Category Archives: Sound Design

Sound design examples

Experimental Sound Set for the Prophet Rev2

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Although I haven’t mentioned it here, I have had a 16 voice Sequential Prophet Rev2 since November 23, 2018. In the last two months I have programmed a full bank of 128 patches for the instrument. This isn’t something I would normally do for any instrument. For most instruments I program a handful of patches that I need, or simply create or modify the patches as I work in the studio.

So why spend two months creating 128 patches? One reason why is because the scope of timbral possibilities is vast. One can create glistening, glassy, and bright tones or contrasting warm and dark sounds just as easily as one another. Secondly the process of creating patches is fun with minimal menu diving. Thirdly, if the patches are received well I’ll offer them for sale as a downloadable set.

Lastly, I have designed a Max for Live device (see image above) that morphs, interpolates, and/or randomized specified parameters on the synth. This software, titled Rev2 Patch Degrader, is similar to the what I created for the PreenFM2 and for the Yamaha TX81Z. It has allowed me to discover and tweak dozens of experimental soundscapes with many more to come. Developing the software took over a month, but I was able to get some excellent features packed into it. For example, there are four ways to initialize new patches: init 0s, init pad, init perc, and init random. The degrading process will then change parameters over time (clocked or in milliseconds) to new values.

In the next few weeks I’ll share some more examples of patches I have made on the Rev2. In the meantime, please let me know if you’re interested in what I’m tentatively calling the AudioCookbook Experimental Sound Set. Also, let me know if you’re interested in the Rev2 Patch Degrader for Max for Live. Thanks!

Parking Ramp Project topped Twin Cities dance scene in 2018

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Cody McKinney (bass) and Peter Hennig rehearsing Parking Ramp Project

Parking Ramp Project was selected by the Star Tribune as the Twin Cities’ top dance scene in 2018:

“1. Parking Ramp Project: Aniccha Arts founder Pramila Vasudevan showcased her eye for space and ritual with this bewitching site-specific performance, full of eerie neon ropes, haunting vocals and post-apocalyptic pillows, in a Bloomington parking garage.”

The music that I composed for the event highlighted the movement of the cast through the seven story parking ramp with an animated, generative, graphic score written in Javascript. Read more about the project below:

Video Documentation of Parking Ramp Project
Animated, Generative, Graphic Scores for Parking Ramp Project
Star Tribune: 10 great Twin Cities dance events for fall 2018
City Pages: Parking Ramp Project

Video: Panic by Proxy Live at the Walker

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On August 23, 2018 I debuted a new piece in remote collaboration with Syrian artist and filmmaker Khaled Alwarea. PANIC BY PROXY is an audiovisual translation of clips from Alwarea’s award winning film Panic Attack. The piece was commissioned by MN Artists for their MN Artists Presents series at the Walker Art Center, curated by Essma Imady.

The performance featured audiovisual objects projected and amplified while being granulated using Audiovisual Grain Machine (AVGM) — software I developed that performs audiovisual granular synthesis in realtime using a touch controller. Other instruments included Rhodes, Moog Sub 37, Novation Circuit, Korg KP3+, and an Electro-Harmonix Memory Man Delay. The dissonance, distortion, and uncanny synchronization in the sound and visuals illicit feelings of disturbance and confusion as an expression of the artist’s anxiety.

This video includes most of the performance and has only been edited for length. Thanks to Esmaa Imady for inviting me to participate in the event, Khaled Alwarea for his amazing film work, and Emily Gastineau at MN Artists for organizing the event. Read more about Esmaa Imady and the other artists who participated in this event on Hyperallergic.

ISSTA 2018 and Ableton 10 NRPN Morphing

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Soon I’ll be on my way to Ireland for my second appearance at the Irish Sound, Science and Technology Association (ISSTA) annual conference. This year ISSTA will be held at Ulster University’s Magee campus in Derry, Northern Ireland, November 9th and 10th, 2018. Tickets are still available.

This time around my work is entirely rooted in FM synthesis. Particularly around my explorations of the amazing PreenFM2. I have designed a Max for Live patch that allows me to degrade, morph, and/or scramble sets of parameters on the synth. This is similar to a device I designed for the Yamaha TX81Z. This process creates an algorithmic approach to the sound design.

I have titled this series MODULATOR and recently made an album (unreleased) of material based on the technique. There is a lot to mine here, so I am finding that while I prepare for ISSTA a whole new range of material has emerged. These new compositions developed through a sequence of stochastic, deliberate, and arbitrary processes. Through algorithmic and improvised methodologies textures evolve beyond aesthetic considerations allowing peculiar, harsh, and even grotesque sounds to emerge. Have a listen to this series of clips I recorded while practicing for the upcoming performance:

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Sound / Simulacra: Zosha Warpeha

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This Wednesday, June 27th, 2018 is Sound / Simulacra at Jazz Central Studios featuring Zosha Warpeha on violin, voice, and electronics. This is a monthly series in collaboration with Cody McKinney which explores musical improvisation as a “faithful and intentionally distorted” representational process. Sound / Simulacra brings together some of the Twin Cities most unique voices to “recreate, distort, and create the hyperreal.”

Set I – Zosha Warpeha solo (violin, voice, electronics)

Set II- Zosha Warpeha (violin, voice, electronics) + John Keston (piano, Rhodes, synthesizers, electronics) + Cody McKinney (bass, voice, synthesizer, electronics)

Zosha Warpeha is a genre-crossing violinist, vocalist, and composer from Minnesota, currently based in New York. Steeped in improvisation, her music draws inspiration from a wide range of folk traditions and contemporary music. Her approach to blending voice and five-string violin brings an unique dimension to her sound. She also performs regularly on the hardanger fiddle, a traditional instrument of Norway, fully embracing the resonance and shimmering qualities of its sympathetic strings. Current musical projects range from the contemporary chamber ensemble Stratus Quartet to the ambient electro-acoustic duo visible worlds. Recent multidisciplinary collaborations include improvisatory performances with the Joffrey Ballet School and the experimental theatre group Exquisite Corpse Company. She has performed in many musical contexts at festivals and venues across the US, as well as internationally at the Bern Jazz Festival in Switzerland, and has been a recipient of artistic awards from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.