daughter Melody Nightingale Wednesday!), that showcases special synths, MIDI gear, electronic music machines, effects units and effects pedals, and accessories that connect artists with their sound, and with special brands and inventors with great stories behind them. We're based in Southern California – which we love, wholeheartedly.

As we begin our journey, we will be active mostly online, both through our website and our Reverb.com site.  A brick-and-mortar location is our next objective, which will come soon enough.  All in all, we do things a little differently around here... and hey, we're glad that you've stopped in.  Welcome!

As mentioned before, at The Midium®, we:

• Curate and showcase select brands that have special stories behind their inventions
  
• Offer you a neat, focused, and purposefully expanding collection of synths, electronic instruments, modular music machines, pedals, effects, and accessories that excel at what they do and offer unique benefits to your creative process
• Present the gear you buy from us respectfully, sustainably, and cleanly
• Ensure that we use environmentally friendly and bespoke packing materials, and work with socially conscious suppliers as much as possible
  
• Provide the kind of support and customer service that we always wished we got from the places where we used to buy our gear and art supplies
• Extend stewardship and embody a sense of responsibility to the communities we serve
• We're intent on making The Midium® and the special technology in our collections available to everyone, whether you're new to all of this, or you've been doing this forever

 

WHY DO ALL OF THIS?

Simple answer: It is a lot of work, and we do it because we love it, because we feel that our work matters, and because we have fun doing all of this! 

Long answer: Buying a synth or any musical gear is a personal choice, and it should be treated by the people you trust to sell you your gear as such.  These synths, weird music machines, MIDI controllers, drum machines, electronic music instruments, modular units, effects, pedals, and accessories are important!  Think about it... a synth, a drum machine, a module, a pedal, a reliable cable... they can help form an important and lasting memory through sound, and they can change a life by helping to make an artist's musical experience possible and enjoyable, and an audience's moment in the music unforgettable.  After all, music can, indeed, make life so much better, or even just improve one's mood at just the right time!  Beyond this, we believe in leaving the world better than how we found it, so we take our environmental and social impact seriously; we'll always do our best to partner with the right brands and do the right thing.  Too much of the electronic music instrument buying experience is generic, and sometimes even treated like a members-only club.  It is our job at The Midium® to hold the door open for everyone who wants to explore the potential of all of this fascinating technology and make art and music.  For that to happen, we need to make it easy to find the right piece of kit that fits into an artist's creative process and help them get to know more about the brands and the people who actually developed and designed the gear.

 

WHO ARE THESE TWO (AND THREE)? :-)

Erin is a puppeteer, painter, animal rights activist, and guitarist (acoustic, mostly), among so many of her amazing talents.  She has produced experimental puppetry shows and art exhibits, and her art has been shown in galleries in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami, and at Disney World's Epcot Center. 

Some of her favorite musicians (and artists) include Joan Baez, Skinny Puppy, Einsturzende Neubauten, Prince, and Courtney Love in terms of music.  When it comes to art, she's all about Jim Henson, Peter Schumann, Harry Clarke, Alphonse Mucha, Andy Warhol, and Vincent Van Gogh, among too many others.  When it's time to just unplug, she'll get her roller skates on and enjoy the SoCal scenery.

 

As for me – Cam – I'm a musician, actor, writer, LGBTQ+ rights and environmental activist, archer (my traditional Hungarian horsebow is my favorite, and I only shoot at field targets, as hunting is simply not for me) and avid football fan (it's a tough time to be a Cowboys fan) and baseball fan (ohhhhh!  Go Orioles!)  Sometimes, to relax, I go up to my studio and make music, or stay in and enjoy reading up on the history of music and music technology (currently reading I Believe in Music by Ikutaro Kakehashi, the founder of the Roland Corporation), and learning about the people who make it possible. 

So, I've been producing my own music, as well as soundtracks for video games and theatre productions, since I was in college.  A few of the artists, writers, and musicians who inspire me are Piet Mondrian, Mark Rothko, Anton Corbijn, Man Ray, Emily Dickinson, Alexandre Dumas, E.E. Cummings, Jack Kerouac, Joy Division / New Order, The Future Sound of London, David Bowie, SOPHIE, St. Vincent, Brian Eno, Depeche Mode, U2, Tame Impala, Chromatics, and Wendy Carlos.  Colombian food is my favorite (Erin and I are both vegan, so we modify some recipes here and there), and I live for grapefruit juice.  Once we have our brick-and-mortar going, and if you're into chess, let me know if you're down for a game or a pint of Irish stout!

 

Finally, we have our baby daughter, Melody Nightingale Wednesday.  She loves listening to Tame Impala, Rival Consoles, Wild Nothing, Weezer, U2, Mazzy Star, Sinedrifter, The Smiths, Sonic Youth, The Grateful Dead, Sleater-Kinney, and New Order.  So far, she shows signs of being a riot grrrl and vocalist (has she got some lungs!), and an acrobat.  Time will tell where her interests take her!

So, that's us.

Send us a message with your questions or ideas, anytime!  We'd love to shoot the breeze a while with you and help you find the gear you need!

Thanks again... and indeed, welcome to The Midium®.

Cheers,

Cam and Erin (+ Melody Nightingale Wednesday!)