12.10.2008

:D

'Exploding Symmetry' is now in post-production yay

Big smile after figuring out how to end that one... now mixing and mastering and editing small detailsssss wheeeee ! 

12.09.2008

Some observations...

Made my first synth patch last night at around 5am.  I'm still figuring out how the parameters programming section of Thor works, so until then it's a bit of trial and error.  Thor is amazing.  As a friend said last night, "it's like audio alchemy."

Thor patches, incredibly powerful in themselves, are only the tip of the iceberg of the power contained in the synth.  The design allows for extremely complex programming of patches.  You are able to hand pick the oscillators (and within each oscillator set several parameters such as wave form) and also set a ton of routing options and filter options.  It is providing me with a graphical interface for programming patches, which is something I'm becoming extremely interested in.  I'm reading more and more about the physical properties of waves and how to manipulate them to custom create different sounds and effects.  I suppose I never considered that synth patches are crafted in this way- blending of certain wave forms to create desired effects.  A square wave has a different sound than a sine wave because of the harmonic series contained within.  I find it all very interesting and I can see myself devoting hours to the process of patch creation.

This made me think about a subject I was tossing around last week - types of complexity within sequencer based/electronic music.  Artists such as Aphex Twin and Squarepusher have stated in several interviews that they use their own algorithms for sound creation and manipulation.  This is one type of complexity in sound, and it is a field I'm extremely curious about due to my recurring obsession with coding and programming.  The knowledge that I learn from Thor's easy to use programming interface can then be applied to such 'pure' programs as Pure Data and Csound.  These programs are slightly intimidating, as they are strictly code based.  The Thor allows an amazing 'training' interface, as I am able to use my growing knowledge of the physicality of audio-forms and through a process of trial and error programming.  Additionally, I'm practicing a type of 'reverse engineering' by loading the default and custom Thor patches included with Reason and seeing how the oscillators, filters, and programming corresponds to what I'm hearing.

Anyway, getting back to some production so I'll finish with more posts.

P.S. : I've discovered that I absolutely love automating the semi-tone parameter.  Combined with vocal samples, this can create some absolutely alien sounds. ;)

-lr.

Air on a Sample_Start

i r lol @ elitist snob culture :D

New piece "I Have a Photographic Memory (aka Air on a Sample_Start)" cooking.  It's fun and may quite possibly result in temporary loss of sanity.

In other news, 'i still r lol @ elitist snob culture :D'

-lr.